N THE CUSTODY Or TME
BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY.
SHELF N°
SERMONS
ON THOSE
DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL,
AND ON THOSE
CONSTITUENT PRINCIPLES OF THE
CHURCH,
wnic9
Christian Professors
HAVE MADE THE SUBJECT OF CONTROVERSY.
BY AARON BANCROFT, D. D.
ITASTOR OK TH£ SECOND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN WORCESTER.
WORCESTER :
Printed by William Manning & Soa,
MAY, 1852.
luM. 7f ?A.7^
^^'^ADAWStlft.ia^
DISTRICT OF MA.SSACHUSETTS, to wit:
District Cleric's Office.
BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the sixth day of May^ A. D. 1822^
in the forty-sixth year of the Independence of the United States of
America, AARON BANCROFT, D. D. of the said District, has depos-
ited in this oiBce the Title of a Book, the Right whereof he claims as
Author, in the words following, to wit : "• Sermons on those Doctrines
of the Gospel, and on those Constituent Principles of the Church, which
Christian Professors have made the Subject of Controversy. By Aarow
BAiTcnoFT, D. D. Pastor of the Second Congregational Church in
Worcester."
In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, enti-
tled " An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, hy securing the
Copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of
such Copies, during the times therein mentioned :" and also to an Act
entitled " An Act supplementary to an Act, entitled An Act for the
Encouragement of Learning, by securing the Copies of Maps, Charts
and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such Copies, during the
femes therein mentioned ; and extending the Benefits thereof to the
Arts of Designing, Engraving, and Etching Historical and other Prints.'*^
JNO. W. DAVIS, Ckrk of the District of Massachusetts,
INTRODUCTION,
By the Publishing Committee.
THE discourses contained in this volume are present-
ed to the publiclt by an association of gentlemen, belonging
to the Second Congregational Society in Worcester, of
which their Reverend Author is Pastor. Having solicited
and obtained the manuscripts, to be disposed of at their
discretion, some explanation of their views of the import-
ance of the publication seems to be demanded by the oc-
casion. At no period in the history of New-England, has
there existed so active a spirit of inquiry on subjects of
religion, as at the present time ; a spirit, not confined, as
formerly, to men of science and leisure, but pervading al-
most every grade and condition in society. The advan^
tages of education, which have been so long enjoyed, in
common, at our publick schools, by all classes of citizens ;
the increasing facilities for obtaining literary distinction in
our Academies and our Colleges, and the perfect security
guarantied by our laws, to the right of private judgment
and of publick discussion, have produced an obvious change
in the intellectual as well as the physical state of our coun-
try. There are now comparatively few individuals, capa-
ble of moral distinctions, who do not esteem it their duty
as well as their privilege to examine the doctrines propos-
ed for their belief, and to form opinions for themselves, in
the all-important concerns of a future life. Doctrinal dis-
courses from the pulpit are now seldom heard with satis-
faction, or even with patience, if the preacher proposes to
do more than to aid the inquiries of his hearers. They
will hardly suifer him to prescribe a creed for their adopr
tion, or to denounce them for the independent exercise of
IV INTRODUCTION.
their Christian liberty. Every man, indeed, who has much
reputation to preserve, as a divine and a scholar, finds it
necessary to be cautious in stating opinions to be adopted
by others, which cannot be defended by the soundest ex-
positions of scripture, and the fairest deductions of enlight-
ened reason. In the prevalence of this disposition in the
community to investigate the grounds of the principal sys-
tems of theology, the friends of Christianity have much
cause for congratulation. It is an obvious principle of our
nature, that the sentiments we profess can have no good
practical effect, unless we have a rational and impressive
conviction of their justness and their value 5 such a con-
viction as can result only from a careful and industrious
research into the evidences upon which they are founded,
and not from the confidence we repose in the intelligence
and piety of any mere human being from whom we have
received them. It is really inconceivable, that any one,
who feels the importance of religious truth, who would
wish to see it triumphant, and would witness, with joy, its
purifying influence in the lives of men, should feel any re-
luctance to encourage that freedom of examination, that
personal application to scripture in the full exercise of the
strongest energies of mind, by which alone it is most like-
ly to be obtained.
It is true, there have been but few sectarians among
Protestants, who have not professed their willingness to
yield to others those rights of conscience which they have
claimed as sacred to themselves, and which they have ex-
ercised in their fullest extent. But, unfortunately, this
concession has been but little more than profession. They
have generally discarded from their fellowship all who
have not subscribed to their views of the doctrines of the
bible, charging them with inslncerlt}^, moral corruption,
and enmity to the truth. With peculiar inconsistency, they
have recognized the right of Christians to think and judge
for themselves, and yet have insisted that a departure from
established theories of human origin was ground sufficient
INTHODUCTION.
to deny them the Christian name, exclude them from the
ordinances of the gospel and the prospects of immortali-
ty. No one will pronounce this an exaggerated represent-
ation, who has not been a stranger to the theological con"
troversies of this country. The sect denominated Ortho-
dox, have boldly maintained, that Unitarians were not the
disciples of Jesus Christ; that they had no reason to apply
-to themselves the promises of the gospel, and no encour-
agement to raise their hopes from earth to heaven. Not,
however, because they were less blameless in their lives
than their orthodox brethren ; or because they have done
less for the defence of Christianity against the attacks of
infidels ; or because they have contributed less to increase
the general stock of human knowledge, and to the advance-
ment of the world in civilization, in virtue, and happiness ;
but because they have ventured to bring their reason and
their learning to the study of the scriptures, and have at-
tempted, in imitation of the first reformers, to separate the
primitive faith from the inventions of men. The orthodox
of New-England, in their tiirn^ have been condemned by
the Calvinists of the south; accused of substituting a new
religion for tliat originally delivered to the saints. Is this
the liberty of Pi'otestants, for the enjoyment of which they
separated from the Catholic Church ^ Was it for this, that
the fathers of the Reformation, at the hazard of their lives,
exposed the extravagant errours and shameless vices of
the popish clergy ^ Was it only that one party among
themselves might enslave the consciences of another, that
they resisted the arrogant and impious pretensions of the
Roman Hierarchy to the divine right of dictating to their
deluded followers the articles of their faith ^ If so, then
have they laboured to no purpose — then has the Reform-
ation effected no desirable change in the condition of man-
kind. If individual Christians are not competent to ascer-
tain the essential doctrines of Revelation ; if an appeal
must be made to any human tribunal, to know what must
be believed to inherit eternal life, that appeal ought cer-
VI INTRODUCTION.
tainly to be made to the Pope, and his councils of assem-
bled Bishops, who, without dispute, have the strongest
claims to infallibility. But there is reason to believe that
the mild spirit of Christianity has begun to lessen the rig-
our of sectarian bigotry, and soften the asperity of religious
discussions. The experience of three hundred years of
bitter contentions and mutual recriminations among Prot-
estant parties, has begun to convince them of the folly of
expecting uniformity of opinion, and the criminality of mak-
ing it a condition of the exercise of charity. Candid in-
quirers are every day multiplying among us, " calling no
man master on earth," but ready to avail themselves of the
labours of wisdom and experience to guide them in the
study of the sacred oracles. Such a state of feeling in the
community, seems to require, that a denomination of
Christians, whose distinguishing views of religion have
been so long the theme of animadversion, as have been
those of Unitarians, should be able to refer those who
would examine them, to authors, where they may be found,
stated with clearness, and defended with candour. To this
denomination belong the publishers of the following Ser-
mons, and with these impressions they present them to the
publick. It is not because the opinions they have era-
braced have not been ably explained and supported by
numerous writers of profound erudition and exalted piety,
that they deem this publication necessary. If the correct-
ness of religious tenets could be tested by the talents, the
learning, or the moral worth of those who have maintained
them, the faith of Unitarians might safely rest on such au-
thorities as Locke, and Newton, and Clark, and Lardner,
and Emlyn, and Priestly, and Price. In the works of
these distinguished men, and of many others, may be found
a vindication of the sentiments they profess. But these are
not within the reach of the great body of readers, nor ar.i
they all adapted to such capacities. The publishers are
not aware, that the Christian community are possessed of
a book, which exhibits a connected view of their doctrine^
INTRODUCTION. VU
in the form of Sermons, (and these are most likely to be
read by persons of common attainments,) while Calvinista
have been careful to fill the world with sectarian books of
every description, from the most learned, down to the
child's primer. The discourses in this volume, with the
exception of one or two, were delivered by the author to
his own people within the last two years, and were not
written in the expectation that they would be given to the
world. He has yielded his opinion of the expediency of
the publication to the solicitations of his friends. They
form a regular series upon those prominent doctrines of
Christianity which now divide the two principal classes,
called Orthodox or Calvinistick, and Liberal or Unitarian.
In these discourses is presented, in connected order, a fair
statement of the doctrines of Calvinism, as laid down by
the most approved writers ; the leading objections to which
those doctrines are liable, are brought into view, together
with the opinions which liberal Christians oppose to them ;
and all this is done in a style and manner easy to be com-
prehended by ordinary understandings. If the reader
should think them not entitled to the credit, either of nov-
elty of arrangement, or originality of argument, he is re-
minded, that they were not composed to enlighten the learn-
ed, but to instruct a promiscuous assembly. He will find,
however, what is, perhaps, of more consequence, the great
grounds of difference between these contending parties,
stated with distinctness, and treated with liberality.
To Christians of all denominations, the subjects discuss-
ed in these Sermons, are deeply interesting. It is of un-
speakable importance to all who expect salvation upon the
terms of the gospel to obtain correct views of the divine
character and attributes ; of the character of Jesus Christ
as the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world — just ap-
prehensions of the nature of that mediation by which man
is redeemed from moral death, and of the duties and ac-
countability of rational beings. Such considerations, it is
believed, will render these Sermons acceptable and usefuL
ilii IKTRODUCTION.
But there is a further one, which entitles them to respect-
ful attention. This arises from the age, the experience,
and the character of their author. Doctor Bancroft was
inducted into the Pastoral office in Worcester on the first
day of February, 1786. His society had found it neces-
sary to separate from the first parish in this town, in con-
sequence of a difi'erence on doctrinal points. Calvinists
and Arminians were the prominent opposing parties of
that day, to the latter of which the new society were at-
tached. And so powerful were the former throughout the
country, and so exclusive in their intercourse in this vicin-
ity, that for many years he found few neighbouring cler-
gymen disposed to reciprocate ministerial labours, or wil-
ling to recognize his official character. For a long time
he was excluded from the associations of ministers in this
county, disowned as a minister, and reviled as a heretick»
Under such discouragements, did Dr. Bancroft commence
the duties of his high vocation. For thirty-six years he
has continued to discharge the duties of his station with a
consistency of character which none have surpassed, and a
steadiness of purpose from which nothing could divert
him ; and it is a fact well known to the writer of these in-
troductory pages, that the most zealous Calvinists have
yielded him the praise of an irreproachable life, and of be-
ing an honourable though, formidable opponent.
After a critical and laborious review of his early opin-
ions, at a period of life when nothing but the soberness of
truth can interest the mind, Dr. Bancroft engaged in com-
posing the Sermons contained in this volume. He brought
to the work a mind enlarged and invigorated by a long
course of study and of practical discipline. They exhibit
the views of a Divine who has reflected much and read
extensively : and the publishers are confident that, if they
fail to convince the reader, they will at least assist him in
establishing his faith in the concerns of rehgion, enlarge
h?fe charity to others, and strengthen his habits of piety and
virtue.
THE AUTHOM^S PREFACE.
THE religious controversy of the day
Occasioned the dehvery of the series of
sermons contained .in this volume. Their
publication results from the request of those
who heard them.
When the discourses were written, the
author had no intention of publishing them,
and was not, therefore, careful particularly
to note his authorities for the facts stated*
This neglect he now regrets, more especial-
ly in relation to that part of the work which
contains a succincthistory of the corruptions
of the Papal Church, and of the Protestant
Reformation ; because a review of Mosheim,
Priestley, Campbell, and the appropriate
articles in Rees' Cyclopoedia, (the princi-
pal authors consulted,) would require more
time than he has to bestow on the subject.
The respective statements were made on evi-
dence deemed substantial ; and, on exam-
ination, it is presumed they will be gen--
erally found correct.
10 THE author's preface*
More than twenty years since, the author
perused the sermons of Rev. Nichol Scott,
on the final extinction of the wicked.—
These sermons being nearly out of print,
the author made an abstract of them, which
on this occasion has been referred to ; and
he has now no means of determining how
far he is dependent on them for argument
and expression. The discourse therefore,
on this subject, (that no injustice may be
done,) is presented to the publick as sub-
stantially the views of an English divine.
It is not expected that the doctrinal ser-
mons will be approved by every portion of
the religious community ; but the hope is
entertained that, by the blessing of God,
they may promote the best interests of
Christianity.
Worcester, May, 1822.
CONTENTS.
%^v*%v*^/v
Introduction, hy the Publishing Committee. - Page 3
The Author's Preface. ----- 9
SERMON I.
Religion in man a rational and voluntary service*
LUKE xii. 56.
Ye can discern the face of the sky^ and of the earth ; hut how
is it^ that ye do not discern this time ? - - - 17
SERMON II.
Jesus Christ does not possess the attributes of Su-
preme Divinity,
JOHN xvii. 3.
T)iis is life eternal., that they might know thee., the only true
God.) and Jesus Christ., whom thou hast sent. - - 30
SERMON III.
The Humanitarian and Arian doctrine respecting
the character of Christ.
JOHN viii. 58.
Jesus said unto them^ Verily^ verily^ I say unto you., before
Abraham was, I am. - - - - -r - 4<&
SERMON IV.
Texts of Scripture explained.
JOHN X. 30,
/ and my Father are one. ----- 55
%.U CONTENTS,
SERMON V.
The scriptural meaning of the terms, Holy Ghost,
Holy Spirit, and Spirit of God.
JOHN xiv. 26,
But the Coinforter^ which is the Holy Ghost^ whom the Father
will send in my name^ he sliall teach you all things^ and
bring all things to your remembrance^ whatsoever I have
said unto you. - -^ - - -^ - I'ag'e "77
SERMON VL
The primitive state of the Christian Church,
TITUS i. 5.
For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou sliouldest set in
order the things that are wanting^ and ordain Elders in ev-
ery city, as I had appointed thee. . , - . 95
SERMON VH,
Ecclesiastical power and dominion were gradually
assumed by the Priesthood.
1 PETER V, 3.
Neither as being lords over Qod''s heritage, hut being ensam"
pies to thejlock, - r - -*•" 108
SERMON Vni.
The usurpation of the Bishop of Rome.
g THESSALONIANS ii. 4-
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called
God, or that is worshipped ; so that he, as God, sitteth in
the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. - 119
SERMON IX.
The corruptions and abuses of the Papal Hierarchy.
2 THESSALONIANS ii. 9.
Whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power,
and sign^, and lying wonders, - - - - 133
CONTENTS. Xiii
SERMON X.
The nature of the Reformation in the iGth century.
REVELATION xviii. 4.
I heard another voice from heaven^ sayings Come out of her^
mij people^ that ye he not partakers of her sins^ and that ye
receive not of her plagues. - - . - Page 149
SERMON XI.
The extent of the Reformation in the 16th centurj%
JUDE, 3d verse.
Beloved^ when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the
coinmon salvation., it was needful for me to write unto you
that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints. - - - - - 164
SERMON XII.
The Reformation, as it respects doctrines, was
partial.
1 TIMOTHY vi. 4, 5.
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome
words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the
doctrine which is according to godliness ; he is proud, know-
ing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words,
whereof ^ometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 1 75
SERMON XIII.
The duty of Protestants,
COLOSSIANS L 9, 10.
For this cause, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease
to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with
the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom, and spiritual under-
standing ; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all
pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing
in the knowledge of God. - - - - - 187
SERMON XIV.
The system of Calvinism.
1 THESSALONIANS v. 21.
JProve all things ; hold fast that which is good, - - 199
XIV CONTENTS.
SERMON XV.
On the doctrine of Election.
ROMANS xi. 7.
The election hath obtained it, and the rest -were blinded. Page 20&
SERMON XVI.
The benefits resulting from the mediation of Jesus
Christ, are applicable to ail men.
ROMANS V. 10, 11.
For if wh»n we were enemies we were reconciled to God, by
the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall
be saved by his life : And not only so, we also joy in God
thro^igh our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now re-
ceived the atonement. ------ 223
SERMON XVII.
On Total Depravity.
PSALM li. 5.
JSehold I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother
conceive me. --_---- 236
SERMON XVIII.
On Effectual Calling.
2 CORINTHIANS iii. 5.
JVot that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of
ourselves : our sufficiency is of God. - - t 251
SERMON XIX.
Evangelical obedience necessary to salvation.
PHILIPPIANS ii. 12, 13.
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling ; for it
is God who worketh in you both to will and to do of his
■ good pleasure. - - - - - - -^61
SERMON XX.
On Conversion.
JOHN iii. 3.
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he
camwt see the kingdom of God. - - - - 271
CONTENTS. XV
SERMON XXL
On the perseverance of saints.
HEBREWS X. 38.
JVow the just shall live by faith ; but if any man draw back^
my soul shall have no pleasure in him. - Page 295
SERMON XXII.
On Heresy.
TITUS iii. 10, 11.
A man that is an heretick, after the first and second admoni-
tion^ reject ; knowing that he that is such is subverted and
sinneth, being condemned of himself. - -- - 309
SERMON XXIII.
, On the doctrine of Immortahty.
DeliTered on Christinas Day.
HOSEA xiii. 14.
/ will ransom them from the power of the grave : I will re-
deein them from death. O death, I will be thy plague. O
grave, I will be thy destruction. _ _ . _ 3^3
SERMON XXIV.
The duties enjoined by the fourth commandment.
EXODUS XX. 8, 9, 10, 11.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt
thou labour, and do all thy work ; but the seventh day is
the Sabbath of the Lord thy God : in it thou shalt not do
any work ; thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-
servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stran-
ger, that is within thy gates : for in six days the Lord
vnade heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and
rested the seventh day ; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sab-
hath day, and hallowed it. - - - - - 34©
SERMON XXV.
The Institutions of the Gospel.
JOHN V. 40,
Ye xHll not come to me that ve mi<rht hare life. - - 367
XVI CONTEXTS.
SERMON XXVI.
On the doctrine of Endless Punishment.
MATTHEW XXV. 46.
These shall go away into everlasting punishment ; but the
righteous into life eternal. - - - - Pag-e 382
SERMON XXVII.
On the doctrine of Universal Restoration.
2 THESSALONIANS L 7, 8, 9.
When the Lord shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty
, angels, inflaming fire, faking vengeance on them that know
not God, and that obey not the gospel of mtr Lord Jesus
Christ ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction
from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his
power. - - - - -- - - 39.S
SERMON XXVIII.
On the annihilation of the incorrigibly wicked.
MATTHEW X. 28.
Fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the
soul ; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul
and body in hell. - - - - . - 407
SERMON XXIX.
On the future happiness of the righteous.
1 CORINTHIANS xiii. 12.
For now we see through a glass darkly ; but then face to face :
now I know in part ; but then I shall know even as also I
um known.- - - - -^~ - - 418
SERMON I.
RELIGION IN MAN A RATIONAL AND VOLUNTARY SERVICE;
LUKE xii. 56.
Ye can discern the face of the sky, and of the earth ; hut
how is it, that ye do not discern this time ?
JESUS Christ, in the establishment of his re-
ligion, did not adopt measures of compulsion. He
taught men every essential religious truth, pro-
pounded laws for the government of their conduct,
and addressed them with the most persuasive mo-
tives. He then left men to act freely, that the hap-
piness of his disciples might be the reward of obe-
dience, which flows from an enlightened miad and
a teachable temper.
Our Saviour exhibited the clearest proof of a
divine mission. By his life, he displayed the moral
worth of his character. To the Jews he stated,
that in him their prophecies were fulfilled : in the
presence of those who followed him, he wrought
miracles ; and he called on his countrymen to ex-
amine his doctrines, to reflect on his works, and to
weigh the actions of his life ; and for themselves
3
18 SERMON I.
determine, whether they might not confidently re-
ceive his communications, obey his precepts, and
rely on his promises.
This is the substance of the appeal in our text.
In the previous verses, Jesus had observed to those
who accompanied him, When ye see a cloud rise
out of the west, straightway ye say, there cometh a
shower, and so it is ; and when ye perceive the
south wind to blow, ye say, there will be heat, and
it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites ! ye can discern
the face of the sky, and of the earth ; but how is it,
that ye do not discern this time ? From usual ap-
pearances, you form a correct judgment of the ef-
fects of natural principles ; why do ye not seriously
attend to the moral dispensations of God, and, by
the evidence produced, become satisfied of the di-
vine origin of the doctrines I inculcate ? In our
subsequent context, our Saviour prefaces a case of
moral duty with the question. Why, even of your-
selves, judge ye not what is right ? It is then evi-
dent, that Christ recognized powers in man to
judge of the evidence on which his religion is
founded, and to perceive that his instructions are
conformable to the unchangeable laws of truth and
rectitude.
A number of important inferences may be drawn
from this appeal of our Saviour to the human mind.
1. Religion in man is a rational and voluntary
service,
God has imparted to man the attributes of reason
and liberty. These constitute him the subject of a
moral government, and make him capable of vir-
tuous action. Take away these faculties, and he
BERMOX I. 19
ceases to be the proper object of rewards or pun-
ishment. Without moral liberty, man may be the
instrument of actions which in their effects are sal-
utary or pernicious ; but in the agent there can be
neither virtue nor vice. To constitute any course
of actions good, in a moral sense, the agent must
be conscious of his duty, and possess a disposition
and power to perform it. Actions in which the
will of the agent is not concerned, have no proper-
ty of virtue ; and in their production the powers of
a moral being are not ex^srcised. The manner in
which the faculties of the human mind are used,
determines the moral character. The intention fix-
es the moral complexion of human conduct. The
same action in this man is a virtue, and in that a
vice. An example will fully illustrate this remark.
Two men unite to feed and clothe a hungry and na-
ked fellow-being ; one discharges this humane office
from a conviction that it is a social duty, of indispen-
sable obligation — and in him the duty is virtuous and
worthy of praise ; the other adopts this fc«"m of be-
nevolence towards a suffering object, as the means
to gain his confidence, and thereby to ensnare and
ruin him — and this malignant intention renders the
action vile and wicked. Reason to distinguisii
good from evil, and liberty to choose the one and
refuse the other, render men capable of moral con-
duct and moral government. This distinction be-
tween free and necessary agents being taken away,
men are let down to the level of beasts, or they be-
come mere machines, and there is no more moral
worth in their actions than there is in the effects
produced by the established laws of the natural
20 SERMON I.
kingdom. To suspect the motive, would be un-
charitable, when the conduct is habitually good—
because the life furnishes to us the best evidence of
the state of the heart ; but God judgeth not as men
judge : he looketh at the heart, and decideth on the
moral worth of our conduct from our secret intention
and purpose. From every view we can take of our
subject, it will appear, that as rational and free be-
ings we are subjected to moral laws, and that it is
in the right exercise of our reason and liberty that
we become religious men.
2. I infer, it is the duty of men to improve all
the means they enjoy, to enlighten their minds on
the subject of religion.
To act rationally and freely in the important con-
cerns of religion, we must know its foundation, and
be made acquainted with its essential truths and
duties. We cannot consistently perform the offices
of religion, while ignorant of its first principles, any
more than we can converse intelligibly in a lan-
guage with which we are unacquainted. Suppose
an individual educated in a country where the true
religion is professed — ^yet a traditional reception of
it, without a knowledge of the grounds of his faith
or the reasons of his hope, would not entitle him to
praise. Had he been born in a diiferent country,
he would have embraced its religion, however false
and absurd. Is there no advantage, then, it will be
asked, in the traditional reception of the true relig-
ion ? Much every way ; chiefly because this is a
providential means of acquiring the knowledge of
many religious truths and moral duties, of which
an individual wo'ild otherwise have been ignorant^
SERMON h. 21
these he admits on divine authority ; and, to main-
tain a good conscience, he lives in their habitual
exercise, and is thereby formed to a virtuous dis-
position. But his faith, being founded on an acci-
dental circumstance of his nativity, and not being
the result of inquiry and conviction, has in itself no
worth. The Parent of Life favourably appointed
the place of his birth, and by this circumstance his
religious superstructure is erected on the basis of
truth i but from it he himself can claim no merit.
But in the man, who cultivates his intellectual pow-
ers, who examines the foundation of his religion,
weighs its evidence, and adopts it on conviction of
its truth, faith is a moral exercise, acceptable to
God. This man has preserved his mind free from
the influence of prejudice, and his heart from the
bias of sin ; and obedience in him is the act of an
enlightened judgment, as well as of a sound con-
science.
The observations made respecting religion as a
system will apply to its several parts. If our un-
derstanding must be convinced before we can con-
sistently profess the belief that a particular religion
is true, then its peculiar doctrines must be examin-
ed and understood before we can consistently em-
brace them. To believe as this master in theology,
or as that church believes, is not to give a sufficient
reason for our faith. We stand on our own foun-
dation, not theirs ; their answers will not be accept-
ed as ours in the day of judgment. The right of
private judgment will not be questioned. If we
"voluntarily resign it, we part with our religious ca-
pacity, we undermine the foundation of personal re-
2l2 SERMON 1.
ligion, and can no longer live in the rational exercise
of faith or hope. Implicit confidence can never be
safely reposed on human authority. Religious in-
structers are forbidden to exercise dominion over
the faith of their fellow-men, but they are directed
to be the helpers of their joy.
We are commanded to call no man father, know-
ing that one is our Father, who is in heaven. We
are solemnly warned not to judge one another,
knowing that every one shall account for himself to
God. When we resign our understandings and
consciences to fallible men, and receive human for-
mularies as the standard of sound doctrine, we re-
move ourselves from the foundation of the gospel,
and have no sure basis on which to rest ; and we
shall be exposed to all the impositions which the
weakness or ignorance, the worldly interests or the
personal ambition of men can introduce into the
Christian church. Reason and revelation, I think,
warrant the position, that every man who seriously
endeavours to acquire the knowledge of divine
truth, and habitually practises according to the dic-
tates of an enlightened conscience, will be accepted
at the final judgment ; but the individual who com-
plies with this condition of acceptance can be pos-
itively ascertained only by him who knows the
heart. To the serious consideration of those who
feel disposed to condemn a brother merely for his
Christian opinions, I present the reproof of our Sa-
viour to his disciples, Ye know not what spirit ye
are of.
As the understanding of a man must be enlight-
ened, and his judgment convinced, before he can
SERMOX t. 23
Consistently embrace any system of doctrine, I
infer,
3. That uniformity of religious opinion is not
to be expected even among Christians.
The natural understandings of men differ, their
education is dissimilar, and their course of life is va-
rious. These circumstances lead to different views
of religion and of all other subjects. A truth that
is plain and evident to the man of ten talents, may
be unintelligible to him who possesses but one.
What you deem to be a mere rite of religion, your
neighbour may hold as a fundamental principle of
the gospel. No one ought to adopt the opinion of
another against the dictates of his own mind. Spec-
ulative differences, when accompanied with Christ-
ian virtues in the life, should not be made the occa-
sion of uncharitableness among disciples who ac-
knowledge a common Master. Is this opening too
widely the door of charity ? Look into the New
Testament, and there learn the term of admission
into the Christian church. This is simply a con-
fession of faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Such was
the confession of Peter — fFe believe and are sure
that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God^
And of Mary — / believe that thou art the Christy
the Son of God. On this confession, Philip baptiz-
ed the Samaritan converts and the eunuch of Ethi-
opia. On a similar profession of faith, St. Paul bap-
tized the jailer and other Gentile disciples. If the
acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as the Son of God
was all the apostles required for admission into the
Christian community, shall we demand more, and
deny the Christianity of the man who, professing
24
SERMON r.
the name of Christ, manifests by his life that he
faithfully observes the directions of his divine Lord ?
Shall we exclude from our fellowship all who do
not receive the whole system of doctrines which we
believe to be revealed in the gospel ? We shall
then probably exclude from our charity the greater
number of Christian professors. Should our prin-
ciple of fellowship be generally adopted, the Christ-
ian church could never be relieved from bitter dis-
putes and destructive divisions.
The signs of the times led my reflections to our
present subject. Many of this audience know that
the history of American Unitarianism, originally is-
sued from a British press, has lately been re-pub-
lished in our Commonwealth, and a strong appeal
made to the publick on the system of doctrine
therein unfolded. The purpose of the Editors
probably was to depress Unitarianism in our coun-
try, by the weight of publick odium. They insin-
uated that Unitarian Ministers, in the apprehension
that their cause would not bear the light, were en-
deavouring to promote it in a secret and insidious
manner. On this representation of timidity and
concealment, the Editors exclaim, " Are these the
true representatives of the Apostles and martyrs,
glorifying God by an open profession of his gospel,
and not ashamed to own their Lord before men ?
Is this the simplicity and godly sincerity of the gos*
pel?" Thus assailed, Unitarian Ministers were
compelled publickly to vindicate themselves. They
corrected the gross errours in the statement of their
opponents, explained their opinions, and adduced
scriptaral authority for their support. Whether
SERMON L 2d
the general effect on the publick mind corresponds
with the expectations of those who originated the
dispute, the present state of the Unitarian contro-
versy in our country will decide. Prejudices are
in some degree subsiding. Learned Theologians
with us now defend their peculiar tenets in the
spirit of our religion.
The time for inquiry and investigation is come ;
and our citizens, liberated from the shackles of a
national establishment, will not receive the dogmas
of schoolmen as the truths of revelation. On the
minds of the clergy of our Commonwealth there is
no bias from a view to the emolument of high ec-
clesiastical offices, nor from a fear of ecclesiastical
censures, which the civil power will enforce by the
forfeiture of salaries, by fines and imprisonment.
These circumstances are highly favourable to free
and candid inquiry, and they tend to elevate the
character of a Christian community. But all hu-
man advantages are attended with inconvenience,
and are liable to abuse. When men think for
themselves, they form different opinions even on
subjects the most important ; and if they hold their
peculiar sentiments with an uncandid spirit, and re-
fuse Christian fellowship with those who differ
from them, the society of Christians must be di-
vided into numberless sects, and few of them will
possess the means to support the publick institu-
tions of the gospel in a respectable manner. Most
of thost who acknowledge the divine origin of
Christianity embrace all the principles that are es-
sential to its effectual establishment. Let Christ-
4
^ SERMON li
ians, then, in forbearance and charity, permit each
other to judge for themselves respecting doctrines,
in the explanation of which the wisest and best
men have disagreed, and then they may mutually
co-operate in promoting tlie reign of their common
Lord.
Professors with us, at the present day, may be
classed in two great divisions, Calvinists and Liberal
or Unitarian Christians. Perhaps the most distin-
guishing point of difference between them respects
the office of reason in the sacred concerns of relig-
ion. The Calvinists style themselves the orthodoxj
evangelical professors ; and they require that the
mysteries of revelation, as they denominate them,
should be received, though these cannot be ex-
plained, in humble submission to Divine Wisdom,
Numbers of this class seem disposed to attribute
opposition to their peculiar system of faith to the
obstinacy of a mind not rectified by divine grace.
Some more ardent, altogether deny the Christianity
of those who reject their peculiar views. Li an-
swer to these allegations, we say, that, among all de-
nominations, worthy and unworthy professors may
be found — that, in each, the most perfect disciples
have occasion to lament their weakness and their
failings — and that, with every denomination, the
fruits manifested by the life and conversation should
furnish the rule of charitable judgment, and not
doctrinal opinions.
In respect to the office of reason in religious
concerns, we hold, that without the exercise of rea-
son, no man can be a consistent disciple of Jesus
Christ. Indeed, we perceive that Calvinists never
SERMON I.
27
yeject the authority of reason, when it can bebrougl.t
to support their positions. We hold, that by the
exercise of reason a judgment is formed of the evi-
dence by which our religion is proved to be true —
by reason we make up our opinions of the doctrines
contained in the sacred scriptures — and by reason
we pronounce on the purity and excellence of the
precepts and institutions of the gospel. Though
we do not pretend to comprehend God in his attri-
butes, in his works or ways, yet we say that our
duty extends no further than our capacity for
knowledge extends ; and that we cannot consist-
ently admit any position as a doctrine of divine rev-
elation, which consists of a set of terms conveying
no distinct ideas to the mind, much less if it involve
a direct contradiction, or is manifesdy opposed to
admitted principles of rectitude and goodness. De-
?iy this, and we are denied the power to distinguish
between a true and false religion, betvv^een good
and evil, between virtue and vice.
You, my candid hearers, are witnesses that, iu
my general course of preaching, I have dwelt on the
undisputed doctrines of revelation, and on the im-
portant duties of the Cliristian character ; though
I have not studied concealment of my opinion on
any religious subject, but as occasion dictated have,
as far as I understood it, declared unto you the
whole counsel of God. Unusual attention is at this
day given to doctrinal questions on which Christ-
ians have divided. Disquisitions on these sub-
jects are now circulated among every class in soci-
'^'ty, by the distribution of sermons, religious tracts,
and theological journals; and the peculiar tenets oY
28 SERMON I.
the two great divisions of believers are frequently
made the subject of conversation in our families.
Under these circumstances, I think it expedient to
give my opinion from the pulpit, on the important
questions now agitated. Assured of your attention
and candour, I intend to deliver a course of ser-
mons on Christian theology. My plan is extensive,
and embraces the unity of God — the derived exist-
ence and divine commission of Jesus Christ, the
Mediator — the primitive state of the Christian
church — the corruptions and abuses introduced by
ecclesiasticks, and particularly by the Roman Pon-
tiff — the nature and extent of the Reformation iqi
the sixteenth century — ^the system of Calvin — the
peculiar doctrines of revelation — the design of the
positive institutions of the gospel — and the rewards
and punishments of a future world. Relying on
your support, I shall, with as few intermissions as
possible, on the morning of every sabbath, God
granting me bodily and mental strength, deliver a
discourse on a doctrinal subject, till the design, of
which I now give the outlines, shall be executed.
In conclusion,
Let us, my respected hearers, improve the means
we enjoy for the acquisition of Christian knowl-
edge. May we not hold the truth in unrighteous-
ness, but live in the maintenance of a conscience
void of offence towards God and man. Then we
shall be able to give an answer to every man who
asketh us the reason of the hope which is in us.
The moral excellence of the gospel will not only
entertain our minds, but also purify our hearts, and
form us to the disposition requisite to enjoy the fu-
SERMON I. 29
lure rewards it promises to its obedient disciples.
In this world we shall realize the support, the con-
solation, and joy, which Christianity is fitted to
yield to those who are imbued with its spirit ; and,
at the close of our probation, we shall be found of
our Judge in peace ; and the approving sentence
will be pronounced on us individually, Well done,
good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of
thy Lord.
SERMON II.
JESUS CHRIST DOES NOT POSSESS THE ATTRIBUTES OF
SUPREME DIVINITY.
JOHN" xvii. 3,
This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
EFFECTUALLY to defend the Christian sys-
tem, we must separate from it the corruptions which
ignorant or designing men have introduced. In this
age of inquiry and investigation, neither the sanc-
tion which time gives to generally received opin-
ions, nor the solemnity associated with important
religious doctrines will support principles opposed
to the obvious sense of scripture, and to the simple
dictates of reason.
The Unitarian controversy has been forced on
liberal Christians ; and it becomes our bounden
duty to contend earnestly for the faith once deliver-
ed to the saints. We reject the doctrine of the
Trinity j because, by its admission, we must receive
as a doctrine of revelation, and as a term of Christ-
ian fellowship, a number of words which either
have no meaning, or amount to a plain contradic-
SERMON U. 3i
tion ; and because, in our apprehension, the doc-
trine is opposed to the particular and the general
language of scripture respecting the character of
God.
The Unity of God is an essential principle of true
religion. The Divine Unity is inculcated in every
part of the bible, as the basis of exalted piety. In
the Old Testament, Moses, with the highest solem-
nity, summons the attention of his people to this
great truth — Hear^ Israel f the Lord our God i^
ene Lord. On this foundation, our Saviour erects all
pious offices. — " Hear, O Israel ! the Lord our God
is one Lord ; and thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. Mo-
ses informs the Israelites that the knowledge of the
Divine Unity was a great purpose of the communi-
cations of Heaven to them. — " Unto thee it was
shewed, that thou mightest know that he is God :
there is none else beside him." The prophet Isai-
ah, speaking in the name of the Almighty, says,
*' I am the Lord ; there is none else ; there is no God
beside me." In the New Testament, our Saviour
confirms this fundamental religious truth — " This
is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent."
This essential verity St. Paul asserts in his epistle
to Timothy. — ''There is one God, and one Medi-
ator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus ;"
and to the Corinthians he declares, " To us there is
but one God, the Father, of whom are all things,
and we in him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by
whom are all things, and we by him."
32 SERMON H.
I need not adduce more passages of scripture to
prove the Unity of God. All Trinitarians profess
to hold this doctrine ; but we think their opinions
on this most important subject to be subversive of
the Divine Unity. They represent God as one be-
ing, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost. Each of these persons has
<a distinct and separate province of action, and in it
each has his own full and complete agency. In the
salvation of sinners, the office of the Father is dis-
tinct from that of the Son, and the office of the Son
as distinct from that of the Holy Ghost. Each of
these persons is self-existent, and possessed of all
divine attributes. Are these three persons one God^
or three Gods ? In the Trinitarian creed, Christ is
represented as the second person in the Godhead,
co-existent and co-equal with the Father, and of
himself " very God." In opposition to the Trini-
tarian formulary, we believe that Jesus Christ is a
being of derived existence, and therefore cannot
possess the attributes of supreme divinity. We
acknowledge him as the Son of God, the anointed
Saviour of sinners, and the constituted Judge of
man ; but we hold that, in his high and benevolent
agency, as Mediator, he acted under a commission
given bim by the one true God, who is over all
blessed forever.
The character and office of Jesus Christ will be
the subject of the present discourse. To its con-
sideration, this audience, I trust, will bring minds
free from prejudice. My present purpose is to
make it apparent that Jesus Christ is a being dis-
tinct from God, and subordinate to him. In doing
stinMON 11. 33
this, I shall introduce no metaphysical arguments,
nor adduce any human authority. The proof
brought in support of the proposition will be the
p];nn and express declarations of our Saviour him-
self, and one or two passages from the epistles of
St. Paul.
I shall present the subject to your deliberate
judgment under the following propositions.
1. Jesus Christ declared himself to be a being
distinct from God.
2. He disclaimed the essential attributes of Su-
preme Divinity, underived power, omniscience, and
absolute goodness ; and he proclaimed his inferior-
ity to the Father.
3. He appeared in our world as the Messenger
of God, and preached to men not his own doctrines,
but the doctrines of God who sent him.
4. Christ himself prayed to God as the only-
proper object of worship, and directed his disciples
to offer their prayers to God through him as the
Mediator.
5. Having completed the business of his mis-
sion on earth, Jesus ascended to his God in heaven,
and there received the reward of his obedience to
the Divine Will unto death, even the death of the
cross.
On these high and important points, the declara-
tions of our Saviour must be satisfactory to all. It
will be my endeavour to make comments on his
declarations, in a manner that may be fully under-
stood, even by those who are least acquainted with
religious controversy.
5
34 SERMON H.
1. Jesus Christ declared himself to be a being
distinct from God. Our text may be first stated in
proof of this position. — "Jesus lifted up his eyes to
heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come ; glori-
fy thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee. As
thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he
should give eternal life to as many as thou hast
given him. And this is eternal life, that they should
know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the
earth : I have finished the work which thou gavest
me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou mc
with thine own self, with the glory I had with thee
before the world was." Is it possible that two be-
ings should be more clearly distinguished from
each other, than Christ here distinguishes himself
from God? In the passage, he speaks of himself in
his most exalted character, as the Messiah, execut-
ing a divine commission, and giving eternal life to
man. What is its obvious meaning? There is
only one true God — Jesus is the Christ, or the
anointed of God, whom he sent into the world, to
whom he gave power to confer eternal life on the
children of God ; a declaration that Jesus had ac-
complished the moral purpose, for which God sent
him into the world, and thereby manifested the glo-
ry of the Being who thus sent him ; and a devout
prayer that he might be admitted to the divine
presence, there to receive the honour and glory ap-
pointed as the reward of the faithful execution of
the office of Mediator on earth. If any one doubt
whether, in these passages, Christ speaks of himself
as a distinct being from God — subordinate to him —
SERMON IT. 35
receiving a commission from him — invested with
power for its execution — declaring the accomplish-
ment of the high purposes of his embassy — and in-
voking the reward of obedience to a divine com-
mand, — let him try to put similar sentiments into
plainer language. Under this head of our subject,
it is not necessary to quote more passages. The
same distinction will be apparent in every text pro-
duced on subsequent points. Though Trinitarians
admit the Unity of God, they contend for three
persons in the Godhead. While they object to the
common meaning of the term person, in their rea-
sonings they adopt it in its usual sense ; and unless
the general acceptation of the term be admitted, ei-
ther their arguments are unintelligible or their con-
clusions do not follow from their premises. I can
form no other conception of three persons as sepa-
rate agents, than of three beings ; nor of a Godhead
of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, than of three Gods.
The Jews of our Saviour's day accused him of
blasphemy, and alleged that, being a man, he made
himself God. Did Jesus on this occasion claim the
attributes of Deity ? Hear his own reply. " Jesus
answered them — Is it not written in your law, I
said ye are gods ? If he called them gods unto
whom the word of God came, and the scripture
cannot be broken ; say ye of him whom the Father
hath sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blas-
phemest ; because I said, I am the Son of God ?"
2. Jesus Christ disclaimed the essential attri-
butes of Supreme Divinity, underived power, om-
niscience, and absolute goodness ; and he proclaim-
ed his inferiority to the Father.
30 SERMON n.
Our Saviour claimed not for himself underivcd
power. — '* Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son
can do nothing of himself. Of myself I can do
nothing.'' After his resurrection, and in his last
address to his disciples, his language is—" All pow-
er is given unto me, in heaven and on earth." la
these passages, Christ is speaking of the moral pur-
poses of his mediatorial office. In one of them he
affirms, that of himself he could do nothing ; and in
the other, that he was invested with power from
God to carry to consummation the high purposes
of his kingdom.
When one asked him — " Good Master, what
good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life ?
Jesus said unto him. Why callest thou me good?
there is none good but one, that is God." God alone
possesses original, inexhaustible, infinite goodness.
We have brought the clearest proof that Christ
acknowledged himself a being distinct from God ;
and we here learn that he disclaimed the goodness
which is an attribute of Deity.
Omniscience our Saviour also disclaimed. Prcr
dieting the heaviest judgments to his countrymen,
and at the same time, in the opinion of many, di-
recting the minds of his disciples to the day of final
retribution, he declares — " Of that day and that
hour knoweth no man, nor the angels which are in
heaven, neither the Son ; but the Father.'* In lan-
guage which cannot be mistaken, Jesus here avers,
that in respect to the precise period when the pre-
dicted judgments would be inflicted, he himself
was ignorant, and that God only knew it. The
fanner in which an attempt is made to evade the
SERMON 11. §7
force of this and similar declarations of our Saviour,
I shall notice in the close of the present discourse.
All avowal of inferiority to God is implied in ev-
crv text selected to support our several positions. —
I shall adduce one directly to this point.—** My Fa-
ther is greater than I." Our Saviour, in the place
where this declaration is made, was addressing his
disciples on the subject of his death, and opening
sources of comfort to them, from the prospects
which his resurrection vi'ould present to their view;
and, as the greatest support to their minds, he states
that the moral purposes of his reign would be con-
summated by the assistance of God. *' Peace I
leave with you ; my peace I give unto you. Let
not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
If ye loved me, ye would rejoice because I said, I
go unto the Father ; for my Father is greater thaa
I. I love the Father ; and as the Father gave me
commandment, even so I do." Christ evidently
here speaks of himself in his most exalted charac-
ter, and absolutely disclaims an equality with the
Father.
3. Jesus Christ declares that he appeared in our
world as the Messenger of God ; and that he preach-
ed not his own doctrines, but those of his Father
who sent him.
Numerous passages might be brought in support
of this position. I must be satisfied with a few of
the most select. — " I am come in my Father's
name. Then cried Jesus in the temple, I am not
come of myjjclf, but he that sent me is true. I pro-
ceeded forth and came from God j neither came I
of niyself, but he sent me. My doctrine is nQt
3G SERMON II.
mine, but his that sent me. Then said Jesns unto
them, When ye have lifted up the Son of Man,
then shall ye know that I am he, and that I can do
nothing of myself ; but as my Father taught me, I
speak these things. I have not spoken of myself;
but the Father, who sent me, he gave me a com-
mandment, what I should say, and what I should
Speak." In a prayer addressed by our Saviour to
God, we find the following expressions — " 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." All these texts
have an immediate reference to the high moral
purposes of the divine mission of Jesus Christ.
Additional comments are not necessary ; their
meaning cannot be made more plain by any re-
marks of mine.
4. Jesus Christ prayed to God, as the great ob-
ject of worship ; and he directed his disciples to
oifer their prayers to God through him as the one
Mediator.
Every Christian knows that our divine Lord has
set us an example as respects the duty of prayer,
as well as in all other instances of piety and virtue.
He joined with his countrymen in the publick offi-
ces of their religion, and often retired for private
devotion. But every Christian does not attend to
the fair inference from these facts, that Christ must
be a being subordinate to God, to whom his pray-
ers are directed. Let us then hear the language of
our Saviour in prayer. — " Jesus lifted up his eyes,
and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard
SERMOir IL 39
me ; and I knew that thou hearest me always ; but
because of the people which stand by, I said it,
that they may believe that thou hast sent me."
These expressions of thanks have reference to the
success of his ministry. Attend to his petitions
when oppressed by personal suffering. — " Then
saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrow-
ful even unto death. And he went a little farther,
and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Fa-
ther, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me ;
nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. He
went away the second time, and prayed, saying, O
my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me
except I drink it, thy will be done. When they
came to the place which is called Calvary, there
they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the
right hand, and the other on the left. Then said
Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not
what they do. And when Jesus had cried with a
loud voice, he said. Father, into thy hands I com-
mend my spirit; and gave up the ghost.'* These
are the expressions not of Supreme Divinity, but
of a being dependent and actually suffering.
Christ not only prayed to God himself, but he
also directed his disciples to offer their prayers, not
to him, but to God through him as Mediator,—
*' Ye have not chosen mc, but I have chosen you,
and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth
fruit, and that your fruit should remain ; that what-
soever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he
may give it you. In that day ye shall ask m.e
nothing. Verii}^, verily, I say unto you, whatso-
ever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will
40 Sermon ii.
give it you. At that day ye shall ask in my name j
and I say not unto you, that I will pray th,e Father
for you, for the Father himself loveth you ; because
ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out
from God." The prayer which our Lord taught
his disciples is addressed to God the Father, in
heaven.
5. Jesus Christ having accomplished the busi-
ness of his mission on earth, ascended to God in
heaven, and there received the reward of his obe-
dience to the divine will, even unto death, the death
of the cross.
Our Saviour himself declared to his followers
that he should ascend to glory ; and his inspired
apostles inform us of his actual ascent to the glo-
ry and honour which were provided for him in
heaven. Christ thus addresses God in our subse-
quent context — " I have glorified thee on the earth j
I have finished the work which thou gavest me to
do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with
thine own self, with the glory which I had with
thee before the world was." After his resurrec-
tion, he sent the following message to his imme-
diate disciples — " Go to my brethren, and say unto
them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father,
and to my God and your God."
The apostle Paul gives us a description of the
honours to which Christ is raised. — " Being found
in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and be-
came obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross : wherefore, God also hath highly exalted
him, and given him a name, which is above every
name ; that at the name of Jesus every knee should
SERMON li. 41
bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and
things under the earth ; and that every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the
glory of God the Father." The same apostle,
speaking of the empire of Christ in heaven, saySj
"He must reign till he has put all things under
his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed
is death. When all things shall be subdued unto
him, then shall the Son also hiraself be subject un-
to him that put all things under him, that God may
be all in ail."
What is the import of the passages from scrip*
ture now recited ? It will be recollected, that with
the exception of one or two texts from the vin*itings
of St. Paul, they are the very words of our Saviour
himself. Do they not fully prove the truth of our
respective propositions ? Do they not warrant the:
reception of the following positions as Christian
verities ? There is one only God, and Jesus Christ
was his messenger to men. Christ does not pos-
sess the essential attributes of Deity — Christ was
sent into our world by God — wrought miracles in
confirmation of his divine mission by power deriv-
ed from God— delivered messages committed to
him by the Father of Being— prayed God to suc-
ceed the moral purposes of his reign — attested his
sincerity by the sacrifice of his life — arose from the
grave and ascended to heaven, and was there crown-
ed with honour and glory, and empowered to con-
summate the design of his office as Mediator.
This great and merciful purpose being accom-
plished, he will resign his commission into the
6
42 SERMON II.
hand of God who gave it, and God will be all in
all. The declarations of Christ were made not in
figures of speech, nor under allusions to the rites
and ceremonies instituted by Moses, but in lan-
guage the most simple and plain.
Was it the sole intention of any writer to show
that a particular being was not God, could he use
phraseology morq fully expressive of his design
than that which Jesus Christ here adopts respect-
ing himself? Admit the supposition that Christ is
very God, and what contradictions and absurdities
follow ! At the same time he was in heaven encir-
cled with all the attributes of Deity, and on earth in
fashion as a man. He was the being sending, and
the being sent ; he was the being praying, and the
being to whom the prayer was addressed ; from
himself he received a commission for a high pur-
pose ; to himself returned this commission, that iie
himself might be all in all ; and, further, the mere
idea of which must shock the moral sensibility of
every mind, God, a spiritual being, uho is not
confined to place, nor excluded from it, ascended
from earth to heaven clothed with a body.
Trinitarians attempt to give a meaning to the
above passages, in consistency with their peculiar
doctrine. They represent Christ as a being of a
complex character, existing with two minds or
souls, a divine and an human, and that he is very
God and very man. They refer allthe declarations
of our Saviour, which we have recited, to his human
nature ; and affirm that, by this method of interpre-
tation, they preserve the harmony of scripture, and
give a consistent sense to passages which speak of
SERMON II. 43
Jesus as a being of derived existence, and acting
under a divine cotnmission, suffering and dying,
and those which ascribe to him the perfections of
Deity. But can two distinct minds, the one infinite
and the other finite, constitute one being? This
distinction between the human and divine nature of
Christ is not found in the bible. No passages can
be brought which expressly contain this doctrine,
and the general phraseology of scripture is directly
opposed to it. This distinction, we believe, was
invented in the school of theologians, to avoid a con-
clusion otherwise unavoidable ; and invented in an
age when hypothesis, and not investigation and ex-
periment, was made the basis of all science. But .
even this distinction, unfounded as I conceive it to
be, will not, I apprehend, answer the purpose for
which it is adduced. Let us test it by two of the
texts above recited. — "My Father is greater than I."
Christ was addressing his disciples on the highest
design of his mediatorial office when he made this
declaration, and therefore speaking of himself in
his most exalted character ; and, as a ground of
confidence, he mentions the assistance which God
would grant him in the prosecution of his sacred
trust. Allow that the assertion has reference only
to the human nature of Christ, and wc make him
solemnly declare that, as it respects power to re-an-
imate the dead, and to raise his disciples to eternal
life, God is greater than man. In men we should
say this is trifling with sacred things. Take next
the prediction of divine judgments — " Of that day
and that hour knoweth no man, no not the angels
which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Fa-
44 SERMON II.
ther." The comparison is not here made between
the human and the divine nature of Christ ; there
can be no pretence for this. We here find a regu-
lar gradation from man to God. No man knovveth
this day, no, nor the angels of heaven, nor the Son
of God, but the Father only. The rank of the Son
is above that of the angels, and must refer to him
in his most exalted character. In this character he
knew not the day. The declaration is made in the
same form in which Christ speaks of sitting in judg^
ment on the human race, and no intimation is giv-
en that the assertion is limited. To suppose then,
under these circumstances, that Jesus knew not the
day as man, but knew it as a divine person, is to
suppose an equivocation altogether unworthy of an
instructer of truth and righteousness. What should
we think of the veracity of a man who, having one
eye defective, should direct a sound organ to an ob-
ject clearly within his vision ; and then, without any
qualification, and on a subject, too, the most im-
portant, should solemnly declare that he did not see
•this object — mentally meaning that he did not see it
with die defective eye, though he had a clear sight
of it with that which was perfect ?
Reflecting, my Christian brethren, on the volun-.
tary mission of our Saviour, and on his sufferings
and death in the execution of his benevolent design
to deliver us from the pollutions of sin, and to re-
deem us from the empire of death, let us, grateful
for his mediation, imbibe his spirit, and adorn our
lives with the virtues of his religion. At his sec-
ond appearing, may we be found of him in peacCj
without spot and blameless.
SERMON III.
THE mrJVfANITARIAN AND ARIAN DOCTRINE RESPECTING
THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST.
JOHN viii. 58.
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before
Ahraham was, I am.
UNITARIAN Christians of the present day
may be divided into two classes. One of these be-
lieve that our Saviour existed prior to his appear-
ance on earth ; the other maintain that he was
merely a man, chosen by God to be his distin-
guished Prophet to his brethren of the human fam-
ily ; to whom the spirit of inspiration was given
without measure ; and who was invested with pow-
er from on high to qualify him to be the great agent
in accomplishing the purposes of divine mercy irj
the salvation of sinners.
The Humanitarian doctrine is the most simple,
and approaches rjearest to the methods which God
has usually adopted for the moral instruction and
improvenjent of the world of mankind. Jesus was
born of a woman, he lived as a man liveth, and di-
ed as men die. Jesus is spoken of as a man, where
the inspired writer contrasts the eifects of the apos-
46 SERMON III.
tacy with the benefits resulting from the mediation
of Christ. — "For since by man came death, by
man came also the resurrection of the dead. For
as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be
made alive." The dispensation which preceded
the i<ospcl was founded by a man; and the de-
sponding language of the apostles of Jesus, at his
crucifixion, make it apparent that, during his life,
they supposed him to have been a mere man ; and
after his resurrection they no where express the sur-
prise which they must have felt, on the discovery
of the existence and rank which their Lord held in
heaven before his advent into our world. Peter, in
the first sermon he preached, and which was deliv-
ered at the moment of the descent of the Holy
Ghost, speaks in the following manner of his divine
Master — " Ye men of Israel, hear these words :
Jesus, a man approved of God among you by mira-
cles, and wonders, and signs, which God did by
him in the midst of you." St. Paul, when ad-
dressing the philosophers of Athens respecting
God, the doctrine of repentance, the resurrection,
and the final judgment, adopts the following lan-
guage — " God hath appointed a day in which he
will judge the world in righteousness by that tnari
whom he hath ordained ; whereof he hath given as-
surance unto all men, in that he hath raised him
from the dead." Our view thus far favours the
Hiimanitarian scheme. I candidly acknowledge
that many texts found in the New Testament are
difficuit to be reconciled with any other doctrine ;
and I as freely express an opinion, that, by this
doctrine, no revealed truth is lessened in its author-
SERMON III. 47
ity, no law is weakened in its force, nor is any
promise diminished in its influence. Our Christ-
ian faith and hope rest not on the metaphysical
character of our Saviour, but on the evidence he
produced of a divine commission to state the con-
ditions of acceptance with God, and to give an as-
surance of eternal life to all who obey him. But
the sacred writers are ever consistent with them-
selves, and consistent with each other. We may
not from a given number of texts form an hypothe-
sis, and force all other parts of scripture to support
it. This would be to impose a rneaning on the in-
spired writers, and not to take a meaning from
them. There are many passages of the New Tes-
tament which it would be very difficult for me, in
consistency with the established rules of language,
to accommodate to the Humanitarian scheme; and
can we, without doing violence to the general rep-
resentation of the evangelists and apostles, respect-
ing the character and office, the agency and death,
the exaltation and government of Christy make these
comport with the supposition that Christ was a mere
mEm ?
Arians hold that Jesus Christ, a created be-
ing, existed in heaven before his appearance on
earth ; that in an appropriate sense he is the Son of
God, the brightness of his Father's glory and the
express image of his person ; that God appointed
him to be the Mediator of a covenant of grace
and mercy; that in conformity to this appoint-
ment, Christ commenced his ministry with men ;
established the conditions of pardon and salvation ;
taught the truths pertaining to life eternal ; set an
4o SERMON III.
example of obedience to all his disciples ; yielded
himself to the death of the cross ; arose from the
dead, and, ascending to heaven, was invested with
power to superintend the moral concerns of our
world ; and finally to raise the human race from the
grave, and confer and inflict on them the retribu-
tions of a righteous judgment.
The difference between a being of underived ex-
istence, and one whose existence is derived, is infi-
nite. This distinction should ever be made be-
tween God and his Son, Christ our Saviour. —
Though Arians admit that Jesus Christ is exalted in
rank, and possessed of power to parry into effect the
high purposes above mentioned ; yet they hold that
this exalted existence was derived from God; that
the power to execute the commission of Mediator
is derived power ; and that the merciful and benev-
olent design accomplished by the ministry of the
Saviour had iis origin in the goodness of the one
living and true God. On God, therefore, our
minds should rest as the original author of all bles-
sings, and as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
The character and station of Christ I shall now
endeavour to discuss under the following proposi-
tions.
1. The proof from scripture, that our Saviour
existed in heaven before his appearance on earth.
2. The proof from scripture, that the appear-
ance of our Saviour on earth was an act of humilia-
tion and debasement.
3. The power and majesty which the scriptures
attribute to Chrisf, in carrying into execution the
SERMON III. 4§
purposes of divine mercy, in the salvation of man,
are inconsistent with the supposition of his mere
humanity.
1. The proof from Scripture, that our Saviour
existed in heaven before his appearance on earth.
The apostle Paul, in the first chapter of his epis-
tle to the Colossians, speaks of our Saviour in the
following language — " Who is the image of the in-
visible God, the first born of every creature." The
Greek word here translated, first born of every crea-
ture, in its original sense is, I believe, applied to
the first born child of a family. If the apostle uses
it in this sense, it must mean, that of all created be-
ings Jesus Christ was the first. St. John's descrip-
tion of the character of Christ comports with this
meaning — " The beginning of the creation of God."
An apostle also declares, that ** He is before all
things." Hear the language of our Saviour him-
self on the subject before us, " Verily, verily, I
say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. No man
ascendeth up to heaven but he that came down
from heaven, even the Son of Man who was in
heaven. What if ye shall see the Son of Man as-
cend up where he was before?" Would not a
discerning, unbiassed mind understand these pas-
sages, and others like them, as expressing the ex-
istence of our Saviour in heaven, before he ap-
peared on earth, in fashion as a man ? Is not this
their obvious meaning ? Take one more passage
from our Saviour himself, " And now, O Father,
glorify thou me, with thine own self, with the glory
which I had with thee before the world was." —
7
50 SERMON III.
This is a solemn act of devotion in prayer, in which
we least expect to find figurative language. Jesus
had glorified the name of God on earth, and had
finished the work given him to do ; and in a devout
address to Deity, he prays that God would re-ad-
mit him to that glory which he possessed in the
divine presence before the creation of the world.
Will the several passages I have recited, and the
many texts which speak of Christ as coming from
God, and returning to God ; descending from
heaven, and again ascending to the place from
whence he came, bear without violence the Hu-
manitarian construction ? But for the present, I
am disposed to admit them in their full force. Let
it then be granted, that, the first born of every crea-
ture, the first creation of God, he was before all
things, and all similar descriptions of the character
^^ttil-of Christ mean only that Jesus Christ is pre-
eminent among all the agents whom God has
commissioned to be his instruments in the execu-
tion of the divine purposes of grace and mercy.
Admit that the declaration, " Before Abraham was,
I am," was the answer of Jesus to a captious ques-
tion of the Jews, who refused to be instructed by
him, and perverted all his observations. Allow
that Jesus did not say that he had seen Abraham,
but that the mind of Abraham was opened to a view
of the blessings of the reign of Messiah. Admit
that ascending to heaven, as no man hath ascended
to heaven but the Son of Man, means that no one
but the Son had been, as he was, made acquainted
with the counsels of God ; and that in the language
®f scripture, what God determines to bring to
SEKMON lU. 31
pass, is represented as actually accomplished ; and
therefore the glory which Christ had with God, be-
fore the world was, means the honour which in the
purpose of God was fixed as the reward of his
obedience unto death. Admit, further, that the
bold and figurative language of St. Paul, in his
epistle to the Colossians — By him were all things
created that are in heaven and that are in earth,
visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or
dominions, or principalities, or powers ; all things
were created by him, and for him," is not to be
understood as the creation of natural substances,
but the creation of a new moral kingdom in ac-
cordance with the prediction of the prophet, that a
new heaven and a new earth should be created.
Admit that the creation, which the apostle here
ascribes to Christ, expresses that great change
which was introduced into the moral world, and
particularly into the relative situation of Jew and
Gentile, by the dispensation of the gospel. Though
the obvious meaning of most of the above passages
will with difficulty bear this construction, yet, were
the language of scripture on other points accordant,
I could consistently adopt them ; but before I em-
brace this doctrine, and reject the supposition of
the pre-existence of our Saviour, I must surmount
greater difficulties than those which are presented
by that class of texts already recited. Let us then,
2. Examine the proofs from scripture, that the
appearance of Jesus Christ on earth was an act of
humiliation and debasement.
If the pre-existence of Christ be denied, in what
manner did he humble himself by his earthly ap»
52 SERMON III.
pearance ? What do the sacred writers mean,
where they speak of his divesting himself of riches,
that we by his poverty might be made rich ? Hear
the expressions of the apostles of our Lord — " Ye
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became
poor, that you, through his poverty might be rich."
This is figurative language ; but could it have been
taken from the circumstances of the life of our Sav-
iour on earth ? His birth was obscure, his minority
was spent in a laborious occupation ; and in man-
hood he had not a house in which to dwell, nor in-
come from which to draw support. What wealth
then in this condition did he renounce ? The Hu-
manitarian comment is, that though invested with
divine powers, he consented to lead a life of want,
and he never performed a miracle for his own relief.
But when did he divest himself of these powers ?
Admit his pre-existence in a state of honour and
happiness, and the observations of the apostle have
great pertinence and force. From benevolence
Christ descended from heaven, and subjected him-
self to a condition of poverty and suffering, that by
his ministry he might redeem you from your moral
debasement, exalt you to the highest virtues and
graces of true religion, and raise you to an heavenly
inheritance which will be incorruptible.
In the 2d chapter to the Philippians, St. Paul ex-
horts his correspondents to humility and benevo-
lence, from the example of Christ, " Who," the
apostle adds, " being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God ; but made
himself of no reputation, and took on himself the
SERMON HI.
53
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of
men ; and being found in fashion as a man, he hum-
bled himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death cf the cross." Waving criticism
on the import of a Greek phrase used in this pas-
sage, can we rest satisfied with the opinion of those,
who suppose that it means no more than this :— •
Christ, though possessed of miraculous powers,
exercised them only in giving proof of his divine
mission ; and in his poverty and distress, declined
this exercise for his personal relief; or, that when
he was arraigned, and during the time of his passion,
he divested himself of them ? On the contrary,
can we understand the exhortation of the apostle
in a sense short of this : — Be ye humble and benev-
olent like your Divine Master, who, being in a sta-
tion of honour and dignity, was not solicitous to
retain his station, but voluntarily descended from
it, and took the lowest condition of man ; and for
the benefit of the human race, endured poverty and
persecution even to the death of the cross ? In this
sense, how powerfully is the motive thus arising to
humbleness of mind and benevolence of conduct
enforced on all Christians 1
I proceed,
3. To consider the power and majesty which the
scriptures attribute to Christ in carrying into exe-
cution the purposes of divine mercy in the salva-
tion of man ; and to inquire whether these are con-
sistent with the supposition of his mere humanity.
Under this head, I might mention the lofty lan-
guage of the prophet, when describing the advent
of Immanuel into our world. — " Unto us a child is
^4
SERMON KI.
born, unto us a son is given ; and the government
shall be on his shoulder ; and his name shall be call-
ed, Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the
everlasting Father, the Prince of peace." Is this
the description of a mere man ? His character is
here given in the highest metaphors ; and the bless-
ings of his reign are pourtrayed in emphatick lan-
guage. He is represented as a w^onderful Counsel-
lor, the mighty Lord, the Father of an everlasting
age, or the founder of a moral government, the
Prince of universal righteousness and peace. At-
tend to the language in which an angel from heav-
en announced to Mary, that she should become the
mother of the Saviour. — *' The Holy Ghost shall
come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall
overshadow thee ; therefore also that holy thing
that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of
God." His birth was also celebrated by the angels
of heaven. ** The glory of the Lord shone round
about the shepherds in the field of Bethlehem ; and
the angel of the Lord said unto them, " Behold I
bring you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be
to all people ; for unto you is born this day, in the
city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ, the Lord."
The author of the epistle to the Hebrews asserts,
" When he, (that is God) bringeth in the first
born into the world, he saith. Let all the angels of
God worship him." Can this language be made
to comport with the doctrine of the simple humani-
ty of our Saviour ?
To what station of dignity did Jesus Christ ascend,
after his resurrection from the grave ? Attend to
the information of the inspired penman on this
SERMON III. 55
point. "Wherefore," that is, in consequence of
his humiliation and obedience unto death, " God
hath highly exalted him, and given him a name,
which is above every name, that at the name of Je-
sus, every knee should bow, of things in heaven,
and things on earth ; and that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father." Is not the evident meaning of
those animated expressions this — God has exalted
his Son, Jesus Christ, to be the head and governour
of that world, for whose benefit he made a sacrifice
of his life; and that all his disciples owe allegiance
to his government, and obedience to his laws, as
their common Lord and Master ? Similar descrip-
tions will be found in other parts of the New Tes-
tament, of the exaltation and power of Jesus Christ.
Thus the passages in Colossians which have al-
ready been mentioned — " Who is the image of the
invisible God, the first born of every creature ; for
by him were all things created that are in heaven,
and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether
they be thrones or dominions, or principalities, or
powers ; all things were created by him, and for
him. And he is before all things, and by him all
things consist. And he is the head of the body,
the Church ; who is the beginning, the first born
from the dead ; that in all things he might have the
pre-eminence. For it pleased the Father, that in
him should all fulness dwell."
Compare these representations of the person,
character, and offices of Jesus Christ, with those
made in the bible of Moses, of Peter, of Paul, or
any other distinguished prophet or apostle ; and
56 SERMON III.
say whether the difference consists merely in the
different degree in which a man was invested with
divine powers to accomplish the purposes of di-
vine wisdom and mercy. Does not the distinction
arise from a higher source ? Is not Jesus Christ
here spoken of as a being of a more exalted nature,
possessing the power of a legislator and governour,
and appointed to administer all the concerns of the
kingdom of grace and mercy, which he was com-
missioned to establish on earth ?
Under this proposition, we have only to review
the general language of the New Testament, re-
specting the honours to which Jesus Christ has as-
cended in heaven, the power which he possesses at
the right hand of his Father, and the agency he will
in future time take in raising men from the sleep of
death, and passing judgment upon them. Then
we may determine whether this language comports
with the Humanitarian doctrine. The information
in the New Testament, that Christ will raise the
dead, is express. — '* Verily, verily, I say unto you,
the hour is coming, when the dead shall hear the
voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall
live. The hour cometh in which all that are in
the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come
forth ; they that have done good, to the resurrection
of life ; and they that have done evil, to the resur-
rection of damnation." The language of scripture
on the subject of the final judgment is not less plain
and full. " The Father judgeth no man ; but hath
committed all judgment unto the Son. In the day,
when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus
Christ. Then shall appear the sign of the Son of
SERMON III. 57
Man in heaven ; and then all the tribes of the earth
shall mourn ; and they shall see the Son of Man
coming- in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory ; and he shall send his angels with a
great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather to-
gether his elect from the four winds, from one end
of heaven to the other. The Son of Man shall come
in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and
then shall he reward every man according to his
works."
What splendour of imagery do we find in the scrip-
tural representation of the second advent of the Son
of God into our world ! How sublime and awful is
the purpose for which he will appear ! He comes
encircled with the glory of his Father, and accom-
panied with the angels of heaven* A trumpet is
sounded, which awakes the posterity of Adam from
the sleep of death : Jesus ascends the seat of judg-
ment ; and before him all nations are assembled.
On the righteous he pronounces a sentence, which
introduces them to honour, glory, and immortality.
The wicked are separated from God, and from
happiness ; and they are assigned to the place of
misery and destruction*
Does this elevated description— do these solemn
transactions accord with the character of a mere
man ? With a man the most distinguished and ex-
alted ? Is not the Being, whose attendants are
angels, whose glory is that of God, whose business
is to pronounce judgment on the secrets of every
heart, to determine unalterably the moral character
©f every man, and to apportion to every individual
8
58 SERMON III.
of the human race the rewards and the punishments
of a future state — is not this Being more than man ?
Many learned and devout Christians think that the
metaphysical character of Christ is not described by
the inspired writers. Enough is revealed respect-
ing him for the purpose of our salvation ; enough
for the exercise of our intellectual faculties, and for
a test of our charity ; but the full knowledge of the
person of our Saviour will be acquired only in st,
higher state of being.
To conclude.
The author of the epistle to the Hebrews, af-
ter he had described the superiour dignity of
Christ, and the higher excellency of his dispen-
sation, draws an inference, which we ought, my,
Christian brethren, deeply to impress on our
minds. " How shall we escape if we neglect so
great salvation ?" How aggravated is the guilt of
those, who reject the offers of love and mercy made
by Jesus Christ, the Son of God ! It is to mock
the authority of Deity, to slight the proposals of in-
finite wisdom and infinite goodness, to prefer mis-
ery to happiness. From reverence then to the
Parent of all Being, from gratitude to a devoted
Saviour, from the love of existence and of hap-
piness, let us obey and live.
SERMON IV.
TEXTS OP SCRIPTURE EXPLAINED.
JOHN X. 30.
/ and my Father are one.
IN the last discourse, I introduced a number of
passages from the New Testament, in which our
Saviour, in the plainest language, declares that he is
a being distinct from God, and dependent on him
for all the power he exercises. In the sacred writ-
ings there is no contradiction. My present purpose
is to review and explain the principal texts which
are adduced to support the Trinitarian doctrine.
Every one who is in any measure acquainted with
this su bject, must be apprized of its difficulty. — •
Biblical criticism is often the result of laborious re-
search into the idioms of the languages in which the
scriptures were originally written ; into the systems
of philosophy, the national customs and private
manners prevalent at the respective ages of the sa-
cred writers ; and into the meaning of particular
words and phrases found in scripture, as these were
commonly used by profane authors. Such re^
searches greatly aid in elucidating the oracles of
66 SERMON IT.
truth. But usefully to interweave learned criti-
cisms into ;i sermon designed for a mixed audience,
requires nice discrimination and sound judgment ;
and at last much must depend on authority. I
labour under some apprehension that I shall not be
able to make myself clearly understood by those
who are not conversant with these studies. But I
rest on the interest we all have in this subject, to
ensure a serious and candid attention to the obser-
vations which may be made.
Language is necessarily ambiguous. Particular
words, and often whole sentences, will bear differ-
ent meanings. Sometimes, after the closest atten-
tion to the main design of an author, it may be im-
possible to determine the sense of peculiar phrases.
In all such instances, the consistent method is, to
put a meaning on passages which are obscure that
will accord with the undoubted sense of plain pas-
sages, and which at the same time will comport
with the apparent purpose of the writer. In re-
spect to that class of texts which are adduced as
divine authority for the doctrine of the Supreme
Divinity of our Saviour, the real question is not,
whether these will bear, in accordance with the gen*
eral principles of language, the construction Trini-
tarians put on them ; but whether they will not bear
the construction of Unitarians ? This, as we be-
lieve, agrees with the evident sense of passages the
most plain, and is in harmony with the general lan-
guage of the inspired writers respecting the Unity
of God, and the character of Jesus Christ, Bearing
in mind the obvious sense of plain passages, and
attending to the subject on which the writer treats,
SERMON IT. 61
will generally enable us to discover the meaning of
the bold metaphors and figurative expressions in
which eastern languages abound. Thus our Sa-
viour declares, " Whosoever liveth and believes
in me shall never die." Of the sacramental bread
he says, " This is my body," and of the wine,
" This is my blood." The apostle John observes
respecting Christian converts, " Ye have an anoint-
ing from the Holy One, and know all things." —
With these and similar texts we find no difficul-
ty. The subject on which the declarations are
made, and the evident design of those who made
them, enable us to give them their proper limit-
ation, and fully to understand their import.
Before we proceed to the proposed review of par-
ticular passages, I will make a few more general
observations. In the gospels of Matthew, Mark,
and Luke, there is not a single text, I believe, on
which, by itself, a discerning mind would rely as an
authority for the Supreme Divinity of Jesus Christ,
The only passage produced from the three first gos-
pels, a^ direct proof of the doctrine, by a learned
professor of our country, in a late defence of the
Trinitarian doctrine, is from Matt. si. 27 — " All
things are delivered to me of my Father ; and no
man knoweth the Son, but the Father ; neither
knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he
to whomsoever the Son will reveal him." The
comment on this text, by this Trinitarian writer,
is — " If in this passage, the same omniscience be
not ascribed to the Son as to the Father, I am un-
able to make out satisfactorily what the meaning of
it is. At the same time I concede, that the knovvl-
62
SERMON IV.
€dge here spoken of, may possibly be merely that
which is intended to be revealed in the gospel." —
A text more in point cannot be found in Matthew,
Mark, or Luke. If Christ proclaimed himself,
" very God," is it possible that three evangelists,
two of them the immediate disciples of Jesus, and
commissioned to be the apostles of Christianity, in
recording the publick instructions of their Master,
should not have clearly and repeatedly stated this
fundamental truth of revelation ? A number of
passages are found in John's gospel, which are
thought to prove the Supreme Divinity of our Sa-
viour. But if I were to select a book from the
New Testament, containing more full proof than
any other, that Christ Jesus is not " very God," it
would be the gospel of John. The other gospels
are destitute of such proof, and the general language
of their authors are not, I think, consistent with the
truth of the Trinitarian doctrine ; but in the gospel
of John, Jesus speaks more particularly of himself,
and absolutely disclaims the attributes of Deity,
From the desponding language of the apostles,
it is evident, that at the crucifixion of Jesus, they
did not suppose that he possessed the perfections of
Deity. When were their minds opened to the
light of this new doctrine ? It must have filled
them with astonishment. They no where manifest
the surprise which they must have felt at its dis-
covery ; nor does it any where appear in their
preaching. Peter, in his first sermon, thus address-
ed his countrymen—" Ye men of Israel, hear these
words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God,
among you, by miracles, and wonders, and signs,
SERMON ir. 63
which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye
yourselves also know ; him, being delivered by the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye
have taken, and by v/icked hands have crucified and
slain : whom God hath raised up, having loosed the
pains of death, because it was not possible that he
should be holden of it." , The apostle adds—
" Therefore let all the house of Israel know assur-
edly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom,
ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." Is the
Supreme Divinity of Jesus Christ here published^
as we must suppose it would be, by an apostle
whose mind had recently been opened to a view of
this most wonderful doctrine ? It does not appear
that Peter, when he delivered this sermon, was a
Trinitarian.
St. Paul did not personally attend the ministry of
Jesus Christ ; nor was he instructed in the Christ-
ian system by those, who on earth were conversant
with him ; but he was taught the truths pertaining
to life eternal by a particular revelation. Let us at-
tend to the manner in which he described the being
and attributes of God to a Gentile audience. At
Athens, which for science and literature was the
most celebrated city of the Pagan world, and on an
occasion which led iiim parlicularly to this subject,
he addressed the most enlightened men among this
distinguished people. He had before preached Je-
sus and the resurrection.
The philosophers arraigned him before their
highest tribunal, and demanded an explanation of
liis doctrine. How favourable was the opportunity
to unfold to these inquisitive men the complex, na-
64 SERMON IT.
ture of the Deity, and to teach them the three dis-
tinct persons of the Godhead. What was the
address of the Aj)ostie ? "Ye men of Athens, as
I passed by and beheld your devotions, I found an
altar with this inscription — * To the unknown
God.' Whom tlierefore you ignorantly worship,
him declare I unto you. God, who made the
world, and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord
of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made
with hands ; neither is worshipped with men's
hands as though he needed any thing, seeing he
giveth to ail life and breath and all things." St.
Paul thus closes his address-*—" We ought not to
•think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver,
or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the
times of this ignorance God winked at ; but now
commandeth all men every where to repent; be-
cause he hath appointed a day in which he will
judge the world in righteousness by that man whom
he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance
unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the
dead." Is there the least notice of a Trinity in
this discourse ? A single word that has an allu-
sion to the Supreme Divinity of our Saviour ?
Tlie Divine Unity was hoiden as the most sacred
truth, by the Jews of the age of our Saviour. The
best informed divines, I believe, admit, that the
sect of Jewibh converts to the Christian faith, de-
nominated Nazarenes, were Unitarians. The Jews
having been fully established in the belief of the
strict Unity of God, it must have been with difficul-
ty that they were persuaded to adopt the doctrine
•f three persons in tlie Godhead ; and yet, in the
SERaioN IV. 65
Kew Testament, 'vve have no account of any contro-
versy on this subject. Jewish converts were very
tenacious of the ceremonial part of their law, and
they strove to incorporate it with Christian institu-
tionsi Miicii Was written by the apostle to con-
vince them of their erroiir on this point, particular-
ly in the epistles to the Romans and the Gaiatians.
But no opposition appears to have been made to the
new doctrine of three persons and one God ; nor
do we learn that the unbelieving Jews of that time
ever objected to Christianity on this ground. Can
this be accounted for, but on the supposition that
the apostles never taught the doctrine of the Trin-
ity ?
We will now direct our attention to those pas-
sages of scripture which are commonly considered
as proof of the Supreme Divinity of Jesus Christ.
And that my comments on them may have the great-
er perspicuity^ I shall introduce the review in the
following manner : —
1. To consider those texts in which it is assert-
ed, that Christ is mentioned by the appropriate
names of God.
2. Those passages, which are said to ascribe to
Christ the honour and worship which are due only
to God.
3. Those passages, which are supposed to as-
cribe to Christ the attributes of Supreme Divinity.
The principal texts which speak of Christ, by
names appropriated to God, follow. The prophecy
of Isaiah is the most remarkable passage that can
be found in tiie Old Testament. — " For unto us a
9
66 SERMON IV.
child is born, nnto us a son is given ; and the a^ov-
ernment shall be on his shoulders ; and his name
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty-
God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace."
All commentators acknowledge that this prediction
refers to the Messiah, and that these titles are de-
scriptive of his character ; but there has been great
dispute respecting the import of the Hebrew terms
here used. The name ascribed to the Messiah is
the only part of this prophecy which has relation
to our present subject. — Wonderful, Counsellor,
mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of peace.
The doctrines revealed by our Saviour, and the
precepts he inculcated, entitle hiai to the epithet
wonderful Counsellor, The word here translated
God, biblical criticks inform us, is in some places
of the Hebrew scriptures expressive of the Supreme
Being, God, and in others is applied to human rul-
ers and magistrates ; and that the proper translation
of the term in the passage before us is Lord. The
miracles of our Saviour being considered, we per-
ceive the propriety of denominating him the mighty
Lord» The most learned and orthodox commenta-
tors concede that everlasting Father does not ex-
press the sense of the Hebrew text. The literal
meaning is, the Father of a future age, or of an end-
less age ; doubtless meaning the author of the
Christian age, the moral kingdom which Christ
would establish on earth. The Prince ofpeace^--^
An epithet clearly descriptive of the nature of the
reign or kingdom of the Messiah. A prophet shall
arise among men, who shall be wonderful in coun-
sel, and mighty in power ; who shall establish a
SERMON ly. 67
moral kingdom, and in whose reign peace shall
abound. This is a remarkable description of the
character of our Saviour, and of his holy and
peaceable religion ; but I cannot perceive that it
contains any proof of the Supreme Divinity of Je-
sus Christ.
The texts under our present consideration are
generaliy taken from the New Testament. In Mat-
thew, 1st chapter, 23d verse, we read — " Behold, a
virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a
scin, and they shall call his name Emmanuel^ which,
being interpreted, is, God with us. Admit that this
text, as it stands in the prophecy of Isaiah, refers to
our Saviour; yet it proves not the doctrine which it
is produced to support. It was a common custom
among the Jews to give their children names of
similar import. The literal meaning of the name
Ismael is, God who hears — of Lemuel, God with
them — of Elijah, God the Lord — of Elisha, Salva-
tim of God — of Elihu, He is my God himself &c.
The literal meaning of Emmanuel, therefore, can-
not be considered as evidence that Jesus Christ is
very God. For this reason I observed, that there
was not a single text in Matthew, or Mark, or
Luke, on which a learned Trinitarian would choose
to rest his doctrine.
The first of St. John's gospel is by many thought
to contain full proof of the Supreme Divinity of Je-
sus Christ. — " In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was vv^ith God, and the Word was God."
It is very doubtful whether we have any correct
idea of the Greek term here translated the Word^ as
it was used in the age of the apostle John. Divines,
68 SERMON IV.
eminent for their learning, and for their critical
knowledge of the language of the sacred writers,
suppose that the apostle, in this place, has personi-
fied the wisdom of God. — See the 8th chapter of
Proverbs. But, grant that in this passage it refers
to the person of our Saviour, still it must be con-
ceded that the person who was with God, is a being
distinct from God himself; and when this being is
called God, the meaning must be, that he stood, for
a particular purpose, in the place of God, and acted
under the divine authority. If we are unable fully
to understand this difficult text, we clearly ought
not to make it an authority for a doctrine, which, to
our understanding, involves a plain contradiction,
and is opposed to the general language of scripture
on the Unity of God.
Oaf text will, perhaps, be introduced in this
class of passages. — " I and my Father are one."
In the previous verses, our Saviour had given an
assurance to his disciples, that none who believed
in him should perish, but all should receive eternal
life. To strengthen their confidence in bis prom-
ise, he informed them that God had engaged to car-
ry into effect the assurance he had given. — " My
Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all ;
and no man will be able to pluck them out of my
Father's hand." In this very discourse, Jesus de-
clares his inferiority to his Father, The unity as-
serted is not identity of the Father and the Son, but
unity of design and agency. God and Christ are
united to effectuate the promise of salvation to all
believers. That we are correct in this meaning of
our text, will more fully appear, when we attend to
SERMON IT. 69
Similar phraseology respecting the union of Christ
and his disciples. Our Saviour in prayer adopts
this expression—" The glory which thou gavest
me, I have given them ; that they may be one, even
as we are one ; I in them, and thou in me, that they
may be perfected in one." The gender in this place
is not, in the original, masculine, but neuter ; not
one being, but one design. God and Christ, in
promoting the interests of truth, goodness, and mer-
cy, are united in purpose, and in their agency.
The exclamation of St. Thomas has often been
adduced as proof that Jesus Christ is " very God,'*
This is the only instance in the New Testament in
which any disciple addressed our Lord by the title
God. At the death of our Saviour, all his disciples
desponded. Thomas did not credit the report of
his resurrection ; and at the sight of him alive, in
astonishment he exclaimed, *' My Lord and my
God." The word God, we know, was often used
by the Jews in a subordinate sense. Can this ex-
clamation be understood in any other sense than an
animated acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as a di-
vine Teacher, as the Messiah of God ?
The charge of St. Paul to the eiders of the Ephe-
sian Church is numbered among the texts which
we are reviewing. — " Take heed, therefore, unto
yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the
Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the
Church of God, which he purchased with his own
blood." The word God, in this passage, refers to
Christ. It is the only place in the New Testament
where this phrase, the blood of God, occurs. A
diligent examination of ancient Greek manuscripts.
70 SERMON IT.
and of different versions of the scriptures, makes
it in the highest degree probable, that the word orig-
inally written was Lord. — " Feed the Church of the
Lord, (Christ) which he has purchased with his
own blood." The blood of Christ is more accord-
ant with the general language of the sacred writers.
This amendment admitted, the text will no longer
be produced as evidence to prove that Jesus Christ
is God.
In Romans, 9th chapter, 3d verse, it is written —
*' Whose are the fathers, and of whom concerning
the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed
forevermore." The meaning of this passage prob-
ably has been misapprehended in consequence
of its bad punctuation and collocation. The im-
proved version of the New Testament gives the
passage thus — " Whose are the Fathers, and of
whom, by natural descent, Christ came. God over
all be blessed forever." The original Greek manu-
scripts were not divided into chapters and verses, as
the printed copies of the bible now are ; and the
punctuation varies in different translations. The
learned and pious Dr. Samuel Clarke, and the great
Mr. Locke, add their sanction to the above con-
struction of this text. One statement in this pas-
sage clearly shows that St. Paul did not consider
Jesus Christ to be the Supreme Divinity ; for he
says, concerning the flesh, Jesus descended from
the Jews. He cannot then be God.
I will now bring into view the text from 1 Tim.
3d chapter, 16th verse — " Without controversy,
great is the mystery of godliness, God was manliest
in the flesh, jusliiied in the spirit, seen of aiigcls,
SERMON IT. 71
preached unto the Gentiles, believed on In the
world, received up into glory." Instead of God in.
this place, the best manuscripts have, he who, and
the passage in the improved version reads as fol-
lows — " Without controversy the mystery of god-
liness is !?reat : He, who was manifest in the flesh,
was justified by the spirit, seen by (angels) messen-
gers, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the
world, received into glory," By angels in this
place, we may understand the apostles whom Jesus
instructed to be his messengers to the nations. —
The Greek word in the original, may with equal
propriety be translated messenger, and angel.
The last text of this class, that I shall introduce,
is from Hebrews i. 8. — " But unto the Son he saith.
Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever ; a sceptre
of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom."
Learned commentators inform us, t'iiat this passage
may with strict propriety be thus translated — " But
unto the Son he said, God is thy throne ;" giving
assurance that the kingdom of the Messiah is sup-
ported by the power of God. The passage is
quoted from the 45th Psalm ; and there it appears
to be an address of the psalmist to Jehovah, Taken
in this sense, as used by St. Paul, the text has great
beauty and force. We understand the apostle as
showing the stability of Christ's kingdoin, by de-
claring after the psalmist, that God is its support;
and that this God is eternal, the same that *' in the
beginning laid the foundation of the earth," &c.
But admitting that the word God, in this place,
refers to Jesus Christ, it evidently cannot be de-
scriptive of him as the Supreme God ; for in the
f^ SERMON iV.
verse which immediately succeeds, a re\Yard i^
promised to the Son from the Father — " Thou hast
loved righteousness, and hated iniquity ; therefore
God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the
oil, of gladness above thy fellows." That being
cannot be the Supreme Godj to whom it is said,
God, even thy God, shall reward thee.
I proceed,
2. To examine those passages of scripture
which are supposed to ascribe to Jesus Christ the
honour and worship which are due only to God.
Worship does not always in the scriptures sig-
nify the reverence and homage due to God only ;
but frequently inferiour respect and obeisance. —
Thus we read that Nebuchadnezzar fell on his
face, and worshipped Daniel. In the day of Solo-
mon, all the congregation bowed their heads, and
w^orshipped the Lord and the king. In the New
Testament it is recorded, Cornelius fell down at
the feet of Peter, and worshipped him. With these
remarks, I will present to your consideration the
most select passages in which honour and worship
are ascribed to Jesus Christ. John's gospel, v.
23 — *' That all men should honour the Son, even
as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not
the Son, honoureth not the Father who sent him."
In the previous verses we are informed, that the
Father had commissioned the Son to raise the dead,
and to judge the world ; the text quoted follows as
an inference, that all men might honour the Son as
they honour the Father — not offer to him supreme
worship ; but honour him as the authorized minis-
ter of God, in the same manner as the ambassador
SERMON IT.
n
of a foreign government is honoured, as the govern-
ment with whose authority he is clothed is hon-
oured.
The text in Hebrews, 1st chapter, 6th verse, is
considered by many to warrant the supreme wor-
ship of our Saviour. — *' When he bringeth in the
first begotten into the world, he saith. And let all
the angels of God worship him." The phrase-
ology in this passage does not imply the religious
worship we offer to God. The language is. When
he bringeth him in — that is, when at the fulness of
time, Christ, by divine appointment, commenced
the high purposes of the office of Mediator, God
said. Let all the subordinate ministers of the moral
kingdom which he is about to establish on earth,
reverence him, who alone has power to legislate
and rule ill it.
Among this class of texts the passage from Phil,
ii. 10, 11, is quoted.—" That at the name of Jesus,
every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth ; and that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father." It is, I
apprehend, a strained construction of this text, to
make it an authority for the supreme worship of
Jesus Christ. Christ had humbled himself, and on
earth had been obedient to the divine will unta
death, even the death of the cross ; wherefore, says
the apostle, God hath also highly exalted him, and
given him a name which is above every name. It
is at this name, to which God has exalted him, that
every knee is to bow : it is to honour bestowed by
10
*74
SERMON IV.
a higher being, and bestowed as a reward for obe-
dience, not to underived excellence, that submis-
sion is to be yielded ; and the principal glory does
not rest with the Son thus exalted, but centres in
the Father who honoured him. — " That every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father." As the reward of
Christ's official labours and sacrifices on earth, he
is exalted to be the head of the Church, and all its
members owe him allegiance and homage.
The invocation of Stephen to Christ, is thought
to be an instance of supreme worship. Acts vii.
59, 60 — ** And they stoned Stephen, calling upon
God, and saying. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice,
Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." It pleased
God to support Stephen, the first Christian martyr,
by a vision of our Saviour, as we learn from the
previous verses. Having Jesus in his immediate
view, to him he commended his departing spirit.
This extraordinary instance, I believe, is not set as
an example for the supreme worship of Christ, who
to us is invisible.
Before I close, I shall review one text, which is
supposed to ascribe to Jesus Christ the attributes
of the Supreme Divinity.
The following passage from the Revelation of St.
John, is produced as proof of the omniscience of
Jesus Christ. Chapter 2d, verse 23d.—" All the
Churches shall know that I am he, who searcheth the
reins and hearts ; and I will give unto every one of
you according to your works." The evidence from
this passage is thought to receive strength, when
SERMON IT. 75
connected with the ascription of Solonnon to the
one true God. " Thou only knowest the hearts of
men." Solomon, in the most explicit manner, tes-
tifies that God only knows the hearts of men. St.
John, speaking in the name of his ascended Lord,
declares — " All the Churches shall know that I am
he, who searcheth the reins and the hearts, and will
render to every one of you according to your
works ;" therefore, it is inferred, Christ is very
God. But few comments, I think, are necessary
to show the true meaning of these passages, and
make iti apparent that they furnish no proof that
Christ possesses omniscience which is the attribute
of Deity. God possesses knowledge and all other
perfections in a manner peculiar to himself. Jesus
Christ does not assume to himself knowledge, or
any other attribui^e, in that high and under! ved sense
in which he attributes them to God. On the con-
trary, with the greatest solemnity he declares his
dependence. — " Verily, verily, I say unto you, the
Son can do nothing of himself." In this address
to the Churches, we are guarded against misappre-
hending the knowledge and power exercised by
Jesus Christ, in searching the hearts and passing
judgment on the characters of men, by an express
declaration that he received these from God — **even
as I received of my Father." — (27th verse.) I try
the characters of men, and reward them according
to their works, "even as I received of my Father."
The inspired penmen say, that God only has
immortality. No other being is possessed of inde-
pendent and immortal existence ; but God grants
eternal life to his dutiful children. God alone
76 SERMON IV.
knows the secrets of the heart, as an underived and
essential attribute of his nature ; Christ possesses
the knowledge of men's hearts by a derived capaci-
ty. God, who breathed into us the breath of life,
has by his inspiration imbued an apostle with pow-
er to know the thoughts of the heart. St. Peter
knew the hearts of Ananias and Sapphira. Acts v.
The advocates for the doctrine of the Trinity
produce other passages from scripture, to prove
that Christ is possessed of divine attributes, and is
very God. But if authority be not found in the
texts recited, few, I believe, will contend that this
article of faith is found in the New Testament.
SERMON V.
THE SCRIPTURAL MEANING OF THE TERMS, HOLY GHOST,
HOLY SPIRIT, AND SPIRIT OF GOD.
JOHN xiv. 26.
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the
Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all
things, and bring all things to your remembrance, what-
soever I have said unto you.
THE advocates for the doctrine of the Trinity,
both in ancient and modern times, greatly differ in
their attempts to explain it. The earlier polemick
writers on this subject, represent that the Son and
the Holy Ghost derived their attributes from the
Father, and are subordinate to him. Some of the
English Divines describe the three persons of the
Trinity as three modes or relations, which Deity
bears towards men. One eminent theologian of
that nation, says, that the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Ghost, are as really distinct persons, as the
apostles Peter, James, and John ; and another ob-
serves, respecting the doctrine of the Trinity,
" Were it not adored as a mystery, it would be
exploded as a contradiction." A professor of our
78 SERMON v.
own country tells us, that the term person, when
applied to the Trinity, should not be understood in
its common acceptation ; and informs us that it
means a distinction in the Godhead which cannot
be explained ; but he ascribes personal attributes to
the Son, and in every part of his publication speaks
of him as a person ; and unless the word be taken
in its usual sense, his arguments will not easily be
cornprehended.
It is worthy of remark, that Trinitarian writers
take slight notice of the proof from scripture of the
independent existence, and of the equality of the
Holy Ghost with the Father. Few will assert, I
believe, that the bible contains the record of divine
worship being offered by inspired men to the Holy
Ghost, or that the Holy Spirit is presented by the
sacred writers as the object of our worship. In
the revelation of the New Testament, no duty to the
Holy Ghost is enjoined which men are to perform.
We are neither commanded to love or to fear, to
honour or obey him ; nor to exercise towards him
any devout affection. The attentive reader of scrip,
ture will perceive the different language of evange-
lists and apostles respecting religious obligations
towards our God, our Saviour, and the Holy Ghost.
The texts, which by any method of construction
can be adduced to prove that the Holy Ghost is
possessed of underived existence, and of the essen-
tial attributes of Divinity, are so few in number,
and of such doubtful meaning, that no one, I be-
lieve, would be willing to rest the truth of the doc-
trine on these exclusively. The usual course is to
state the Trinitarian dogma as a. revealed truth, to
SERMON T, 79
produce texts which are thought to prove the Su-
preme Divinity of Jesus Christ, and to consider the
Divinity of the Spirit as a necessary consequence.
But surely the converse of the proposition is more
logical and conclusive. If the Supreme Divinity of
the third person in the Godhead be not proved, the
doctrine manifestly is not scriptural. That we may
form a correct opinion of the Trinitarian doctrine
respecting the Holy Ghost, as it is generally em-
braced, I will recite it in the language of an article
of a distinguished Church. — " The Holy Ghost
proceeding from the Father and the Son, of one
substance, majesty and glory with the Father and
the Son, very and eternal God." We are told that
the Father is God, the Son is, God, and the Holy
Ghost is God ; and yet there are not three Gods,
but one God. Trinity in Unity, and Unity in
Trinity. No language like this is found in the
bible. For such descriptions of Deity we must
peruse the systems of school divinity.
The purpose of the present discourse is to point
out the meaning of the sacred writers in the use of
the terms. Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit
©f God, and simply the Spirit.
I present this important subject, my Christian
brethren, to your serious and candid attention, un-
der the following propositions : —
1. The manner in which the inspired writers
use the term Spirit, or Holy Spirit, in immediate
connexion with God.
2. When the phrases, Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit,
the Spirit of God, have a direct reference to Jesus
Christ.
80 SERMON Y.
3. When these have a special reference to the
apostles of our Divine Lord.
4. When these are applied to Christian profes-
sors generally, and refer to their progress in moral
life.
5. When the inspired writers speak of the Holy
Ghost as a person or agent.
From these several propositions, you will per-
ceive that the term Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit, is
used in the bible in different senses ; and its true
meaning can be discovered only by an examination
of the particular places where it is found. These 1
shall recite as I find them collected by the indefat-
igable Dr. Lardner, and those who have followed
him in this inquiry.
1. The manner in which the inspired writers
use the term Spirit, or Holy Spirit, in immediate
connexion with God.
In every place, as well in the New Testament as
the Old, where the term Spirit, or Holy Spirit is
used in this connexion, it signifies either God him-
self, or some essential attribute of God, or the pe-
culiar manifestation of the power of God. The
psalmist observes, (Ps. 139)—" Whither shall I go
from thy spirit ?" It immediately follows — " If I
ascend up into heaven, thou art there." By spirit,
in this passage, therefore, we must understand the
presence of God, or God himself. Elihu, the friend
of Job, declares — " The spirit of God made me."
God created him. Isaiah, speaking of the perverse-
ness of the Israelites, in their disobedience to the
commands of God, says, (chap. Ixiii. 10) — " Thej-
r^belled and vexed his Holy Spirit." Describing
SERMON V. 81
the same rebellion, God said to MoSes, (Num. xiv.
1 1 )—_«< How long will this people provoke me.'*
And the psalmist, rehearsing the same transactions,
observes, (Ps. Ixxviii. 56) — " They tempted and
provoked the most high God." (Ps. xcv. 9) —
*' Your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw
my work." To tempt or provoke the Holy Spirit
of God, then, in the language of the Old Testament,
is to tempt or provoke God himself.
The power of God, the word, the spirit, the
strength, the majesty ^ the hands of God, are all ex-
pressions used in the Old Testament to describe
the agency of God. Take an example from a
learned commentator, — " In one of the eloquent
replies of Job (xxvi. 12, 13) a remarkable instance
occurs, in which, speaking of the majesty of God
and his wonderful works, the turn of expression is
varied four times, without changing the meaning in
a single sentence, * He divided the sea by his pow-
er, and by his understanding he smiteth through
the proud ; by his spirit he hath garnished the
heavens ; his hand hath formed the crooked ser-
pent.' The intelligent reader understands the same
divine operations to be expressed, and not four dis-
tinct persons to be intimated by the several terms
power, understanding, spirit, and hands." The
prophet Micah inquires, (ii. 7) — '* Is the spirit
of the Lord straitened ?" And Isaiah asserts,
(lix. 1)—" Behold, the Lord's hand is not shorten-
ed, that it cannot save." Micah, by the spirit of the
Lord, expresses the same truth, which Isaiah does
by the hand of the Lord : they both mean the
power of the one living and true God*
11
82 SERMON T.
We find similar modes of expression in the New
Testament. St. Paul declares — " The things of
God knovveth no one, but the spirit of God," mean-
ing God himself, as fully appears from a similar
phraseology in a diflerent connexion. The apostle
frequently speaks of the spirit of a man, where he
evidently means the man himself. — ** I am glad (said
Paul to the Corinthians) of the coming of Stepha-
nas, Fortunatus, and Achaiacus ; for they have re-
freslied my spirit and yours." They have refresh-
ed me and you. " The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with your spirit. The Lord Jesus be
with thy spirit." That is, be with you. " What
man knoweth the things of man, save the spi-
rit of a man that is in him ?" (1 Corinth, ii, 11)
By the spirit of man, in this place, we must under-
stand the man himself. It immediately follows —
" Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but
the spirit of God." By the spirit of God, then, we
must understand God himself. When the apostle
Peter reprimanded Ananias and Sapphira, he asked
them — " How is it that ye have agreed together to
tempt the spirit of the Lord ?" Peter addressing
those who endeavoured to impose the Mosaic
ceremonies on Christian converts, says, (ActSj
XV. 10) — *' Now, therefore, why tempt ye God ?"
Matthew states a remark of our Saviour to the Jews,
in the following words, (chap, xii) — *' If I cast out
devils by the spirit of God, then is the kingdom of
God come nigh unto you." Luke, narrating the
same conversation, gives the remark as follows,
(xi. 20) — " If I, with the finger of God, cast out
devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come
SERMON r. ' 63
upon you." By the words spirit and finger, the
evangelists mean the power of God. Other pas-
sages might be produced ; but these are sufficient to
show, that when the Spirit, or Holy Spirit, is used
in immediate connexion with God, the term implies
either God himself, or some attribute or particular
agency of the one true God.
2. We are now to review those passages of
scripture in which the inspired writers use the term
Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, or Spirit of God, in refer-
ence to Jesus Christ.
As the first example, I select a remarkable pre-
diction of the prophet Isaiah, respecting the Mes-
siah, (xi. 1) — *' And there shall come forth a rod
out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow
out of his roots ; and the spirit of the Lord shall rest
upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowU
edge, and of the fear of the Lord." It is not here
predicted that the Messiah should hold communi-
cation with the Holy Spirit, as a person distinct from
God, and should be instructed, guided, and support-
ed by this independent spirit 5 but the prediction
is, that the spirit of God, the one true God, shall
rest upon him. The prophet defines the properties
or qualifications with which he shall be embu-
ed, viz. wisdom, understanding, counsel, power,
knowledge, and the reverence of Deity : in a
word, all the qualifications necessary for the high
purposes of his mission, as the ambassador of God,
and the Saviour of sinners. When we examine
the New Testament, we find its language on our
subject in harmony with this prediction. At the
84 SERMON V.
baptism of Jesus by John, the evangelist informs
us (Matt. iii. 16) — -" Jesus, when he was bap-
tized, went up straightway out of the water ; and
lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw
the spirit of God descending like a dove, and light-
ing upon him." The language of St. Luke, in his
account of this baptism, is a little different, (Luke,
iii. 22) — " It came to pass, that Jesus also being
baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape,
like a dove, upon him." St. John's phraseology, in
his relation of this event, varies from each of the
former, (John i, 32) — '* And John (the Baptist)
bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending
from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him."
No one will suppose that the descent, denominated
by the evangelists, the Spirit of God, the Holy
Ghost, a,nd simply the Spirit, was a person lighting
and abiding on Jesus. This descent of the Spirit
was a visible sign from heaven, that Jesus was di-
vinely qualified to execute the office of Mediator ;
and a voice accompanied the symbol, proclaiming — ■
" This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased." The voice, it will be acknowledged,
was from the Father; and why should we doubt
that the token was from the being uttering the
voice ? The inspired writers speak of Christ pos-
sessing the Holy Spirit, in the following manner—^
** Jesus, being full of the Holy Spirit, returned
from Jordan. Jesus returned in the power of the
Spirit into Galilee. He whom God has sent, speak-
cth the words of God; for God giveth not the
spirit by measure unto him." Ail these passages
, SERMON V. 85
are descriptive of the extraordinary powers, by
Vv'hich our Saviour was qualified to execute the
commission he received from the Father of Mer-
cies, for the salvation of men. In no one of these
texts do we find any proof of the independent ex-
istence of a spirit distinct from the Father, and pos-
sessing the attributes of Supreme Divinity,
3. Permit me to direct your attention to the
meaning of the sacred writers, in the use of the term
Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, or Spirit of God, in im-
mediate reference to the apostles of our Divine
Lord.
In our text, and in other places, our Saviour
promises the apostles, that the Holy Ghost should
be given them. By a careful perusal of the book
of Acts, we learn what they received, and therefore
may understand the import of the promise. John,
indeed, in some measure explains the gift promised,
(vii. 39) — " But this spake he of the Spirit, which
they that believe on him should receive. For the
Holy Ghost was not yet given ; because that Jesus
was not yet glorified." By this mode of expres-
sion, John cannot mean, by the Holy Ghost, a per-
son : he evidently describes some qualification or
power, which would be bestowed on the apostles.
The same promise, given by our Saviour in more
familiar language, will also assist us in forming an
opinion of the meaning of the term Holy Ghost,
in the passage of John. Jesus, addressing his dis-
ciples, said, (Luke xxiv. 49) — " Behold I send the
promise of my Father upon you ; but tarry ye in
the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with pow-
er from on high." In the introduction to the his-
86 SERMON T.
tory of the preaching of the apostles among the
Gentiles, the circumstances of our Saviour's minis-
try are summarily recapitulated, and the promise of
the Holy Ghost is thus stated, (Acts i. 5) — "John
truly baptized with water ; but ye shall be baptized
with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." In
the next chapter we have the manner in which the
promise was fulfilled — " When the day of penticost
was fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place. And suddenly there came a sound from
heaven as of a rushing, mighty wind, and it filled
all the house where they were sitting ; and there
appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire,
and it sat upon each of them ; and they were all
filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with
tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance." Peter,
soon after he had received the Holy Ghost, mi-
raculously healed a man lame from his birth, and
so effectually preached the gospel, that in one day
three thousand souls were added to the Christ-
ian Church. When the Holy Spirit fell on the
apostles, we then perceive, they received the
gift of tongues, the power to work miracles, and
knowledge to teach the truths pertaining to eternal
life. The qualifications received were the bless-
ings promised. The splendour of circumstances
attending the endowment of the apostles with these
qualifications, corresponded with the wonderful pow-
ers with which they were invested. The apostles
themselves were not only imbued with these ex-
traordinary faculties ; but power was also given to
them to impart to other converts, at least to evan-
gelists, pastors, and teachers, the gift of tongues
SERMON V. 87
and other extraordinary attributes. When Peter
preached to Cornelius and other Gentiles, the Holy-
Ghost fell on them that heard the word ; and they
of the circumcision, which believed, were astonish-
ed, as many as came with Peter, because that on
the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the
Holy Ghost ; for they heard them speak with
tongues, and magnify God." Paul, on his conver-
sion to Christianity, received the Holy Ghost by the
imposition of the hands of Ananias ; and from this
time we find him exercising the extraordinary pow-
ers of an apostle. *' When Paul laid his hands up-
on them, (the converts of Ephesus,) the Holy
Ghost came on them ; and they spake with tongues,
and prophesied." Peter and John laid their hands
on the Samaritan disciples, " And they received the
Holy Ghost." Simon, the sorcerer, offered these
apostles money, " saying, give me also this pow-
er, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may re-
ceive the Holy Ghost." Many other texts might
be cited from the New Testament, under this
branch of our subject, but it is not necessary. I
have selected the most important, and these are
sufficient to illustrate the scriptural meaning of the
term Holy Ghost, and Holy Spirit, when it is used
in peculiar reference to the apostles.
4. Let us review these passages of scripture, in
which the term Spirit, Spirit of God, and Holy
Ghost, are applied to Christians in common, and in
connexion with their progress in moral life.
These terms are all used in the bible, to express
the means with which God has been pleased to
favour men, to enlighten their minds and improve
88 sfiRMON y.
their dispositions. They embrace all the measures
adopted, and the influences afforded in the moral
government of God, to assist men in acquiring the
knowledge of religious truth, and obtaining the
qualifications of a religious character. Stephen,
the martyr, rebuked the Jews of his day, for reject-
ing the counsel of God.-—" Ye do always resist the
Holy Ghost ; as your fathers did, so do ye." The
resistance here mentioned, was to all the measures
contained in the dispensation of Moses, and in the
gospel of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul uses this
phraseology, (Rom. viii. 14)— ** As many as are
led by the spirit of God are the sons of God."—
Under divine influence, men are formed to a re-
semblance of the divine character. In the same
chapter, he informs us, (ver. 26) that — *' the Spirit
helpeth our infirmities." God grants us assistance
in the concerns of moral life. This class of texts
is very numerous in the New Testament j but their
connexion points out their meaning, and they are
without difficulty understood. Few ever select
these texts as proof of the Trinitarian doctrine.
I proceed,
5. To consider those passages of scripture in
which the Holy Ghost is spoken of as a person or
agent.
Our text is one of the most expressive of these,
*'But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,
whom the Father will send in my name, he shall
teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
The meaning of our Saviour, in this passage, we
have already discovered, by attending to the ac-
SERMON Y, 89
complishnri. it of the promise, when the apostles
received the Holy Ghost. In other places, our
Saviour speaks of sending the Comforter, (John,
xvi. 7) — " If I go not away, the Comforter will not
come unto you ; but if I depart, I will send him
Unto you. Howbeit, (ver. 13,) when he, the spirit
of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth ;
for he shall not speak of himself ; but whatsoever
he shall hear, that shall he speak ; and he will show
you things to come." From these passages, we
perceive that the Comforter was sent, that he spoke
not from himself, but as he was instructed. Sure-
ly this is not language that can be applied to a
being of independent existence, underived power,
and in all divine attributes equal with the Father.
The promise of our Saviour, to send the Comforter
to his disciples, is fully explained to us, by learning
what gifts were bestowed on the apostles at the
pentecost. This explanation also teaches us the
true meaning of the expressions of Jesus in the last
quotation. They are bold figures of speech, which
are common in all language, but in which dialects
of eastern countries abound. We shall clearly un-
derstand their import, when we attend to the manner
in which the apostles, desponding at the death of
their Master, were comforted by his resurrection ;
and reflect on the extraordinary powers with which
they were endowed after his ascension. Similar
personifications are frequently found in the sacred
writings. Solomon, in the book of Proverbs, gives
to wisdom personal attributes, and represents her
as exercising an extensive agency. St. Paul, in a
12
90 SERMON V.
most impressive manner, personifies sin and death ;
and he has beautifully described charity in the ac-
tive display of all Christian graces. When you,
my Christian brethren, fully understand the per-
sonification of wisdom and charity, can you find
difficulty in understanding the personification of
the spirit, by which the apostles were endued with
the gift of tongues, the power to work miracles,
and the knowledge of all religious truth ? In the
New Testament we are informed, that " the
Spirit knoweth all things, searcheth even the deep
things of God, and revealeth them to men." We
are directed not to " grieve the Holy Spirit of
God." We are informed that the Spirit was
taught, and that he teacheth. In the New Testa-
ment we also read " that death reigns, that the law
speaks, that the scriptures preach, and that charity
believeth all things, hopeth all things, and endureth
all things." We readily perceive the meaning of
one class of these texts : why, by the same prin-
ciple of construction, do we not perceive the true
meaning of the other ?
When the inspired writers speak of the Holy
Spirit in simple language, they do not represent a
person with whom men hold communion ; but
they describe qualifications or powers, with which
Christ and his apostles were in a greater or less de-
gree endowed ; or, the Holy Ghost is spoken of as
a qualitiy, a favour, or a blessing, given, granted,
poured out, or in which Christians participated.
There are other senses in which the Spirit of
God, or simply Spirit, are used in the bible. In
the Old Testament, men of mechanical ingenuity
SERMON V. 91
are said to possess the spirit of God. In the con-
struction of the tabernacle, Bezaleel is said to have
been filled with the spirit of God, in wisdom and in
understanding, and in knowledge, and in all man-
ner of workmanship. In the New Testament,
spirit is used to express the moral efficacy of the
gospel, when contrasted with the letter of the Mo-
saic ceremonies. But on such passages I need not
dwell.
I ask Trinitarians to give a meaning to two plain
and express declarations of our Saviour, in consist-
ency with their scheme.—" All things are delivered
unto me of my Father,'* says Christ, (Matt. xi. 27,)
" And no one knoweth the Son but the Father;
neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son,
and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him."*
If the Holy Ghost possesses independent existence,
and is omniscient like the Father, could Jesus have
made this declaration ? In another place our Sa-
viour, predicting a particular event, says, (Matt,
xxiv. 36) — " Of that day and hour knoweth no
one, no not the angels of heaven, but my Father
only." The comment on all passages which ex-
press the inferiority of the Son is, these refer to
the human nature of Christ. But this comment
will not be applied in the instance before us. No
one will affirm that the Holy Ghost is clothed with
humanity. If the Holy Ghost be a real person,
omniscient and equal with the Father, in what sense
shall we understand the declaration that the Father
only knoweth that day and hour ?
* In the English translation, it is rendered no man knoweth, &c.—
The original Greek is not thus limited ; it is, no one, no beiug^.
92 SERMON V.
You, probably, my Christian brethren, have taken
notice that I have not brought into view the pas-
sage in the epistle of John (1 John v. 7) — " I'here
are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the
Word, and the Holy Ghost ; and these three are
one." This text is not found in the authentick
Greek manuscripts : it is not contained in the
writings of the Christian fathers. In the dispute
between the Trinitarians and Arians of the fourth
century, this text is not quoted, though the previous
and subsequent verses are. It was not included in
Luther's German bible, nor in the first edition of
Erasmus's translation of the New Testament. In
Cranmer's English bible, published in the reign of
Henry the Vlllth, this text is included in crotchets,
and is printed on a smaller type than the texte
Learned Trinitarians of the present day, I believe,
admit that it is an interpolation.
Before I close, it may be expected that I consider
the form of baptism appointed by our Saviour,
(Matt, xxviii. 19.) — " Baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost." To be baptized in the name of a divine
teacher, is to be made his disciple, or to be consti-
tuted a nominal professor of his religion. St. Paul
observes that the Israelites (i Cor. x. 2) '* were
all baptized unto Moses, in the cloud and in the
sea." By the various measures adopted with them
during their exit from Egypt, and their journies in
the wilderness, they were established in the religion
of Moses. The proselytes to Judaism from Gen-
tile nations, at a subsequent period, were also bap-
tized unto Moses. At every period of their his-
SERMON y. 93
tory, the Jews were accustomed to introduce Pagan
converts to the privileges of their national worship,
by the rite of baptism. Converts from Judaism
and from idolatry to the belief of the gospel, were
baptized in the name of Christ. By this rite they
were initiated into his religion, became his nominal
disciples, and gained a title to all the privileges of
his institution. Christian baptism, in itself, is not
an act of worship ; but it is a ceremony by which
men are made Christian professors. This rite is
solemnly administered to men, when they are se-
riously disposed to take on themselves the name of
Christ, and give a pledge of obedience to his com-
mands, that they may be entitled to the consolations
and hopes of his gospel. The import of the form
of baptism contained in Matthew, I conceive to be
this: — You are now initiated into that religion which
proceeded from God, was promulgated by the me-
diation and ministry of Christ, and was confirmed
by the Holy Ghost ; that is, by miracles, which were
a seal enstamped by heaven on its truth. The
apostles did not consider this form essential to bap-
tism. The disciples of Samaria " were baptized
iu the name of the Lord Jesus." (Acts viij. 16)
Paul says, that he and his fellow disciples were
baptized into Christ ; and he observes. That as ma-
ny as have been baptized into Christ have put on
Christ.
In conclusion.
From the review of scripture which we have
taken, we find no proof of the existence of an eter-
nal Spirit distinct from God, possessing die attri-
butes of Supreme Divinity, and very God. The
94 SERMON V.
terms Spirit and Holy Spirit, when used in imme-
diate connexion with Deity, mean either God him-
self, his universal presence through all his works,
or the manifestation of some attribute of his nature.
When the phrases Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, Spirit^
of God, are used in reference to Jesus Christ, they
mean those communications and endowments from
God, which qualified him for the office of Mediator,
and enabled him to do the works, teach the doc-
trines, and accomplish the merciful purposes of the
Father. When these terms have reference to the
apostles of our Lord, they mean the gift of tongues,
the power to work miracles, and the inspiration ne-
cessary for the execution of their commission as
ambassadors of Christ. When these terms have
reference to Christians in common, they imply
those moral means and moral influences which
God graciously grants men in the business of their
salvation. To make the deeper impressions on the
human mind, the sacred writers sometimes personi-
fy the spirit, as they do wisdom, sin, death, and
charity.
From the bible we have equal authority to as-
cribe personal existence, and all the attributes of
Supreme Divinity to the wisdom, to the power,
and to the providence of God, as to the Spirit of
God.
SERMON VI.
THE PRIMITIVE STATE OP THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
TITUS i. 5.
For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set
in order the things that are wanting, and ordain Elders
in every city, as I had apjpointed thee.
FROM this text I shall, my Christian brethren,
direct your attention to the primitive state of the
Christian Church, and present to your considera-
tion the causes which introduced the superstitions
and abuses of the Papal Hierarchy. And this dis-
course is designed as an introduction to a review of
the gn^at event that took place in the sixteenth cen-
tury, which is emphatically styled the Rcformatiuru,
To the reformation, appeals are often made, the
principles and doctrines of the reformers are fre-
quently quoted as authority ; and some probably
talk zealously on this subject who do not fully un-
derstand it. A succinct history of that important
event, I conceive must be generally instructive and
useful, if composed in a manner suited to the pul-
pit, and adapted to the minds of a mixed audience.
Relying on your candour, this task I shall attempt.
96 SERMON VI.
Before M^e enter on this extensive subject, how-
ever, I would premise one general observation, to
prevent censorious judgment respecting those who*
differ from us in their ecclesiastical constitutions and
their forms of publick worship. We have an un-
questionable right to place the corruptions and
abuses of all denominations in the strongest light,
that they may be avoided ; but we have no au-
thority to judge and condemn the persons of
men. To his own master every servant must
account. Christianity was designed to be an uni-
versal religion ; and in its constitution and general
principles it is fitted for this purpose. The Divine
Author left nations and communities of men at
liberty to adapt external forms to the state of so-
ciety, to the nature of civil government, and to the
general improvement of particular ages and coun-
tries. In every communion, the sincere worshipper
will be accepted. Indeed, no individual of the hu-
man family, as I verily believe, is necessarily ex-
cluded from the acceptable service of his Maker ;
and without sincerity no one will find acceptance.
Hear the language of an enlightened and liberal
divine of the English Church on this point. —
*' Though your Church was pure, without spot or
imperfection, yet if your heart is not turned to
God, the worship is hateful, and the prayers are
an abomination. The homage of the darkest Pa-
gan, worshipping, he knows not what, but still wor-
shipping the unknown power that formed him — if
he bows with humility, if he praises with gratitude,
his homage will ascend grateful to heaven ; while
the dead, careless formality of prayer, offered up in
SERMON n. 97
the proudest Christian temple, shall be rejected as
an offering unholy. For, think you that the Al-
mighty esteems names and sects ? No : it is the
heart that he requires : it is the heart alone that he
accepts ; and much consolation does this afford
to the contemplative mind of man. We may be
very ignorant in spiritual matters, if the ignorance
cannot be removed, and yet may be very safe. —
We may not know in what words to clothe our de-
sires in prayer, or where to find language worthy of
being presented to the Majesty of Heaven. But
amidst the clouds that surround us, here is our
comfort — in every nation he that worshippeth in
humility, worshippeth aright : he that praiseth with
gratitude, praiseth well. The pride of establish-
ments may despise him, but the wisdom and the
righteousness of Heaven will hear and approve
him."
Our general subject I shall consider under the
following propositions : —
1. The primitive state of the Christian Church.
2. The manner in which ecclesiastical power
and dominion were gradually assumed by the
Christian priesthood.
3. The rise and extent of the usurpation of the
Bishop of Rome ; and the corruptions and abuses
of the Papal Hierarchy.
4. The causes which produced the separation
of Protestants from the Romish Church ; and the
nature and extent of the Reformation.
5. The duty of Protestants to act in consistency
with their avowed principles, and to make progres-
13
98 SERMON VI.
sive improvements in religious knowledge and at-
tainments in Christian virtue, corresponding with
the light and the means of the age in which they
live.
1. The primitive state of the Christian Church.
We cannot conceive of a system more pure and
spiritual than the religion of Jesus Christ, as it is
found in the New Testament. The instructions of
the gospel are fitted to elevate the minds of men by
the knowledge of truths the most important : its
precepts are calculated to purify their affections,
and in the best manner to regulate their practice ;
and its general influence is great and powerful to
form them to the requisite disposition for the high-
est intellectual and moral enjoyments of which their
natures are capable. The doctrines of the Christ-
ian revelation, by teaching us the goodness and the
mercy of our God, assuring a pardon to the peni-
tent sinner, giving the promise of divine favour to
all who do the divine will, and opening to our ex-
pectation the glories of immortality, furnish the
most persuasive motives to the cultivation of the
spirit, and to the exercise of the graces which the
gospel inculcates. The positive institutions and
external ceremonies appointed by Jesus Christ are
few in number, simple in their nature, easy of ob-
servance, and moral in their tendency.
The ecclesiastical polity established by our divine
Lord is fully adapted to the purpose of his reign.
Christ declares that his kingdom is not of this
world. His religion intermeddles not with the
concerns of civil government any further than its
influence extends to form men to purity of charac-
SERMON ri. 90
ter, and to induce them faithfully to execute their
duty in the relations they sustain. It does not in-
vade the province of the civil ruler ; nor does it per-
mit human authority arbitrarily to define its doc-
trines, to propagate its truths by the sword, or to
enforce its peculiar laws by human sanctions. Its
privileges are granted to all, and each individual is
accountable to God, and to God only, for their im-
provement. But my particular design, under this
branch of our subject, is, to state the condition of
the priesthood, and to describe the form of eccle-
siastical government, as these existed in the days
of the apostles. Two systems can scarce differ
more from each other, in these respects, than the
Christian Church, in the times of the apostles, dif-
fers from the Church of Rome, at the commence-
ment of the reformation.
The general method pursued by the apostles and
evangelist, in the establishment of our religion,
seems to have been this : — They first passed
through Gentile countries, preaching the gospel,
and performing miracles, in proof of their divine
mission ; and all who were endued with spiritual
gifts were employed in propagating the Christian
faith, and instructing those who were disposed to
receive the word of life. On a second journey, as
many of the proselytes to Christianity as could
conveniently attend on the publick institutions of
the gospel, in one place, were formed into distinct
congregations or Churches. Church and congre-
gation in primitive times, meant the same society ;
and particular pastors were ordained to officiate in
the v/orship and instruction of the Lord's day.—??
100 SERMON VI.
New converts needed much instruction ; and minis-
ters were often interrupted in their official labours,
by persecution, and other causes peculiar to that
period : more than one pastor, therefore, was fre-
quently appointed in the same Church. But there
is, I believe, no proof from the New Testament,
that the apostles instituted more than one order of
ministers, or that one minister was invested with
more power than another. The Greek terms gen-
erally used by the sacred writers, to designate the
official character of a minister, are, Ewto-jtoTroj and
n^Efr^uIlgo?. In English, Bishop and Elder. One
of these titles, we are told, was taken from the na-
ture and duties of the ministerial office, and the
other, from respect to the profession ; both are
descriptive of the same officer, and are indiscrim-
inately used when his office and duties are defined.
Two or three passages from the Acts of the Apos-
tles, and from the epistles of St. Paul and St. Peter,
will be sufficient to support this remark. In Acts
(xx. 17) we read that Paul from Miletus sent to
Ephesus, and called the Elders of the Church. In
this place, the Greek word is tr^fff-CuIs^a?. In his
address to these Church officers, when convened,
Paul exhorts them, (verse 28) — " Take heed there-
fore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which
the Holy Ghost has made you overseers." Here
the Greek is sTrjcrxoTra?, bishops. No one can pos-
sibly doubt that these terms here refer to the same
men, and that in the same communication they are
denominated Elders and Bishops. In our text we
are informed, that Titus was left at Crete, to set in
order the things that were wanting, and to ordain
SERMON VL 101
Elders in every city. In the subsequent verses, we
have a description of the qualifications of the Christ-
ian minister. " A Bishop must be blameless," &c.
The usual Greek words are used in these pas-
sages — n^BctvTi^og and ETrto-xoTro?, Elder and Bishop,
Elder and Bishop, therefore, in the language of St.
Paul, mean the same Church officer. To our
present purpose I will cite one passage from the
first epistle of Peter, (v. 1.)—" The Elders, (n^itr-
Cule^af) among you, I exhort." And the exhorta-
tion immediately follows, (verse 2) — " Feed the
flock of God which is among you, taking the
oversight thereof," In Greek, ETTJo-xoTrai/le?, that is,
performing the duties of Bishops. This passage
proves that Peter, as well as Paul, considered an
Elder and a Bishop to be the same officer, and their
duties to be one and the same.
Where is the authority found in the New Tes-
tament for the different orders of Christian minis-
ters which are now constituent parts of many ec-
clesiastical establishments in Christendom ? More
especially, what authority can be derived from the
directions of the apostles, or from the examples of
the primitive age of our religion for the high dig-
nity and the extensive powers with which Bishops
in these establishments are now clothed ? In the
episde to the Philippians, St. Paul thus addresses
the united Christian community " To all the
saints at Philippi, with the Bishops and Deacons."
Similar modes of address may be noted in other
epistles. The distinction between the three classes
here mentioned, we well know ; their several char-
acters are in the New Testament clearly described,
10^ SERMON TI,
and their respective duties are fully explained. No
Church was left destitute of a Bishop ; and in some,
several were appointed. The assembly of Christ-
ians, the apostle addressed in the following man-
ner — " We beseech you, brethren, to know them
which labour among you, and are over you in the
Lord, and admonish you ; and to esteem them very
highly in love for their work's sake."
Deacons, in the primitive age, were not consid-
ered as an order of the priesthood. They aided
the pastor in some of his official services : in the
exercises of publick worship, they distributed the
elements to communicants, and provided the ma-
terials for baptism ; but their general business was
secular, and to them was committed the manage-
ment of the prudential concerns of the Church.
The apostles fully explain the office of the minis-
ter of a particular Church : they clearly define his
duty, and solemnly admonish him -to its faithful
execution. In the sacred witings, the distinct of-
fices of Elders and Bishops are not described ; nor
do we find directions which apply exclusively to ati
higher order of priests. If an higher order was ap-
pointed by the apostles, how shall we account for
this neglect ? Take, for example, a Bishop, as this
ecclesiastical officer is acknowledged in the Church
of England. In him the right of ordination is ex-
clusively vested : he has the oversight of all the
clergy of his diocese ; and his jurisdiction is exer-
cised over the whole number of Churches which
compose it. There is not, I am satisfied, a passage
in the New Testament which describes this office,
nor one direction respecting the execution of its
H#
SERMON VI. 103
duties. To the propriety of this remark, you, my
Christian brethren, I believe, will assent, when you
attend to the primitive government of the Christian
Church.
It is unnecessary to bring into view the distinc-
tion between apostles who were supernaturally en-
dued to execute their high commission, and the
ordinary ministers of the gospel. Apostles and
evangelists acted by divine authority ; and our
present inquiry is, What is the constitution of the
Christian Church as they established it ? Where
does the right of election to office, the authority to
ordain the pastor elect, and the power to disci-
pline the members of the Christian society ordi-
narily rest ?
In respect to discipline, it is apparent that neither
Christ nor his apostles empowered either a single
Bishop, or the presbytery to try members on a charge
of conduct unworthy the Christian name, or to in-
flict censures on those convicted of offence. On
the contrary, this power was certainly lodged with
the assembly of Christians. Examine the direc-
tions of our Saviour respecting measures to be
adopted with an offending brother, contained in the
18th chapter of Matthew, and you will find that the
authority to discipline is not committed to the pas-
tor or to the presbytery, but to the brethren. — " If
thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell
him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall
hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he
will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two
more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses
every word may be established. And if he siiaU
104 SERMON VI.
neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church ; but
if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto
thee as an heathen man and a publican." Look
into the directions of St. Paul concerning the mem-
ber guilty of a publick and most scandalous of-
fence in the Corinthian Church. The apostle does
not give his orders for discipline to the particular
pastor of his Church, nor to an individual Bishop,
nor to the convocation of the presbytery, but to the
Christian body. *' In the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my
spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to
deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction
of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day
of our Lord Jesus." — ( 1 Cor, v. 4, 5) Deprive him
of his Christian privileges, that he may be brought
to repentance, and thereby save his soul. When
our religion was taken under the auspices of the
civil government, the clergy took on themselves
the title of ecclesiasticks, denominated themselves
the Church, and assumed power to lord it over the
heritage of God. But no authority is found in the
bible to denominate the clergy the Church. Nor,
in primitive times, was the distinction between con-
gregation and Church known. For three hundred
years at least, after the death of our Saviour, the
Christian society existed in one body ; and in one
united society Christian disciples attended publick
worship, and joined in all the ordinances of the gos-
pel ; and in one assembly, all concerns of general
interest were transacted. To this assembly, and
not to the clergy, the right of electing to office, and
the power of government, were committed.
SERMON TL 103
That the election of Deacons, in the age of the
apostles, was by the assembled brethren, cannot be
doubted. When complaint was made of the un^
equal distribution of publick charity, " the twelve
apostles called the multitude unto them and said,
(Acts vi. 2 — 5) It is not reason that we should
leave the word of God, and serve tables. Where-
fore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men
of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost, and wis-
dom, whom we may appoint over this business.
But we will give ourselves continually to prayer
and to the ministry. And the saying pleased the
whole multitude ; and they chose Stephen, a man
full of faith and the Holy Ghost," &c.
The apostles, during their lives, unquestionably
selected and ordained ministers. As inspired men^
they exercised more power in the Church, than
they permitted ordinary ministers, their successors,
to exercise. But even in the high concern of ap-
pointing an apostle to take the place of the fallen
Judas, regard was had by divine direction, to the
right of the brethren in electing their ministers.
Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and
directed them to choose two candidates for the
office of the apostate ; and he selected one of these
by lot, to take a part in the apostleship from which
Judas, by transgression, fell.
From scriptural history it is evident, that pastors
of particular Churches were not uniformly ordained
by the apostles or by evangelists during their lives.
Nay, it is apparent, evangelists themselves did not
always receive ordination from the apostles. St.'
Paul thus exhorts his son Timotiiy— -" Neglect not
14
106 SERMON VI.
the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by
prophecy, and the laying on the hands of the pres-
bytery.'* Paul and Barnabas, as well as Timothy,
were separated to their work, by the imposition of
the hands of the presbytery.
The sacred history of the Christian Church is
not continued beyond the lives of the apostles.
We must depend on the authority of ecclesiastical
historians for the usages and practices of the next
age. Respecting the choice of ministers, there is
not complete harmony among them. Some afRrm
that the election was solely with the brethren ;
others favour the supposition, that ordained min-
isters nominated candidates to vacant churches ;
but they concede that the brethren had a right to
reject the candidate nominated, without assigning a
reason for rejecting him. The fact probably was,
that ministers then, as they frequently do now, rec-
ommended candidates j and perhaps in some in-
stances, the recommendation, which societies at first
solicited as a favour, ministers eventually claimed
as their right of nomination. In the western
Church, pastors of particular Churches, and even
Bishops, were chosen by the brethren till 1050,
when the council of Avignon deprived them of this
privilege.
The ordination of candidates was in usual cases
considered as the appropriate office of ordained pas-
tors ; but when peculiar circumstances rendered it
expedient, lay ordination was acknowledged to be
valid.
Churches in primitive times were independent.
They possessed equal rights, and each had the ex-
SERMON VI. 107
elusive management of its own concerns. But to
a certain extent a community of interests has ever
existed among neighbouring Churches ; and eccle-
siastical councils have been common in every age.
But general councils, on scriptural grounds, I con-
ceive, have authority only to give advice. They
do not possess power to coerce the adoption of
measures recommended. Particular ecclesiastical
councils, called mutually by the parties in contro-
versy, are similar to references in civil affairs, and
their results are binding on the parties only by
their own agreement.
I have gone into this review for two purposes ;
1st — To make it manifest that we have a reason to
give for the constitution and order of congregation-
al Churches. And 2d — That a view of the primi-
tive state of the Christian Church being fixed in
your minds, you may be the better able to judge
of the corruptions and abuses, which at a subse-
quent age were introduced.
SERMON VII.
ECCLfiSIASTICAL POWER AND DOMINION WERE GRADU-
ALLY ASSUMED BY THE PRIESTHOOD.
1 PETER V. 3.
JYeither as being lords over God's heritage, hut being en-
samples to the jiqck.
IN this chapter, the apostle gives particular direc-
tions to the ordinary ministers of the gospel. —
" The ciders who are among you, I exhort, who
am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of
Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall
be revealed : Feed the flock of God which is
among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by
constraint, but willingly j not for fitthy lucre, but
of a ready mind ; neither as being lords over
God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall
receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.'*
These directions are plain, important, and sol-
emn. Christian disciples are here represented un-
der the allusion to a flock, which has ever been
considered as an emblem of innocence. Of this
Eock the pastor has the oversight in the Lord ; and
SERMON Til. 109
to him the care, the tenderness and the vigilance of
the good shepherd are recommended. This duty-
is to be performed, not under the impulse of world-
ly circumstances, but from inclination j not from a
primary view to the emoluments of offices, but
from the dictates of a mind devoted to the moral
purposes of the gospel. St. Peter exhorts minis-
ters not to assume authority in the Church, as of-
ficers appointed to dictate and rule in the concerns
of religion, and possessed of a divine right to con-
trol the consciences of men, and govern religious
opinions ; but he directs them to preach the word
of life, and to enforce their wholesome counsel by
an exemplification of the virtues they inculcate,
that the people of their charge may take them as
their examplers as well as teachers. To inspire
the ministers of the altar with the most animating
motives to faithfulness and perseverance, the apos-
tle carries their minds forward to the consummation
of the present system of things, when Christ shall
appear for. judgment ; and he assures them they
will then receive their reward, even the crown of
glory, honour, and immortality.
Happy would it have been for the Christian
world, had the successors of St. Peter regarded his
sacred directions, imbibed the spirit of their Mas-
ter and of his apostles, and supported the ministe-
rial relation in conformity to the rules enjoined
them. But in subsequent periods, how many who
bore the name of Christian ministers, inattentive
to apostolick precept and example, manifested the
spirit of the world, assumed dominion over con-
science, and ruled as lords of God's heritage.
110 SERMON VII.
The audience will recollect, that on a former
occasion, I proposed to review the primitive state
of the Christian Church, consider the causes
which led to the superstitions and abuses of the
Roman Hierarchy, examine the nature and extent
of the reformation, and state our duty as protest-
ants.
The second branch of this general subject is the
object of our present attention, viz.
2. The manner in which ecclesiastical power
and dominion were gradually assumed by the
Christian priesthood.
Under this proposition, I shall review the general
state of the Christian community in ages immedi-
ately succeeding that of the apostles. The usurpa-
tion of the Bishop of Rome, and the corruptions
and abuses of the Papal Hierarchy, will be particu-
larly discussed at a future time.
That your view of the subject may be distinct
and clear, I will divide the proposition into two
branches : — First, briefly state the circumstances
that introduced different orders of priests into the
Church, and led to the establishment of the offices
of Bishops and Archbishops ; and then describe
the manner in which ecclesiasticks gradually as-
sumed power and dominion over the community of
Christians.
Let us, my Christian hearers, carry our reflec-
tion back to primitive times, and consider the con-
dition of the professors of our religion in the age
immediately following that of the apostles. Ac
that time, the number of Christian disciples com-
posed a minor portion of the population of any city
SERMON VIL 111
or village. Then a single Church embraced a large
city, and perhaps a considerable extent of country.
The body of professors generally were noviciates
in our religion, and required extraordinary attention
from their spiritual instructers. Many of them, on
account of their local situation, could but occasion-
ally attend the stated place of the publick ministra-
tions of the word and ordinances of the gospel^
even in the most peaceable and quiet times of the
Church.
The members of the Christian community being
thus situated, a custom early prevailed of ordaining
two or more ministers of the same Church. These
were co-equal in office, and mutually aided in the
performance of all the duties of the pastoral rela-
tion among a community whose members were
widely separated from each other. As converts to
the Christian faith were multiplied, professors
within the limits originally embraced by a single
Church become too numerous ever to meet in one
place for the purpose of publick worship, or a par-
ticipation in the ordinances of the gospel. New
Churches were therefore gathered in the same city ;
or the distant members formed into distinct Church-
es in their own towns and villages ; and it more fre-
quently happened, that some of the ministers, who
had been ordained pastors of the parent Church,
were located as parish priests in the newly formed
societies. But this separation of those who had
once been members of the same Church was not
complete. These were holden to be associated
Churches ; and they were considered as having
in a peculiar sense, a community of interest. The
112 fERMON VII.
ministers of these respective societies often had their
meetings, to consult and advise with each other re-
specting measures designed to promote the cause
of Christian truth and virtue. From respect to the
parent Church, its minister, who having been se-
lected for this office on account of distinguished
talents, gravity, &c. was acknowledged as the
moderator of these assemblies of the clergy. And
in consequence of this office, a distinction was
made between the terms Bishop and Elder. In
the New Testament, and during the apostolick age,
these were used synonimoiisly, and neither meant
any thing more than the minister of a particular
Church ; but now the minister of the parent
Church was, by way of distinction, denominated
Bishop, and the pastors of the newly formed so-
cieties were called Elders, and the united societies
were called a Diocese. In this way two orders of
ministers vrere established. Deacons originally
were considered as the almoners of the Church j
and no service was performed by them, in the offi-
ces of publick worship, but serving the bread and
wine to communicants, and providing materials for
baptism : but when Churches were multiplied, and
ministerial labours were increased, the Deacons
were often requested to give their aid in offices of
worship ; and in process of time candidates for the
ministry were appointed Deacons, as a station in
which they might, with the more facility, prepare
themselves for the higher duties of the priesthood ;
or, to adopt the language of an ecclesiastical histori-
an — " The Deacons, who seem at first to have
been chosen merely in consequence of a particular
SERMON VIL lis
cxig^ence, as we learn from Acts vi. 1, to wit :-^For
the inspection of the poor, and the distribution of
the charitable collections, were admitted very early
to an inferiour part in the sacred ministry, such as
attendiijg the pastors in the discharge of religious
offices, and acting under their direction* The
deaconship served in fact as a noviciate to the minis-
try." Finally, deacons were admitted as a distinct,
though inferiour, class of the priesthood. In this
way three orders of the ministry were established,
bishops, elders or presbyters, and deacons.
But the bishop of that age bore scarce any re-
semblance to the bishop of a later period. There
was no revenue appropriated for the support of the
bishoprick : he claimed no authority over the pres-
byters, he exercised no spiritual jurisdiction over
the associated Churches. Nor did the several or-
ders of priests, as a body of ecclesiasticks, pretend
to power and dominion in the Church, in right of
their clerical office. The bishop was merely the
first among his brethren of the ministry. In his
name, invitation was given to the elders or pres-
byters of the diocese to meet, when their assem-
bling was thought expedient ; and he acted as pre-
sident in their meetings. But the rights of the
brethren were not yet invaded. Bishops and elders
were elected to office by common suffrage ; and all
transactions of the Church in which there was a
common interest, were managed in meetings of
clergy and laity, as one united body.
As the darkness of Paganism vanished before
the light of the gospel, Christian Churches were
15
114 SERMON VII.
multiplied ; and, in consequence of it, a kingdom or
province was sometimes divided into several dis-
tinct dioceses. Circumstances frequently rendered
it expedient that the whole number of the clergy of
a province or kingdom should be assembled in con-
vocation. For a time, the individual to preside in
this convocation was elected from the body assem-
bled, and his commission expired with the business
of the meeting ; but it became a custom that the
bishop of the capital city, where the assembly was
holden, should preside in these assemblies ; and in
this instance, as in many others, custom in time
became law ; and the bishop of the capital was
acknowledged as the head of the clergy of his prov-
ince or kingdom, and took the title of Primate,
Metropolitan, or Archbishop. But this system was
not fully ripened till the Roman government be-
came Christian.
Let us novv?^ attend to the manner in which eccle-
siasticks gradually assumed power and dominion
over the Christian community.
The disposition to assume power, and to abuse
it, has been too common to men of every descrip-
tion. History proves that ecclesiasticks have mani-
fested this disposition in as high a degree as men in
any other department of publick agency. We shall
be surprised to remark what trivial circumstances
are made the means of aggrandizing a body of
publick men, when they, by their stations, are ren-
dered ambitious and act in concert ; and when the
people, whose ministers they are, possess an unsus-
picious temper and an yielding spirit. Many cases
might be adduced to our present purpose ; but I
SERMON VII. 115
have time to present to your view only a single
example of the manner in which the clergy of the
Christian Church commenced their career of eccle-
siastical ambition and tyranny.
When in the apostolick age, the number of Christ-
ian disciples became so numerous, in the populous
cities of the Roman empire, as to form themselves
into societies, wholly separate in all religious con-
cerns, from the Pagan world, disputes arose, as they
ever will, among imperfect beings, " respecting
personal property and civil rights." These dis-
putes were carried before the Pagan tribunals, and
were settled according to the principles of the Ro-
man law. These quarrels and law-suits occasioned
ill-will, animosity, and uncharitableness, among
the brethren themselves ; and were thought to re-
flect scandal on their profession as Christians. In
view of these evils, which particularly abounded
in the Church of Corinth, St. Paul condemned
their litigious spirit, and exhorted them rather to
bear injury with patience, than to have recourse to
measures of redress, which must put the peace of
the Church and the character of their religion at
hazard. *'Why do ye not rather," says the apos-
tle, " take wrong ? Why do ye not rather suffer
yourselves to be defrauded ?" As the most ef-
fectual measure to prevent publick scandal, he ad-
vises them to submit their controversies to the
decision of arbitrators chosen from among them-
selves. This apostolick advice was generally
adopted among Christian converts, and the practice
was continued as long as the Roman government
remained Pagan.
116 SERMON VII.
The business of arbitration did not pertain to the
pastoral office ; and in the commencement of this
method of settling disputes there was nothing on
which an unworthy motive could operate in the
management of it. When executed by the pas-
tor, it increased his labours, held him up more
conspicuously to the ruling power, and thereby in-
creased, in respect to him, the danger of persecution.
His judgment had not the authority of law, and it
could be executed only by the consent of the par-
ties at issue. No pecuniary rewards were connect-
ed with this transaction : it was considered as the
work of charity. In selecting arbitrators, questions
of this nature naturally arose : — Who so likely to
feel a tender regard to the rights of every brother
as the minister, the spiritual father of the Christian
family ? Who will so impartially consult the safe-
ty and welfare of each individual member, as the
common shepherd of the flock ? From these or
other considerations, the clergy in fact, were in all
places appointed the arbitrators in civil controver-
sies ; and the practice was continued to the period
of the conversion of the Roman empire. What at
first was custom, was, in time, claimed as a right.
The service at first performed from charity, was
continued from ambition. By experiment, the cler-
gy found that from their station, as an umpire in
civil affairs, they derived power, ascendancy, and
influence, and these they were not disposed to re-
linquish.
Individual authority being granted them in re-
spect to personal property and civil rights, the
clergy, with greater plausibility, claimed exclusive
SERMON VH. 117
authority in all the concerns of religion. These
lay within their own province, and the regulation of
them was their own appropriate duty. Step by
step they proceeded to divest the people of every
privilege. They deprived the laity of the liberty
of electing their minister, and of every other officer
of the Church ; and denied them any publick
agency in the management of the common interests
of the society which they composed. When Con-
stantine was converted to the Christian faith, and
the civil government became Christian, he, with the
zeal of a convert, and in devotion to the priests of
his new religion, confirmed the clergy in all the
prerogatives they had before exercised ; and ecciesi^
astieal decisions were enforced by civil authority.
Then the clergy denominated themselves ecclesias^
ticks, and declared that they, as a body, composed
the Church, and of course assumed the whole admin-
istration of its polity. The right then left to the
laymen was simply the right of submission and
obedience. The people were to commit their un-
derstandings and their consciences to the guidance
of their spiritual rulers, and to resign their souls to
the safe keeping of the ghostly fathers.
Becoming lords of God's heritage, the clergy
apportioned the emoluments of the Church among
themselves. Bishops then claimed dignity, au-
thority, and wealth, corresponding with the proud
titles they assumed, and the lofty stations which
the)'- professed to fill. They usurped the exclu-
sive power of ordination, jurisdiction over the in-
ferior orders of the clergy, and the absolute direc^
tion of ail the affairs of their diocese. Large reve-
118 SERMON VII.
nues were appropriated for their support ; their pla-
ces of residence became palaces, and they were en-
circled with all the appendages and pomp of royalty.
Ecclesiasticks then generally gave almost unbound-
ed indulgence to the sph'it of pride and ambition,
against which their Divine Master pointedly and
solemnly cautioned the ministers of his gospel.
Before the close of the fourth century of the Christ-
ian era, the constitution, the forms, and the charac-
ter of die Church of the apostolick age disappeared,
and a system of domination and tyranny, of blind-
ness and superstition was introduced.
Thankful to God for the religious freedom and
light with which we are blessed, let us, my Christ-
ian brethren, stand fast in the liberty wherewith
Christ has made us free ; and may we walk as
children of the light.
SERMON VIII.
THE USURPATION OF THE BISHOP OP ROME,
2 THESSALONIANS ii. 4.
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called
God, or that is worshipped ; so that he, as God, sitteth
in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
WITHOUT comment, I shall make this text
the theme of one branch of the general subject pro-
posed for discussion, viz.
1. The primitive state of the Christian Church.
2. The manner in which ecclesiastical power
and dominion were gradually assumed by the
Christian priesthood.
3. The rise and extent of the usurpation of the
Bishop of Rome.
4. The causes which produced the separation
of protestants from the Romish Church ; and the
nature and extent of the Reformation.
5. The duty of protestants to act in consistency
with their avowed principles, and to make progres-
sive improvements in religious knowledge and at-
tainments in Christian virtue, corresponding with
the means of the age in which they live.
120 SERMON Vlli.
To the third proposition, our attention will at this
time be directed, viz.
3. The rise and extent of the usurpation of the
Bishop of Rome ; and the corruptions and abuses
of the Papal Hierarchy.
The supremacy, which the Bishop of Rome ac=
quired, has not a parallel in the history of the world.
Jesus Christ, the common Lord and Master of
Christians, declared that his kingdom is not of this
world ; and he in the most express terms forbid his
disciples to cherish the spirit of domination, or to
exercise authority over the consciences of men in
the concerns of religion. When James and John
ambitiously requested the honour of sitting, one at
the right hand, and the other at the left, of their
Master, in his kingdom of glory, he called the twelve
disciples before him, and said unto them — " Ye
know that they which are accounted to rule over
the Gentiles, exercise lordship over them ; and
their great ones exercise authority upon them. But
so shall it not be among you ; but whosoever will
be great among you shall be your minister ; and
whosoever of you will be chiefest, shall be servant
of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his
life a ransom for man v." Yet the ministers of the
meek and humble Jesus, in violation of the com-
mand of their Lord, did aspire to supreme domin-
ion, as well in civil as ecclesiastical concerns. — i
The Bishop of Rome, claiming to be the successor
of St. Peter, and the vicegerent of Christ, succeed-
ed in the attempt to subjugate the understandings
and the consciences of men to his authority, and ta
SERMOIV VIII. 121
place their property and their lives at his disposal.
The proudest king was made to bow with servile
subniissioa to his rule, and the most powerful em-
peror to tremble at his mandate.
Every reflecting mind must be disposed to re-
view measures which occasioned such perversion
of the principles of the gospel, and to trace the steps
that led the Christian bishop to this spiritual do-
minion.
It is well knov/n, that the Pope of Rome, for ages,
has founded his claim of supremacy on the plea that
this dominion ia the Church was given to the apos-
tle Peter, who was, as they affirm, the first bishop of
Rome ; and that the Pope, as his successor, in-
herits all the prerogatives which St. Peter possess-
ed. It may, not therefore, be amiss in the introduc-
tion, to examine this plea. The pretence that Peter
was constituted head of the Christian Church, is
founded on the declaration of our Saviour to him. —
" Thou art Peter ; and on this rock (the meaning
of the Greek word Usr^o?) I will build my Church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom
of heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth,
shall be bound in heaven ; and whatsoever thou
shiilt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven."
This declaration was made in consequence of Pe-
ter's profession of his faith in Jesus as the Messiah.
Our Sdviour then changed his name from Simon to
Peter, and pronounced the above-mentioned bene-
diction. But the only distinction which this gave
I^eter above his fellow apostles, was the honour of be--
16
122 SERMON nil.
ing the first to publish the Christian religion to the
Gentile world — opening the door of faith to the
Gentiles, as Paul expresses it. Peter's address ta
his countrymen, is the best comment of the promise
of our Saviour to him. — " Brethren, ye know that
God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by
my mouth should hear the word of the gospel.""
That is, first hear it : but in the propagation of the
Christian faith, his fellow apostles were his coadju-
tors. In this cause, St. Paul laboured more abun-
dantly, and declared that he was not a whit behind
the chiefest of the apostles. This is the amount of
giving the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Peter.
It gave him no other privilege than that of first
preaching the gospel to Gentiles : it invested him
with no exclusive prerogative. *' On this rock I
will build my Church !" You shall have the hon-
our to build up the Christian kingdom : but the
other apostles were fellow labourers with him, —
Christian societies, says St. Paul, " are built upon
the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ himself being the chief corner-stone." —
*' Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be
bound in heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt loose
on earth, shall be loosed in heaven." This is figur-
ative language, borrowed from Jewish phraseology.
The meaning is, that Peter was commissioned to
publish the conditions of pardon and salvation to
sinners ; and that whatsoever he, under divine in-
spiration, should publish on earth, as bound or for-
bidden men, as a disqualification for the happiness
of immortality ; and whatsoever he on earth should
publish, as loosened, or permitted, or enjoined men,
SERMON VIII. - 123
pertaining to life eternal, should be ratified and
confirmed by the authority of God in heaven. But
this was not the prerogative of Peter alone : the
commission for this high purpose was given to all
the apostles.
There is not the shadow of evidence that Peter
was constituted the bishop of Rome : that he was
ever in the city of Rome, rests wholly on tradi-
tionary evidence ; there is no passage in the New
I'estamect that favours such a supposition. The
earliest ecclesiastical historians mention Linus,
whose name occurs in the salutation of Paul to
Timothy, as the first bishop of Rome. The com-
mission of an apostle extended to the whole Christ-
ian community. To station him as a parish minis-
ter, or place him at the head of the clergy of a
province, or even kingdom, would be to degrade
him from his apostolick office.
Peter was the oldest man among the twelve dis-
ciples of our Lord ; and from several passages of
the New Testament, it appears that he acted as the
president of the standing council of Christians at
Jerusalem. In the Gospels, and in the Acts, his
name generally stands first, when an enumeration
of individuals is made. Matthew, himself an
apostle, stiles Peter the first : that is, first among
equals. He acted as the presiding officer : as such
he delivered their decisions, and to him in this ca-
pacity probably letters to the council were address-
ed ; but it is evident that he possessed no exclusive
authority ; for this very council sent Peter and John
into Samaria, as their missionaries to the new con-
verts of that province. This appears more like
124 SERMON yiK.
obeying the commands of the council, than claim-
ing a controlling superiority over them. With
modern notions of the supremacy of the Pope,
what would a Roman Catholick think, if he should
be told that the college of cardinals had sent his
holiness, as their legate, into a distant country ?
That Peter claimed not authority over Paul, we
know, for Paul withstood him to his face, and car-
ried the point against him. On the whole, the
pretence that Peter was invested by his Master
with supreme power in the Church, that he was
constituted the first bishop of Rome, and that his.
successors in office inherit all his power, is without
any solid support.
Let us then inquire for the means by which the
Pope acquired dominion.
In the age that may be called apostolick, the
elder or bishop of Rome was the pastor of a single
Church, and was elected to his office by the suf-
frages of the Christian society. As Christian con-
verts were multiplied in Italy, new Churches were
formed, but were considered as branches of the
parent Church ; and Rome, as the capital city of
the empire, and the original seat of the parent
Church, gave dignity and rank to its bishop. —
Rome was acknowledged as the great centre of the
Christian community, till Constantine removed his
court to the city that bore his name. At Rome,
all general councils were convened, and here all great
questions respecting the polity, the doctrines, and the
discipline of the Church were decided. These con-
siderations all tended to encrease the importance of
this bishoprick. When the civil empire was estab-
SERMON vm. 125
lished at Constantinople, a violent contention arose
between the pontiff of ancient Rome and the bishop
of the newly honoured Constantinople, for superi-
ority. But when the Turks conquered the greater
portion of Asia, Constantinj<*,>lc dwindled into com-
parative insignificance, g(iid Rome maintained with-
out a rival its superiority. But that the bishop de-
rived his relative importance from the place of his
residence, and not from any authority transmitted
through Peter, is most evident ; for whenever a
province of the western empire was divided, in res-
pect to its civil government, which was sometimes
done, a corresponding division was made by the
ecclesiastical diocese ; and the capital city of the
newly established province was made the seat of a
new bishoprick, the minister of which was consti-
tuted the Metropolitan of this newly formed diocese.
The favourable circumstances respecting the lo-
cal situation of Rome inspired its bishop with the
spirit of ambition, and a plan of aggrandizement
was early formed, which, through succeeding ages,
was systematically prosecuted. Science and litera-
ture were buried in the ruins of the Roman empire
at its conquest, by the barbarians of northern Eu-
rope. An age of ignorance and darkness ensued,
favourable to the aspiring views of the ecclesiastical
court of Christian Rome. Its bishop no longer
deigned to depend for his titles and honours, on
the election of the Christian society. He claimed a
divine right to his office, and professed to rule in the
Church by power derived from Christ. The pow-
er assumed by one aspiring bishop was never re-
linquished by his successor, though his natural
126 SERMON Till.
disposition might be more mild, and his general
character approach nearer to the standard of Christ-
ian simplicity and godly sincerity. Advantage was
taken of the contention of civil princes, and every
concession made by emperor or king in the day of
depression, or to answer a present purpose, was
holden as an established prerogative of the Pope,
and was made the means of still higher acquisitions
of power ; and in process of time, the head of the
Church became a sovereign prince, usurped the
most important attributes of civil government,
claimed a superiority over all civil rulers, and by
precepts issued from his conclave, disposed of king-
doms and empires. The deepest policy was adopt-
ed to promote the purposes of this spiritual tyranny,
and efficient measures used apparently not to en-
lighten the minds of men in the knowledge of re-
ligious truth, and to form their dispositions to the
spirit of the gospel, but to make them the submis-
sive children of the Church which assumed domin-
ion over their faith. These political measures were
various, but all directed to the same object.
On a former occasion, we took a cursory notice
of the exemptions plead for ecclesiasticks, from
trials in ordinary judicial courts. The Church of
Rome successfully prosecuted these claims to a
most extravagant and pernicious length. " The
clergy, the more effectually to exercise power over
the laity, exempted themselves from all civil juris-
diction." " By degrees," says an ecclesiastical
historian, " the dignity of the priests rose so much
higher than that of the temporal powers, that it was
deemed a thing absolutely intolerable that a clergy^
SERMON VIII. 127
man should be subject to any temporal tribunal ;
and as the common law did not punish with death,
the clergy enjoyed almost an absolute impunity
from the commission of any crime whatever. —
And in those dark and ignorant ages, the disposi-
tion of the clergy to violence, and crimes of every
nature, was little, if at all, less than that of the
laity. It appears, in the reign of Henry III. of Eng-
land, that more than a hundred murders had been
committed by clergymen, whom the civil powers
could not bring to justice. As to the higher ranks
of the clergy, it was hardly possible that they
should be punished for any crime, on account of
their right of appeal to Rome, and the certainty of
their finding protection there, especially if they had
any difference with their sovereign. Besides, in these
times, no clergyman could be punished capitally
without previous degradation ; and a priest could
not be degraded but by eight bishops, to assemble
whom was a great expense."
The Roman clergy, not satisfied with exempting
themselves from trial before tribunals appointed by
the civil government, brought within the ecclesias-
tical courts exclusively all causes relating to mar-
riages, alimony, and wills ; and in many instances
encroached on the more common administration of
justice.
Not merely in the administration of justice did
the Roman pontiff invade the rights of civil govern-
ment. In the year 606, the emperor Phocas, by a
pubiick decree, invested the Pope with the title of
Universal Bishop, and clothed him with superior
authority in all ecclesiastical concerns. Thus em-
128. SERMON Yin.
powered, the servant became too mighty for the
master. From this time the Pope claimed the
right of nominating and investing bishops in all the
Churches in Europe, though the claim was not im-
meuiateiy allowed in every kingdom. He not only
assumed a full domination in ecclesiastical affairs,
but usurped the civil power, and often, by his man-
date, .established and removed kings. A Pope
arrogantly declared to a sovereign potentate, ^^ that
the dignity of the Pope was as much superior to
that of the Emperor, as the administration of the
things of heaven is above that of the things of
earth."
Another measure adopted to promote the scheme
of Papal powder and aggrandizement, was the pro-
hibition of the marriage of priests. By this means,
the ties of country were loosened, and the tender
bonds of domestick life were broken asunder
through all orders of the priesthood. The clergy
were considered as married to the Church : with
the Church their interests were identified ; and as a
body, they were devoted to its purposes. Several
orders of monks were established as distinct corps
in this service. They depended on the Pope for
their existence, derived their support from the
revenues of the Church, and always were ready
to obey, without hesitation, the commands of the
pontiff. For centuries, what of literature there was
in Europe, was confined to the above classes of
priests ; and the superstition, as well as ignorance,
of the people, rendered them the easy dupes of their
spiritual guides. Large revenues in money were
raised under various pretences ; a great portion of
SERMON vm« 129
the lands in Europe, become the property of the
Church and the estates of the Church were con-
sidered sacred ; and to withdraw any part of it from
the object of its appropriation, was deemed to be
the height of impiety. On the pretext that their
iprayers would avail to redeem a soul from purga-
tory, the clergy made bargains with the deluded peo-
ple for the benefit of deceased friends. A given
amount of money was paid for the redemption of
the soul of a departed relative from punishment ;
and the sum was always proportioned to the wealth
of the family which was a party to the contracts
The sale of indulgeneies was another productive
branch of revenue to the Church; but we shall
have occasion to mention this in another place.
By these means the Papal Church amassed im-
Inense wealth.
One efficient measure to accomplish the ambi-
tious designs of the Roman pontiff, was the claim
of infallibility. As the vicegerent of Christ on
earthy the Pope claimed the possession not only of
power to rule the Church universal, but also the
authority to determine the true rheaning of scrip-
ture, to decide all controversies, to judge on every
doctrinal publication, and to settle all questions of
conscience. The people were never to use their
own judgment on religion, but implicitly to bow
their understandings to the wiser decisions of their
spiritual fathers ; and though the truth of a position
should appear to their minds as clear as the light of
the meridian sun, yet if it was pronounced by the
infallible judge untrue, they must with heart and
17
130 SERMON vm.
soul acquiesce, and sincerely believe as the Church
decreed. Having an infallible teacher, the bible was
not thought necessary for the laity ; and on the plea
that they had not judgment to understand its com-
munications, it was withholden from their perusal.
As though all this was not enough for the pur-
poses of delusion, the Papal Church held the doc-
trine of tradition : that is, they maintained that
the apostles of our Lord, from prudential considera-
tions, did not commit to writing, the whole system
of divine revelation, but transmitted, by oral tradi-
tion, certain principles and rules, which are of equal
authority with the written will of God. These tra-
ditions were committed, from generation to genera-
tion to the safe keeping of ecclesiasticks, who in
reality composed the Christian Church ; and the
laity are solemnly bound to receive these from their
priest, on the authority of God. From this secret
treasury the Papal clergy could draw any order,
precept, or rule, calculated to subserve the designs
of their ambition, avarice, or sensuality ; and no
one, on the penalty of his salvation, must question
its validity.
Excommunication was used as a powerful in-
strument to subserve the designs of Papal usurpa-
tion. The Pope fulminated the sentence of excom-
munication against all who manifested a spirit of
opposition to the requisitions of the Church, or
made the slightest resistance to the execution of
her decrees. This sentence deprived tlie excom-
municated of every religious privilege, excluded
them from a participation in the rights of humanity,
and made them forlorn outcasts in society. Their
SERMON VIII. 131
bodies were denied Ciiristian burial ; and the ig-
norant and superstitious wretches died in the full
exjiectation that the Papal sentence would be ratifi-
ed at the tribunal of heaven, and would prove the
seal of their eternal pr rdition. Sometimes a whole
kingdom was excommunicated for an act of insub-
ordination in its sovereign. This sentence closed
every Church in the realm, and suspended the ex-
ercise of every Christian office through the whole
community. It was received by the mass of the
people with astonishment and terrour, Uke that
which would be experienced, should the sun cease
to shine, and the elements of heaven be made the
ministers of divine vengeance on a guilty nation.
To complete this system of spiritual imposition
and tyranny, the Papal Church established the
court of inquisition, to guard against the very sem-
blance of opposition to its authority. On mere
suspicion of the want of allegiance to their sove-
reignty, the officers of this court, in the midnight
hour, and with the silence of the thief, invaded the
mansion of the citizen, and dragged the master of
the household from the bosom of his family to
a dungeon, where he was not confronted with
his accuser, where no charge was laid against him,
nor measures of defence allowed ; but where he
was tortured and forced to a confession against
himself; and where, when policy dictated, he
expired on the wheel. Still his dearest relative
dared not inquire for the cause of his arrest ; nor
his best friend lisp the story of his sufferings and
destruction. Is it then possible that the liberal in-
stitutions of the gospel should be thus perverted to
132 SERMON TIJI.
purposes of domination and cruelty ? Is it possi-'
ble that the religion of love and benevolence should
be made the instrument to accomplish the designs
of human pride and ambition ? While we review
the terrifick features of Papal tyranny, our blood
becomes cold, and our minds, in detestation, recoil
from the contemplation of the hateful picture.
But this complicated apparatus of means, this
immense engine of power, fully answered the in-
tended design of aggrandizement. The minister
of the lowly Jesus assumed the loftiest titles, and
decorated himself with a triple crown. He ap-
peared in all the magnificence, and was surrounded
with all the splendour and pomp of royalty. En-
circled by his cardinals, the Pope issued decrees
which not only regulated the religious affairs of
every Church, but also effected the most important
interests of the civil governments of Europe, and
not unfrequently disposed of the thrones of kings
and emperors. Here he arrogated the attributes of
Divinity, and presumed to exercise the prerogative
of God. He exalted himself above all that is call-
ed God * he as God, sat in the temple of God,
showing himself that he is God.
This must suffice to show the rise and extent of
the usurpation of the Bishop of Rome. The cor-
ruptions and abuses of the Papal Hierarchy will be
more fully considered on a future occasion.
SERMON IX.
THE CORRUPTIONS AND ABUSES OF THE PAPAL
HIERARCHY.
2 THESSALONIANS ii. 9.
Whose coming is after the working of Satan, with allpoW"
er, and signs, and lying wonders.
IN the last discourse, we reviewed the manner
in which the Bishop of Rome usurped power and
dominion. From the passage of scripture before
us, I shall direct your attention to
The corruptions and abuses of the Papal Hie-
rarchy.
It has already been mentioned that the Bishop of
Rome was originally a parish minister, elected to
office by the members of his society. As Christ-
ian converts were multiplied, new Churches were
formed in Rome and its vicinity, and pastors were
established to administer the ordinances of the gos-
pel among them ; but the minister of the parent
Church was considered as the first among equals :
he summoned the meetings of the clergy, and pre-
sided in them. When the Roman government be-
134 SERMON IX.
came Christian, the ecclesiastical divisions of the
empire were made to correspond with its civil di-
visions ; and Rome, being the capital city, its bish-
op took precedency of all others. After Constan-
tinople became the seat of civil government, the
Bishop of Rome and of Constantinople often disput-
ed the question of rank. Early in the sixth century
the Emperor Phocas gave the Pope of Rome the
title of Universal Bishop. He and subsequent em-
perors and kings granted extensive territories to the
Papal Church, which since has been denominated
the Patrimony of St. Peter. From the above-men-
tioned period, the Pope was, at least through Eu-
rope, acknowledged as the head of the Christian
community ; and all the Archbishops with their
suffragan Bishops submitted to him as possessing
the legislative, the judicial, and the executive pow-
er of the Church.
The first change made in the election of the
Pope was the admission of the clergy belonging to
the diocese of Rome to vote with the people of the
city. The next gave the clergy the right of nomi-
nation, and the people expressed their assent. The
approbation of the emperor, in^ process of time, be-
came necessary ; and without it, investiture in office
was not permitted. But at length the pontiff gave
essential assistance to a particular German emperor,
in his contention with a rival power ; and, as a reward,
received from him the relinquishment of the im-
perial right of approvin.8^ the election of the Pope.
That the right might never be resumed, the pontiff
finally asserted that he held his honours, not by
human, but by Divine authority. As the sue-
SERMON IX. 135
\
eessor of St. Peter, the prince of the apostles, he
claimed the ke5^s of the Christian kingdom ; and
declared that he was invested with all power, in
thins^s terriporal as well as spiritual. The mitre
was pronounced to be above the crown, and it was
solemnly averred that kings, as well as bishops, de-
rived their power to rule from the Pope, the vice-
gerent of Christ. The Pope published as a law of
the gospel, " that the Bishop of Rome is the su-
preme lord of the universe, and that neither princes
nor bishops, civil governors nor ecclesiastical rul-
ers, have any lawful pow^r in Church or state, but
what they derive from him." To support tiiis as-
sumed character, the pontiff now set up the claim
of infallibility.
Severe altercations and great disorders often oc-
curring in the election of the Pope, at the close of
the eleventh century, the Roman pontiff, by decree,
formed a college of cardinals, and invested them
with the exclusive right of election. AH vacancies
in the college are filled by the Pope himself. Sev-
enty, I believe, has been, for a long time past, the
Stated number of cardinals composing this college.
Arrogating to himself power in heaven and on
earth, the proud head of the Church miintained by
subtle policy his spiritual empire, and drew im-
mense revenues from the nations of Europe. Im-
mersed in luxury, and surrounded with the minions
of his greatness, his elevated station attracted the
attention of the voluptuous, and became the object
of envy to the ambitious and aspiring. A mitred
minister of the Church, endeavouring to convert a
distinguished heathen philosopher to his faith, re-
136 SERMON IX.
ceived the following reply : — " Make me Bishop of
Rome, and I wiil be a Christian."
Corruption and abuse were the natural conse-
quences of unbounded power and wealth. To
secure prerogatives already obtained, and to ex-
tend them as circumstances permitted, became the
ruling principle of tlie Papal throne ; Christian
doctrinf;s and Christian morals were of subordinate
consideration. In the primitive age, personal
qualifications alone gave influence to individuals.
Then the minister of the gospel rose to eminence
and distinction, as he displayed a knowledge of the
system he professed to teach, as he discovered
vigilance and fidelity in the performance of minis-
terial duties, and as he gave an exemplification of
the Christian virtues and graces ; but when our re-
ligion obtained the support of civil government, and
Christian ministers became lords and princes, the
power of office secured influence, and wealth fur-
nished the means of homage and submission, though
the minister were a novice in theology ; though he
were totally destitute of the spirit of his Master ;
and though in Kfe and conversation he violated
every precept of the ' gospel. The history of the
Christian Church, through succeeding generations,
fully verifies these remarks. For the sake of per-
spicuity, I will consider this branch of our subject
under distinct heads.
1. The usurpation of the Roman pontiff* was
attended with the corruption of the great body of
the clergy.
An age of ignorance and barbarism succeeded
the fall of the Roman empire. The Papal Hie-
SERMON IX. 13^
rarchy availed itself of this state of things, to erect a
monarchy ahiiost as extensive as had been the civil
doinitiioii of Rome, and to establish a despotism
more oppressive than that which was supported by
the Roman sword. But the measures by which
this spiritual power governed, were widely diifer-
ent. Ir.trigue and sophistry, artifice and deception,
the prostitution of every thing sacred in truth, and
important in religion, were among the most effica-
cious means used to extend and maintain this
spiritual dominion. Th.e Papal court became cor-
rupt and venal, from its head down to its menial
attendants. Popes, who styled themselves the di-
vine guardians of the sacred truths of revelation,
and the infallible guides of the whole Christian
family in the paths of salvation, disregarding the
moral purpose of the clerical office, and falsifying
all their lofty pretensions to spirituality and holi-
ness, devoted themselves to schemes of ambition
and aggrandizement, or sunk into the most luxu-
rious and profligate course of life, according with
the constitutional complexion of their minds. To
show the extravagant lengths to which the dissipa-
tion of the Papal court was carried, sober history
relates, that a particular Pope kept in his stables
more than two thousand hunting horses, for the
sportings of himself, his cardinals, bishops, and
other ghostly functionaries of his establishment.
The fountain being thus impure, the streams of
course became foul. The Bishops, in their splen-
did palaces, found their employment in the expen-
diture of their immense income, to the neglect of
18
138
SERMON IX.
the ordinary duties of the ministerial profession*
Bishops ceased to be constant preachers. They
became haughty and imperious, demanding hoih-
age and deference from every class of men in so-
ciety. Among canons particularly designed to
regulate the conduct of the clergy, and which had
the sanction of the council of Trent, we find the
following, viz. —
*' Against those bishops, who in Church, or out
of it, behave themselves meanly towards the minis-
ters of kings, persons of quality, and barons, and
with too much indignity, not only give place to
them, but do them personal service ; the synod
detesting this conduct, and renewing the canons
concerning the decorum of episcopal dignity, com-
mands bishops to beware of such practices, and
every where to challenge due respect to their de-
gree, remembering that they are pastors ; and also
commands princes and all others to bear them the
honour and reverences due to fathers." Preaching,
religious instruction, and all the offices of publick
worship, were committed to inferiour priests ; many
of whom were grossly ignorant, more were im-
moral, and in general, they did not feel the obliga-
tions or the responsibility of parish ministers ; but,
like their superiours, they found the real duties of
their stations a burden, and made tlie formal dis-
charge of them as light and easy as possible.
The publick exercises of the Sabbath, as we shall
more fully perceive under a subsequent particular,
as it respects their moral purpose and important de-
sign, were subverted.
SERMON IX. 139
2. Monkish institutions proved the source of
great corruptions and abuse in the Christian Church.
The orders of monks had their origin in the times
of persecution by the Roman emperors. At those
periods, many professors of the gospel justly pri-
zing their Christian hopes above worldly emolu-
ments, or even life itself, fled from the prospects of
a cruel death, to which constancy in their religion
daily exposed them ; and from the temptation to
apostacy into which numbers of Christians were
brought by the threatened evil, and sought their
safety in solitude. Mountains and deserts, removed
from the haunts of men, were the places of their re-
treat. Here men and women, and sometimes whole
families, lived in the most simple manner ; and
they deemed security in religion to be happiness.
But no idea of absolute seclusion from the business
of the world, or from the intercourse of society, en-
tered into their plan j nor were any of the number
considered as taking on themselves a clerical, or, in
a peculiar sense, a religious character. Avoidance
of the evil of persecution, and safety and quietness
in the enjoyment of the liberty wherewith Christ
had made them free, was the sole object of their re-
tirement. In fact, when the terrours of persecution
were removed, most of these returned to the com-
mon pursuits of civil life, in the cities and towns
from which they had fled. But individuals, habit-
uated to solitude, preferred a continuance of the life
of quietness and serenity, to which they had long
been accustomed.
The politick court of Rome saw the advantages
which might accrue to the hierarchy from clothing
140 SERMON IX.
this class of men with a clerical garb; and conse-
crating them to the service of the Church. They
were therefore, by a Papal decree, formed into an
order of priests, by a distinct name ; and canons
were established, to regulate their discipline, and
all the exercises of their devotions. When the
monastick institution was first founded, it was poor,
and the brethren appeared as men weaned from the
world. They lived in a state of self-denial and
bodily mortification : they were wholly separated
from all the business and all the pleasures of so-
ciety ; and they made solemn vows of devoting
themselves, mind and heart, to God and religion.
This apparent sanctity and devotion made deep im-
pressions on the imaginations of men of a dark age.
The character of the monk was viewed as sacred,
his round of ceremonial observances was deemed
the height of piety, and his prayers were supposed
ever to have efiicacy at the throne of God. — -
Through several centuries, a spirit of infatuation
prevailed on this subject. Men, it w^as universally
thought, could not do greater service to God than
to found these monastick institutions. These were
multiplied in every kingdom of Europe. Parents
often left their children without inheritance, that
they might endow these establishments, and secure
the prayers of the holy fraternity. Men, who
through life had been habitually guilty of the
grossest crimes, at the close of life took the vows,
and were clad in the garment of the monk, in the
expectation, as it seems, that the mere initiation in-
to the order, v/ould cancel their offences, and the
garb be a passport to heaven. The consequence of
SERMON IX. 141
this infatuation was, that a great portion of the
population were drawn from the important purposes
of society, and devoted to an ascetick life ; and a
large proportion of the property was taken from ac-
tive business, and bestowed to enrich these useless
institutions. On the devotees themselves, wealth
produced its usual effects. Numbers, who wore
the garments of abstinence and bodily mortifica-
tion, lived within the walls of their monasteries in
idle luxury ; some gave themselves up to unbound-
ed licentiousness ; and the aspiring spirits among
them opened a path to the world, found their way
into the courts of kings, and there filled the higliest
places of government. But they all were devoted
to their head, the Pope ; and a part of the wealth
which circulated through their channels, was at last
emptied into the coffers of the Papal treasury.
The general tendency of the monkish life was,
to give people false views of the nature and design
of religion, and to direct their religious services to
an useless purpose. Men were not taught to live
soberly, righteously, and piously, as a preparation
for heaven ; but to leave the world, and devote
themselves to ascetick observances ; or, if they
could not make the required sacrifices, they might
gain salvation through the mediation of these con-
secrated ministers of the altar. To show that this
misapprehension was general, I need only mention
the case of an individual monk, who saw the com-
mon delusion, and had the honesty and resolution
to make an attempt to stem the torrent of this vile
superstition. The doctrine he advanced was this— '
*' That all those who kept the vows they made to
142 SERMON IX.
Christ at their baptism, and lived accordii)g to those
rules of piety and virtue laid down in the gospel,
had an equal title to the rewards of futurity ; and
that consequently those, who passed their days in
unsociable celibacy and severe mortifications and
fastings, were in no respect more acceptable in the
eye of God, than those who lived virtuously in the
bands of marriage, and nourished their bodies with
moderation and temperance." This rational doc-
trine was first condemned by the conclave at Rome,
then by a numerous council assembled at Milan ;
and the Christian emperor carried their result into
execution, and banished this enlightened and honest
monk to a desolate island.
It would be wrong not to mention that other ex-
amples of knowledge, right practice, and true
charity, appeared among the monks ; that the lit-
tle science and the useful literature which prevail-
ed in the dark ages of Europe, were found in mon-
asteries ; and that bright instances of benevolence
were exhibited among them. But these were only
exceptions to the corruptions and abuses which
generally abounded among this order.
3. It was the policy of the Papal Church to
keep the laity in gross ignorance, that they might
the more easily hold them in thraldrom ; and this
systematick purpose must be marked among their
gross corruptions and abuses.
Knowledge is the best guard against imposi-
tion — against rehgious imposition it is the most
effectual. The Romanists adopted publick mea-
sures to prevent, among the people, improvements
in knowledge. They assumed as a maxnu,
SERMON IX. 143
that ignorance is the mother of devotion ; that faith
rises in worth inversely with the evidence on which
it is established ; and that faith which is founded
in impossibility, is the most meritorious. — " I be-
lieve, because it is impossible," was the boast of a
dignified member of this Church. In accordance
with these maxims, all the forms of publick wor-
ship, and all the exercises of the Church were cal-
culated to lead men blindfold as the vassals of the
spiritual lords of Christendom. In Popish Church-
es the bible was not read and expounded, nor, be-
fore the reformation, were sermons preached, as in
protestant countries is the common practice. The
bible was withholden from the laity. The exer-
cises of the temple were not fitted to enlighten the
minds of men, nor to improve their hearts ; but
were calculated to charm their senses, or to per-
suade them to resign their consciences and their
purses to their ghostly fathers, as the means to pre-
pare themselves for divine favour. The natural
consequences of this degradation of the human un-
derstanding, of this blind submission to human au-
thority, of this ignorance of the elementary princi-
ples of truth and moral science, were, that religion
was made to consist in professions, which had no
meaning, and in the pageantry of superstition, at
the expense of reason, piety, and virtue.
4. The avowed perversion of the moral precepts
of the gospel, must be reckoned among the cor-
ruptions of the Papal Hierarchy.
We often observe that much casuistry is employ-
ed to bring those vices which a man is unwilling-
to leave, within the bounds of lawful actions ; but
144 * SERMON IX.
the Rouiknists went further : they corrupted moral
principles, that they might give a religious sanction
to practices the most base : they estabhsiied as a
ruling maxim, that the end sanctifies the means ;
and that falsehood and fraud, in a good cause, are
justifiable. The Pope, as the vicegerent of Christ,
assumed the power to absolve men from oaths, and
to dissolve at pleasure the bonds of allegiance be-
tween a people and their sovereign ; and he often
exercised this power, where it produced parricide,
treason, and every species of crime. But by the
above maxims. Christian precepts themselves be-
came a dead letter, and moral obligations were ob^
literated from the human mind. All engagements,
for instance with hereticks, though made under the
sanction of the most solemn oaths, were pronounced
to have no binding force ; and, in all cases, those
lies were deemed to be commendable, which were
calculated to promote the interest of religion, mean-
ing the honour and the power of the Papal throne.
Under the administration of the Jesuits, the maxim,
that the end sanctifies the means, had the greatest
practical illustration, and proved a copious fountain
of impiety and crime, of misery and disorder.
5. Private confessions of sins before the priests,
and sales of induigencies were among the abomina-
ble corruptions aiid abuses of the Romish Church.
In primitive times. Christian disciples confessed
scandalous oft'ences before the assembled brethren
of their community. But in the fifth century, the
Pope, the legislator and judge of the universal
Ciiurch, enacted that confessions should be made
to the priests in private ; and on condition that the
SERMON U. J145
offender complied with the prescribed penance,
the priest pronounced his pardon. Whatever dis*
tinctions the priest might make in his own mind,
the deluded multitude conceived, that the offender
made his confession to the priest as his judge — that
the pardon of the priest implied the pardon of God ;
and therefore the wounds of a guilty conscience
Were healed without repentance and reformation.
The next step was to take money from the of-
fender, in place of the usual penance. To this suc-
ceeded the promulgation of the doctrine of indul-
gences. The practice commenced with the cru-
sades. The Roman pontiff published a plenary
indulgence to all who should die in the holy war ?
that is, he promised salvation to all, who should
perish in this war, whatever might have been the
moral course of their lives, or the religious state of
their minds. Plenary indulgences were subse-
quently published to all who should die in any war
denominated holy : that is, in a war waged against
hereticks, or for the purpose of aggrandizing the
head of the Church, In the twelfth century, the sale
of indulgences became a source of great revenue,
and was reduced to system. To afford a pretext
for this abominable traffick, the following doctrine
was published.— " There actually exists an im-
mense treasure of merit composed of the pious
and virtuous actions, which the saints had perform-
ed beyond what was necessary for their own salva-
tion, and which therefore are applicable to the
benefit of others — that the Roman pontiff is the
guardian and dispenser of this precious treasure ;
19 ^ .
#
146 -^ SERMON IX.
ahd that of consequence he is empowered to assign
to such persons as he thinks proper, a portion of
this inexhaustible fund of merit, suitable to their
respective guilt, and sufficient to deliver them from
the punishment due to their crimes." That these
treasures of the Church might indeed appear to the
world to be inexhaustible, the pontiff declared, that
not only the works of supererogation of all saints^
but also the infinite merits of Christ, are placed at
the disposal of his holiness.
The Popes made a liberal use of this exhaustless
fund. Besides indulgences to private individuals,
Boniface VIII., when he instituted a jubilee for the
year 1300, published a plenary or full indulgence
for all sins that should be then committed. Julius
II. granted indulgences to all, who should con-
tribute towards building the Church of St. Peter,
at Rome ; and Leo X., in order to carry for-
ward this magnificent structure, published indul-
gences and a full remission on the same condition,
" Finding," says the historian, " the project take,
he granted the right of promulgating these indul-
gences in Germany, together with a share in the
profits arising from the sale of them, to Albert,
Elector of Mentz and Archbishop of Magdeburg,
who employed Tetzel, as his principal agent in re-
tailing them, in his own territories ; and Leo farm-
ed out those of other countries to the highest bid-
ders, who, to make the best of their bargains, pro-
cured the ablest of their preachers to extol the
value of their ware. Happy times for sinners ;"
observes the historian, " their crimes were rated,
and the remission of them set up to auction."
SERMON ES. 147
6. To maintain the despotism of Popery by-
depriving men of the knowledge necessary to de-
fend themselves against spiritual imposition and
abuse, the Roman court claimed the power not on-
ly to declare what constitutes heresy, and to punish
individual hereticks, but also to prescribe what
publications Christians might read, and what they
might not. This restriction of religious liberty,
and the punishment of men for opinions, must be
ranked among the grossest abuses.
The comprehensive power claimed by the Papal
Church, backed by the terrours of the inquisition,
was exercised according to circumstances as they
arose. Books, which one infallible Pope permitted
to be read, his infallible successor prohibited. At
the commencement of the reformation, this power
was exercised with the utmost rigour. The judi-
cious and candid Dr. Campbell, has the following
remarks on this branch of Roman policy : — " A
better expedient was never devised for employing
religion so as not only to divest men of all knowl-
edge, but of every vestige of rationality. So far
did the Roman inquisition proceed, that under the
authority of the Pope, they made a list of sixty-two
printers, prohibiting all the books printed by them,
of whatever authors, subject, or language, with an
additional clause, still more comprehensive, to it —
and all the books printed by such like printers. In
consequence of which, there scarcely remained any
books to read. Nay, to show the incredible ex-
cess of their rigour, the prohibition of every book,
contained in their catalogue, was on pain of excom-
munication to the reader ; reserving to the Pope
#
^w
148 SERMON IX.
the power of inflicting the deprivation of offices and
benefices, incapacitation, perpetual infamy, and
other arbitrary pfiins. Thus was the court of
Rome in defence, as was falsely pretended, of the
doctrine of Christ, but in reality, of her own despot-
ism, engaged in a war against literature and knowl-
edge, tending evidently to the extermination of
arts and sciences, and to the transformation of men,
in every thing but external form, into brutes."
Such was the thraldoni of Christians, at the close
of the fifteenth century. On those, who thus sat in
darkness and the region of death, the light of the
reformatio]!^ arose.
SERMON X.
THE NATURE OP THE REFORMATION IN THE 16tH
CENTURY.
REVELATION xviii. 4.
I heard another voice from heaven^ saying, Come out of
her, my people, that ye he not partakers of her sins, and
that ye receive not of her plagues,
THIS passage of scripture will be thought a
suitable theme for the discussion of a distinct prop-
osition on a very general subject, viz.-—
The nature of the reformation effected in the
sixteenth century.
In the year 1513, the son of Lorenzo de Medici,
the Magnificent, the most distinguished family in
Florence, was raised to the pontificate, and at his
consecration, assumed the name of Leo X. He
had been educated for the Church, possessed splen-
did talents, had acquired all the accomplishments of
the age, and was celebrated for classical literature,
and for his knowledge in the fine arts. He was
highly polished in his manners, and had been accus-
tq;ned to the most splendid style of living. He-
150 SERxMON X.
manifested a disposition liberally to encourage polite
literature ; but he was fond of pleasure, loose in his
religious character, and his belief of the truth of
Christianity was, at least, equivocal.
At this period, the doctrines of WiclifFe, in Eng-
land ; Waldus, Huss, and others, on the continent,
had, by the most bloody persecutions, been sup-
pressed ; and if the spirit of these reformers was
not wholly subdued, their disciples were holden in
derision and contempt. When Leo was placed on
the Papal throne, the voice of opposition to his
spiritual dominion was not heard. The civil gov-
ernments of Europe were the ministers to support
the universal supremacy of the Pope, and the vi'hole
community was holden in the most abject spiritual
thraldom.
But causes for years had been secretly operating
to prepare the human mind for a revolution in the
religious establishment of Christendom. Men be-
gan to rise from the ignorance and debasement of
the dark ages, which succeed the subversion of the
Roman empire. Printing had been in use for al-
most a century. The writings of the first Christian
fathers had been printed, and extensively circula-
ted. Many perused them, and not a few were able
to compare the state of the primitive Church with
that of their own times ; and to perceive that great
corruptions and abuses had been introduced. —
The licentiousness of the clergy became notorious,
and the impositions of the Church were heavily
felt. But Pope Leo, surrounded by his obsequious
cardinals, immersed in pleasure, or engrossed with
schemes of aggrandizement, perceived none of
SERMON X. 151
these signs of the times ; but mistook the universal
silence for the spirit of tame submission ; and
thought that no limit would be put to the means he
might adopt to provide a revenue adequate to the
accomplishment of all his lofty views.
The Papal treasury had been exhausted by the
extravagance of his immediate predecessor. The
magnificent cathedral of St, Peter, at Rome, was
then in part erected, and a large amount of funds
was necessary to complete this structure ; and the
prodigality, the muiiihcence, and the plans of family
aggrandizement of the pontiff himself demanded a
still greater amount of ways and means. The im-
mense income from all the common resources of
the Papal throne, which had almost drained Europe,
were found insufficient for his wants, and he had
recourse to every measure to fill the treasury, which
cunning and cupidity could devise. Among the
most corrupt of these measures, was the traffick of
indulgences. Leo pushed this trade to its utmost
extent. In Germany, he farmed this branch of his
revenue to Albert, Elector of Mentz and Arch-
bishop of Magdeburg, who employed Tetzel, a
bold monk, to preach and vend these indcilgences.
The monk executed his commission with the great-
est effrontery and scandal. He proclaimed the par-
don of all sins, past, present, and to come, to
all who would purchase the indulgences of Pope
Leo — asserted that these had more efficacy than
the merit of Christ — and declared that he had, by
their distribution, saved more souls from hell, thun
the apostle Peter had, by his preaching, converted
to Christianity. This was one essential link in the
152 SERMON X.
chain of causes which produced the reformation in
Germany, an event the most important and benefi-
cial to the world, that has taken place since the
establishment of Christianity, This abuse of every
thing sacred — this open violation of all moral obli-
gations, roused the indignation of Martin Luther,
a man of the most powerful mind and intrepid
character.
Luther was a tiative of Eisleben, in Saxony. He
early discovered an inclination for learning, and was
publickly educated at the university of Urfurt. By
the force of his own mind, he rose above the scho-
lastick and useless modes of instruction common to
his age, and taught philosophy and ethicks on ration-
al principles. Devoting himself to the department
of theology, he studied the bible with unwearied
diligence, in the original languages, and encouraged
the cultivation of the like study in others, as the
only sure foundation on which a true knowledge of
religion could be built ; and in life and conversa-
tion he was moral and exemplary. " Having pass-
ed his probation in the monastery of Urfurt, he
took the monastick vows, and was admitted to
priest's orders. His profound learning, the purity
of his life, and his knowledge of the scriptures were
generally known and applauded, and in the year
1508, Frederick, Elector of Saxony, appointed
Luther, then only twenty five years of age, to the
professorship of philosophy, and soon after, to that
of divinity, in the university of Wittemburg. The
duties attached to these offices he discharged with
so much ability, and a method so totally different
£rom the usual mechanical and dull forms of lee-
SERMON X. 153
turlng, that he was crowded with pupils from all
quarters ; and he greatly contributed in raising
this university to celebrity. Being at Rome, in the
execution of an important commision, Luther there
had opportunity to examine the manner in which
the Church of Rome was governed, and to observe
the manners of the clergy. These he censured
with severity, and particularly the careless and
hasty manner which they adopted in performing
divine service. The manner in which they were
accustomed to offer up prayers to Almighty God,
he declared, excited in his breast sentiments of
astonishment and horrour.
The infamous proceedings of the monk Tetzel, in
vending indulgences, roused Luther to vigorous
efforts in opposition to the intolerable abuses of the
agents of the Roman pontiff. This may be con-
sidered as the commencement of that revolution in
the Christian Church, which humbled the pride,
and greatly reduced the power of the Papal Hie-
rarchy. In the year 1517, this intrepid apostle of
the reformation, with all the energy of his active
mind, and all the vehemence of his ardent spirit,
from the great Church in Wittemburg, attacked the
vile traflick and the vicious lives of those, who
were thus deluding their fellow beings in the high-
est interests of immortality. He brought their
doctrines to the test of scripture, and exhorted
Christians to seek their salvation by the methods
which God had prescribed in the revelation of his
will. The fervour and pungency of his appeal to
reason and scripture, deeply impressed the minds of
20
154 SERMON X.
his hearers. Multitudes attended his ministra-
tions, and became converts to his doctrines.
Not satisfied with enlightening his countrymen
from the pulpit, Luther proceeded to bolder exer-
tions in the cause of Christian truth. He wrote to
the Elector Albert, expostulating with him on the
corrupt opinions and wicked conduct of those,
whom he employed in the distribution of indulgen-
ces, and in pathetick language beseeching him to
put an end to their abominable traffick, and to
adopt efficient measures to reclaim the clergy from
their profligate lives. But the love of gain was
predominant in the mind of Albert, and he was un-
moved by the remonstrances of Luther. Not suc-
ceeding with the Archbishop, Luther wrote ninety-
five theses, on the points in controversy, which he
proposed as subjects of in(,uiry and disputation j
these he posted up in a Church in Wittemburg,
and challenged the learned publickly to appear on a
given day, as his opponents, either in person or by
writing. No person appearing at the appointed
time, Luther transmitted the theses to Popt Leo,
with a letter, expressing his profound veneration
for his holiness, and solemnly protesting his readi-
ness to submit implicitly to the authority of the
apostolick see.
It does not appear that Luther at this period en-
tertained the thought of separating himself from the
Papal Church, or of denying the supremacy of the
Bishop of Rome. 1'hus far the disj)ute rested with
Tetzel and Luther, respecting the power of the pon-
tiff to pardon the sins of men. Luther acknowl-
edged that the Roman pontiff possessed power to
SERMON X. 155
remit all the punishments inflicted by the Church
against transgressors ; but he denied that the Pope
was clothed with authority to remit the punish-
ments which God had denounced against the sin-
ner. On the other side, Tetzel asserted that all
punishments, present and future, human and divine,
were within the power of the Pope to absolve, as
vicegerent of Christ. Questions of this nature had
before been canvassed in the Church, but the sove-
reign pontiffs had possessed so much discernment
and policy as to leave them unsettled by any de-
cree of the conclave. Had Leo, on this occasion,
observed the same caution, restrained the scanda-
lous abuses of Tetzel, and enjoined silence on the
monks respecting Papal power, it is probable that
Luther would have acquiesced, remained a mem^
ber of the Romish Church, and that his name would
not have been transmitted to posterity as a reform"
er. But Leo, in his imagined security, viewed
Luther as an object of insignificance, and took no
notice of him.
Luther's theses, in the mean time, were published
and spread through Germany ; and they every where
attracted attention, and were by many applauded.
At length, numerous advocates for the holy
Church appeared, and with the utmost asperity at-
tacked the writings and the person of Luther. Sup-
ported by Frederick, his sovereign, he undaunted-
ly defended his cause and his character ; and now
proceeded so far as to declare, " that if the Pope
and cardinals entertained the same opinions with
his opponents, and set up any authority against that
of scripture, there could be no doubt but that Rom^
155 SERMON X.
was itself the very seat of Antichrist, and that it
would be happy for those countries which should
separate themselves from her."
By the urgent representations of the emperor,
and other distinguished characters, of the dangerous
tendency of Luther's opinions, Pope Leo was in-
duced to issue an order for his appearing at Rome,
to justify himself. Men known to be hostile were
appointed as his judges. By the influence of Fred-
erick the wise, the petition of the reformer, that he
might be heard at Augsburg, was granted ; but
his avowed enemy, cardinal Cajetan, was empower-
ed to try the merits of the controversy. In Octo-
ber, 1518, Luther arrived at Augsburg, and was
admitted into the presence of Cajetan ; but the car-
dinal refused to hold debate with a man so much
his inferiour in rank, and peremptorily demanded of
Luther to retract, in an unqualified manner, the
heretical opinions he had advanced, and to submit
unreservedly to the judgment of the Pope. Luther
replied that he could not with a safe conscience re-
nounce opinions which he verily believed to be
true ; and that no earthly consideration should in-
duce him to do what would be base in itself, and
offensive to his God. But he declared himself
ready to submit to the lawful determinations of the
Church. And further, he offered to submit the
whole subject in controversy to certain universities ;
and promised in the mean time neither to wrjte nor
preach on indulgences, on condition that the same
silence was enjoined on his adversaries. The car-
dinal scornfully rejected all his proposals, insisted
on a full recantation, and forbid Luther his presence.
SERMON X. 157
unless he came prepared to comply with this re-
quirement. Luther was not disposed to yield to
this demand, and privately retired from Augsburg,
leaving " a solemn appeal from the Pope, who was
then ignorant of his cause, to the Pope, at a time
when he should have received a more full and ex-
plicit information with respect to it,"
Leo, learning the issue of this interview, issued
a bull, by which he attempted, on Pai>al authority, to
settle the controversy. Li this publick instrument,
he fully asserted the efficacy of indulgences, and
imperiously demanded of all Christians to assent to
his decisions, as the true doctrine of the holy Cath-
olick Church.
Luther, seeing the storm that was gathering
around him, gave a challenge to all the inquisitors
to come to Wittemburg, and hold a publick dispu-
tation with him ; offering them, in the name of
Frederick, Elector of Saxony, a safe conduct, and
promising them liberal entertainment during their
residence with him. And as the only remedy for
Papal censure, he appealed from the Pope to a gen-
eral council, which he maintained was superior in
authority to the pontiff.
The Roman pontiff, learning the indiscretion of
cardinal Cajetan, and fearing that his own measures
were too rash, constituted Miltitz, a Saxon knight,
to be his legate, and under his authority, to hold a
conference with Luther. Miltitz, a member of the
court of Leo, a man of deep penetration, of mild
temper, and persuasive address, was indefatigable
in his endeavours to bring the reformer to submis-
sion. By remonstrance, flattery, and pei suasion,
158 SERMON X.
he greatly softened Luther, who not only promised
to observe a profound silence in future, on the sub-
ject of indulgences, on condition that the same si-
lence was imposed on his adversaries, but also en-
gaged to write an humble letter to his holiness,
acknowledging that his zeal and opposition had
been intemperate and blameable. A letter of this
import he actually wrote. At the same time, Lu-
ther proposed publishing a circular letter, exhorting
his followers to reverence and obey the mandates of
the holy Roman Church.
This was greater condescension than could have
been expected from a man of Luther's resolute
mind and obstinate temper ; and it furnished the
Papal court with a second opportunity to have
silenced their formidable adversary. But before
Miltitz could bring this conference to a favourable
issue, a zealot of the Romish Church commenced
an attack on the reformer, in such a violent manner
as roused his indignation, drove him to more bold
assaults against the Papal throne, and put an end to
the reasonable prospect of healing the breach in the
Church, but by the destruction of Luther.
A providential event at this period favoured
Luther. The Emperor Maximilian died. The
Elector of Saxony, by the Germanic constitution,
was vicariat in that country during an interregnum ;
and under his auspices, the reformer enjoyed
safety.
During the year 1518, Luther publickly dis-
puted at Leipsic, with the celebrated controversial-
ist, Eckius. In the course of this famous disputa-
tion, Luther affirmed, that in the earlier ages of
SERMON X. 159
Christianity the Church of Rome was not consider-
ed superior to other Churches ; and on the authority
of scripture, the writings of the fathers, authentick
ecclesiastical history, and even the decrees of the
council of Nice, denied all the lofty claims of that
Church and its lordly Bishop. Hoffman, the pres-
ident of the disputation, refused to declare victory
to either party, but left the decision to the univer-
sities of Paris and Urfurt. The audience, how-
ever, declared in favour of the reformer ; and Eck-
i«s, by the resentment and deadly hatred which he
manifested towards Luther, proclaimed that he felt
himself beaten.
Soon after this event, Philip Melancthon, and
Uric Zuinglius, joined the ranks of the leformers,
and Erasmus evidently favoured their cause —
men the most distinguished of their age. Now
the march of the reformation became more bold
and open.
Eckius, on his defeat at Leipsic, repaired to
Rome with his complaints ; and, by his instigations,
Leo was at length induced to assemble the college
of cardinals to prepare a sentence of excommunica-
tion against Luther, On the 15th June, 15^0, the
bull was issued. In it, forty-one propositions, col-
lected from the reformer's works, were condemned
as heretical, all persons were forbidden to read his
works, and they, who possessed any of them, were
commanded to burn them. Luther, himself, if he
did not within sixty days renounce his errours, and
burn his books, was pronounced an obstinate here-
tick, excommunicated, and delivered over to Satan,
for the destruction of the flesh; and ail secular
160 SERMON X.
princes, under pain of incurring the same censure,
were required to seize his person, that he might be
punished as his crimes merited.
Luther, learning the decision of the conclave
against him, deliberately prepared himself for his
defence. As Pope Leo had burnt his works, Lu-
ther, surrounded by an immense multitude of all
ranks, burnt, in the environs of Wittemburg, the
pontiff's bull, and the decrees and canons respect-
ing the supremacy and dominion of the Bishop of
Rome. He next collected from the canon law the
most extravagant propositions respecting the ex-
tent of Papal power, and the subordination of all
civil authority to the see of Rome. These he pub-
lished, with pointed comments, shewing their ar-
rogance, their impiety, and their inconsistency with
the existence of civil authority. Within one month
after this publication, a second bull was fulminated
against him from the conclave, by which he was
expelled from the communion of the Church, for
having insulted the majesty and disowned the su-
premacy of the Roman pontiff.
Being thus excommunicated, Luther employed
himself in forming a system of doctrines and rules
of discipline for a Church, conformable to his views
of the New Testament, which was established, and
exists to this day, under the denomination of the
Lutheran Church.
Charles V., having succeeded his grandfather as
Emperor of Germany, one of the first acts of his
administration was to summon a diet of the empire,
to be assembled in January, 1521, at Worms ; and
tbe express purpose of the meeting was, to concert
SERMON X. 161
the proper measures to check the progress of these
new and daiigerous opinions, which threatened to
disturb the peace of Germany, and to overthrow the
religion of their ancestors. When the diet was
opened, the Pope's legates insisted that the assem-
bly was bound without deliberation to condemn the
man whom the Roman pontiff had already excom-
municated as an obstinate heretick. The emperor
expressed his readiness to comply with the meas-
ure ; but the elector of Saxony, the faithful friend
of Luther^ plead that he ought to be tried by the
canons of the (jermanic Church, and by the laws
of the empire. In pursuance of this advice, the
diet resolved that Luther should be summoned be-
fore their body, and allowed an hearing before sen-
tence was pronounced on his cause. The conse-
quent summons the reformer determined to obey.
From this resolution his friends endeavoured to
dissuade him, reminding him that a plighted faith
was not observed with a heretick ; and though he
received a solemn assurance of security^ and a safe
conduct was sent him from the emperor, yet this
was not deemed a foundation of confidence ; and
they referred to the reformer Huss, who was exe-
cuted with an emperor's safe conduct in his hands.
To this remonstrance Luther replied, ** I am law-
fully called to appear at Worms, and thither will I
go, in the name of the Most High God, though as
many devils as there are tiles on the houses, were
there combined against me." On the 16th of Aprilj
Luther arrived at W^orms, where crowds of people
were assembled to behold him, and where he m
21
162 SERMON X.
general received the most respectful treatment. —
Before the diet, he plead the cause of Christian
truth and liberty with much self-possession and
great force of argument — but all to no effect.—
. Some of the assembly proposed to seize the oppor-
tunity of his presence, and at once to rid the Church
of so pestilent an heretick ; but the emperor refused
to forfeit his plighted word. No sooner, however,
had he left the city, than in the emperor's name,
and by the authority of the diet, a severe edict pass-
ed against him, by which he was pronounced an ob-
stinate heretick, a member cut oft' from the Church,
deprived of the privileges which he had enjoyed as
a member of the empire ; and the heaviest punish-
ments were denounced against those, who should
receive, entertain, or countenance him, either by
acts of hospitality, by conversation, or writing ; and
all were required to give their aid in seizing his
person as soon as the term of his safe conduct
should expire."
Regardless of these anathemas, Luther prepared
to publish his translation of the bible, which was
extensively circulated in Germany, and produced
astonishing eftects on the minds of the people. A
number of the princes, and a large portion of the
population, adopted the principles of Luther, and
formed a confederacy to support the reformed
Churches.
In June, 1526, a diet of the empire was holden
at Spires, in which the influence of the reformers
was so great, that a resolution passed, that till a gen-
eral council should be convened, the princes and
states of the empire should, in their respective
SERMON X. 16S
dominions, be at liberty to manage ecclesiastical
concerns in the manner they should deem the most
expedient. But this tranquillity was not of long
duration. A new diet was assembled in 1529, and
the former edict was revoked, and a decree passed,
that every change from the established religioa
should be considered as unlawful. Against this
decree all the friends of the reformation remonstrat-
ed ; and from the protest they then made, the
name of Protestants is derived. The emperor de-
termined to enforce the edict by the sword. Prot-
estants, in consequence of the war that issued,
were exposed to severe sufferings ; but the empe-
ror found insurmountable difficulties in the attempt
to subdue the opposition to the Roman pontiff; and
after frequent changes among the German princes
had taken place, and many conflicting interests had
appeared, the emperor became discouraged, and in
1552, he concluded a treaty of pacification, which
secured the German protestants in their Christian
liberty. In 1555, the diet of the empire assembled
at Augsburg, and ratified the treaty of the emperor
Charles. This was denominated the peace of re-
ligion ; and by it a great portion of Germany was
separated from the authority of the Pope, and left in
quietness to worship God agreeably to the dictates
of a conscience enlightened in his word. At least,
no restraint was imposed after this period, by the
Roman pontiff. This was thirty-eight years from
the time that Luther attacked Tetzel for his abomi-
nable traffick in indulgences.
SERMON XI.
THE EXTENT OF THE REFORMATION IN THE 16tR
CENTURY.
JUDE, 3d verse.
JSeloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of
the common salvation, it was needful for me to write
unto you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith
which was once delivered unto the saints,
THE professors of the Christian religion are, in
the New Testament, denominated saints. By
JAITH, in our text, the apostle includes the whole
system of the gospel, in its doctrines and precepts,
its examples and institutions, its promises and
threatenings.
Having already, under the fourth proposition of
our subject, reviewed the causes which produced
the separation of protestants from the Romish
Church, and considered the nature of the reforma-
tion, I shall this morning, my Christian brethren,
direct your attention to its extent.
Great research and close reflection are ne-
cessary to enable any one to form a correct judg-
ment of the extent of the reformation of the six-
SERMON XI. 165
teenth century, and duly to appreciate the efforts of
its authors. To form right opinions of the charac-
ters of the reformers, and to estimate the real merit
of their labours, we must take into view the circum-
stances of their education, the customs and habits
of the age in which they lived, and the disadvan-
tages under which they acted. Take Luther as the
great example. In an age comparatively dark,
he so far enlightened his own mind as to perceive
the corruptions, the abuses, and the impositions of
the Church of which he had been a devoted mem-
ber. Being himself a priest of eminence, he parti-
cipated in the emoluments of tlie hierarchy, and
yet he had the honesty to proclaim the domination,
the venality and wickedness of the pretended vice-
gerent of Christ, and of the holy universal Church.
Though all the authority and all the vengeance of
the Roman empire and of the Papal throne were
combined for his destruction, yet he persisted res-
olutely in his defence of Christian liberty and
Christian truth ; and by the blessing of God, he
triumphed over all opposition. His name is identi-
fied in every country with the reformed religion, and
will be venerated and esteemed in every subsequent
age, by all who prize religious freedom, and set a
value on religious privileges,
" Martin Luther's life," says bishop Atterbury,
" was a continued warfare. He was engaged against
the united forces of the Papal world, and he stood
the shock of them bravely, both with courage and
success. He was a man certainly of high endow-
ments of mind and great virtues. He had a vast
understanding, which raised him to a pitch of learn-
166 SERMON XI.
ing unknown to the age in which he lived. His
knowledge in scripture was admirable, his elocu-
tion manly, and his way of reasoning, with all the
subtility that the plain truths he delivered would
bear. His thoughts were bent always on great de-
signs, and he had a resolution to go through with
them, and the assurance of his mind was not to be
shaken or surprised. His life was holy, and, when
he had leisure for retirement, severe. His vir»
tues were active chiefly, and social, and not those
lazy sullen ones of the cloister. He had no ambi-
tion but in the service of God ; for other things,
neither his enjoyments nor wishes ever went high-
er than the bare conveniences of living. If, among
this cirowd of virtues, a failing crept in, we must
remember that an apostle himself had not been ir-
reproachable : if, in the body of his doctrine, a flaw
is to be seen, yet the greatest lights of the Church,
and in the purest times of it, were, we know, not
exact in all their opinions. Upon the whole, we
have certainly great reason to break out in the lan-
guage of the prophet, and say, " How beautiful on
the mountains are the feet of him who bringeth
glad tidings."
Every man who has independence enough to
form his religious opinions on the result of exam-
ination, and openly to confess the articles of his be-
lief — who feels an interest in the rights of con-
science, and finds satisfaction in the quiet worship
of his God, according with the dictates of his own
mind, will ever hold the reformers in the highest
estimation, and embalm their memories with the
incense of gratitude. But it must be remembered
SERMON XI. 167
that they were fallible men. They made no claims
to inspiration. They lived in an age of great ig-
norance. Science and literature were then but
rising from a state of the deepest depression ; and
their means of general information were very limit-
ed. In religion, they had been educated in all the
superstitions of the Romish Church, and entered
into active life with unbounded notions of Papal
power, and with an almost sacred reverence for the
decisions of the Church. Under circumstances
like these, is it a reasonable supposition that they
should at once rise above the prejudices of early
education, eradicate the errours that had been
the most deeply rooted in their minds, surmount
the embarrasments which impeded their progress
in the pursuit of truth, and, in the course of a few
years, comprehend Christianity in all its doctrines,
precepts, and motives ? No. We might as well
expect that in one season every vestige of an ex-
tended forest would, by the labour of an individual,
be removed, and in its place would appear all the
fruits of the most perfect cultivation. Hear what
Luther says of himself, in an address to those who
might peruse Ills works. — " I entreat you to read
my writings with cool consideration, and even with
much pity. I wish you to know that when I be-
gan the affair of indulgences, I was a monk, and a
most mad Papist. So intoxicated was 1, and
drenched in Papal dogmas, that I would have been
most ready at all times to murder, or assist in mur-
dering any person, who should utter a syllable
against the Pope. I was always eafnest in defend-
ing doctrines I professed. I went seriously to
168 SERMON xi.
work, as one who had a horrible dread of the day of
judgment, and who from his inmost soul was anx-
ious for his salvation. You will find, therefore, in
my earliest writings, with how much humility, on
many occasions, I gave up considerable points to
the Pope, which I now detest as blasphemous and
abominable in the highest degree. This errour my
slanderers may call inconsistency ; but you, my
pious readers, will have the kindness to make some
allowance, on account of the times, and my own
inexperience. I stood absolutely alone at first, and
certainly was very unlearned, and very unfit to un-
dertake matters of such vast importance. It was
by accident, not willingly or by design, that I fell
into those violent disputes. God is my witness."
That the reformers, under all the embarrassments
of their situation, should have broken asunder so
many of the cords of Papal thraldom, and corrected
so many of the abuses and errours of the Romish
Church, must ever astonish the world ; but to
bound the reformation where they left it, and to
make them the standards of orthodoxy in everv
subsequent age, is preposterous.
That the subject may be the more clearly pre-
sented to your minds, I will prosecute the inquiry
into the extent of the reformation, under three dis-
tinct branches.
1. The power exercised in the government of
ecclesiastical aftairs.
2. The ceremonies and exercises to be adopted
in the publick worship of God. And
3. The doctrines that were inculcated and es-
tablished as the essential truths of revelation.
SERMON XI. 169
it is not necessary to remark, that the reformers
denied the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome. — •
They denied that Popes and general councils were
either infallible or supreme judges in concerns of
religion : they declared the scriptures to be the sole
law of Christians ; and they submitted its interpre-
tation to the enlightened coliscience and sound
judgment of each individual disciple. The grand
principle, the permanent fotindation of the reformed
religion, is the sufficiency of scripture as a rule of
faith and practice, and the right of private judg-
ment in matters of religion. To the support of the
sufficiency of scripture, and the right of private
judgment, Luther devoted his talents, his reputa-
tion, and his life. The truth of these positions he
proved by arguments, which all his adversaries
could neither confute nor invalidate. This proof
remains in its full force, though the practice of the
first reformers and of most of their successors has
been quite inconsistent with the principle. By it
Luther has transmitted an irrlperishable reputation.
The sufficiency of scripture, and the right of pri-
vate judgment, is the very soul of protestantism'.
These principles have, at least in theory, been ad-
mitted by all denominations of protestants through
every century since the days of Luther ; and as
long as these are admitted even as speculative
truths. Christian liberty, at least in its root, will
have vitality. The ambition of civil rulers may, in
one country, smother its growth ; and in another,
the contention of different denominations of pro-
fessors for superiority and dominion, may destroy
22'
170
SERxMON xr.
its shoots ; but it will still retain life, and as prej-
udices are conquered, in the progress of general
improvement, it will grow to its full strength, put
forth its rich foliage, and yield its divine fruit.
But with sorrov/ and pain we review the weak-
ness and inconsistency of man, in this most sacred
transaction. Luther, and all the other reformers,
denied absolutely that any human power might au-
thoritatively settle the articles of Christian faith :
they separated themselves from the existing Hie-
rarchy, and claimed the liberty to form their own
system of faith, and to establish their own forms of
worship ; and at the same time, they quarelled with
each other about its exercise, and denied it to all
who opposed their systems. They individually
were disposed to exercise dominion over the faith
of their fellow disciples, and to lord it over the
heritage of God. The power to prescribe articles
of faith which they arrested in the hand of the
Roman pontiif, they assumed themselves ; and the
authority which they denied to civil government
to enforce the decrees of the Pope among Catholick
nations, they transferred to the civil governments in
protestant countries, and required them by penal
statutes to enforce their own creeds and formularies.
At that age, Christian liberty was not understood
by any class of men, and religious toleration was
no where allowed. The creed and confession of
Luther were established by the civil authority of all
the German princes who adopted his system. —
Wherever the Lutheran religion was received,
these creeds and confessions vi^ere made the laws of
the land, and opposition to them was punished as
SERMON XI. 171
crimes committed against the state. Similar re-
marks will apply to other reformers. Their arti-
cles of faith and their plans of Church government
were adopted and supported by civil authority. —
By the power of the civil magistrate, Calvin bur^it
Servetus, at Geneva, for heresy.
The reformation in England, as it respects pow-
er, was merely nominal. Henry VIII. assumed the
ecclesiastical sceptre which he tore from the sove-
reign pontiff. His supremacy in religion was sup-
ported by acts of parliament, and the nature of his
ecclesiastical government may be understood by
the following six articles, which were formally
enacted and kept in force during his reign. I will
adopt the language of the historian : —
*' The king being sensible of the good of union,
and of the mischief of discord in points of religion,
had come to the parliament in person, and had
opened many things of high learning there ; and
that with the consent of both houses, he sent forth
these articles.
1. That in the sacrament there was no sub-
stance of the bread and wine, but only the natural
body and blood of Christ.
2. That Christ was entirely in each kind, and
so communion in both was not necessary,
3. That priests, by the law of God, ought not to
marry.
4. That vows of chastity, taken after the age of
twenty- one, ought to be kept.
5. That private masses were lawful and useful.
6. That auricular confession was necessary, and
ought to be retained.
172 SERaioN XI.
These articles were thus solemnly proclaiinedl
as essential Christian verities. Practical opposition
to any of thenij persisted in, was made a capital
offence, and many were in consequence executed.
Even Lambert, a priest of learning, judgment, and
moral life, was solemnly tried before the king, the
nobles, and bishops of the realm, for denying the
real presence; was condemned, and finally burnt.
In the reign of Edward VI. the learned^ the ploys
and good Archbishop Cranmer, under the invet-
erate prejudice of early education, persuaded that
young, but humane monarch, to give his sanction to
burning a poor woman on a charge of heresy. The
pious king, in tears, signed the death warrant, and
pathetically said to the Archbishop, " Since I resign
up myself in this matter to your judgment, if I sin
in it, the sin must lie at your door."
In the reign of queen Elizabeth, the English
episcopal Church was permanently established. But
the supremacy was still vested in the sovereign 5
and in the ppinion of many learned, judicious, and
pious individuals, their forms, in some particulars,
bear too near a resemblance to the superstitious
rites and corrupt usages of the Church from
which they separated. Indeed it has been pointed-
ly remarked, that, in the English communion, we
find, " a Papist liturgy, Calvinistick articles of
f^ith, and an Arminian clergy."
Some of the above observations would, with
more propriety, have fallen under the head of doc-
trines, but I thought it expedient at once to close
our remarks on the reformation in England.
SERMON Xi, 173
Our venerated ancestors, who first settled in
America, while they were inhabitants of the mother
country, claimed the right to form their faith from
an examination of the sacred oracles; and they
brought with them the true protestant principles of
the sufficiency of scripture and the right of private
judgment ; but they also, in practice, discovered the
inconsistency comm.on to their age. They inti-
mately incorporated Church and state, and denied
to all dissentients from tiieir system the rights of
conscience. We see then that the reformation, as
it respects the liberty of opinion and the rights of
conscience, though in theory perfect, in reality was
partial and limited.
The reformation of the sixteenth centur}'-, as it
respected the ceremonies and exercises of publick
worship, both among Lutherans and Calvinists,
was thorough. Luther, almost without exception,
removed the superstitious rites of the Papal Church.
He reduced the number of sacraments to two, viz.
baptism and the Lord's supper. He exploded the
adoration of the host, oracular confession, purga-
tory, prayers to departed saints, and the worship of
images. He also opposed monastick vows, the
fasts of the Romish Church, and indulgences.
The reformers generally introduced publick forms
of praise and prayer adapted to the intellectual, the
spiritual worship of the Deity, and which had a
direct tendency to cherish pious aflPections, and to
render men the fit objects of divine favour. They
also adopted an improved system of preaching,
better calculated to enlighten the human mind, to
improve the human heart, and to lead to pure mo-
rality in life and conversation.
174 SERMON XI.
Caution to avoid Popish errours, has, perhaps,
in some instances, particularly among puritans,
been carried to an extreme. Thus, that men might
not fall into the Papistical practice of praying for
the dead, neither prayers nor any religious exersise
was customary at funerals. Our ancestors brought
this caution, may I not say prejudice, with them
into our country ; and for more thart a century after
their settlement here, prayers were not made at
funerals. The first prayer made, and the first ser-
mon preached at the obsequies of a deceased per-
son in Boston, were at the funeral of the Rev. Dr.
May hew, in the year 1766.
Objections have been often made to the congre-
gational worship. It is thought to be too simple.
In publick worship, we are told that there should be
more ornament, more ceremonies to fix the atten-
tion, and to excite suitable emotions. But if we
are at the opposite extreme of that of the Papists,
experience, I think, shows that our extreme is the
safest. Splendour of ornament, and redundance of
ceremony have a tendency to engross the mind,
and lead people to suppose that religious worship
consists in mere external observances. When the
form of worship is simple, the service may be the
more intellectual and edifying, and the worship
more spiritual and acceptable.
The reformation, as it respects Christian doc-
trines, will be the subject of our attention on a fu-
ture occasion.
SERMON Xir.
THE REFORMATION, AS IT RESPECTS DOCTRINES, WAS
PARTIAL.
1 TIMOTHY vi. 4, 5.
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome
iDords, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to
the doctrine ivhich is according to godliness ; he is proud,
knowing nothing, hut doting about questions and strifes
of words, whereof Cometh envy, strife, railings, evil sur-
misings.
THE history of the Christian world furnishes
the clearest illustration of our text. Whenever
men, leaving the simplicity of the gospel, have at-
tempted to embody the truths of revelation in hu-
man formularies, disputes, divisions and censorious-
ness have followed.
The nature and extent of the reformation, in the
sixteenth century, have already been reviewed. —
The particular branch of this subject, that I shall at
this time discuss, is, the doctrines which were es-
tablished by the reformers, as the fundamenta!
truths of revelation.
176 SERMON XII.
Luther, and other reformers, made less chan^esr
ill the doctrines, than in the rites and ceremonies of
tlie Papal Church. Indeed, the degree in which
they removed the corruptions that had been intro-
duced, was very limited. Most of the articles of
the Lutheran and Calvinistick systems had long been
established by the authority of the holy mother
Church.
The following may be taken as a summary of
Luther's faith : — He denied the doctrme of free
will, and asserted that in all men do, they act from
necessity. He held that all the actions of men, in a
state of nature, are sinful ; and that their virtues
are crimes. He was a most strenuous advocate for
the real presence of the body and blood of Christ
in the eucharist. On this subject, a long, and bit-
ter controversy existed between Luther and Zuin-
glius, of Switzerland^— a controversy which oc-
casioned a breach among the followers of these
great men that was never healed. As k respects
doctrinal points, there was not a material difference
between? the Lutheran and Calvinistick systems. I
mention this now, because I shall presently show
that all the leading doctrines of these systems were
the established doctrines of the Papal Church.
Melancthon was unquestionably more mild and
liberal, and more reformed than Luther ; but he be-
come not the head of any particular sect. Zuinglius
was pre-emrnently distinguished among the reform-
ers of the sixteenth century. He, more than any
other reformer, divested himself from the prejudice
of a Popish education, carried into the study of the
scriptures more sound principles of criticism, pos-
SERMON xn. 177
sessed more of the spirit of his Master, and in his
intercourse with his fellow Christians, displayed
more of the charity of the gospel. Admiring his
general character, I cannot restrain the inclination
to present to your view an extract from his biog-
raphy.
** In the character of Zuinglius," says his impar-
tial biographer, *' there appears to have been united
all that makes a man amiable in private society,
with the firmness, ardour, and intrepidity that are
indispensable in executing the great task of refor-
mation. By nature mild, his earnestness was the
result of the importance of the cause he engaged in
to the best interests of mankind, not of a dogmatical
or dictatorial spirit. His views were large and
generous, and his opinions rose above the narrow
scale of sect or party. It was no small proof of
the liberality in that age, that he ventured to assert
his belief of the final happiness of virtuous heathens,
and of all good men who act up to the laws en-
graven on their own consciences. His temper was
cheerful and social, somewhat hasty, but incapable
of harbouring resentment, or indulging envy or
jealousy. As a reformer, he was original ; for he
had proceeded far in emancipating himself from the
superstitions of Rome, by the strength of his own
judgment, and had began to communicate the light
to others, whilst Luther still retained almost the
whole of the Romish system, and long before Cal-
vin was known in the world. He was more learn-
ed and more moderate than the first of these di-
vines, and more humane and kind-hearted than the
178 SERMON XII.
last. He wrote many works of utility in their day ;
and the reform, of which he was the author, still
exists unchanged among a people distinguished by
their morals and mental cultivation.
To this biographical sketch I will add, that when
the Roman Catholick cantons of Switzerland, in
arms invaded the territory of their reformed breth-
ren, to force them to return within the pale of the
Papal Church, Zuinglius went out with his coun-
trymen in defence of Christian liberty, and perished
on the field of battle. Desperately wounded, he was
left senseless on the ground. A Roman Catholick
soldier, who found him so far recovered as to cross his
arms on his breast, and raise his eyes to heaven, of-
fered to bring a confessor; and exhorted him to rec-
ommend his soul to the virgin Mary. Zuinglius
declined the proposal, and the soldier furiously ex-
claimed, " Die, then, obstinate heretick," and pierc-
ed him through with his svi^ord. A priest who had
once been his colleague at Zurich, but who was
his opponent as a reformer, intensely gazing on
the corpse, proclaimed, *' Whatever may have been
thy faith, I am sure thou wert always sincere, and
that thou lovedst thy country. May God take thy
soul to his mercy."
A high claim in favour of the system of Calvin-
ism is made in our country, on the declaration that
this contains the doctrines of the reformation. The
doctrine of the trinity, and the whole class of
articles of faith, which with us are proudly de-
nominated the orthodox creed, it is confidently
affirmed, were the peculiar doctrines of the reform-
ers ; and I doubt not that many are led to believe
SERMON XH. 17@
that these articles of faith were embodied by Luther
and Calvin, who purified them from the corrup-
tions which were introdued into the doctrine of
the gospel by the Roman pontiff. Nothing is
more distant from the reality. The most that can be
consistently affirmed is, that the reformers left these
doctrines as they found them, on the formularies of
the Papal Church. All these articles of faith were
doctrines established by human authority, centuries
before the birth of the reformers, and indeed long
before the bishop of Rome claimed to be the infal-
lible head of the universal Church, Take first the
doctrine of the trinity.
In the commencement of the fourth century, a
bitter controversy arose respecting the divinity of
our Saviour. Christians of the eastern Church
then formed themselves into two grand divisions,
under the denomination of Trinitarians and Arians.
Sometimes the ruling power of the state favoured
one denomination, and sometimes the other ; but
whichever party predominated, their opponents
were persecuted by expulsion from office, b^ ban-
ishment and by death, in violation of the spirit of
our religion, and to the scandal of the Christian
profession.
Before the middle cf this century, the council of
Nice was assembled. Until this time, no divine,
I believe, had publickly asserted the equality of the
Son with the Father. Though this council con-
demned the Arian doctrine, and decreed that the
Son is of the same essence with the Father, yet
many of the members held to the supremacy of the
Father,
180 SERMON Xil.
The divinity of the Holy Ghost was not deeply
agitated in this council. But a prelate of the
Church, having declared, that the Holy Ghost is
** a divine energy diffused throughout the universe,
and not a person distinct from the Father and the
Son," a general council convened at Constanti-
nople in the year 381, pronounced this sentiment
heretical. "An hundred and fifty bishops, who
were present at this council," says Mosheim,
" gave the finishing touch to what the council of
Nice had left imperfect, and fixed in a full and deter-
minate manner, the doctrine of three persons in one
God, which is yet received among the generality of
Christians,"
In the subsequent age, angry disputes prevailed
respecting the divine and human natures of Christ,
From the controversies of the fourth century, the
doctrine of the trinity assumed the Athanasian form,
and from the Greek polemicks was handed down
through the western Church to protestant profes-
sors. The article of faith on the doctrine, in the
confessions of Augsburg and Dort, of the episco-
pal, the presbyterian, and congregational Churches,
may be traced to the controversies of the fourth
century.
With what propriety then can the doctrine of the
trinity be called the doctrine of the reformation ?
In its present form it was established in an ignorant
age of the Church ; and it has been transmitted
through succeeding centuries on the strength of
human authority. All that can with truth be af-
firmed is, that the reformers did not materially alter
this article of faith, which they found in the Papal
establishment.
SERMON XU. 181
There is no more reason for denominating the
doctrine of original sin, total depravity, irrespective
decrees, special grace, and other articles of the Cal-
vinistick creed, the doctrines ,of the reformation,
than that of the trinity. These were the subjects
of most bitter controversy as early as the fifth cen^
tury. Hear th^ language of an ecclesiastical histo^
rian respecting the character of the theologians who
introduced them.—" Many points of religion were
more largely explained, and many of its doctrines
determined with more accuracy and precision, than
they had been in the preceding ages. This was
owing to the controversies that were multiplied at
this time, throughout the Christian world, concern-
ing the person and nature of Christ ; the innate
corruption and depravity of man ; the natural ability
of men to live according to the dictates of the di-
vine law ; the necessity of the divine grace in or-
der to salvation ; the nature and existence of human
liberty, and other such intricate and perplexing
questions. The sacred and venerable simplicity of
the primitive times, which required no more than a
true faith in the word of God, and a sincere obe-
dience to his holy laws, appeared little better than
rusticity and ignorance to the subtle doctors of this
quibbling age. Yet so it happened, that many of
the over curious divines, who attempted to explain
the nature, and remove the difficulties of these intri-
cate doctrines, succeeded very ill in this matter.
Instead of leading men into the path of humble
faith and genuine piety, they bewildered them in
the labyrinths of controversy and contention, and
rather darkened than illustrated the sacred mysteries
182 SERMON XII.
of religion, by a thick cloud of unintelligible sub-
tleties, ambiguous terms, and obscure distinctions.
Hence arose new matter of animosity and dispute,
of bigotry and uncharitableness, which flowed like
a torrent through succeeding ages, and which all
human efforts seem unable to vanquish. In these
disputes, the heat of passion, and the excessive
force of religious antipathy and contradiction, hur-
ried frequently the contending parties into the most
dangerous extremes."*
St. Augustin may perhaps be considered as the
father of the articles of faith now denominated Cal-
vinistick. He and his disciples maintained, " that
a covenant was made with all mankind in Adam, as
iheir first parent, and that he was to represent them
all ; so that by his disobedience, they are all sinners,
his act being imputed and transferred to them all.'-
That satisfaction was made to the justice of God by
the death of Christ, and that men were justified by
the imputed righteousness of the Saviour, were
prevalent doctrines of this period.
Pelagius, a British monk, opposed these tenets,
and for this opposition, his name has been transmit-
ted as an Arch-heretick. What then were the
opinions which have for centuries rendered the
memory qf this divine opprobrious in the Christian
world ? Learn them from the authentick page of
ecclesiastical history. — " This monk looked upon
the doctrines which were commonly received, con-
cerning the original corruption of human nature,
and the necessity of divine grace to enlighten the
understanding and purify the heart, as prejudicial
* Mosheim, Cent. t. part ii. chap. 3.
SERMON XII. 183
to the progress of holiness and virtue, and tending
to lull mankind in a presumptuous and fatal security.
He maintained that these doctrines were as false as
they were pernicious; that the sins of our first
parents were imputed to them alone, and not to their
posterity ; that we derive no corruption from their
fall, but are born as pure and unspotted as Adam
came out of the forming hand of his Creator ; that
mankind, therefore, are capable of repentance and
amendment, and of arriving to the highest degrees
of piety and virtue, by the use of their natural facul-
ties and powers ; that indeed, external grace is ne-
cessary to excite their endeavours, but that they
have no need of the internal succours of the Divine
Spirit."
Against these sentiments, St. Augustin directed
the full force of his vivid imagination and active
mind ; and principally, by his exertions, their prev-
alence was soon checked, and their author stigma-
tized as a heresiarch. In this age, the peculiarities
of the creed, now denominated orthodox, was form-
ed into a system, and transmitted through succes-
sive generations to the present time.
While Roman Catholick theologians confined
their inquiries to metaphysical subjects, and advanc-
ed no position which interfered with the infallibili-
ty of Holy Mother Church, the pontiff seldom med-
dled with their disputations ; and sometimes his
edicts were opposed to the established faith on es-
sential points of divinity. Thus the profitable traf-
fick of indulgences led to declarations inconsistent
with the doctrine of salvation by the imputed merits
of Christ. To insure a reverence to the Church.
184 SERMON XII.
adequate to her exigences, the greatest efficacy was
attributed to the indulgences of the Pope,, arid to
the good works of Christian professors. Good
works were pronounced to have merit in the sight
of God. These would avail the individual who
performed them, at the day of judgment, and in-
sure his salvation. The merit of good works might
be transferred from one individual to another, and
was considered as an atonement for his sins, and by
it he received a title to divine favour. What were
the good works with which the Romish Church as-
sociated all this merit ? Were they genuine ex-
pressions of a mind, meek, humble and resigned,
under the dispensations of Divine Providence ?
Were they works of righteousness, benevolence,
and mercy to mankind ? Were men directed to
commute fOr their sins, and to acquire a title to
the favour of their Maker by living soberly, right-
eously, and piously ? Were they exhorted to
amass a stock of transferable merit by doing justly,
loving mercy, and walking humbly with their God ?
No. The meritorious works of the Romish
Church bore no resemblance to the moral virtues
inculcated in the gospel. Men were taught con-
fidently to expect for themselves pardon and salva-
tion, and by their imputed merit to save the souls
of others, as a reward for bestowing their worldly
substance to found monasteries, to endow religious
houses, to pay for prayers offered by priests to ob-
tain the delivery of souls suffering in purgatory :
in a word, to give their property to purposes of
Papal aggrandizement. Luther clearly saw the de-
lusion and danger to vAiich men were exposed by
SERMON xn. 185
the Romish doctrine of merit, and in the endeavour
to guard Christian disciples against them, he was
carried to the opposite extreme. His statement of
justification by faith alone, seems to imply, that, on
the plan of the gospel, an observance of moral pre-
cepts is of no importance. Not satisfied that man
can merit nothing of his Maker, and that on the
merciful promise of God, the Christian founds his
hopes of acceptance, as the reward of a sincere en-
deavour to do the divine will, Luther's remarks,
in ' .eir obvious meaning, import that obedience to
t\e moral laws of the gospel is neither the condi-
tion of salvation, nor a preparation for the society
of heaven. He expressly asserts, " that not only
were good works not necessary to salvation ; but
how good soever they might appear, they were
mortal sins." And one of his followers, of the
greatest celebrity, as expressly declares, " that
good works are an impediment to salvation."—
The language of many orthodox divines, on the
subject of good works, from the period of the ref-
ormation, to our day, has been such, as would lead
an uninformed hearer to suppose, that by yielding
obedience to the divine commands, he should en-
danger his salvation. If the disciples of the re-
formers had, in a literal sense, received their
comments on the demerit of the moral virtues,
and adopted them as practical principles, they
might consistently have sinned, that grace may
abound.
The Lutherans soon purified the articles of their
Church from some of the more exceptionable parts
24
186 3ERMON XII.
of their founder's creed ; but at Geneva, the sys-
tem, for ages, was retained in its original features,
and therefore it has borne Calvin's name as its
author. But, from authentick information, wc
learn, that, almost without exception, the present
divines of Geneva have discarded the peculiarities
of Calvinism, and have introduced purer articles of
faith, and more liberal principles of ministerial and
Christian intercourse and communion.
In New England, a large class of divines, who
choose to bear the epithet, orthodox, deny the doc-
trine of imputation, and on several other points, dif-
fer materially from the system of Calvin ; yet,
however they modify their faith, they style them-
selves Calvinists, and confidently maintain that they
hold the peculiar doctrines of the reformation.
The reformers, as men, partook of the weakness
of human nature : they received their religious
education under the most corrupt establishment :
all their early prejudices bound them to slavish
submission to the decrees of a bishop, who was
generally acknowledged as the vicegerent of Christ;
and the interest and power of Christendom were in
a great measure combined to oppose every scheme
of reforming the mother Church ; yet they possess-
ed force of mind to break their thraldom, and reso-
lution to oppose the corruptions and spiritual des-
potism by which Christian professors were debased
and oppressed. While knowledge and truth, liber-
ty and religion are regarded, the memory of the
reformers will be venerated.
SERMON XIII.
THE DUTY OF PROTESTANTS.
^ COLOSSIANS i. 9, 10.
For this cause, we also, since the day we heard it, do not
cease to jpray for you, and to desire that ye might hejilled
with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual
understanding; that ye inight walk ivorthy of the Lord
unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and
increasing in the knowledge of God.
IT is unnecessary to mention that a very general
subject has for weeks been under our consider-
ation. The following propositions show the man-
ner in which it has been treated. I
1. The primitive state of the Christian com-
munity.
2. The manner in which ecclesiastical power
and dominion were assumed by the Christian priest-
hood.
3. The rise and extent of the usurpation of the
bishop of Rome ; and the corruptions and abuser
of the Papal Hierarchy,
180 SERMON XIU.
4. The causes which produced the separatioa
of protestants from the Romish Church ; and the
nature and extent of the reformation in the sixteenth
century.
5. The duty of protestants to act in consistency
with their avowed principles, and to make pro-
gressive improvements in religious knowledge and
moral life, corresponding with the light and the
means of the age in which they live.
The last propositiop I am this morning to con-
sider, viz : —
5. The duty of protestants to act in consistency
with their avowed principles, and to make progres-
sive improvements in religious knowledge and
moral life, corresponding with the light and the
means of the age in which they live.
A man of a discriminating and unprejudiced
mind, must feel some surprise in reviewing the
present state of Christendom. Since the sixteenth
century, the highest improvements have been made
in all the exact sciences and in general literature.
A comparison between that age and this, shows that
the progress of the human mind, in the knowledge
of personal rights, in the principles of civil gov-
ernment, and in every branch of science and phi-
losophy, has been constant and rapid ; and in con-
sequence, society is every where improved and
refined. But the systems of school divinity of that
period have been handed down through successive
generations, to the present time, with a sanction
which is due only to the oracles of truth. The
great cause is, that those systems are supposed to
contain the peculiar doctrines of the reformation ;
SERMON XIII. 189
and therefore they are supported by all the venera-
tion which Christians feel towards the men, who at
the hazard of every enjoyment of life, and of life
itself, freed them from the tyranny and bondage of
the Papal Church. But we have clearly seen that
the formularies now to be found amongst most de-
nominations of Christians, are not the peculiar doc-
trines of the reformers. These were common to
papists and to protestants. This fact furnishes no
argument to prove them true or false. Papists and
protestants hold many important and essential truths
of revelation in common ; but the fact shows, that
these doctrines are entitled to no peculiar favour
because they were holden by the reformers. The
doctrines of the reformation must be those Avhich
distinguished protestants from papists, and which
formed the line of separation between them— not
those in which they were united. Shall I then
be asked, What are the distinguishing marks
between the reformers and those whom they op-
posed ? I answer, they relate rather to practical
abuses than to speculative errours. I answer in
the words of a good writer.—" The great points oa
which the reformation turned, relate chiefly to the
power of the clergy, the rights of Christians, and
the rule and standard of Christian faith. The great
errours against which the reformers directed their
attacks, were the supremacy of the Pope— the deri-
vation of his dignity from St. Peter— his power of
forgiving sins— the infallibility of the Church — the
authority of traditions, and of decrees of council—
the efficacy of indulgences— the miracles and merits
of saints— the veneration due to the fathers— the pro-
1§0 SERMON Xm.
priety and obligation of monastick vows— the neccs.
sity of confession to the priest, and of receiving
from him absolution— the power of prayer and alms
over the souls in purgatory— the number and efficacy
of the sacraments, which it was the province of the
clergy to administer ; and, above all, the propriety
of withholding the scriptures from the common
people,"
That men labouring under all the prejudices of a
Popish education, and in an age of darkness and
ignorance, should "have had strength of mind to
perceive the odious nature, and pernicious effects,
of the above stated abuses and impositions, and
courage in their attempt to correct them— to op-
pose the most formidable power of the Roman pon-
tiff— must excite our admiration ; but it cannot be
imagined, that men, who had grown even to the
full vigour of manhood, amidst the grossest cor-
ruptions, and had deeply imbibed the false princi-
ples of the established religion, should at once per-
ceive every false doctrine, and every pernicious
abuse which it contained, and be immediately pre-
pared to make a thorough reformation. Vnless we
admit that these men were inspired, which is not
pretended, it cannot be presumed that they at once
understood the whole counsel of God, as this is
revealed in the scriptures, and immediately purified
Christianity from all the corruptions introduced by
the Papal Church. *' It would be strange indeed,"
to adopt the language of the venerable Robinson,
the pastor of the Leyden flock, « if the earliest re-
formers should have passed from such entire dark-
ness into perfect light, after such darkness had en-
SERMQN XIII. 191
diired for twelve hundred years." Having but
imperfectly liberated themselves from monkish su-
perstition and moral servitude, it is not possible that
Luther and his fellow-labourers should have con-
formed their institutions to the letter and spirit of
the gospel. Theologians, who have been educated
under more favourable circumstances, and possess
higher means of obtaining a correct knowledge of
scripture, and acquiring the requisite knowledge of
publick teachers, must be in a situation to make
improvement on the first reformers, as it respects
articles of Christian faith, modes of publick wor-
ship, and the forms of Church government and dis-
cipline. In fact, the doctrines and principles, which
in this age are the subject of controversy and divis-
ion, had slight, if any, connexion with the corrup-
tions and abuses from which the first reformers re-
lieved protestants.
The agitated, the heated spirit of the sixteenth
eenturyj was unfavourable to impartial investi-
gation, to candid inquiry, and to the possession of
opinions on speculative subjects, founded on de-
liberate and sound judgment.
While, then. Christians of the present day ven-
erate the memories of those great and daring men,
who began the reformation from Popery — while they
cherish devout gratitude for the religious liberty
and the religious blessings of which these men were
the primary instruments — let not Christians of this
period of greater light and knowledge take them as
infallible guides, nor adopt their speculative sys-
tem's as the body of revealed religion, from which
there is no appeal. The systems of Luther, Cal-
192 SERMON XIII.
vin, and their coadjutors are entitled to honourable
notice as the opinions of great, honest, and pious
men, who sought the truth in the love of it ; but
they have not the authority of revelation, and are to
be received only as, on due examination, they are
found conformable to the sacred oracles. While
we avail ourselves of every advantage which the
noble exertions of the reformers have secured to us,
let us not view them as the standard of perfection,
and suppose that we must cease from further in-
quiry after the truths pertaining to eternal life, and
rest our Christian faith and hope on their attain-
ments. All the light with which they were favour-
ed, shines around us ; and many and great advan-
tages are afforded us, which were denied to them.
We must account for all the talents committed to
our management. Our progress, then, in Christian
knowledge, and Christian life, should correspond
to the means of general improvement with which
we are favoured. The authority for the doctrines
we believe should be drawn from the sacred scrip-
tures, not from the creed of Luther, Zuinglius, or
Calvin. Christ is the only lawgiver in his king-
dom. The scriptures are the only infallible rule of
faith. Every intelligent Christian forms his opin-
ions of revealed truths from an impartial and diligent
study of them.
Should the inquiry be urged — On what points is
it the duty of Christians of the present day particu-
larly to make improvements ?
I answer,
1. They are bound to display the practical ef-
fects of protestant principles in a higher degree than
SERMON XIII. 195
these have as yet been manifested in the Christian
world.
The reformers, in their dispute with the Romish
Church, took the most tenable ground, which they
maintained with all the force of argument, and all
the power of truth, vizc- — " The sufficiency of
scripture as a rule of faith and practice, and the
right of private judgment." But no sooner had
they separated a large portion of the Christian com-
munity from the Catholick communion, than they,
in direct violation of their own principles, assumed
the spiritual domination over their protestant breth-
ren from which they themselves revolted, under
the Roman pontiff. By their own authority they
established formularies as the test of orthodoxy, and
they denied the Christianity of all who dissented
from them. Luther was strenuous to deprive the
individual of every Christian privilege, and every
worldly blessing, who denied the real presence of
Christ in the eucharist ; and Calvin burnt Servetus
for denying the doctrine of the trinity, that there
were three persons in the godhead. The spirit of
Popery is not yet banished from the Christian
Church. How many, in the present day, judge of
the Christianity of their brethren, not by their pro-
fession of a belief in the divine origin of our re-
ligion — not by an adoption of the scriptures as
the standard of faith and the rule of conduct— not
by a life and conversation which become the gos-
pel — but by their embracing the creed of this or
the other human master in theology. These
things, my candid hearers, ought not so to be,
25
194 SERMON XIII.
To what cause are we indebted for the great im-
provements, which have been made in most branch-
es of science and philosophy ? To the liberty
which scientifick men have enjoyed fearlessly to
examine established systems, to bring theories to
the test of experiment, and to publish the result of
their investigations without hazarding their personal
safety, or their worldly interest. The same liberty
of inquiry and publication would produce the
like beneficial effects in theology. Great is the
power of truth, and when its investigation is least
shackled by humarj^ authority, it will most pre-
vail. Let, then, the disciple of Jesus Christ in re-
ality, in practice, grant his Christian brother the
liberty of judgment which he claims for himself.
Let him not view his brother less worthy as a man,
or the less pure as a Christian — let him not love him
the less, because his inquiries into the sacred oracles
result in the adoption of opinions which differ from
his own ; but if he, by an exhibition of the fruits
of the gospel, prove that he loves the Lord Jesus
Christ in sincerity and truth, let the hand of charity
be extended to him. Then will the Christian com-
munity cease from strife, and the unity of the spirit
will be preserved in the bond of peace.
2. It is the duty of those who deny human au-
thority in the concerns of religion, who have the
most thoroughly freed themselves from the preju-
dice of party, and risen above the exclusive spirit
of a sect, to appear openly the advocates of the
great interests which at heart they approve, and
publickly to support the system which they believe
to be true.
SERMON XIM. 195
The present situation of the Christian communi-
ty in our country renders this independent avowal of
opinion the more incumbent. It cannot be denied
that systematick measures are now zealously prose-
cuted to check the prevalent spirit of inquiry, to re-
strain the exercise of private judgment, and to deny
Christian fellowship to all who refuse assent to an
human creed. This remark is not made from any
apprehension that the attempt to lord it over the
heritage of God, will finally succeed. The nature
of our publick institutions, and the genius of the
people of our country, forbid the supposition. —
Did I singly regard the extensive prevalence of
that system of Christian opinions which I embrace,
I could not desire more efficient pioneers to remove
the impediments which retard its progress, than
the anathemas and excommunications which arc
now threatened. The thought of crushing liberal
Christianity, as many denominate it, by ecclesias-
tical censures, is idle. But I am appalled by a
view of the temporary evils which must arise from
the attempt. Angry disputes will prevail, and
those divisions may take place, which must para-
lize the strength of many of our parishes, and leave
no denomination the ability to support the publick
institutions of the gospel. Evils, then, may follow
of which we may be awfully afraid. Means will be
wanting to maintain a pious and learned ministry :
destitute parishes will be left open to impressions
from ignorant and enthusiastick itinerants ; and the
worst evils of party, and the most extravagant ex-
cesses of fanaticism, it must be expected, will pre«
vail.
196 SERMON xni.
Let the voices, then, of all who discountenance
an exclusive spirit among Christians, be lifted up
against it, that the advocates for separation may be
convinced that they have not the overwhelming
majority of the intelligence, the piety, the zeal, and
sincerity of the community, which promise success
to their measures. Let those in the Christian
ministry, who bear the title of orthodox, be told,
that if they, in an unchristian manner, separate from
their more liberal brethren, their liberal parishion-
ers will separate from them. Then they may per-
ceive the danger of their own plan, and may be
induced to desist from its prosecution. They then
may be inclined to inquire, not respecting points on
which Christians differ, that they may divide — but
in which they agree, that they may be united. The
Christian ground, which is common, is so broad,
that ail may stand on it, and be fellow- labourers in
promoting the true interests of the kingdom of
Christ, the Lord of alL
3. It is the duty of those, who verily think that
tkey have purified their Christian faith from human
corruptions, and that they hold the truths of the
gospel in their simplicity and purity, to maintain a
more consistent profession, and to exhibit more of
the practical fruits of their religion.
Papists were incessantly goading the first reform-
ers with charges of laxity of principle, and a disre-
gard to the vital interests of the Christian Church ;
of breaking down all the barriers, that the wolf
might enter the fold, and destroy the flock. Pre-
cisely the same complaints the orthodox now make
against unitarians. You give up one doctrine after
SERMON xmL 197
another — where will you stop ? You deny the
truth of essential articles — what do you believe ?
You are blinded by the pride of philosophy, and
are passing down the " stream of errour to the
gulf of perdition." Thus impeached, it becomes
the imperious duty of unitarian professors to make
it manifest that their dissent from more common
opinions arises not from the spirit of opposition, but
the love of truth ; not from indifference to religion,
nor a fondness for latitudinarian principles, but
from a superiour regard to the instruction of Christ,
our common Lord and Master. They are bound
to make it apparent, that they yield a cheerful,
an unreserved submission to the authority of rev-
elation ; and endeavour, in the sober use of rea-
son, to comply with the apostolick direction —
*' Judge ye what I say." Let them show that they
deem it their most sacred obligation to study dili-
gently the scriptures, that they may learn and em-
brace the true doctrines of the gospel ; at the same
time, that they believe and assert, that men, differ-
ing in their mental powers and advantages for bib-
lical knowledge, may, in this examination, form
different opinions, and still be sincere and sound
Christians.
Above all, let enlightened Christians prove that
they prize revelation as the richest gift of God, by
an uniform obedience to the commands of their
divine Lord. Let them statedly attend on the in-
stitutions of publick w^orship — celebrate the death of
the friend who sacrificed his life for their salvation —
support a Christian profession by general practice
and conversation, which become the gospel — and
198
SERMON XIII.
adorn their respective stations in society with vir-
tues the most appropriate and the most useful.
In their intercourse with the members of the
Christian family, let the enlightened and liberal
disciple of Jesus Christ discover a forbearing and
charitable temper, and manifest a disposition to
meet those who in speculative doctrines differ from
him, in the endeavour to promote the great design
of the gospel.
In this manner, let unitarians cause their light to
shine before men ; and may all who see their good
works, become the followers of them, as far as they
are the followers of Christ.
SERMON XIV.
THE SYSTEM OF CALVINISM.
1 THESSALONIANS, v. £1.
Prove all things ; holdfast that which is good.
UNDER this apostolick direction, my purpose
is to review the Calvinistick system of theology.
Calvin may perhaps be ranked as the second in
point of talent and activity, of zeal and influence,
among the distinguished reformers.* He was
born in a province of France, in the year 1509.
Educated with a view to the priesthood, while
young, he was introduced to office in the cathedral
church belonging to the place of his nativity. From
thence he soon removed to Paris, where he distin-
guished himself in various branches of literature.
In this city, the diligent study of scripture, and the
conversation of several men of enlightened minds,
led him to embrace the primary principles of the
* See Dr. Rees's New Cyclopedia, article, Calria.
200 SERMON Xm
protestant religion. Dissatisfied with his situation
in the Church, he renounced the Catholick priest-
hood, and for a time devoted himself to the study of
the civil law. But his deep researches into the sa-
cred oracles, and a more intimate acquaintance with
the reformers, strengthened his attachment to the
religious opinions then rising into general notice.
After the death of his father, who had moved in
an obscure condition, to acquire the means of sup-
port, Calvin published in Paris several elegant trea-
tises on some of the Latin classicks. His attach-
ment to the reformation becoming publick, he was
obliged suddenly to quit this metropolis, and retire
to an obscure village, where he supported himself
by teaching Greek, At this early age he wrote a
great part of his Institutes. Finding himself expos-
ed to danger, even in his retirement, from the jeal-
ousy of the Papal Church, in 1534 he removed
from the kingdom of France, and took up his resi-
dence at Basil, vv^here, the next year, he published
his Institutes in their present form. From Basil,
Calvin removed to Geneva, and there eventually es-
tablished himself. His labours in this place were
unremitted. Protected by the civil authority, he
became the head of a particular denomination of
Christians, and established a Church distinct from
the Lutheran and the Protestant Episcopalian com-
munions. At Geneva he established a theological
seminary, which, during a long period, was filled
with students from different parts of Europe; and
Calvin had the honour of giving his name to most
of the religious establishments of Protestant Chris-
tendom. To this day, his system, I believe, is
SERMON XIY. 201
predominant in Holland and among the dissenters
in France. The language of the articles of the E ng-
lish episcopal Church is Calvinistick, though many
of its clergy assert that the Church is not. In Scot-
land, Calvinism exists unadulterated and unimprov-
ed. Presbyterians through the United States are
Calvinists. Many divines in New England, while
they tenaciousl}^ hold the name, discover a disposi-
tion to modify the tenets of Calvin.
The mental powers of Calvin were of the first
class. He was eminent for his literary acquisitions,
ardent in his temper, and indefatigable in his exer-
tions to promote the cause in which he was engaged.
He claimed superiority over his fellow Christians ;
was abusive to his opponents ; and, under circum-
stances of aggravated cruelty, he sacrificed Servetus
at the stake. These were blemishes in his person
as a man, and spots in his character as a Christian ;
but our censures will be softened, when we consider
the age in which he lived, and the opinions which
then universally prevailed.
All controversies were at that period conducted
with great personal abuse : these were generally
carried on in Latin ; and abusive and scurrilous
epithets in a dead language do not offend the ear, as
similar ideas would, expressed in terms rendered
familiar by their use in common conversation.
Toleration was then no where admitted : even its
meaning was scarce understood. It was a gene-
rally admitted principle, that the supreme power
might lawfully punish hereticks. Catholick and
protestant professors were stained with the blood of
26
202 SERMON xir.
persecution. The minds of reformed Christians
were by slow degrees opened to admit the sacred
truth, that human authority may not interfere in
concerns between God and the souls of men.
We should violate the law of charity, to question
the religious sincerity of Calvin ; but the weakness,
which all allow, that he in some instances manifest-
ed, and the unchristian spirit that he certainly dis-
played in lighting the fires of persecution, furnish a
sufficient reason for bringing his religious dogmas
to the test of reason and scripture. The reformers
rose from Egyptian darkness. Could it have been
expected, that they would at once ascend to the
light of the meridian day ? What was then the
state of all other sciences ? If inquiry, investiga-
tion, and experiment, have since greatly exalted all
natural sciences, can it be supposed that the general
improvement of the human mind may not usefully
be applied to theology ? All the circumstances
which attended the rise and establishment of Christ-
ianity, are now more accurately known than they
were at the period of the reformation. The bible,
which at that time was a sealed book to the Christ-
ian community, has since, in all protestant coun-
tries, been opened to people of every class ; and
among theologians, biblical criticism, within the last
century, has been carried to a degree of perfection
unexampled in any former age. Students in divini-
ty at the present time, possess much greater ad-
vantages to acquire an accurate knowledge of re-
vealed truth, than the first reformers did. Shall
we close the avenues of light and information, and
take the opinions of men, who lived in an age of
SERMON xiy. 203
comparative ignorance and prejudice, as the infal-
lible standard of orthodoxy ? Or, shall we encour-
age the inquiry into the true meaning of scripture,
and candidly examine the positions of those who
enter upon the study with superiour means of light
and knowledge ? "We all justly hold in high esti-
mation the memories of the men, who broke asun-
der the chains which bound Christians to the de-
basing impositions of the Romish Hierarchy ; but
our veneration for their characters should not induce
us to allow them an authority, which Christ has
not delegated to any fallible individual, nor to any
body of men. The reformers were not empowered
to exercise dominion over the faith of their fellow
Christians.
The system of divinity inculcated by Calvin is
severe and gloomy in its aspect. To our appre-
hension, it deprives God of his character as the
Father of the human family, and represents his
moral administration as resting on mere sovereign
power, and as making the individuals of the human
race, without any apparent cause of distinction,
either the objects of favouritism, or of inexorable
wrath, and of interminable punishment.
The peculiarities of Calvinism are contained in
five distinct propositions, usually denominated the
five points. I cannot review the system more
methodically, or more intelligibly than by consider-
ing these in their order. These five propositions
follow.
1. *' God has chosen a certain number in Christ,
unto everlasting glory, before the foundation of the
world, according to his immutable purpose, and of
204 SERMON XIY.
his free grace and love, without the least foresight
of faith and good works, or any conditions per-
formed by the creature ; and that the rest of man-
kind he was pleased to pass by, and ordain them to
dishonour and wrath for their sins, to the praise of
his vindictive justice."
2. " Jesus Christ, by his death and sufferings,
made an atonement for the sins of the elect only."
3. " Mankind are totally depraved in conse-
quence of the fall ; and by virtue of Adam's being
their pubiick head, the guilt of his sin was imputed,
and a corrupt nature conveyed to all his posterity,,
from which proceed all actual transgressions : and
that by sin we are made subject to death, and all
miseries, temporal, spiritual, and eternal."
4. •' All whom God has nredestinated unto
life, he is pleased, in his appointed time, effectually
to call by his v/ord and spirit, out of the state of sin
and death, in which they were by nature, to grace
and salvation by Jesus Christ."
5. " Those whom God has effectually called,
and sanctified by his Spirit, shall never finally fall
from a state of grace."
Can a discerning mind reflect upon this system
of theology with any degree of approbation ? Con-
sider it in its several parts, and attend to the infer-
ences which necessarily flow from it, and tlien sa}^,
whether these be doctrines according to godliness.
Into all our inquiries respecting the moral admin-
istrations of Deity, we ought to carry some general
and allowed principles. God is a beings of abso-
lute perfection. He is immutable in his nature,
and no addition can be made to his essential glory
SERMON XIT. 205
or happiness. A perfect being, a being infinitely-
powerful, wise and good, in creation must have
had a regard to the happiness of the beings to whom
he gave existence. In the government of a being
possessed of these attributes, existence will not be
given to any class of creatures, under circumstances
which must necessarily render this existence miser-
able. The existence of every class of intelligent,
moral beings, must be preferable to non-existence,
unless by the abuse of their powers, they individu-
ally disqualify themselves for the happiness for
which they were designed.
With these principles to regulate the inquiry,
let us impartially examine the above positions of
Calvin, which many pronounce to be the articles of
a standing or falling Church.
Adam, the first man, was constituted the federal
head of all his posterity. By the abuse of his moral
liberty, a wilful transgression of the divine com-
mand, he forfeited the happiness of paradise, and
became obnoxious to suffering and to death. The
original sin of Adam is imputed to each individual
of his descendants : they are all born sinners, pos-
sess a nature totally depraved : from this polluted
source all actual transgressions proceed, and for
their sins thus produced, they are made subject to
all miseries, temporal, spiritual, and eternal. Be-
fore man had fallen from his state of innocence, be-
fore man existed, God of his own purpose, and
without regard to their moral qualities, elected a
small num5er of these depraved descendants of
apostate Adam to unconditional salvation, but or-
dained the great multitude of the human family t»
206 SERMON XIV.
dishonour and wrath, to the praise of his vindictive
justice — the vindictive justice, in other words, the
revenge of Deity. Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
by his death atoned for the sins of the elect; and
satisfaction having been made by him to divine jus-
tice, the elect, through the Saviour, are justified,
and will be admitted to the society of heaven. The
representation here is, the innocent is made to suf-
fer for the sins of the offender, that the guilty may
escape punishment.
The elect are brought out of a state of depravity
and sin into a state of purity and holiness, by the
special grace of God, that is, by the irresistible in-
fluences of the Divine Spirit ; and being thus sanc-
tified, they cannot fall from this pious and holy
temper, nor fail of salvation ; but the wretched
descendants of Adam, who, without their own con-
sent, were made sinners by him, and for whom
Christ died not, are the victims of divine wrath, and
on them eternal sufferings will be inflicted. They
became sinners without their own agency, and
they will be made eternally miserable because they
did not act in direct opposition to a decree of the
Almighty.
Are we not shocked by the mere thought of at-
tributing this system of moral government to God ?
Is this scheme consistent with the mercy, the
goodness, or the justice of Deity ? Who appoint-
ed Adam to act in this extent for us ? How can
his sin be imputed to his posterity in such a man-
ner as to render them guilty by his offence ? If
virtue and vice be not personal attributes, I know
not what constitutes moral qualities. I can as
SERMON xir. 207
easily conceive of natural qualities being impu-
ted, as moral ; as easily conceive of a tall, or a
short, of a strong or wedk man, by imputation, as of
a righteous or sinful man, by imputation.
If Christ fully atoned for the sins of the elect ; if,
by his sufferings, he made complete satisfaction to
the violated law — is the mercy of God manifested
by their acquittal ? When the surety pays a debt
in full, the creditor exercises no clemency in dis-
charging the principal. Does it comport with the
justice of God, everlastingly to punish men, who
receive a sinful nature as an inheritance, who on
earth sin from necessity, and vvho are absolutely
denied the means of acquiring moral or religious
qualifications ? Can we, especially, reconcile to
the justice of God, the infliction of aggravated pun-
ishment on sinners, for not accepting the salvation
of the gospel, when, in the plan of grace, God pass-
ed them by, and ordained them to dishonour and
misery ? Do not our minds recoil, I was about to
have said, with horrour from these principles of
Calvinism ?
There is not a civil ruler, nor the head of a family
in Christendom, who would not be offended, if the
system of government were attributed to him in the
affairs of a nation, or the transactions of a house-
hold, which Calvin attributes to God in the moral
government of our world. Suppose a number of
men confined in prison, not for hereditary de-
pravity, but for wilful crime— the civil magistrate
enters the cells of these convicts, and, without re-
garding the different shades of their guilt, announ-
ces a pardon to a few, and restores to them their
208 SERMON XIT.
liberty ; and then, addressing the great majority;;^
with moving eloquence describes the blessings of a
well-ordered society, and the delights of domestick
life ; and in language of sympathy and compassion,
urges them to leave the abodes of darkness, filth,
and misery, and return to the pursuits of civil life,
and to the bosom of their endeared families, while
their every limb is closely shackled, and they are
fast bound by immoveable chains to the Vv^alls of
their dungeon. Should we not say that this was a
wanton mockery of impotence, and a cruel insult of
the wretched victims of violated law ? Is this more
than a faint representation of the moral state of sin-
ners to Vvhom the gospel is preached, under the
Calvinistick article of reprobation ? Shall we dare
to make God worse than man ?
In what estimation should we hold the man,-
who, being, the father of numerous sons, should
promise a rich reward to those who would execute
an enjoined service, and threaten those who neglect-
ed its performance with the utmost severity of pun-
ishment — this father well knowing the required
service to be far above the natural powers of his
children : to some he furnishes the necessary assist-
ance, and on them, they complying with the con-
dition, he confers the promised reward ; but be-
cause his other sons did not execute an impossible
command, and which he had pre-determined they
never should execute, the father falls on them, and
beats them, without compassion or mercy? Is our
heavenly Father less kind, just, and good, than an
earthly parent ?
SERMON XV.
ON THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION;
ROMANS xi. 7.
The election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded^
ON a former occasion, I proposed reviewing the
Calvinistick system of theology, and made some
general observations on the character and writings of
Calvin. His body of divinity essentially consists of
five distinct propositions, usually denominated the
five points. The first of these is the subject of this
discourse, viz.
1. " God has chosen a certain number in Christ,
unto everlasting glory, before the foundation of the
world, according to his immutable purpose, and of
his free grace and love, without the least foresight
of faith and good works, or any conditions per-
formed by the creature ; and that the rest of man-
kind he was pleased to pass by, and ordain them to
dishonour and wrath for their sins, to the praise of
his vindictive justice."
27
210 SERMON XV.
I shall make the attempt to prove, that neither
reason nor revelation supports the doctrine of elec-
tion, in the meaning of the above proposition.
The foreknowledge of God is adduced as proof
of unconditional election. Foreknowledge, it is
said, implies necessity : if an event be contingent,
if man have the liberty and the power to act, or
not to act ; to act in this manner, or in a different —
then omniscience itself cannot foreknow that event,
or determine how, in the given instance, this man
will conduct : the issue is uncertain, and even God
cannot foresee it. God then must have decreed
the events foreknown : he must have pre- determin-
ed the actions of men, and appointed the means to
produce them, and consequently have elected some
to virtue and happiness, and reprobated others to
vice and misery*
To reconcile the prescience of the Creator with
the free agency of the creature, has been the great
difficulty among ancient and modern metaphysicians*
The problem is probably too deep to be clearly
solved by the human mind. With this abstruse
question I shall not perplex you. For our present
purpose, I think it enough to reply, that we are un-
able to comprehend the manner in which the attri-
butes of an infinite being are exercised. The man-
ner in which omniscience exerts itself, if I may use
this expression, is as incomprehensible as the man-
ner in which almighty power is displayed. As in
one case, we do not imagine that God is under the
necessity of using a combination of powers to per-
form his mighty works, as men are to accomplish
a great design ; so in the other, we ought not to sup-
SERMON XV. 211
pose that God is indebted to any medium of knowl-
edge : infinite knowledge is the attribute of the
divine nature. The foreknowledge of God does
not render the actions of men necessary, nor is it
the efficient cause of human agency : these do not
take place because they are foreknown by God ;
but these are foreknown, because they will actually
take place. Our knowledge of facts which exist
around us, is not the cause of their existence ; but
they really exist, and therefore they are known.
Every thing past, present, and to come, is in the
mind of God, as fully as any passing event is in
our minds. A single example from scripture may
make my meaning more clear, and perhaps serve as
a practical illustration of the principle. When
David was in the walled town of Keilah, and Saul
approached the place with an army, he inquired of
the Lord, whether the xtien of Keilah would deliver
him into the hands of Saul : the answer was, they
wdll ; and therefore he made his escape. Here an
event is predicted which was suspended on a pre-
vious contingence : the contingence did not take
place, and the event was not produced. Fore-
knowledge, in this instance, did not imply necessity.
In a word, we are satisfied from ourselves, that
•we are free agents ; but we cannot fathom the
knowledge of God. Our ignorance of the manner
in which the divine attributes are exercised, is a
good reason for rejecting an argument which is
brought in affirmation of a doctrine that is opposed
to our most approved apprehensions of the character
of God ; and is apparently a violation of the clearo
est principle of his moral government.
212 SERMON XV.
Another argument in support of the doctrine pf
irrespective election is drawn from the established
government of Deity. Reason and revelation, it is
said, unitedly teach us that God, who made, gov-
erns the world. All events are under divine direc-
tion. Human agency is intimately connected with,
and has a constant influence over common events ;
and therefore human agency must be under the
absolute direction of Deity. To suppose that men
can act without the direct impulse of Deity, is to
suppose that God has put the government of the
world out of his own hands — to suppose that men
are independent beings, and may counteract the de-
signs of the Supreme Ruler of the world. The
scriptures expressly assert the universal agency of
God ; and the doctrine of irrespective decrees, it
must be acknowledged, is necessarily involved in
the general plan of the divine government.
To this argument I reply. — God indeed goyerns
the world in wisdom and righteousness ; and all
events are under his inspection and control.—
But he has adaoted his laws to the constitution
of the bodies which are to be governed by them.
The material kingdom is directed by principles
which have an invariable and necessary influ-
ence : aniinated nature is governed by the law of
instinct ; and a moral government is established
over the human family. Man possesses intellectual
and moral powers, and scope is given for their ex-
ercise. Within these limits man is a free, and
therefore an accountable being. His moral char-
acter depends on the manner in which he cultivates
his powers, and improves the means with which he
SERMON XV. 213
is favoured, for intellectual and moral attainments ;
*and God has only decreed, that his reward shall be
according to his works. Yet God has not put the
government of the world out of his hands. By a
depth of wisdom, which we cannot fathom, he
brings good out of evil, and makes wicked men
the unconscious and the unintentional instruments
to subserve the high and benevolent purposes of
his government,
I shall now proceed to the consideration of those
passages of scripture which are the most frequently
brought in proof of unconditional election. I pre-
mise one or two general remarks, which I wish you
would bear in mind, in our review of these texts
from the sacred oracles.
We must make a distinction between the char-
acter of God, as the creator of all beings, and as
the judge of intelligent and free agents. In cre-
ation, God is directed by his own wisdom and be-
nevolence. Whether he make ten or ten thousand
worlds, none 'may say unto him, What doest thou ?
Whether he form archangels or worms of the
dust — whether he create one class of creatures
only, or myriads — none may stay his hand that it
shall not work. If the existence of a created being
be a blessing, he has no right to say to his Creator,
Why has^-thou made me thus ? But having in-
vested his creatures with certain powers, and given
them particular laws, as the rule of their action,
when God calls them to account, he will judge
each class, by the law designed to regulate his con-
duct. It would be unjust to judge the lowest class
of moral subjects by the law givea as the rule of
life to the highest.
214 SERMON iv.
With these general principles in our recollection,
let us open the sacred volume. Paul in the epistle
to the Romans is most frequently quoted, as decisive
authority for the doctrine of election. I shall
therefore attend more particularly to his reasoning.
The language of our text is — " The election hath
obtained it, and the rest were blinded." He de-
clares, in the name of God, concerning Jacob and
Esau — " Before they had done good or evii, that
the purpose of God, according to election, might
stand, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated."
Paul affirms, " God hath mercy on whom he will
have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." I
shall review" these and other passages in the epistle
to the Romans in their connexion, and then we
may determine whether they really prove the posi-
tion in the support of which they are adduced.
The first part of the epistle to the Romans con-
tains particular directions to those who had been
recently converted to Christianity. In the ninth
chapter, St. Paul brings into view the nation of
the Jews, and laments the infidelity of that people,
to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory,
and the covenant, and the giving the law, and the
service of God, and the promises ; whose are the
Fathers, and of whom, concerning the flesh, Christ
came. The Jewish nation was selected in divine
wisdom, to be the peculiar people of God, to whom
he made a revelation of his gracious purposes to-
wards the children of men. Their distinguished
privileges led the Jews to suppose, that they were
exclusively the chosen people of heaven ; and that
in consequence of their being the children of Abra-
SERMON XV. 215
ham, they were entitled not only to the advantages
of divine revelation, but to the special favour of
God ; whether they improved or abused their priv-
ileges, they thought themselves better than other
nations. When the primitive converts to Christ-
ianity, from the Jewish Church, were convinced
that it was the divine will that the gospel should be
preached to the whole family of man, in astonish-
ment they exclaimed — " Then hath God also to
the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." Paul
in this epistle corrects the gross errour which in-
flated the Israelites with spiritual pride. He in-
forms the Jews, that they were not chosen to be a
peculiar people on account of their inherent good
qualities ; and tells them, that they are not entitled
to the special favour of Heaven, in consequence of
their election ; that unless they wisely improve their
privileges, they will incur divine displeasure. —
The election on which Paul dwells, has no respect
to the moral character or future state of individuals.
The doctrine stated is this — God, in his good pleas-
ure, chose the descendants of Abraham, in a par-
ticular line, to be the people to whom he would
reveal his will, and grant peculiar religious privi-
leges. To be convinced that the election spoken
of by Paul is an election of a people to peculiar
external privileges, and not of individuals to the
happiness of heaven, you have only to follow him
in his reasoning. The apostle begins with Abra-
ham, at the time he was separated to be the com-
mon father of a distinguished nation. " Neither
because they are the seed of Abraham are they all
children ; but in Isaac shall thv seed be called."
216 SERMON Xt.
You are not entitled to these benefits merely bev
cause you are descended fi'om Abraham : it was
the good pleasure of God to limit the privilege to
Isaac. *' At this time I will come, and Sarah shall
have a son." He descends to Jacob and Esau. —
** The children being not yet born, neither having
done any good or evil, that the purpose of God,
according to election, might stand, not of works,
but of him that calleth, it was said unto her (Re-
becca) that the elder shall serve the younger ; as it
is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I
hated." The general strain of the apostle's argu-
ment shows, that the election here spoken of, re-
spects a people, not an individual ; and it is evident
from the annexed prophecy, the elder shall serve
the younger. This was verified in their descend-
ants : the children of Israel subjected the Edom-
ites ; but Esau never served Jacob — he was a ter-
rour to him the greater part of his life. St. Paul
proceeds.—" What shall we say then ? Is there
unrighteousness with God ? God forbid. For he
saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will
have mercy ; and I will have compassion on whom
I will have compassion." Is it unrighteous with
God to bestow external privileges in this manner —
to distinguish one people from all others, by
granting them particular advantages — to select
an individual man, and grant him privileges which
are withholden from his fellow beings ? Let no
one entertain this impious thought. God giveth to
all richly ; and who shall direct him in the bestow-
ment of unmerited blessings ? Did not God de-
clare to Moses, when he distinguished him from all
SlERMON XT. 21'!^
mankind by divine communications, that he con-
ferred these peculiar blessings according to his own
will, and had compassion and mercy on whom he
would ? The apostle adds — " Thou wilt say then
unto me, Why doth he yet find fault, for who hath
resisted his will ? Nay, but O man, who art thou,
that repliest against God ? Shall the thing formed,
say unto him that formed it, Why hast thou made
me thus ? Hath not the potter power over the
clay, of the same lump to make one vessel to hon-
our, and another to dishonour ?" If God, the
Creator and governour of the universe, according
to his own will, give existence to various orders
of beings ; if he bestow external advantages to this
people, and that man, as he pleases ; and if the ac-
tions of men are made ultimately, by an overruling
Providence, subservient to the designs of his gov-
ernment, why doth God ever find fault ? Consider,
O man, what thou sayest ! Shall not God be per-
mitted to display his attributes in the creation of
various classes of beings, as to him seemeth best f
Is it not fit, that he should make individuals of the
same class to difier from others in their natural
powers ? May he not grant higher means of im-
provement to one than to another ? Dost thou
find fault with thy Maker, because thou wast not
formed an angel ? Because the wise and benigrr
Governour of the world overrules thy wickedness,
and makes thy sinful agency ultimately conducive
to the purposes of his wise government, wilt thou
make this an excuse for evil doing ? Does not the
potter form the clay into any shape he pleases, and
28
218 SERMON xr,
shall the Parent of Being be limited in the exercise
of his creative power ? On the supposition that
our apostle is speaking of God, as the creator of all
beings, and the author of all privileges, the allusion
to the potter is pertinent and forcible ; but admit
the capacity of moral beings, and suppose Paul to
be speaking of God as their judge, and assigning
their condition in a future world, and the simile
loses its pertinence and force. What analogy is
there between a potter forming clay into vessels of
various sizes and shapes, clay that has neither con-
sciousness nor sensation, and God, adjusting, at the
close of a probationary life, the future condition of
the rational and accountable subjects of his present
moral government ?
In the tenth chapter of Romans, St. Paul illus-
trates the principle he had advanced in the ninth,
respecting the sovereign pleasure of God, by men-
tioning the manner, in which the Gentiles were
placed in the possession of the blessings of the
Christian revelation ; and he alludes to the fulfil-
ment of the prophesy of Isaiah. — *' I was foiind of
them that sought me not : I was made manifest to
them that asked not after me."
I have not time to comment particularly on every.
part of the apostle's reasoning on the subject be-
tOTQ us. I therefore pass to an allegory contained
in the eleventh chapter. By the metaphor of an
olive-tree St. Paul illustrates the moral state of the
Jew and the Gentile. By the olive-tree, doubtless
the apostle means the revealed dispensation of
divine grace and merc3% The Jews he considers as
SERMON XV. 219
the natural branches of this tree, but cut off, and
the Gentiles grafted into it. By being the natural
branches of this tree, or by being ingrafted into it,
we must understand either an election to the im-
mortal rewards promised through Christ to the chil-
dren of God, or an admission on earth to the enjoy-
ment of the privileges of this divine dispensation.
That personal election, in the sense of our proposi-
tion, cannot be intended, is evident, because the
apostle declares that the Jews were cut off for their
unbelief ; and on their believing they may again be
joined ; and the Gentiles are told that they shall
also be cut off, unless they continue in the faith.
In the condition of persons elected to eternal life,
no such change can take place. The decrees of
God are immutable. That Paul, throughout these
chapters, means election to external privileges, is
further evident, from the allusion to the prophet
Elias or Elijah. In his time, a period of general
apostacy, there were seven thousand Israelites who
did not bow the knee to Baal. In like manner, St.
Paul observes, that in his day, a remnant of Israel
was found, who adhered to the dispensation of
heaven, according to the election of grace. Elec-
tion to what ? Clearly to the enjoyment of the
privileges of revelation.
We find, then, that the apostle, in the ninth, tenth,
and eleventh chapters of his epistle to the Romans,
treats of national, not personal election ; of elec-
tion to the enjoyment of the external privileges of
revelation, and not of unconditional election to
eternal life.
220 SERMON XV.
You, mv candid hearers, mav have taken notice
that I passed without comment those passages of
the chapters reviewed, which speak of God as
hardening the heart of Pharaoh, of blinding those
whom he will, See. On these I have but few re-
marks to offer. In all instances, when we have
discovered the general purpose of a ViJ^riter, we
should be careful not to put a meaning opposed
to this, on allusions and examples incidentally intro-
duced. It should be observed that the compassion
and mercy, mentioned by St. Paul in the above
places, are limited to the bcstowment of external
privileges, and are not extended to the acceptance
of individuals at the tribunal of Heaven ; the repro-
bation, the blindness and obduracy, opposed to this
compassion and mercy, should be limited to an ex-
clusion froni, or an insensibility to these external
privileges, and not extended to the condemnation
of the day of judgment.
I generally observe, in the bold and figurative
style of the Jews, God is said to do what is brought
about in the ordinary course of events* Mosesj,
where he distinguishes between murder and justi-
fiable homicide, uses the follov/ing language. —
" He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be
surely put to death. And if a man lie not in wait,
but God deliver him into his hand, then will I
appoint thee a place whither he shall flee." Here an
event is imputed to the agency of God, which we
should call accidental. In the same phraseology,
God is said to blind the minds, and harden the
hearts of those, whom he permits to abuse his
blessings, and by their wilful and habitual sins.
SERMON XV. 221
to blind their own minds, and harden their own
hearts.
That human blindness and obstinacy proceed
not from the direct agency of God, we know ; for
revelation assures us, that " God is not tempted of
evil, neither tempteth he any man," It is certain
that God does not influence the human mind to
sin ; for the sinner, in the scriptures, is denomi-
nated a rebel against God, and h said to incur the
divine displeasure, and to make himself a vessel of
wrath,, fitted for destruction.
A passage from Acts (xiii. 48.) is often produc-
ed as an authority for the doctrine of election.—-
*' When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad,
and glorified the word of the Lord ; and as many
as were ordained to eternal life, believed." The
Greek word, translated in this phce, ordai?zedj does
not mean predestinated or fore-ordained, but set in
order, disposed. As many as were disposed, be-
lieved. As many as maintained a right temper,
and were influenced by moral considerations, be-
lieved, and made eternal life the object of desire
and pursuit.
The term election is used in different senses by
the writers of the New Testament. But if predes-
tination, in the Calvinistick meaning, be not found
in the chapters we have reviewed, few, I believe,
will assert that satisfactory proof of its truth can be
produced from other parts of the sacred writings.
Our minds, then, are prepared to give undivided
attention to the plain, the general language of the
inspired penmen on the subject of our salvation.
They unitedly inform us, that God has committed
222 SERMON XV.
talents to our management — enacted laws as the rule
of our actions — established by his son Jesus Christ,
conditions of our acceptance ; and appointed a day
on which we must account for the course of our
lives, and hear an impartial sentence pronounced On
the manner we shall have improved the powers en- |
trusted to our cultivation. The sacred writers also
assure us, that God delights not in the death of the
sinner, but would that all men should come to the
knowledge of the truth, and be saved.
Let us, my respected hearers, work out our sal-
vation with fear and trembling, knowing that God
\wrketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure.
SERMON XVI.
THB BENEFITS RESULTING FROM THE MEDIATION OF
JESUS CHRIST, ARE APPLICABLE TO ALL MEN.
ROMANS V. 10, 11.
For if when ive were enemies we were reconciled to God,
hy the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we
shall he saved by his life : And not only so, we also joy
in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom wc
have now received the atonement.
IN a proposed review of the Calvinistick system
of divinity, the first of the five propositions, usually
denominated " the five points," was our last sub-
ject. Your attention is now solicited to the c©n-
sideration of the second, viz.
2, " Jesus Christ, by his death and sufferings,
made an atonement for the sins of the elect only."
This article is founded on the Calvinistick views
of atonement, by the sufferings and death of Clirist.
It is therefore expedient to enter into the meaning
©f the sacred writers, when they speak of the effi-
224 SERMON ,S.V1.
cacy of the mediatorial agency of our Saviour.
This inquiry I will pursue in the following man-
ner.
1. To examine the representations made in the
bible, of the goodness and mercy of God.
2. Consider the meaning of those passages in
the New Testament, which mention the efficacy of
the sufferings and death of Christ. And,
3. I shall endeavour to show, from the authority
of scripture, that the benefits of Christ's mediation
are not limited to a few elect individuals, but are ex-
tended to the whole family of man.
1. To 'examine the representations made in the
bible, of the goodness and mercy of God.
No position in divinity, to my apprehension, is
more opposed to the general language of the New
Testament — none which reflects greater dishonour
on the character and moral government of Deity —
none which is more apt to mislead men in the high-
est concerns of religion, than the doctrine, that God
requires complete satisfaction to be made to his
justice for sin, by the vicarious sufferings of our
Saviour, to propitiate his regard to the repenting
offender.
This doctrine represents our God as inexorable
in his disposition : it deprives him of those moral
attributes, which are the proper foundation of our
love and gratitude : it destroys all goodness and
mercy in the pardon of the repenting sinner ; and
supposes that God has introduced a principle in his
administrations, which would disgrace any govern-
ment on earth.
SERMON XVI. 22i
It is inconsistent, we are told, with divine justice,
for God to pardon the sinner, unless full satisfaction
be made to his violated law. Is it consistent with
the attributes of a perfect being to accept the pun-
ishment of an innocent being, who offers himsetf
as a substitute for the sinner, and on this account
to pardon the real oifender ? What should we
think of that human government, which, refusing
to extend a pardon to the humbled violator of its
laws^ should consent that an individual, whose
whole life had been fauldess, might take the place
ef the offender, and perish on the scaffold, and
on account of his death, grant life and liberty
to the man, who, by his crimes, had brought on
himself the sentence of condemnation ? If God
require full satisfaction for every offence, shall we^
in imitation of him, demand that the merited pun-
ishment be inflicted on the real offender, or on
his substitute, before we forgive one, who having
offended, in sorrow supplicates our clemency ?
On the apprehension, that the presiding Divinity
is, in disposition, unrelenting and vindictive, have
been founded most of the weak and cruel rites of
superstition. Hence human beings were, among
ancient Pagans, immolated on the altars of Moloch.
Hence the monkish severities and the bodily morti-
fications of the papal establishment. Hence the
tortures, which the votarists of modern paganism,
through the eastern world, voluntarily inflict upon
themselves. I may add, the apprehension that
the design of religious service is not to form men
to a disposition which will rander them worthy t»
29
226 SERMON XVI.
be the recipients of divine favour, but to induce
God to be propitious, causes multitudes, at the
present day, to undertake useless labours in religion,
in every part of Christendom.
The representations of the bible, respecting the
character of God, are widely different. It confirms
the information proclaimed by the works of nature,
and the common dispensations of Providence, that
God is as benevolent as he is powerful ; as com-
passionate and merciful as he is just and w^ise. It
assures us that God is good to all, and that his ten-
der mercies are over all the works of his hands ;
that he has no pleasure in the death of the sinner,
but would that he should repent and live. Such is
the language of the Old Testament. In the New,
the same joyous and animating truth is more fully
established. Our Saviour no where declares, that
by his death, he should make satisfaction to God
for the sins of the world — no where informs us, that
by his sufferings, as the substitute of sinners, he
should induce God to the exercise of mercy to-
wards the actual transgressor ; on the contrary,
the goodness and mercy of Deity is the theme on
which he delights to dwell. He every where styles
God, our Father ; he appeals to the most endearing
relations of the hunian family, and to the most ten-
der affections of the human heart, as allusions the
best adapted to illustrate the inherent, the unchange-
able benevolence of his God and of our God ; and,
at the same time, he tells us, that the compassion
and providence of the father towards the son of
his love, that the tenderness and solicitude of the
mother towards the infant of her breast, are not
lERMON XVI. 227
sufficient emblems of the goodness and clemency
of our Heavenly Parent. Attend to the parable of
the prodij^al son, which doubtless we are to con-
sider as an illustration of the Christian system. Is
the semblance of the Calvinistick notion of satisfac-
tion to be found in this beautiful parable. Nothing
like it. The father is delighted that this lost son
is disposed to return to filial duty ; the folly of
the prodigal is forgotten in the fulness of joy that
the wanderer is reclaimed ; the father meets the
son retracing his devious steps ; embraces him in
the arms of affection ; clothes him with the best
robe, and causes his re-instatement in the peaceable
and happy relation of domestick life to be cele-
brated by feasting and merriment, through every
department of his household.
If the apostles of our Lord were divinely taught
that the great design of his death was to make
satisfaction to the justice of Deity, it must be sup-
posed, that they would have clearly explained this
essential Christian truth in their first discourses to
the Jews and to the Gentiles. What is the fact ?
Peter, on the day of the descent of the Holy Ghost,
and again, when he cured the impotent man, paints
in glowing colours, the sin of his countrymen, in
crucifying the Lord of Life ; but he says not one
word about Christ's dying to make satisfaction to
divine justice for their sins. The sum of his ad-
dress is, that by repentance and faith in Jesus, as
the Messiah of God, they might obtain the for-
giveness of God. To Cornehus, the first Gentile
convert, Peter says nothing respecting Christ being
a substitute for sinners, and suffering, to appease
228 SERMON xvr.
the wrath of offended Deity. But when the Holy
Ghost was poured out on this pious centurion, and
on those whom he had assembled, the apostle, in
surprise exclaims — " Of a truth, I perceive that
God is no respecter of persons ; but that in every
nation, he that feareth him and worketh righteous-
ness, is accepted with him."
Paul, in his first preaching to the Gentiles, is as
silent, respecting the doctrine of satisfaction, as
Peter. He makes faith in Jesus, and repentance
from sin, the condition of divine mercy by Christ ; a
but he does not inform them, that the death of the
Saviour was the cause of mercy in God. Much
less does he make this an essential article of Christ-
ian belief. The amount of his doctrine on this
subject, may be found in his preaching to the
Athenians. Having stated the supremacy and be-
nevolence of the one true God, and mentioned their
blindness and their corruptions, as Gentiles, he
adds — " The times of this ignorance God winked
at ; but now commandeth all men every where to re-
pent ; because he hath appointed a day, in the which
he will judge the world in righteousness by that
man whom he hath ordained ; whereof he hath .
given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised
him from the dead." Were these sentiments of
St. Paul found in a sermon of a minister suspected
of heresy, many would say that they did not con-
tain the true scheme of salvation by Jesus Christ ;
but that it was legal preaching, dangerous to the
souls of men.
What then is the real doctrine of revelation res-
pecting the merits of Christ's death ? The answer,
SERHIQN XTI. 229
I shall endeavour to give under the next head of
our discourse, viz. —
2. To consider the meaning of those passages
of the New Testament, which mention the efficacy
of the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ.
The mediation of Jesus Christ is not the effi-
cient cause of the goodness and mercy which God
has manifested towards the sinful children of men ;
but the mediation of Jt^sus Christ, with all its bene-
fits and blessings, resulted from the inherent good-
ness and mercy of Deity. — " God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
v/hosoever believeth in him should not perish but
have everlasting life." The language of the New
Testament is hot, that God was reconciling himself
to the world by Christ, but reconciling the world
to himself. The disposition of sinners must be
changed — not the disposition of God. He is good
and merciful, and unchangeable in his nature, pur-
pose, and agency. It pleased God to make his
Son, Jesus Christ, the medium of his mercy to the
children of men. Why this plan of salvation was
adopted in preference to any other, we. know not ;
nor what connexion the mediation of Christ has
with the general moral administrations of Heaven ;
nor to the performance of our duty, is it necessary
that we should know. We ought gratefully to re-
ceive divine blessings, and not enter into dispute with
our Maker respecting the manner in which they shall
be bestowed. We are assured that there is no
other name under heaven given among men where-
by we must be saved. But it was God, who ori-
ginated the wise and merciful plan of our salvation.
230 iSERMON XVI,
He constituted Jesus to be the Mediator of its high
blessings r he appointed the measures by which it
should be carried to its consummation. By the
efficacy of means thus appointed, the evils of the
apostacy are removed, the wall of distinction be-
tween Jew and Gentile is broken down, and all thcx
members of the human family are united in one
Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one hope of their
calling.
But the evangelists and the apostles speak of the
benefits which result to mankind from the ministry
and death of Christ under different figures of speech.
Let us examine several of these, which are the most
commonly introduced into religious controversy and
conversation.
Christ is called our ransom, or is said to have
been made a ransom for us. Thus we read in Mat- .
thew— " The Son of Man came not to be minister-
ed unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ran-
som for many." In his epistle to Timothy, Paul
writes, " There is one God, and one Mediator be-
tween God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who
gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due
time." In the language of the world, a ransom is
understood as a price paid for the redemption of a
person who was holden in some kind of servitude
or bondage. Thus a ransom was paid to re-
deem a prisoner detained in captivity. The con-
sideration is here paid to the power which consents
to the liberaticm of the captive. Likewise the mas-
ter who holds a slave may receive a ranson* for his
manumission.* But the word ransom is often us-
* See Rev. Professor Ware's Sermon at the Ordination of Rev. 5'r
Pierpont.
SERMON XYI. 231
ed to express the act of delivering the captive or the
slave from bondage, and not the price paid for their
delivery. This, I apprehend, is always the meaning
of the term when used by the sacred writers in the
concerns of our salvation. Sinners are in the bible
denominated the captives and the slaves of Satan.
From this servitude and bondage Jesus Christ has,
by his mediation and ministry, ransomed them ;
but the supposition never entered the human mind,
that Christ paid a consideration to Satan for the de-
livery of sinners from his empire. No. Our Sav-
iour has ransomed the children of men from the do-
minion of the wicked one, that he might establish a
glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any
such thing ; but that it should be holy and without
blemish. Christ gave his life for sinners, that he
might ransom them from the bondage of iniquity,
and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of
good works. Christ died that through death he
might destroy him that had the power of death, that
is the devil, and deliver them who through fear of
death were all their life- time eubject to bondage.
This is the ransom which he has obtained for sin^
ners.
Jesus Christ js also said, by his death, to have
reconciled sinners to God. He is called our recon-
ciliation,—" You that were sometimes alienated,
and enemies in your minds by wicked works,
now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh
through death, to present you holy, and unblamca-
ble, and unreproveable, in his sight." Again. —
" God was in Christ reconciling the world
unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto
232 SERSiON XVI.
them." You, my Christian brethren, must per-
ceive that the reconciliation here described respects
sinners themselves, and not God. The supposition
that the death of Christ was to pacify the wrath of
offended Deity, and to render him compassionate
and merciful towards his rational offspring on earth,
seems to be opposed to the plain import of these
very passages, as well as to the vi^hole language of
scripture on this doctrine. It is here expressly de-
clared, as above stated, that the scheme of our salva-
tion flowed from the inherent benevolence of the di-
vine nature. God is ever disposed to confer his
favour on his children in a manner which consists
with his underived his immutable perfections. He
has made his Son Jesus Christ the mediator and
minister of the highest blessings to Jiian. In our
text, the apostle reasons thus — " If, when we were
enemies, w^e were reconciled to God by the death of
his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be
saved by his life ; and not only so, we also joy in
God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we
have now received the atonement." This is the
only passage in the New Testament in which the
word atonement occurs, and here the term ought to
be reconciliation ; for the word in the original is the
substantive from the verb, which, in the former
verse, is translated reconciled, and the Greek word
in every other place is thus translated. Tiie mean-
ing of our text, in the paraphrase of Dr. M'Knight,
is this — *' If, being enemies under sentence of death,
we are respited, and made to lay down our enmity
to God, through the death of his Son ; much more,
being thus reconciled, we shall be saved from pun-
SERMON xvr. 253
ishment through his life in the bocly, which he re-
gained, that he might govern us now and acquit us
at last. And not only do we hope to be saved from
wrath by Christ's life, but we, believers, the spiritual
seed, even boast in God as our God, through our
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received
an opportunity of being pardoned." This text,
then, furnishes no authority for the doctrine of sat-
isfaction : it states the means appointed by divine
wisdom and mercy to bring us into the state of sal-
vation, and measures adopted to prepare uS for the
society of heaven.
But as the word atonement is often used on sub-
jects of divinity, it may be well to learn its mean-
ing as applied to the Jewish ritual. It frequently
occurs in the Old Testament, and in every place it
means the efficacy which God was pleased to give
to particular ceremonial observances in removing
legal impurities and uncleanness from men, and in
making the sanctuary, the altar, the vessels, &c. le-
gally pure and holy. Atonement was made as well
for the altar, the vessels, &c. as for sinners. If we
choose to apply this term to Christianity, it must
mean the effi.cacy of the measures which God, by
Jesus Christ, has been pleased to appoint to purge
the consciences of men from dead works, that they
may through Jesus Christ be justified in his sight.
Atonement, in a scriptural sense, cannot mean mer-
it transferred from Christ to the sinner, by which
he is justified ; but an effect produced in the dispo-
sition of the sinner himself, which renders him the
fit object of the mercy of God. Christ is said "t©
SO
234 SERMON xri.
be the propitiation for our sins." He was the me-
dium of the gracious provision which assures par-
don to the repenting sinner, and eternal life to the
obedient Christian. He is said " to have given him-
self for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God." In
the execution of the gracious and merciful purpose
of God in the salvation of sinners, he consecrated
his days, and sacrificed his life. — " He was the good
Shepherd, who laid down his life for the sheep."
In imitation of his piety and devotedness to the ap-
pointed duties of his mediatorial oifice, we are di-
rected, as his disciples, to present ourselves a living
sacrifice unto God, holy, and acceptable in his sight.
Christ, we are told, " bore the sins and bore the
sicknesses of men." He did not take the sins and
the diseases of men upon himself, but delivered men
from them.
I proceed to the last head of our discourse, viz. —
3. To show, from the authority of scripture, that
the benefits of the mediation of Jesus Christ are not
limited to a few elect individuals, but are extended
to the whole family of man.
I need not dwell on this branch of our subject.
If the statements made in the previous propositions
be admitted, no pretext can be found for the limita-
tion of the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. God is,
in the bible, represented as the common parent of
all the members of the human family. All his chil-
dren possess an intellectual and moral capacity ; and
it is expressly declared that they are all placed in a
state of probation, candidates for a blessed immor-
tality. The laws of the gospel are applied to all
men without distinction : its sanctions and its prom-
SERMON XYI. 23S
ises are as general. Christ, the scriptures assert,
tasted death for every man ; and they assure us that
God would not that any should perish, but that all
men should come to the knowledge of the truth
and be saved. In the description of the day of
judgment the declaration is express, that all shall be
raised from the tomb, summoned before the tribu-
nal of the constituted Judge ; and that each indi-
vidual shall receive according to the deeds done in
the body, whether they shall have done good or
evil.
The covenant of grace and mercy was establish-
ed at the time when sentence of death was pro-
nounced upon apostate man. By this covenant, all
men are brought into a state of salvation. But the
conditions of acceptance with God are suited to the
capacities which individuals of mankind possess,
and to the means of improvement that they enjoy.
They who are favoured with the privileges of the
Christian revelation will, in the great day of ac-
count, be judged by the laws of the gospel ; they
who are left to the guidance of reason and con-
science, will be judged by the law of reason, their
consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts
the mean while accusing or else excusing one an-
other, in the day when God shall judge the se-
crets of men by Jesus Christ. At his tribunal eve-
ry mouth shall be stopped. The pious and good
of all nations and ages will be admitted to the hon^
our and glory of an immortal life in heaven.
SERMON XVII,
ON TOTAL DEPRATITY.
PSALM li. 5.
Behold I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my moihir
conceive me.
IN the order of our review, the third point in the
Calvinistick system, of theology, is the subject of
our morning attention. This scholastick article
follows.
3. "Mankind are totally depraved in conse-
quence of the fall of Adam ; and by virtue of
Adam's being their federal head, the guilt of his sin
was imputed, and a corrupt nature conveyed to all
his posterity, from which proceed all actual trans-
gressions ; and that by sin, we are subject to death,
and all miseries temporal, spiritual, and eternal."
The doctrine of imputation has already been con-
sidered. Most of those among us, who choose to
be ranked with Calvinists, deny imputation ; but
they still hold to total depravity. Let this be our
present subject. It will be my endeavour to make
it evident that men are not totally depraved—
SERMON xru. 237
1. By showinsr that the passages from scripture,
which are usually quoted as authority in support of
the doctrine of total depravity, do not prove it.
2. By analyzing the human constitution, and re-
viewing those actions of men which naturally flow
from constitutional principles. I am,
1. To show that the passages from scripture,
which are usually quoted as authority, in support
of the doctrine of total depravity, do not prove it.
I shall first introduce a text from Genesis. — " And
the Lord smelied a sweet savour ; and the Lord
said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground
any more for man's sake ; for the imagination of
man's heart is evil from his youth ; neither will I
again smite any more every thing living as I have
done." Criticks in the Hebrew language inform
us, that the word for^ in this verse, should be ren-
dered, though ; at least, that the Hebrew word
will bear thus to be translated, and often has the
meaning of though. Let us review the passage
with this correction. The antediluvian world had
rendered themselves too corrupt and vile to be re-
formed by motives suited to the minds of free
moral agents. God therefore removed them from
the stage of moral action, that the earth might be
re-peopled with a better race from the family of
pious Noah, Accepting the sacrifice of this patri-
arch for his own preservation, when the world of
his fellow-beings were destroyed, God was gra-
ciously pleased to promise, that he would not again
thus destroy a whole generation, though the
imagination of their hearts should be evil from
their youth. This passage, I apprehend, is not
238 aaiRMON xriu
descriptive of the natural tendency of the hum^^
mind, nor of the moral complexion of its powers
and affections ; but it alludes to a period of almost
universal corruption. Men had abandoned them-
selves to impiety, violence, and licentiousness. It
therefore furnishes no proof of universal and total
depravity.
A text from Jeremiah is often produced as an
authority in aid of the doctrine of total depravity,
and as proof that the natural man is, by fatal neces-
sity, self-deceived. — " The heart is deceitful above
all things, and desperately wicked : who can know
it ?" When we attentively look into the chapter
from which this passage is taken, we find that Jere-
miah is showing the folly of placing our chief trust
and confidence in man. To dissuade from it, he
remarks, that the heart of man may be deceitful,
and when his inclination is pure, his strength is
weakness ; he therefore directs those, whom he
addresses, to place their confidence in God. —
" Thus saith the Lord, cursed be the man, who
trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and
whose heart departeth from the Lord : blessed is
the man, that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope
the Lord is." In this connexion, the text quoted
follows. — " The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked : who can know it ? I the
Lord search the hearts and try the reins, even to
give to every man according to his ways." No
proof is here found of any inherent malignity dwell-
ing in the moral constitution of man ; but a denun-
ciation is pronounced against the individual, who,.
forgetting his God, places his chief dependenc;; oa
SERMON XYII. 239
a man weak and frail like himself. The hearts of
our fellow-beings, the prophet assures us, we can-
■ not fully know : their warmest declarations of
friendship may be deceitful : their acts of benevo-
lence may be designed to gain our confidence, the
more deeply to wound us ; and with the best dispo-
sitions, their strength is but weakness. Trust then
in God, who is wise and benevolent, and power-
ful ; who penetrates the secrets of the heart, and
will reward every man according to his works.
This text degrades not human nature ; but leaves
to self- approbation its full confidence, and to con-
scious rectitude its enlivening hopes.
Our text is by' many considered as conclusive
proof of total depravity. I shall therefore more
fully illustrate it. — " Behold I was shapen in ini-
quity, and in sin did my mother conceive me."
Let us attend to the occasion on which these ex-
pressions were uttered* David had been guilty of
offences the most atrocious. The prophet Nathan
had presented his picture in full view, and drawn it
in the brightest colours. In a pathetick manner he
had represented the circumstances which aggra-
vated the king's guilt, and in the name of God, had
denounced judgment against him. David was
terrified by this denunciation of divine wrath. The
lively representation of his case by the prophet,
awakened his drowsy conscience, and in consterna-
tion he contemplated his sins in ali their magnitude
of guilt and danger ; and In the glowing figures of
eastern language, he expressed his penitence, and
implored forgiveness. In this state of mind, he
composed the psalm of which our text is a part.—
240 SERMON XVll,
** Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy
loving kindness ; according to the multitude of
thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and
cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my
transgression, and my sin is ever before me. — •
Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this
evil in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified
when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judg-
est. Behold I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin
did my mother conceive me." The subsequent
context breathes the same strain. — " Restore unto
me the joy of thy salvation ; then will I teach trans,
gressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted
unto thee. Deliver me from blood- guiltiness, O
God, thou God of my salvation ; and my tongue
shall sing aloud of thy righteousness." The whole
psalm breathes the spirit of contrition and peni=
tence.
David was humbled under a deep conviction,
that he had dishonoured the religion which he was
bound to support, and thereby had offended his
Maker. He was disposed to take the guilt and the
responsibility on himself. While he thus acknowl-
edges his own criminality, he appears to be fully
sensible of the justice of God in his condemnation :
he debases himself, and in the strong language of
passion, confesses his guilt, and with fervour sup-
plicates divine compassion and forgiveness.
To apply the language of David on this occasion
to mankind, and consider it as descriptive of the
moral complexion of human nature, is just as ab-
.surd, as it would be to apply the penitent expres-
SERMON XVII. 241
iilons ofan individual drunkard, thief, or murderer,
to the same purpose, and to make the humble con-
fessions of these offenders descriptive of the moral
complexion of the human mind in all men. To
apply the language of David on this occasion to all
men, and to suppose it descriptive of human nature
generally, is to defeat the very design for vi^hich he
adopted it. Had it been true that he brought into
the world a mind necessarily prone to evil, and on-
ly evil, this circumstance, so far from adding guilt
to his actual transgressions, would, in the court of
reason and conscience, lessen their criminality.
When he was describing the aggravation of the of-
fence, would he do it by mentioning the circum-
stance which excused the action or greatly mitigat-
ed its criminality ? This cannot be admitted ; for
it follows, that by thus stating the total depravity of
his nature, he justifies his offence by the very lan-
guage by which he meant the most forcibly to ex-
press its guilti
If we take the strong expressions and bold figures
Gf the sacred writers respecting particular sinners,
and from them attempt to establish general positions
respecting the depravity of human nature ; by the
same rule we may take their representations con-
cerning the actions of good men, and from them
prove that man, in his natural state, is prone to
good, to good only, and to good continually. For
instance, select the declaration of Job, who declares
that he had done good from his birth. If the differ-
ent phrases of David and Job be literally applied to
the nature of man, it follows that the virtues of thc^
31
242 SERMON XVII.
one were as much constitutional as the sins of the
other ; and therefore from scripture we may prove
that all men are naturally prone to evil, and are
prone to virtue ; and that, from constitutional influ-
ence, their actions are all absolutely sinful, and are
all strictly virtuous. But if the sacred writers ap-
ply these respective modes of expression only to in-
dividual characters, then from them we cannot es-
tablish a general rule, by which to determine the
moral tendency of human nature. Figures of speech
should always be construed in such a manner as to
render them consistent with the plain language of
the sacred writers.
We will now proceed to the New Testament.
St. Paul declares that " the natural man receiveth
not the things of God, for they are foolishness unto
him ; neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned." By the natural man, in this
passage, we are not to understand the creature man,
in all his intellectual and moral powers, as God has
formed him, the subject of a moral government ;
nor will the Greek admit of this construction. By
the natural, the apostle here means the sensual,
the animal man ; the man who minds only things of
earth and sense, and exclusively seeks worldly grat-
ifications. We all can judge of the inveteracy of
habits thus formed; they cloud the understanding,
corrupt the affections, and fatally bias the judg-
ment. The man, whose animal passions are the law
of his conduct, and v/ho is buried in sensual indul-
gences, has no relish for the truths pertaining to
eternal life : if he thinks of them at all, he views them
as trifles unworthy of serious regard j and, lest they
SERMON XVlI. 243
should disturb his favourite pursuits, he discards
the '11 from his reflections. His eyes are shut to the.
light of revelation : his ears are closed to the voice
of wisdom ; and while he thus cherishes his cor-
rupt affections, he cannot understand the truths per-
taining to God and to immortality : they arc by him
considered as foolishness. The worth and impor-
tance of these are clearly perceived only by him who
maintains the superiority of reason over passion, who
cherishes a teachable temper, is disposed to receive
truth in the love of it, and to do the will of God as
far as he knows it. No individual brings this blind
and obdurate mind into the world: too many ac-
quire it by a habit of sensuality and sin.
Similar comments will explain the meaning of the
affirmation of St. Paul-—** To be carnally minded is
death ; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God ; for
it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."
The remarks of St. Paul respecting himself are
adduced as proof of the total depravity of man— -
" I find a law, that when I would do good, evil is
present with me. For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man ; but I see another law in my
members, warring against the law of my mind, and
bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which
is in my members."— Man is a being compounded
of rational and moral powers, and of animal passions
and appetites. Human passions are not in them-
selves sinful, but they are often the occasion of sin.
The struggle between the intellectual and animal
parts of the human constitution has been felt and
244 SERMON XVII.
acknowledged by all men. The Roman philoso-
pher expressed the common sentiment of mankind|,
when he exclaimed, *' I see and approve virtue, I
follow vice." This, in a greater or less degree, is
true of all men. Every individual will readily ac-
knowledge, that he in too many instances allows his
appetites and passions an improper indulgence. No
man liveth and sinneth not. Paul, in the epistle
from which the above passages are taken, reasons
thus : — The law requires perfect obedience : men arc
sinners : death is the appointed wages of sin ; all
men, therefore, are by this law condemned, and are
under sentence of death. He takes himself as an
example of the whole race of man, and thus enfor-
ces his argument. The moral law of God is right-
eous and good : my reason and my conscience fully
approve it, and its contemplation gives me delight ;
but in the propensities of the animal part of my sys-
tem I lind a principle of action opposed to the law
of Heaven, and under its influence, even when J.
would do good, evil is present with me : being thus
conscious of offence, I know that I cannot be justi-
fied in strict justice. I certainly am exposed to the
penalty of violated law : I am exposed to that death
with which Adam was threatened for disobedience.
He exclaims, O wretched man that I am, who shall
deliver me from this body of death ? In our trans-
lation it follows, I thank God, &c. which in this
place seems not to have a consistent meaning. Sev-
eral approved versions read, " the grace or favour
of God:" admit this reading and we have a plain
question, and a direct answer, — Who shall deliver
me from this death ? The favour or grace of God,
gERMON XVIJ, 24^
through Jesus Christ our Lord ; and Paul proceeds
to draw the pleasing inference—" There is, there-
fore, now no condemnation to them who are in
Christ, who wallv not after the flesh but after the
spirit." This apostle informs us, "that as sin
abounded, grace does much more abound ; that as
jn Adam we all die, so in Christ Jesus we are all
made alive." Is there in all this statement any
proof of positive malignity being infused into the
moral disposition of man by the fall of Adam, which
must be extracted by extraneous power, before he
can possess a mind for religious action ? I think not.
The texts quoted are a powerful appeal to the moral
sense, to the love of life and of happiness in men, to
induce them, under a consciousness of sin, which
deprives tliem of every claim to the reward of mer-
it, to accept with gratitude the proffers of mercy by
Jesus Christ. The evangelists and the apostles
unitedly inform us, that the conditions of accept-
ance through Christ, are suited to the present capa-
city of man ; and the immense apparatus of means
furnished by the gospel, rest on the admitted fact,
that he now possesses the moral as well as the intel-
lectual power to use them, and by their aid to ac-
quire the qualifications necessary for heaven.
Other passages of the bible are considered by
many as proof of total depravity ; but if it be not
found in the texts already selected, few, I believe,
will hold it as a doctrine of revelation.
I proceed,
2. To analyze the human constitution, and to re-
view those actions of men which the most naturally
246 SERMON XVII.
flow from constitutional principles, that we may de-
termine whether these indicate total depravity.
Instinctive principles are implanted in us, which
in a thousand ways operate without our volition, to
induce us to make the necessary eflForts to preserve
our lives, and to promote the purposes of our exist-
ence. Appetites and passions stimulate us to the
acquisition of the objects of their appointment. —
We possess social aftections, which animate us to
benevolent exertions ; and their strength is in pro-
portion to the nearness of those associated with us,
to the degree of their dependence on us, and the
means we possess to do them good ; and we are im-
bued with reason and conscience, which qualify us
for our duty as the subjects of a moral government.
Power is given us to regulate all our active faculties ;
and scope is granted for their harmonious exercise.
As the workmanship of God, how wonderful is man !
What affection is redundant ? What passion is use-
less? What principle is necessarily productive of
evil ? Self-love often becomes inordinate, and is the
occasion of mean and base actions ; but divest man
of this principle, and what efficient motive can you
address to his mind to induce him to the constant
care and continued effort necessary to preserve life,
and secure the design of his being. To society, it
certainly is no small gain, that each individual keeps
in his own place, and minds his own business :
hereby the common concerns of the community
are effectually carried on. As in a well-regulated
machine, each one performing his appropriate part,
an useful end is secured.
SERMON XVII. 247
The love of property frequently degenerates into
avarice, and extortion and oppression ensue ; but
without the love of property, what becomes of the
many advantages which result from industry and
economy ? By destroying the principle, you make
a sacritice of all these beneficial effects of it. The
evils of abundant wealth generally have their rem-
edy in their consequences. The miser dies, and
bis accumulated heap is distributed to promote the
comfort of many individuals, and to subserve the
most useful purposes of society ; even as accumulat-
ed waters are by small rivulets drawn off to moist-
en and fertilize widely-extended plains.
Lawless ambition is productive of incalculable in-
jury to society ; but the love of distinction, the nat-
ural affection, is the legitimate principle of the great-
est enterprizes, and the noblest plans, by which the
world has been benefited. In every instance, man
becomes guilty when he permits his animal passions
and worldly propensities to gain an ascendency over
his reason and conscience, the great law of his
mind.
When we leave human nature, as we view it in
its constituent principles, and attend to the repre-
sentation of it by Calvinistick divines, we find ev-
ery beauty defaced, and a picture deformed and of-
fensive rises to our view ; but will observation on
the general actions of men support the statement?
Was it true that man by nature is totally depraved,
and that at the new birth a principle of holiness is
implanted of habitual influence, the difference in the
tempers and practices would be so great between
saints and sinners, that in society they might be sep-
248 SERMON XVII.
arated with the certainty with which the shepherd
divides the white from the black of his flocks. Is
this practicable ? The characters of men in activ6
life, do not correspond with the description given
either of the natural or the converted man. Men
are neither angels nor demons ; in our intercourse
with the worldj we every where find mixed charac-
ter^, and observe the different shades of virtue and
vice from the highest state of the Christian down to
the lowest condition of the sinner. Our observa-
tions on every class in society will lead us to reject
the doctrine of total deptavity. Children, before
they learn dissembling from those about them, are:
pfoverbially examples of innocence and truth. In
understanding, says the Apostle, be ye men, but in
malice be children ; and our Saviour himself repre-
sents the purity of the child as an emblem of the
disposition of the inhabitants of heaven. If all men
were totally depraved, from them we could expect
only malevolent actions. Does experience justify
the expectation? No. By no means. We place
great confidence in the truth and benevolence of
men ini oUr common communications with them.
In instances without number we call even on stran-
gers for information and assistance, and the many
who inform and assist us in our need are not denom-
inated unnatural men ; but the few, who deceive,
and deny this aid, are thus called. The wonder is
not, that men in general are ready to help a fellow-
being, but that any should refuse to join in common
offices of humanity.
The worst sinner, judged by his actions, will not
be founJ so corrupt and depraved, as all men
are le presented to be in a state df nature. No
man is wholly given up to impiety and malevolence.
In common cases, the doctrine of habits proves that
men are not totally depraved. Sinners grow worse
and worse, not as their capacity is enlarged and
their means to do evil is increased ; but as the
habit of vice acquires strength in their minds.
Can a measure be more than full ?
I conclude,
A ;3tract opinions have not the influence on the
religious practices of men, which before exptriment
might be expected. Reason, conscience, the moral
sense are constantly rising to counteract the influ-
ence of a false theory : the natural principles of that
very moral constitution in man, which is pronounc-
ed to be totally depraved, often prove superior to
the bad tendency of gross speculative errors. Yet
it cannot be a matter of indifference whether the hu-
man mind be in the possession of truth or error.
Error clouds the understanding, and doubtless has
a tendency to corrupt the heart. The man, whose
opinions are erroneous, must take his religious steps
in darknessj and with uncertainty. Truth enlight-
ens the mind, and has the best influence on the af-
fections. The man, whose mind is enriched with
truth, holds his religious course in the clearness of
day, and with the satisfaction and safety of light*
Do you believe, my Christian brethren, that God
has given you the power of self-government — that
he has entrusted the various principles of your con-
stitution to your management ? Do you believe that
endless felicity is suspended on the wise and sober
32
250 SERMON XVII.
regulation'of your active faculties ? Sacred, then, is
your duty, as the subjects of the moral government
of God ; and you can have no excuse for the neg-
lect of its performance. They who hold to the moral
inability of man, seem to have an apology for in-
attention to the ordinary means of improvement ;
and yet many of them are bright examples of the
simplicity and godly sincerity recommended by the
gospel. But to those, who believe that life and
death are set before every individual of mankind,
and that, under God, each is left freely to make his
election between the immortal rewards promised to
piety, righteousness and sobriety, and the pains and
penalties of the second death, designed as the pun-
ishment of an habitual course of sensuality and vice,
no vindication is left for inattention and negligence
in moral life. God has in the best manner adjust-
ed the circumstances of our probation to discipline
our passions,^ to establish religious principles in our
hearts, and aid us in forming habits of purity and
goodness. By the trials of this world, we are to ac-
quire a moral disposition for the happiness of heav-
en. Let us then take to ourselves the whole ar-
mour of God, that we may resist every weight, evei?
the sin that does the most easily beset us.
SERMON XVIII.
ON EFFECTUAL CALLIN®.
2 CORINTHIANS iii. 5.
J^oi thai we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as
of ourselves : our sufficiency is of God.
IN our previous context, St, Paul declares to
the Corinthians — "Ye are the epistle of Christ,
ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the
spirit of the living God ; not in tables of stone, but
in the fleshly tables of the heart." In our text, he
informs them, that he and other preachers of the
gospel were not of themselves sufficient, by their
own wisdom, to devise the scheme of man's salva-
tion ; nor, by their own strength, to carry into exe-
cution the merciful purpose of converting Jew and
Gentile to the faith and virtues of the gospel ; but
their sufficiency was of God, who appointed his
own Son to be the saviour of men, who adopted
efficient measures to establish Christianity among
the nations, and who imparted to the first preachers
of the gospel all the powers necessary to accomplish
the high design of their commission, as the apostles
of salvation.
^52 SERMON xriii.
This passage of scripture therefore must be a
suitable text for the consideration of the fourth fun*
damental article of the Calvinistick system of the-
ology, viz.
4, " All whom God has predestinated unto life,
he is pleased, in his own time, effectually to call by
his word and spirit, out of the state of sin and death
in which they were by nature, to grace and salvation
by Jesus Christ."
The proposition now stated necessaril}'^ results
from the previous parts of the system of Calvin. If
all men be totally depraved in consequence of Adam's
sin ; if they be naturally incapable of any religious
act; if God elected only a particular number to
salvation, and reprobated all others ; and if Christ
died only for the elect — it clearly follows, that to the
effectual calling and sanctification of the elect, the
irresistible operations of the Divine Spirit are neces=
sary. But if this proposition be indeed a Christian
truth, the plain inference is, that men, in a state of
nature, have no religious act to perform. Duty ex-
tends not beyond the natural power of the agent.
On this scheme, what motive can consistently be
applied to the sinner, to induce him to the use of
means in the concerns of salvation ? But the ob-
servations made in former discourses have a direct
bearing on the connected positions of Calvinism ;
and I shall not repeat them. In handling our sub-
ject, I shall adopt a course which I trust will be
more useful, viz.
1. To state the measures which God has been
pleased to adopt for the salvation of men, without
regard to human views or endeavQurs.
SERMON XVIK. 253
2. To state the agency which the scriptures as-
sign to men in the Christian plan of salvation.
3. To define the nature of conversion, or de-
scribe the change which takes place in the character
of the sinner, who is effectually called.
1. To state the measures which God has been
pleased to adopt for the salvation of men, without
regard to human views or endeavours.
All men, who read the bible, will admit that the
sacred writers ascribe the salvation of man, at least
in part, to the grace and mercy of God, without any
regard to the moral agency or moral goodness of man
himself. — " God so loved the world," says, St.
John, (lii. 16) " that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life." The language of St.
Paul is full on this point. (Rom. v. 8.) " God
commendeth his love towards us, in that while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love
wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead
in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,
and hath raised us up together, and hath made us
sit together in Christ Jesus, that in ages to come he
might show the exceeding riches of his grace in
his kindness towards us through Jesus Christ. For
by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not
of yourselves, it is the gift of God ." Eph. ii. 4— 8.
From these and many other passages of the bible,
it is evident that the plan of our salvation origi-
nated in the goodness of God, and that he sent his
Son, Jesus Christ, in his mercy into our world to
proclaim to us the glad tidings of peace and life,
254 8ERM0N XVIII.
without any consideration of works of righteousness
in men themselves. From these passages and
others which bear a language like our text — *' Not
that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing,
as of ourselves — our sufficiency is of God," — " It
is God who worketh in you to will and to do of his
good pleasure." (Phil. ii. 13.) Many have adopt-
ed the opinion that the best works of man have no
connexion with their acceptance in the sight of
God; that their justification depends in no degree
on their own endeavours. The whole business of
salvation, they imagine, is accomplished by the sove-
reign and irresistible grace of God. According
to their representation, men are no more agents in
the persoiial preparation for heaven, than they were
in the establishment of the general conditions of
salvation. But this statement of the doctrine of
divine acceptance to me appears to be inconsistent
with other passages of the New Testament which
will be introduced under the next head of our
discourse ; and the texts brought to support the
position in tlieir apparent sense teach a doctrine
far more congruous with our most enlightened ap-
prehensions of a perfect moral government.
God is the father as well as the judge of man-
kind. All the blessings which we receive from
him as the creator and the benevolent parent and
friend of his rational offspring — all flow from his
goodness and mercy. God receives no profit from
our services. In justice we can have no claim pn
him. For our existence, and for all the enjoyments
of the present life, we are under obligations of grat-
itude.
SERMON xvm. 255
In the natural world, men have consistent notions
of their dependence on Heaven. They ail readily
acknowledge that in God they live, move, and have
their being. At the same time, our labours are
made necessary for the attainment of the purposes
of the life that now is. Did men carry the same
ideas into the moral world, they might form clear
perceptions of their dependence on God in the con-
cerns of their salvation : they might fully under-
stand what God has already accomplished for our
immortal happiness, and what we must do to pre-
pare ourselves for it.
We are absolutely dependent on God for the
whole plan of salvation, and for all the means and
assistance with which we are favoured, as men and
as Christians. God, in his benevolence, appointed
his Son to be our saviour ; and with him he grants
us all things pertaining to godliness and life eternal.
It is of divine goodness that we are called to knowl-
edge and virtue, to glory and immortality ; that ex-
ceeding great and precious promises are made us ;
that we are placed in a situation the most favourable
to form habits of Christian piety and virtue, as the
necessary preparation for the happiness of an im-
mortal state. It is of divine mercy that pardon is
extended to the repenting sinner, and that our weak
and imperfect services are accepted as a compliance
with the conditions of salvation.
Every intelligent, moral being is under obliga-
tions to act agreeably to the law of his nature ; and
for every wilful offence he may justly be punished.
But when men had sinned against God, he consti-
tuted Jesus Christ the mediator of a covenant of
256 SERMON %nit
grace and mercy, that sinners through him might
obtain pardon and life. Christ appeared on earth
to announce to a guilty world the terms of pardon
and favour ; to instruct men^in all truth pertaining
to life eternal ; to teach them every moral duty ; to
propose the remission of sin on repentance, and to
promise eternal life on the condition of faith and
obedience.
Christ has cast light through the valley of death,
and made the path to heaven plain for all who are
disposed tO walk in it. In his own life he has giv-
en the brightest exemplification of the virtues and
graces of his religion. His requisitions are adapted
to our present powers and condition of being. He
has established institutions fitted to inspire us with
zeal, and to animate our diligence and fortify our
resolution in the maintenance of the character of his
disciple ; he has prortiised us all necessary assist-
ance to enable us to comply with the part assigned
us in the business pertaining to immortal life and
immortal glory. These benefits and advantages of
Christianity apply to all men indiscrimiinately. Men
have one Father, even God : Christians have one
Master, even Christ. Christianity is addressed to
all the nations and all the generations of men. All
men are invited to attend to the manifestation of
divine power, wisdom and goodness in the estab-
lishment of our religion, that they may profess their
faith in its divine origin ; and to all true professors
equal assistance, supportj ahd favour are promised.
The New Testament contains not the least intima-
tion that the benefits and privileges of Christianity
were designed only for a particular description of
SERMON XVIH. J257
jseople, and that others are necessarily- excluded
from them. The commission which Christ gave
to his apostles was delivered in the most general
language, and nothing appears to limit its significa-
tion. The conduct of the apostles proves that
they understood the order of their Master literally,
when he directed them and their successors to
preach the gospel to every man. All the above
benefits and privileges flow from the free grace and
mercy of God.
The world of mankind, having subjected them-
selves to the dominion of sin, could lay no claim to
the rewards of virtue in a future state. In the ser-
vice of the best of men there is not merit which
God in justice must reward. God was under no
moral obligation to instruct men^ who had pervert-
ed their reason and abused their liberty, by revela-
tion, in the nature of true religion ; to propose to
them pardon and salvation through the medium of
a new covenant, and to favour them with distin-
guished advantages as the means of a moral prepa-
ration for endless happiness in the kingdom of heav-
en. But God, in his benevolence and mercy, was
pleased to confer these inestimable blessings on the
family of man. It pleased him to make his own
Son the mediator of them. For these glorious
manifestations of divine grace and mercy, we are
under the most sacred obligations of love and grati-
tude to God.
But these benefits and privileges do not include
the salvation of all men. All men are interested in
them. By Jesus Christ, all men are redeemed from
25S Sermon xvih.
the dominion of death, and are placed in a state of
probation, candidates for immortal life, on the most
gracious conditions. The privileges of the gospel
are common to the whole human family. By the
Christian dispensation, Jew and Gentile, bond and
free are made one» In this respect no difference is
made between nominal and real disciples. All are
entitled to equal benefits, and are put in possession
of equal external advantages. But the sacred
writers make a great difference between sincere
Christians and hypocritical professors. The king-
dom of heaven, said our Saviour, is like a net that
was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind j
which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat
down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast
the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world.
The angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked
from the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire ;.
there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
This passage of scripture, will, I should suppose,
bear only the following comment. The Christian
dispensation is designed for the whole human race,
and all men are favoured with its privileges and
assistance. In these respects God appears as a
common parent, and bestows his favours alike on
all. But in the issue of the divine administrations,
when the works of men shall be brought into judg-
ment, then will God their judge, make a difference
between hypocritical and sincere professors, — be-
tween those who hold the truth in unrighteousness,
and they who maintain faith and a good conscience.
The obedient Christian will be admitted to those
heavenly mansions, which Christ has gone to pre-
SERMON XVIIf. 259
pare in his Father's house for his real disciples ; the
disobedient professor will be punished with ever-
lasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.
In the allusion to the marriage feast, there is also
the clearest representation made of the moral pur-
poses of God towards the children of men. The
Jews, who were first favoured with divine revelai-
tion, for their abuse of it, were rejected ; and the
privileges of the Christian institution were extended
to all nations of the earth, and to the individuals of
every nation. These are all the free gifts of God :
they flow from divine goodness and mercy. But
among the invited guests, there was one who had
not on the wedding garment : he was destitute of
the necessary qualifications for the enjoyment of
heaven. When charged with a want of these qual-
ifications, he was speechless : conscious that his de-
ficiency was criminal, he was unable to make any
justification ; convicted in his own mind, he answer-
ed not, but silently submitted to the sentence of
expulsion. These representations to me fully prove
that the blessings of the gospel which are grant-
ed to mankind through the mediation and ministry
of Jesus Christ, and which flow wholly from the
grace and mercy of God, without any consideration
of works of righteousness performed by men, con-
sist in religious and moral instruction — in the prom-
ise of the pardon of the penitent sinner-— in the assist-
ance provided for those of an honest mind and teach-
able temper ; and in the assurance of future happi-
ness to al), who under these means acquire habits of
piety and virtue. In a word, these consist in the
privileges and benefits which have been enumerat-
260 SERMON XVIII.
ed ; but to render these Christian means of salvation
effectual, they must be improved. All those passa-
ges of the New Testament, which speak of Christ
as bearing our transgression, being a propitiation
for our sins, being our righteousness, &c. are de*
scriptive of the methods which God has adopted,
through the ministrations of Christ Jesus to deliver
us from the habit and the guilt of sin.
SERMON XIX.
EYANGELICAL OBEDIENCE NECESSARY TO SALVATION.
PHILIPPIANS ii. 12, 13.
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling ;
for it is God who worketh in you both to wiU and to do
ofUssoo,,Ua.ure. ^
YOU will recollect that I proposed reviewing
the fourth article of the Calvinistick creed under
three distinct propositions. The second of these
is the subject of our present discourse, viz.
2. To state the agency which the scriptures
assign to men in the Christian plan of salvation.
Salvation is placed within the attainment of every
individual of the human family. God, who gave
existence to man, designed that existence as a bless-
ing, and he grants every degree of power and in-
struction necessary to enable him to obtain the
happiness presented to his contemplation, as the re-
ward of his virtuous efiforts. By the mediation and
ministry of Jesus Christ, every thing has been ac-
complished for our salvation which is consistent
with our intellectual and moral natures. Our
Father in heaven has, by his Son, redeemed us from
^62 SERMON XIX.
the bondage of sin and the empire of death. He
hath clearly instructed us in our duty, and promised
to support us under all its conflicts. He invites,
he persuades, he commands us to obey his laws,
that we may be happy. While men were sinners,
God appointed his own Son to be their saviour, and
of his own goodness taught us the path of life ; yet
he treats us as the subjects of a moral government ;
and when he shall judge the secrets of men by Je-
sus Christ, he will reward thern according to their
works.
Though Jesus has called us to life eternal, made
us partakers of the privileges of the sons of God,
and adopted us into his family ; yet if we abuse the
privileges of children, and hold the truth in un-
righteousness, we shall be excluded from the future
kingdom of God. To make our calling and elec-
tion sure, we must imbibe the temper of the gos-
pel, and in practice give an exemplification of the
virtues and graces of our religion. As a prepara-
tion for heaven, we must be formed to a likeness of
the character of the Divine Author of our religion.
When we seriously attend to the passages of scrip-
ture which make this improvement of our Christian
privileges essential to salvation, we shall perceive a
perfect harmony between them and those passages
which represent salvation to be the free gift of God.
Besides the places in the New Testament, in which
the sacred writers expressly treat of the day of
judgment, and in which they most explicitly de-
clare that men shall be judged according to their
works, I might mention particularly the parabLs
of the Virgins, and the Talents. These and mobt
SERMON XIX. 263
of the lectures of our Saviour were intended to il-
lustrate the moral condition of mankind under his
reign, and they all show the necessity of improving
the means of religion to secure its rewards ; they
all state that the privileges of the gospel are freely
granted, and that all men are invited to lay hold on
life eternal. The invitation of the gospel is univer-
sal. " Ho I every one that thirsteth ; come ye to
the waters of life. He that hath no money, come
ye, buy and eat ; yea come, buy wine and milk with-
out money and without price." All men are en-
dowed with a capacity for improvement in rational
and moral life : all who possess the gospel are alike
favoured by its instruction and assistance j and yet
we are in the clearest manner informed that at the
coming of Christ to judgment, some of his nominal
disciples will be made heirs of tlie heavenly inher-
itance, and others banished from the kingdom of
God. The reason of this difference rests with men
themselves. Some in the state of probation wisely
improve the means of knowledge, piety, and virtue,
and thereby qualify themselves for the happiness of
heaven ; others pass the period of their probation
without improvement, and in the day of account
they will be found destitute of the qualifications of
the Christian character ; they will therefore be con-
demned, and their punishment aggravated in pro-
portion to the extent of means which they abused.
Men, in different proportions, possess the powers
of intellectual and free agents ; and hereafter an ac-
count will be required of the manner in which each
talent has been managed. Men differ in their in-
tellectual and moral faculties, and individuals must
264 SERMON XLf .
account only for talents comniitted to their manage-
ment. Men are accountable for what they have^-
and not for what they have not. Their future re-
wards will be proportioned to attainments actually
made under their respective circumstances.
To all observations of this nature, some may re-
ply — Moral preparations are indeed absolutely re.-
quisite for salvation. No one will be admitted to
heaven, who in the present world is not conformed
to the image of God. Men must become the
children, before they can be made the heirs of God.
The very question is—^Can they of themselves ac-
quire the necessary qualifications for heaven ? Can
they, in their own power, form in their souls the
image of their Creator ? I answer, We possess
nothing which we did not receive ; and if we re-
ceived all our powers from God, why should wc
glory as though we received them not ? The pre-
tence to independent power or agency in a creature
is preposterous. But our Maker formed us free
moral agents, and he has appointed the method by
which the true end of our existence may be obtain-
ed. God has fitted the earth to yield its increase
for the present support of man, and he prospers the
tiller of the ground in his labours ; but he who
labours not during seed time, will not gather in the
appointed weeks of harvest. God in mercy has, by
Jesus Christ, promised eternal life to all, who by a
patient continuance in the ways of well doing, seek
for glory, honour and immortality ; but they who
do not comply with the condition, can have no
claim to the reward. Be not deceived : God is not
mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he
SERMON XIX, 265
jilso reap ; he that sovveth to the flesh, shall of the
flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth to the
spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting ; and
let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season
we shall reap, if we faint not.
The plan of the gospel was adopted to remedy
the effects of the apostacy. Its conditions are suit-
ed to the powers of man in his present state. The
gospel views man in all his weakness, and its re=
quisitions are fitted to his actual ability.
Neither writers on the terms of salvation by Je-
sus Christ, nor Christians generally in their inqui-
rieis on this subject, seem to have sufficiently attend-
ed to this consideration. The question is not^
whether man has the power to yield sinless obedi-
ence to a perfect law, and thereby to entitle himself
to the reward, which the law provides for services
which are absolutely perfect ; but whether man
has the power to comply w^th those conditions
of divine acceptance which Christ has established.
The gospel removes those impediments, that ob-
structed the path of man in his course to the goal,
at which he was to receive the rewards of obedi-
ence. Christianity in its very nature is remedial :
it presupposes defection in man : it was established
after the degradation of the human race, and all its
requirements are suited to their present condition.
When the scriptures assert that where sin abound-
ed grace did more abound, it is an impeachment
of the wisdom as well as the goodness of God, to
say, that the remedy provided by the gospel for the
effects of the apostacy is not complete ; that the new
34
266 SERMON XIX.
order of government is not suited to the capacity of
its subjects. Are the administrations of God inad-
equate to their designed purpose ? Can the meas-
ures of his adoption fail of reaching the intended ob-
ject ? Impossible. The gospel is altogether calcu-
lated for man with his present powers of action ;
and he is as capable of complying with its demands,
as Adam originally was to comply with the requi-
sitions of the first law. The supposition that man
is unable to comply with the conditions of accept-
ance with his Maker, reflects the highest dishonour
on the wisdom, the benevolence, and the justice of
God. If I be a father, says God, where is mine
honour ? If God be a father, shall we attribute to
him that governtment over his femily, which to im-
pute to any earthly parent would be considered as
affrontive ? Shall we make God, not merely likcy
but worse than men ?
When we represent the Christian dispensation tO'
be adapted to the human capacity, and requiring from
men a service they possess the power to perform ;
when we state that God grants all the well-disposed
subjects of his government the assistance which is
suited to the capacity of an accountable being, and
at the same time requires them to co-operate with
him, by the proper exercise of the strength he has
given them — we attribute to God the glory of an af-
fectionate parent, the glory of a merciful and be-
nevolent governour, and a just and righteous judge.
But when we describe God as a being, wlio does
not adapt the constitution of his government to the
capacities of his creatures, who are the subjects of
it ; who forces some, by his own irresistible power,
SERMON XIX. 267
to obey his laws, and then loves and rewards them
for this forced obedience ; while he denies his aid
to the majority of his family, who can make no ef-
fectual effort without his special assistance ; and
hates them for lying in the impotence, where he
placed them, aiul decreed that they should lie ; and
at last punishes them with everlasting misery for
not doing that, which he determined they never
should do, and detiied them the power to accom-
plish — then we ascribe to God the glory, if any glo-
ry, of a despotick, cruel being ; the glory of a tyrant,
who makes to himself favourites from the mere dic-
tates of a capricious mind ; who loves and hates his
subjects from blind prejudice ; who rewards and
punishes them without any regard to intrinsick worth
of character. Far be this imputation from our bles-
sed God. Far be it from God that he should do
iniquity, and from the Almighty that he should per-
vert justice. The works of a man he will render
unto him, and cause every man to find according to
his ways. i
Does it not then appear, that the Calvinistick
doctrine of effectual calling is opposed to the plain-
est declarations of scripture, and to the clearest dic-
tates of reason ?
To the satisfactory illustration of our subject, it
is now, I trust, only necessary to notice one or two
objections that may be raised against the general
representations made.
It may perhaps be said, that the argument ad-
duced to prove the efficiency of Christianity, to
remedy the effects of the apostacy, if admitted, will
prove the universal salvation of men. The
268 SERMON XIX.
doctrine of universal salvation, will, by the leave of
Providence, be particularly considered at some fu-
ture time. For the present purpose, I answer — Man
is the subject of a moral government : he is an ac-
countable being. His acceptance with God is sus-
pended on the wise exercise of his free and active
powers. Christianity places all men in a state of
salvation ; but it does no violence to the moral abil-
ity of man. It suits its requirements to the pres-
ent abilities of human nature ; and it makes human
endeavours necessary to qualify men for the enjoy-
ment of its final rewards. In one word, man, on
the Christian plan, is a candidate for the happiness
which flows from a good disposition, and from hab-
its of piety and virtue ; and they alone of the hu-
man family are qualified for salvation, who in such
a manner improve the means of the gospel, as to
form that disposition, and establish these habits.
Others may say, that the ability above ascribed to
man, in his religious duty, is irreconcileable with
those passages of scripture which refer to divine
influence in the formation of the human character to
Christian piety and virtue. To this objection, I re-
ply.— Those influences are applied to the moral na-
ture of man, and are consistent with the free exer-
cise of his intellectual and moral power. These
aids we are gratefully to receive as a part of the gra-
cious provisions of the gospel. For our encour-
agement in the important business of this world, we
have the promise of God to assist and to succeed
our honest endeavours. He has promised that seed-
time and harvest shall never fail. Though our ex-
ertions have no efficiency in vegetation, yet our
SERMON XIX. 269
sowing is made indispensable to the blessings of
harvest. For our encouragement in the concerns
of moral life, though we can merit nothing by
our works, yet God in his mercy has gracious-
ly promised eifectual aid to all those, who with
earnestness engage in the business of life eternal.
Without our own endeavours, we may not expect
that the moral purpose of our probation will be ac-
complished. If we ourselves are serious, diligent,
and persevering in the endeavour to work out our
own salvation, we have the assurance that the
strength of God will be made perfect in our weak-
ness, and that finally we shall be found of our Judge
in peace, without spot and blameless, and shall be
crowned with the wreath of immortality.
1 close, with one or two general reflections.
1. The gracious provisions of the gospel fully
manifest the goodness and mercy of our God ; and
these furnish the highest motives for gratitude, love
and obedience in us. God is the parent of our
lives, and the author of all our blessings. He be-
stows his favours in the most disinterested manner,
and with the same parental regard beholds all the
members of the human family. By his son Jesus
Christ he has provided a remedy for the pollutions
of guilt, instructed us in the duties of life, and
promised to support his dutiful children under all
the trials of the world ; and to conduct them to hon-
our, glory, and immortality in heaven. These bles-
sings, when realized, must move the hearts of every
individual who will seriously reflect on them, and
raise him above the follies and vices of the present
state.
270 SERMON XIX.
When the Christian diligently studies tlie gospel,
he will find tK^t it is fitted to enkindle the flame of
gratitude and devotion in his breast, and to lead him
X to a life of piety, righteousness and sobriety. When
he impartially attends to the writings of the evan-
gelists and apostles, he will perceive that they uni-
formly apply the instructions and motives of the
gospel to these important purposes.
2. From our subject we learn, that it is not tt
small and uncertain number, who are by Jesus Christ
freed from the bondage of sin and death, while the
majority of mankind are doomed by a sovereign de-
cree to guilt and wretchedness. The declarations of
the gospel are widely different. In it men are dis-
suaded from sin by a view of the terrors of future
condemnation ; they are animated to the perform-
ance of Christian duty by a promise of assistance
and reward. The proposals of salvation are not
limited. We may then all with the highest confir
dence rest our hopes on God ; for though we can
have no claim on his justice, yet his merciful prom-
ise gives us the highest possible security. If we
perform faithfully the part assigned us in our salva-
tion, we may be assured that God will be mindful
of his covenant, and will reward our labours with
the crown of immortal life.
Let us then, my Christian brethren, partakers of
the heavenly calling, not satisfy ourselves with the
exclamation of Lord, Lord ; but may we also be
careful to do the things, which Jesus has command-
ed us. Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, let
us live soberly, righteously and pio^^ly in this pres-
ent world.
SERMON XX.
©N CONVERSION,
JOHN iii. 3.
V^erUy, verily, I say wnto thee, except a man he horn again^
he cannot see the kingdom of God.
THE third proposition under the fourth article
of the Calvinistick creed, is our present subject^
viz. —
3. To define the nature of conversion, or de-
scribe the change which takes place in the character
©f the sinner, who is effectually called.
The declaration contained in our text was made
by our Saviour to Nicodemus. He had seen the
mighty works of Jesus, and was by them convinced
of his divine mission. Not possessing resolution
publickly to profess him as the Messiah, he came
to him by night for religious instruction. Our text
is the reply to a question of this inquisitive but
wavering Pharisee. The Pharisees made external
rites and forms the essence of religion. Our
272 SfiRMOTf XX.
Saviour informed Nicodemus, that, to become his
disciple, a man like the Pharisees must change his
opinions, his disposition, and practice. Tiie great
body of the Jews and Gentiles were so corrupt,
that he who was renovated to the spirit and habits
of pure religion, might, by an apt figure, be said to
be born again.
The sense of our text is fully expressed by the
apostle Peter. *' God hath given us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowl-
edge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue ;
whereby are given unto us exceeding great and
precious promises j that by these ye might be par-
takers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust."*
In the consideration of our subject, I shall,
1. Inquire into the scriptural meaning of the
term. Conversion,
2. Review some passages of the New Testa-
ment, which describe the requisite qualifications of
the Christian character in other phraseology than
conversion, or regeneration.
3. State the proof that may satisfy men that
they are Christians, and are prepared for the re-
wards which God, in his munificence, has provided
for the faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.
1. To inquire into the scriptural meaning of the
term. Conversion.
In the New Testament, the term Conversion is
sometimes used to express the change from one re-
ligion to another. " Paul and Barnabas declared
the conversion of the Gentiles." They renounced
* 2 Peter, i, 3, 4,
SERMON XX. 273
Paganism, and embraced Christianity. Conversion
in this sense may be a change merely of opinion,
and not of the heart. In the history of the bible,
instances occur of individuals who were good men
before this change ; and of others, who after it were
sinners. Cornelius, before his conversion to Christ-
ianity, was " a devout man : he feared God, gave
much alms to the people, and prayed to God al-
way.'* Simon Magus was converted to the Christ-
ian faith : he believed and was baptized ; yet, after
this, St. Peter pronounced him to be in the gall of
bitterness and bond of iniquity. Conversion, in this
sense, has no reference to those who are educated
under the institutions of the gospeL
In the epistles of the New Testament addressed
to converted heathen, the writers, particularly St.
Paul, make frequent allusion to their former state
of ignorance, superstition, and sin. To the Ephe-
sians, Paul remarks — " You hath he quickened^
who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in
time past, ye walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience."* That the apostle here alludes to
the corruptions of their Gentile state, from which
they were reclaimed by the gospel, is evident ; for
he observes, that, before their conversion, they
were *' Gentiles in the flesh, without Christ, aliens
from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers
from the covenant of promise ; having no hope, and
* Eph. H. Ij 2.
35
274 SERMON XX.
without God in the world. But now, in Christ
Jesus, ye, who sometimes were far ofF, are made
nigh by the blood of Christ ; for he is our peace,
who hath made both one, and hath broken down
the middle wall between us. Now, therefore," he
adds, " ye are no more strangers and foreigners,
but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the
household of God."* The difference between the
religious condition of Gentiles and Christians is so
great, that observations made respecting the former
will not apply to the latter. The Gentiles enter-
tained unworthy apprehensions of the Deity ; they
were confused in their opinions respecting a future
state, and were almost destitute of motives to piety
and virtue. Christians are made acquainted with
the character and government of God ; they are
called, by the clearest instruction and the most
persuasive motives, to knowledge and virtue, to
glory and immortality. Wickedness in Christ-
ians is therefore threatened with punishment ag-
gravated in degree, proportionate to their superiour
means of improvement.
Let us attend to the general meaning of the sac-
red writers, when they speak of the conversion of
the sinner.
To render men meet for the rest of saints in the
kingdom of light, the dominion of sin must be sub-
dued, the love of God implanted in the heart, and,
where opportunity is afforded, a habit of Christian
piety and virtue formed. Without these qualifica-
tions, men are not fitted for the employments or the
happiness of heaven. Some suppose that the
*Eph. ii. 11—14, 19.
SERMON XX. 275
change from the blindness and the dominion of sin
to the light and the power of godliness, is instantly
produced in the human mind. Some even require
that the patient should be able to describe the sever-
al stages of conviction, and state the moment of the
new birth. I find no support for this doctrine
in the bible, fn itself, I apprehend it to be very
erroneous, and, in its consequences, extremely dan-
gerous. It is dangerous, because he who supposes
that a man is instantaneously fitted for heaven by
the irresistible operations of the Divine Spirit, is
apt to impute the mere movements of animal nature
to heavenly influence, and to mistake the excite-
ment of his passions for conversion. When an in-
dividual of an ardent imagination can persuade him-
self that he has experienced this sudden change, he
deems himself secured from offences which will
hazard his salvation ; and from his holy mount, he
looks down upon his fellow-beings who have less
assurance than himself, as upon a blind and repro-
bate world. He forms a judgment of the Christian
attainments of men, not from their practices, which
are open to his inspection, but from internal opera-
tions, which are hidden from human view, and to
which the wild enthusiast or the artful hypocrite
oftener lays claim, than the man of a sound mind
and pure heart. He who can persuade himself that
he has been instantaneously converted, supposes his
title to heaven to be sure ; and if he fall into heinous
sins, he considers them as mere frailties of human
nature, and not offences which are a forfeiture of
the Christian character. A person of this descrip-
tion is prone to cherish vanity and spiritual pride ;
^276
SERMON XX.
and too often he in an imchristian manner can-
sures those, who from diffidence are restrained
from rising to his lofty pretensions. The case of
St. Paul may, perhaps, be mentioned as an instance
of instantaneous conversion. But this case cannot
be applied to men generally. He was appointed
by God to be the distinguished apostle of the Gen-
tiles, and a miracle was wrought in his favour. His
conversion was from a mistaken notion of the Jew-
ish religion to a consistent belief of Christianity.
He informs us, that as a Jew, he had lived in all
good conscience before God ; and that, even in his
persecution of Christians, he thought he was doing
God service. In this transaction he was inflamed
by an honest, though mistaken zeal. In what de-
gree he was culpable in rejecting the proof of the
divine mission of Jesus Christ, till conviction in a
miraculous manner was forced upon him, is not
our province to determine. But clearly the differ-
ence between Paul, who was actuated by an honest
though erroneous zeal, and the man who wilfully
and habitually violates the commands of God, is so
great, that no comparison can be made between
them. After his conversion to Christianity, this
apostle declared — " I count not myself to have ap-
prehended ; but this one thing I do, I press toward
the mark for the prize of the high calling of God
in Christ Jesus."* Contemplating his danger, he
forms a solemn resolution to persevere, lest having
been a preacher of the gospel, he should himself
be a cast-away. It does not then appear, that Paul
rested on his instantaneous conversion, and thought
himself thereby assured of heaven,
* Phil. iii. 13, 14.
SERMON xs. 277
Our text has often been adduced in proof of the
doctrine of instantaneous conversion. But does it
support the position ? Nicodemus at first under-
stood our Saviour in a literal sense ; but the sub-
sequent verses show that the language is figurative,
and illustrate the meaning of the passage. " Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of
water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the king-
dom of God." Unless a man, under the influence
of the Spirit of God, be formed to moral purity, he
cannot enter my kingdom, of which baptism by
water is the initial sign.-—" That which is born of
the flesh, is flesh ; and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit." Was it possible for a man to be
born literally a second time, he still would be born
a man, and would mind animal things ; but he who
is born of the Spirit is formed into a likeness of the
divine image, and he regards his spiritual, his moral
improvement. " Marvel not that I said unto thee,
ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where
it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but
canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it
goeth : so is every one that is born of the Spirit."
The wind is not visible, nor can its origin be ex-
plored ; but its effects are apparent : and in moral
life, the influences of the Spirit are not to be dis-
cerned by us ; but when cherished, their fruits are
evident. In reHgious concerns, you cannot distin-
guish between the influence of the Spirit of God
and the suggestions of your own minds. But
though you be not certain that particular feelings
and actions originated in divine impulse, yet if you
perceive that the love of vice is subdued in your
278 SERMON XX.
hearts, and you be conscious of a sincere endeav-
our to live in the habitual exercise of all Christian
graces and virtues, you may with safety rest in the
persuasion, that the influences of the Divine Spirit
have been effectually cherished.
The Jews were accustomed to immerse in water
a convert from paganism to their religion. They
considered this change as being born again, and de-
nominated the proselyte a new man.* The knowl-
edge of this custom enables us to perceive the
force of the question of our Saviour to Nicodemus —
*' Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these
things ?"
Conversion, in the scriptural sense of the phrase,
signifies a change of the mind, placing the affec-
tions on new objects, altering the conduct, adopt-
ing a new course of life. The sinner, in his con-
version, loses his fondness for vice, and acquires
the love of goodness. In the original language,
the same word which in our translation is rendered
convert, or conversion, is frequently used to express
the action of a man turning himself about, altering
the course of his steps, going out of one path into
another. That every reader may judge of the
correctness of this remark, I will mention a num-
ber of places, where the same Greek word ex-
presses these several affections and actions. Matt,
xiii. 15, our Saviour, speaking of the Jews, repeats
the prophecy of Isaiah — '* This people's heart is
waxed gross, and their eyes they have closed, lest
at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear
with their ears, and should understand with their
* See Goadby'a illustration, and Whitby on John iii. 3, &c.
SERMON XX. 279
hearts, and should be converted, and I should heal
them." The word here translated converted, is the
same, the difFerence of mode and tense excepted,
which in Luke xvii. 31, is rendered return. — " He
that is in the field, let him likewise not return back."
The same word is used in Acts xxvi. 18, and
translated to turn to — " To turn them from dark-
ness to light." In Matt, xviii. 3, we read, " Jesus
said, Except ye be converted, and become as little
children." The word here translated converted, is,
in Luke xiv. 25, rendered turned, that is, to turn
the body—-" Great multitudes were with him ; and
he turned, and said unto them," In Acts iii. 19,
Peter exhorts his hearers to repent and be convert-
ed. The word here translated converted, in 2 Cor.
iii. 16, is rendered turn — " When it shall turn to
the Lord." In 2 Peter ii. 21, the same word is
rendered turn from — " It had been better for them
not to have known the way of righteousness, than,
after they have known it, to turn from the holy
commandment delivered unto them. _ In these
passages the same word is translated to be convert-
ed, to turn the body, to turn to the Lord, and to
turn away from him, or from his holy command-
ment. In James v. 19, 20, this apostle observes —
*' Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and
one convert him, let him know, that he who con-
verteth a sinner from the errour of his way, shall
save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude
of sins." The word rendered convert and convert-
eth, in 2 Peter ii. 22, is rendered turned — " It has
happened unto them according to the true proverb,
The dog is turned to his own vomit again."
280 SERMON XX.
Other examples might be adduced j but these
are sufficient, I trust, to show that coaversion, or
regeneration, in the New Testament, means a change
of the affections from vicious to virtuous objects,
altering the course of one's life, the formation of
Christian habits. The man who has given an un-
controlled indulgence to irregular passions, and
formed habits of vice, under divine influence cor-
rects the disordered affections of his mind, and sub-
dues the corrupt propensities of his heart. He
ceases to do evil, and learns to do well. By the
diligent study of the truths, and by the serious ob-
servance of the directions of the gospel, he acquires
the qualifications of the Christian character. By
adding to his faith the graces and virtues of his re-
ligion, he makes his calling and election sure.
Having learned how he ought to walk and please
God, he abounds more and more in every good word
and work. From the commencement of the Christ-
ian life, he makes constant progress in the path of
goodness ; and with quickened steps he presses to-
wards the goal of perfection. Such is the conver-
sion and sanctification which the sacred writers
declare to be essential to our acceptance with God.
These are the attainments which are the moral pur-
pose of a probationary state. This purpose cannot
instantaneously be accomplished. Christian quali-
fications are slowly acquired.
Many providential occurrences may take place
to stop a sinner in his course of iniquity, and to in-
duce him to form the resolution to amend his life ;
but it requires time, care, and labour, to wean the
affections from vicious indulgences, to break the
SERMON XfX. 281
force of corrupt habits, t© enkindle in the heart the
love of religion, and to establish a disposition habit-
ually virtuous and holy.
From the preceding observations it will appear,
that the experiences of one man in his conversion
furnish no rule by which the Christian attainments
of another may be testedi This individual was
early taught the truths of the gospel. The seeds
of Christian piety and virtue were sown in his in-
fant mind, and, by the blessing of Heaven, these
were nourished, and yielded fruit. " Religious
principles grew with his growth, and were strength-
ened with his strength." His life from his youth,
though attended with weakness and infirmity, was
sober and virtuous ; he habitually lived in the fear
of God, and in view of a future judgment ; and his
hoary head in advanced life is a crown of glory, he
being found in the way of righteousness. This
man never experienced the compunctions and con-
flicts which the sinner in conversion experiences ;
his life was a continuous course of progressive im-
provements in Christian knowledge and virtue.
That individual was a profligate in youth ; he
early formed habits of vice^ and for years lived
in the wilful indulgence of the worst passions of
human nature. By some impressive dispensation
of Divine Providence, this abandoned character was
brought to serious reflection : death was placed in
near prospect before him : he pondered on the ret-
ributions of the final judgment, and was terrified
by the contemplation : his mind was overwhelmed
by a view of his impending destruction : Me keenly
36
282 SERMON XX.
felt the sting of an accusing conscience : his past
sins arose to his contemplation in all their turpitude
and guilt : he reflected upon the infinite blessings
which God has conferred on sinful men by Jesus
Christ ; and, in the bitterness of his sorrow that he
had neglected to embrace the offered salvation, he
cried to God for grace and mercy. By divine as-
sistance he is enabled to conquer his vicious habits,
and to bring forth fruit meet for repentance. At-
taining to an habitual state of piety and virtue, he
becomes prepared for heaven. This man, in the
attainment of the qualifications of the Christian
character, widely differs from the former. His
change was great, sudden and visible : he is able to
state the time of his conversion, and to give a his-
tory of the circumstances which attended it. Be-
tween these two characters, the experience of
Christians may differ through all the intermediate
grades of vice and virtue. Some individuals may
have been led to repentance by the threatenings of
the gospel, and others allured to the paths of Christ-
ian duty by its promises. The change in one
might have been sudden ; and in another it may
have been more gradually produced, as the effect of
reiterated instruction and entreaty. This man may
date his conversion from a given time, and that can
satisfy himself that he is a Christian only by a con-
sciousness that religion has an abiding effect upon
his temper and life.
In rehgion, men discover their constitutional
complexion. Men of a grave and sedate tempera-
ture do not in religion express that warmth of feel-
ing, nor in their devotions manifest the zeal and
SERMON X^. 283
fervour, which men of quick passions and ardent
minds express and display. As in the interchange
of common offices of good neighbourhood, and in
the intercourse of friendship, men of cool and re-
served dispositions do not make their declarations
of esteem and regard in those impassioned expres-
sions which are heard from those whose feelings
are more nice and more easily excited ; yet the
former may be as sincere, and in all instances of
trial may discover as great constancy, and by their
actions manifest as high effects of real friendship
and humanity. In like manner, amidst the con-
flicts of Christian virtue, men of cool and reserved
tempers may prove themselves as well grounded
and settled in their religion, discover as great
strength of moral principle, a!id in conduct display
as much of the spirit of the gospel, as persons of
more zealous and fervid minds.
2. To review some passages of the New Tes-
tament which describe the requisite qualifications
of the Christian character in other phraseology than
conversion, or regeneration.
The sacred writers describe the essential qualifi-
cations of the Christian character in various ways ;
but the several descriptions are in substance the
same. In some places the word faith is used to
express the principle of religion in the heart, and
its eflects upon the life. But faith, in this general
sense, consists not in the mere assent of the mind
to Christian truth, nor in the inefficacious applica-
tion of the merits of Christ to ourselves. Saving
faith works by love, purifies the heart, and over-
comes the world. The Christian must hold faith
284 SERMON XX.
and a good conscience ; and they who put away a
good conscience, make shipwreck of faith. " The
end of the Christian commandment is charity out
of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and faith
unfeigned."* In other places, repentance expresses
the qualification of the character which will be ac?
cepted as the disciple of Christ Jesus. " God to
the Gentiles granted repentance unto life,"t But
the essence of repentance consists not in mere sor-
row and humiliation. Effectually to repent, is to
subdue evil propensities, and to reform vicious
practices. Attend to the description which the
prophet gives of true repentance- — " Wash ye,
make ye clean ; put away the evil of your doings
from before mine eyes ; cease to do evil ; learn to
do well ; seek judgment ; relieve the oppressed ;
judge the fatherless ; plead for the widow." On
this condition the prophet assures the offender that
he shall be forgiven. " Come now, and let us rea-
son together, saith the Lord. Though your sins
be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow ; though
they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."$
" Paul showed first unto them of Damascus, and at
Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea,
and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and
turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. "§
In the epistle to the Galatians, St. Paul declares,
" In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any
thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh
by love." In the same epistle he afiirms-^" Nei-
ther circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircum-
cision, but a new creature." || In the first to the
* 1 Tim. i. 5, 19. t Acts xi. 18.
% Isaiah i. 16,, 17, 18. * Acts xxTi. 20. |1 Gal. v. 6 ; vi. 15.
SERMON XX, 285
Corinthians, he says, " Circumcision is irothing,
and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the
commandments of God."* And in the epistle tq
the Hebrews, he observes, " Christ, being made
perfect, became the author of eternal salvation to all
them who obey him."t In these places, the essen-
tial qaalifications of the Christian character are dif-
ferently expressed ; as by faith, the first principle
of the Christian life ; by the new birth, or the
change from vice to virtue ; by keeping the com-
mandments of God, or evangelical obedience. —
These several phrases convey the same meaning.
Wherever the inspired writers express the sum and
substance of religion by one leading principle of it,
they include all essential graces and virtues as its
fruits ; and where they express the whole of relig-
ion by some primary virtue, they always include
faith as its principle. The general term faith in-
cludes obedience ; and evangelical obedience im-
plies faith. The believing disciple, the humble
penitent, the converted man, the obedient Christian,
in scriptural phraseology, all delineate the same
character.
We shall be brought to the same result, if we
attend to those passages of the New Testament
which describe the properties of which a man, when
he becomes a Christian, divests himself, and the
properties which he acquires ; the practices which
he renounces, and the practices which he adopts.
The apostle Paul thus exhorts the Ephesian con-
verts — " That ye put off concerning the former
conversation the old man, which is corrupt accord-
* 1 Cw. vii. 19. t Heb. t. 9.
286 SERMON XX.
ing to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the
spirit of your minds ; and that ye put on the new
man, which after God is created in righteousness
and true holiness."* In the preceding verses, he
had observed — '* This I say and testify in the Lord,
that henceforth ye walk not as other Gentiles walk,
in the vanity of their mind, having the under-
standing darkened, being alienated from the life of
God through the ignorance that is in them, because
of the blindness of their heart; who, being past
feeling, have given themselves over unto lascivi-
ousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
But ye have not so learned Christ ; if so be that ye
have heard him, and have been taught by him as the
truth is in Jesus ; that ye put off," &c. Evidently,
then, the old man, which they were to put off, is a
vain mind and a lascivious practice, to which Gen-
tiles, through their blindness, gave themselves up
with greediness ; and the new man, which they were
to put on, is a conformity to the divine image, and
the practice of righteousness and Christian virtue.
A passage in the epistle to the Colossians fully ex-
plains the meaning of St. Paul in the use of the
term old and new man. — " Put off all these, anger,
wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out
of your mouths. Lie not one to another ; seeing
ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have
put on the new man, which is renewed in knowl-
edge, after the image of him. that created him. Put
on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind,
meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another,
* Eph. ir. 22, &c.
SERMON XX. 287
and forgiving one another; and, above all these
things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfect-
ness."* The direction here is, that Christians
should divest themselves of wicked inclinations, and
abstain from evil practices, which the apostle de-
nominates the old man ; and that they imbue their
minds with the spirit of the gospel, and give an ex-
emplification of the Christian virtues ; and these
the apostle styles the new man.
Under this branch of our subject, it is pertinent
to bring into view one or two passages of scripture,
which define the fruits of the Spirit, or describe the
effects of Christian principles, when, under divine
influence, they become operative upon the hearts
and lives of men. St. Paul, in his epistle to the
Galatians, says — " The fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, meekness, temperance."! In the paraphrase of
Dr. Macknight — " The fruit which reason, enlight-
ened by the spirit of God, produceth, is love to
God and man ; joy, occasioned by that excellent
affection ; peace with all men ; the patient bearing
of injuries ; a soft and complacent manner of speak-
ing ; a beneficent disposition ; fidelity in promises
and trusts ; calmness under provocation ; tempe-
rance in the use of meats and drinks." To the
Ephesians St. Paul observed — " The fruit of the
Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and
truth." In the above paraphrase — " The fruit of
the Spirit, by which ye are enlightened, consists in
doing all good offices to your neighbours, and in
* Col. iii. % 9, 10, 12, 13, 14. t Gal. v. 22, 33.
28 B SERMON XX.
righteousness in your dealings, and trudi in your
speeches."
No comments are necessary to show that the
fruits of the Spirit, in these passages, differ not ♦
from the moral virtues of the gospel. The man,
who cherishes divine influence, and yields Christian
fruit, is the man who rectifies the evil propensities
of his-heart, and establishes habits of Christian pie-
ty and virtue. Religion, to be effectual, must, as a
living principle, dwell in the heart of man, form his
disposition, and regulate his life.
3. To state the proofs which may satisfy men
that they are Christians, and are qualified for the
rewards which God, in his munificence, has pro-
vided for the faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.
By their improvements in the Christian life, may
men estimate their qualifications for heaven. If
they find that the power of sin is subdued in their
hearts, that tlieir evil propensities are mortified,
and that their religion produces the fruits of a good
life, then- they may ^be satisfied that they are pre-
pared for the rewards of heaven. Men are differ-
ently constituted, and it cannot therefore be expect-
ed that they should agree in speculative opinions,
or experience the same internal operations. But
they may be united in sincerity. Every man may
for himself determine whether it be his sincere
desire and habitual endeavour to do the will of
God, and to walk in the commandments of Jesus
Christ, blameless. If, on the examination of him-
self by this rule, the heart of an individual condemn
him not, then may he have confidence towards
God. The deficiencies and defects of the Christian
SERMON XX-. 289
should render bin), humble, and teach him his de-
pendence on the goodness and mercy of God,
But if the religion of Jesus be established in his
mind, it will induce him to discipline his passions,
to guard against the seductions of the world, and to
live soberly, righteously, and piously. He will ex-
perience satisfaction and delight in the cultivation
of the Christian temper, and in the exercise of the
virtues of the gospel. No man ought to consider
himself a real disciple of Jesus Christ, till he has
put off the spirit and the deeds of sin, and put
on the spirit and the deeds of righteousness. In
this high concern, every one must be his own
judge. The hearts of our fellow Christians are iiot
open to our inspection ; but each one may examine
his own. Every individual may determine whether
his religious observances be assumed to subserve
a worldly purpose, or whether he act from a regard
to the authority of God ; whether he obey merely
those precepts of his Divine Master which are con-
genial to his peculiar complexion of mind, and con-
ducive to present interest, or have respect to all the
commands of God ; whether he maintain only the
semblance of goodness in publick, or his religion
have its proper influence in private, and regulate
his thoughts as well as actions. If he be conscious
that religion has an abiding and universal influence
on his heart and life, then he has evidence within
his own mind that he is qualified to join the heav-
enly society.
On this foundation the apostles establish Christ-
ian hope. As men advance in the path of piety
N.37
290 SERMON XX.
and virtue, so may their hope of salvation increase j
and to that confirmed state of goodness may they
in the present state attain, that their hope may be
as an anchor to their souls, sure and steadfast.
It may prove an unfailing source of consolation
under the troubles of life, and raise them above the
fear of death. But still it is hope, not assurance.
These remarks are in conformity to the language
of inspiration. We are directed to put on " for an
helmet the hope of salvation."* We are exhorted
" not to be moved away from the hope of the gos-
pel."! We are informed, that through grace we
are made heirs according to the hope of eternal
life; J and we are directed to be diligent in the
work of the Lord, in the full assurance of hope un-
to the end.^ But St. Paul declares that hope does
not amount to assurance. *' We are," sajs he,
" saved by hope : but hope that is seen is not
hope ; for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope
for ? But if we hope for that we see not, then do
we with patience wait for it."|| That is, for the
object of which we are absolutely certain, we can-
not hope, hope being done away in knowledge ;
but when we hope for some probable good, we
may with patience wait the proper time of recep-
tion.
It is, then, vanity and presumption for Christ-
ians, in a probationary state to pretend to an assur-
ance of salvation. The promises of the gospel are,
indeed, absolutely certain to all who comply with
the conditions of them ; but there is danger,
* 1 Thess. V. 8. t Col. i. 23. j^ Tit. iii. 7.
i Heb. Ti. 11, 11 Rom, viii. 24, 25.
SERMON XX. 291
through every period of our probationary state,
that men will neglect to comply with the con-
ditions of salvation. No professed Christian can
be certain of his prize, till he has completed his
race, nor sure of his reward, till he has arrived
at his goal. It was at the close of his life, that St.
Paul triumphed in the prospect of an immediate pos-
session of the glorious wreath of immortality. " I
am now ready to be offered, and the time of my de-
parture is at hand. 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 right-
eousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall
give me at that day."* No man can with proprie-
ty adopt this language, till the decisive period shall
arrive. It is dangerous for men, amidst the temp-
tations of the world, to flatter themselves with a cer-
tainty of their salvation ; to entertain the supposi-
tion, that they are so effectually established in
Christian habits, that it is impossible they should
lose them. The rational hope of salvation is found-
ed on a consciousness of an habitual course of piety
and virtue. The hope of acceptance through Jesus
Clirist may increase in strength, in proportion to the
progress made in the path towards Christian per-
fection ; and if at the close of life men can with
truth afiirm, " Our rejoicing is this, the testimony
of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sin-
cerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of
God, we have had our conversation in the world, "f
then are they entided to that full assurance of hope,
which above is declared to be the portion of those
* 2 Tim. IT. 6, 7, §. f2 Cox. i. 1S„ .
292 SERMON XX.
who continue in the Christian course to the close of
life. But the snares and corruptions of the world
are many and great, and human resolutions are
weak. Who, then, among the disciples of Jesus
Christ, will dare solemnly to aver, There is no dan-
ger that I shall essentially fail in my duty as a can-
didate for immortality : I am absolutely sure of sal-
yatipn. This bold declaration must shock every
serious mind. The first consequence of it is, that
the future sins which this man may commit are not
strictly his ; and the next, that Christian liberty is
to sin with impunity. The hope which the gospel
warrants, as we have repeatedly observed; is found-
ed on a consciousness of a sincere and habitual en-
deavour to comply with the terms of salvation.
*' And every man that hath this hope in him purifi-
eth himself, even as he, (God) is pure."* The
hope of eternal life, thus founded, is the best sup-
port of man through all worldly vicissitudes : it will
lighten the pressure of worldly adversity ; increase
the enjoyment of every present blessing ; and ever
prove a powerful motive to the cultivation and ex-
ercise of Christian virtues. If we were destitute of
the hope of the gospel, the present life would often
be felt as a burden, and immortality contemplated
with dreadful apprehension. But Christian hope
removes atl objections which can be raised against
the present condition of man. It sustains the pi-
ous and good, under the conflict of death, and iiiu-
minates before them the path to the world of spirits.
Christians should guard ai^ainst despondency as
well as presumption. " There is joy in believing."
* 1 John iii. 3.
SEUMON XX. 29S
Persons of undoubted sincerity are sometimes sub-
jected to distressing fear?, because they are not con-
scious of having experienced religious exercises
similar to those of their brethren, whom they deem
to be Christians of exalted piety. But all who re-
jilize the efficacy of religion upon their tempers and
lives, may confide in the divine promise of accept-
ance through Jesus Christ, and may " rejoice with
joy unspeakable and full of glory."
CONCLUSION.
Though it be granted that the ministration of the
gospel of Jesus Christ, under the influences of the
Divine Spirit, produces its effects in a gradual man-
ner, and that men slowly acquire the qualifications of
the Christian character, yet it may be asked, is
there not a given point of improvement at which
they are fitted for the society of heaven, and, there-
fore, an instant of time at which they are convert-
ed ? Suppose there is — who has any interest in the
question ? None but the man who means to push
his religious assiduities till he shall rise to the low-
est degree of goodness which will be accepted, and
there stop. Little encouragement can be given to
this lukewarm disciple. Though there may be a
particular degree of Christian attainment necessary
to the acceptance of every individual disciple of
Jesus Christ, yet this degree cannot be fixed by any
general principle ; because individuals are under
obligations of intellectual and moral improvement,
in proportion to their natural talents and local ad-
vantages. Their acquisitions in Christian life must
294 SERMON %X.
be proportionate to the means afforded them. The
inquiry respecting the particular moment at which
the Christian improvements of an individual qualify
him for heaven, is like the question, At what point
of time does the night close, and the day begin ?
or, In the progress of human life, at what moment
does an individual cease to be a youth, and become
a man ?
May God grant us the spirit of truth, to lead us
into all truth pertaining to life eternal. May we
be found of our Judge in peace, without spot and
blameless ; and may an entrance be administered
unto us abundantly into the everlasting kingdom
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
SERMON XXI.
ON THE PERSEVERANCE OP SAINTS.
HEBREWS X. ?8.
Now the just shall live hy faith : hut if any man draw
hack, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
THE last' article in the Calvinistick confession
of faith is the subject of our review this morning,
yiz. —
5. "Those whom God has effectually called
and sanctified by his Spirit, shall never finally fall
from a state of grace,"
This position in theology might be opposed by
general arguments, drawn from the accountable
character of man, and from his sphere of action.
Man is the subject of moral government : the
present life is appointed as the period of his moral
education : one part of human life is as much pro-
bationary as another ; and at its close, the religious
character of man will be determined, and sentence
pronounced on him according to his works. The
promise of acceptance is made only to those who
296 SERMON xxi.
persevere in the ways of Christian piety, virtue, and
charity, to the close of their probation. In no pe-
riod of the present lii'e then does a man make
those Christian attainments, which raise him above
the danger of falHng into a fatal course of sin.
But the doctrine we are considering rests wholly
on scriptural authority. I shall therefore,
1. Review those passages of scripture which are
the most frequently adduced as proof of the perse-
verance of saints.
2. Examine those texts, that are thought to
prove that Christians may and have fatally fallen
into a course of habitual sin.
3. Consider several of those exhortations of the
sacred writers, which warn saints of the danger of a
fatal miscarriage, and animate them to steadfastness
and constancy.
1, To review those passages of scripture, which
are the most frequently adduced as proof of the
perseverance of saints*
Many passages of scripture are mentioned, which
are sup[X)sed to promise to the disciples of Jesus
Christ persevering grace. Several of these are
found in the gospel of John. " Whosoever drink-
eth of the water I shall give him, shall never
thirst ; but the water that I shall give him, shall be
in him a w^ell of water, springing up into everlasting
lifei,"^ This is figurative language ; and the obvi-
ous meaning of it is, that the instruction and assist-
ance which Jesus Christ grants to his disciples, are
suilicieiit to enlighten the honest nvind in all relig-
ious truth necessary for salvation, and to guide the
* John iv. 14.
SERMON XXL 297
sincere and diligent disciple in the patli of peace
and joy to the gate of heaven. Another passage
from the same gospel follows : — " This is the Fa-
ther's will» who hath sent me, that of all which he
has given me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up
at the last day."* The assurance here given is
not, that no disciple shall fall away ; but that nd
dihgent and persevering disciple shall fail of his
heavenly reward. Assuredly he will not. Christ
will certainly raise all his faithful followers from the
silence of the tomb to immortal life. . John has re-
corded the following observations of our Saviour —
" My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me ; and I give unto them eternal life ;
and they shall never perish, neither shall any man
pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which
gave them me, is greater than all ; and no man is
able to pluck them out of my Father's hands.'*
They who are worthily denominated the sheep of
Christ, are persons of a meek, peaceable, and heav-
enly temper. God has committed all who cherish
and maintain this disposition to the safe keeping of
our Saviour. He, being above thrones, principali-
ties and powers, will not suffer them to perish in
the grave ; but will give them life eternal. Our
Saviour also in this gospel gives thanks to God for
the preservation of his disciples. — " Those that
thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is
lost, but the son of perdition."! The best com-
mentators apply this passage to the preservation of
» John vi. 39. t xrii. 12,
38
298 SERMON XXI.
the lives of the twelve apostles ; but if it be refer-
red to Christians generally, it makes directly against
the doctrine of perseverance ; for our Saviour ex-
pressly includes Judas in the number given to him ;
and he fell away arid was lost.
The advocates of the doctrine of perseverance
bring passages in which the apostles express the
highest persuasion of their own perseverance, and
of that of their fellow saints. Thus from St. Paul —
'* I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord."* The amount of this animated paragraph
is a strong persuasion, that neither the dangers of
persecution, the conflicts of the world, nor the temp-
tations of evil beings, would separate the apostle or
his fellow disciples from love and obedience to
God, and thereby deprive them of the blessings of
the love of God in Christ Jesus. In the previous
context, St. Paul asks — " Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ ? Shall tribulation, or dis-
tress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or
peril, or sword ?" The exhortation of St, Jude
may be considered as a comment on the above sen-
tence from St. Paul — ** Keep yourselves in the love
of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus
Christ unto eternal life."! -^ passage from the epis-
tle to the Ph'lippians is cited in support of the doc-
trine of perseverance. — '* Being confident of this
very thing, that he which hath begun a good work
* Rom. viii. 38. 39. t Jude 21.
SERMON XXI. 299
in you, will perform it unto the day of Jesus
Christ."* God works within men to will and to
do of his good pleasure, that they may work out
their own salvation with fear and trembling. And
in the succeeding verse, the apostle expresses his
confidence that his Philippian converts would in
such a manner co-operate with the divine measures
addpted for their salvation, as to render them effec-
tual. — " Even as it is meet for me to think this of
3^ou all, because I have you in my heart." To^the
purpose mentioned, the words of the apostle Peter
are adduced — " Who are kept by the powder of
Ood, through faith unto salvation."t In the pre-
viou^context this aposde observes, that God, by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ, has begotten Christ-
ians to the hope of immortality ; in the verse quot-
ed, he declares, that Christians are kept by the
power of God, through faith unto salvation. The
condition then is, that men remain in the faith ; and
on this condition alone, are they entitled to the
promise.
It is affirmed that various passages of the New
Testament directly assert the perseverance of
saints. Such is the declaration of our Saviour —
" There shall arise false Christs and false prophets,
and shall shew great signs and wonders y insomuch
that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very
elect. ":|: By the elect, in this place, are meant
those who believe in the divine mission of Jesus
Christ, and who with sincerity obey his commands.
The expression, " If it were possible," implies not
an impossibility, but a high degree of improbabili^
* PhiL i. 6, t 1 Pet. i. 5. t Matt. xxir. 24.
300 SERMON XXI.
ty. It expresses the great difficulty with which a
purpose can be accomplished. The meaning ot"
our Saviour in this place may be known, from a
view of other places in scripture where the same
phraseology is used. We are told, that St. Paul
hasted, if it were possible for him to be at Jerusa-
lem on the day of Pentecost. There was not an
impossibility of this ; but the accomplishment of
his design would be attended with difficulty. — •' If
it be possible," exhorts the apostle, " as much as
lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." The
words of cur Saviour amount to this declaration :
They who are grounded and settled in their relig-
ion are with difficulty led to apostacy. That they
imply not an impossibility that Christians should
apostatize, is evident, from the caution which he
gives to his disciples to be on their guard, lest they
should be led astray by the seducing artifices of
false Christs and false prophets,..—" Take heed that
no man deceive you,"*" He solemnly warns ihem.
-. — " Take ye heed : behold, I have foretold you all
things. "t He directs them to watch and pray,
that they might be counted worthy to escape those
evils. He expressly says, that *' because of these
things, the love of many shall wax cold." But he
promises, that " he that shall endure unto the end,
the same shall be saved."|
I will introduce one passage more, which is
brought in proof of the doctrine of perseverance.
" Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin ;
for his seed remaineth in him ; and he cannot siUj
* Matt, xxiv. 4. t Mark xiii. 23, | Matt. xxlr. 1%
SERMON XXI. 301
because he is born of God."* St. John condemns
a most corrupt maxim introduced in his day, A
sect was thus early formed, which pretended that
the Christian was raised above the contagion and
impurity of sin ; and although he should commit
the grossest acts of sensuality, and live in the licen-
tious indulgence of every passion and appetite of
human nature, yet his mind would not thereby be
contaminated. These are merely the actions of the
flesh, by which the minds of Christians are not ren-
dered impure ; nor do they hereby forfeit the
Christian character ; but, though they live as the
wicked man liveth, yet they may expect to be ad-
mitted to the rewards of heaven. The apostle
shows the absurdity and the wickedness of this
maxim, and declares, that the child of God, who on
consistent grounds entertains the hope of eternal
life, must purify himself. — *' Little children, let no
man deceive you : he that doeth righteousness is
righteous, even as he is righteous. He that com-
mitteth sin is of the devil ; for the devil sinneth
from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of
God was manifested, that he might destroy the
works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God
doth not commit sin ; for his seed remaineth in
him ; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
In this the children of God are manifest, and the
children of the devil : whosoever doeth not right-
eousness is not of God."t The declaration of St.
John is not that the Christian cannot fall into fatal
sins ; but that he cannot habitually sin, and remain
the child of God, Christian principles to be effec-
* 1 Johu iU. 9. 1 1 Joim iii. 7, S, 9, 10.
302 SERMON XXI.
tual, must purify the heart, and regulate the life ;
and the man who habitually allows himself in the
wilful commission of any sin, or in the habitual
omission of any known duty, ceases to be the child
of God, and forfeits the hope of eternal life. The
apostle establishes a criterion by which we may test
the Christian characters of men. — " He that doeth
righteousness is righteous. Whosoever doeth not
righteousness is not of God."
The comments we have made show that the
above passages comport with the apparent sense of
those which we are now to introduce, and which
speak of the apostacy of saints.
The prophet Ezekiel pronounces the condemna-
tion of the man who, having been righteous, falls
into a wilful and habitual course of wickedness.
ti When the righteous turneth away from his right-
eousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth ac-
cording to all the abominations that the wicked man
doeth, shall he live ? All his righteousness that he
hath done shall not be mentioned ; in his trespass
that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath
sinned, in them shall he die."* Language cannot
make any position more clear, than the prophet here
states the supposable apostacy of the righteous.
That the condition from which he may fall is that
attainment in goodness which renders a man accept-
able to God, is evident from the converse of the
proposition, which the prophet gives us. " If the
wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath co n-
mitted, and keep all my statutes, and do that which
is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not
* Ezekiel xviii. 24.
SERMON XXI. 303
die."* If the righteous fall from this acceptable
state of goodness into habitual wickedness, and do
all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, he
shall not live, but die. The righteous and the
wicked here change their characters and their con-
ditions. The sinner becomes a righteous man, and
the righteous man becomes a sinner. The sinner
is fitted to recei '/e the rewards of righteousness, and
the righteous man becomes a vessel of wrath fitted
for destruction.
Our Saviour himself, speaking of peculiar trials,
says, " Because iniquity shall abound, the love of
many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure un-
to the end, the same shall be saved."! There is
no discrimination here made, as it respects princi-
ple, in the love of the disciple who foils, and of hini
who abideth. The language is not, that, in the time
of trial, the hypocrite shall be made manifest ; but
that, under the pressure of persecution, the real at-
tachment of some converts shall fail ; and that those
who sustain the conflict, and maintain their affec-
tion, shall be rewarded. Jesus also declares, '*lf a
man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch,
and is withered ; and men gather them, and cast
them into the fire, and they are burned."^: In the
previous context, Jesus represents himself as the
vine, and his disciples as the branches. In the verse
quoted, he declares, tliat if any abide not in him,
they become withered branches, fit only to be burn-
ed. The obvious meaning of this figure is, that in-
dividuals may be in him, the vine, and partake of
its sap and nourishment, and afterwards be separat-
* Ezeldel xviii. 51 . t Matth. xxiv. 12, 13. X John xv. 6.
304
SERMON XXI.
ed and wither. In plain language, that, at one
time, a man may possess the qualifications of the
Christian character, and afterwards lose them, and
perish.
St. Paul thus admonishes Christians—" Let him
that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall."*
" It is evident that the apostle in these words in-
tended principally, if not only, a final falling away
into a state of perdition ; for in the preceding part
of the chapter, he had recited many examples of
sinners whom God had cut off in and for their har-
dened impenitence, whose fall was certainly final.
And having declared that these things happened to
them for examples, to be applied by us for our ad-
monition, he immediately mitrs-^Therefore^ let him
that thinketh he standeth^ take heed lest he Jail ; that
is, in all construction, thus finally fall as they did."
In this admonition all Christians are concerned.
The author of the epistle to the Hebrews ob-
serves — " It is impossible for those who were once
enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift,
and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and
have tasted the good word of God, and the powers
of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to re-
new them again unto repentance ; seeing they cru-
cify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put
him to an open shame, "f The English translators
have made the falling away of these characters hypo-
thetick, "if they should fall away." In the origi-
nal Greek, the language is categorical, " it is impos-
sible to renew these characters, when they fall
away. "J The true construction of the passage is
* 1 Cor. X. 12. t Heb. vi. 4, 5, 6, 7.,
X Sec Macknight on the paasaje.
SERMON XXI. 305
this : It is impossible to renew to repentance those
who have been enlightened, &c. and have fallen
away. It will not be denied that the persons here
described were once really Christians. They had
been enlightened by the knowledge of the gospel ;
by it they had been liberated from the yoke of the
Jews, and the superstition of the Gentiles ; they had
received those extraordinary gifts which were be-
stowed on primitive converts ; and they had real-
ized the efficacy of the Christian dispensation in re-
forming sinners. That their falling is absolute, is
evident from the closing expressions--^" They cru-
cify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put
him to an open shame." The impossibility of re-
newing these characters to repentance should be ta-
ken in connexion with the moral nature of man.
They have acted in opposition to the highest in-
struction with which men, as the subjects of a mor-
al government, are favoured, and resisted the most
influential motives which can be presented to the
human mind ; and therefore, speaking of the ordi-
nary means of reclaiming sinners, it is impossible
to bring them to repentance.
Our text militates directly with the doctrine of
perseverance. — " The just shall live by faith ; but
if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleas-
ure in him." While Christians retain their faith,
they shall live ; but if any fall away from the Christ-
ian faith, profession, and practice, God will not ac-
cept them*
Let us now attend to several exhortations of the
sacred writers, which warn Christians of the danger
306 SERMON XXI.
of fatal miscarriage in religion, and animate them to
steadfastness and constancy.
The Christian life is in the New Testament com-
pared to a state of warfare, to a race, and other
worldly conflicts. These similitudes suppose strife
and contention and uncertainty. If the persever-
ance of saints be absolutely sure, how do the apos-
tles apply to the disciples of their Divine Master
these figures of speech ? We must fight the Christ-
ian battle, in the hope of being crowned with the
wreath of victory over our spiritual enemies ; but
our contention has no connexion with this victory ;
for we were in possession of it before the warfare
commenced. We must run the Christian race, in
view of the glorious prize promised to the success-
ful candidate ; but our successful efforts are not
the condition of obtaining the prize ; of this we
were insured before we entered the lists. In the
epistles, we find the most pungent admonitions to
the professors of the gospel to guard against the as-
saults of their adversaries, lest they should eventual-
ly be overcome, and lose their reward. " Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the
power of his might. Put on the whole armour of
God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual vi^ickedness in high places. Where-
fore, take unto you the whole armour of God, that
ye may be able to withstand in the evil day ; and
having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having
your loins girt about with truth, and having on the
SERMON XXT. 307
breast-pkte of righteousness, and your feet shod
with the preparation of the gospel of peace ; above
all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be
able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God ; praying al-
ways with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
and watching thereunto with all perseverance and
supplication for all saints,"* Can any one mistake
the import of this very animated exhortation ? It is
clearly diis : — My fellow Christians, summon to
your aid the many advantages granted by the Au-
thor of our religion, that you may be enabled to re-
pel the assaults of the enemies of goodness, resist
the temptations of the world, and surmount the ob-
structions which impede your course in the Christ-
ian path ; and tliat you may faithfully perform the
duties required by the Captain of your Salvation.
Taking to yourselves these aids, devoutly ask as-
sistance of God, and cautiously and resolutely pro-
ceed in the Christian course to the end of life.
Does this admonition consist with the supposition of
absolute perseverance ? Then the language of the
converted man, acting in accordance with the ad-
vice of St. Paul, may be this : — Having experienced
the renovating influences of the Divine Spirit, my
title to heaven is sure ; but the apo>»tle exhorts me
to take to myself the whole armour of God, that I
may be enabled to stand in the evil day, and repel
the assault of the adversaries of my salvation. I
must pray always with all perseverance, lest the
powers of darkness should lead me astray, and Sa=
tan ensnare me to the destruction of my soul.
^ Eph. Ti. 10—18.
308 SERMON XXI.
Besides these more extended exhortations, the
inspired writers frequently in a pointed manner, ad*
monish professors to constant vigilance, and to un-
wearied exertion, that they may sustain their char-
acters ; and the promises of acceptance and reward
are limited to those who persevere in the Christian
path to the end of their probation.—-" Whose house
we are, (Christ's) if we hold fast the confidence
and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end."
*' Let us hold fast our profession." " Let us hold
fast the profession of our faith without wavering."*
*' If ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled,
and be not moved away from the hope of the gos-
pel."t ** Beware lest ye also, being led away with
the errour of the wicked, fall from your own stead-
fastness. "J *' Be thou faithful unto death, and I
will give thee a crown of life."§ It will be remarks
ed that, in these passages, the exhortation is not, that
men acquire new qualifications, but retain those
which they already possess ; not that they strive to
become the true disciples of Jesus Christ, but main-
tain vigilance that they may not fall from a station
to which they have already attained, and thereby
cease to be real Christians.
Learning the real nature of a probationary state,
and acquiring the knowledge of the conditions of
divine acceptance, let none of us, my Christian
brethren, rest satisfied with first principles. As we
know how we ought to walk and please God, may
we abound more and more.
* Heb. iii. 6 ; iv. 14 ; x. 23. t Col. i. 23,
1 2 Pet. iii. 17. ♦ Rev. ii. 10.
SERMON XXII.
ON HERESY.
TITUS iii. 10, 11.
S man that is an hereticJc, after the first and second ad-
monition, reject ; knowing that he that is such is sub'
verted and sinneth, being condemned of himself.
I SHALL treat our subject in the following
manner, viz. —
1. Show the scriptural meaning of the term
heresy.
2. Describe the character of the persons, on
whom Christ and his apostles direct ecclesiastical
censures to be inflicted.
3. State the meaning of heresy in ecclesiastical
history.
4. Point out the evil consequences which result
from the establishment of human creeds as tests of
orthodoxy.
1. The scriptural meaning of the term heresy.
The literal* meaning of heresy, in the original, is
choice. Among different persuasions, an individual
310 SERMON XXII.
makes his election. The ^viiters of the New Tes-
tament more generally use this word to express a
religious sect ; and in many instances they do not
determine whether the tenets of the sect be founded
in truth or errour. (Acts v. 17.) " The high priest
rose up, and they that were with him, which is the
sect (heresy) of the Pharisees." (Acts xv. 5.) —
" There rose up certain of the sect (heresy) of the
Pharisees." The orator Tertullus brought this
charge against St. Paul. (Acts ii. 4, 5.) " We have
found this man, a pestilent fellow, and a mover of
sedition among all the Jews throughout the world ;
and a ringleader of the sect (heresy) of the Naza-
renes." Paul, in his answer, acknowledged that,
after the way they called heresy, he worshipped the
God of his fathers. Paul also declared, (Acts
xxvi. 5.) that, " after the strictest sect (heresy) of
our religion, 1 lived a Pharisee," In all these pla-
ces, the original word is the same. In most of the
passages, the word does not imply criminality in
tho^ to whom it refers. St. Paul, where he uses
it, is commending his practices. The Jews, who
were the inhabitants of Rome, said to Paul, (Acts
xxviii. 22.) " We desire to hear thee, what thou
thinkest ; for as concerning this sect, (heresy) we
know that it is every where spoken against." —
" There must also," says St. Paul, (1 Cor. xi. 19.)
*' be heresies among you, that they who are ap-
proved may be made manifest." The different
tempers, situations, and pursuits of men consider-
ed, difference in religious opinions among them
must be expected ; and their divisions afford op-
portunity to test the integrity, the resolution, and
SERMON XXlI. 311
constancy of the ingenuous friend of truth. Here-
sy, in all the above passages, means a sect, a par-
ticular religious denonnination.
When the sacred writers reprehend heresy as a
crime, we find some immorality associated with it,
on which the censure is founded. The criminal
heretick is the man who chooses his sect from self-
ish and wicked motives, that he may gain a domi-
nating influence, secure some worldly emolument,
or obtain some sensual gratification. St. Paul, in
our text, directs Titus, *' A man that is a herttick,
after the first and second admonition, reject.'* The
apostle here clearly describes the character of a fac-
tious and vicious member of the Christian society,
who, being conscious that he had departed from the
path of truth and rectitude, must himself approve
the sentence of exclusion. In the previous con-
text, St. Paul recommends to Christians a life and
conversation becoming their profession, and ex-
horts them to avoid foolish questions and conten-
tions, which are unprofitable and vain. He then
describes the heretick, whom Titus, after due ad-
monition, must reject — " Knowing that he who is
such is subverted, and sinneth ; being condemned
of himself." The errour here reprehended is not
of the head but of the heart ; not of the judgment,
but of the conscience ; not of opinion, but of prao-
tice.
The apostle Paul classes criminal heresy with
the most gross immoralities. (Gal. v. 19.) — "Now
the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these,
adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
idolatry, witchcraft, emulations, wrath, stril'e, sedi-
312 SERMON XXII.
tions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness,
revellings, and such like."
Criminal hereticks St. Peter marks in strong
lines. (2 Peter ii. l,)—" But there are false proph^
ets also among the people, even as there shall be
false teachers among you, who privily shall bring
in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that
bought them, and bring upon themselves swift de-
struction." The apostle here delineates a depraved
character.
A man may associate himself with a sect of
Christians, and become, in the scriptural sense, a
heretick ; and yet, in him, heresy be innocent, yea,
commendable. He deliberately joins this denomina-
tion not to subserve bad purposes, or to gratify evil
propensities ; but to oppose corruptions and abuses,
to appear as the advocate of Christian truth and
liberty ; and his heart not condemning him, he
may have confidence towards God.
From a full view of the subject, it is evident that
heresy was not originally a term of criminal im-
port : it meant simply the choice of religious
opinions. Different systems of religion are pre*
sented to the mind, and it chooses between them*
This choice does not necessarily imply guilt. The
mind cannot be employed on a subject more im-
portant ; and when a man is convinced that a par-
ticular sect is formed on principles the best calcu-
liited to promote the interests of truth, godliness,
and charity, he is under sacred obligations to join
it. In doing this, he may become an heretick, but
he does not become criminal. Heresy, in the
New Testament, is considered criminal only when
SERMON XXH. 313
it is connected with a factious spirit, and leads to
uiichristlaa strife and unnecessary separations.
2. To describe the character of the persons on
whom Christ and his apostles direct ecclesiastical
censures to be inflicted.
The gospel does not, I believe, authorize- a
Christian chnrch to inflict censure on their mem-
bers merely for their opinions. The gospel, in its
spirit and laws, is tender of the consciences of men,
and secures to its disciples the right of private judg-
ment. What, then, is the character of those who
are made the subjects of ecclesiastical censure ?
Our Saviour has stated (Matt, xviii.) the cause,
the several steps, and the issue of Church disci-
pline. The ground of complaint here is not errone-
ous opinion, but immoral practice. — " If thy broth-
er oflfend thee, tell him his fault." Opinions which
are the result of honest inquiry after truth, ought
not to be an oflence to a Christian brother, nor can
they with propriety be denominated a fault. But
no one, I presume, will appeal to the directions of
our Saviour, in this place, as a particular authority
for making errours in opinion the ground of cen-
sure. I therefore proceed to a review of other pas-
sages. Our text is often quoted to this point. —
*' A man that is an heretick, after the first and sec-
ond admonition, reject ; knowing that he who is
such is subverted and sinneth, being condemned
of himself." This description does not apply to
the man who honestly seeks the truth, and candidly
communicates his opinions, though these may be
erroneous. It is not a mistake of judgment which
40
314 SERMON xxir.
exposes an individual, on this authority, to expul-
sion from the Church, but immoral practices, —
This heretick was not a man, who, having embrac-
ed erroneous opinions, needed to be instructed ;
but one, who, having wilfully perverted Christian
principles, was the proper object of solemn admo-
nition. Titus was not directed to convince him of
errour, by argument, and to draw him into the path
of truth by persuasion j but to rebuke him for a
wilful offence, and if he were found incorrigible to
eject him from Christian fellowship.
Peter predicts the advent of false teachers, who
would privily introduce " damnable heresies, deny-
ing the Lord who bought them, and bring upon
themselves swift destruction," This language does
not comport with the character of the man who
honestly studies the bible as the rule of faith and
duty, and admits its truths as far as he understands
them. This man may adopt great errours, but
these cannot be, in the sense of the apostle, damna-
ble heresies.
The phraseology of St. Peter does not comport
with opinions which consist with purity of life and
conversation. Peruse the whole chapter, and you
will be convinced that the apostle, by damnable
heresies in this passage, means sins, which the most
depraved mind only can commit. The characters
placed before our view are apostates from the Christ-
ian faith, or men who had perverted Christian prin-
ciples to subserve the basest purposes. They de-
nied the Lord : on account of their pernicious
practices, the way of truth was evil spoken of :
through covetousness, they made merchandize of
SERMON XXIL 315
the souls of men. They had eyes full of adultery,
and could not cease from sin : they were beguiling,
unstable souls : they were cursed children. The
beings with whom these men are compared, and
with whose punishments they are threatened, desig-
nate their characters, and define their damnable
heresies. They resemble the fallen angels, the
antediluvian race, the citizens of Sodom and Go-
raorrha ; and on them the condemnation of those
abandoned beings is denounced.
Under this branch of our subject, I will direct
your attention to a passage in the Revelation of St.
John, which is adduced as authority for inflicting
publick censure on a professor who is supposed to
hold doctrinal errours. (ii. 14 — 16.) The Church
of Pergamos is thus addressed-—" I have a few
things against thee, because thou hast them that
hold the doctrine of Balaam." Was the doctrine
of Balaam speculative errour, or a principle of
lewdness and corruption adopted as artful policy ?
*' So hast thou also them that hold this doctrine of
the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate." The partic-
ular offence of this sect, we are told, was a com-
munity of wives. The Nicolaitans corrupted
Christianity at its source, and embodied immor-
tality in the substance of our religion, that it might
give a sanction to those works of the flesh which
hurt men's souls. What relation then is there be-
tween the doctrine of this sect, and the speculative
opinions of him who walketh as becometh the
gospel ?
If the passages of scripture already reviewed, do
not empower churches to discipline their member§
316 SERMON XXII.
for supposed crrours in opinion, none, I think, can
be found which will.
You will not, my Christian brethren, suppose that
I deem it indifferent what rebgiousopinions men em-
brace. The diligent inquiry atter truth is the sacred
duty of all accountable beings. Our religious opin-
ions are intimately associated with the temper of our
minds and the course of our lives. If we do not im-
prove the means we possess to acquire right views of
Christian doctrines, we may form those inveterate
prejudices, which will close our minds against the
light of instruction, and render us unable to judge
of the evidence, or to appreciate the worth of truth j
and we may violate the first principles of our relig-
ion, while we suppose we are promoting its high-
est purposes. If we be not settled and grounded in
religious opinions, we may be carried about by ev-
ery wind of doctrnie : in principle, we shall be ex-
posed to the confusion which attends ignorance ;
and in practice, to many of the evils which accom-
pany intentional errour.
3. To state the meaning of heresy in ecclesias-
tical history.
Ecclesiastical heresy is^opposition to the opinions
of the predominant sect in any country. Soon af-
ter the Roman empire became Christim, an use
was made of the term, very different from its origi-
nal import ; but the word then bore no determi-
nate meaning. They, who usurped dominion in the
church, made the term heresy an engine to aid diem
in their efforts to maihtain their despotism. Here-
sy and orthodoxy were defined by the ruling power
of the day : the orthodox man of one period was the
SERMON xxri. 317
heretiok of another. For example, there was a long
and violent struggle for superiority between Trini-
tarians and Arians. These sects alternately acquir-
ed predominar;Ce, and alternately deposed and ban-
ished bishops and inferior presbyters as hereticks.
When the struggle for domiiiation in the church in
a degree ended, and a particular denomination was
invested with the ruling power, then human confes-
sions and articles of taith were permanently estab-
lished, dnd ail opinions opposed to the publick test
of orthodoxy were stamped with the impression of
heresy. Ecclesiastical courts then arraigned men
for their th-jughts, and punished them for specula-
tive opinions. The love of truth, the diligent study
of the bible, the sincere worship of God, according
to the dictates of an enlightened conscience, if it led
professors aside from the prescribed forms, expos-
ed them to fines and imprisonment, to stripes, and
to the stake ; in a word, to the severest punish-
ments that ever were iiiflicted on the most atrocious
felon. The highest characters, emperors, and pon-
tiffs, assembled around the fires, which were light-
ed to burn hereticks.
During the long interval between the Council of
Nice in the fourth century, and that of Trent in the
sixteenth, at least in the western empire, professed
Christians formed their religious opinions, not from
the scriptures, but from the dogmas of the church ;
and it is well known, that the least deviation from
the prescribed rule of faith, or the established form
of worship, exposed a member of the Christian com-
munity to the loss of property and reputation, of
liberty and life. Nor were men much better situat-
318 SERMON XXII,
ed in the English church. The name of the mas-
ter was changed, but the spiritual tyranny was con-
tinued under the houses of the Tudors and the Stu-
arts, The same servile submission to ecclesiastic-
al authority, the same blind reception of the pre-
scribed articles and established formularies, were re-
quired, which the Romish Hierarchy demanded
from all ; and non- conformity was punished with
similar pains and penalties, though not with equal
sacrifice of human life. At the revolution under
William and Mary, an act of toleration was passed ;
and dissenters from the establishment have since
been protected in the quiet exercise of the rights of
conscience, on the condition that they pay tithes to
the national church, and submit to be deprived of
some important rights of citizens.
In our happy country, different denominations of
Christians are not merely tolerated — they are placed
in a state of perfect equality. Every man in his re-
ligion is free, and may without molestation worship
his Gcd according to the dictates of his conscience.
But where the sword of persecution is arrested in
the hands of the religious bigot, it often happensj
that the odium of heresy is retained, and the fright-
ful name of heretick is used as a powerful instru-
ment to subserve the purposes of a party. When
the great body of a nation adopt the same system of
Christian doctrine, the prevalent sect too often man-
ifest a disposition to disturb those who are oppos-
ed to their scheme of speculation in the exercise of
the lights of private judgment. They endeavour to
control the sentiments of all around them, and to
check, by the force of publick opinion, inquiries
SERMON XXII. 319
which may militate with their peculiar system, and
to deprive the individual of his living, his reputa-
tion and influence, who dares to bring their favour-
ite doctrines to the test of reason and scripture. No
measure has been found more effectual to accom-
plish this design than the cry of heresy. When a
man is once denominated a heretick, he is by many
considered as a fair object of abuse. The desertion
of his for (Her friends is justified. To excite the fears
of the timid, and to rouse the apprehensions of the
serious against him, is deemed an act of piety. He
may by his works display a mind highly cultivated,
and in practice give an exemplification of all Christ-
ian graces, yet it will be denied that he possesses
either the spirit or the principles of the gospel ; and
it will be considered as meritorious to render his
best labours useless, and to make his life misera-
ble.
4. To point out the evil consequences which re-
sult from the establishment of human creeds as the
test of orthodoxy.
Christ, the only legislator in the church, has made
his gospel the sufficient rule of faith and practice to
all his disciples. When his direction is disregard-
ed, and human creeds are substituted in the place
of scripture, strife, domination, and schism are the
consequences. The prevention of errour and here-
sy has always been the pretext for the introduction
of human creeds ; but in fact, creed-makers have at
different periods introduced all manner of err ours
and absurdities into the church ; and where creeds
become a part of a national establishment, they per-
petuate the errours they introduce. Human tests
320 SERMON xxn.
are never favourable to the liri partial study of truth ;
but they always occasion bitterness and uncharita-
bleness among brethren. The attempt to "secure
union and good fellowship in the Christian^^ommu-
nity under tests made and enforced by human au-
thority, has everywhere failed; and it is time to
seek harmony and love among Christians by other
means. Shall not experience make the Christian
world wiser ? Every discerning mind, that will dili-
gently examine the subject, must be convinced
that the Christian community has suffered more
from the attempt to erect human formularies as
the standard of orthodoxy, than from the combined
efforts of all the enemies of our religion. In view
of these evils, shall the Christian world persist with
the sapie zeal to support human impositions, and to
denounce the same anathemas against all dissenters ?
If they do, similar causes will continue to produce
similar effects.
Consider for a moment the pernicious influence
which the subscription to human articles of faith
must have on the clergy of a national establishment.
The ministers of the altar are under much greater
restraint in the study of scripture, than the people
to whom they preach. They must profess and
preach such doctrines as their church has pronounc-
ed orthodox : they must maintain the opinions
which maintain them in their offices. Reasoning
from common principles of human nature, can men,
thus bound and shackled, study the sacred oracles
with an unbiassed judgment, and preach in its puri-
ty and simplicity the truths of the gospel ? Where
there is no national establishment, if a particular
SERMON XXII. 321
system of doctrine be by general consent denomin-
ated orthodox, and the Christian character be deni-
ed to those who dissent from it, what encourage-
ment has a minister diligently to study the scrip-
tures? What security has the preacher, that a dili-
gent study of the bible will not lead to a view of
Christian doctrine opposed to prevalent opinions,
and constrain him to adopt a method of preaching,
which will expose him to the loss of his good name,
his living, and his influence ? His sure course is to
shut his bible, and take the system of an orthodox
divine as the rule of his faith, and as an authority
for the doctrines which he preaches.
In conclusion.
The articles of Christian faith among primitive
professors were few in number, and plain and per-
spicuous in their nature. Christians then did not
make divisions on account of difference of opinion
in things not plainly revealed ; but they were knit
together in love ; and the brother who was weak in
faith they received, but not to doubtful disputation.
Disputes and divisions in the Christian church have
not been made about essential truths, but respect-
ing articles on which wise and good men may dif-
fer, and which all Christians should hold with mu-
tual forbearance and charity, maintaining the unity
of the spirit in the bonds of peace. If the disciples
of Jesus possess the spirit of their Master, they will
agree in opinion as far as is necessary for united en-
deavours to promote the great design of their relig-
ion. With this spirit, they may unitedly co- ope-
rate with God and with Christ, with apostles and
evangelists in promoting the kingdom of righteous-
41
322 SERMON XXIU
ness, peace, and joy. The scripture, not the tradi-
tions of men, is the rule of protestants. Let us act
consistently with our principle — drop the shibboleth
of party — enccKirage the diligent study of the bible —
allow to all the right of private judgment — permit
men, without the hazard of their reputation or stand-
ing in society, to declare the result of their faithful
inquiries ; and never withhold our charity or our com-
munion from those, who, by the temper of their
minds, and the course of their lives, give evidence
that they seek the truth in the love of it, and sin-
cerely endeavour to do the will of God as far as-
they know it.
If different denominations of Christians would
introduce the harmony and love of primitive times,
they must drop the recrirniaating names^ and cease
from the interchange of those censures and condem-
nations, which the vain and angry disputes in the
church have introduced, and which have become
too common. Let us love as brethren, and may the
God of peace dwell with, and bless us.
SERMON XXm.
ON THE DOCTRINE OF IMMORTALITY.
Delivered on Christmas Da/.
HOSE A xiii. 14.
I will ransom them from the power 'of the grave : I will
redeem them from death. O death, I will be thy plague,
O grave, I will be thy destruction.
THE human mind is prone to pass from one ex-
treme to its opposite. This observation may be
illustrated from the history of the Christian com-
munity. The Roman Catholick church carried
ceremonial observances in religious worship to ex-
treme abuse. They canonized numerous saints,
and appointed so many days to be religiously ob-
served in honour of their memory, as greatly to
interfere with the important business of society.
Like the Pharisees of old, the rulers of this church,
in its corrupt age, made religion essentially to con-
sist in the superstitious observance of external
forms ; and pubiick worship with them degenerated
nto a splendid but lifeless ceremonial service.
324 SERMON XXIII.
When the English church threw ofF the yoke of
Poper}', their rulers, in the opinion of many dis-
cerning and pious men, retained too many of the
forms of the ecclesiastical establishment from which
they separated. The ceremonies which they did
preserve, were certainly enforced by measures
which in their operation infringed the rights of pri-
vate judgment, and violated the humane spirit of
their religion.
Our ancestors, who fled from this imposition on
conscience, associated with their disaffection to the
dominating temper and the abusive practices of
-that hierarchy, a dislike to nearly all the circumr
stances common to its publick services. Every
instrument of musick was excluded from houses of
religious worship ; and a form of ecclesiastical gov-
ernment and religious service was adopted, the
best suited, perhaps, to the infant state of the colo-
ny, but not fitted for a great and independent nation
in a state of improved society.
Christmas was pre-eminently distinguished
among the holy days of the Romish iind the En-
glish church ; and the general opposition of our
forefathers to their superstitions and abuses was ex-
tended to this festival. They, through several suc-
ceeding generations, refused to join in the religious
offices of this anniversary.
We, their favoured descendants, fondly cherish
the highest veneration for their memories : we
dwell with delight on their love of civil and relig-
ious liberty — on their piety and patriotism : our
hearts are warmed by grateful recollections as often
as we review the invaluable institutions which they
SERMON XXIII. i525
have transmitted to us ; and at the same time we
rejoice that we are liberated from ihe prtjudices
which their situation rendered unavoidable. Not
feeling the pressure of that iron hand which bore
heavily on them, we can calmly separate accidental
circumstances from essential principles. With high-
er means of instruction, we can consistently drop the
weak and indifferent appendages of their system,
while we sacredly adhere to its sound and vital
parts.
In respect to ceremonial observances, a more lib-
eral spirit now prevails through our country. In
many of our religious societies organs have been in-
troduced in church musick ; and in most of them
other instruments are now used without giving of-
fence. While, in the progress of society, all other
institutions have their appropriate ornaments, many-
think, that if social worship be left without decora-
tion, it will be destitute of those external attractions,
which to a large portion of mankind are beneficial,
if not necessary ; and they imagine that embellish-
ment may be introduced, without corrupting the
spirituality, or lessening the moral influence of pub-
lick worship.
Situated as we are, may we not, without unreasona-
ble bias, determine the degree of estimation in which
Christmas services ought to be holden by a Christ-
ian community ? The New- Testament has not ap-
pointed anniversary services in commentoration of
the birth of our Saviour. If we celebrate this event,
we should consider it as a privilege with which we
are indulged, not as a duty divinely enjoined. This
celebration is not by divine authority appointed ; it
326 SERMON XXIII.
is not by divine authority forbidden. Its expedien-
cy should be determined by its probable effects.
We publickly commemorate the anniversary of our
national independence : we publickly honour the
memories of the benefactors of our country. Is it
not then proper, that we should celebmte the advent
of Immanuel into our world ? Is any other event
great in comparison with this ? Has any other be-
ing appeared among men to whom we are under
obligations of gratitude, when compared with him ?
Should any object to the time of this celebration,
on the plea, that we have not conclusive proof re-
specting the particular day on which our Saviour
was born — our answer is, the objection on the point
before us has no force. Christ the Saviour was
born into our world : whether we celebrate his ap-
pearance on the precise day of his birth, or on some
other, to a religious purpose is a circumstance of no
importance. The Christian community in general
entertain the same opinion respecting the time ; if
the event be publickly noticed, it is convenient, and
therefore desirable, that there should be uni^rm-
ity in the day of celebration.
The useful purposes contemplated by the relig-
ious observances of the season are these : to direct
our serious attention to the great salvation, which
Jesus Christ published to a sinful world ; to excite
in us suitable returns of gratitude for the inestima-
ble privileges we possess as his disciples ; to ai-
imate us to sustain with firmness and constancy the
Christian profession ; to inspire us with diligence in
tVie cultivation of the Christian graces and virtues ;
SERMON xxim 327
and to insure our perseverance in the path towards
Christian perfection.
Though the sublime declarations of our text be
considered as having a primary reference to the na-
tion of Israel, yet, in their general sense, they may
without violence be taken as expressive of the great
doctrine of immortality, which Jesus Christ came
into our world to establish and proclaim. In this
doctrine we all have the deepest interest. Admit,
that existence of endless duration, and of unchange-
able happiness, is attainable by us, and all worldly
objects lose their comparative worth. Admit, that
the Christian path leads to the realms of glory, hon-
our, and immortality, and motives to Christian pie-
ty and virtue are presented to the human mind,
which all the temptations to the unlawful pursuits
and to the inordinate indulgences of the world can-
not weaken. Can we then, my Christian brethren,
better improve the season, than in contemplating
our title to eternal life by the promise of tlae gos-
pel ? We then shall be excited to religious grati-
tude to him, who died that we might live forever ;
we shall form a resolution strenuously to exert our-
selves to acquire the qualifications of the disciple of
the Prince of Life ; and shall, by the blessing of
God, become prepared to pass on in the way of sal-
vation with joy and gladness.
I shall
1. Review, in a cursory manner, thie history of
the doctrine of immortality among the nations of
the earth, before the birth of our Saviour.
2. Attend to the information of the gospel on
this important subject.
328 SERMON XXIII.
S. Consider the influence which the instruction
and the promises of the gospel ought to have on
our dispositions and conduct.
1. To review the history of the doctrine of
immortality among the nations of the earth, before
the birth of our Saviour.
The expectation of a future state of existence has
been common to men in every age of the world.
Nations the most ignorant and barbarous discover
this persuasion. Men, who appear to have bound-
ed their inquiries by the simple wants of animal ex-
istence, express their belief of life beyond the grave.
Whether these apprehensions naturally result from
religious principles interwoven into the human con-
stitution, and which cause men, without the aid of
revelation or philosophy, to rise superior to the
threatening appearances of death, and to embrace
the hope of imiriortality ; or, whether these are tra-
ditionary notions, transmitted from the early age of
the world, and which had their origin in divine com-
munication, is not easy to determine. The un-
questionable fact is, that men, in situations the most
unfavourable for religious inquiries, have entertain-
ed the expectation of existence after death. Though
they believe the human body to be corruptible ;
though they are the witnesses of the death of their
friends, and see their bodies mingling with the dust —
yet they imagine their deceased relations and ac-
quaintances still to exist, and they suppose them
existing with the same bodily shatpe, with the same
appetites and passions, which they possessed on
earth. Being unacquainted with the higher pleas-
ures of an intellectual and moral nature, the heaven
SERMON xxm. 329
of the ii^norant savage consists in the gratification of
animal desires ; and his expected happiness in a fu-
ture world is merely the completion of his earthly
wishes.
The theological systems of those Heathen nations
which had made the greatest improvements in sci-
ence and literature, were not favourable to the ac-
quisition of religious knowledge, or to the cultiva-
tion of the moral virtues. These systems contain-
ed many principles well calculated to make igno-
rant men the submissive subjects of civil govern-
ment, and recommended a round of weak and de-
basing services, fitted, in the apprehension of a de-
luded people, to induce the Presiding Divinity pro-
pitiously to regard national prosperity and individual
safety ; but which possessed little to instruct the in-
quiring mind respecting the nature of moral govern^
ment, or to enlighten the man in rational views of
futurity, who was anxiously desirous to look behind
the curtain of death. A man might scrupulously
fulfil every requisition of the established religion of
Greece and Rome, and at the same time cherish the
worst propensities of the human heart, and habitu-
ally indulge himself in the most impure acts of vice.
The doctrines respecting futurity, publickly incul-
cated, were blended with extravagant fables and su-
perstitious rites, and they did not furnish adequate
motives to persuade men to discipline their passions,
or soberly to govern their lives.
The reasonings of the Heathen philosophers never
gave satisfaction on the subject of immortality.
The wisest of them laboured for the discovery of
proofs to establish this interesting position in theola-
42
33flL SERMON xxiir.
gy. Their arguments are plausible, and perhaps
lay a foundation for the support of a good moral life,
and for hope in death ; but the greatest of them ex-
press uncertainty on the point, and acknowledge
that adequate information can never be obtained,
unless it should please God to send a messenger
from heaven to publish to the family of man his fu-
ture intentions respecting them. None of the Hea-
then sages had any apprehension of the resurrection
of the body ; and many of them, in their reasonings
on the doctrine of immortality, bew^ildered them-
selves with metaphysical distinctions, and darkened
the subject by words without knowledge. Perhaps
a candid and discerning man WQuld rise from the
perusal of ail the dissertations composed by the mor-
al philosophers of the old world on the doctrine of
immortality, with a mind rather perplexed than en-
lightened ; with his doubts and fears rather multi-
plied, than his belief and hope established. This
appears to have been the state of the case in the
Gentile world on the point before us. The natural
reason and conscience of men direct their views to
a future life, in which they will receive a reward
corresponding with their present actions. Every
man, learned and ignorant, perceives the influence
of these principles. Moral philosophers stretched
their powers to lay a stable foundation for the belief
of that future existence of which they had a glimpse,
and to acquire adequate views of that condition of
being to which they aspired ; but they did not suc-
ceed ; they arrived not at a conclusion on which
they could rely with certainty or satisfaction. In
the vain attempt to define the human soul, and to
SERMON XXIII. 331
explain the mode of its future existence, and the
manner of its future exercises, they met with in-
superable difficulties, and divided into various
sects. Some of them, failing in the endeavour
to support a favourite hypothesis by solid argu-
ments, renounced their scheme, and with it the doc-
trine of immortality, and stifled the natural appre-
hensions of the human mind as erroneous.
The people of Israel possessed better means of
instruction on the sublime doctrine of immortality
than the pagan nations around them. They were
taught the unity, the holiness, and the universal su-
premacy of God. They had the fullest evidence of
the superintendency of God over the aifairs of men.
Their history furnished them with examples of an
immediate intercourse with the spiritual world ; and
the translation of Enoch and Elijah was fitted to
raise their views to a higher state of being. I can-
not therefore for a moment doubt, that individuals
among this people, who were distinguished for their
piety, supported themselves, under the trials of the
present life, by a belief of a future state of retribu-
tion, and died in the hope of a blessed immortality.
Nor can I suppose, that the nation generally were
destitute of the expectation of a future life. But
we know that the Sadducees, not a small sect, total-
ly rejected, even in the time of our Saviour, the
doctrine of future existence : they said, " that there
is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit." The Mo-
saick institution was preparatory to that of the gos?.
pel. In it the doctrine of immortality vvv.s but im-
perfectly revealed. Future rewards and punish-
rnents composed no part of the sanction of the law
332 SERMON xxm.
of Moses. Indeed some learned and pious Christ-
ians are of opinion tiiat the doctrine is not to be
found in this dispensation. We cannot with cer-
tainty say, that the devout Jews, who believed in a
future state, adopted the opinion merely on the au-
thority of their sacred books.
The result of our review then is this. The doc-
trine of the immortality of man was not established
with moral certainty before the appearance of Jesus
Christ in our world.
2. Attend to the information of the gospel on
this important subject.
Christ has abolished death, and brought life and
immortality to light. Jesus, the Prince of Life, has
dispersed the clouds which obscured our prospects
of a future state. He has solved the doubts on this
subject which perplexed the wisest of men. He
has broken down the wall of partition between time
and eternity, and presented the heavenly world to
our view in all its glories. He has established the
doctrine of a future retribution on a foundation that
cannot be moved, made it an adequate support of a
pious and virtuous life, and the sure ground of hope
and joy in death. By his own resurrection he has
given an earnest of the future resurrection of his
disciples. Then the prophetical declaration of our
text will be fully accomplishtd. " I am he," says
our Sdviour, "thatliveth and was dead; and be-
hold I am alive forevermore, and have the keys of
death." ** I am the resurrection and the life. He
that believeth in me hath everlasting life, and I will
raise him up at the last day." '* The hour is com-
ing, in which all that are in their graves shall hear
SERMON XXIII. .'lijSS
1
the voice of the Son of God, and c6me forth.'*
" The sea shall give up the dead that are in it ; and
death and the grave shall deliver up the dead that
are in them." " We must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive
the things done in his body, according to that he
hath done, whether it be good or bad." Such is
the language of the New Testament on this subject.
Arguments in favour of immortality, drawn from
the nature of the human soul, from the attributes of
God, from the traces of a moral governmtnt visible
in the present state, and from every view which can
be taken of natural religion, all have their place in
the defence of Christianity, and help to make it the
more credible. But the information of the gospel
on the doctrine of our future existence is most plain
and direct. It is adapted to every capacity, and fitted
to enlighten every mind. It is information not giv-
en as the result of abstract reasoning and logical
deduction, but it is given by the Parent of Life,
and the moral Governour of the Universe ; and he,
in his goodness and mercy, has been pleasod to
confirm our faith in his divine communication, by
raising his Son from the grave, whom he commis-
sioned to publish the glad tidings of salvation to a
guilty world. The future existence of men is ex-
emplified to human view in the renewed life of the
Saviour ; and our belief of its reality myy rest on a
fact capable of proof like other facts — a fact made
credible to us by the testimony of plain men, j
who were witnesses of its reality ; and whose tes- /
timony is fortified by their genera! character, by
the cheerful sacrifice of worldly interest and of lif&,
I
334 SERMON XXIII.
in support of their veracity ; and by every circum-
stance which has attended the establishment and
preservation of Christianity.
The enlightened, the confirmed Christian, cannot
doubt his own immortality : he can never entertain
fears of annihilation, from the mere contemplation
of which our minds recoil with horrour.
The more forcibly to show the value of the in-
struction of the gospel, permit me to place before
you, in contrast, the views of a Heathen and of a
Christian philosopher on our subject. We will se-
lect, as an example, the moral sage who was a mas-
ter of all Grecian and Roman learning, who wrote
on the nature of God, on moral virtue, and on the
immortality of man, and who, in every accomplish-
ment, stood pre-eminent among the great and the
wise. Cicero, the ornament and the boast of Rome,
observes, that at one time a future state seemed to
him to be fully proved ; that at another, all his argu-
ments appeared to vanish, and he was left in doubt.
He remarks, that it was in his retired moments, and
whilst he devoted himself to deep meditation, that
he felt satisfied with the result of his researches, and
without reserve admitted the belief of immortality ;
anc- that, as soon as he entered society, other feel-
ings arose, and amidst Vv^orldly pursuits the expec-
tation of a future life passed from his mind. Wri-
ting to a friend, Cicero expresses himself in the fol-
lowing manner : — " I do not see, why I may not
venture to declare freely to you what my thoughts
are concerning death. Perhaps I may discover,
better than others, what it is, because I am now, by
reason of my age, not far from it, I believe that the
SERMON XXIII. J35
Fathers, those eminent persons, and my particular
friends, are still alive, and that they live the life
which only deserves the name of life. Nor has rea-
son only and disputation brought me to this belief,
but the famous judgment and authority of the chief
philosophers. O glorious day ! when I shall go to
the council and assembly of spirits ; when I shall go
out of this tumult and confusion ; when I shall be
gathered to all those brave spirits who have left the
world ; and when I shall meet the greatest and best
of men. But if, after all, I am mistaken herein, I
am pleased with my errour, which I would not will-
ingly part with, while I live ; and if, after my death,
I shall be deprived of all sense, I have no fear of be-
ing imposed upon and laughed at in the other world
for this my mistake."
Here the moral philosopher of Rome mentions a
future state of being as a probable truth, and as the
object of his hope, but not as a doctrine founded
on such clear proof as to fix his unshaken faith.
Even this probability draws from him an impassion-
ed eulogy on its felicity. But his doubts damp the
ardour of his feelings, and he derives security to
his hope from the consideration, that if the pres-
ent life should close human existence, annihilation
will free him from ridicule.
St. Paul, the apostle of Jesus Christ, was also a
believer in the doctrine of man's immortality. He
entertained the hope of being admitted, at death, not
only to the spirits of just men made perfect, but al-
so to the assembly of angels, to the company of his
Divine Master, and to the presence of God. But
his opinion rested not on that slight evidence which,
336 SERMON XXIIU
though sufficient to charm the imagination under
the shade of philosophy, or in the silent hour of
iTi,editation, did not furnish a principle to sup-
pprt the mind under the conflicts of the world.
The belief of eternal life was so fully established in
his mind, as to make it the first object of desire, and
/the goal to which every exertion was directed. To
'preach the doctrine of the resurrection and of eter-
nal life, he was ready to sacrifice all worldly enjoy-
ments ; and while suffering die heaviest evils in-
cident to the present state of man, he declared,
" None of these things move me ; neither count I
my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my
course with joy, and the ministry of the Lord Jesus,
to testify the gospel of the grace of God." Paul,
also, has left a treatise on death and immortality.
In it he expresses neither doubt nor anxiety : he
declares the proof of future existence to be com-
plete and satisfactory. So fully was his mind pos-
sessed of the expectation of immortal life, that to
him it became a present reality : a view of its glo-
ries transports his soul ; and he breaks forth in songs
of joy and triumph — " O ! death, where is thy
sting? O ! grave, where is thy victory ? The sting
of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law;
but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory
through Jesus Christ our Lord."
3. Consider the influence which the instruction
and the promises of the gospel ought to have on
our dispositions and conduct.
Whether we consider the object of the instruc-
tion and promises of the gospel, or the character of
the Being who gave them, we shall perceive the
SERMON XXIU. 337
value of our Christian privileges, and feel our obli-
gation to improve them. The object is a blessed
immortality; their author Christ, the Son of God#
To the goodness and mercy of God are we indebt-
ed for the scheme of our salvation. God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. But Christ devoted himself,
as Mediator, to the execution of the purposes of di*
vine grace and mercy. The angels of heaven were
the heralds of the advent of Immaniiel ; and, proclaim-
ing his birth, they gave glory to God on high, and
published peace and good will to men. In the high
concern of our salvation, Jesus appeared in the na-
ture of man, subjected himself to all the wants of
humanity, endured the contradiction of sinners, and
yielded himself the victim of the cross. Grateful
to God for the gift of his Son, grateful to Christ for
his voluntary mediation, let us, under the influence
of our religion, conform ourselves to the divine im-
age, and imitate the example of the Saviour. God
in his goodness has given us an assurance of future
life : do we with indifference receive the informa-
tion ? In mercy he has by his own Son promised
us endless felicity in a future world, on conditions
which prove that he consults our present as well as
our immortal happiness : can we be unmoved by
the gift ?
Respecting the influence v^hich religion ought to
have on our tempers and practices, we may take use-
ful lessons even from those whose ignorance and
superstition we justly compassionate. The infatur
43
338 SERMON XXIII.
ated Pagan, in compliance with the requisitions of
his system, with alacrity subjects himself to the se-
verest bodily tortures, and with apparent delight of-
fers his life in sacrifice to his idol deitj^ The de-
luded follower of Mahomet never supposes his reli-
gious duty performed, till he has made a painful
journey to Mecca, and worshipped at the tomb of
his prophet. Shall we Christians, then, we who
are instructed in all truth pertaining to eternal life,,
and vindicated into perfect liberty, refuse gratefully
to acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Lord and Mas-
ter? Shall we neglect to observe those gracious
directions which are designed to transform us into
a likeness of his perfect character, to make us in
disposition the most amiable, in practice the most
benevolent, and to qualify us for the society of
heaven ?
May the example of primitive Christians more
especially enliven our diligence in the path of piety
and virtue, and fortify our minds with resolution to
sustain the conflicts of our probationary course.
Animated by the hope of the gospel, the apostles of
our Lord subjected themselves to all the terrours of
persecution, not accepting deliverance, that they
might obtain a better resurrection. The great body
of the first converts to our religion gave full evi-
dence of their faith in the promises of the gospel,
and clearly manifested that it had a salutary influence
on their tempers and lives. These died in the faith,
not having received the promises ; but seeing them
afar off", were persuaded of their reality, embraced
them as the objects of their supreme dependence,
and in consequence professed themselves strangers
SERMON XXIII. 33^
and pilsfrims on eanh. The motives and assistan-
ces, which supported them, are presented to our
miiids, and our course is free from many of the dif-
ficulties and dang-ers with which theirs was beset.
Let us, then, imitate those who, through faith and
patience, have inherited the promises.
As Christians, we are bound to give a fair exem-
plification of our religion before the world. As
candidates for immortality, it is our first duty and
our highest interest to walk worthily of our Christ-
ian vocation ; for the salvation of our souls is sus-
pended on the improvement of our privileges as the
disciples of Jesus Christ. May our religion in its
life dwell in our hearts , may it in all its beauty and
lustre shine in our lives.
In the consciousness of sincerity and diligence in
the high concerns of our probation, let us open our
minds to the hcpe ?.nC joy to which the Christian
character is entitled. Disposed to approach the
light of truth, and make it manifest chat our deeds
are wrought in God, a dependence on the promises
of the gospel being in us the principle of Christian
life, let not debasing fear enter into our rel.'jious
services ; but through all worldly vicissitudes, let
us rejoice in the Lord, and joy ourselves in the God
of our salvation. Not resting satisfied with the
things that are seen, but seeking first the kingdom
of God and its righteousness, may we witli supreme
delight consider ourselves as children of God ; and
if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs
with Christ, to an inheritance that is incorrupti-
ble, undefiled, and that will not fade away.
SERMON XXIV.
THE DUTIES ENJOINED BY THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT,
EXODUS XX. 8, 9, 10, 11.
Rememher the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt
thou labour^ and do all thy work : but the seventh day is
the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do
any work; thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-
servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy
stranger that is within thy gates : for in six days the Lord
made heaven and earth, the sea and all thai in them, is, and
rested the seventh day ; ivherefore the Lord blessed the
Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
THE ten commandments were introduced as a
rule of life lo the Israelites, with' the highest solem-
nity. The manifestations of divine majesty and
glory made at Smai are fitted to fill the soul with
the reverence of God, and to purify and exalt the
piety of man.
God, at this time, was pleased to enter into a cov-
enant with his people. The Isn,elites sacredly en-
gns^ed t > obey the commands of Heaven, and to do
all that the Lord should speak unto them ; and the
fiERMON XXIV. 54t
Divine Sovereign graciously promised on this con-
dition to make them his people, to be their God and
the God of their children, and to confer upon them
the favours vi'hich he beareth to his chosen.
The covenant of grace and mercy, of which Je-
sus Christ is the Mediator, embraces conditions of
divine favour, in which all mankind are interested ;
and in this the rewards of a future state are more
clearly promised, than they were by the dispensa-
tion uf Moses. Godliness is profitable unto all
things, having promise of the life that now is, and
of that which is to come. God is present with
every individual of his rational ofFbpring : he be-
holds their ways ; and all, who obey his commands
and resign themselves to his disposal, he will take
into his holy keeping, guide by his unerring coun-
sel, and finally admit to the glories of his more im-
mediate presence. Under impressive views of di-
vine superintendence, serious minds are led to in-
quire — What is the service which the Lord God
requireth ? When may we feel satisfied that we are
safely walking in the path that leads to the favour of
God, which is life, and to his loving kindness,
which is better than life ? The considt ration of our
text will, I hope, assist you, my Christian brethren,
in forming satisfactory answers to these interesting
questions.
The fourth commandment embraces two distinct
parts of duty : the common employments of the
world, and the religious offices of the Sabbath.
1. The employments of the world.
Six days shalt thou labour ^ and do all thy work.
342 SERMON XXIV.
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, said
God to fallen man. Under the present constitution
of things, habitual employment is as necessary to
the health of the body and to the vigour of the
mind, as it is to the procurement of subsistence.
Labour is the price which God has set upon every
valuable object. All will allow, that it is the duty
of man to be habitually occupied in some honest
and useful worldly pursuit. But some fall into
great and perhaps fatal mistakes on this subject.
They appear entirely to separate the common busi-
ness of society from religious duties, and to sup-
pose that religion, strictly speaking, cannot be car-
ried into the ordinary employments of life. Though
they consider themselves as inhabitants of this
world, and as candidates for a future, and acknowl-
edge that in each relation they have important du-
ties to discharge, yet they conceive that these du-
ties are never united. As this world is removed
from the future, so they apprehend that the duties
of the present life have no tendency to prepare them
for the next. Worldly business and religious ser-
vice they deem to be totally distinct in their nature,
and as widely removed from each other as earth is
from heaven. In the right execution of worldly la-
bour, and in the right performance of religious du-
ty, they seem to think, that a totally different class of
principles and affections is necessarily brought in-
to exercise ; and that these principles and affections
must be assumed and laid aside with those labours
and services. Religion being thus separated frora
the common concerns of life, a thorough acquaint-
ance with the conduct of a man, as it respects his
SERMON xxir. 343
transactions with the world, will furnish no clue to
lead us to the knowledge of his religious character.
This is an errour extremely dangerous. Was
such our moral state, a man might confine his reli-
gion to set times and places ; and he might put it
on, and put it off, as he does the garments of his
body : he might serve God on the Sabbath, and Mam-
mon through the weeli : he might be a saint in the
temple, and a son of Belial in his family : he might
perform pious offices on certain occasions, and in
his general intercourse with society ensnare, circum-
vent, and ruin his fellow- men.
The common labours of the world are the ap-
pointment of God. It is our duty to be habitually
occupied in them. These we are not unnecessa-
rily to suspend, nor essentially neglect, under a
pretence of serving God in a higher manner ; but in
our various pursuits we must find our regular em-
ployment. When we fulfil the common offices of
the Week, under a sense of the authority of God,
who appointed them, and with a view to his appro-
bation, then in their performance we act religious-
ly — we serve God. This is a part of the duty
which is enjoined as the condition of salvation
through Jesus Christ. The religious performance
of our daily and weekly labours has a direct tenden-
cy to form the requisite disposition for the society,
and to qualify us for the services of heaven. The
world is not only the theatre on which the brightest
virtues of our religion are to be displayed, but it is
also the place where the disposition for their exer-
cise, that in solitude we cherished, is to be con-
firmed.
344 6ERM0N XXlt.
In our intercourse with society we are indeed ex-
posed to many temptations; but Christian virtue is
the result of trial ; and without this proof of its pu-
rity, confidence cannot be reposed in it. Tiie world
is the school where our passions and affections are
to be disciplined, and the religious principle is to
acquire strength. The competitions of business,
the interference arising from active pursuits, and
even the wilful opposition and unprovoked abuse of
those with whom we are associated in the perform-
ance of the common labours of life, and the offices
of domestick relation, give occasion for exercising
and strengthening our patience and forbearance, our
clemency and charity. Stated employment, in an
honest and useful occupation, secures the benefits
of self-possession, leads to a tranquil state of mind,
and invigorates the powers and faculties of the hu-
man constitution. By these means those intellec-
tual and moral habits are formed, which help to pre-
pare us for the duties and the happiness of a higher
condition of being.
But to our observations some may object, that in
the common business of society, saints and sinners
meet on the same ground, and that between them
there is no discrimination. In all the transactions
and concerns of the world, the man, who in the
judgment of charity does not possess a religious
principle, discovers as much skill, manages with as
much address, and is as successful, as he who has
made the highest Christian attainments. Our Sa^
viour himself supports this position ; for he t'lls us,
that the children of this world are wiser in their gen-
eration than the children of light. On experience
SERMON xxir. 345
we fmd, that, as it respects all the complicated con-
cerns which fall under the general term of domes-
tick economy, and through the whole circle of sec-
ular employments, the management of the man ap-
parently irreligious, is in many instances admirable ;
and that in worldly care and prudence, he is an ex-
ample highly worthy of imitation. We grant all
this ; but it does not weaken our reasoning, nor in
any degree invalidate our conclusion. Such char-
acters as we have described are not criminal, be-
cause they engage with earnestness in the business
of the world, and manage it with discretion and
providence. Thus far they are to be justified.
They are much more estimable in society than the
slothful and the dissipated. For their worldly wis-
dom and honest industry they receive an appropri-
ate reward, they lay up for themselves treasures on
earth ; but, not being rich towards God, they will
not secure to themselves the durable treasures of
heaven. Not carrying a religious principle into
the common concerns of life, the moral end of world-
ly employment will not be answered. They may
in their active pursuits quicken their ingenuity, and
with increased facility acquire wealth ; but they will
become sordid in spirit, and will never be made
meet for the rest of saints in the kingdom of light.
To avoid their fatal errour, let us not discard what
is really worthy of praise ; but, imitating their care,
industry and providence, let us introduce a relig-
ious principle into the concerns of the world ; and,
while diligent in business, let us be fervent in spi-
rit, serving the Lord. Then the pursuits cf the
44
346 SERMON XXIT.
present life will be subservient to the interests of
immortality. Then the blessing of the Lord will
make us rich, and he will add no sorrow therewith.
In this manner sustaining our character as the in-
habitants of earth and as candidates for heaven, we
shall be prepared for temporal and spiritual bless-
ings.
We may often hear remarks from various per-,
sons of the following import : We have not time to
be religious. Attention to our worldly business is
indispensable, and our time is unremittedly spent in
it. How, then, can we attend to religious duties ?
The importance of particular seasons for the per-
formance of the more appropriate offices of pious
meditation and worship, will claim our attention un-
der the second branch of our subject. But the ob-
servations already made will enable us to answer the
questions which have just been stated. Has Di-
vine Providence placed a man in a situation where
his family depend for their daily support on his
daily labour, whose hours must be seduously devo-
ted to his stated employment, that he may procure
bread for the wife of his bosom, and the children of
his affection ? Let not this man suppose, that relig-
ion is necessarily excluded from the humble sphere
in which he moves. No : his daily labour is his
religious duty. He is bound to perform it by the
most sacred obligation. If he neglect it, he will,
in the language of inspiration, deny the faith, and
become worse than an infidel. Let him carry upon
his mind a sense of the presiding Deity, and exe-
cute the commission of life with a view to the appro-
bation, and in hope of the blessing of God. Let his
,^.... .. ^ .1'* '■'
SERMON xxir. 347
religion keep him from discontent and dishonesty ;
from murmuring and taking the name of his Maker
in vain : let it sustain him under the difficuUies he
is called to endure, and enable him in patience to
possess his soul ; and then God, who appointed his
toils, will approve their performance, will lift upon
him the light of his countenance, and reserve for
him an inheritance in heaven, incorruptible, unde-
filed, and that will never fade away.
Does the motlier of a family make a similar com-
plaint ? Is she ready to exclaim — My cares are un-
ceasing, my time is filled up with domestick labours,
my husband requires attention, my children are ev-
er around me, and excite unceasing watchfulness
and solicitude. I am unavoidably troubled about
many things ; my work is never done. What time
have I for the care of my soul ? Busied as I neces-
sarily am with domestick concerns, how can I at-
tend to religious duties f — Let not this woman sup-
pose, that amidst her domestick labours, she is re-
moved from the path of religion. Her God, who
formed the relations of human society, who assigned
to the female head of a family the cares of the house-
hold, will accept the faithful execution of these du-
ties as services performed for him. Ask not, then,
if amidst the concerns of your family you have time
to be religious. The careful and conscientious dis-
charge of domestick duties is religion in practice.
Yes : in the reasonable attention to the partner of
your joys and sorrows, in the necessary care of
your children, in the execution of the various and
ever succeeding offices of the household, while you
perform them under the impression that they are
348 SERMON xxir.
enjoined by God, and in the hope of approving;
yourself to his all-seeing eye, you act religiously.
You may open your heart to the consolations and
hopes afforded by the pleasing reflection, that God,
who is a present help in every time of need, will
sustain, guide, and bless you, in all your toils and
sorrows.
The observations which we have made, may be
extended to the offices of publick life, and to every
branch of secular business, even to the most menial
labour to which a man may be lawfully called. Let
the ruler, whose mind is occupied with the affairs of
the nation, and whose time is spent in the duties of
government, be just, ruling in the fear of God ; and
then his publick services may be considered as
branches of religious duty, and he shall be to polit-
ical society, as the light of the morning to the nat-
ural world, when the sun riseth ; even a morning
without clouds.
Let the judge and the magistrate, in the execu-
tion of their offices, exercise attention and patience,
and decide with impartiality, knowing that God is
with them in a righteous judgment; and then God
will accept and bless them. Let the afiluent, while
they live in a manner corresponding with their
wealth, reflect that riches come of the Lord, use the
world without abusing it, considering themselves
as the stewards of heaven ; and thereby they will
lay up in store a good foundation against the time
to come. Let hired persons of every description
consider tne business, which they have lawfully
contracted to perform, as a duty enjoined by God ;
let them execute it, not with eye-service, as men-
SERMON XXIV. 34i>
pleasers, but as doing service unto the Lord ; and
then of the Lord will they receive their recompense.
The duty of stated employment extends to every
portion of the six days : we may not,' therefore, sus-
pend our weekly business under the pretence of
attention to religious exercises not enjoined. In
these cases, the question ever occurs, Who hath re-
quired this at your hands ? The direction is as im-
perative to work six days, as it is to rest on the
seventh. As we may not carry the labours of the
week into the Sabbath, so we may not carry the
rest of the Sabbath into the week. The man who
essentially neglects his secular employments to join
in unrequired offices of piety, has not the counte-
nance of religion ; on'the contrary, he suspends a
duty enjoined by religion, to offer upon the altar of
Heaven unhallowed sacrifice.
You will understand me, my Christian brethren.
The business of the week does not exclude exer-
cises of devotion in the family or closet. It is but
seldom that the most urgent transactions of society
need suspend those offices of piety which are proper
for a family ; and this suspension can be only occa-
sional. The stated employments of men will also
give place to occasional exercises of publick wor-
ship. Works of necessity and mercy are justifia-
ble on the Sabbath ; and particular seasons may
with propriety be set apart for religion. The ex-
ceptions in both cases prove the general rule. But
these occasional exercises of religious worship must
not have so frequent recurrence, as to operate inju-
riously upon the important occupations of the week.
They who neglect the great duties of the family,
350 SERMON xxir.
to join in exercises denominated religious, violate
the essential principles of Christianity ; for they
omit indispensable duties enjoined by God, to en-
gage in services which he has not required. The
stated business of society is no hindrance to those
silent reflections upon religious subjects, to which
the character and condition of man ever invite.
These are proper at all times ; and they are no less
the foundation of moral stability, than the source of
self- approbation and delight. No man need be so
completely occupied in sesular affairs, as not to find
seasonable moments to devote to meditations, which
may arm him with resolution to repel assaults made
upon his virtuous habits in his intercourse with the
world.
The common employments of the week will also
admit of that interchange of social offices which is
adapted to the several ages and situations of men.
But even here a sense of moral obligation should
be manifested. I do not mean a sanctimonious
countenance, using scriptural phrases, associating
the names of God and Christ with the ordinary con-
cerns of the world, or intruding sacred subjects in-
to every company. A man may do all this, and
yet not possess the spirit of the gospel. I mean,
that religion should regulate our social intercourse,
and preside over our most pleasurable enjoyments.
In the hours of relaxation, at social entertainments,
it should restrain us v/ithin the bounds of propriety,
chasten our mirth, and confine us to those gratifica-
tions which will yield satisfaction in the moments
of sober reflection. But neither the cheerful pleas-
ures, which within the prescribed bounds are com«
SERMON XXIV. 351
mendable, nor even such services of the ahar as are
not divinely prescribed, must be allowed to interfere
with those secular employments, which God, by
the very condition of our being, has made necessa-
ry, and which he has expressly enjoined by revela-
tion. To neglect duties commanded, that we may
zealously engage in exercises not required, is to sub-
stitute our own devices for the counsels of Heaven.
The usual consequences which arise from the mul-
tiplication of religious meetings during the week,
are divisions in Christian societies, and alienatioa
and bitterness among brethren of the same commu-
nity. Those who attend these meetings, are apt to
consider themselves as more religious than such as
discountenance them ; and they often abound in se-
vere censures and uncharitable judgments. From
disapprobation of these assemblies, some may be
induced to condemn practices, which in themselves
are worthy of imitation ; and thus, from the abuse
of religion, prejudices are excited against it. These
alienations and prejudices not unfrequently find
their way into families, interrupt the order and har-
mony of domestick society, suppress in its mem-
bers the Christian spirit, and impede their progress
in the divine life.*
* The history of the Christian world fully shows that evils always re-
sult from the attempt of men to supply any supposed deficiency in the
institutions of Heaven. The Romish Church, not satisfied with the ap-
pointed observances of the Sabbath, early began to consecrate days to
the religious commemoration of their Saints. This Church continued
to canonize Saints, and appropriate set times for religious purposes, until
people were drawn by ecclesiastical authority from their secular em-
ployments for nearly one half of each year, to attend upon the exercises
«f their Holy-days. This imposition still occasions gre&t injury to so-
^•ty in most papal countries.
352 SERMON xxiy.
Such evils ensue, when men leave the appointed
paths of Christian duty, to follow the impulse of their
own imaginations.
By the multiplication of religious meetings during the week, men
have suffered iu their spiritual, as well as in their secular interests.
Although the motives of those who commence a course of attendance
upon conferences, and other religious services of human device, may
be pure, and particular instances of reformation may thereby be pro-
duced ; yet their general consequences have been injurious to the true
interests of Christianity. Among their moral evil effects, the following
may be reckoned. These meetings have been multiplied to an unrea-
■ sonable extent, and holden at unseasonable hours. They have excited
in their attendants itching ears, and induced people to heap up to them-
selves teachers. They have been frequently converted into mere in-
struments to make proselytes to a party. Some persons have been led
to suppose that the exercises of these assemblias are not simply, in their
best state, the means or the expressions of piety, but religion in its es-
sence ; they have therefore estimated their attainments in religion by
the frequency with which they have joined in those exercises. Under
impressions of this nature, they have been induced to deem those who
disapprove of their meetings, as the opposers of religion, as the opposera
of God; and have cherished in themselves a presumptuous confidence
in their own views of Christian truth, and a vain assurance of their own
safety ; and indulged towards those who differ from them a censorious
and condemning spirit.
In many places the multiplication of religious meetings during the
week has been promotive of a high degree of enthusiasm. Religion
in such instances has degeneratefl into mere passion. The understand-
ing of a man has thereby been darkened, and he, in the highest con-
cerns of religion, subjected to all the fluctuations of animal feelings. —
This hour, in imagination, he is elevated to the very mount of commu-
nion with Heaven ; the next, he is depressed to the very depths of des-
pair. At one time, he is loud in his pious ejaculations ; and at a-
nother, he is noisy in the expression of a widely different affection. —
This man, during the period of excitement, is disturbed in the essential
pursuits of his existence ; and it not unfrequently happens that, with
this period, his religious principles pass away ; and he not only forgets-
his zealous professions, but also appears to have lost his sense of relig-
ious obligation.
SERMON XXIV". 353
2. The duties of the Christian Sabbath.
itememher the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
The appropriation of particular seasons for
moral reflection, and for the worship of our Ma-
ker, is supported by natural religion. God was
pleased to consecrate one seventh part of time for
these high purposes ; and our Divine Lord and his
apostles gave their sanction to the devotion of this
particular portion of time to the important concerns
of moral and religious life. In setting apart, there-
fore, one day in seven for religious observances, we
act agreeably to the dictates of enlightened reason,
conform to a positive institution of Heaven, and
follow the example of Christ, his apostles, and the
Christian world.
The Sabbath was originally designed to com*
memorate the creation of the world. The benevo*
lent Author of being appointed it as a day of rest
and joy to his rational offspring on earth. It is the
divine direction, that all unnecessary labour cease on
this day ; and that men seriously enter into med-
itations, and join in exercises, which are calculated
to preserve a knowledge of their Maker, maintain
a sense of their continual dependence, and cherish
those feelings of love and gratitude, which are the
best returns they can make for the blessings they
receive.
Rest, then, is the first duty of the Sabbath. The
rest from labour must extend to our children, to the
hired servant, and to the stranger who is occasion-
ally in our employ. The benevolence of this com-
mand must excite the admiration of the philanthro-
pist. That labourer will not consider his situation
45
'354 SERMON xxir.
forlorn, who has the Sabbath in prospect, when hh
toils will be suspended, and his heart opened to the
joys and delights of social and moral life. And
who does not rejoice, that the patient and useful
domestick animal has occasional seasons of rest ?
The experience of ages teaches us, that no incon-
venience results to society from the observance of
this institution ; whilst throughout Chistendom
the laborious dependent is hereby relieved from the
severity of a hard-hearted task-master. It is the
opinion of many men of sound judgment, that the
suspension of labour every seventh day is no hin-
drance to the accomplishment of the great business
of the wx)rld ; but that, by the invigorated strength
acquired on the day of rest, they who religiously
observe the Sabbath may accomplish as much in
the six days, as they could in seven spent in unre-
mitted application.
This day of rest is favourable to those improve-
ments which are the most important to every individ-
ual of mankind. Let us contemplate the benefits of
the Sabbath, as the time appropriated to religious
meditation and to the worship of God.
Considering man as a free and accountable he-
ing, vve cannot conceive of measures better fitted
for his attainments in moral life, than the reflections
and services becoming this institution. We may
not expect that God will grant us divine influences
to force us to a state of goodness in a manner in-
compatible with the proper exercise of our powers,
or beyond the established order of his .8;overnment.
In the administrations of Heaven, methods are
adopted as certain and as effectual to accomplish
SERMON XXIV. 355
the purposes of our moral as our natural lives. In
the one case as the other, if we neglect the appoint-
ed means, W€ have no reason to expect that the end
will be accomplished. If with sincerity and perse-
verance we adopt the prescribed measures, we jnay
in both promise ourselves a blessing. Are men
prepared for Heaven by the irresistible operations of
the Spirit of God ? Why, then, the immense appa-
ratus of means, used in the moral government of
our world ? God in his works has no occasion for
secondary causes. He wills, and the universe
obeys. Mark the difference in respect to moral
cultivation between Christian and heathen coun-
tries ; between those places where our holy rehgion
is professed, in which its institutions are observed,
and those in which tbey are wholly neglected.
Here you will perceive that moral attainments re-
sult, by divine blessing, from the diligent improve-
ment of those advantages which God has bestowed.
How important, then, is the recurrence of a day in
which worldly labours are suspended, the mind
withdrawn from earthly pursuits, and our affections
warmed and elevated by contemplating the good-
ness and mercy displayed by the mediation of Je-
sus Christ : a day in which our views and hopes
are raised to that brighter world, to which the
Prince of Life ascended, that he may provide man-
sions of blessedness for his disciples.
Ye men who fill learned professions, and you
who are engaged in the higher branches of worldly
business, I invite you to give undivided attention
for the moment to the subject before us. You are
356 SERMON xxir.
acquainted with the philosophy of the mind : you
know the nature of habits. Report, then, the ef-
fects produced on the mind, on manners, and char-
acter, by confining the attention intensely to one
subject, and by long and ardently pursuing a par-
ticular line of action. By causes of this nature ^
peculiar cast of mind is formed, and distinct traits
of character are established. This peculiarity of
character, resulting from appropriate pursuits, be-
comes apparent, from the judge on the bench, to
the man employed in the most hunable occupation
of private life. Can you, then, doubt the efficacy
of serious and devout meditation upon moral con-
cerns ; of raising the soul above sublunary things,
and dwelling upon the pursuits and enjoyments of
a higher state of being ? Are not such seasons of
moral reflection calculated to rouse the mind from
the too common indifference to the interests of im-
mortality ; and to enliven a zeal, and to invigorate
exertions for attainments necessary to life eternal ?
By these means may not progress be made in the
path which leads to the goal of moral perfection, in
the same manner as you acquire knowledge of the
principles of your profession, and skill in the exe-
cution of the business entrusted to your manage-
ment ? When for a long period your attention is
diverted from your appropriate studies, or when
you neglect particular branches of your profession-
al business, do you find that you lose a familiar ac-
quaintance with them, and that you are embarrassed
when you resume their practice ? And are moral
habits the only qualities which a man cannot lose
by inattention to the means of their acquirement,
SERMON XXIV. 357
preservation, and growth ? Are moral exercises so
natural to man, possessed as he is of irregular
passions, and surrounded by temptations to vice,
that they ever will be performed like instinctive
movements, without attention or effort ? Far dif-
ferent is our moral condition. No individual
comes to a stand in a moral path» If he do not
make progress, he will fall back in his course ; and
his retrograde movement will, in all probability, be,
like that of a falling body, constantly accelerated.
If you cease to cultivate moral feelings, and neglect
the exercises of piety ,-soon will some irregular pas-
sion become so strong, and some evil habit so in-
veterate, as to render the re-ascension to the path
of Christian virtue almost above the strength of
human resolution.
Do you find it necessary occasionally to suspend
your professional studies and appropriate pursuits,,
to enter the social circle, and participate in the
communications of neighbours and friends, lest you
should become selfish in your feelings, recluse ia
your habits, and be formed to characters dissocial
and unamiable ? Is it not as necessary at particular
periods to retire from the busy scenes of the world,
that you may hold secret communion with your own
hearts, take a retrospective view of your lives,
and ponder upon the issue of your actions, lest your
employments and pleasures should rivet you to the
present state, your minds become, in all their pow-
ers, and affections earthly and sensual, and you grow
stupidly indifferent to the interests of your immor-
tal souls? Is it not as necessary, at times, to close
your eyes on the whole scene of material things.
358 SERMON XXIV.
that your minds may be elevated above the earth,
that you may contemplate the glories of that heav-
enly country which the Christian revelation has
brought within our prospect, and thereby be ani-
mated to proper exertions for those progressive im-
provements in knowledge and attainments in virtue,
which form the true dignity of man, lay the solid
basis ,for self-satisfaction, and compose the essential
qualifications for admission into the society of
heaven ?
Is it expedient for you to form the domestick re-
lation, that in the bosom of a family the best feelings
of the heart may be cultivated, that you may have
objects on which your kindly aiFections may be
exercised, and who may partake with you in the
rewards of your exertions, and with you rejoice
in the bounty of God ? And is it not expedient
that you improve the opportunity aiforded by the
institutions of Christianity, to cultivate the higher
affections of the soul, love to God and love to
Christ — which aid your endeavours in forming a
close relation with higher orders of beings, in
making nearer approaches to the divine character,
and in thus preparing you for entrance into the city
of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem ? There
you will be admitted to an innumerable company
of angels, to the general assembly and church of
the first-born, and to God, the Judge of all, and
to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Je-
sus, the Mediator of the new covenant. In this so-
ciety you will behold brighter displays of divine
perfections, be admitted to more intimate commu-
nion with your God, and participate in joys inteU
SERMON xxiy. 359
lectual, social and moral, pure, perfect and per*
petual.
Offices of publick worship are important, as well
as the devotions of the closet, and the religious
meditations of the retired hours of the Sabbath. — •
Was your object in attending the sanctuary to be
entertained by the composition, or charmed with
the eloquence of the preacher, I should advise you
wholly to absent yourselves from this place on the
day devoted to the publick offices of religion ; or,
if you should think your station in society impels
you to occasional attendance, I should justify your
taking a pesition the most favourable to quiet re-
pose. But the highest purposes await you in the
house of God. You there assemble to render re-
ligious homage to your Maker, to be reminded of
your privileges and obligations as the disciples of
Christ, and to be exhorted to the performance of
your duty as candidates for immortality. Are pi-
ous affections so firmly established in your hearts,
as not to need the influence of publick worship to
strengthen them ? Are you in no danger from the
temptations of the world, with which you are sur-
rounded ? Are you secured against supineness and
indifference in the concerns of religion ? And is
there no need that your pure minds should be awa-
kened to the remembrance of your duty ? Do the
Christian virtues spring up spontaneously in your
hearts ? And have they no need of culture to bring
them to maturity ? Unless you can give satisfac-
tory answers to these questions, you must acknowl-
edge the worth of the publick exercises of the
Christian Sabbath, which are fitted to strengthen
360 SERMON XXIV.
your religious principles, exalt your piety, confirm
your virtuous habits, clothe you in armour to meet
the conflicts of the Christian warfare, and enable
you to join in the triumphant song for the victory
which the Captain of your salvation has obtained
over death.
You will also reflect that you have influence in
society, and many will follow your example. If
you neglect the ofiices appropriate to the Sabbath,
others will be induced to neglect them. And what
would be the state of society, if our publick altars
were prostrated, and all Christian institutions set
aside ? In all probability, with the form the power
of godliness would be banished. Perhaps you arc
heads of families, and children are rising up around
you. If parents slight the observances of the Sab-
bath, children will probably imbibe their spirit,
think as lightly of the offices of our religion, be as
negligent in attending publick worship, and, when
in the house of God, sleep as soundly as their
fathers.
The general observations already made will ap-
ply to all those who are occupied in mechanick
business, and to those who are engaged in agricul-
tural pursuits. And to you, my friends, additional
and appropriate remarks may be addressed.—-
Worldly employment is incumbent on you through
the week. On the six days, therefore, your advan-
tages for the acquisition of knowledge must be
comparatively small, and your opportunities few
for close and continued meditations upon religious
subjects. How important, then, is the Sabbath to
you ! On this day of rest you may enter into an
ejcamitiation of yourselves, and learn the moral con-
dition of your souls. You may inquire into your
actions during the past Aveek, and, your hearts not
condemning you, you may have confidence towards
God. If you are humbled by tlie review of many
deficiencies and defects, you may be induced to
form effectual resolutions of more vigorous applica-
tion to your duty in future, and to set the necessa-
ty guard against the temptations by which you are
the most powerfully assailed. Never, then, I en-
treat you, never let this day pass in sloth and idle-
ness ; spend it not in a manner worse than idleness,
in corrupting visits, and licentious practices. Are
you sufficiently apprized of the advantages attend-
ing the publick institutions of our religion ? Es-
teem it not a light thing, that you are permitted to
assemble with the people of God, to offer the pub-
lick sacrifice of praise and thanks to the Giver of
every good and perfect gift, for life and health, for
success in the labour of your hands, and for the ca-
pacity of enjoying the goods you possess ; to con-
fess your unworthiness in the divine presence, and
to implore the pardon of your sins through the Me-
diator ; to supplicate from that gracious Being, in
whose hand your life is, and whose are all your
ways, a blessing on the house and on the field, and
assistance in the performance of those services on
tvhich eternal life is suspended. Do you deem it
no privilegCj that you are permitted to attend week-
ly lectures from the pulpit upon the character and
government of God, upon the immortality of the
soul, and the rewards and punishments of the invis-
46
362 SERMON XXIV.
ible world ; to hear the doctrines of the gospel ex-
plained, its duties inculcated, and its motives, in all
their variety and persuasive influence, addressed to
the human mind ? If you neglect these means of
spiritual improvement, can you entertain the expec-
tation of becoming wise to the salvation of your
souls ? Attend, then, habitually the publick wor-
ship enjoined on the Sabbath. This attendance
will soon become your delight ; and, in answer to
your petitions for attainments in the divine life, you
may confidently hope for the benediction of God.
Or, if indifferent for yourselves, be persuaded to
remember the Sabbath day for the benefit of your
children. Some, indeed, appear to slight religious
obligations, as it respects themselves ; and, to gain
the riches and pleasures of the world, seem dispos-
ed to lose their own souls. But do parents exist,
who are indifferent whether their children be virtu-
ous or vicious ? No : whatever be the practice of a
father, he will recommend the path of virtue to his
child. Reflect, then, I beseech you, upon the ma-
ny advantages to be derived from the appropriate
exercises of the Sabbath, in the Christian education
of your children. On this day you may call your
offspring and dependents around you, and give them
that counsel which is suited to their age ; open the
volume of inspiration for their instruction, and lead
them to the knowledge of all essential religious
truths. Catechisms put into your hands will afford
you some assistance in the endeavour to establish
in their tender minds the great doctrines of tlie gos-
pel, and the important duties of the Christian char-
acter, and to give them some worthy apprehensions
SERMON XXIV. 363
of God, who made them, and of the Saviour, who
died to open for their entrance the gate of immortal-
ity. On this day you may bring your children to the
publick altar, dedicate them to the Lord, and favour
them with the appropriate instruction of his house.
You are duly solicitous to form your children for
the business of society, and to teach them the arts
ef acquiring the goods of the world. Is the body
of more worth than the soul ? Is time of more esti-
mation than eternity ? Is earth to be preferred to
heaven ? If not, statedly bring your children from
the instruction of the family to that of the pulpit, in
I the animating hope, that the reiterated impressions
there made will, by a divine blessing, produce the
desired effect ; that they will be grounded and set-
tled in religious principles, trained up in the way in
which they should walk, ever be the objects of
your joy and delight, become estimable through
human relations, and qualified for the services and
happiness of eternity.
If you neglect to improve the advantages which
the institutions of our religion furnish in this high
concern, and in consequence your children should
wander into the devious paths of sin, with what feel-
ings will you witness their progress towards dis--
grace and misery ? Follow the son, whose Chris-
tian education you have neglected, through the
course of profligacy, and mark the ruin of his con-
stitution, his forfeiture of reputation, an(J the sacri-
fice of every earthly blessing. Behold him on the
bed of sickness and death, and dw^ell on his con-
dition in a future world as a hardened sinner. Then
reflect that his present misery and final perdition ar^
3j64 SERMON XXIV.
occasioned by your criminal neglect ; and that his
soul will be required at your hands. Place your-
selves in a situation like this : conceive, if you can,
the anguish attendir.ij it ; anguish, which I am una-
ble to describe, and which, God grant, none of us
may experience.
To female heads of families our subject is pecu-
liarly important. In the early education of children
their influence is superior ; and in religion, as it
respects all domestick relations, they have a high
interest. Whether the partners of their lives feel
the force of parental obligation, and faithfully dis-
charge its duties, or desert their sacred trust for the
unsubstantial pleasures of dissipation, and the per-
nicious practices of gaming, mothers are necessari-
ly confined to the cares of the household. On them
their infant offspring are absolutely dependent, and
by them those early impressions are made which
often give an effectual bias to the mind, direct the
moral course of the life, and form the character of
the future man. The exercises of the Sabbath are
not less beneficial as they furnish the best assistance
in the performance of maternal duty, than as they
offer support and consolation under all the trials and
disappointments of this relation.
The attention of the poor to our subject need not
be solicited. To them the Sabbath is the greatest
blessing. Amidst all their toils, it secures them
one day of rest in seven, without any diminution of
their income. For such are the regulations of so-
ciety, that they receive as large a recompense for
the services of six days, as they would for the seven,
had not the Sabbath been enjoined. The time du-
SERMON XXIV. 365
ring which their labour is suspended, they may de-
vote to those reflections and exercises, which will
animate them to sustain with patience their situation
in society, contentedly submit to the dispensations
of Providence, and inspire them with hope and joy
in the contemplation of futurity. In the publick
worship of the Sabbath, the humble sons of pover-
ty meet the powerful and the affluent on the floor of
equality. In the house of God, the rich and the
poor appear as children of the same Parent, disci-
ples of the same Master, and joint candidates for a
glorious immortality. By the attainments of the
Christian life, they become qualified for the heaven-
ly kingdom, where all distinctions will be lost, ex-
cept those of a moral nature. If they wisely im-
prove the privileges which the gospel bestows, and
amidst worldly poverty become rich towards God,
at the close of their probationary scene durable treas-
ures will be conferred upon them, even an inherit-
ance incorruptible, undefiied, and which will not
fade away.
To persons of every age and condition, in con-
clusion, I remark, that the publick institutions of our
religion are established by the authority of God ;
our serious and habitual attendance upon them is
the method which he has appointed to acquire the
qualifications of the Christian character ; and in their
observance we may expect the promised support
and acceptance of Heaven. Slighting the proposals
of love and mercy, will you adopt your own devi-
ces in place of the institutions of God ? Try your
independent scheme in the concerns of the natural
world. Refuse to cultivate your fields in seed-time j
366 SERMON XXIV.
and command them to yield their fruits in the ap-
pointed weeks of harvest. No : here you realize
your dependence upon Divine Providence, and you
diligently adopt the prescribed means, relying on
the divine blessing to accomplish the end. Equally
dependent in the moral world, with similar dili-
gence observe the methods established by God for
your obtaining the fruits of piety, and righteousness,
and charity ; humbly looking to Him to bless your
endeavours even to the salvation of your souls.
By ail these considerations, be persuaded to " re^
jnember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.*'
SERMON XXV.
THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE <50SPEI.
JOHN V. 40.
Ye will not come to me that ye might have life.
THIS solemn declaration was originally made by
our Saviour to his countrymen. They were blind-
ed by their prejudices, and hardened by their sins ;
and against themselves, they rejected the counsel of
God, delivered by his son Jesus Christ. But to
many, in each subsequent age, might the warning
voice of our text have been addressed. Will it be
heard by any present without effect f
From the passage before us, I shall
1. Explain the import of the word Life, which
our Saviour promises to all who will come to him.
2. Define the meaning of the phrase. Come to
Christ.
3. State the means with which we are favoured
to facilitate a compliance with the condition of the
promised blessing.
368 SERMON xxr.
1. To explain the import of the word Life, which
our Saviour promises to all who will come to him.
The gift of God by Jesus Christ is eternal life*
Death was introduced into our world as the wages
of sin* Suppose the darkness and gloom of the
night of death were never to be removed by the
light of returning day, who without horrour could
contemplate its approach ? Its certainty might de-
press the purest joys of the human heart; check the
noblest pursuits of mauj and fill the whole condition
of his being with despondence.
From this state of darkness and despair, we are
delivered by the mediation and ministry of Christ.
He has abolished death and brought life and immor»
tality to light. He has conquered the king of ter-
rours, and redeemed the captives of the tomb from;
the empire of death. The resurrection of Jesus is
a pledge for the fulfilment of the divine promise to
raise his disciples from the sleep of the grave to the
honours of immortality. The life therefore which
is promised to those, who in sincerity come to
Christ, is not merely existence beyond the grave,
nor only the removal of doubt respecting the reality
of a future state. The certainty of future existence
would not alone satisfy the inquisitive mind. Dis-
tressing perplexity would yet remain, and questions
xvith the utmost anxiety still be asked — What will
be tny condition in a future world, for which I am
certainly destined ? If I am a candidate for future
happiness, on what terms may I obtain it ? Will
God permit the subjects of his moral government
with impunity to violate his laws ? If frail beings,
eonscious that they often offend, and daily fall short
SERMON XXT. 369
of their duty, may attain to a blessed immortality,
what assistance may they expect in acquiring^ the
necessary qualifications for the enjoyments of a
higher state of being ? On what foundation may
they build the sustaining hope that they have a title
to the imperishable treasures of a future world ?
In these questions all have a deep interest ; yet
what difficulty attends their solution by human rea-
son ? Into how many errours and perplexities have
they actually fallen, who attempted by the light of
nature to answer them ? The Christian revelation
gives satisfactory information on all these questions.
It not only dispels doubt respecting our future ex-
istence, but enables us to dwell on the prospect of
immortality with serenity and delight. By its in-
struction and assistance we may with safety and as-
surance pursue our course in the path to immortal-
ity. We then perceive that Christ came that we
might have life and have it more abundantly. By
him our prospects are infinitely enlarged. He has
opened the eternal world, in all its sublimity, to our
contemplation; and given us directions that will
make us wise to salvation. In his own life, he has
embodied his religion, that we may daily behold its
living excellence : in the path opened before us, he
has left traces of his own course, that we may follow
his footsteps to the goal of Christian perfection : by
making his own life a sacrifice, he has redeemed us
from the power of death : by rising in triumph from
the grave, he has enstamped with the seal of Al-
mighty God, the title of his disciples to eternal life ;
and they may yield to the summons of death, in the
sure and certain hope of a blessed immortality.
47
370 SERMON XXT.
2. To define the meaning of the phrase, Come
to Christ.
Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. God,
the original source of every blessing, has commis-
sioned his Son to be the author of salvation to all
them who obey him. In the execution of this di-
vine appointment, Jesus established his reign on
earth, and introduced a new system of moral admin-
istration among men. He revealed all truth per-
taining to eternal life, enacted laws as a rule of con-
duct to his subjects, and prescribed measures by
which they might acquire the qualifications of his
true disciples, and become prepared for those future
rewards which are the objects of tlieir faith, hope,
and pursuit. These observations will enable us to
understand that clause of our text under considera-
tion.
To come to Christ, is humbly to receive him as
the Messiah ; voluntarily acknowledge our allegi-
ance to his government ; publickly profess ourselves
to be his disciples, and seriously observe the insti-
tutions of his appointment. God has given us to
Christ in the covenant of grace and mercy : God
draws us to the Saviour by the instruction, the as-
assistance, and the promises of the gospel. To se-
cure the promised rewards, under the influence of
our religion, we must acquire the qualifications of
the Christian character, that we may at last be found
worthy of admittance into those mansions, which he
is now preparing in his Father's house for those who
follow him in the path of obedience to the divine
will.
SERMON XXV. 371
Any other coming to Christ than faith in his mis-
sion, and a compliance with his requisitions ; any re-
liance on his merits short of a heart and Hfe formed
by his precepts, as the requisite preparation for the
happiness secured by his mediation and ministry to
his faithful disciples, has no warrant in scripture.
The Christian temper, and, when opportunity is giv-
en, habits of piety and virtue, are essential as a prep-
aration for the happiness of heaven. These neces-
sary qualifications all will acquire, who with sinceri-
ty adopt the prescribed means.
3. To state the means with which we are favoured,
to facilitate a compliance with the condition of the
promised blessing.
By the constitution of Christianity, as Christ and
his apostles established it, provision is made to per-
petuate its existence, and to give efficacy to its prin-
ciples. The means with which we are favoured
embrace the sacred scriptures, the ministrations of
the sabbath, and all the ordinances of the gospel.
But your attention at this time will be directed par-
ticularly to the publick profession of religion, the
rite of baptism, and the sacrament of the supper.
In positive institutions, men are apt to run into
opposite extremes ; cither to neglect them, on the
plea that they are without efficacy, or to depend on
them as the substance of religion. Positive institu-
tions are designed to give assistance to men in ac-
quiring the affections of the children of God, and
confirming themselves in Christian habits. But on
these, none should rest as the end of the command-
ment. When dependence is placed on these in-
stitutions as the ultimate design of religion, they
372 SERMON XXV.
are perverted, and the observance of them is neither
acceptable to God, nor profitable to man. Belief,
profession, and all ceremonial observances, without
a corresponding life and conversation, are unavailing.
Religion, to be effectual, must dwell in the heart,
and produce the fruit of obedience. Still positive
institutions are important, and serious attendance
on them promotes the design of the gospel. The
observance of these institutions is a sacred duty, be-
cause these were enjoined by the authority of
Christ, and they are adapted to the moral improve-
ment of beings in the condition of men.
In primitive times, when the governments of the
world were opposed to the Christian system, the
publick profession of Christ was required, though
it was made at the hazard of life. We may deter-
mine whether we will comply with the conditions
of salvation, and thereby qualify ourselves for the
rewards of immortality ; but it is not at our option,
whether we shall be brought under allegiance to the
government of the Saviour. All, who are favoured
with the Christian revelation are under indispensa-
ble obligations to improve its advantages. The
manner in which men now profess themselves
Christians is not important. If they manifest their
belief of the truth of Christianity by supporting its
establishments, acknowledging their obligations to
obey its laws, by an habitual attendance on its pub-
lick institutions, and support this profession by a
Christian life, they comply with the requisition of
the gospel.
Baptism is a right by which persons are initiated
into the Christian church. It Is a sign of the gra-
SERMON XXV. 373
cious promise of God to accept the disciple, and of
the obligation of Christians to devote themselves to
God by piety of heart, and purity of life through Je-
sus the mediator. Adults by baptism acquire a ti-
tle to all Christian privileges, enter into a solemn
covenant to have their conversation as becometh the
gospel, and receive an assurance of eternal life as
the reward of evangelical obedience.
Parents, when they present their children for bap-
tism, promise in the presence of God faithfully to
execute the parental trust. They thereby give a
sacred pledge to the Christian society of which they
are members, that they will use their best endeav-
ours, by precept and example, to educate their chil-
dren in the principles, and train them up in the vir-
tues of the gospel.
The rite of the supper in its original appointment
was plain and simple. Our Saviour directed his
disciples to eat bread and drink wine in remem-
brance of him ; telling them, that the bread was in-
tended as an emblem of his body, and the wine of
his blood, which were to be made a sacrifice for their
benefit. That this institution is designed for the
observance of Christian disciples in every age, is
manifest from the example of primitive professors,
and from express declarations of St. Paul. St.
Luke informs us, in the book of Acts, that the
Christian converts " continued steadfastly in the
apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of
bread and in prayers." St. Paul, after stating the
origin and design of the rite of the supper, observes,
" As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup,
ye do show forth the Lord's death till he come."
374 SERMON XXV.
Here we surely find authority for the celebration of
the supper till the second advent of our Divine Lord.
The Lord's supper is usually denominated a sa-
crament. This is not a scriptural phrase : it was
probably borrowed from the Romans. The oath of
fidelity to his general, administered to a Roman sol-
dier, was called a sacrament. Pliny, the governour
of a Roman province, in the first Christian century,
giving information to the Emperor respecting Christ-
ians, says, " they are accustomed to meet together
before it is light, and to bind themselves by a sa-
crament." To consider the communion service as
a renewal of our allegiance to Jesus Christ, and as a
renewed promise to obey his laws, is consistent with
the design of its appointment ; though it does not
clearly imply that endearing relation which we bear
to the Saviour, nor those grateful recollections of
his benevolent agency, which should dwell in our
minds while at the table of our Lord. Some Christ-
ians of the present day, I fear, consider the term sa-
crament merely as the name of a religious rite ; and
that a greater number attach to the word a mysteri-
ous sanctity. Clear views of this solemn but joy-
ous service are important to all. Whoever will,
with an unprejudiced mind, attend to the represen-
tation of the supper made by the evangelists, and
particularly examine the form in which our Saviour
instituted, and the manner in which he and his dis-
ciples observed it, may understand this sacranteiit
in its origin, nature, and tendency.
In the first ages of Christianity a marked distinc-
tion was not made between the sacrament of the
supper, and other Christian rites. This ordinance
SERMON XXV. 375
was considered as a part of the established exer-
cises of the sabbath, and administered every Lord's
day to all who attended on publick worship.
Among learned heathen nations there were schools
or colleges in which moral science was taught and
various religious ceremonies were practised. In
these, profound secrecy was affected, much formal-
ity observed in the admission of members, and eve-
ry degree of information denied to those not initia-
ted. When the initiated pagan philosophers were
converted to Christianity, they unhappily carried
into our religion too many of the views formed by
their previous education. The notion of mystery
was now associated with the riie of the supper, and
Christian divines taught people that the consecrat-
ed elements had in themselves virtue to sanctify the
communicant. From this, they proceeded by grad-
ual steps to the monstrous doctrine of transubstan-
tiation, which, in all its extravagance, the papal
church established as an essential truth of revelation.
From this gross corruption of a simple rite, many
weak and debasing superstitions resulted. The eu-
charist was encircled with mystery and holiness,
•which filled the minds of men with awe and aston-
ishment. Believing that the consecrated elements
were the real body and blood of Christ, many mem-
bers of the Christian community were by tender-
ness of conscience deterred from approaching the
Lord's table, and the most serious approached it
with fear and trembling.
In process of time, these holy elements were
represented as possessing not only virtue to sanctify
the soul, but also pewer to heal the diseases of the
376 SERMON XXV.
body, and to preserve life amidst perils and dangers
the i4iost imminent. That the sacramental bread
might be in readiness for any emergency, it was
prepared in the form of wafers : these, Romish priests
consecrated in abundance, and made them an arti-
cle of traffick,
Protestants have discarded these gross corrup-
tions of the papal church ; but a relict of their su-
perstition has been transmitted to us. Many in our
day entertain an opinion that the sacrament of the
supper is in its nature more sacred than any other
office of religion, and in consequence suppose that
an individual must have satisfactory proof that he is
qualified to join the society of saints in heaven be-
fore he is fitted to approach the communion table.
From this cause, multitudes are restrained from a
participation in this ordinance, who fully acknowl-
edge the truth of Christianity, and habitually join in
the common offices of publick worship ; and many
are found in this number, whom we are bound in
charity to view as Christians in temper and conduct.
We meet at the Lord's table only a small proportion
of the serious part of a congregation. Yet the com-
mand is express — " This do in remembrance of me."
The above positions I deem to be incorrect. This
sacrament is not more holy than are some other of-
fices of our religion. There can be no higher act
of religion than direct communion w^itb God in
prayer. The sincerity that renders publick or pri-
vate prayer acceptable to Deity, will be accepted in
the observance of all other Christian ordinances*
Perfect saints will hold communion in heaven. The
institutions of the gospel are appointed as means of
sERBioN xxr. 377
progressive improvements in Christian life. The
qualifications requisite for the consistent observ-
ance of the rite of the supper may be limited to two
articles, viz. to belief in the truth of the Christian
religion, and a sincere desire to live in conformity
to the directions of Jesus^ our Saviour. All who
thus believe and resolve, have a right to this ordi-
nance*. In its observance they will find comfort and
joy ; their good resolutions will hereby be strength-
ened, their pious endeavours invigorated, and their
Christian hopes enlivened.
While engaged in the busy scenes of the world,
and surrounded with objects of sense, we all need
the ceremonial services of our religion to direct our
attention to our immortal interests, and animate us
to habitual endeavours to acquire the qualifications
of the Christian character. Heads of families, par-
ents in special, will seriously reflect on their duty to
confess Christ before men, and to observe the ordi-
nances of his appointment. It must be the desire
of parents, that Christian principles should be early
implanted in the minds of children, and that they
practise the Christian virtues. To produce this
effect, your example must enforce your instruction*
The mature judgment of manhood enables you t©
form an opinion of the character of men, principally
from the fruits produced in practical life. But the
minds of children are not capable of this view.*—
The visibility of religion in their parents, is to them,
in a great degree, confined to forms. If they per-
ceive that their parents are indifferent to the p«b-
lick ipstitutfons of the gospel, and neglect an at-
378 SERMON xxr.
tendance on those publick services which are deem-
ed the highest offices of rehgion, they will not easily
be persuaded that religious principles are establish-
ed in the hearts of their parents, or that these have
a controlling influence over their practices. Your
spirit of indifference your children will naturally
imbibe ; but they will not readily distinguish be-
tween principle and form, and there is danger that
with the form they may discard the power of relig-
ion. You cannot question whether the positive
institutions of the gospel be important to your chil-
dren as means of Christian knowledge and of prog-
ress in moral life. You might as well expect that
they would become learned in a science without
studying its elementary principles, or skilful in an
art without manual practice in the use of its essen-
tial instruments, as that they will acquire the knowl-
edge of Christian truth and attain to habits of Christ-
ian virtue without the forms and exercises which
aid young minds in these important acquisitions. If
then you seek eternal life for yourselves, if you de-
sire to educate your children in the fear of God, and
to form them to the Christian character — take your
appropriate station in the Christian community, pub-
lickly confess yourselves the disciples of an ascend-
ed Saviour, and in view of all around you support
your title to the treasures of heaven by an uniform
obedience to all the commands of Him who will
finally bring you to judgment.
With the greatest solicitude I invite youth of
both sexes to give their undivided attention to our
subject:. Will you not, my young brethren, come
to Christ that you may have life ? None of you arc
SERMON XXV. 379-
lully satisfied with your present enjoyments. On
the prospect of distinctions and acquisitions in riper
years, you now rest your expectation of worldly en-
joyment ; and the hope of future success supports
you through the studies and labours which lead to
the object of promised gratification. The anticipa-
tion of future eminence, wealth or usefulness, light-
ens your toils, and adds renewed energy to your
exertions. But all the distinctions of human socie-
ty, and all the riches of the world, are trifles beneath
your notice, when compared with future and im-
mortal life, which Christ has placed within y©ur ac-
quisition. Why not, then, extend your views to
that object v.^hich alone is worthy of the first atten-
tion and the chief pursuit of immortal minds ? You
are daily warned of the frailty of human life : adopt,
then, the appointed means, that you may be prepar-
ed for the higher honours and more substantial en-
joyments of heaven. \V ill you say that these means
are unnecessary for your Christian improvement?
Consult your own passions, examine the tempta-
tions of the world, and then judge. Are you de-
terred by the sight of those who do not honourably
support the profession they have made ? Put on
Christianity, not in semblance, but in reality. Do
you fear that you shall unworthily approach the ta-
ble of our Lord ? Are you prepared for the society
of just men made perfect in heaven ? Then cer-
tainly you are worthy of communing with saints on
earth. If you are not qualified for admission into
the heavenly church, adopt the measures, which
your Saviour has provided to make you meet for
the rest of saints in the kingdom of light, and lift
380 SERMON XXV.
up holy hands to God for a blessing. Are you re-
strained, from an apprehension that by a Christian
profession you shall be limited in your worldly
pleasures ? Christianity forbids no pleasurable en-
jo\'ment which becomes your station in society-
will secure you peace of mind, promote the grateful
intercourse of social life, or give the most satisfac-
tion in the use of the bounties of Providence. If
you should, by the influence of religion, be with-
drawn from disgraceful and ruinous indulgences,
this furnishes the best reason why you should make
a religious profession, and resolutejy walk by the
rules of the gospel. Do you fear the raillery of the
light and corrupt of your acquaintance, and on this
account deny obedience to the express commands
of your Saviour ? Remember his solemn declara-
tion — " Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of
my words, in this adulterous generation, of him will
I be ashamed, when I shall eome in the glory of
my Father."
Do the youn^ of the more delicate sex need solici-
tation to an observance of the dying command of
their Saviour ? Women have a common interest
in the high concerns of salvation ; and there are pe-
culiar considerations which lead them to religious
observances. Christianity has given them a rank
in society which they do not hold under any other
religious establishment. Women are excluded
from the field of worldly ambition, publick employ-
ment, and publick resort. In their domestick
situation they are, therefore, in a greater degree
dependent on religion for support under the trou-
bles and sorrows of life ; and their condition more
SERMON XXV. 381
particularly invites them to partake of its eonsola-
tions and joys. Their hearts are more easily open-
ed to impressions of piety, and they are, from con-
stitutional complexion more inclined to devotion ;
and there are, I believe, more pious women than
men. In all our societies we certainly find more
female than male communicants. What character
then must we give of those women, who appear to
be destitute of pious affections, and who live in the
neglect of Christian observances ? I do not affirm
that an impious woman is more criminal in the sight
of Heaven than an irreligious man ; but I do say that
to us she appears to deviate farther from her appro-
priate character, and therefore to us appears more
unamiable and more inexcusable.
Early piety and Christian virtue, my young
friends, are your greatest ornaments ; and these will
prove your best security, and the source of your
purest joys. Recall to remembrance the devout
women who ministered to our Divine Lord, when
on earth he published the glad tidings of peace and
salvation. Reflect on the character of the pious
Mary, who washed his feet with her tears, and wiped
them with her hair ; and reflect that her name has
in every subsequent age been associated with his,
and that through all time her memory will be hon-
oured in every land where the gospel shall be pub-
lished. Like Mary choose the better part. There
still is room for you to honour the Saviour. Con-
fess yourselves his disciples, and open your minds
to the gracious influence of his religion : come to
the feast of love and gratitude : adorn your lives
with the virtues and graces of the gospel.
SERMOJN XXVI.
ON THE DOCTRINE OP ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.
MATTHEW XX r. 46.
'these shall go away into everlasting punishment ; hut the
righteous into life eternah
TO complete the proposed plan of doctrinal dis-
courses, I have only to direct your attention to the
retributions of a future state. On the subject of
punishment, I shall review three distinct opinions,
viz.- —
1. The punishment of the wicked in a future
world will be endless in duration.
2. The punishments of a future state being dis-
ciplinary, will, sooner or later, bring the sinner to re-
pentance, and ultimately the whole human race will
be made the subjects of salvation.
3. Future punishments will be of limited dura-
tion, and will terminate in the annihilation of the.
wicked.
SERMON XXVI* 383
The doctrine of interminable punishment will
employ our reflections this morning.
Various writers have given great latitude to their
imaginations in describing the place and nature of
the future punishment of the wicked. But specu-
lations respecting local situation are useless. The
whole question is wrapt in impenetrable darkness.
Of the nature of future punishments I have few ob-
servations to make, because ray conceptions on the
subject are very limited. The heathen poets are
sufficiently explicit on this point, and they repre-
sent them to consist in those privations and suffer-
ings which in imagination are the most distressing.
The language of scripture, in the description of fu-
ture punishment is generally figurative ; and Christ-
ian divines, in their attempt to explain it, greatly
differ. Some approach as near the literal meaning
as the case will admit, and suppose that the princi-
pal sufferings of the wicked in a future world will
be immediately inflicted by the hand of God. Oth-
ers entertain the opinion that future punishment will
chiefly consist in the privation of good, and in the
regret and remorse which the wicked will feel in
their own minds. In this class Calvin, if I mistake
not, is to be numbered. Why should we suppose
that in a future world God will inflict on the xvicked
sufferings in any manner resembling the punish-
ments which are often made the penalty of human
lavv's. If the wicked carry their vicious propensi-
ties and their evil habits into the next state of exist-
ence, they will carry with them an appropriate and
adequate punishment. The prophets of the old tes-
^ment, denouncing to the Israelites tlie conseque^ic^
384 9ERM0N XXVI.
es of disobedience to the commands of their God,
made use of the boldest figures, and from many of
them, had not experience instructed us, we should
have expected, that the threatenings would have
been executed by the immediate hand of Deity ; but
in event we find, that God in this, as in most instan-
ces, accomplished the moral purposes of his gov-
ernment by the operation of subordinate agents, and
of secondary causes. The people of Israel were
beset by their ow^n doings. They ploughed wick-
edxiess, and reaped iniquity. They sowed the wind,
and they reaped the whirlwind.
Admit that the wicked will exist in the next
world with the evil dispositions, under which they
act in this, and that a due sense of the folly and
criminality of their conduct in a state of probation
will then rest on their minds, and we can perceive
that their future situation must be most deplorable.
Separated from God and from all good beings, and^
congregated among characters as depraved as them-
selves, their self-accusation, their mutual upbraid-
ings, their dissocial feelings, and malevolent inter-
course must form sufierinsrs that cannot easilv be
described.
The proper design of punishment, Ethick wri-
ters assert, is the reformation of the offender, and
the prevention of offences in others. In human
governments, in that instance one of these pur-
poses is principally intended, and in this the oth-
er. In some cases, as capital executions, the pre-
vention of crime is the sole object. In view of our
subject, we may say, that the design of punishment
is to enforce the moral system of the gospel. Je-
Sermon xxvr. '^S^
sus Christ has legislated in his kingdom. What are
laws without a sanction ? By what obligations are
those precepts enforced, where no penalty accrues
from their violation ? What is the import of the
promises and threatenings of the gospel, if in the al-
lotments of the future world no distinction will be
made between the righteous and the wicked ? What
is the purpose of a probationary state, and to what
end is the immense apparatus of means in the dis-
pensations of Providence and grace, if, in the retri-
butions of a future world, no distinction will be
made between those, who, by an improvement of
their talents, have formed themselves to characters
of purity and virtue, and those, who, by their abuse,
have hardened themselves in iniquity ? If the wick-
ed are to pass at once from this life into the happi-
ness of heaven, what meaning shall we put on the
many passages in the New Testament which describe
the decisions of the final judgment ? Every view
we can take of the character of God, of his mora!
government, and of the final issue of his administra-
tions, forbids the supposition, that God beholds the
righteous and the wicked with the same favour ;
and that he will, at the consummation of the present
system of things, place them indiscriminately in the
same condition of glory and happiness. Could the
doctrine of universal salvation, in the above sense,
be with confidence embraced, Christian faith would
no longer have eJSicacy as a principle of moral ac-
tion — motives to a virtuous life, in prospect of a fu-
ture retribution would lose all their force ; and to all
tlje moral piiiposes of society, in principle there
49
a86
SERMON XXYI.
could be no difference between the Christian and
the Atheist.
.One argument in support of eternal punishment
is drawn from the nature of sin. Sin is said to be
an infinite evil, because it is committed against an
infinite being ; and therefore the endless duration of
the torments of the damned is consistent with the
moral perfections of the Deity, To this it is re-
plied, that "the supposition that crime should be
heightened by the quality of the object to this de-
gree, is absurd ; since the evil and demerit of all sin
must be equal, inasmuch as none can be more than
infinite, and, consequently, there can be no founda-.
tion for degrees of punishment in the next life.
Add, that for the same reason as the least sin against
God is infinite in respect of its object, the least pun-
ishment inflicted by God may be said to be infinite
because of its author, and thus all punishments
from, as well as sins against God, would be equal.
Whereas, both scripture and reason prove that there
are different degrees of guilt, proportioned to the
different circumstances attending them. To this
consideration the advocates of eternal punishment
reply, that where the duration of the punishment is
equal, there may be such a difference in degree as
may be correspondent to the degree of the crime ;
and if this answer be not satisfactory, it will be dif-
ficult to say how the different degrees of eternal re-
wards can be vindicated as consistent with itself."
Another argument in proof of the perpetuity of
future punishments is drawn from the nature of
evil habits. It is affirmed, that if sinners live for-
ever, they will forever sin, and therefore merit end-
SERMON XXVI. 387
less punishment. But it is asked — Who can aver,
that if a man live ever so long, he would never be
brought to repentance ? God, in his justice, pun-
ishes only those sins which men have actually com-
mitted. It is further declared, that the punishments
of God are not vindictive ; they are not intended
merely to inflict misery on the offender, but are pa-
rental chastisements.
Some urge the plea of endless punishment from
the consideration that God has placed life and death
before men, and has left them at liberty to choosci
eternal happiness or endless misery ; and the re-
ward promised to obedience is equal to the punish-
ment threatened to disobedience ; and therefore
God, inconsistency with his justice and goodness,
may inflict endless misery on those who reject the
offers of salvation. To this argument the answer
is, though it be not contrary to justice to confer a
reward of obedience disproportionate to the merit
of the service performed, this being a grant of fa-
vour; yet it is inconsistent with justice to inflict a
punishment in degree above or beyond the merit of
disobedience ; and it cannot be proved tliat man,
weak and frail, naturally possesing passions which
are the occasion of sin, and surrounded with cir-
cumstances which often furnish temptations to evil,
by the vices of the present life justly exposes him-
self to eternal torment in a world to come. The
punishment is evidently disproportionate to the
crime ; and it is impossible to reconcile this punish-
ment with the character of God. To say that the
eternal punishment of the human sinner may an-
swer important purposes on other parts of the moral
388 SERIVION XXTI.
government of Deity, is no vindication of the doc-
trine. God is not thus limited in the principles of
his government. It is not necessary that he should
inflict unjust punishment on one individual moral
agent, that he may accomplish the design of his di-
vine administrations on other portions of his do-
minions. The pious and learned Archbishop Til-
lotson defends the doctrine of eternal punishment
on the authority of scripture. He correctly ob-
serves, that the duration of the happiness of the
righteous is sometimes expressed by the same
terms that are used to express the duration of the
punishments of the wicked. The language of
scripture will be noticed under a following branch
of our subject. For the present it is enough to re-
mark, that there is a striking difference in the ex-
pressions, eternal life, and eternal death. The one
imports endless duration of being ; the other, a total
extinction of existence. The great and good pre-
late, pressed with the objection of the inconsistency
of eternal torments with the acknowledged attri-
butes of Deity, endeavours to solve the difficulty
by the following observations : — " The measure of
penalties, with respect to crimes, is not only nor
always taken from the quality and degree of the of-
fence, much less from the duration and continuance
of it ; but from the reasons of government, which
properly require such penalties as may secure the
observation of the law, and deter men from the
breach of it." Observing that this is the fact in
human governments, the Dr. proceeds — " In effect,
what proportion crimes and penalties are to bear to
each other, is not so properly a consideration of jus=
SERMON XXVI. 389
tice as of wisdom and prudence in the Law-giver,
who may enforce his laws with what penalties he
pleases, without any impeachment of his justice,
which is out of the question." Here we may per-
ceive how a great mind labours to support a false
maxim. Is there no injustice in inflicting a pun-
ishment above the guilt of the crime, because the
offender might have refrained from the violation of
the law, and thereby have escaped the penalty ?
Our candid author, apparently dissatisfied with his
own reasoning, adds — " After all, it is to be consid-
ered that he who threatens has the power of execu-
tion in his own hands. There is this difference be-
tween promises and threatenings — that he who
promises passes over a right to another, and there-
by stands obliged to him, injustice and faithfulness,
to make good his words ; but it is otherwise in
threatenings. He that threatens keeps the right of
punishing still with himself, and is not obliged to
execute what he has threatened any further than the
reasons and ends of government require." Does
this satisfy us? In the administration of human
government, circumstances may arise which were
not foreseen by the legislator, and which may ren-
der it expedient to set aside the penalty of violated
law in favour of the offender ; but no such reason
can exist in the government of God. He saw the
end from the beginning : he weighed all the cir-
cumstances of human weakness and human temp-
tation : he adapted his laws to the capacities of
men, and affixed a righteous penalty as the wages
of transgression ; and no reason can be assigned why
it should not be inflicted on the impenitent. The
390 SERMON XXVI.
language in the New Testament is as plain and ex-
plicit that the punishment threatened shall be carri-
ed into execution on the sinner, as that the promis-
ed reward shall be conferred on the child of God ;
and though we cannot say that it is inconsistent with
the faithfulness of God to save the offender from the
threatened suffering, yet is this so easily reconciled
with his veracity? Would not any government
render itself weak and contemptible which should
solemnly affix a penalty to a law, with the settled
determination never to carry it into execution?
God certainly has not threatened sinners with pun-
ishment that cannot be inflicted consistently with
the attributes which compose his character. Have
we not, then, every reason to expect that the pen-
alty of the divine law will be executed in the day
when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus
Christ ? If, then, the eternal punishment of the sin-
ner be inconsistent with the divine character, we
may be assured that this punishment is not threat-
ened by the revelation of God.
The doctrine of eternal punishment has often
been brought as an objection against the Christian
system. It can with great difficulty, if at all, be rec-
onciled with the justice and goodness of God ; and
we ought to be fully satisfied that the scriptures
contain this doctrine before we attem^Di its defence
on the ground of revelation. If this doctrine be not
contained in the bible, but is found only in the com-
mentaries of men, we shall, by the attempt to sup-
port it, injure the cause v/hich we aim to defend,
and mav lav a stumblin2:-block or an occasion to
fall in the wav of numbers of our fellow-men. At
SERMON XXVI. 391
least, before any one can consistently bring the doc-
trine of eternal torments as an objection to the
Christian system, he must prove that the scriptures
contain it.
I am, my Christian brethren, so fully persuaded
of your Catholicism, that I conceive no apology on
my part is necessary for explicitness. I feel the re-
lation between you and me too sacred to admit of
disguise. A love of truth, a sense of duty, an ar-
dent desire to present Christianity clearly to your
minds in its true light, a system perfectly consistent
with the perfections of God, and altogether adapt-
ed to the nature of man, constrained, me to lead
your reflections to the subject before us. For my-
self, I freely declare, that, from a diligent examina-
tion of the New Testament, I am satisfied it does
not contain the doctrine of punishment endless in
its duration. I as fully believe that the sanction of
the divine law will be inflicted. Every individual
who becomes an incorrigible sinner under the dis-
pensation of the gospel, may be assured that on him
the punishment, denounced by Christ and his apos-
tles against the transgressor, will be executed.
The belief that future punishment will be of lim-
ited duration, is not peculiar to modern times. —
Some of the most celebrated of the Christian fa-
thers held this opinion. Many other early profes-
sors embraced this doctrine. Some writers, indeed,
boldly assert, that the opinion of endless punish-
ment was not received among believers till philoso-
phers introduced into their schools metaphysical dis-
putations about time and space.
392 SERMON XXVI»
Many, who disbelieve the doctrine of eternal pun-
ishment, are afraid to avow their opinion, lest it
should weaken the restraints of religion. This is
not my fear. The certainty of merited punishment
operates more powerfully on the human mind, than
the threat of punishment, evidently disproportioned
to crimes committed. The threatening will either
be disbelieved, or a persuasion will be entertained
that it will never be executed. Our duty is diligent-
ly to study the scriptures, and honestly to declare
the truths of revelation as we understand them. —
Consequences we may leave to the overruling prov-
idence of God.
SERMON XXVII.
ON THE DOCTRINE OP UNIVERSAL RESTORATION,
2 THESSALONIANS i. 7, 8, 9.
When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his
mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them
that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ ; who shall be punished with everlast-
ing destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from
the glory of his power.
OUR general subject is the punishment allotted
to the wicked in a future world. In the last dis-
course I proposed to consider the opinions enter-
tained on the doctrine of future punishment, under
the following propositions, viz. —
1. The punishment of the wicked in a future
World will be endless in duration. *
2. The punishments of a future state, being
disciplinary, will, sooner or later, bring sinners t6 '
50
394 SERMON XXVII.
repentance, and ultimately the whole human race
will be made the subjects of salvation.
3. Future punishments will be of limited dura-
tion, and terminate in the annihilation of the wick-
ed.
The first proposition has been discussed. With-
out repetition, I pass to the second, viz, —
2. The punishments of the future state being
disciplinary, will, sooner or later, bring sinners to
repentance, and ultimately the whole human race
will be made the subjects of salvation.
The scheme of universal restoration was adopted
by Origen, one of the distinguished fathers of the
Christian church, who lived in the third century. —
It has been embraced by numbers in every subse-
quent age ; and many, who adopt it at the present
day, give evidence by their lives that they possess
the spirit of the gospel.
The Rev. Dr. Chauncy, a celebrated divine of
our own country, may be considered as an original
writer on this subject. He has stated the scheme in
the clearest manner, added greatly to the arguments
of its earlier advocates ; and though we may not be
induced by a perusal of his works to adopt his opin-
ion, we shall be constrained to pay a tribute of re-
spect to his learning and piety^ his assiduity and
candour.
Dr. Chauncy endeavours to prepare the minds
of his readers without prejudice to attend to his ar-
guments, by observations like the following: —
" The scheme before us exhibits the Deity in so
amiable and interesting light, and reflects so much
glcwy on the mediatorial undertaking of Jesus Christ,
SERMON XXTII. 395
that every man, one would tliink, should beforehand
be disposed to wish that it might be well supported
from the scriptures. Can the thought be displeas-
ing to any son of Adam, that the whole hunian race
shall finally have entrance ministered to them into
the kingdom of heaven, to partake there of joys,
that flow forever at God's right hand? Where is
the man so destitute of benevolence, so bereft of
humanity, as not to bid God speed to an attempt
intended to establish it as a revealed truth, that this,
before the scene of providence is finally shut up,
shall be the portion of men of every nation, of every
character, colour, station or condition ? It is not to
be supposed, that any should be so filled with envy,
or soured by rancour, hatred or malice, as not to
hope that so benevolent a plan may be found, upon
the strictest inquiry, to be true."
The advocates for restoration profess to support it
by reason and revelation. Natural arguments in its
favour are drawn from the perfections of God, es-
pecially from his goodness, which is apparent in all
his works and ways ; and from the evident design
of affliction and chastisement in the present state.
God, it is said, is perfect in himself : he is over
all, blessed forever. Creation, therefore, must
have originated in benevolence. Man was design,
ed for happiness. The purpose of God will stand.
The end of human existence will be accomplished.
All men will ultimately be happy.
Abstract arguments drawn from the benevolence
of the Deity, when applied to the future happiness
of all men, are not conclusive. At least, I never
could perceive their force in this application. Ad-
396 SERMON XXVII.
mitted, they prove too much — prove that every
created being will be exempted from pain and mis-
ery. The history of the world, and the experience
of every individual, contradict the fact. Evil, nat-
ural and moral, has been introduced into our world.
For their impiety and violence the antediluvians
were destroyed : in its corruptions Sodom perished ;
and every descendant of Adam experiences a por-
tion of sorrow and misery. The question is not
whether God may not form a rational, moral being,
whose every action shall be virtuous, and whose
every moment of existence shall be happy ? This
Is not doubted ; but man is not this being. Grant
that man was designed for happiness by his Maker —
the question still arises. What is the happiness foe
which he is designed ? It is happiness which will
be conferred on him as the reward of the right use of
his moral faculties. Man is made the subject of a
moral government, laws are given him as the rule
of his actions, and are enforced by suitable evidence
and by solemn sanctions ; and that obedience which
flows from a teachable temper, from the love of
truth, and from reverence to the authority of his
God, prepares him for the happiness which is the
end of his existence. Grant that man is a free,
moral agent, and that the happiness for which he is
designed is felicity, which results from the establish-
ment of a pious and virtuous disposition — and it
necessarily follows that the goodness of God is not
pledged to confer happiness on the individual who
abuses his moral liberty, corrupts his distinguish-
ing faculties, and, by his vicious habits, disqualifies
Kmself for that very happiness which is promised
SERMON XXYH. 397
as the reward of obedience. We may, I think, rest
in the persuasion, that God, perfectly good and hap-
py, would not give existence to intellectual, moral
beings, when this existence must necessarily be
miserable. But can it be inconsistent with the per-
fect goodness of Deity to bring into existence ra-
tional, moral, and free agents, to give them a field
for the full display of their various faculties, to
grant the necessary instruction, to provide them all
needed assistance, aad then to suspend his favours
and their happiness on the condition of their main-
taining their character as rational and moral beings,.
and by a wise and virtuous improvement of their tal-
ents, qualifying themselves for happiness of a ration-
al, moral, and social nature ; and withhold this re-
ward from those who have neglected to prepare
themselves for its enjoyment?
Perhaps it will be plead, that there seems to be
but a shade of difference between the characters of
those who stand in the lowest scale of acceptable
virtue, and those who are rejected for the least
degree of vice ; and to suppose that God, in the
issue of his government, will make the difference of
immortal happiness and eternal death, in the final
allotments of these charact«-s, is to impeach his
administrations with partiality and injustice. Can
this impeachment be supported ? In all the govern-
ments of this world, in all the publick institutions
of human society, where certain privileges are prof-
fered to all subjects and citizens on equitable condi-
tions, and comi».-tent judges are appointed to decide
on the qualifications of candidates— every applicant,
who is found qualified, is invested with the prpffer-
398 SERMON XXVII.
ed privileges. And is there injustice or partiality in
withhoiding these privileges from all who have
failed of complying with the equitable condition,
though there be but little to distinguish the individ-
ual who is the least defective in the requisite qual-
ification from him who barely possesses it ? The
prize was proffered to all, it is conferred on all who
are fitted to receive it ; and no injury is done to
those, who have neglected to improve the means
cf acquisition.
Suppose God places free, moral beings in a state
of probation, promising to reward those, who, by a
wise and virtuous life, fit themselves for the society
of heaven, with immortal felicity, and denouncing
extinction of being on all who should habitually
abuse their powers — ^would there be partiality or
injustice, or a want of benevolence, in carrying into
execution the penalty against all who neglect to
comply with the condition ?
In proof of the final happiness of all mankind, it has
been urged " that all the^evils that befal either body
or mind in this state, have a tendency to improve
one or both. Arguing from analogies taken from
this state concerning that which is future, we ought
to infer, that the evils of a future state will have the
same tendency and final cause with those of the
present life, viz. to meliorate and perfect our
natures, and to prepare them for ultimate unlimited
happiness."
To all reasonings of this nature it may be replied,
that the analogy, as far as it can be applied, bears
against the supposition of the final restoration of all
men. The severest publick punishments of this
SERMON XXVM. 399
world rarely correct a vitiated mind. " Vice and
sin" are said to be, " in principle, disposition and
habits, no less pernicious and fatal to the soul of
man, than malignant disorders are to his corporeal
frame. It deranges his mental and moral powers :
it vitiates their soundness, and deadens their activ-
ity ; and in its progress and prevalence tends to the
death and destruction of the intelligent and immor-
tal spirit. We may partly infer from the present
effects of human degeneracy, what may be its proba-
ble consequences and issue in a future state. As
no present instruction or correction is sufficient to
reclaim the licentious and profligate, and to recover
them to penitence and virtue, it is possible, and in-
deed not very unlikely, that the more severe disci-
pline of a future state of retribution may prove in-
effectual to restrain rooted dispositions of vice, and
to reform obstinate and imperious habits of sin, so
that those who indulge them shall proceed from
one stage of moral depravity to another, till they
become altogether irreclaimable. As some bodily
diseases advance from one stage of inveteracy to
another, till they are absolutely irremediable, and
must ultimately terminate in dissolution ; so vice,
considered as a growing and deadly disease of the
mental constitution, may end in its fatal derange-
ment and final destruction. In such cases it seems
to be inconsistent neither with justice nor benevo-
lenue, nor any known measure of the divine admin-
istration, to expunge characters of this kind from
the book of life, and to consign the wicked, thus
Incapable of reformation, to utter annihilation."
400 SERMON xxvn.
But on the authority of scripture our opinion of
the future condition of the wicked must be found-
ed. What proof, then, do Universalists draw from
revelation in support of their doctrine? They af-
firm that the whole representation of the bible is,
that the mediation of Jesus Christ was adopted as a
remedy for the apostacy ; and the benefits of it arc
as extensive as were the effects of the fall. All men
became subject to sin, misery and death by Adam's
sin ; and, by the efficacy of Christ's mediation, all
men will ultimately be raised to life, to holiness,
and to never-ending felicity. Numerous passages
of the bible are selected as proofs of the truth of
this statement. I can mention only a few of the
more prominent, as examples. The 5th chapter to
the Romans, from the 12th verse, is a principal pas-
sage. — " Wherefore, as by one man sin entered in-
to the world, and death by sin ; and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned. But not as
the offence so also is the free gift ; for if through
the offence of one many be dead, much more the
grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by
one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
And not as it was by one, that sinned, so is the
gift; for the judgment was by one to condemna-
tion, but the free gift is of many offences unto jus-
tification. For if by one man's offence death reign-
ed by one, much more they which receive abun-
dance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall
reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as by
the offence of one, judgment came on all men to
condemnation ; even so by the righteousness of one,
the free gift came upon all men unto justification of
SERMON XXVII. 401
life. For, as by one man's disobedience many weite
made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall ma-
ny be made righteous. Moreover, the law entered
that the offence might abound ; but where sin
abounded, grace did much more abound. That as
sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace
reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Je-
sus Christ our Lord."
The leading comments on these passages are^
" that as on one hand Adam is considered as the
source of damage to mankind universally-^— on the
other that Clirist is a like source of advantage to the
same mankind ; but with this difference^ that the
advantage on the side of Christ exceeds, overflows^
abounds beyond the damage on the side of Adam,
and this to mankind universally. The Apostle
makes the damage on the side of Adam to consist
in two things, viz. the subjection of all men to a
frail mortal life on earth, and a liableness consequent
upon it to be drawn into that which is sinful. The
opposite superabounding advantage through Christ
he accordingly places in two things, viz. a reign in
life, and a being formed to a meetness for this mer-
cy by being made righteous persons, and this not-
withstanding the influence of all the sins that are
consequent upon Adam's sin^ whether in point of
power or demerit ; and this abounding advantage
through Christ in both its branches is extended to
the same mankind, who have suffered the opposite
damage through Adam."
In this whole statement, I apprehend. Dr. Chaun-
ty has pushed tlic language of Su Paul beyond itP
51,
402 SERMON XXVII.
true meaning. Its more obvious sense, it stems to
m.e, gives no support to the scheme of universal
restoration. We have no reason from scripture to
suppose that if Adam had maintained his innocence,
all his posterity would have been established in a
condition of unchangeable happiness. What then
did they lose by his fall ? A probationary life, on
the same conditions of divine favour and present
happiness, which he originally enjoyed. Christ has
ransomed all men from the death which was an-
nounced as the penalty of the original law of man,
and through the Mediator they are placed in a state
of probation, candidates for new rewards, and on
new conditions. Thus far the damage consequent
on Adam's sins is remedied. And the advantage
by Christ far exceeds the damage by Adam. The
tenure by which Adam held his happiness was per-
fect obedieYi'Ce to the divine law ; and for one offence
it was forfeited. The gospel, more mild and more
gracious, allows the offender to renew himself by
^ repentance : pardon is promised to every reformed
sinner. Adam's reward for sinless obedience was
happiness on earth — the Christian has the promise of
eternal life in heaven to reward his sincerity of aims
and endeavours. As sin abounded, grace does much
more abound; as in Adam we all die, so in Christ
Jesus are we all made alive. But the promises of
*the gospel are conditional ; and they alone who com-
ply with the condition can have a rational hope of
the reward. This, Universalits on the Chaunc^n
plan will allow : they will further acknowledge, that
many die impenitent, and that punishments will be
inflicted on them in a future world. Before we can
SERMON XXVII. 403
then consistently embrace their scheme, they must
prove from scripture, not only that the mediatorial
government of Christ will be continued in a future
world, but also that under it, the wicked will be
placed anew in a state of probation. They assert
all this. They divide the mediatorial kingdom of
Christ into two distinct parts — The first is limited
to earth, and under his earthly reign many of the
human race are made his willing subjects. The
second will extend from the period of the general
resurrection and judgment, to the end of the media-
torial reign, in which Christ will subdue all things
unto himself, and then resign his power into the
hands of God. In sjLipport of this statement, they
produce passages of scripture of the following tenor —
Christ tasted death for every man : he was made a
propitiation for the sins of the world. — He will sub-
due all things unto himself, Sec. The passage per-
haps the most relied on is the following — " He must
reign till he has put all enemies under his feet ; the
last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. — When
all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the
Son also himself be subject to Him who put all
things under him, that God may be all and in all."
The advocates for universal restoration say that St.
John carries our minds forward to the accomplish-
ment of the glorious design of divine mercy, and in
phrophetic language gives us tfie hallelujahs of the
angels of heaven and of all the restored race of
Adam. " Every creature, which is in heaven, and
on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are
in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying,
Blessing and honour and glory and power, be unto
404
SERMON XXVII.
Hitn that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb,
forever and ever."
The comments on the quotations from the 5th,
to the Romans, will apply to all texts from the New-
Testament which speak of Christ, as the Prince of
Life, as dying for all men, as bearing the sins of the
world, &c. These, I conceive, have reference to
the agency of Christ in placing men in a state of
salvation on the terms of the gospel. That the au-
thorities brought from the 1st of Corinthians and
from the Revelation are not conclusive in favour of
universal restoration will appear, if we notice the
pertinence of their application to a different scheme.
Suppose the punishments of the wicked should ter-
minate in the extinction of their existence, and how
direct is the application of these texts to that sup-
position ? Can there be a more complete conquest
of enemies than the extinction of their existence ?
Must not the empire of death be terminated, when
there is no victim on which his power can act ?
When all who opposed themselves to the moral
government of God, are removed from being, then
every heart and every tongue will be united in
rendering praise, and honour, and glory to God.
1 do not now say that this will be the end of the
wicked, but the pertinence of the language of St.
Paul and St. John to this supposition must weaken
the argument adduced from those passages in sup-
port of the doctrine of universal salvation.
The general language of the New Testament on
the subject we are considering, to my apprehension,
is opposed to the scheme of the Universalits. The
fepre3entatio|> of the bible seems to be, that the
SERMt)N XtVII. 405
present life is the allotted scene of human probation ;
and that the judgment of the great day will deter-
mine the moral characters of men, and fix unaltera-
bly their condition in a future world. In the para-
bles of our Lord, the statement is, that at the judg-
ment, the tares and the chaff are to be sejjarated,
never more to be mixed. The wicked are to be
rejected ; they are to perish. Our text declares that
they shall be punished with everlasting destruction
from the presence of the Lord. The descriptions
of the New Testament respecting future punish-
ment are figurative; but they are of a nature the>
most opposed to the supposition that the wicked
will be recovered to virtue and happiness. The
tares and the chaff are to be cast into fire that will
not be quenched. The wicked will die the second
death — they will be consumed — -they will perish.
Will those figures, will this language accord with
the doctrine of universal restoration ? Besides, there
are particular texts which directly militate with the
doctrine. Our Saviour himself expressly declares,
that blasphemy against* the Holy Ghost shall not be
forgiven, neither in this world, nor in the world to
come. He denounces a wo on Judas, and declares
that it would have been good for him never to have
been born. St. Paul informs us, " if we sin wilfully,
after we have received the knowledge of the truth,
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin ; but a cer-
tain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indig-
nation, which shall devour the adversary." St, John
says there is a sin unto death, for which men are not
to pray. With what pertinence, or what meaning,
do the sacred writers affirm, that the wicked will
406 SERMON XXVII.
perish, that they will be rejected, destroyed and
lost ; if they all are finally to be saved ? Be the wish
ever so strong that the doctrine of universal salva-
tion may be true, for myself I cannot embrace it,
because I cannot find scriptural authority for its
support. If God has intentions of mercy for the
wicked in a future world ; he has not, to my under-
standing, revealed them in the gospel.
SERMON XXVIII.
ON THE ANNIHILATION OP THE lNCORR,I.QIBLY WICKED.
MATTHEW X. 28.
Fear not them who kill the body^ hut are not able to kill the
soul; hut rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul
and body in hell.
IN discoursing on the subject of future punislv
ment, I have discussed the doctrine of endless mis-
ery, and of universal restoration. We are now to
review that of absohite extinction, viz,
3. Future punishments will be of limited dura-
tion, and will terminate in the annihilation of the
wicked.
This branch of our subject has been qanvassed
with great ability by several English divines^ I
shall attempt little more than to compress tlieir
arguments and observations within limits suited to
a publick discourse. Judging of their remarks by
408 SERMON xxviii.
the test of scripture, my candid hearers, you will
form your own opinions on the authority of revela-
tion.
The declaration of the Old Testament is, " The
soul that sinneth shall die." Jesus Christ, the me-
diator of the new covenant, in our text cautions us,
*' Fear not them who kill the body, but are not able
to kill the soul ; but rather fear Him who is able to
destroy both soul and body in hell." St. Paul, in
the letter and spirit of both Old and New Testa-
ment, informs us that, *' the wages of sin is death ;"
that '* if we live after the flesh, we shall die," &c.
Let us then in the first place inquire into the mean-
ing of the word death : and examine whether we are
to understand the word, when connected with fu-
ture punishments, in a literal or a figurative sense.
Death, when applied to our present existence,
signifies the privation of life. When this term is
applied to the soul, or to a future mode of exist-
ence, if understood in a strict or literal sense, it must
mean the loss of that existence, that is, annihilation.
A being cannot in strictness be said to die, unless
he be deprived of a life which he before possessed.
When therefore this word is used by the sacred
writers to express the future punishment of wicked
men, if understood literally, it cannot mean merely
that they shall be excluded from the happiness of
heaven — this they never enjoyed ; nor can it mean,
that they shall be kept forever in existence, that
they may forever feel the severity of divine venge-
ance. To form an opinion of the meaning of any
writer, we ought not to depart from the strict and
proper sense of words, unless obvious reasons ren-
SERMON XXVIll. 409
def it necessary. Whoever then considers the word
death, when applied to sinners in a future Avorld, to
signify an eternal life of misery, must assign some
substantial reason why a sense so opposite to its
strict meaning should be adopted.
Let us next inquire, whether a figurative sense of
the term death, when applied to the future punish-
ment of wicked men, is necessary to render the lan-
guage of scripture on this subject consistent with
its general principles. Do the scriptures any where
teach us, in plain and simple language, that wicked
men shall for an endless duration be kept alive in a
state of misery ? If they do, we must understand
death, when applied to this subject, in a limited and
figurative sense. But what passage of the New
Testament states expressly that the wicked shall be
preserved in a state of endless misery ? If there be
no such passage found, then surely we ought not to
advance the doctrine on the authority of revelation,
the sacred writers, say the advocates for the doctrine
of annihilation, have made use of various terms on
the subject under consideration. They describe
the punishment of the wicked by calling it a death—
a destruction — a corruption — a fire that consumes
and burns up the substances that are thrown into it —
a worm which never dies— and a fire that is not
quenched. Add to these, an everlasting destruc-
tion — ^an everlasting fire — an everlasting judgment —
an everlasting punishment — a blackness of darkness
forever ; and, if those passages in the 14Lh and 20th
chapters in Revelation relate to the final judgment,
a torment forever and ever. But when the strict
52
410 SERMON XXVIII.
and proper import of these phrases, as they stand in
the original, comes to be considered, not one of
them will be found necessarily to imply a perpetual
existence in life, though a life of misery ; and a great
part of these, if understood in a strict and proper
sense of words, imply the contrary ; for to die — to
be destroyed — to reap corruption, or a dissolution
of parts — to burn up — to consume, when applied
to the persons of men, are so far from implying a
perpetual continuance of their lives, that on the con-
trary, these terms, if literally understood, suppose
that a period will be put to life : and should their
death or destruction be so circumstanced, as not ta
admit of any subsequent restoration, it may for that
reason be styled an everlasting destruction; and
the means by which it is accomplished an ever-
lasting or eternal fire, as Sodom and Gomorrah are
said to have been set forth for an example, suffer-
ing the vengeance of eternal fire; that is, a fire, the
effects of which would continue forever ; not that
these cities are still burning, which long since have
been reduced to ashes. And if this de.ath or de-
struction be administered by way of punishment,
for the same reason that the death or destruction
are said to be eternal, so may the punishment ; for
by supposition it is a punishment which will never
be reversed — a punishment, the effects of which will
not, like the first death, be taken off, but continue
forever. All this may be true, and the phraseology
of scripture sufficiently accounted for, without lay-
ing us under any necessity of supposing the sub-
jects of this punishment to be continued alive un-
consumed, in a state of misery, contrary to that
SERMON XXVIII. 411
which the strict and proper import of the words dy-
ing, destroying, consuming, and burning up, imply.
To add force to the above comments, we are
told that the terms in the original languages of th6
bible, which in our translation are rendered eternal,
and everlasting, and forever and ever, do not, from
any power of .the words themselves, imply what we
mean by a strict and proper eternity. The origi-
nal words in Hebrew and Greek, in strictness of
speech, mean an age, and in the plural ages ; and,
though sometimes used to signify an indefinite du-
ration, still it may be a duration vastly short of that
which is strictly eternal. Thus the rainbow is a
token of God's covenant for eternal generations.
The land of Canaan was given to the children of Is-
rael for an eternal possession. The passover was
appointed for an eternal ordinance. The original
word is used in the same limited sense in the New
Testament. We read in Luke's gospel of proph-
ets that have been from everlasting. St. Paul,
speaking of a future life, says, God promised it be-
fore the world began, literally before the eternal
times. It is then evident that the original word
does not necessarily imply a strict and proper eter-
nity. The same word is indeed sometimes used to
express duration without end — to express the ex-
istence of God. But in these instances the subject
constrains us to understand more than the word in
itself necessarily expresses. A word that express-
es an indefinite duration may with propriety be us-
ed to express eternal existence, or a period of long
duration ; and the subject to which it is applied
will generally, from its nature, enable us to qualify
412 SERMON XXVIIL
its sense. When we read of the eternal God, the
everlasting hills, the everlasting mountains, &c. we
find no difficulty to qualify the meaning of the writ-
er. It is not the force of the word, but the nature
of the subject, which determines its sense. From
the term itself, therefore, no conclusive argument
can be derived in favour of future punishment of
eteriial duration.
The same word is frequently used to express the
duration of the future happiness of the righteous;:
but then there are other terms used which necessa-
rily convey the idea of endless duration, as inimor^
tal, incorruptible, indissoluble, he.
Had the scriptures compared the wicked in a fu-
ture world to substances which will, without appar-
ent diminution, bear the heat of an unquenchable
fire, the allusion might have led us to suppose that
misery of endless duration will be the portion of
wicked men ; but when it is expressly affirmed that
they shall die, that they shall reap corruption— when
they are compared to chaff and other substances
which are the most easily consumed by fire — when
at is said that they shall be burnt up — when it is said
of the righteous they ^hall never die — when the
terms expressive of life, of immortallity, incorrupt-
ibility, &c. are applied only to the righteous, why
should we infer from scripture that sinners will be
tormented for an endless duration ? No one will
pretend that the soul of man is necessarily immor-.
tal. Every being of a derived existence is continue
ally dependent on his Maker for its continuance ;
and should God withdraw his support, this being
must drop into his primeval nothing.
SERMON XXVITI. 413
Some, perhaps, may be disposed to remind mc
that the scriptures expressly inform us, that sinners
shall be punished, in a greater or less degree, ac-
cording to the aggravation of their guilt. Is the
supposition, that the wicked shall at last be abso-
lutely destroyed, inconsistent with the statement re-
specting the increase of punishment proportionate
to the aggravation of guilt ? Death executes its of-
fice on the body in various ways. The pain and
distress attending the dissolution of the present life
in degree and duration greatly differ. The second
death may be executed with those circumstances
which will apportion the misery of the sinner to his
guilt. Indeed, it would be presumption to say,
that a principle may not be established in the divine
administrations, by which inveterate habits of sin
shall produce the dissolution of the soul, in the same
manner that inveterate diseases prove fatal to the
body ; and that their operations shall occasion suf-
ferings in proportion to their inveteracy. Can the
justice and goodness of God be so well defended on
the supposition of eternity of punishment ? Infinite
duration seems to swallow up all proportions of mis-
ery. Or should different degrees of pain constitute
a scale, can we imagine that God, wise, and just,
and good, will forever preserve the existence of
man, that man may forever be miserable, as a pun-
ishment of the sins of the present life, when God
knows our frame, when he considers that we are
but dust, and that we are surrounded with tempta-
tions, which daily press upon us ? Can we conceive
of any solid reasons why sin and misery should fofo
414 SERMON xxvur.
ever be preserved under die government of almigh-
ty power, infinite wisdom, and perfect benevolence?
I shall now proceed to a more particular consid-
eration of those passages of the New Testament,
which describe the future punishment of the incor-
rigibly wicked. I shall first introduce a passage
from the gospel of Mark. — " Where their worm
dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." These
expressions, without violence, may be understood
to indicate the final destruction of the wicked.
This seems to be their obvious and natural signifi-
cation. What is the meaning of these terms when
applied to the concerns of the present life ? If a
building is on fire, and the fire cannot be extin-
guished, what is the result ?— The building is con-
sumed. If a plant or a flower be infected by a
worm, and the worm cannot be destroyed, it must
be expected that the plant will perish, and the flow-
er decay. If a man labours under a disease which
originated from worms in the seat of life, and he
knows that the worms cannot be destroyed, he must
expect that death will be the final consequence.
But with what propriety can a worm, which is the
emblem of corruption, and fire, which is the instru-
ment of consumption, be made to represent an eter-
nal duration of existence ? It is an abuse of figures
which we ought not without necessity to impute
to the sacred writers. To throw chaff' or wood into
the fire is the way to destroy them. To cast a
man into the fire is an effectual method to kill him.
The less extinguishable is the fire, the more certain
is his death, A passage in the Revelation of St.
John will strengthen the comments on the passage
SERMON XXVIII. 415
before us. We there read, that " death and hell,
or the grave, shall be cast into the lake of fire."—
We cannot suppose that the meaning of this pas-
sage is, that death and the grave will forever be
tormented ; but that they shall be abolished : these
shall no longer be known in the mediatorial king-
dom of Jesus Christ.
The declaration of our Saviour in the 25th of
Matthew, is adduced as an authority for the doc-
trine of perpetuity of future punishment. " Depart,
ye cursed, into everlasting fire." In addition to
the remarks on the word everlasting, I would di-
rect your attention to the sense of similar expres-
sions in other places in the New Testament. St.
Jude tells us, as we have already noticed, that the
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are set forth as an
example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire ;
and St. Peter observes, that God, turning the cities
of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned
them with an overthrow, making them an example
to those who should after live ungodly. All that
we can understand from these modes of expression
is, that Sodom and Gomorrah were absolutely de-
stroyed by fire from heaven ; and from the same
mode of speech when applied to the future punish-
ment of the wicked, we ni*iy consistently understand
our Saviour to say, tl^at the wicked shall be destroy-
ed — that life shall neVer be restored to them. We
read in scripture of eternal redemption : not that
God will be forever redeeming men ; but the bless-
ed effects of redemption will be eternal. In the
same sense we may understand the punishment of
eternal fire, of eternal destruction, &c : not that the
41 6 SERMON XXVIII.
act of destruction, or the fire of consumption will
be perpetual and eternal, but the effects will be. —
The destruction which will never be reversed may
with strict propriety be called an everlasting pun-
ishment.
Passages are selected from the books of Revela-
tion in support of the doctrine of eternal punish-
ment. — '* If any one worship the beast or his image,
the same drinketh of the wine of the wrath of God ;
and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for-
ever and ever." — In the original for ages of ages. —
Again. — **And fire came down from heaven aild
devoured them, (the armies of Gog and Magog)
and the devil, that deceived them, was cast into the
lake of fire and brimstone, where is the beast and
the false prophets ; and they shall be tormented for-
ever and ^ver;" for ages. Whether these passa-
ges do or do not refer to the punishments of men
in a future world, to them will apply the observa-
tions made upon the words everlasting, eternal, &c.
In the original language, the words translated for-
ever and ever express an indefinite period of time,
and from them the perpetuity of the misery of the
wicked in a future world cannot be proved.
From a serious and close review of the various
passages which have reference to the future punish-
ment of the incorrigibly wicked, do we find that the
doctrine of endless torment is clearly contained in
the scriptures ? Do not these passages more obvi-
ously signify destruction, annihilation ?
One consideration I wish in this place to present
to your minds — of its weight you will judge. The
original threatening made to Adam as the punish-
SERMON XXVIH. 41 1
tifient of disobedience was death. That is, as I un-
derstand it, extinction of being. From this penalty
all men are redeemed by Jesus Christ. We are all
made candidates, on new conditions, for the rewards
of immortality. The penalty of a neglect to com-
ply with the conditions of salvation is death. That
is, the impious and the abandoned of all nations
and ages will be made to suffer the miseries of the
second death, and their sufferings will bear an ex-
act proportion to their guilt.
In our present state, it must be difficult to form
adequate apprehensions of the condition of being in
a future world. With our present senses it may be
impossible rightly to conceive of a new mode of ex-
istence. The language of scripture, on this subject,
is figurative ; and even in respect of the righteous,
we are told, that it doth not yet appear what they
shall be. But, on the one hand, it is clearly reveal-
ed to us, that the righteous shall be made happy in
heaven, and that this happiness shall be endless in
duration ; and, on the other, that the wicked shall
be made miserable as long as they exist as wicked
characters. No reflecting, sober man can, on the
authority of the Christian revelation, expect to es-*
cape the visages of sin, or promise himself future fe-
licity, unless he acquire the Christian character*
This is enough for all the purposes of piety and
virtue. Who that reflects will, for the profits or
pleasures of sin, incur the penalty of the second
death 2
SS
SERMON XXIX.
ON THE FUTURE HAPPINESS OF THE RIGHTEOUS.
1 CORINTHIANS xiii. 12.
For now we see through a glass darkly ; hut then face to
face : now I know in part ; hut then I shall know even
as also I am known.
THIS passage of scripture I have selected as the
theme of a discourse on the rewards promised by
Jesus Christ to the pious and good in the kingdom
of heaven. The changes which death will produce
cannot with precision be ascertained. Intimately
associated with objects of sense, we can but imper-
fectly conceive of the capacities, the employments,
or the happiness of just men inheriting the promis-
es. But the future life, it is presumed, will be a
continuation of the present : personal identity will
be preserved : men will exist in heaven with intel-
lectual and moral faculties like those they possessed
on earth; and their employments and happiness
will be adapted to the dispositions which they here
SERMON XXIX. 419
formed, and the habits here established. The en-
joyments of the next state, therefore, must be ac-
tive in their nature, and proportioned to improve-
ments made during the life of probation. The en-
joyments of heaven will not consist of any determi-
nate and fixed degree of felicity. Saints in the king-
dom of light will make progressive improvements
in knowledge and virtue, and rise to ever increas-
ing attainments in happiness. This happiness, then,
must consist in the constant progress of our intel-
lectual, moral, and social faculties towards perfec-
tion.* In this relation let us contemplate it.
1. The rewards of heaven will consist in the
progressive improvement of our intellectual fac-
ulties.
The intellectual faculty of man is capable of
great improvement in the present limited state. By
its vigorous exercise, individual men have risen to
worthy apprehensions of the character of God, and
have acquired an extensive acquaintance with his
works and ways ; and the knowledge thus obtained
has been applied to the most useful purposes of hu-
man life. But by the influence of animal passions,
by the prejudices of a corrupt education, and by the
necessary business of the world, the intellectual im-
provements of most men have been confined with-
in narrow bounds, and the knowledge of the most
cultivated minds much circumscribed. Even
Christians, with their superiour advantages, have
entertauied debasing opinions of the perfections and
government of God, and inconsistent views of the
religion of his Son, Jesus Christ. Some bewilder
' ^ Sep Dr. Jabibs Fostsr on future rewards und punishments.
420 SERMOX XXIX.
themselves in metaphysical subtleties, and others
are blinded by flilse zeal. Some, forming their
apprehensions of divine attributes from the constit-
uent principles of human nature, in their concep-
tions of God debase his character ; and others cher-
ish those superstitious views of Divine Providence
which disturb their own minds, and destroy the
peace and happiness of their lives.
Such are the weakness and imperfection of our
present state of intellectual agency ; but in heaven
animal propensities being purified, and every world-
ly bias removed, men will be better disposed for in-
tellectual pursuits. Reason will there possess its
full strength, and the understanding its extent of
comprehension. There, saints will have worthy
and exalted views of Gcd in all his attributes and
administrations, and their conceptions of moral
truth and duty will be widiout confusion. They
will clearly understand those divine dispensations,
which now perplex their moral inquiries ; and per-
ceive that now apparent irregularities of Providence
all tend to promote one wise and benevolent pur-
pose. To the view of the citizens of the heavenly
Zion the natural and moral system of the universe
will open its now concealed glories, and they will
survey innumerable beauties and innumerable ex-
cellencies, which at present lie beyond the reach of
human faculties.
Can we stretch our imaginations so far as to an-
ticipate the delight we shall receive from the con-
templation of the brighter displays of divine wis-
dom, power, and goodness? The most languid
view of this enjoyment will convince us of the dig-
SERMON XXIX. 421
nity of cur Tiatures, and enkindle a divine ardour to
prepare ourselves for the scer;es which will be un-
folded to our view Vvhen we shall be admitted to
the more immediate prcsence of our God. St.
Paul, in a previous verse, informs us that in heav-
en the emibarrassments of this world, in the path of
knowledge, shall be removed.— " When that which
is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be
done away ;'^ — and in our text — -"Now we see
through a glass darkly ; but then face to face : now
I know in part ; but then I shall know even as also
I am known." — --Now the man who seeks truth in
the iove of it, is often, on subjects the most impor-
tant, perplexed with difficulties and doubts, and sel-
dom can rest with perfect confidence in his conclu-
sions; but then knowledge will be accompanied
"with certainty and satisfaction. Now the purest in-
tellectual acquisitions are frequently prevented from
producing their proper effects on practice by oppos-
ing interests of the world, or by irregular impulses
of animal passion and appetite ; but then the intellect
will have an uncontrolled influence, and, in every
practical concern, knowledge produce its proper ef-
fect. Now the man who the most scrupulously in
practice follows the dictates of an enlightened mind,
fails of enjoying all the happiness to which his
knowledge and virtue tend, by the interposing self-
ishness, bigotry, or malevolence of his fellow be-
ings; but then, extraneous causes not operating,
intellectual exercises will produce all their practical
fruits, and knowledge and virtue be rewarded wldi
their appropriate enjoyments.
422 SERMON XXIX.
2. Progressive attainments in moral life will
compose an essential part of the rewards of heaven.
In this view, the happiness of heaven rises on the
scale of intrinsick value. Moral attributes are more
excellent than intellectual. Goodness of heart is of
more worth than greatness of mind. Moral attain-
ments lay a more sure foundation for happiness than
acquisitions of knowledge. On earth, the moral
exercises of the best men are weak and imperfect.
Moral principles are checked in their operation by
the bias of animal propensities and worldly circum-
stances ; and the virtue of the best man is variable
and defective. But in heaven, moral pursuits will
neither be interrupted nor weakened by inferiour
affections or momentary interests. Virtuous prin-
ciples there will have a consistent and invariable op-
eration, and ever prove effectual.
The positive institutions of the gospel which are
adapted to our present state of action, will terminate
with this hfe ; but all the moral duties which have
their foundation in the imperishable attributes and
unchangeable relations of man are of perpetual ob-
ligation. Charity never faileth. The love of God
and the love of man will live in the minds of per-
fect saints, become a purer flame, and produce sub-
limer effects. In heaven, all devotional and pious
offices will be a rational, exalted, and improving ex-
ercise. Benevolence will be disinterested, ever
productive of benefit to its object, and prove satis-
factory to him who exercises it. On earth, various
circumstances arise to debase our best moral exer-
cises, and retard our progress towards the goal of
perfection ; yet even here, a pure disposition and a
SERMON XXIX. 423
well- governed mind are the source of our highest
pleasures. These pleasures resemble the happiness
of the highest orders of created beings, and are the
nearest approach to the blessedness of God himself.
In this view of the rewards of heaven, they appear
worthy of the character of him who proposed them,
and suited to the capacities of their recipients.
The course of moral improvement to the inhabitants
of heaven will be endless, and their enjoyments will
increase with their progress in moral life. What
satisfaction, then, will they realize in their constant
approach to the character of supreme excellence,
and as they become perfect in their measure as God
is perfect. True goodness is the image of God in
our souls ; and the more we are transformed into
the divine image, the greater will be our felicity.
While we contemplate these rewards, do they not
become the objects of supreme desire ? Are not
the strongest resolutions formed vigorously to exert
every faculty in the preparation for their enjoy-
ment ?
3. In heaven, the social enjoyments of the right-
eous will be perfected.
All good desires and benevolent affections will
survive death, and increase in strength with our in-
tellectual and moral improvements. Without so-
ciety, some of the noblest powers of rational beings
would be useless; and absolute solitude is contem-
plated by every mind as a state in which existence
can never be enjoyed with satisfaction and delight.
In this imperfect state, selfish feelings and worldly
competitions so much prevail as to take from our
social connexions their purest joys. Friendships
424 SERMON XXIX.
are frequently formed without deliberation, are corf-
tinued without satisfaction, or in disgust are dis-
solved. Oar greatest social pleasures are often dis-
turbed by incautious liberties and unreasonable
resentments ; by unfounded jealousies and envious
dispositions. Friends of congenial minds and in-
genuous hearts often suffer from sympathy with
each other for their personal troubles, worldly dis-
appointments, or providential afflictions. On earth,
the most virtuous friendships and endearing relations
are soon dissolved by death. But in heaven, these
abatements of social happiness will not be experi-
enced. Purified, ourselves, from every base and
dissocial passion, we shall join a society composed
of beings possessing improved understandings and
benevolent and amiable dispositions ; beings wha
resemble God in truth, righteousness and goodness,
and who take the highest delight in promoting each
others happiness. There, the harmony of friends
will never be interrupted by the irritating language
of suspicion, or the hasty expressions of petulance*
There, susceptibility will not be wounded by
the sight of sickness, distress, and anguish ; nor
\yill fears be alarmed by a prospect of a dissolu-
tion of social enjoyments ; but there, tears will be
wiped from every face, and death swallowed up in
victory.
In heaven, we may expect to be. re-united with
those pious relatives and connexions with whom we
held our Christian course on earth. Though the
passions and affections which are merely adapted to
the objects of this world be lost in the grave, yet
there is reason to ':^'"^ieve that m a higher condition
SERMON XXIX. 425
of existence virtuous friends, who here mutually
assisted each other in their Christian pursuits, will
in heaven recognize their former acquaintance, and
receive increased pleasure from a review of their
Christian course on earth. The Apostle clearly in-
timates that the disciples, who were converted to
Christianity under his ministry, will be the crown
of his joy at the final judgment — "What is our
hope, our joy, our crown of rejoicing ? Are not
even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus, at his
coming?" And in another place — "As ye have ac-
knowledged us in part, tltat we are your rejoicing,
even so ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Je-
sus." If the joy of the pastor will receive an in-
crease in heaven by meeting the members of his
flock, who can doubt that individual disciples will
there renew their acquaintance, and derive increased
pleasure from their renewed friendship ?
The scriptures expressly inform us, that in the
next stage of our existence we shall be admitted
not only to the spirits of just men made perfect,
but also to an innumerable company of angels;
doubtless to converse with them, to be improved
by their communications, and with their assistance
to quicken our steps in the path which leads to the
perfection of our characters and to the consumma-
tion of our happiness. We then shall be admitted
to a personal view of Jesus the mediator, to know
the extent of his benevolent agency, to feel gratitude
more nearljr proportioned to the benefits received,
and to derive greater advantages from his instruct-
tion and example.
54 -
426 SERMON XXIX.
As the complelion of the rewards of heaven, we
shall be admitted to the more immediate presence
of God, the original parent of all life and blessed-
ness. Who can estimate the felicity of those, who
shall forever dwell in the fulness of the divine pres-
ence ? They will more and more comprehend the
perfections of Deity; their dispositions and their
services will rise in purity and worth with their im-
provements in knowledge ; and their happiness will
increase as they make nearer approaches to the
character of their heavenly Father. When men in
their progressive attainments in intellectual, moral
and social life shall have arrived to the station which
the highest angel now fills, there will yet be an in-
finite distance between them and God over all bless-
ed forever, and therefore an infinite space for the
expansion of their minds, the increase of their good-
ness, and the augmentation of their enjoyments. On
this supposition, angels and men will forever be ad-
vancing in intellectual and moral attainments, and
their happiness ever be increasing as their capacities
of enjoyment are enlarged.
In conclusion.
By the goodness of God, I have been permitted,
my Christian hearers, to complete the course of ser-
mons in conformity to the plan originally presented
to your view. Has this course been the means of
Christian instruction and improvement to any ?
The Christian revelation, when understood, vin-
dicates the ways of God with man. Its sacred
beams dispel the clouds which hung over a future
state and obscured its prospects ; and we now have
a clear view of the eternal world. The plan of
SERMON XXIX. 427
moral government, unfolded by the gospel, reflects
the wisdom and goodness of God on all the dis-
pensations of Providence, and teaches us the design
q{ all the divine administrations. By its light we
perceive the inseparable connexion between virtue
and happiness, and vice and misery. The diligent
study of the sacred oracles will enlighten our minds
with the knowledge of truth, and instruct us in our
duty. Serious reflections on the final issue of the
divine government will fortify our resolution to
meet all the conflicts of the Christian warfare, insure
constancy in our Christian profession, animate our
obedience, and in us confirm the hope of a blessed
immortality.
On the verge of time, when all the momentous
interests of eternity are before us, the whole train
of worldly pursuits and sensual pleasures disappear,
or remain in the mind to open afresh the wounds of
conscierice, and to excite the more distressing fore-
bodings of future retribution. But death is dis-
armed of terror in respect to that person, who has
faithfully run the Christian race, finished his course
and kept the faith. Permit me importunately to re-
quest each of you to form a conception of the eleva-
tion to which that man is i'aised, who, just entering
the invisible world, reflects on a course of Christian
obedience that by divine assistance he has complet-
ed, and anticipates the immortal rewards promised
by his Saviour. Place yourselves in this situation,
and say, whether any human pursuit can be com-
pared with the spirit and the habits of the Christ-
ian ? Is there an object within human acquisition
428 SERMON XXIX.
estimable like Christian piety and virtue, in its pres-
ent effects and future rewards ?
To secure the invaluable blessings of the Christ-
ian dispensation to the children of men, Jesus, the
son of God, appeared on earth, passed a life of pov-
erty and persecution, and died a victim on the cross.
To establish our faith in his promises, he called his
friend Lazarus from the grave, re-animated the youth
of Nain on his herse, and himself arose in triumph
from the tomb. To prepare men for the immor-
tal rewards of heaven, the gospel was published, the
Christian ministry appointed, and all the institutions
of the New Testament established. And as the
means of this preparation are we directed to attend
the preached word, and observe the rites of our re-
ligion.
No one can with indifference contemplate a bless-
ed immortality. Immortal happiness is an object
of infinite value, and not an individual can deliber-
ately reject it. Soon you will individually be sum-
moned before the Judge of all, to render an account
of the manner in which you shall have improved
your Christian privileges. Examine yourselves.
How have you used the talents committed to youf
management ? Have your moral attainments cor-
responded with your Christian advantages? On
what evidence do you rest your persuasion, that you
are qualified for the society of heaven ? Do your
conversation and general conduct comport with your
Christian vocation ? Are you conscious that you
live habitually under impressions of divine superin-
tendence, and with a view to divine approbation ?
Do you live habitually in the exercise of rational offi-
SERMON XXIX. 429
ces of piety ? Are you just, benevolent and charita-
ble to your fellow-men ? Do you keep yourselves
unspotted from the world, and, under the influence of
our religion, discipline your passions and appetites ?
Are the members of this church steadfast, and un-
moveable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord ? Do heads of families faithfully perform their
duty towards each other, and to their children and
dependents ? Are the aged of this society sober,
grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, and pa-
tience ? Do they still bring forth fruit, and is
the hoary head to them a crown of glory, being
found in the way of righteousness ? Are our youth
sober-minded ? Do they remember their Cre-
ator ; and have they commenced the life which
becomes candidates for eternal happiness? Can
you, my Christian brethren, answer these ques-
tions in the afiirmative ? Then you may apply to
yourselves the promises of the gospel ; and, perse-
vering in your course, anticipate the joyous sentence
of your Judge — " Well done, good and faithful ser-
vants : enter ye into the rewards of your Lord."
May we all be animated to live consistently with
our Christian hope. When the heavens and the
earth shall be dissolved, may our corruptible put
on incorruption, our mortal put on immortality,
and we join in the song of victory over sin, death,
and the grave, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
ERRATA.
Page 176, sisth line from the bottom, for become not, read did n»'
kecome.
Page 213, eighth line from the bottom, for has, read hast.
Pa^e 258, third line from the bottom, for thef/. read thoif.
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