Works of Samuel Hopkins ...

BX 7251 .H66 1854 v. 2
Hopkins, Samuel, 1721-1803
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'.V . ....

THE

WORKS /^\,

^ OCT 18 1968

OF

/CAL Si^

SAMUEL HOPKINS, D. D.,

FIRST PASTOR OF

THE CHURCH IN GREAT BARRINGTON, MASS.,

AFTERWARDS PASTOR OF

THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN NEWPORT, R. I

WITH

A MEMOIR OF HIS LIFE AND CHARACTER.

IN THREE VOLUMES

VOL. II.

BOSTON:

DOCTRINAL TRACT AND BOOK SOCIETY.

1854.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by

Sewall Harding,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

STEREOTYPED AT THE
BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY.

CONTENTS

OF

VOLUME II.

SYSTEM OF DOCTRINES.

CHAPTER XIII.

( Continued.)

Page

Sect. VII. The Doctrine of Election, 3

Improvement, ". . 20

Vni. Whether any of the Eedeemed arrive to perfect Holiness in

this Life, 23

Improvement, 35

IX. Death, 37

A separate State, 40

The general Resurrection, 45

The general Judgment, 46

The eternal State of Happiness or Misery, .... 55

CHAPTER XIV.

THE CHURCH OP CHRIST.

Sect. I. General Observations concerning the Church of Christ, . 69

11. Concerning the Officers of the Church, 75

III. Public Institutions, Ordinances, and Worship of the Church, 83

Christian Baptism, 97

Infant Baptism. Arguments for Infant Baptism, . . .102

The Nature and Design of Infant Baptism, . . . 116

The Lord's Supper, 166

IV. Concerning the Discipline of the Church, . . . . 171

a

*

VI CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XV,

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

On Christian Exercise and Practice, 182

Eeflections, . . .- 206

Conclusion, • . 211

A TREATISE ON THE MILLENNIUM.

Dedication, 224

Introduction, 225

Sect. I. In which it is proved from Scripture that the Church of
Christ is to come to a State of Prosperity in this World
which it has never yet enjoyed; in which it will continue

at least a Thousand Years, 229

n. In which it is considered in what the Millennium will consist,
and what will be the peculiar Happiness and Glory of that

Day, according to Scripture, 259

in. In which is considered which Thousand Years of the World

will be the Millennium, and when it will begin, . . . 296
IV. In which is considered what Events are to take Place, accord-
ing to Scripture Prophecy, before the Beginning of the Mil-
lennium, and to prepare the Way for it, ... 310

AN INQUIRY CONCERNING THE FUTURE STATE OF THOSE MO
DIE IN THEIR SINS.

Introduction, ... 3G7

Sect. I. The Holy Scriptures teach that the "Wicked will be punished

in the future State, 371

n. The Holy Scriptures teach that the future Punisliment of the

Wicked will be endkss, 398

HJ. An Examination of Passages of Scripture supposed by some

to teach another Doctrine, 416

CONTENTS. VU

Sect. IV. The Doctrine of Endless Punishment confirmed by Reason, 438
V. Questions and Answers relating to the Doctrine of Endless

Punishment, 464

VI. Inferences from the Doctrine of Endless Punishment, . 476

SIN THROUGH DIVINE INTERPOSITION AN ADVANTAGE TO THE

UNIVERSE.

Preface, 493

SERMON I.
Sin the Occasion of great Good, 497

SERMON II.

Sin's being the Occasion of great Good no Excuse for Sin, or Encourage-
ment to it 513

SERMON III.

The Holiness and Wisdom of God in the Permission of Sin, and his Will

herein perfectly agreeable to his revealed Will, 527

Improvement, ... 527

Appendix, 542

A DIALOGUE CONCERNING THE SLAVERY OF THE

AFRICANS, 547

Advertisement, 548

Dedication. To the honorable Members of the Continental Congress, . 549

A Dialogue, 551

AN ADDRESS TO THE OWNERS OF NEGRO SLAVES IN

THE AMERICAN COLONIES, 589

A DISCOURSE UPON THE SLAVE TRADE AND THE

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS, 595

Dedication, 596

VIU CONTENTS'.

A Discourse on the Slave Trade, etc., 597

Appendix, 610

THE SLAVE TRADE AND SLAVERY, 613

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP, AS IT SUBSISTS
BETWEEN CHRIST AND BELIEVERS AND BETWEEN
BELIEVERS THEMSELVES, 625

Application, 677

THREE SERMONS, ON THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUN-
DATION OF PIETY, 701

Improvement of the Subject, 739

ON THE SLAVE TRADE, 745

LETTER TO DR. RYLAND, OF NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND,
ON THE CONTROVERSY BETWEEN DR. HOPKINS AND
REV. ABRAHAM BOOTH .748

LETTER TO DR. RYLAND, OF NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND,
IN REPLY TO DR. RYLAND'S THEOLOGICAL QUERIES,
AND SENT SEVENTEEN DAYS BEFORE DR. HOPKINS'S
DEATH 762

SAVING FAITH 768

THE

SYSTEM OF DOCTRINES

CONTAINED IN

DIVINE REVELATION

EXPLAINED AND DEFENDED;

SHOWING THEIR

CONSISTENCE AND CONNECTION WITH EACH OTHEE.

(CONTINUED FBOM VOLTTME L)

VOL. II. 1 ^

SYSTEM OF DOCTRINES.

CHAPTER XIIL

[continued.]

Section VII.
Tlie Doctrine of Election.

What has been said in the fourth chapter, Vol. I., on the
decrees of God, includes and establishes the doctrine of partic-
ular election ; and this doctrine has been supposed, and in a
measure brought into view, a number of times in the foregoing
sections. But it is thought expedient, and of importance, that
it should be more particularly considered, explained, and vin-
dicated; and this will be most properly done in the chaptei
on the application of redemption, as this limits the application,
and points out the subjects to whom it is effectually applied,
and who, in the issue, receive the whole benefit of redemption.

The doctrine of election imports that God, in his eternal
decree, by which he determined all his works, and fixed every
thing and every event that shall take place to eternity, has
chosen a certain number of mankind to be redeemed, fixing
on every particular person whom he will save, and giving up
the rest to final impenitence and endless destruction.

This doctrine may be explained, and the evidence of the
truth of it produced, by attending to the following proposi-
tions : —

I. Mankind are entirely dependent on God, on his deter-
mination and sovereign mercy, for salvation. All creatures
depend on God for all the good they have. Their existence,
and all their enjoyments, are the fruit of his determination and
appointment, which has made the difference between one and
another, in every respect. But man is, in a peculiar sense

THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION.

and degree, dependent on the sovereign will and pleasure of
God for salvation. He is utterly lost in sin, not only infinitely
guilty, and deserving to be destroyed forever, but wholly in-
clined to rebellion, and fixed in a disposition to oppose God in
every method he can take to recover and save him, unless his
heart be renewed by almighty power and grace ; to which favor
none have the least claim, or can have, but are infinitely un-
worthy of it. And when the way was open for the pardon
and salvation of sinful man, by what the Mediator had done
and suffered, consistent with the divine law and righteousness ;
yet none could be saved, unless they be renewed by the Spirit
of God, and made willing in the day of his power. This,
therefore, depends on the determination and purpose of God ;
and he has " mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom
he will he hardeneth." God being under no obligatioli to save
any one of mankind, it must depend on his sovereign will
whether any should be saved ; and if any, whether all, or only
a part of mankind : and if only some of them, how many, and
the particular persons that should be subjects of this favor.
This must be determined by God, for there is no other being
that has a right to determine it, or that can do it ; and it is
impossible that God should not determine it. He is infinitely
powerful and wise, he knew what was best to be done, and it
wholly depended on him to determine and do that which is on
the whole wisest and best. It belonged to him to decide and
fix every thing respecting this matter, " who worketh all things
according to the counsel of his own will."

II. It is infinitely best and most desirable, that this should
be determined by God. He only is infinitely wise and good ;
therefore, whatever he determines shall be done and take place,
is perfectly right, wisest, and best. It is, therefore, infinitely
desirable that he should order every thing that takes place,
and all events ; but more especially those things that relate to
the eternal existence and endless happiness or misery of man,
whether any shall be saved or all lost ; and if only a part of
mankind be saved, how many, and what particular persons
shall be included in this number. This is a matter of great
importance, and not of indifference, whether this person shall
be saved, rather than another, and it requires infinite wisdom
to determine it right, so as to answer the best ends. Were
any creature to determine it, in any one instance, especially
apostate man, the event might be undesirable, and of infinitely
evil consequence. Were man to decide it, independent of God,
and were this possible, it would be most undesirable and in-
finitely dreadful to the wise and good ; and they rejoice that
this important affair, with all others, is in the hand of Him who is

THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION. &

infinitely wise and good ; who has a right, and to whom it
belongs to decide the state of every man, whether he shall
be saved or not, and that he has done it by an unalterable
decree.

III. It is certain from the Scripture, that God has determined
not to save all mankind, but only a part, and a particular
number of them. The Redeemer himself has declared this
expressly, and it is abundantly asserted in the Old Testament
and in the New. A number are to go away into everlasting
punishment, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is un-
quenchable : and the smoke of their torment shall ascend up
forever and ever, etc.* Had not God revealed this, it could
not have been known what would be the event of redemption,
whether all will be saved, or not. But God has made it
known.

We are not told in the Scripture the precise number that
shall be saved, nor what proportion of mankind will be of this
number ; but from what is revealed respecting this matter, it
is reasonable to suppose, that many more will be saved than lost,
perhaps some thousands to one.f But, be this as it may, we
are certain that the number that shall be saved is fixed by in-
finite wisdom and goodness, and every one of these is known
unto God, and their names are written in the book of life, be-
fore the foundation of the world. We are also certain, that it
is not owing to the want of goodness in God, or the insuffi-
ciency of the atonement and merit of Christ, that all mankind
are not saved, for the latter is as sufficient to save the whole
human race as part of them, or one individual ; and the only
reason why all are not saved is, because it is inconsistent with
infinite wisdom and goodness ; that is, it is not for the greatest
general good. Infinite goodness, in all cases, and forever, op-
poses and forbids that to take place which is not for the greatest
general good, be that what it may ; and approves and effects
that which will answer the best ends, and produce the great-
est good in all cases. We are as certain of this as we can
be that there is an infinitely wise, good, and omnipotent
Being. Therefore, since God has declared that he has deter-
mined not to save all mankind, we know that this is not con-
sistent with his goodness ; that is, that it is not wisest and
best, or, which is the same, it is not for the greatest good of
the whole that all should be saved. God does not delight in

* This has been particularly considered and proved, by a number of authors.
See Dr. Edwards against Dr. Chauncy, and an Inquiry concerning the future
state of those who die in their sins.

t See Dr. Bellamy, on the Millennium. And the fore-mentioned Inquiry,
p. 135, etc.

1*

O THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION.

the destruction of sinners, in itself considered, or for its own
sake ; and not one would be suffered to perish, if it were con-
sistent with wisdom and goodness to save them all, or if this
were consistent with the glory of God, or the greatest good
of the universe. Nothing can be more certain, than that all
will be saved that can be saved by Omnipotence, clothed with
infinite wisdom and goodness ; that is, that can be saved con-
sistent with these. What is inconsistent with infinite wisdom
and goodness, cannot be done by a Being infinitely wise and
good, though omnipotent. It is morally impossible ; for he can-
not deny himself and act contrary to wisdom and goodness.
Any man may be absolutely sure that he shall be saved, if it
be not inconsistent with the goodness of God to save him,
and in this sense impossible ; or if it be consistent with the
greatest glory of God, or the general good. And who, in his
senses, that is, who that is wise and benevolent, would desire
to be saved, or could ask for the salvation of any of his fellow-
men, unless this might be consistent with the glory of God,
and the greatest good of the universe ?

As we know not what number of mankind can be saved,
consistent with infinite wisdom and goodness, so we are
utterly incapable of judging what particular persons can be
saved, consistent with these. But God has determined this,
without a possibility of any mistake. He knows what indi-
viduals of the human race can be saved, consistent with his
glory and the greatest good of his eternal kingdom, and who
cannot be saved consistent with this, and has determined and
does act accordingly. In this he acts as a sovereign, as being
under obligation to none, or not to one more than to another,
but not arbitrarily, without any wisdom or reason. There is
a good reason why one should be saved rather than another.
There is a good reason why every one of those should be
saved, who are, or shall be saved, and why every one of the
rest should not be saved ; from the different natural formation
or capacity, or the different circumstances to us unknown and
undescribable, which render it wisest and best, most for the
glory of God, and the good of his kingdom, that the former
should be saved, and the latter lost. This difference in cir-
cumstances, etc., originates in the divine decree, and is ordered
by God according to the infinitely wise counsel of his own
will ; but it is as real a difference as if it had not this origin.

IV. We learn from the Holy Scriptures that a particular
number of individuals are chosen from among mankind, on
whom the divine love and sovereign grace are to be displayed
in their salvation.

Reason teaches us that this must be so, as has been ob-

THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION. 7

served ; for it must be determined by God, and he makes the
distinction between those who are saved and those who are
lost, as it cannot be done by any one else ; and if it were
possible not to be determined by infinite wisdom and good-
ness, it would be infinitely disagreeable and dreadful to all the
wise and good : and God determines all his works, all he wiU
do, from eternity. Accordingly, the Scripture asserts this most
expressly and abundantly in the following passages, and in
many others which it will be needless to mention. The Re-
deemer often speaks of those who were given to him by the
Father, to be redeemed and saved, as being a number selected
from the rest of mankind, and says they shall come to him,
and he will keep and save them ; and his words strongly
imply that they only shall be saved ; and that there never was
a design to save any but those who are thus selected and
chosen, and given to him, to be saved by him. Therefore he
declares that he does not pray for the salvation of any, except
these elect ones who were given to him. He says, " All that
the Father g-iveth me shall come to me ; and him that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out. And this is the Father's
will which hath sent me, that of all ivhich he hath given me, I
should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last
day." (John vi. 37, 39.) " I lay down my life for the sheep.
And other sheep I have which are not of this fold : them also
I must bring," and they shall hear my voice ; and there shall
be one fold, and one shepherd. My sheep hear my voice, and
I know them, and they follow me ; and I give unto them eter-
nal life ; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck
them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them to me,
is greater than all ; and none is able to pluck them out of my
Father's hand." (John x. 15, 16, 27-29.) "Father, glorify
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. I pray not for the world,
but for them ivhich thou hast given me, for they are thine ; and
all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in
them. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those
tvhom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are.
Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be
with me, where I am, that they may behold my glory, which
thou hast given me." (John xvii. 1, 2, 9-11, 21.) Could
the doctrine of election be expressed more fully and in a
stronger manner by any words whatever ? That a particular
number of mankind, with every individual of that number,
are chosen and selected from the rest, and in the covenant

8 THE DOCTRINE OP ELECTION.

of redemption given to Christ, to be redeemed and saved by
him, and that these alone are to be saved. Agreeably to
this, Christ repeatedly speaks of the elect, whose salvation is
secured, and for whose sake he orders the great events in the
world. " And except that the Lord had shortened those days,
no flesh should be saved ; but for the elect^s sake, ivhom he
hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. For false Christs-
and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and won-
ders, to seduce, if it ivere possible, even the very elect. And
then he shall send his angels, and shall gather together his
elect, from the four winds." (Mark xiii. 20, 22, 27.)

The apostle Paul represents the salvation of the redeemed
as originating in the eternal purpose of God, by which they
are selected from others, and who, in consequence of this
choice and appointment, are saved. " We know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called, according' to his purpose. For whom he
did foreknow, (that is, w^hom he fixed upon, and chose to sal-
vation,) he also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of his Son. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them
he also called ; and whom he called, them he also justified ;
and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Who shall lay
any thing to the charge of God's elect : it is God that justifi-
eth." (Rom. viii. 28-30, 33.) "For the children not being
yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the pur-
pose of God, according to election, might stand, not of works,
but of him that calleth. For he saith to Moses, I will have
mercy on whom I will have mercy ; and I will have compas-
sion on whom I will have compassion. Therefore he hath
mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he
hardeneth." (Rom. Lx. 11, 15, 18.)

The doctrine of election, as stated above, is implied in these
last words, and they are sufficient to prove it, were there noth-
ing more said of it in the Bible ; for if the will of God deter-
mines who shall be the subjects of divine mercy and be saved,
and who shall not, as is here asserted, then God determined
from eternity whom he would save, and whom he would not
save, and fixed upon and chose a particular number of per-
sons to be the subjects of his mercy in their salvation, exclu-
sive of the rest of mankind; for what God wills to do, he
does not begin to will to do it in time; but his determina-
tions and will respecting all his works are without beginning.
His will is unchangeable. " He is of one mind, and none can
turn him."

This apostle brings the doctrine of election again into view,

THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION. Sf

and most expressly asserts it in the following words : " God
hath not cast away his people which he forekueiv* Even so,
then, at this present time also, there is a remnant, according
to the election of grace. What then ? Israel hath not obtained
that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it^
and the rest were blinded." (Rom. xi. 2, 5, 7.) And in his
letter to the saints at Ephesus, he considers their election, or
being chosen by God before the foundation of the world, that
is, from -eternity, by his eternal purpose and decree, as the
source and cause of their becoming Christians, and of their
salvation. " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings,
in heavenly places in Christ. According as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be
holy and without blame before him in love. Having predes-
tinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." (Eph. i.
3-5.) He speaks the same language in his letter to Timothy :
" Who hath saved us, and called us, with an holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to his own purpose and
grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus, before the world
began." (2 Tim. i. 9.) He also says, " Therefore I endure
all things /or the sake of the elect, that they may obtain the
salvation which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory." (Chap,
ii. 10.) The apostle had no expectation or desire of the salva-
tion of any but the elect, whom God hath chosen to salvation
from eternity. Therefore, when he had evidence that any
person was a true believer and made holy, he considered it as
the consequence and fruit of election, of his being chosen by
God from the beginning, that is, from eternity. This is his
language to the Christians at Thessalonica : " We are bound
to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren, beloved of the
Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to sal-
vation, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the
truth." (2 Thess. ii. 13.)

The apostle Peter sets this matter in the same light with
Paul, and considers true Christians as elected to this privilege,
and to eternal life, by the counsel and purpose of God, as the

* The forekno-vvlodge of God is mentioned here, and in other places, as imply-
ing his purpose and decree of election. (See Acts ii. 23 ; xv. 18. Kom. viii. 29.
1 Peter i. 2.) The reason why this word is used to denote the divine determi-
nation, is because the foreknowledge of God does necessarily imply his purpose
or decree with respect to the thing foreknown ; for God foreknows what will
be only by determining what shall be. Therefore foreknowledge and decrees
cannot be separated ; for they imply each other, if they be not one and the
same. " Grotius, as well as Bcza, observes that nnnyrwaii must here signify
decree; and Eisner has shown it has that signitication in approved Greek
writers." — Doddridge's tiote on Acts ii. 23.

0

10 THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION.

origin and foundation of all this good to them. " Peter, an
apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect ac-
cording to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience, and sprinkling of
the blood of Jesus Christ." (1 Pet. i. 1, 2.)

Whoever well considers these passages of Scripture, with
others of the same tenor, and observes how consistent this
doctrine is with the whole of the Scripture, which represents
man as lost in sin, and wholly dependent on God for salvation,
and, therefoi:e, that their salvation must all originate in the
sovereign purpose and grace of God, and how consistent this
is with reason, and that it is, indeed, impossible it should be
otherwise ; — whoever takes a proper view of all this, must be-
lieve, and rest satisfied in the truth, that all the redeemed were
chosen to salvation by the eternal purpose of God, as the origin
and foundation of their salvation ; and that they who are not
thus elected, perish in their sins. And he who does not see this
doctrine plainly revealed in the Bible, must be supposed to read
it with strong prejudices against the truth, or with very wrong
and false conceptions respecting the subject. To obviate and
remove these, is the design of some part of the following.

V. The elect are not chosen to salvation rather than others,
because of any moral excellence in them, or out of respect to
any foreseen faith and repentance, or because their moral
character is in any respect better than others. The difference
between them and others, in this respect, whenever it takes
place, is the fruit and consequence of their election, and not
the ground and reason of it. All mankind are totally sinful,
wholly lost and undone, in themselves, infinitely guilty and
and ill deserving. And all must perish forever, were it not for
electing grace, were they not selected from the rest, and given
to the Redeemer to be saved by him, and so made vessels of
ijinercy, prepared unto glory. This is abundantly declared in
Scripture. This is strongly asserted in a passage which has
been mentioned. " For the children being not yet born, neither
having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, accord-
ing to election, might stand, not of works, but of him that
calleth." In their election, they are predestinated to be con-
formed to Christ in true holiness, and not because it is fore-
seen they will, of their own accord, be holy, and chosen to
salvation for the sake of this. They are elected, through sanc-
tification of the Spirit, vnto obedience. Sanctification and
obedience are the consequence of their election, and the privi-
lege to which they are chosen ; and not that out of regard to
which they are chosen to salvation. The apostle tells the

THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTIOX. 11

elect at Ephesus, that electing love found them dead in tres-
passes and sins, as sinful as others, and as much the children
of wrath. " But God, who is rich in mercy, for the great love
wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath
quickened us together with Christ. By grace are ye saved,
through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, unto good works, which
God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them."
(Eph. ii. 1-10.) Election is a doctrine of grace ; it is there-
fore called " the election of grace." " Even so then at this
present time, also, there is a remnant according' to the election
of grace. And if by grace, then it is no more of works ; other-
wise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is
no more grace; otherwise work is no more work." (Rom.
xi. 5, 6.)

VI. The elect are not chosen to salvation, without holiness
and obedience, or whether they be holy and obey Christ or
not. This is asserted in the passages which have been quoted.
Those who are chosen to salvation are predestinated, or or-
dained to be conformed to Christ. They are elected to sal-
vation through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience.
Holiness is part of the salvation to which they are elected,
and they cannot be saved without it, which consists in activity
and obedience. Therefore, no person can have any evidence
that he is elected in any other way, but by making it evident
that he is holy and obedient.

This, therefore, detects the great mistake and delusion in
which they are who say, if they be elected they shall be saved,
let them do what they will, and live and die in a course of
allowed sin. No proposition can be more false than this. It
is as contrary to the truth as it would be for a man to say, If
it be appointed that I should live seven years, I shall live,
though I die to-morrow. Or if it be appointed that I shall go
to such a city, I shall go, though I do not go, and never move
out of the place in which I now am.

This doctrine, therefore, affords no encouragement to sin, or
to be indifferent and careless about holiness, obedience, and
salvation ; for this is as certainly the road to hell, if continued
in, as if there were none elected to salvation ; and holiness
and care, watchfulness and diligence, in active obedience, are
as reasonable, important, and necessary, as if this doctrine
were not true.

VII. The use of proper means is as necessary in order to the
salvation of the elect as it would be were none elected to sal-
vation. As none are elected to salvation, without holiness, or

12 THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION.

whether they be holy or not, becavise this is a contradiction,
and impossible, so none can exercise holiness, and be obedi-
ent, without means ; for this is as great a contradiction as the
other ; for it is the same as to suppose that a person may be
holy and obedient, without knowledge, attention, and activity,
or without holiness and obedience. Means are as necessary
in order to convert and save the elect, and their persevering in
holiness, as they would be if they were not elected.

This is illustrated in the story of the shipwreck of Paul and
those with him. They were all elected to be saved from being
lost at sea, and to arrive safe on shore. God had determined
this in their favor, and revealed it to Paul, and he had pub-
lished it to them who were with him in the ship. Yet when
the seamen were about to leave the ship, who only had skill to
manage it, " Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers,
Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved." (Acts
xxvii. 31.) They were elected to that salvation, and it was
hereby made sure to them ; but this did not render means and
their activity useless, for they were elected to be saved in this
way, and in no other; and, therefore, their salvation was not
possible in any other way. And if the centurion had said to
Paul, " If we are elected to be saved, though the seamen leave
the ship, or if we use no means to get to the land, and take no
care or thought about it, and though every one of lis do what
he can, or what he please, to drown himself and all the rest,"
he would have spoken contrary to reason and truth.

And there is as much encouragement to use means for the
salvation of sinners, as if there were none elected to salvation,
and much more ; for there would indeed be no encouragement
to use any means, or to do any thing for the salvation of any
one, if none were elected to be saved ; for if that were true,
there would be no salvation for any. St. Paul, therefore, took
his encouragement to travel round the world and preach, and
and go through great labors and sufferings, from the doctrine
of election, that he might be the means of saving some of the
elect. He says, " Therefore, I endure all things for the sake
of the elect, that they may obtain the salvation which is in
Christ Jesus." (1 Tim. ii. 10.) And the Lord Jesus Christ
encouraged him to persevere in preaching at Corinth, because
he had much people in that city ; that is, there were many
elected to salvation in that city. (Acts xviii. 9, 10.) And there
would be no reason or encouragement for any person to use
any means, or do any thing, in order to be saved, if none were
elected to salvation.

VIII. The doctrine of election, as it has been stated, does
not represent God as a respecter of persons^ as some have
supposed.

THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION. * 13

To have respect to persons is to regard and treat them dif-
ferently, on the account of some supposed or real diftt'rcnce in
them or their circumstances, which is no real ground or good
reason of such ditferent regard, and treatment. As when a
judge regards, justifies, and rewards one, rather than another,
because he is rich and the other poor, or has given him a bribe,
or is a near relation of his, or his particvilar friend, when the
other is as really worthy of regard, and his cause more just.
This character of a respecter of persons belongs rather to a
judge, or one who is to regard and reward others, according to
their difterent characters, which are the real ground and a good
reason of making a difference ; and is not applicable to a bene-
factor, in his granting favors, and free, 'undeserved gifts to one
rather than another, where there is no desert of such favor in
one more than another ; and the favor is not granted under any
such notion or pretence. The benefactor, in this case, has a
right to do what he will with his own, and bestow his gifts in
such a manner, and on such persons, as will best promote his
own benevolent purposes and the general good. And he who
is neglected, and does not receive any favor, as he has no claim
to any, has no reason to complain.

IX. No injury is done to those who are not elected, by the
election of others to salvation. No one of mankind has any
desert of the least favor, but all the human race might justly
have been left in a state of ruin, to be lost and miserable for-
ever, and no injury would have been done to any. In this
case, the showing favor to one, and saving him, is no injury to
the other, who has no favor, and is left to perish ; he deserves
this as much as if none were saved, and his case is not ren-
dered the worse, in any respect, merely because others do not
suffer with him, who deserve it as much as he does ; and if the
actually making this difference, and saving some, and leaving
others to perish, be no injury to the latter, and they have no
cause to complain any more than if others perished with them,
then the determination to do this, and electing some to salva-
tion from eternity, and not electing all, is in no respect injurious
to the non-elect, and is no ground of complaint. If a king
pardon a certain number of those criminals who are justly con-
demned to be put to death, and give the rest up to be exe-
cuted, they all equally deserving to die, he does no injury to
the latter; they deserve to die as much, and their execution is
as just, as if all were put to death. IMercy being showed to
others gives them no claim to it, and they have no cause of
complaint that the same undeserved favor is not showed to
them. And it alters not the case, though the king had deter-
mined long before it took place to save some of the criminals

VOL. II. 2

14 ''* THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION.

alive, and fixed on the individuals on whom he would bestow
this favor, in distinction from the rest.

X. Salvation may be oti'ered to all men, though only a
certain number of them are chosen to salvation, and will be
finally saved.

It is not necessary that all should certainly be saved, and
that this should be known to be the event of making the ofler
of salvation to men, in order to make the ofler of it to them
with propriety. Men may have the ofler of salvation, or of
any other good thing, though they refuse to accept of it, and
so never obtain it. This, it is presumed, none will deny.

Salvation tnay be offered to men, though it be certain and
known to God, who makes the offer, that they will reject it,
and so never be saved. If salvation may be offered to men,
though they refuse to accept of it, and their rejecting it be not
Inconsistent with the offer being made, or their having the
offer, then such offer may be made, though it be known and
certain that they will reject it and perish ; for this being knuwn
does not alter the case with respect to the offer ; it is as really
made, and as really rejected, as if it were not known, but it
were wholly uncertain what the event would be. A rich man
may offer an estate to a poor man, though he be certain that
he will reject the offer, and die in poverty, as the consequence
of his refusal to accept of the favor which is offered.

And if the offer of salvation may be truly and properly
made, when it is known to him who makes the offer that it
will be rejected, then it may be so made and rejected, though
the knowledge of this imply the divine purpose and decree
respecting the matter, or be founded upon it. The sinner is
disposed to reject the offer of salvation, and will certainly reject
it, unless his heart be renewed by the Spirit of God ; but he
being under no obligation to the sinner to do this in any in-
stance, and his making the offer of salvation does not lay him
under any such obligation, or infer it, he may determine not to
do it, by which it is certain the sinner will not accept of it, and
be saved. Notwithstanding this, the offer is really made, and
the sinner really rejects it, and is as voluntary and criminal
as if nothing were determined and foreknown respecting the
event. Though God have power to renew every sinner's
heart to whom the gospel is preached, and bring them all to
embrace fhe gospel, and be saved, yet he has determined not
to do it. And his making the offer of salvation does not im-
ply that he will do it.

Though a rich man offer an estate to one that is poor, and
it is in his power by some extraordinary means and exertions
to persuade him to accept it, yet his making the offer lays

THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION. 15

him undei' no obligation to effect it, though he know the con-
sequence will be his rejecting it and dying in poverty. He
may have good reason not to make those extraordinary exer-
tions, and yet be sincere in the offer, on condition he is willing
to accept it ; and the poor man has the estate really ofl'ered to
him, and he as really rejects it, and is as foolish and criminal
in doing it, and as justly suffers the evil consequence, as if the
rich man knew not what would be the consequence of making
the offer, — whether it would be rejected or not, — and had no
power, by any means, to persuade him, and make him willing
to accept of it.

It is wise and important that salvation by Christ should be
offered indiscriminately to all, in the publishing and preaching of
the gospel, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
It has been observed that the gospel cannot be preached to any,
to whom the offer of salvation is not made upon their accept-
ance of it. They who will comply with the offer, or the elect
who shall come to Christ, live promiscuously, intermixed with
others, and are not to be distinguished by men from others
until they have the gospel preached to them, and thereby sal-
vation is offered to them, and they believe and embrace the
offer. Therefore, the gospel cannot be preached to them, un-
less it be preached to all. And, as it may be properly preached
to all, and salvation be really offered to every one, whether he
will accept of it or not, and the provision made for the salva-
tion of sinners in the gospel is as sufficient for one as another,
and it is offered as a free gift to every one who believeth, or
will receive it, and none can fail of salvation, and perish under
the gospel, but by constantly rejecting it to the end of life,
therefore, it is important and necessary that this offer should
be made to all, without any distinction, in order to the salva-
tion of any, even the elect. Besides, this is necessary in order
to set in the clearest light, and even to discover, the following
important truths : —

1. That mankind are so fixed in their rebellion, and such
obstinate opposers and enemies of God and all moral good,
that they are disposed constantly, and with all their hearts, to
reject mercy and salvation, though freely offered to them.
Nothing is, or perhaps can be, more suited effectually to bring
out and discover the exceeding wickedness and obstinacy of
the heart of man than this. It is of great importance that a
clear and full discovery of this should be made, in order to
manifest to their consciences, and to all, the justice and pro-
priety of the awful sentence which will be pronounced against
the wicked at the last day.

2. That every one who fails of salvation under the gospel

16 THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION

perishes by his own fault and aggravated wickedness, obsti-
nately persisted in through life, and must ascribe his loss of
eternal life, and his falling into endless destruction, wholly to
his own folly, — constantly and voluntarily rejecting salvation
freely oftered to him, — that he has destroyed himself^ and
nothing could have prevented his salvation, and have brought
endless destruction upon him, — no decree of Heaven, nor
Satan, nor any of his fellow-men, nor his outward circum-
stances, poverty or riches, honors and high stations, or a mean
and low condition in the world, health or sickness, nor any
temptation and trying situation in life whatsoever, — had he
not, with all ' his heart, rejected the gospel, and constantly,
through his whole life, refused to accept of the salvation which
was offered to him, for which folly and sin he has not the
least possible excuse.

This coincides with the preceding particular, and serves to
show how important and necessary it is that they who perish
from under the gospel should have salvation offered to them,
as by this it will appear more clearly than otherwise it could,
that sinners perish by their own fault, and can lay the blame
of it to none but themselves, and that they are justly cast into
endless destruction, however infinitely awful and dreadful it be.

And this will serve effectually to confute an assertion which
many now make, and show the falsehood of it, viz., that if
they be not elected, they must be damned, whatever they may do.
It will appear, when the real truth comes to light, that they
perish by rejecting the salvation offered to them, and that, if
they had believed and been willing to be saved by Christ, they
would not have been lost. Their destruction is the conse-
quence of their great, inexcusable wickedness, in slighting
Christ and neglecting the great salvation, — by which they
have brought it on themselves, — which could not have come
upon them had they not done this, but accepted of the kind
offer which they had.

o. The offer of salvation to all serves more clearly to display
and discover to the redeemed the riches of that sovereign
grace by which they are saved. It is of great importance that
this should be seen by the redeemed in the clearest light, and
to the best advantage, that God may have the glory of it,
and they the greatest benefit possible. While they see others
perish under the same advantages which they have enjoyed,
they see what they should have done had they not been dis-
tinguished by sovereign grace, and made willing in the day of
divine power. They see the human heart acted out in the
unbeliever, and the awful consequence in his perishing, and
know this would have been their case had not God created in

THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION. 17

them a new heart, and given them to believe on Christ, in
consequence of his electing love. They see this, and give all
the glory to sovereign grace, and, in a greater degi-ee, are
happy in the enjoyment of the love of God. St. Paul waa
sensible of the importance of Christians seeing and enjoying
the great and distinguishing love of God to them, and of their
giving all the glory to him, and, therefore, labors to set this in
the strongest light in the first two chapters of his letter to thfs
church at Ephesus, as he also does in most of 'his other epistle?^
which the attentive reader of the Bible must have observed.

That the offer of salvation is, in fact, made to all to whom
the gospel is revealed, has been before proved;* and it may b^
added here, to the evidence there produced, that, if there weve
no other proof of this but the parables of Christ, recorded In.
Matt. xxii. and Luke xiv., these are sufficient to put it beyond
dispute. There our Savior represents the gospel by a feast
which is made, to which numbers are invited who refuse to
come, and consequently never taste of the supper. The invi-
tation is, " Come to the feast, come to the marriage, for all
things are ready." How can this represent the gospel, if sal-
vation be not offered to those who never accept of the offer ?
But to return : salvation is, in fact, offered to all, wherever the
gospel is published. Some have supposed this to be incon-
sistent with the doctrine of election, as it has been stated ; but
it is hoped that what has been offered has sufficiently proved
that they are both consistent with each other.

XL The doctrine of election is so far from being a discour-
aging doctrine, that it affords the only ground of all true
encouragement and hope.

Many have been so grossly mistaken as to think this a
gloomy, discouraging doctrine, and that it tends to lead per-
sons to despair ; whereas, it is the only well-grounded support
against despair, and the sole foundation of all reasonable hope
of salvation. It does, indeed, tend to cut off all tJteir hopes of
salvation, who build them upon themselves, — their own good
disposition, will, and exertions, independent of God, — sup-
posing they shall determine it in their own favor, and, in this
sense, save themselves. The doctrine of election demolishes
this foundation, and destroys such a hope, as it teaches that
man is absolutely dependent on God for his salvation, and he
must determine whether he shall be saved or not. As this,
therefore, is a false hope, and dangerous delusion, it is desira-
ble it should be destroyed ; and it affords an argument in favor
of this doctrine that it tends to take away all such hope from
man.

* See Vol. I. p. 493, etc.

2*

18 THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION.

When persons are brought to know themselves in some
measure, and see how guilty and lost they are, how sinful
and obstinate their hearts are, being wholly corrupt, and so
strongly indisposed to any thing that is right, and inclined to
evil, that if left to themselves, they never shall repent and em-
brace the gospel, but shall go on to certain destruction, —
therefore, if God, who has mercy on whom he will have mer-
cy, have not determined in their favor that he will give them
a new heart, and save them by the washing of regeneration
and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, they shall not be saved,
but be certainly lost forever, — they despair of distinguishing
themselves, so as to render themselves more deserving of the
favor of God, and of salvation, or less ill deserving than others ;
they know of no greater sinners than themselves, or more de-
serving of endless destruction, or farther from embracing the
gospel, than they are, and always shall be, if left to themselves.
Their only hope, therefore, is in the revealed purpose of God
to save some of mankind, without any regard to their desert of
it, or their distinguishing themselves from others, not being so
great sinners, or being less unworthy ; but God has mercy on
whom he will have mercy ; and they have no reason to conclude
they are not of this number, but may hope they are elected to
salvation, though utterly lost in themselves, and the most
guilty and vile of all others.

It is true, that some have abused this doctrine, and im-
proved it to bad purposes to themselves, through their igno-
rance, the perverseness of their own hearts, and the cunning
agency of Satan, the deceiver. They have not been willing to
be in the hand of God, and wholly dependent on him ; and
the thought that they are so has irritated and galled their
spirits ; they have been such enemies to God that they have
concluded he will decide against them, if it be left to him
to determine whether they shall be saved or not ; and know-
ing they have greatly offended him, they conclude that they
are not among the number of the elect, and so sink into
despair. It is not the doctrine of election, or the belief of it,
which produces this despair, or has any tendency to it, but
the opposition of the heart to it, and drawing a \\Tong and
false conclusion from it; for this doctrine has a direct contrary
tendency and effect, when properly improved, as has been
shown.

XII. The doctrine of election is perfectly consistent with
the greatest possible degree of human liberty.

This has been particularly considered in the chapter upon
the decrees of God, and need not be repeated here. Many
have entertained such wrong notions of this doctrine, and of

THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION. 19

liberty, or the freedom of the will, as to suppose, if this were
true, the non-elect are chained down to destruction, and the
elect fixed in a state of salvation, inconsistent with their exer-
cising any freedom of choice. The divine purpose of election
does not affect the liberty of any man, unless the certainty of
events be inconsistent with it. It is certain it is not, if liberty
consists in acting voluntarily, or in volition, which it is pre-
sumed has been proved ; and that there can be no other or high-
er liberty in nature. The elect are perfectly free in embracing
the gospel, and in all their exercises, and in every step they
take, in order to obtain complete salvation. This is necessarily
supposed in their election to eternal life ; for they can be saved
in no other way but by their free choice, which is, therefore,
secured in their election, that they shall go to heaven by their
own free consent, in the full exercise of perfect liberty, in op-
position to any compulsion. Whatever God decrees or does,
respecting their salvation, does not interfere with their free-
dom, but infallibly secures and establishes it. He ivorketh in
them, to ivill and to do; therefore, does nothing inconsistent
w^ith their willing and doing, but promotes and effects it, in
which all their freedom and moral agency consist.

The non-elect go to destruction by their own choice. When
salvation is offered to them, they reject it with their whole
heart, and most freely choose to have no part in it. They will
not come to Christ, that they might be saved. The election of
others to salvation does not affect them, or alter their case or
circumstances in the least. They go to destruction just as
freely, and as much by their own choice, as they would or could
do were there none elected to be saved ; and their destruction
is not luade any more necessary or certain, by the election of
some of mankind to salvation, than it would have been were
there no election.

XIII. Though it be known that a certain number of man-
kind are elected by God to salvation, in distinction from
others, because it is revealed, and the reason of the thing
teaches it must be so, yet it cannot be known to men in this
world who they are that are elected and shall be saved, any
farther than there is evidence that they embrace the gospel,
and are become true Christians. This is otherwise known to
God alone. He knows them by name, and they are given to
Christ to be saved. " The foundation of God standeth sure,
having this seal : the Lord knoweth them that are his." (2 Tim.
ii. 19.) But this cannot be known to men, nor can there be
the least real evidence, tiU they come to Christ, nor any ap-
pearance of it, any farther than they appear to be real Chris-
tians. In this way, the apostle Paul judged of the election of

20 THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION.

persons. " Knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God.
For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in
power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. And
ye became followers of me, and of the Lord, having received
the word in much affliction, with joy in the Holy Ghost."
(1 Thess. i. 4-6.) It is in this way alone that believers can
come to the knowledge of their election, or get the least evi-
dence of it. This evidence will be perfectly established when
they are actually saved, and shall abide so forever. Every
one of the redeemed will know his own election of God, and
that of all others who are saved, and will look to this as the
source and fotmdation of their redemption.

While the elect are in a state of unbelief, none in this world,
neither they themselves, nor any one else, can know they are
elected and shall be saved. And the non-elect cannot know
that they are not elected, nor can any one else know this of
them, while they are in this world, unless it be known that
they have committed the unpardonable sin.

IMPROVEMENT.

I. The doctrine of election, as it has now been stated and
explained, is suited to stain and humble the pride of man.

The pride of man prompts him to lift himself above his
Maker, and he would do it, were it possible ; and many fond-
ly think themselves, in a measure, independent of him,
especially in matters of the greatest importance, respecting
their moral character, and their eternal interest and happiness ;
that their life is in their own hands, so far that they can de-
termine whether they shall be virtuous and holy, and be saved,
or not, without any determination of God respecting it, or his
unpromised, undeserved, special influence or assistance, to
turn the point in their favor. And nothing can be more cross-
ing and mortifying to this pride, than to be absolutely depend-
ent on God for all moral good, as a free, undeserved gift from
him, and for salvation, so that the whole must be determined
by God, and not by man, any farther than it is the effect
of the divine determination. Such absolute dependence on
God for holiness and salvation is implied and held forth
in the doctrine of election, and no man can understandingly
and cordially receive it, so as to have the feelings of his heart
conformable to it, without " humbling himself in the sight of
the Lord."

Every doctrine of the gospel, and the whole system of re-
vealed truth, is levelled directly at the pride of the human

THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION. 21

heart, and suited to humble man ; and when it has its proper
effect, and is cordially received, this pride is slain and relin-
quished; and what God, by Isaiah, foretold should be the
effect of it, takes place in a very sensible, conspicuous degree.
" The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughti-
ness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be
exalted in that day." (Isa. ii. 11, 12.) Therefore, humility, in
opposition to pride and self-exaltation, was frequently men-
tioned by our divine Teacher, as essential to a Christian ; and
he often said, " Every one that exalteth himself shaU be abased ;
and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." (See Matt,
xviii. 4; xxiii. 12. Luke xiv. 11; xviii. 14.) And the apostle
James says to sinners, " Humble yourselves in the sight of the
Lord, and he shall lift you up." (James iv. 10.)

This is an evidence, among others, that the doctrine of elec-
tion is a doctrine of the gospel, in that it coincides, in this
respect, with all the peculiar doctrines of divine revelation, in
being suited to humble the pride of man, and exalt the sover-
eign grace of God ; and, therefore, must be agreeable to the
heart of every humble Christian. In this view, it is no won-
der that it should be so strongly opposed and rejected with
great abhorrence and confidence by men, with all the other
most humble doctrines of the gospel, and a scheme of senti-
ments be introduced in their room, which are really subversive
of the gospel, and suited not to abase, but to flatter and gratify
the pride of man, according to which he has something which
he did not receive, even true virtue and hoUness, the highest
excellence and glory of man ; and by this has made himself to'
differ from others, without any special distinguishing influence
of God ; and in this respect is independent of him, which he
therefore ascribes not to the grace of God, but to himself, and
glories in it. The following sentence of St. Paul is levelled at
this pride and haughtiness of man, and if properly regarded,
sufficient to demolish it. " Who maketh thee to differ from
another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive?
Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou
hadst not received it ? " (1 Cor. iv. 7.)

The humbling doctrine of election may be, indeed, abused,
and so improved as to gratify the pride of man, while it is not
really understood, nor in truth cordially received. A man may
be led to conclude, even from the pride of his heart and with-
out any reason, that he is elected to salvation, and herein dis-
tinguished by God from most others; and this may be very
pleasing to his pride, while he does not understand, and in his
heart admit, the only ground of this distinction, when made by
God. And he, at bottom, feels as if he was distinguished from

22 THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION.

others, and had received this peculiar favor out of respect to
some good thing in him, by which he differed from others ; or
he attends only to the distinction itself, without considering the
ground of it, and is pleased with this, and becomes a zealous,
proud advocate for the doctrine of election. Therefore, many
of the opposers of this doctrine suppose, that all who are ad-
vocates for it are pleased with it only from selfishness and
pride, because they consider themselves as the elect of God,
and hereby distinguished and favored above others. And there
is, perhaps, no other way for pride to account for it, or to be
reconciled to it. The true Christian receives it as glorious to
God, and exalting sovereign grace and humbling man, while
he considers himself as infinitely guilty and vile, and wholly
lost in his sins, and if he be saved, it must be by the distin-
guishing, sovereign grace of God, who has mercy on whom he
will have mercy, according to his decree of election, which
affords the only ground of hope to man.

II. What has been said in this section on the doctrine of
particular election, may serve to discover and state the charac-
ter of a true Christian, so far as his views and exercises relate
to this doctrine and those connected with it.

1. This is not a discouraging doctrine to him, nor disagreea-
ble, though he do not know that he is a Christian, or is elected
to salvation, but has great and prevailing doubts of this. He
knows that if he were left to himself, he should not determine
the point in his own favor, but his impenitent, unbelieving
heart would reject Christ, and he go on to destruction. That
he is wholly dependent on God for salvation, and if he do not
determine in his favor, and have not elected him to salvation,
and do not distinguish him from others by granting him those
influences and that renovation which they who perish have
not, he shall not be saved, but perish forever. Therefore, the
doctrine of election can be no matter of discouragement to
him ; it cannot render his case worse than it would be if none
were elected ; for then he could have no hope of salvation, and
the only hope he can have is grounded on this doctrine, and
that he may be one of the elect. And his hope rises or sinks
according to the evidence he has of this, by perceiving himself
to be the subject of the regenerating, sanctifying influences of
the Holy Spirit, or the contrary.

2. The true believer is pleased with being entirely depend-
ent on God for his salvation, and that he should determine
whether he shall be saved or not ; and does not desire that he
himself or others should be saved in any other way, but accord-
ing to the eternal purpose of God. It is most disagreeable to
him that any creature should determine this, in any one in-

THE DOCTRINE OF ELECTION. 23

stance. He knows it belongs to God to decide this important
matter ; that he has a right to do it, and he only is able to
determine it perfectly right, agreeable to infinite wisdom and
goodness, so as shall be most for his glory, and promote the
interest of his kingdom. He is pleased that, in this way, God
is exalted in the exercise of sovereign grace, and the sinner
humbled, and the most important interest forever secured and
promoted in the best manner. He desires no other salvation
for himself or others, but that which is the free gift of God
and the fruit of his electing love, and which infinite wisdom
sees will be most for the glory of God, and the general good ;
and that without knowing whether his salvation be consistent
with this or not, and whether he be one of the elect or not.

3. All the Christian's prayers and devotions are upon this
plan, and agreeable to this doctrine. They contain in them
either an express or implicit acknowledgment of his entire de-
pendence on God for salvation, and every thing for which he
prays or gives thanks, and that all the good he desires must be
the fruit of the determination of him wiio changes not in his
purpose and design, and express, or imply, ^n unconditional,
implicit resignation to his wise and holy will.

The opposers of this doctrine, in heart and words, do often
really acknowledge it in words, in their prayers to God for
salvation, etc. ; but the real Christian does it with his heart.
He may, indeed, through the prejudices of education, or other-
wise, by not understanding the doctrine in theory, and enter-
taining wrong conceptions of it, and of other points which are
connected with it, be led to oppose it in speculation ; but so
far as his heart is renewed, all his religious exercises and
devotions are agreeable to the doctrine of election, and an
acknowledgment of it; and so far as it appears that any per-
son is at heart an enemy to that doctrine, there is just so much
evidence that he is an enemy to him who worketh all things
after the counsel of his own will.

Section VIH.

Whether any of the redeemed arrive to perfect Holiness in

this Life,

That no man, whatever his advantages and attainments
may be, does arrive to sinless perfection in this life, seems to
be clearly asserted in a number of passages of Scripture.
Solomon says, " There is no man that sinneth not. There is
not a just man upon earth that doeth good, and sinneth not.

24 NO MAN IS WITHOUT SIN IN THIS LIFE,

Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from
my sin? " (1 Kings viii.46. Ec. vii. 20. Pr. xx. 9.) These are
strong expressions, asserting that there is no man on earth
so perfect as to be wholly without sin. Job says, " If I say 1
am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse." (Job ix. 20.) How
could his saying he was perl'ect, prove him to be perverse,
unless it be on this ground, that no man is perfect in this life ?
This being certain, if a man say he is perfect, it proves that
he is deceived, and knows not the truth, and therefore is not a
good man. The apostle Paul, who probably was the holiest
man that ever lived, declares he was not perfect. " Not as
though I had already attained, or were already perfect ; but I
follow after, if that I may apprehend that for ^vhich also I am
apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself
to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things
which are before, I press toward the mark, for the prize of
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Phil. iii. 12-14.)
And he gives such a particular and sad description of his own
sinfulness, in his Igtter to the church at Rome, that many who
are strangers to the corruption of the human heart, and the
great degree of sin attending true Christians, and their keen
sensibility of it, cannot believe that he means there to describe
his own exercises and character, or those of any Christian.
(See Rom. vii. 14-24.) And this same apostle represents all
Christians as in a state of warfare, by reason of evil inclina-
tions and lusts in their hearts, which oppose that which is the
fruit of the Spirit in them, and prevents their doing what they
would. " The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit
against the flesh ; and these are contrary the one to the other,
so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." (Gal. v. 17.)
To will was present. When they look forward, they wished
actually to do and be all that which Christianity dictates, and
of whi(;h they could have any idea ; but when they came to
act, they always fell short, and sinful inclinations prevented
their doing as they desired, and defiled their best exercises.

The apostle James testifies to the same truth. He says of
himself, and of all Christians, that in many things they all
ofiended. (James iii. 2.) And the apostle John says, " If we
say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not
in us." (1 John i. 8.) Here it is not only asserted that every
Christian is attended with sin in all he does in this life, but
that it is so evident to the real Christian, and so much his
sensible burden and unhappiness, that it is certain that he who
says, or thinks he has no sin, is not only greatly deceived, but
is a stranger to real Christianity, and knows not the saving
truth.

NO MAN IS WITHOUT SIN IN THIS LIFE. 25

These passages of Scripture are decisive, and prove that it
is made certain, by a divine constitution, that no man shall be
without sin in this life ; for these are declarations from God
of this truth. Solomon could not say, " There is no man that
sinneth not," " There is not a just man upon earth that doeth
good, and sinneth not," if there were not a divine constitution
which rendered it certain that the most righteous and best of
men are not without sin in this life; for this is atlirmed of
man, — of every man in this world, in every age of it, from the
beginning to the end of it. How could the apostle Paul say
to a Christian church, " The flesh lusteth against the spirit,
and the spirit against the flesh ; and these are contrary the
one to the other, so that ye cannot do the things that ye
would," — and how could the apostles John and James say,
" If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us," " In many things we all oftend," — if this were
not true of all, and common to all Christians at all times ?
It is impossible they should say this under inspiration, were
there not a known constitution of Heaven, that no man should
be free from sin in this life. Therefore, these declarations
demonstrate that there is such a constitution, — that God has
determined, and made it known, that no man shall live in the
body without sinning.

Hence we may be certain that when the apostle John says,
" Whosoever abideth in him, sinneth not : whosoever sinneth
hath not seen him, neither known him," — "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," (1 John iii. 6, 9,)
— he does not mean to assert that every true Christian, or
any one of them, is free from sin in this life, for then he
would expressly contradict himself in this same letter; but
his meaning in the last-quoted passages must be, that he who
is born of God, and united to Christ by faith, does not sin as
others do, or as he did before he was born of God. He no
longer lives in sin, and makes it his trade and business, as the
unregenerate do, but lives a holy life, devoted to Christ, though
attended with much imperfection and sin. If this be not his
meaning, which is a natural and easy one, he not only con-
tradicts what he had said in the words quoted from the first
chapter, by asserting that Christians viai/ live without sin in
this Avorld, but asserts that every one that is born of God does
not, from that time, commit one sin, or have the least degree
of sin in his heart or conduct ; which few or none of those
who have made use of these passages, to prove Christians
may be perfectly holy in this life, do believe is true ; so that
these words prove too much, or nothing at all for them.

VOL. II. 3

26 NO MAN IS WITHOUT SIN IN THIS LIFE.

Christians are frequently represented as being perfect^ in
distinction from those who are not real Christians, or from
other real Christians who are not perfect. This has been im-
proved as an argument, that some Christians do obtain sinless
perfection in this life, supposing that this is intended by being
perfect. But the careful reader of the Bible will find that to
he perfect has a various and different meaning, when used
with respect to different subjects and relations. When used
with respect to God, it means absolute perfection; in which
sense it is not applicable to any creature, especially to man in
this state. When applied to Christians, it sometimes means
real sincerity and uprightness of heart, or their being real
Christians, or good men, in distinction from those who are so
only in appearance and pretence. In this sense Hezekiah ap-
pears to use it, when he says, " Remember now, O Lord, how
I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart."
(Isa. xxxviii. 3.) And in this sense God speaks of Job as a
perfect and upright man. (Job i. 8.) Job himself uses the
word in a different sense, when he says, " If I say I am per-
fect, it would prove me perverse," (Job ix. 20,) — otherwise, he
would contradict his Maker and himself too ; for he held his
integrity fast, and appealed to God that he was upright. (Job
xxxi. 6.) Sometimes it means whole and entire Christians,
acting out every Christian grace, or every branch of Christi-
anity, in distinction from those who were defective in some
Christian attainments, while they appeared to be chiefly atten-
tive to others. And sometimes they are called perfect who
have made greater proficiency in the Christian life, and are
stronger and more thorough Christians, in distinction from the
weaker, and those of less attainments. He who carefully
studies his Bible will find that Christians are not said to be
perfect in any higher sense than these. The apostle Paul, in
a fore-cited place, says that he did not think himself perfect,
yet, in the very next words, speaks of himself and others as
being perfect. " Let us, therefore, as many as he perfect^ be
thus minded." (Phil. iii. 12-15.) He must use the word in
two different senses, otherwise he would contradict himself.
When he says he does not think or pretend that he is perfect,
he means sinless perfection. When he says, " as many of us
as be perfect," he means those who had made considerable
improvement and advances in Christianity ; not being, in this
respect, babes, or children, but grown men. (Heb. v. 13, 14.)

It is, certainly, the duty of all Christians to be perfectly
holy, in obedience to the law of God, requiring them to love
God with all their heart, and soul, and mind, and strength,
and their neighbors as themselves. And every thing contrary

NO MAN IS WITHOUT SIN IN THIS LIFE. 27

to this, or short of it, which takes place in their hearts or lives,
is criminal. The law canjiot be abated, nor their obligation
to obey it perfectly annulled, in the least degree. Bat it does
not follow from this that any one does, or will, come up to the
rule, and do the whole of his duty in this life. For this the
Christian depends wholly upon God. He is no further holy
than he is made so by the omnipotent energy of the Divine
Spirit ; and though God requires them to be perfectly holy,
yet he is under no obligation, by promise or any other way, to
make them perfectly holy in this world. His requiring it of
them does not imply any such obligation, and the covenant
of grace contains no promise of this. In that there is a divine
promise that they shall persevere in holiness to the end of life,
and that they shall be perfectly holy in his kingdom forever ;
for this is necessarily implied in perfect happiness and eternal
life. But it contains no promise of any particular degree of
holiness, more than is necessary to prevent their falling, totally
and finally, from a state of grace. As to the degree of holi-
ness, and the particular exercises of it, in every Christian, God
orders • it as he pleases, to answer his own wise and infinitely
good purposes.

The Redeemer is able to make every believer perfectly holy,
from his first conversion, so that he never should be guilty of
another sin ; and, if this had been wisest and best, it would
have been so ordered. Therefore, we are certain it is most
wise and best that none of the redeemed should be perfectly
holy in this life, though we were unable to see any reason
why it is so. But we may now see some of the wise ends
which are answered hereby, and reasons why the redeemed
are in such an imperfect state, and in so great a degree sinful,
while in this world, — a few of which will be mentioned here.

1. If they were perfectly holy, they would not be so fit to
live in this disordered, sinful world. There would not be that
analogy of one thing to another, which is observed in the
works of God, and which is proper and wise. This is not a
world and state suited to be the dwelling-place of perfectly
holy creatures. It is a proper state of discipline, suited to
form and train iip the redeemed from among men for a state
of perfect holiness and happiness in another world.

2. If Christians were perfectly holy in this life, it would not
be so much a state of trial as now it is. Their temptations
could not be so many and strong as now they are, and Satan
could not have so much power and advantage to tempt and
try to distress and seduce them ; and their danger would not
be so great and visible ; and they would not have that oppor-
tunity or occasion of the exercise of some particular graces,

28 NO MAN IS WITHOUT SIN IN THIS LIFE.

such as constant humiliation and repentance for their renewed
sins, loathing and abhorring themselves, fighting against and
mortifying their own lusts, longing for deliverance, and faith
and patience in these dark and disagi-eeable circumstances, as
now they have, by which they honor Christ, and are preparing
for greater happiness and rewards in his kingdom.

3. Such a state of imperfection and sin is suited and neces-
sary more effectually to teach them, and make them know by
abundant experience, their own total depravity by nature, the
evil nature and odiousness of sin, their own ill desert, the ex-
ceeding, inexpressible, and inconceivable deceitfulness, obsti-
nacy, and wickedness of their own hearts ; and their absolute
dependence on sovereign grace, to prevent their eternal destruc-
tion, and to save them ; their need of the atonement which
Christ has made, and the greatness of that power and grace
which saves such creatures. These, and many other things,
are more thoroughly and effectually impressed on their minds,
and they are instructed, and learn them to better advantage
in the school of Christ, in this state of imperfection and sin,
than could be in a state of perfect holiness.

King David, by falling into sin, was led to reflect upon, and
confess, his native depravity ; the exceeding evil of sin, as
against God ; his desert of destruction, and the justice of God
in punishing him ; his need of pardon and of an atonement,
and of the renovation of his heart ; and his dependence on
God for this. On that occasion, the following is his language :
" According to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out
ray transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin ; for I acknowledge my trans-
gression, 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 judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin
did my mother conceive me. Create in me a clean heart, O
God, and rene\v a right spirit within me." (Ps. li. 1-5, 10.)

4. Believers, by being sanctified but in part, and attended
with so much sin in this life, obtain a more clear view, and
greater sense of the evil of sin, and the miserable state of the
sinner; and are hereby prepared to know and enjoy the hap-
piness of a perfectly holy state, to a greater degree than other-
wise they could. The more sensible they are of the evil from
which they are delivered, the greater will the positive good
which they enjoy appear to them. And their gratitude and
praise for the sovereign grace, of which they are the subjects,
will rise jjroportionably higher, by which God will be more
glorified, and they more happy forever ; so that aU this will

NO MAN IS WITHOUT SIN IN THIS LIFE. 29

turn to their good in the end, and they will be much more
happy than if they had been perfectly holy from their conver-
sion, and had not, after that, gone through a state of conflict
with sin and Satan, and through much tribulation entered into
the kingdom of heaven.

5. By this, the power, wisdom, goodness, truth, and faith-
fulness of the Redeemer are, in a peculiar manner, exercised
and displayed, as they could not be in any other way. This
gives occasion and opportunity for the most apparent and
glorious manifestation of these ; by which he glorifies himself,
and the happiness of the redeemed is greatly advanced.
Therefore, it is, on the whole, most wise and best, that the
work of sanctification should be gradual, and not perfected at
once ; and that the saints should be sanctified but in part
while in this w^orld, and attended with much imperfection and
sin to the end of life.

The exceeding gi'eatness of the power of God is exerted and
displayed in renewing the depraved heart of man, and forming
it to true holiness. (Eph. i, 19.) It is a power which subdues
the obstinacy, and all possible opposition of the human heart,
and which overcomes and casts out Satan and all his host of
combined enemies to God and man. Therefore, this is a
greater exertion of power than that by which the natural world
was made, for that was formed out of nothing ; therefore,
there could be no opposition and resistance to creating powei
in that instance. And the power displayed in creating holi-
ness appears as much greater and more excellent than that
which is exerted in creating the natural world, as the former
effect is greater, more important, and excellent than the latter.

But this power is made more conspicuous and sensible, in
preserving and maintaining a small degree of holiness in the
heart of a Christian in the midst of the opposition with which
he is surrounded and assaulted, by the strength of evil propen-
sities within him, by the world, and by Satan, than it would
be in forming him to perfect holiness at once. In this way,
the weak Christian, in the midst of strong temptations and
potent enemies, constantly seeking, and exerting all their pow-
er and cunning to devour and destroy him, is preserved and
upheld, through a course of trial, by the mighty, omnipotent
hand of the Redeemer; and the little spark of holiness im-
planted in the believer's heart is continued alive and burning,
while there is so much, both within and without, tending to
extinguish it, which is really more of a constant miracle and
manifestation of the power of Christ, than it would be to pre-
serve a little spark of fire, for a course of years, in the midst of
the sea, while the mighty waves are fiercely dashing against it
3*

30 NO MAN IS WITHOUT SIN IN THIS LIFE.

and upon it, attempting to overwhelm and extinguish it. The
Christian is, by this situation and his experience, made more
and more sensible of this, and learns that he lives by the power
of Christ, and repairs to this, that he may be " strong in the
Lord, and in the power of his might," or his mighty power, that
he may be able to stand and persevere in the midst of enemies.
(Eph. vi. 10.) Out of weakness, he is made sti'ong and becomes
valiant in the spiritual combat. (Heb. xi. 34.) And Christ,
by these babes and sucklings, ordains and displays strength,
and perfects praise. To this the apostle Paul attests. " My
strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore,
will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ
maji rest vpon we." (2 Cor. xii. 9.) -

The wisdom of the Redeemer is also employed and mani-
fested in carrying all believers, and the church militant in
general, through this life, and to the end of the world, safe to
a state of perfection in glory. He conducts all things, external
and internal, with respect to every Christian, and so orders
the degree, manner, and time of his influence and assistance,
as to keep them from falling totally and finally, and carries
on the work of sanctification in the wisest manner, and so as
to defeat Satan in all his wiles and cunning devices, by which
he attempts to seduce and destroy them. It requires infinite
skill and wisdom to sanctify a corrupt heart, and to order
every thing so, with respect to each individual, at all times,
and every moment, as effectually to prevent his falling away,
though he walks upon the verge of ruin, and has such strong
enemies within him and without; and so adjust every circum-
stance, that even those things and events which seem to be
calculated for his ruin, shall promote his holiness and salvation.
Were there no such persons, weak, and very imperfect and
sinful, to live in a world full of enemies, and to be conducted
on through all dangers, in the midst of cunning enemies, having
great skill and success in destroying men, and carried safe to
heaven at last, there would be no opportunity for such exer-
cise and display of infinite, unsearchable wisdom as this gives.
Were not the Redeemer as wise as he is powerful, no Chris-
tian could be saved ; but on his wisdom they may and do rely
with confidence, comfort, and joy. In his hands, they and
the whole church are safe, and all adverse things shall work
for good, and issue in then' perfection in holiness, and eternal
salvation. And well may they wdth admiration exclaim with
the apostle Paul : " O the depth of the riches, both of the
wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his
judgments, and his ways past finding out!" (Rom. xi. 33.)
And in heaven they will ascribe wisdom to the Redeemer for-
ever. (Rev. V. 12.)

NO MAN IS WITHOUT SIN IN THIS LIFE. 31

The goodness, tender love, and wonderful condescension of
the Savior are also manifest, and acted out in his constant and
kind attendance on believers, though they be so imperfect and
sinful, and offend in so many things, and are constantly guilty
of that which would be sufficient to provoke him to give them
up to sin and ruin, were he not infinitely good and kind. There
is much more opportunity to exercise and discover this goodness
and condescending grace, forbearance, and long-suffering, than
if they were perfectly innocent and holy from the time of their
conversion. This remark is illustrated by the character and
conduct of the true disciples of Christ, when he was on earth,
in the human nature, and his goodness, condescension, and
forbearance towards them. They had, and discovered much
selfishness and pride, worldliness, ingratitude, stupidity, and
unbelief. They were slow of heart to believe, to learn, and get
understanding, under the teaching of Christ, and in his school,
while he was so abundant in his labors with them. They
were honest and true friends to their master, but did not im-
prove the advantages which they had, as they ought to have
done, and in many instances grossly abused them ; yet Christ
did not leave off his kindness to them, but bore with them in
aU their dulness and wickedness, and loved them unto the
end, and took effectual methods to cure all of them of their
great moral disorders, and prepare them to enter into a state of
perfect holiness at death, except Judas the traitor, who never
was a true disciple. Had they been perfectly holy from the
time they commenced his disciples, or at any time while he
was with them, there would not have been such occasion and
opportunity for Christ to exercise and discover such conde-
scending grace and long-suffering towards them.

Thus he treats all his true disciples while in this life. Their
imperfections and sins, and froward dispositions, by which they
abuse him in all his goodness to them, call for infinite conde-
scension, grace, and forbearance, in the continuance of his
loving-kindness to them. They are, in some measure, sensible
of this while in this world, and lament their sinful defects and
gi*eat wickedness, and admire the goodness and patience of
the Redeemer, in bearing with them, and not casting them into
hell; but still continue very far from what they know they
ought to be. But in heaven they will see this in a more clear
light, and forever remember, and with the most sensible grati-
tude admire and adore the condescension and wonderful grace,
which the Savior exercised towards them while they were so
stupid, perverse, and abusive. This could not take place, were
real Christians perfectly holy in this life.

The truth and faithfulness of the Redeemer are also, by this,

32 NO MAN IS AVITHOUT SIN IN THIS LIFE.

tried and made conspicuous. He promises that he will never
leave nor forsake, or cast out them who come to him, and
enter into covenant with him. And he fulfils his word, and is
faithful to them, though they are in such an awful and ]3ro-
voking degi-ee perverse and abusive. Though they fall, they
shall not be utterly cast down ; for the Redeemer upholdeth
them with his hand. (Ps. xxxvii. 24.) When they transgress,
he often visits their sin with a rod, and their iniquity with
stripes. He chastiseth them for their profit, that they may be
partakers of his holiness ; yet he will not utterly take away his
loving-kindness from them, nor suffer his faithfulness to fail.
(Ps. Ixxxix. 30-33.)

Thus the wisdom and goodness of God appear, in ordering
it so that no man, even the greatest saint, shall be perfectly
holy in this life ; but all the redeemed shall, in this world, be
very imperfect and sinful, from the reasons which have been
mentioned, and the ends which are answered hereby. More
might be thought of and mentioned, and there is no reason to
think that the one half are discerned by us now. A clear and
full view of the wisdom and goodness of God in this is reserved
to the future state, when the redeemed w^ill review all the dis-
pensations of Heaven, and the wise counsel and works of him
who is " wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working " to-
wards themselves and the church, with wonder, gratitude, and
everlasting joy, " Saying, with a loud voice. Worthy is the
Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wis-
dom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. Bless-
ing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, forever and ever." (Rev.
V. 12, 13.)

But though the wisdom and goodness of God appear in
ordering it so that no man in this life shall attain to sinless
perfection, and that the church on earth should, by passing
through a state of discipline, trial, and temptation, be trained
up for a perfectly holy and happy state in heaven, and that
this shall be the common lot of Christians ; yet, for equally
wise reasons, there are some exceptions with respect to the
latter. Some are taken out of the world immediately, or soon
after their conversion, and are made perfectly holy, without
passing through a scene of trial, temptation, and sinful imper-
fection. The thief who was converted on the cross is an
instance of this. And how many are converted on their death-
bed and just before they pass into the invisible world, cannot
be certainly determined by us, while in this state ; and all the
infants who are saved are instances of this.

It has been a question with some, whether Christians ought

NO MAN IS WITHOUT SIN IN THIS LIFE. 33

to pray that they may be perfectly holy in this life. Some
have thought this question must be answered in the afiirma-
tive, and that believers may, and ought to, pray for perfect
holiness while in this world, since it is their duty to be perfectly
holy, and it is desirable, and, therefore, ought to be desired ;
and, consequently^ they may and ought to pray for it.

Answer. It is, in itself considered, desirable to be perfectly
holy ; and this must appear desirable to all Christians, viewed
in and by itself. But as God has determined and declared
this shall not be, that any man shall be without sin in this
life ; and, therefore, it is known that it is not, on the whole,
best that any man should be perfectly holy in this world ; in
this view of it, it is not desirable, nor ought any to pray for it.
An event which is contrary to the known will of God that it
should take place, is not desirable, in this view of it, and no
one ought to pray that it may take place ; for such a desire
and prayer is opposition to the declared will of God, and car-
ries in it real rebellion against him. No man ought to pray
for any thing without an entire resignation to the will of God :
therefore, he ought not to pray for any thing but on supposition
that it is agreeable to the will of God. But no such suppo-
sition can be made, w4ien God has akeady declared it is not
agreeable to his will to gi-ant it. It has been proved, that God
has revealed that it is not his will that any man shall be per-
fectly holy in this life ; therefore, no man can, in this view of
it, pray for perfect holiness while in this life, with resignation
to the will of God ; and, therefore, ought not to pray for it.
This would be praying for that which is known not to be
desirable, and not wisest and best that it should take place,
and is opposition to the known will of God, which is oppo-
sition to God.

Therefore, it is not to be supposed that a Christian does ever
pray that he may be perfectly holy in this life, while he has a
full conviction in his mind that it is contrary to the revealed
will of God that this should ever take place in any instance.
But a Christian may not have attended to the evidence there
is from the Bible, that no man is to be perfectly holy in this
life ; or through some prejudice not be convinced that this is
there revealed, and consequently may pray that he may be
perfectly holy while in this world, and not know or believe that
he asks for that which is contrary to the will of God to grant.
In this case his sin consists in not properly attending to w"hat
God has revealed concerning this, or in not believing it, though
the evidence be clearly set before him.

And as the Christian is not omniscient, and sees not every
truth at once, or with equal clearness and constancy, of which

34 NO MAN IS WITHOUT SIN IN THIS LIFE.

he has been convinced in theory and speculation, and one thing
has a vastly greater impression on his mind than another, and
at different times the same truth may have much more of his
attention than at another, and make a more sensible impres-
sion ; it is, tlierefore, possible that he should have such a clear
view and great and sensible impression of fiis ovv^n sinfulness,
of the evil of sin and the hatefulness of it, and of the desirable-
ness of deliverance from it, and of being perfectly holy and
conformed to Christ, as earnestly to pray that, if it be con-
sistent with the will of God, he may be freed from all sin, and
live a perfectly holy life for time to come ; not at that time
reflecting, that God has revealed that no man shall be so in
this life, or thinking any more of it than if it were not true :
and yet he cannot be said to disbelieve it; for as soon as it
comes into his view, and he reflects upon it, he believes it,
and withdraws his petition. This is doubtless possible, and
may have taken place in many instances, and perhaps is not
sinful.*

* Perhaps the prayer of the Redeemer may well be accounted for in this way,
■when he said in the garden, " O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass
from me : nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." (Matt. xxvi. 39.) The
human mind of Christ had such a view and sense of the sufferings which were
before him, that it was in a degree overborne and swallowed up with the dread-
fulness of them, and the impossibility of his going through them without more
divine assistance than he then experienced. And it was so ordered by God,
that the absolute necessity of his suffering thus should not then be in view, his
mind being wholly arrested by the view and sense of his sufferings, and the
dreadfulness of the cup which was then set before him, and the human nature
did, in a sense, shrink back at the view of it ; and in this situation of mind, he
prayed as above. It was wise and important that the human nature of the Re-
deemer should be placed in such a situation at this time, for two reasons. First.
That he iHight have the best opportunity to discover his disposition, and how
he would act under this severe trial, when his sufferings were set before him in
all the greatness and dreadfulness of them. The dreadful cup was set before
him, that he might have the clearest sight of it ; and, in this situation, discover
■what he chose, and whether he was willing to drink it, if necessary for the glory
of God and the salvation of the elect, and make the choice in the sight of all
worlds, that he might be, and appear to be, perfectly voluntary, and take this
suffering upon himself, when he was in a situation to have the clearest view
and greatest sense possible of the evil to bo suffered, of the dreadful ingredients
of the bitter cup. In this most trying situation, he voluntarily gave himself up
to this dreadful suffering, if this were necessary and the will of his Father :
the latter not being present and so impressed on his mind as the former, as a
certain reality ; and so was in a measure out of A'iew, and did not demand his
particular attention, in conseqiience of a particular divine influence on his mind
at that time. Secondly. By this, the necessity of the Redeemer's suffering as he
did, in order to the pardon and salvation of sinners, and the impossibility of their
being saved in any other way but by his making atonement for their sin by his
own blood, and being made a curse in their stead, was set in a most clear and
striking light. Since the infinitely worthy Redeemer, the only begotten, well
beloved Son of God did not consent to suffer on any other supposition, and
earnestly prayed that he might not suffer, if it were possible for him to be
released from it, consistent with the glory of God and the salvation of sinners,
his petition would have been granted, if it were possible that he should not suf-
fer and j'Ct these ends be answered.

NO MAN IS WITHOUT SIN IN THIS LIFE. 35

IMPROVEMENT.

I. From the subject of this section, we may be certain that
they are not real Christians who say or think they are arrived
to such a perfect state as to live without sin. A Christian may,
through the prejudices of education, ignorance, or otherwise,
think that some Christians may, and actually do, attain to
sinless perfecticfn in this life ; but he can never think himself
to be without sin. His acquaintance with the law of God, in
the spirituality and extent of it, and with his own heart, is
such, that by keeping these in view, and comparing them with
each other, his own sinfulness stares him in the face ; and he
condemns himself before God as very far from what he ought
to be, and exceeding guilty and vile. And the higher he rises
in holy exercises, and the more circumspect and watchful he
is, the greater light and discerning he has to see the defects
and corruptions of his own heart ; and the more painful is the
view of his own character, and he is disposed to exclaim with
the apostle Paul, " O wretched man that I am, who shall de-
liver me from the body of this death I " (^Rom. vii. 24.)

The apostle John decides this point in most express terms.
He says, " If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us." (1 John i. 8.) He does not mean,
" if we say we never did sin," because this is contrary to his
express words, which are in the present time, if we say loe
have no sin now, at this present time. According to this, no
man can with truth say, at any time of his life, " I have no
sin, or I am v/ithout sin, and perfectly holy." Therefore, no
real Christian will say it, or can think this of himself ; none
but those who are deceived about themselves to such a degree
as is inconsistent with their being the children of light and of
the day, can say, or even think, this of themselves. This
apostle, in the next verse but one, speaks of the time past, and
savs, " If we say that u'e have not sinned,, we make him a liar,
and his word is not in us." This is a different proposition
from the foregoing; it respects what they had been and done.
If they had no sin now, and this could be said with truth, they
could not say they had never sinned, without contradicting
the whole gospel, which declares all men to be sinners, and so
making God the Savior a liar. But the other proposition re-
spects what they were at that time, or should be in any future
time, while in this world ; so that none who is not deceived,
and has embraced the truth, can ever say or think, ^diile in
this life, that he now has no sin. There have been, and now
are, those who say they have no sin. By this they declare they

36 NO MAN IS WITHOUT SIN IN THIS LIFE.

are deceived and strangers to real Christianity, and give greater
evidence tliat they are not true Christians than they could by
only saying, in express words, that they are not ; for persons
may really think, and may say, that they are not Christians,
when they are really such.

II. From this subject we learn, that persons have no reason
to conclude they are no Christians, merely because they see
much sin in themselves. This sight of sin often arises from
their having that discerning which none but true Christians
have, who, by reason of this discerning, see more sin in them-
selves than others do, and are more affected with it. And
their complaints of themselves, of the amazing corruption and
wickedness of then* hearts, which they now see more clearly
than ever before, and which they mention as an evidence
that they have no grace, are often, in the view of the judicious
Christian to whom they are made, an evidence that they are
real Christians.

Great degrees of sin are consistent v^dth some degree of
true holiness. Therefore, if any thing can be found that is
of the nature of holiness, a sight of great sinfulness is not an
evidence against a person that he is not a Christian, but the
contrary. They who have made the greatest proficiency in
holiness see most of their own sinfulness.

III. This subject teaches us, not to be forward to censure
others as no Christians because of great imperfections, and
many things which are unbecoming and disagreeable; for the
best of Christians are very imperfect and sinful in this state,
and, in many things, all offend. There too often appears in
persons a censorious spirit towards their fellov/- Christians,
which is a greater evidence of the want of real religion than
those things for which they censure others as no Christians.

IV. Let none improve this doctrine as an encouragement
to sloth and sin, and a discouragement to watchfulness against
sin, and exertions and strivings after greater degrees of holi-
ness. They ^vho are disposed to make this improvement of
the imperfections and sinfulness of all Christians, and indulge
themselves in it, have no reason to think themselves to be
Christians ; for this is directly contrary to the spirit of a
Christian. If it be rightly improved, it will be a motive to
press forward, to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to cleanse themselves from
all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear
of God.

DEATH. 37

Section IX.

Death. A separate State. The general Resurrection and Judg-
ment. The eternal State of Happiness or Misery.

DEATH.

I. When man had sinned, and God had opened to him a
new constitution for the redemption of some of the human
race, by a Savior, by saying to the serpent, " I will put enmity
between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her
seed ; he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel,"
(Gen. iii. 15;) he said to Adam, and in him to all mankind,
that under this new constitution, and from this new state of
probation, he should pass into another state and go into the
invisible world, by a separation between soul and body ; and
his body should turn to dust, from whence it was taken.
" Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." This sen-
tence must refer to his body only ; for this only was dust, and
taken out of the ground. His spirit or soul was immaterial,
and not dust, or taken out of the ground, but a distinct exist-
ence from the body, by which he bore the image of God.
" And God said. Let us make man in our own image,
after our likeness. And the Lord God formed man of the
dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life, and man became a living soul." (Gen. i. 26 ; ii. 7.)
Therefore, Solomon describes what i^ contained in this sen-
tence in the following words : " Then shall the dust return to
the earth, as it was ; and the spirit shall return to God who
gave it." (Ec. xii. 7.) The death of the body does not
imply the death of the soul, but the latter exists when the
former is turned to dust. This is declared by our Savior.
" Fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill the
soul." (Matt. X. 28.)

This separation between soul and body, by which the latter
is dissolved and turned to dust, was not included in the threat-
ening, " In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die ; "
for had there been no redemption, mankind must have been
miserable in soul and body forever ; which death, all they who
are not redeemed will suffer, when the work of redemption is
finished, which is called the second deaths with reference to the
body's turning to dust, which is called death, and is the first
death. Man is, indeed, considered as a fallen creature, a sin-
ner, when he is doomed to this first death, and also as in a
new state of probation ; and it is wisely ordered as subserving

VOL. II. 4

38

DEATH.

the design of redemption. It is proper and important that
the future state should be invisible to sense, which it would
not be if all men passed into it with their bodies, or without
dying. But when the body dies, and turns to dust, all that is
visible and discerned by our senses is left behind, and the in-
visible part of man departs into another state insensibly ; and
thus the future state is kept invisible, as the object of faith,
not of sight. And this tends more sensibly to keep in view
the fallen, sinful state of man, while all are doomed to death,
which could not take place had man been innocent; and it
tends to humble man in his own eyes, since his body is soon
to turn to dust, and to make him feel his wretchedness, if he
have no security of existence and happiness in a future state,
and to excite an attention to Christ and the gospel, which
brings life and immortality to light, and a future resurrection
of the body, formed every way perfect, beautiful, and glorious,
never to die again.

The only time of probation allotted to man is that of this
life, to which the death of the body puts an end ; so that every
one will be happy or miseral^le in the future, endless state,
according to his character, which is formed before the soul is
separated from the body. This is plain and certain from the
Scripture, where there is not a word, or the least hint, of an-
other state of trial, after the death of the body, but much is
there said to the contrary of this. This life is represented as
the sowing, or seed time, and that men shall reap in a future
state according to what they do in this life. "Be not deceived;
God is not mocked : for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall
he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh
reap corruption ; but he that soweth to the spirit, shall of the
spirit reap life everlasting." (Gal. vi. 7, 8.) This life is repre-
sented as the only time to lay up a treasure in heaven, — to
make to ourselves friends, so as to be received into everlasting
habitations, Avhen we fail here, when this life ends; — to make
our peace with God, which Christ represents and urges, by
agreeing with our adversary while we are in the way with
him, otherwise we shall be cast into prison, from whence there
is no deliverance. And he represents Lazarus and the rich
man ^s fixed, — the former in a state of happiness, and the
latter in a state of misery, — immediately upon their going
out of this world. And it is said, " It is appointed to men
once to die, but after this the judgment." (Heb. ix. 27.) And
if nothing were said, relating to this point, but the following
words, it is fixed in thein, beyond a doubt: "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

DEATH. 39

done, whether it be good or bad." (2 Cor. v. 10.) If, at the
final judgment, when the endless state of men will be fixed,
they shall be judged according to what they have done in the
body, then this life is the only time of probation, and in the
body they fix then* character and state for eternity.

The time of man's death, and the way and means by which
the soul shall be separated from the body, are all hidden from
man. He is exposed to death as soon as he begins to exist in
the body, and knows not how soon it may come; and no cir-
cumstances, nor any thing he can do, or that others can do for
him, can secure him from death a moment. This is wisely
ordered so, and answers many good ends, which it is needless
particularly to mention here.

Death is not a calamity, but a great benefit, to the redeemed.
It has no sting for them, but comes to them as a friend, by
which they are delivered from all moral and natural evil, and
become perfectly holy, and enter upon a life unspeakably bet-
ter than to live here in the body. Therefore, the apostle Paul
had a desire to depart, — to die, and be with Christ, — ivhich
was far better; and he considered the death of his body as his
great gain. (Phil. i. 21, 28.) " Precious in the sight of the
Lord is the death of his saints;" (Ps. cxvi. 15;) — which de-
notes that it is an important and desirable change, by which
he is glorified, and their good is promoted. Christ has taken
away the sting of death to them, and gives them the victory
over it, which he will complete at the general resurrection. In
the prospect of this. Christians may now say, " 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, which giveth us the victory, through our Lord
Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. xv. 55-57.)

Death is justly terrible, and a dreadful evil, to those who are
in their sins. It deprives them of all good ; it puts an end to
their probation state, and to all hope, and fixes them in a state
of sin, despair, and endless misery. This is necessarily implied
in the words just cited: " The sting of death is sin ; and the
strength of sin is the law." Death could have no sting, by sin
or the law, more than any other change or event in life, if it
did not fix the curse of the law upon the sinner, when he
dies, and put an end to his probation and hope. The sting
of death is the evil which sin deserves, and which the law
denounces, which is the second death. The death of the
body fixes this sting in the sinner's heart, which is endless
destruction.

40 A SEPARATE STATE.

A SEPARATE STATE.

11. That the soul does not die with the body, but exists in
a separate state till the general resurrection of all the bodies
of men which have died, has been supposed in what has been
said on the death of the body, and is asserted, or implied, in
several passages of Scripture which have been mentioned
under the foregoing head. But this requires a distinct and
more particular consideration. And that the soul or spirit of
man does not die, or go into a state of insensibility, when the
body is turned to dust, is made evident and certain by many
other passages of Scriptvire, which have not been yet men-
tioned. The promise of Christ to the penitent, believing thief
on the cross proves that the death of his body did not put an
end to his existence, or sensibility. " And Jesus said unto
him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in
paradise." (Luke xxiii. 43.) The word " paradise " was used
by the Jews, at that day, for heaven, or a state of happiness.
The soul of this man was not injured by the death of his
body, but he existed in a state of greater sensibility and enjoy-
ment than when united with the body, and went directly to
heaven ; nor is there the least evidence that this is not equally
true of every believer when his body dies. Stephen, the first
martyr, expected and prayed for this when his body was dying.
" And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying,
Lord Jesiis, receive my spirit" (Acts vii. 59.) And none can
doubt that the Redeemer was as ready to grant his petition as
that of the thief.

,The apostle Paul expected the same, and speaks of it as
certain, that, when his body died and he should be no longer
in this world, he should be in heaven with Christ. " For me
to live is Christ, and to die is gain. I am in a strait betwixt
two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is
far better." (Phil. i. 21, 23.) He did not consider himself as
dying with the body ; but when that died, and he left this
world, he expected to depart, and be with Christ in heaven.
And he could not mean his being with Christ after the resur-
rection, for he puts his continuing in the body, and abiding
longer in this world, in opposition to his being with Christ ;
which could not be true on that supposition, for he would be
with Christ as soon, though he should live a hundred years
longer in the body, as if he died innnediately. And he would
gain nothing, in this respect, by dying, and, therefore, it could
not be far better than to live longer in the body. And he
expresses the same sentiment, with regard to others as weU as

A SEPARATE STATE. 41

himself, in the following words : " "We know that if our earthly-
house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of
God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Therefore, we are always confident (or courageous) knowing
that while we are at home (or sojourn) in the body, we are
absent from the Lord. We are confident, (courageous,) I say,
and willing rather to he absent from the body, and to be present
with the LordP (2 Cor. v. 1, 6, 8.) Here he considers being
present with the Lord, or being with Christ, as taking place in
consequence of death, or being absent from the body ; so that
when separated from the body, they shall be with Christ, in a
sense and degree which cannot take place while in the body ;
and these two states are opposed to each other. And he says
they k]yE,iu that when they should die, or their bodies be dis-
solved, they should be in heaven.

This same apostle supposes he could exist, perceive, think,
and enjoy to a high degree, when out of his body, or absent
from it, when he speaks of the visions and revelations w^hich
he had when carried to heaven, and says he could not tell
whether he was in the body or out of it, and separate from it.
For if the soul could not exist, perceive, and enjoy, when sepa-
rate from the body, he could have known that he was not out
of the body, but in it, when he had those revelations, percep-
tions, and exercises. (2 Cor. xii. 1-3.) And he speaks of " the
spirits of just men made perfect," as being then in heaven
with the holy angels, and with Jesus Christ ; by which he ex-
pressly asserts a separate state, and that the spirits of the just,
when the body dies, are made perfect in holiness, and go to
heaven, to be with Christ and the happy inhabitants of the
invisible world. (Heb. xii. 22-24.) The souls of the martyrs
are represented as existing in a state of sensibility, happiness,
and honor, in a separate state, after their bodies had been slain.
(Rev. vi. 9-11.) And the dead, who die in Christ, are declared
to be blessed, and to be received to a state of happiness and
rewards. (Chap. xiv. 13.) The apostle Peter speaks of the
spiiits of those who perished by the flood, as existing when
he ^VTote, and being in prison. (2 Pet. iii. 19, 20.) And Christ
proves to the Sadducees, that the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, had an existence, and were not dead, long aftei
they had left this world and their bodies were turned to dust.
(Matt. xxii. 31, 32.)

These passages of Scripture, it is presumed, are sufficient to
convince every honest, unprejudiced mind that the soul exists
separate from the body in the invisible world, from the death
of the body till the general resurrection, notwithstanding the
attempts which have been made by those who deny a separate
4*

42 A SEPARATE STATE.

state, to put a meaning on them so as to make them con-
sistent with such denial.

And the account which the Scripture gives of this matter is
very agreeable to reason, and all the appearances relating to it.
It is very unreasonable to suppose that the Redeerner, who
by his power and grace has made them meet for the inherit-
ance of the saints in light, or the holy inhabitants in heaven,
should so order it, that death should put an end to their ex-
istence till their bodies are raised to life, so as to have no per-
ception, exercise, or enjoyment, during that interval of time,
and deprive them of all that holiness and happiness which
they might enjoy during that time with him in his kingdom ;
especially since, by becoming his friends in this world, they are
formed to the greatest aversion to falling into such a sl»te, and
have strong and unconquerable desires to live and be with
Christ, and in the company of his friends and servants in the
invisible world. For all true Christians have the same desires
which Stephen expressed when dying, " Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit ; " and which the apostle Paul said he had : " For I have
a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better."
And this would not be agreeable to the tender love which he
expressed to his disciples and friends when on earth. He said
to them, " In my Father's house are many mansions. If it
were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there ye
may be also." (John xiv. 2, 3.) " If any man serve me, let
him follow me ; and where I am, there shall also my servant
be." (Chap. xii. 26.) When he says, "Let him follow me,"
he has reference to the death of the body, which appears from
the context ; q. d., Let him follow me through death, as I
am to die, and then he shall be with me in heaven : agreea-
ble to his prayer for his friends, " Father, I will that they also
whom thou hast given me be with me, where I am, that they
may behold my glory, which thou hast given me." How in-
consistent is this with his excluding them from heaven thou-
sands of years from the death of their bodies to the general
resurrection, when he is able to introduce them there to be
with him as soon as the body dies !

While the soul is in the body, by virtue of a union which
God has constituted, it is dependent on that, in a measure,
for its perceptions and sensible exercises, and is affected with
the disorders of it, in such a manner as to be an argument
with some, that the soul is not capable of perception and rea-
son except it be in union with a proper organized body, and,
therefore, must die with the body, and cannot exist in a sepa-

A SEPARATE STATE. 43

rate state. But this fact and appearance is not a sufficient
ground for such a consequence. It is proper and wise that the
body should have such an influence and effect on the mind,
while in this state, and one is so closely united with the other.
And God, who has ordered this, when the ends of this consti-
tution are answered, can as easily cause the soul to exist, per-
ceive, reason, and act separate from the body, as now he does
in union with the body, and make it to act in a more perfect
manner, and have more clear and extensive views and higher
enjoyments. There is nothing contrary to reason and experi-
ence in this.

When the souls of the redeemed leave the body, they are
delivered from all sinful imperfection and made perfectly holy,
and find themselves with Jesus Christ, and in the company of
the holy inhabitants of heaven. This is a very great change
indeed ; but not too great to be effected by him who has all
power in heaven and earth, and is therefore omnipotent, and is
infinitely wise. We are ignorant of the particular manner in
which the spirits of the just perceive and act in a separate
state, or how and by what means they have intercourse Avith
other spirits, by receiving and mutually communicating ideas
and sentiments ; but this does not afford the least argument
that there can be no such thing, and that it does not take
place in much higher perfection and to greater advantage than
any thing we know of the kind in this state. The illiterate
barbarian has no conception of the manner and convenience,
or even the possibility of persons exchanging ideas and con-
versing by letters. He may as reasonably infer from this, that
there can be no such thing, as we can that separate spirits do
not perceive, converse, act, and enjoy, in a much more perfect
manner than we do, because we cannot tell how and in what
way this can be done.

When the spirits of the just are separated from the body,
the world, which to us is invisible, opens to their view. They
find themselves unconfined, surrounded with the most pleasing
objects and the best company, enjoying the serene, bright light
of heavenly day, where there is no darkness, no sin, or son-ow.
They are set at liberty, to range without restraint in the
regions of bliss, while their views, exercises, and enjoyments
are high, and increased to a degi-ee far beyond our conception.
They are, in this respect, like a bird liberated from a cage, in
which it has been long confined, and now flies and sports un-
confined in the open light and air ; or like one who has been
long shut up in a dark, uncomfortable prison, and is now set
at liberty, enjoys the pleasing light of day, is surrounded by his
friends, and has all the enjoyments and comforts of life.

44

A SEPARATE STATE.

And by going to heaven, they do not get out of the sight
and knowledge of this world, and the important afTairs which
Jesus Christ is carrying on here. We are told in divine reve-
lation, that the angels of heaven are all attention to the things
which concern the work of redemption ; and that they are all
actively engaged in promoting this design among men, and
ministering to them who shall be heirs of salvation. And that
there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth. There
must, therefore, be in heaven, where the spirits of the just are,
with the angels, a very particular knowledge of the events
which take place in this world, and a much more clear and
certain knowledge of the state of the church of Christ, and the
conversion of sinners, than any have while in the body. The
spirits of departed saints have the interest of Christ and his
church in this world as much at heart as they had when in
the body, and much more ; and, therefore, must be greatly
attentive to it, and know all the events which are in favor of
it. They do not go into some dark corner of the universe,
out of sight of heaven, of Christ, his church, and this world ;
but when they leave the body, they rise into light, and take a
station in which they are under advantages to see all these
things and all worlds, being all attention to them, and having
a perfect discerning without the least cloud or darkness ; see-
ing and enjoying the gloiy of the Redeemer, and the prosperity
and success of the work of redemption among men. And
their happiness must increase as the cause of Christ advances
on earth and the power and kingdom of Satan sinks and is
destroyed, and as the powers of their minds and their knowl-
edge are enlarged.

They are delivered from all sin and pain upon passing into
the invisible world, and are, therefore, perfectly happy ; but
at the day of judgment, when they shall be reunited to their
bodies, fitted for a heavenly state, their happiness will be
increased, which, therefore, they are expecting with desire
and joy.

The spirits of those who die in their sins pass into a state
of darkness, despair, and tormenting wickedness ; and all hope,
comfort, and enjoyment being taken from them, they must be
l^otally lost and overwhelmed in misery ; yet looking forw^ard
to a resurrection and judgment to come with aversion and
dread, as involving a great increase of their sufferings, which
can have no end. These are the spirits in prison, of which
the apostle Peter speaks, who are reserved to the general judg-
ment, when each one shall receive according to what he has
done in the body.

THE GENERAL RESURRECTION. 45

THE GENERAL EESURRECTION.

III. The general resurrection will put an end to the sepa-
rate state, when the bodies of all who shall have died from
the beginning of the world, to that time, will be raised and
come forth, in union with the souls which had been separated
from them by death. This will take place when Jesus Christ
shall come to judgment. This is frequently spoken of in the
Scriptures, and expressly asserted in more places than it is
needful to mention here, for those who read the Bible. Our
Savior says, " The hour is coming, in the which all that are
in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth : they
that have done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they
that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
(John V. 28, 29.) When the apostle John had a vision of the
general judgment, the general resurrection is connected with
it. " And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God :
and the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and
hell delivered up the dead which were in them ; and they were
judged every man according to their works." (Rev. xx. 12,
13.) The apostle Paul treats particularly of the resurrection
of the bodies of the redeemed as an important and essential
doctrine of Christianity. (1 Cor. xv.)

We depend entirely upon divine revelation for the notice
and knowledge of this doctrine of a future resurrection, as it
could not be known by any other means. But when we find
it revealed, it does not appear contrary to reason, but is agi-ee-
able to the dictates of it, and in no respect incredible, if the
account the Scripture gives of it be properly considered and
understood. There were, indeed, some professing Christians
in the apostles' days, as there have been since, who denied this
doctrine. This was the occasion of St. Paul's wiiting sy par-
ticularly and lengthy upon it, in the chapter just now quoted.
This doctrine was thought incredible, impossible, and ridicu-
lous, by the heathen philosophers and others, in the days of
Christ and his apostles. And this same incredulity has been
transmitted down to this day, among those who pay little or
no regard to the Bible. They say, it is impossible that all the
same bodies which have died should be ever recovered and
raised again. It is not thought necessary to state their objec-
tions, and answer them here, as this has been done over and over
again, by many able writers. It will be sufficient to observe,
that the remark which Christ made upon the Sadducees, who
denied this doctrine as impossible, is applicable to them, viz.,
that they do greatly err, because they do not believe or under-

46 THE GENERAL JUDGMENT.

stand the Scriptures, nor the power of God. When they can
tell in what identity consists, and what is necessary in order
to constitute the resurrection body the same with that to which
the soul was united in this life, and what omnipotence and
infinite knowledge and wisdom can do, and cannot do, with
respect to this, and can prove that the Bible is not a revelation
from God, then let them undertake to prove that the doctrine
of a general resurrection of the same bodies which have died,
or shall die, to the end of the world, is impossible or incredible.

The resurrection bodies of the redeemed will be beautiful
and glorious, far beyond our present conception; — they will
be, like the glorified body of the Redeemer, every way fitted
for a state of immortality, constant activity, and perfect hap-
piness, as the eternal monuments of the power, wisdom, and
goodness of Christ. They will have no defect, but be perfect-
ly suited to accommodate and furnish the holy soul to all that
activity, work, and enjoyment, which are implied in a state of
perfect happiness. This is called, in Scripture, a spiritual
body^ which some have thought to be a contradiction. It is,
indeed, beyond our comprehension. But where is the incon-
sistency or impropriety in calling that a spiritual body which
is so much unlike any body which we know, or of which we
can have any adequate idea, that it is perfectly suited to pro-
mote the perceptions, activity, and enjoyment of a holy mind,
and answer every desirable end, with respect to all external
objects ?

The bodies of those who died in their sins will be an awful
contrast to those of the redeemed. They will rise " to shame
and everlasting contempt." (Dan. xii. 2.) They will be every
way suited to the souls which are wholly sinful, and ene-
mies to God, prepared for condemnation, despair, and endless
destruction.

V

THE GENERAL JUDGMENT.

IV. That there will be a general judgment, when all moral
agents, angels, and men, good and bad, shall give an account
of themselves, of their moral character and conduct, to God,
their Judge, and receive of him, and be treated by him, accord-
ing to what they are, and as their moral conduct has been,
while in a state of trial, is expressly and abundantly asserted
in the Scriptures. And this appears reasonable, desirable, and
important, to all who have any proper conceptions of moral
government, and are friends to it.

The precise time when the day of judgment shall com-
mence is fixed, and Jesus Christ the Redeemer is appointed

THE GENERAL JUDGMENT. 47

to be the Judge of all. This he commanded the apostles to
publish, in preaching his gospel to the world, as Peter declares.
" And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and testify-
that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge
of quick and dead." (Acts x. 42.) The apostle Paul, therefore,
kept this in view in his preaching and letters. In his discourse
to the assembly at Athens he introduces this as an important
article : " And the times of this ignorance God winked at ; but
now commandeth all men every where to repent : 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." (Acts xvii. 31, 39.) And when he spoke
before Felix concerning the faith in Christ, " he reasoned of
righteousness, temperance, and a judgment to comeP (Acts
xxiv. 25.) And he often brought this into view in his letters.
He says, "We shall all stand before the judgment seat of
Christ. So, then, every one of us shall give account of him-
self to God." (Rom. xiv. 10-12.) " Therefore, judge nothing
before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to
light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest
the counsels of the hearts; and then shall every man have
praise of God. For 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." (1 Cor. iv. 5. 2 Cor. v. 10.) » I charge thee, there-
fore, before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge
the quick and the dead at his appearing and kingdom."
(2 Tim. iv. 1.)

Jesus Christ is the appointed Judge. This appears wise
and desirable, that he who is God manifest in the flesh, and
by this medium and in this sense the visible God, should
take this high and infinitely important and honorable station,
and decide the character and eternal state of all moral agents,
especially of man. This will be a bright and glorious mani-
festation of Deity in the human nature, when he shall come
in the glory of the Father, with all the signals of divinity, at-
tended with all the holy angels, and shall raise the bodies of all
the dead, and summon all before him as their final Judge,
taking upon him an office and business infinitely too high
and great for a mere creature. This will strike conviction into
the mind of every intelligent creature, that he is really God
and man. And it is highly proper and important that he who
stooped so low, and took upon him the form of a servant, and
submitted to reproq,ch and contempt, and to die an ignomini-
ous and cruel death by the hands of wicked men, for the sal-

48 THE GENERAL JUDGMENT.

vation of sinners, should be thus rewarded and honored, and
every knee be made to bow to him, as God and their final
Judge. (Phil ii. 8-11.) Nothing could be more pleasing, and
give greater joy and happiness to the redeemed and the holy
angels, than to have the Redeemer thus exalted and honored
as the Judge of all, and nothing more disagreeable and con-
founding to devils and wicked men.

The place in which the general judgment will be attended
will be such as shall be in the best manner suited to such a
transaction, — to accommodate the Judge, and all concerned
in the business of that important, solemn day. It will be so
contrived and situated, that every one of the vast assembly
which shall then be collected will be under advantage to see
the Judge and all that is done, and hear every word that shall
be spoken by the Judge, or by any one else, through the whole
process. The apostle Paul says, " The Lord himself shall
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch-
angel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thess.
iv. 16, 17.) It hence appears that this scene will not be on this
earth, but in some more convenient place, which shall be fixed
and formed for that purpose, which Christ, by whom all worlds
were made, can effect at once with infinite ease. It is not
certain, from the apostle's mentioning clouds and the air, that
it will be in the atmosphere of this earth : for if this be meant
by the air here, which is not certain, though the redeemed
shall meet Christ in our atmosphere, this may be that they
may accompany him to some other more distant place where
the judgment shall be, and to which all intelligent creatures in
the universe will be brought.

The design of the general judgment is not to inform the
Judge, that he may know the character and actions of all, so
as to be able to pronounce a proper and righteous sentence
upon them, for he is omniscient ; but it is to make known to
creatures upon what gi'ounds he proceeds in giving rewards
and inflicting punishment, that all may be under the best ad-
vantage to see and approve the righteousness and propriety
of the final sentence. Therefore, in the Scripture it is called
" the day of the revelation of the rig-hteoiis judgment of God."
(Rom. ii. 5.) In order to this, the moral character of every
one will be laid open, and set in a true and clear light, so that
all the spectators shall be under the best advantage to see it.
Every single person must be called forth, and take his turn to
be scrutinized ; and all he has done, whether secretly or more

THE GENERAL JUDGMENT. 49

openly, will be made manifest to all creatures, while all attend
to every particular, for there will not be one inattentive spec-
tator there. All disguise and hypocrisy will be detected, and
every exercise of heart and outward action, with the motive
and design, will be made to appear in a true light. In this
the Scripture is very express : " For God will bring every work
into judgment, witli every secret things whether it be good, or
whether it be evil." (Ec. xii. 14.) " There is nothing covered
that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be known.
Therefore, whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be
heard in the light ; and that which ye have spoken in the ear
in closets shall be proclaimed upon the house-tops. I say
uiito you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall
give account thereof in the day of judgment." (Matt. xii. 36.
Luke xii. 2, 3.) "In the day when God shall judge the secrets
of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. Therefore
judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both
will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make
manifest the counsels of the hearts." (Rom. ii. 16. 1 Cor. iv. 5.)
" So, then, every one of us shall give account of himself to
God." (Rom. xiv. 12.) "And they were judged every man
according to his works." (Rev. xx. 13.)

It hence appears that the day of judgment will not be
finished in the space of a natural day of twenty-four hours,
but the process may continue and go on during the term of
many thousand years, — much longer than from the creation
to the commencement of that day. Though days, and years,
and time as we now measure it, will then be at an end, yet
there will be a succession of events, and of ideas and percep-
tions, among creatures ; and this must continue without end.
And it must take time, as we now term it and conceive of it,
for creatures to recollect and take a particular view of every
character that has existed, — of all that has been done, secretly
or openly, by every particular person, of angels, devils, and
men, from the beginning of the world to that time, — even
though the exhibition shall be made in the best and most
advantageous manner, and creatures shall be able to think
and receive ideas with much greater celerity than men can in
this state. Solomon seems to have reference to this long du-
ration of the day of judgment in the following words : " I said
in my heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked :
for there is a time there ibr every purpose and for every work."
(Ec. iii. 17.) That is, however long a term it may take to
bring every purpose and every work of men into view, so as
to judge them according to their works, yet time will not be
wanting, and God will take time enough for it.

VOL. II. 5

50 THE GENERAL JUDGMENT.

In this transaction, it may be supposed the Redeemer will
give, or cause to be exhibited, the best, most perfect, and en-
tertaining history of mankind and of all intelligences, without
the least error or misrepresentation, including all the thoughts,
exercises, and actions of moral agents, all their motives and
designs in external conduct, with respect to God and creatures,
all their enjoyments and suflerings, and every event which
relates to them, including the designs, agency, and conduct of
God, with respect to them, and the ends answered thereby ;
by which one connected, important scene will rise into view,
and be seen from the beginning to the end, comprehending all
the sins and all the virtue and holiness that have taken place
among creatures, together with the superintending hand of
God in every thing; his decrees and designs, his universal
energy and governing providence, wisely conducting every
thing and all events, to bring them to their intended issue ; —
by which his power, wisdom, righteousness, goodness, truth,
and faithfulness shall be set in the clearest light. And as the
scene proceeds, in this divine exhibition and history which the
Redeemer ^vill give, all his friends will be entertained and grat-
ified in a very high degi'ee, and their enjoyment and happiness
will rise and be on the increase from the beginning to the end,
however long it shall continue.

On the other hand, it will be a most distressing and dread-
ful scene to the enemies of Christ, both devils and wicked
men, and their pain and torment will increase from the be-
ginning, till the infinitely dreadful sentence is passed upon
them, " Depart from me, ye accursed, into everlasting fire, pre-
pared for the devil and his angels." And while they hear the
blessed sentence pronounced, inviting the righteous into the
eternal kingdom of God, and see them received there, this will
increase their misery and torment to an unspeakable degi-ee,
which never can be abated. At the same time, the enjoyment
and happiness of the blessed will rise to an inconceivable
height, which will continue and increase without end.

The redeemed will not be publicly justified and received to
eternal life, because of their obedience to the law of God ; for,
if treated according to that, they would be found guilty, and
must be cursed. But Christ is the end of the law for right-
eousness to them, and they will be judged according to the
gospel, as friends to Christ, and believers in him ; since God
can be just, and yet publicly justify every one who is publicly
known to be a believer in Christ. And when it is said, that
every one shall be judged, and shall receive according to his
works which he has done in the body in this life, the gospel is
supposed and kept in view ; and every one who shall, by set-

THE GENERAL JUDGMENT. 51

ting the whole of his character and works in clear and public
sight, appear to be a friend to Christ, and united to him, shall,
on this account and according to the gospel, be publicly justi-
fied and rewarded with eternal life, which he could not be, if
treated according to the law of works. And they who shall be
found not to be friends to Christ while in this world, shall be
condemned, and fall under the curse of the law. This is
agreeably to he representation which Christ gives of the gen-
eral judgment. (Matt. xxv. 31, etc.) And the apostle Paul
sets it in the same light. (2 Thess. i. 7-10.)

It has been a question, whether the sins of the redeemed
would be brought into view and laid open before all intelli-
gences at the day of judgment, or would be covered and kept
out of sight, and different opinions have been entertained of
this. But it is thought, if the matter be properly considered,
it will be evident that all their sins will be brought into view
and laid open before all, and that it will appear that there is
not any evidence from the Scripture that their sins will be
concealed, but the contrary. It is indeed said in Scripture,
that the sins of the people of God shall be blotted out, covered,
cast into the depths of the sea, and remembered no more. (Is.
xliii. 25. Ps. xxxii. 1. Jer. xxxi. 34. Mich. vii. 19.) But these
are metaphorical expressions, to denote the free and fuU pardon
of all their sins, so that they should never be remembered
against them so as to condemn them to suffer the just conse-
quence of them ; but they shall be treated as well as if they
never had been guilty of one sin. It cannot be true, that God
will remember their sins no more, in any other sense, for it is
impossible he should forget them, or any thing else. This has
been already observed in the section on justification.

1. That the sins of the redeemed should not be brought into
view at the day of judgment, appears contrary to the express
declaration of Scripture which has been mentioned. It is said,
" God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Which can-
not be consistent with passing over and concealing all the sins
of the redeemed.

2. It appears impossible that their sins should be concealed,
consistent with the sins of the wicked being fully laid open ;
for believers and unbelievers are so many ways connected, that
the thoughts and conduct of the latter cannot be fully dis-
covered without making known the sins of the former, at least
in many instances ; of which every one must be sensible, who
attends to the matter. For instance, is it not impossible that
all the sins of an unbelieving husband should be clearly dis-
covered in all their ckcumstances and aggravations, while all

62 THE GENERAL JUDGMENT.

the sins of his believing wife are wholly concealed ; which
were the occasion of many of his sins, and to which they have
a particular reference ?

3. The holy exercises and good works of the saved cannot
be set in a true and just light, without discovering their sinful
infirmities and defects at least with which they have all been
attended, and their sins have been the occasion and reason of
their gracious exercises in many instances. How can their
repentance of their sins be discovered and clearly seen, while
the sins of which they repent are wholly concealed ? How can
their humility, and their humbling themselves in the sight of
the Lord be discovered, unless the sins for which they humble
themselves be known ? How shall their love and faithfulness
in reproving a believing brother for his sins, and their labors
and prayers for him, which have been the means of his re-
covery, reformation, and salvation, be made known, without
discovering the sins of that brother ? And how can their trust
in Christ for the pardon of their sins, and their penitent con-
fessions of their sins, be discovered, without, at the same time,
discovering their sins, to which these exercises have reference,
and \\dthout which they would not be virtuous, or reasonable,
or even intelligible ? In short, all the holy exercises and works
of a Christian, take their particular complexion and peculiat
beauty from their sins, of which they were guilty before con-
version and afterwards, which cannot be seen any farther than
their sins come into view.

4. Many sins of the redeemed have been already published
to the world in divine revelation, and will be known by all
who read the Bible to the end of the world, and at the day of
judgment ; and will forever be known and remembered by all
the redeemed, by all the angels and devils, and by many, if
not by all, wicked men. The reader will recollect many more
instances of this than Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Aaron,
David, Solomon, Peter, and the rest of the apostles. And the
apostle Paul took pains to keep in view and publish his great
wickedness before his conversion. God has ordered all these
to be published ; and, therefore, we know it is wise and best
that they should not be concealed, but made known ; and that
this will answer some important good end. And who can say,
that God will not publish all the sins of every one of the re-
deemed at the day of judgment, and that this will not be
necessary to answer some important ends? This leads to
another particular.

5. It seems necessary that the sins of the saved should be
known and published, in order to discover and sH in the most
clear light the goodness and grace of God in pardoning and

TITE GENERAL JUDGMENT. 53

saving them, and that thehr need of a Redeemer and the effi-
cacy of his atonement and righteousness should be seen to the
greatest advantage. And the work of the Holy Spirit, in his
effectually applying redemption to them and subduing such
rebels, cannot be otherwise fully revealed in every particular
instance. Of this every one must be sensible, who will reflect
on the subject. There is, doubtless, something peculiar in the
character of each one of the redeemed with respect to his guilt,
the circumstances and aggravations of his sins, and the man-
ner in which he is brought to repentance, etc., which serves to
illustrate the sovereign grace of God in his pardon and re-
demption ; and it is so ordered that he should sin in just such
a manner and degree, and in such particular circumstances, to
answer some end ; and particularly this, that God might be
more glorified in the exercise of his sovereign, wise, wonderful
goodness and grace, in his pardon and salvation. But in order
to this, the particular sins, the guilt, and circumstances in which
he sinned, must be known ; and must be known to all, in order
to the greatest and most public display of sovereign grace, in
his pardon and salvation, that all may glorify God, and give
thanks, and praise him on his behalf. This leads to another
observation.

6, Every one of the redeemed ardently desires that God
may have all the praise and glory of his pardoning mercy and
sovereign grace exercised towards him, in his pardon and sal-
vation ; and the more this is known and celebrated, the more
pleased he will be. But this cannot be known, it cannot be
seen what God has done for him in particular, any farther than
his sins, with their circumstances and particular aggravations,
are published and known. Therefore, it will be so far from
being undesirable to him, or giving him the least uneasiness,
to have his sins, with all their aggravations, most particularly
and clearly laid open before all, that they may see his guilt and
the odiousness of his character as he does ; that it will give him
a peculiar satisfaction and high degree of pleasure, as it will
promote the happiness"of all his friends, and be matter of their
gratitude and praise to God for his sovereign grace, exercised
and manifested in his pardoning and saving such a sinner;
and God will have all the praise and glory.

Where is there a real Christian now, who, when he reflects
on his amazing guilt and vileness, the multitude and aggra-
vations of his sins, his desert, and danger of perishing forever,
which have been prevented purely by the sovereign grace of
God, exercised in all wisdom and prudence towards him, in
pardoning, rescuing, and saving him, who does not say, at
least in his heart, " Let God have all the praise and glory of
5*

54 THE GENERAL JUDGMENT.

his rich and sovereign grace, exercised towards me, in pardon-
ing such a sinner, so infinitely guilty and vile, attended with
such particular aggravations. Let all heaven, the angels, and
all the redeemed know what God has done for me, and praise
him forever." In this view, he desires and wishes that his
case might be particularly and fully known to all, that they
all might join with him in giving praise and glory to God.
And at the day of judgment, this disposition and desire will
be stronger and perfect ; and he will, by having all his sins set
in order, and in the clearest light before him and all creatures,
have a more clear and enlarged view himself of the multitude
and greatness of his sins than he ever had before, and of the
wonderful mercy of God in pardoning him, and of the bound-
less sufficiency of the atonement of Christ, and of his merit,
by which he has obtained forgiveness of all his sins, and com-
plete salvation. This will prepare him to be highly gratified,
and exceedingly rejoice that the whole is now brought out and
made known to all the friends of God, that they may all be
under the best advantage to join with him in giving all the
praise and glory to God and the Savior, of his unbounded
love and sovereign grace, in which he hath abounded towards
him, in all wisdom and prudence. In this view, he cannot
desire to have one of his sins concealed for which Christ has
atoned, and which is pardoned, and would not have his sins
in general secreted, on any consideration.

In a word, Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of sinners ; he
came into the world to save sinners, even the chief of sinners.
This is his work, and in this is his glory : that the redeemed
are sinners, must, therefore, be known at the day of judgment,
in order to his having the glory of their salvation. And the
more clearly their true character is seen, and their sins, in their
number and aggravations, are discovered, the more will Christ
be glorified in their salvation. Therefore, the brightest possi-
ble discovery will be made of this by him, at the day of judg-
ment. Ancl by this the redeemed will be gratified and pleased
to a high degree. It will appear at that day, that the redeemed
are not saved because they deserve such favor, or are less un-
worthy, or less sinners than others ; but because Christ loved
them, and gave himself for them, and they are united to him, and
have put their trust in him for pardon, righteousness, and com-
plete redemption. And though they may then appear to have
been gi-eater sinners, and more ill deserving than those who
perish, — as, doubtless, many if not all of them will, — and their
greatest crimes will appear to be those which they committed
after their conversion, yet this will not hinder their justifica-
tion and salvation, or render it in the least degree improper,

THE ETERNAL STATE OF HAPPINESS. 55

more than if they were less sinners ; but the Redeemer will be
hereby more glorified in the salvation of such sinners, and they
will be the more happy. For they to whom most is forgiven,
will love the most.

Though the Redeemer has not altered the nature of sin, or
rendered it less odious and criminal, either in the redeemed,
or in those who perish, but much more so ; yet he overrules it,
and turns it to his own glory, and the glory of his kingdom,
and makes the sins of those who are saved the occasion of
their greater holiness and happiness forever.

When every character of those who are to be judged shall
be set in the clearest light, and fixed, and all the past con-
duct and transactions in the moral world, both of God and
creatures, shall be set in a clear, connected view, and all crea-
tures shall be under the best advantage to see the righteous-
ness and propriety of the final sentence, it will be pronounced
by the Judge in the sight and audience of all. This will be,
in some respects, the most solemn, weighty, joyful, and dread-
ful scene and transaction that had ever taken place ; which
will fix the righteous in a state of endless, inexpressible happi-
ness and glory, and send the wicked away into inconceivable,
eternal misery. We have a summary of tliis sentence on each
of these left on record, for our instruction and warning, by the
Judge himself, in his awful representation of the day of judg-
ment, in the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew.

THE ETERNAL STATE OF HAPPINESS OR MISERY.

V. The general judgment issues in an endless state of hap-
piness or misery, as has been just observed. Much is said of
this endless state, both of the happiness and misery of it, in
the Scriptures, in the promises, and threatenings, and declara-
tions there made. But those opposite states, both of happi-
ness and misery, are more particularly described in the revela-
tion of Jesus Christ, made to the apostle John, for the support
and encouragement of Christians, and to excite them to faith,
resolution, patience, and perseverance in the service of Christ,
and a faithful, constant adherence to the truths of the gospel,
in the evil times which were to take place, and the opposition
and sufferings to which they are exposed in this world, and
the trials and temptations which await them here.

But with all the instruction we have on this subject, and
the utmost attention to it of which we are capable, our
conceptions are dark and low, and fall unspeakably short
of a full, comprehensive view of the truth. However, the

56

THE ETERNAL STATE OF HAPPINESS.

following thoughts will be suggested, as agreeable to the
Scripture : —

^ First. The righteous will go from the judgment into the
kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world,
where they shall enjoy everlasting life, in a state of unspeak-
able happiness and glory.

Their bodies will be beautiful and glorious, like the body of
the glorified Jesus, active and sprightly, without the least pos-
sible weariness or decay, by the greatest, uninterrupted activi-
ty, every way suited to the employment of such a place and
state, which shall in no degree confine or impede the mind in
its exercises and enjoyment, but shall greatly assist and pro-
mote these ; so that the soul will be invigorated by its union
to such a body, and be more happy forever than it could be
in any other situation and circumstances whatever.

There is an external place and city, or kingdom, formed in
the greatest beauty, convenience, and glory, suited to be a
dwelling for the incarnate Son of God, and the embodied
spirits of the redeemed; where every one wall be perfectly ac-
commodated and pleased, every circumstance being answera-
ble to his desires and suited to his employment, and to render
him most happy. Jesus Christ said to his disciples, " In my
Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place
for you.*' (John xiv. 2.) Though this house and kingdom
were made when the world was created, yet it may be capable
of alterations and additions, to increase the convenience, beau-
ty, and glory of it. When Christ ascended to heaven in his
glorified body, it may be supposed the place was, in a degree,
fitted up, and better suited for the reception and residence of
the Redeemer, in his glorified body. And after the day of
judgment, there will probably be a still further addition to the
beauty and glory of this place, and new accommodations be
formed for the embodied church of the redeemed ; so that the
place, which was always glorious, will then exceed in glory.

The redeemed, thus situated, furnished, and surrounded
with every thing convenient and desirable, there being nothing,
nor any circumstance, which will not be suited to give them
pleasure, and furnish them in the best manner for their em-
ployment, will be perfectly holy. Every thought, and all their
exercises and conduct, will be perfectly right, and with the
greatest propriety. They will, by their holy, ardent love, be
united to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, by a strong,
most happy, and everlasting union. They will behold this God
in a full bhize of light. In his light they shall see light, and all
moral darkness shall be excluded forever. God and the Lamb
shall be the eternal, undiminishing light of that holy city. They

THE ETERNAL STATE OP HAPPINESS. 57

shall see his glory without a veil, and enjoy all his beauty and
perfection, to the utmost of their capacity, with the greatest assur-
ance that this God is their God, and will be their friend forever.
" The Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them,
and lead them unto living fountains of waters." (Rev, vii. 17.)
He will be the great and eternal medium of communications
from the Deity, and discoveries of his love, perfection, and glory,
and of their access to God, and enjoyment of him. Their pe-
culiar and close union and conformity to him will be the eter-
nal source of a high degree of honor and happiness, which no
other creatures can enjoy. They shall sit down with him on
his throne, and share with him in all his honor and happiness,
to the utmost of their capacity. And what happiness must
they enjoy who love God and the Redeemer with all their
hearts, — with the most strong and fervent love of benevolence
and complacency, — when they see how greatly he is glorified,
and will be forever, by their redemption and salvation! And
what joy will they have in praising and giving glory to him!
And their infinite obligations to him for redeeming them from
sin and hell, and giving them eternal life, will be felt by them,
and be the constant, eternal source of the sweetest, most hap-
pifying love of gratitude ; and in expressing it, they will have
the highest pleasure and enjoyment.

They will be most happy in the society which they shall
form, of which every individual will be a member. They will
be perfectly united by the strongest, most swe^, and everlast-
ing bond of love, and the happiest friendship, mutually enjoy-
ing and rejoicing in the happiness of each other, — each one
knowing that every one in this great kingdom is perfectly
beautiful and amiable, and a cordial friend to him. And
there will doubtless be ways of expressing their love and
friendship for each other in a better and more agreeable way
and manner than we now know, and of which we can now
have no conception ; by which they will mingle souls with the
greatest freedom and intimacy, having no reserve or secret
which they cannot with pleasure impart to each other.

And those who have been intimate friends in this world,
and mutual blessings to each other, will know one another in
heaven, and what has passed between them in this life will be
the occasion of peculiar pleasure and joy in each other. This
appears reasonable, and may be with certainty inferred, from
what the apostle Paul says to those of whose conversion he
had been the instrument. He addresses them thus : " As you
have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even
as ye also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. For
what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing ? Are not even

58 THE ETERNAL STATE OF HAPPINESS.

ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, at liis coming?
For ye are our glory and joy." (2 Cor. i. 14. 1 Thess. ii. 19, 20.)

If there be such peculiar and high satisfaction and pleasure
in Christian love and friendship in this imperfect state, how
unspeakable must be the enjoyment and happiness when
those friends meet in heaven, — having put off all their imper-
fection and sin, and become perfectly beautiful and excellent,
— formed every way for the highest and everlasting friend-
ship, without any thing to keep them at a distance, or occa-
sion any reserve, but every thing suited to their enjoyment of
each other, — in the most exalted, refined friendship, — in the
greatest intimacy and union of hearts, — expressing their sen-
timents and feelings with the utmost freedom and ease, with-
out any danger or possibility of being misunderstood ! — at
the same time their hearts glowing with love to Christ, in
whose presence they are, and who is the author and centre
of all the love and friendship in heaven : and the more they
love him, the stronger and more sensible is their union of
hearts to each other, and the greater happiness they have in
their mutual friendship.

The church of the redeemed is the body of Christ, of which
he is the head — the fulness of him who filleth all in all. He
is the former of this society and kingdom ; and, when com-
pleted by his hand, it will be as perfect, excellent, and glorious,
as infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, united together and
exerted, will make it. There will be not one member too
many, nor one wanting, in order to make it most complete
and perfect. Every one will be fixed in his proper place, and
be formed in all respects so as to render the Avhole the most
perfect, beautiful, harmonious, and happy society possible.

The three persons in the Godhead form an infinitely high,
holy, and happy society, — the original and perfect pattern of
all true love, friendship, and happiness ; and the society of the
redeemed, the church and kingdom of Christ, will be an eter-
nal imitation and image of the infinitely high and perfect
society of the Three - One, — the One in Three, — and a most
beautiful, happy, and glorious emanation from him who neces-
sarily exists infinitely the most beautiful and happy society,
without beginning, change, or end, being entirely incompre-
hensible by creatures. This idea seems to be expressed by
Christ, in his prayer to the Father, which will be completely
answered in heaven. He prays for the elect in the following
words : " That they all may be one, as thou. Father, art in
me, and I in thee ; that they also may be one in us. The
glory which thou gavest me I have given to them, that they
may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in me,

THE ETERNAL STATE OF HAPPINESS. 59

that they may be made perfect in one. I have declared unto
them thy name, and will declare it ; that the love wherewith
thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." (John
xvii. 21—23, 26.) And the words of the apostle John, if con-
sidered in their full meaning, seem to express the same
thing : " If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his
love is perfected in us. God is love : and he that dwelleth in
love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (1 John iv. 12, 16.)
Jesus Christ, the Mediator, is the medium by which the soci-
ety of the redeemed in heaven will be united to the infinitely
more excellent and perfect society, — the eternal Trinity of
persons, who dwell in the infinitely high and holy place, far
beyond the reach or comprehension of creatures ; from whom
the same benevolence and social love is shed down through
the Mediator on these redeemed ones, forming them into one
most happy society, in union with the blessed Trinity, and so
as to be a little image of the Deity, — the Three in One, and
One in Three.

The holy angels belong to this society and kingdom ; but
though their natural powers be great, and in this respect they
may be superior to man, they will not be in so honorable a
station as the redeemed, nor can they enjoy that peculiar hap-
piness which the latter will have in consequence of being
redeemed, and sharing in redeeming' love, and their near, hon-
orable, and happy union to Jesus Christ, by which they are
the bride, the LaDib's iinfe. The angels are unspeakably more
happy than, they could have been, had there been no Re-
deemer and no redemption of sinners. They are employed
and happy in looking into these things, and knowing more of
God by this mean, and seeing his manifold wisdom and won-
derful goodness. (Eph. iii. 10. 1 Pet. i. 12.) They are happy
in serving Christ, in carrying on the work of redemption, and
in ministering to the redeemed and serving them, and will,
doubtless, be so forever. " Are they not all ministering
spirits, sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of
salvation?" (Heb. i. 12.) Hence it appears that man is
more of an ultimate end than the angels. The angels were
made for man, and not man for the angels; — for we may
know the end of God in making any creature or thing by the
use which he makes of it. However, they are a necessary
part of this most beautiful, happy, and glorious society and
kingdom, and are in a very honorable station in serving Christ
and his church.

The happiness of the redeemed in heaven will not consist in
rest and indolence, in opposition to activity, but the contrary ;
in activity, and incessant, unwearying labor and service, from

60 THE ETERNAL STATE OF HAPPINESS.

which they will not cease or rest. They will join in worship-
ping and praising the undivided Three, — God, and the
Lamb, and the Holy Ghost ; and the Redeemer will find busi-
ness and employment for them continually, though we cannot
now tell particularly what it will be. Perhaps there will be
public teachers, who will assist others in their speculations,
and in exciting their love and pious afl'ections. Some will
have greater abilities than others, and more existence and holi-
ness, and will be able to assist and instruct them who have
less. The apostle Paul says there will be a difi'erence between
them, as one star difl'ers from another. (1 Cor. xv. 41, 42.)
They will converse together with the greatest pleasure, some-
times in larger, and sometimes in smaller companies, and at
other times only two together; and doubtless sometimes they
will have high enjoyment in conversing with Deity, and with
Christ, by themselves alone, in retirement, by meditation and
devotion. But with respect to these particulars, we are in the
dark, and unable to determine with certainty. It is enough
for us to know, at present, that every thing will be ordered and
take place in the best manner, for the brightest display of the
divine perfections, and the greatest happiness of the members
of this kingdom ; and that each one will be constantly active
in that business which shall be most proper for him, in which
he shall take the greatest pleasure, and shall be most for the
general good. " Therefore are they before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple." (Rev. vii. 15.)

There will be a perfect, uninterrupted harmony and agree-
ment in this society and kingdom. They will be united, not
only in affection, but in sentiment. They will be perfectly
joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment.
Every one will be full of light, according to his capacity and
advantages to know, and not one will make any mistake, or
judge wrong concerning any matter or thing, throughout end-
less ages ; for this would be morally wrong or sinful. None
of them will be omniscient, and some may know more than
others ; but they will pass no judgment about things of which
they have no evidence, and concerning which they have no
knowledge, except it be that they do not know, and, therefore,
cannot determine. There will, therefore, be no dispute and jar
in heaven ; but every one will be all attention, and all ear, to
learn what he does not yet know, and suspend his judgment in
every matter, till he has light to decide it perfectly right.

And there will be nothing to offend them, or give them the
least uneasiness or one disagreeable, painful idea, thought, or
sensation, to eternity; but every object will excite, or be the
occasion of, the most pleasing sensations, and every thought

THE ETERNAL STATE OF HAPPINESS. 61

will be attended ^vith ecstatic delight. All through which they
have passed in this world, the scene of sorrow, pain and sin,
will not be forgotten ; but their reflection upon it, while it is
all in the clearest view, will be the occasion of their greatest
enjoyment and happiness. The wicked, in a state of suffering
and punishment, will not be out of their sight, but will be seen
by all the inhabitants of heaven. " They shall be tormented
with fire and brimstone, in the presence of the holy angels, and
in the presence of the Lamb : and the smoke of their torment
ascendeth up forever and ever." (Rev. xiv. 10, 11.) But this
will give them no pain, or one uneasy thought or sensation ;
but it will be the occasion of their joy and praise.

Not that the misery of any, in itself considered, and for its
own sake, will give them pleasure ; but they will have such a
constant sense of the justice, propriety, and necessity of their
punishment, to answer the best end, for the glory of God and
the general good, that they will, in the full view of this, sing
and say, " Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast,
and shall be, because thou hast judged thus ; for they are
worthy. Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous
are thy judgments." (Rev. xvi. 5-7.) And this will be the
occasion of exciting and maintaining, in a higher degree than
otherwise could be, a sense of the happiness of the redeemed,
and of the sovereign, distinguishing goodness of God in their
salvation, and of their indebtedness to sovereign, divine grace,
which will raise their gratitude to the highest key, and will
keep in constant view the excellence, worthiness, power, and
grace of the Redeemer. This is the representation the Scrip-
ture gives. The inhabitants of heaven rejoice and praise God
in full view of the punishment of the wicked. " After these
things, I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying,
Hallelujah, salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto
the Lord our God ; for true and righteous are his judgments ;
for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth
with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his ser-
vants at her hand. And again they said, Hallelujah : and her
smoke rose up forever and ever. And the four and twenty
elders, and the four beasts, fell down and worshipped God that
sat on the throne, saying. Amen ; Hallelujah." (Rev. xix. 1—4.)

And reason teaches not only ivhy the punishment of the
wicked will be the occasion of the greater joy and happiness
of the redeemed, agreeable to this representation of Scripture,
but that it mnst be so, in order to the perfect happiness of the
inhabitants of heaven. For if this were not on the whole, all
things considered, agreeable to them, it must be matter of
uneasiness, and the occasion of constant grief and pain, which

VOL. II. 6

62 THE ETERNAL STATE OF HAPPINESS. ^

would render heaven, in a great measure, an unhappy place.
It is impossible that the wicked should be punished unless
God were pleased with it ; therefore, so far as the inhabitants
of heaven will be like God, and be pleased with that which is
pleasing to him, this punishment will be the occasion of joy
and happiness to them.

And while they are in the full enjoyment of all this happi-
ness in heaven, they will have the greatest assurance that it
shall have no end, but continue forever. Without this, their
happiness would not be complete at any time ; for whatever
happy circumstances they were in at present, and however
happy they might be, the thought that they were liable to lose
it, and having no assurance that it should never cease, would
be a great alloy to their present enjoyment, and be inconsistent
with their complete happiness. Therefore, the certainty that
they shall exist without end in this state, is a necessary in-
gredient in their felicity, in order to their having fulness of joy
at present as well as pleasures forevermore.

From the nature of the human mind, and the circumstances
in which the redeemed will be in heaven, it is reasonable to
suppose that they will increase and make continual progi-ess
in knowledge, holiness, and happiness, without end ; and they
will make advances in these with greater celerity the longer
they exist. The greatest and chief objects of knowledge are
infinite ; this, therefore, is a foundation for progress in knowl-
edge without end, and however swift the advances be, the sub-
jects to which they attend can never be exhausted. However
much they may know, at any supposed time, they will be so
far from knowing all that may be known, that the advances in
knowledge which they have then made will be little, com-
pared with what may take place, and will put them under
advantages to make yet swifter advances in knowledge for
time to come. The mind is capable of enlarging its ideas and
knowledge by attention and exercise, when objects present and
invite to new discoveries, and so far as we can conceive, must
enlarge and grow in strength and capacity in these circum-
stances ; and every degree of increase of knowledge will pre-
pare the mind to make yet greater and more swift advances in
knowledge, to which no bounds can be set so as to put a stop
to the progress. And in proportion to the increase of their
knowledge will their love and holiness increase, and conse-
quently their enjoyment and happiness.

The Deity, who is the infinite fountain and source of ex-
istence, is almighty, infinitely wise and good, can open new
scenes successively, ])y which the blessed shall know more and
more of him, and grow in degrees of holiness and happiness ;

THE ETERNAL STATE OF HAPPINESS. 63

and however fast they increase in progress and advances in
knowledge, hohness, and happiness, they will forever be infi-
nitely below the Deity, and fall infinitely short of infinite
existence, holiness, and felicity. This view may serve, in some
measure, to give us an idea of the greatness of the felicity of
the redeemed and of the advancing grandeur and glory of the
eternal kingdom of Christ, which far exceeds the utmost stretch
of our thoughts and imagination.

And this is agreeable to the Scripture, if it be not expressly
or implicitly asserted there. The following words of the Re-
deemer may be considered as expressing, or at least implying,
this : " I am come, that they might have life, and that they
might have it 7nore ahundanthjP (John x. 10.) These words
have been understood to express the greater happiness which
the redeemed shall have by Christ, than that which they could
have had by the first Adam, had he not sinned. They may
be understood to express more, even the abounding and end-
less increase of eternal life. They shall have it multiplied and
abounding with increase forever. It is said of the redeemed
in heaven, " The Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, shall
feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water sP
(Rev. vii. 17.) Which may import not only the fulness of
happiness and the care of Christ to supply them constantly,
but the progress that shall be made in new discoveries of divine
truth and grace, and in enjoyment and happiness. They shaU
be led from one fountain of living water to another, and new
ones shall be constantly opening for their greater refreshment
and pleasure.

In heaven they will contemplate and search out the works
of God, and marvellous things without number, which to us,
in this world, are unsearchable. (Job iv. 9.) These great and
marvellous works of God, who is wonderful in counsel, and
excellent in working, will be then explored and sought out
with the greatest attention and pleasure. (Ps. cxi. 2. Isa. xxviii.
29.) They will search into, and see the divine plan, compre-
hending all things and all events that have come to pass,
formed by infinite wisdom and goodness, and executed by the
all-pervading energy of omnipotence ; they will behold it with
pleasing admiration and wonder, as it has been opened in
divine providence, and be more and more pleased with the
depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God. They will learn
his manifold wisdom, in planning and conducting all things
to the most happy issue, and understand, with pleasing wonder
and adoration, more of his judgments and ways, which in this
state are unsearchable, and past finding out. They will see
more and more of their own entire, absolute, and universal

^4 THE ETERNAL STATE OF MISERY.

dependence on God for all things, and of all creatures and
things ; that they are the clay, and he is the sovereign potter,
and former of all things ; and this will appear to them to be
just as they would have it, and the greater sense they have of
this, the more pleasure and happiness will they have, while
they rejoice that the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, and will
reign forever. (Rev. xix. 6.) For God will then be all in all;
" For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things. To
whom be glory forever. Amen." (Rom. xi. 36. 1 Cor. xv. 28.)

Secondly. The wicked will go from the judgment unto ev-^
erlasting punishment. The Scripture sets this punishment in;
^n awful and terrifying light, not only as it wiU be endless,
but amazingly great and dreadful in degree. It is represented
by their being cast into a lake of fire and brimstone, where
they have no rest, but shall be tormented night and day,
without any cessation, forever and ever; — -where they shaUi
drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out
without mixture, into the cup of his indignation, and the
smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever. (Rev.
xiv. 10, 11 ; XX. 10, 15.) If these are to be taken as in some,
measure metaphorical expressions, yet we must not think
that they are designed to represent to our view and imagina-
tion the sufferings of the wicked as greater and more dreadful
than they really will be ; for this is not consistent with the
dignity and ti'uth of God, to attempt to fright men, by threat-
ening them with a greater evil than he ever will inflict on any,
or by representing them as suffering more than the wicked
will suffer. Besides, the wicked will be " vessels fitted to de-
struction ; " which implies that their whole capacity shall be
devoted to suffering ; but they are capable of suffering as great,
evil as they can conceive or imagine. All the use which God
will have for them is to suffer; this is all the end they can
.answer; therefore, aU their faculties, and their whole capacity,
wiff be employed or used for this end, otherwise they would
be useless and answer no end.

As the wicked are to suffer in the body, they will be capa-
ble of suffering by means of the body, or of suffering bodily
pain, as well as that which is purely mental. The body
can, by Omnipotence, be made capable of suffering the
greatest imaginable pain, without producing a dissolution, or
abating the least degi*ee of life and sensibility. The bodies
of the wicked will be raised, and united to their souls, that
they may be punished, and suffer misery in body and mind,
in union. And God can render a future separation impos-
sible, and so form the body as that it shall continue in full

THE ETERNAL STATE OF MISERY. 65

life, and with quick sense, in union with the soul, in the
hottest fire that can be imagined, or exist through endless
ages. And since the Scripture speaks of them as tormented
in a lake of fire and brimstone, perhaps we have no reason to
conclude there will be nothing of this kind, or that the suffer-
ing of this kind will, not be so great as to equal this repre-
sentation. The Scripture says, " What if God, willing (or
determining) to show his wrath, and make his power knoivn,
endureth with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted
to destruction?" (Rom. ix. 22.) And that they "shall be
punished with everlasting destruction, from the presence of
the Lord, and from the glory of his powerP (2 Thess. i. 9.)
One way in which God will show his power in the punish-
ment of the wicked, will be in strengthening and upholding
their bodies and souls, in suffering torments, which otherwise
would be intolerable, while, at the same time, his power is
gloriously manifested in the manner in which the punishment
is to be inflicted.

The apostle Peter, speaking of the day of judgment and the
destruction of the wicked, says, " The heavens and the earth,
which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved
unto fire, against the day of judgment and perdition of ungod-
ly men." By the heavens are generally meant, in Scripture,
the sun, moon, and stars. These, with the earth, are reserved
against the day of judgment, and for the destruction of un-
godly men, by being all set on fire with this earth. " When
the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the ele-
ments shall melt with fervent heat ; and the earth, also, and
the works that are therein, shall be burnt up." (2 Pet. iii. 7,
10.) If the heavens, the sun, the moon, and fixed stars, with
all the planets that accompany them, together with this earth,
should be thrown together with a tremendous crash and noise,
so as to make one common mass of liquid fire, and the wicked
be cast into it at the day of judgment, to remain there forever
in this unquenchable fire, it would be agreeable to this de-
scription of it by Peter, and other passages of Scripture. And
perhaps this is the most natural construction of the words now
cited. This would be a great and amazing display of om-
nipotence, and represents the punishment of the wicked, by
their bodies, as very dreadful ; but not greater than they will
deserve, or than God can inflict, and make them strong
to bear.

But be this as it may, and in whatever way or degree the

wicked will sufTer pain by the body, it is not to be doubted

that their mental pain and sufferings will be the chief part of

their punishment. Indeed, such a situation and torture of

6*

OtK THE ETERNAL STATE OF MISERY.

their bodies as has been now mentioned, is suited to fill their
minds with an amazing sense of the awful power, and dread-
ful anger of God, which must occasion inexpressible mental
terror, anguish, and torture. A great part of the punishment
of the wicked will consist in a sense of the greatness, power,
and terrible majesty of Jehovah, and his "\4Tath and displeasure
wdth them, manifested in their proper efiects. This will fill
their minds with excruciating pain, and horror inexpressible,
while the tokens of all these are exhibited in the most dread-
ful manner to them, in their punishment.

But there are other circumstances and things which will be
dreadful ingredients in the cup of their punishment. Their
own disposition and exercises of heart, their selfishness and
pride, and enmity to God, which will rage to a dreadful de-
gree, will be a source of constant misery. These will render
the shame and contempt which they shall suffer most keenly
painful, and, in a sense, intolerable. They will never be in
any degree reconciled to the divine decrees and government,
and their dependence on God, and being absolutely in his
hands ; but all this will be most painful to them ; they will be
disposed to justify themselves, and find fault with the law of
God, and his treatment of them. Their opposition to all this
will be so strong and constant, and their enmity will rage, so
that a constant conviction in their judgment and conscience
that God deals justly with them, may not take place ; and
they will sometimes, if not continually, in the utmost rage,
blaspheme the God of heaven. It will be beyond our present
conception, painful and tormenting to them, to know that
they have not a friend in the universe, and never shall have
one, who will show them the least kindness, or have any pity
on them ; — that God is against them and will cast evil upon
them, and not spare; — and all the inhabitants of heaven
highly approve of his treatment of them, and praise him for
his righteous judgments in punishing them as they see he
does. The conviction they will have of the happiness of the
redeemed, some of whom they despised and hated, when in
this world, will excite their envy and malice to a high degree ;
which are tormenting passions, in proportion to the strength
of their exercise.

Their company will add to their misery. They will not
find a friend among them ; but all will be full of hatred, rage,
and malice. The sight and presence of the devil and his
angels, who have had a great hand in their ruin, and who will
continue their ill will, and torment them in all the ways theii
cunning and malice can invent, will be very dreadful. And
whatever intercourse they may have with those of mankind

THE ETERNAL STATE OF MISERY. G7

who are suffering with them, it will give them no relief, but
add to their misery. And those who have had the greatest
connection with each other in this life, will be most unhappy-
together — who have injured each other, or been the means of
their eternal ruin. And those companions and supposed
friends, who have tempted and seduced each other into the
practice of vice, and way to ruin, will, by their mutual accu-
sations and curses, be a vexation and torment to each other.

And all the attempts to get relief, which may be many and
constant, will be in vain, and only add to their misery. Every
thought and idea which passes in their mind will be a painful
one. Reflections on what they have passed through in this
world, (and they must think and reflect,) on the favors and
comforts they had, and the advantages they were under to
obtain salvation, and the happy opportunities which they
abused, and the counsels, warnings, and admonitions which
they had, etc., will but increase their misery. And when they
look forward, the assurance they will have that nothing better
is to come, but if there be any change, it will be against
them, and they must be miserable without end, and without
hope, will fill their minds with the insupportable gloom, an-
guish, and horror of absolute despair, and sink eternally with-
out any possible comfort or support.

This is a short sketch, and some of the outlines, of the pun-
ishment and sufferings of the wicked. But O, how little can
be told ! How short are all our conceptions and imaginations
of the truth and real greatness of this infinite evil! It will
take an eternity to tell, and none but the infinite mind does
comprehend it.

It must be observed, however, that though the punishment
of every one of these will be endless, and gi-eat in degi-ee be-
yond all present conception, and perhaps will increase without
end, yet some will suffer a much greater degree of misery than
others, and there will be a great difference between them in
this respect, according to their different advantages and ca-
pacities while in this world ; to the light and conviction they
had, according to the number of their sins, and the different
degi-ees of criminality of them, etc. The omniscient, almighty,
and just Judge will be able and disposed to weigh and adjust
the crimes and guilt of every one in exact and just balances,
and proportion the degi-ee of punishment exactly to the crimi-
nality or ill desert of each one, by ordering every circumstance
perfectly agreeable to it. From Christ the Judge, " every one
shall receive the things done in his body, according- to that he
hath done, whether it be good or bad." (2 Cor. v. 10.) Agree-
ably to this, Christ says, it shall be more tolerable at the day

68 THE ETERNAL STATE OF MISERY.

of judgment for Sodom and Gomorrah, than for those who
reject the gospel preached by him or his disciples. " And that
servant who knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself,
neither did according to his will, shaD be beaten with many
stripes. But he who knew not, and did commit things wor-
thy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto
whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required."
(Luke xii. 47, 48.)

BIPROVE^SIENT.

L From the brief and imperfect view which has now been
given of death, a separate state, judgment, heaven, and hell,
we may reasonably be led to reflect upon the infinitely gi-and,
important, and interesting scenes that are before us, in which
every one of the human race will have a part. A realizing
view of these will make all the things and concerns of time
and sense, which are temporal, and relate to this state only,
appear in their true littleness and vanity ; and to be of no
worth and importance, any farther than they relate to these
future scenes, and may put us under advantage to be prepared
for them. How reasonable and important is it that we should,
with the apostles and primitive Christians, constantly look,
aim at, and pursue the things which are not seen, and are
eternal! (2 Cor. iv. 18.)

II. How infinitely dreadful is the end of the wicked ! In
what an unspeakably dangerous state is he in this world I
His feet stand on slippery places, exposed to fall every mo-
ment into endless destruction, into which he will soon plunge,
if he continue impenitent while in the body. " After his hard
and impenitent heart, he is treasuring up unto himself in this
life, wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the
righteous judgment of God." (Rom. ii. 5.)

How gi'cat is the deliverance when any one sinner is plucked
as a brand from this eternal, infinitely dreadful fire! This
gives joy in heaven. How hapj^y is he who is the instrument
of turning any from sin to righteousness ; of saving immortal
souls from endless burnings ! What can be more desnable and
pleasing to a benevolent mind? He shall have an unspeak-
able reward, and shine as the stars forever and ever.

III. How great, how glorious and happy is the Redeemer
in being able to save, and actually saving multitudes of sin-
ners from such infinite misery, and raising them to such high
and endless happiness and glory! How worthy is he to be
trusted, loved, and honored. The inhabitants of heaven will
be eternally sensible of this, and say, " Worthy is the Lamb

CONCERNING THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. f9

that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and
strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing; for thou wast
slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation ; and hast made
us unto our God kings and priests." (Rev. v. 9, 10, 12.)

What infinite wickedness and folly is that of which they
are guilty, who reject him, or cast the least slight upon him,
and do not fly to him without delay, as a refuge from the
wrath to come, and for eternal happiness ! Blessed are alt
they who trust in him. Surely he is infinitely precious to all
them who believe.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.

Section I.
General Observations concerning- the Church of Clirist

The word in the original, lxxXr,alu^ generally translated
church, is found above a hundred times in the New Testa-
ment, and signifies an assembly of men, called and collected
together for some special purpose. It is used in the Scrip-
ture, except in a few instances, in an appropriated sense, for
believers in Christ, or the redeemed, as a collective body, or
society, united in or under him as their head.

By the church of Christ is sometimes meant the redeemed,
— all who have been, or shall be saved by Christ, who shall at
last be collected into one general assembly, society, and king-
dom. This is called the invisible church, being at present hid,
and out of our sight, as those in heaven are not seen by us
while in this life, and true believers who are on earth cannot
be certainly distinguished from others who are not such.

The church of Christ on earth consists of those who are
united together as professed friends to Christ, and believers in
him, and are under explicit engagements to serve him, and
attend upon all his institutions and ordinances, and to watch
over and assist each other, including both parents and their
children. This is called the visible church of Christ, as it is a
society erected in the view of man, and consists of members;
who are visibly, or in appearance, among the number of the

70 CONCERNING THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.

saved, and real friends to Christ, though many of them may
not be really such.

This church is considered as one common catholic society,
comprehending all visible Christians in the world, composed
of numerous particular societies, or assemblies of Christians,
in different places, and which, by a succession of members,
will continue the same society or church to the end of the
world. This is meant by the church, when Christ says to
Peter, " And I say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon
this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it." (Matt. xvi. 18.) And the word is
used in this sense in many other places. But every distinct
society of visible believers, agreeing and united together to
attend on the worship and ordinances of Christ, is called a
church ; as the church at Antioch, the church at Ephesus, the
churches in Judea, the churches of Galatia, all the churches, etc.

Wherever a number of persons voluntarily unite together,
under the profession of believers in Christ and friends to him,
to attend upon his institutions and ordinances according to
his directions and commands, they are a visible church of
Christ so long and so far as they appear to embrace and
maintain the great and essential truths of Christianity, and to
live, in some good measure, agreeable to them.

Concerning the church of Christ in general, his visible
church in this world, and such a particular church, the follow-
ing things may be observed, in order to give a more clear idea
of the subject, and to show the reason and importance of it: —

1. It is reasonable and important that the friends of the
Redeemer should be his professed friends, and that they should
unite in a profession of faith in him, and publicly espouse his
cause and interest in the world, and in assisting each other, as
his servants, and in attending upon his institutions and obey-
ing his commands, hereby distinguishing themselves from the
rest of mankind. Accordingly, Christ has enjoined upon his
friends and disciples to confess him before men, and to form
themselves into a public society, or particular societies, by
which they shall be as a city that is set on a hill, which can-
not be hid, — the light of the world to shine before all men.
(Matt. X. 32 ; v. 14-16.)

2. The churcn of Christ is a free, voluntary society, in oppo-
sition to any force or compulsion used to oblige the members
of it to join and come into it contrary to their consent and
free choice. All are invited to be members of it, and none are
to be rejected who appear to be willing to come and to con-
form to the rules which Christ has given ; and none who have
been received are to be rejected and cast out, who choose to

CONCERNING THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 71

continue members, unless they behave disorderly, and refuse
to obey the laws of Christ.

3. Jesus Christ is the sole legislator and ruler in his
church. No particular church, or the church in general, has
any authority or right to make any laws or rules in order to
govern or regulate the church, or individual members of it,
but are commanded to attend to those which Christ has given,
and obey and execute them only.

The church is not a worldly society, and is not to be ruled
or regulated by civil laws, or rulers of political, worldly soci-
eties : such rulers have no more authority in the church than
any other member of it. The visible church is called, in
Scripture, "the kingdom of heaven, — the kingdom of God,
and of Christ," who said, " My kingdom is not of this world."
It is a distinct and entirely difierent society and kingdom from
civil, worldly societies or kingdoms, and cannot be connected
with them so as to be in any respect or degree dependent
on them, or have any alliance with them. The church wants
no support from civil authority, and ought not to be governed
or controlled, in any respect, by the civil magistrate. When
he attempts this, and to make laws to govern or regulate the
church of Christ, he invades the rights of Christ, and usurps
the authority which belongs only to the Head of the church,
who is the sole ruler in it.

The church, when it is regulated by the laws of Christ, and
obedient to him, is friendly to human, civil society; and Christ
commands his subjects, the members of his church, to obey
magistrates, and seek to promote the peace and greatest good
of such societies. And all they expect or desire from the civil
magistrate is to be protected in the enjoyment of their civil
rights, and their religion, so long as they are not injurious to
their neighbors, and live quiet and peaceable lives.

4. Every member of the church has a right to judge for
himself what are the laws of Christ, and what is his duty,
being accountable to none but Christ for his judgment and
conduct ; and none have a right or authority to dictate to
him, or control him in these matters. In matters wherein the
church, as a body, are to decide and act, they must be deter-
mined by the voice of the major part, or the greatest number
of the members, as is done in other societies, this being con-
sidered as the voice and determination of the church. And
if they be not unanimous -in any thing to be determined by
the church, they who dissent from the judgment of the ma-
jority must submit and conform to them, unless the judgment
and conduct of the church appear to them so inconsistent
with the truth, and the laws of Christ, that it is his command,

72 CONCERNING THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.

and their duty, to refuse to conform, and to leave and renounce
the church. In this case, no one has any right to control them.

5. The visible church, the kingdom of heaven, or the king-
dom of God, was small in the beginning of it, but is to in-
crease and grow till it shall be great, and fill the world, and
all nations shall come into it, and be members of it, and shall
continue forever the only most happy and glorious society
and kingdom. God has had a church in the world ever since
the apostasy of man. Before the flood there were the sons of
God, distinguished from the rest of mankind, who called on
the name of the Lord. It continued in the family of Noah,
and some of his descendants, till the days of Abraham, when
it was more particularly formed in his family, and further
established and regulated among those who descended from
him — the people of Israel. When the Christian dispensation
took place, the church put on a new form in many respects,
though it was the same church as to the essentials of it, and
was still the church of God, the church of Christ.

The Christian church, consisting of the professed followers
of Christ, was small in the beginning of it ; but Christ fore-
told that it should gi'ow and become great, and promised that
it should continue, and live on earth, to the end of the world.
He said, the gates of hell [Hades, death) should not prevail
against it ; that is, that it should not die, or cease to be a visi-
ble church on earth. He represented the growth of it, till it
should cover the earth and fill the world, by the following
similitudes : " The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of
mustard-seed, which a man took, and sowed in his 'field:
which indeed is the least of all seeds ; but when it is gi*own,
it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that
the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Another parable spake he unto them. The kingdom of heaven
is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three
measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." (Matt. xiii.
31-33.)

6. The visible church of Christ is and will be in an imper-
fect state, and in a greater or less degree impure and corrupt,
w^hile in this world. All the members of it are, in a great de-
gree, imperfect, corrupt, and sinful ; and many, who are totally
coiTupt and enemies to Christ, are professed and visible friends
to him, and, as such, are admitted into his church. Christ has
not made any provision by which unworthy persons, who are
not his friends at heart, can be excluded from his church in
this world, so long as there are such who put on the outward
appearance and profession of friendship and submission to
him, and offer themselves to join the society. He has not

CONCERNING THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 73

constituted any infallible judges to determine who shall be
admitted into his visible church, who are able to detect every
hypocrite, and reject all who are unworthy members. When
the utmost care is taken, and the rules of Christ with respect
to this are faithfully regarded and practised, still the heart can-
not be certainly known ; and Christians must act according
to the visibility, or outward appearance and profession of
friendship to Christ, which hypocrites may put on, and so be
admitted into the church, who have no right to a place there
in the sight of God. And the members of particular churches
may be, and often are, so injudicioiis and careless as to admit
members which are visibly unqualified, and ought not to be
admitted ; by which the church becomes more and more cor-
rupt, and proper discipline is not kept up, and those who ought
to be cast out are tolerated ; and by degrees, through the influ-
ence of erroneous teachers, great errors may be imbibed and
maintained, and corrupt and evil practices take place, and
many customs and rites be introduced, which Christ has not
commanded, but are the inventions and commandments of
men of corrupt minds, by which the purity and beauty of the
church is greatly tarnished.

Particular churches, and the visible church of Christ in gen-
eral, may become, in a great degree, corrupt in some or all
those things ; and yet be, and continue, the visible church of
Christ. And it is difficult to determine how far a particular
church, or the church in general, may be corrupted and deviate
from the laws of Christ, and yet be visibly a church of Christ,
so as to have a right to be considered and acknowledged to be
a true church, though corrupt and wrong in many things. In
this case, particular Christians must judge for themselves, and
particular churches must judge of other churches ; and great
caution and pr-udence ought to be used. Every one ought to
judge and act right, and according to the rules which Christ
has given in this case, and all are accountable to him for their
opinion and conduct.

A church may doubtless become so corrupt, and go off so
far from the faith and practice of true Christians, and sink so
far into gross errors and open conduct, contrary to the gospel
and the express commands of Jesus Christ, as that it ought to
be rejected as not a visible church of Christ; and his com-
mands to his faithful followers may be, " Come out from among
them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing, and
I will receive you." (2 Cor. vi. 17.) The church of Rome, or
the papal church, has doubtless been visibly not a true church
of Christ for many years : it has been not so, perhaps, ever
since the time of the reformation from popery. Though it was

VOL. II. 7

74 CONCERNING THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.

really a corrupt, false church before, yet it was not visibly so,
till the marks of a false church were clearly discerned, and it
was known to the reformed visible church of Christ to be the
beast, and the great harlot described in the Revelation. Then
the voice of Christ was heard speaking to them, " Come out
of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that
ye receive not of her plagues." And then she was visibly and
publicly excommunicated by Christ and his visible church;
and consequently was no longer a visible church of Christ,
but the contrary.

The reformed church, or the different churches which have
taken place in the Protestant world, upon the reformation from
popery, and since, are far from being wholly pm-ified from a
great mixture of error, and from practices which are not accord-
ing to revealed truth, and which would cease, were they to be
conformed to the pattern described in the Word of God. Some
are nearer the rule, and others farther from it ; and many are
doubtless greatly degenerated from what they once were ; and
it is probable that the spirit, maxims, and practices of anti-
christ, or that are really anti-Christian, do take place, in a greater
or less degree, in all these churches at this day, and that they
will, the most of them at least, grow more and more corrupt
in doctrine and practice, till they become like the incurable
leprous house in Israel, which was ordered to be wholly de-
molished, that another might be built in the room of it. So,
when the millennium comes on, these corrupt churches, which
will be too far sunk in error and sinful practices to be patched
up and healed, will be removed and vanish away, sharing with
antichrist in ruin, and giving way to a church which shall be
built upon the gospel plan. Then the bride, the Lamb's wife,
will put on her beautiful garments, and arise and shine in the
light that shall then come, and the glory of the Lord which
shall rise upon her.* But even then, the visible church will
not be perfect in the beauty of holiness, though the uncircum-
cised and unclean may no more enter into it, (Isa. lii. 1,) yet
not one of the members will be perfectly holy. The most per-
fect beauty and glory of the church will not take place till
after the resurrection.

Those of different denominations and churches in the Chris-
tian world, who believe and expect there will be a more perfect
state of the church in the millennium, are disposed to think,
that the denomination and particular church to which they
belong will be the pattern, and that all Christians will, in that
day, conform to that, and that those things in which others

* See the Dissertation on the Millennium, subjoined to this system.

CONCERNING THE OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH. 75

differ from them, both with respect to doctrine and practice,
will then be relinquished and cease. But most of them, if not
all, will be greatly disappointed in their views and expectations
with respect to this. A church will then arise, which will have
all that is good, right, and excellent, in the dilfercnt denomina-
tions and churches that exist now, or have been, and will re-
nounce all the superstitions and corruptions, in principle or
practice, which have taken place. Blessed are all they who are
real members of the invisible church of Christ.

Section II.

Concerning the Officers of the Church.
i

Every distinct and particular church, in order to be com-
plete, and properly organized, must have officers, or persons
distinguished from the members in general, by being chosen
and appointed to particular service and duties, who are to
superintend the affairs of the Church, to preside and act a
particular part, in teaching and exhortation, and administer-
ing the ordinances which Christ has appointed, and taking
particular care of the temporals of the church.

Of these, pastors, elders, presbyters or bishops, are the first
and most important. By these names, not different orders,
higher and lower, or different offices, are meant ; but one and
the same person, in one and the same office, is called by all
these names, and, therefore, they denote the same office. This
has been abundantly proved by many who have attended to
the subject; therefore it is needless particularly to attend to
it here.

The apostles were a distinct and superior order of men, and
appointed by Christ immediately, as extraordinary officers, to
constitute the first churches, and to give infallible rules and laws
to them, by which they were to be regulated and governed ; in
which extraordinary office they had no successors. The apos-
tles were elders, or presbyters, or bishops, and more ; they were
appointed immediately by Christ, as infallible judges and dic-
tators to the churches. They ordained presbyters or bishops,
as being such themselves, in their ordinary capacity ; but their
extraordinary commission was not, nor could be transmitted
to others, but died with them ; and there have been no apostles
in the church since their death, nor will there be any such
officers again in the church to the end of the world.

The apostles ordained elders or bishops in the churches which
they constituted, who were first chosen by the members of

76 CONCERNING THE OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH.

these churches, or they did it wdth their consent. " And when
they had ordained them elders in every church, and prayed
with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom
they believed." (Acts xiv. 23.) The word in the original, here
translated, ivheri they had ordained, xi-\Qoiovr,aitviec, signifies to
point out persons by lifting up of hands, or voting, and the
sense has been given in the following words : " When they
had, with the concurrent suffrage of the people, constituted
presbyters for them in every church;"* or, "They ordained
them elders by the votes of the people." f The old English
Bible translates it, " When they had ordained them elders by
election." :j: This is essential to a free society of any kind,
that the members of it should choose their own officers. There
must be one or more elders in every church, in order to furnish
it to all the duties and transactions of a church, and to have
it complete. From the above quoted passage, it appears that
one elder was ordained in every church, if not more. It ap-
pears, also, from the addresses which Christ sent to the seven
churches in Asia, by his servant John, that there was but one
elder in each of these churches, who is called the angel of the
chnrch.

The business of this office is, to preside in all the transactions
of the church, to administer the ordinances of Christ, to preach
the gospel, and lead in the pubhc worship of the church —
" giving themselves constantly to prayer, and to the ministry
of the word." (Acts vi. 4.) To teach, exhort, warn, reprove,
and rebuke publicly and more privately. The qualifications
and character of these elders or bishops are particularly given
and stated by the apostle Paul, in his letters to Timothy and
Titus. These pastors or bishops, being chosen by the church,
are constituted officers, by being publicly ordained to that
office by some other elders or elder, by laving on of hands.
(1 Tim. iv. 14; v. 22. 2 Tim. i. 6.) Thus timothy and Titus
were directed by the apostle Paul to ordain elders. (1 Tim. v.
22. 2 Tim. ii. 2. Tit. i. 5.)

It has been supposed by some, that the right and power to
ordain their pastors or bishops is in the churches ; at least, that
it is not wholly lodged in the hands of the elders, and confined
to them ; and there have been some instances of the ordination
of ministers by the brethren of the church, without the assist-
ance, or even the presence of any other elder or pastor of a
church. But there does not appear to be any example of this,
or warrant for it, in the Scripture. It is said, if the church have

* Doddridge on the place. f Mr. Harrington.

/ X See Doddridge's note on this verse.

CONCERNING THE OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH. 77

no authority or right to constitute and ordain their own offi-
cers, then there must be an uninterrupted succession of minis-
ters, from the apostles to the end of the world; and if this
chain of succession be once broken or interrupted, it cannot be
renewed again, but the succession must necessarily cease, and
there can be no more ministers and officers in the church to
the end of the world. To this it may be answered, that if this
be an appointment of Jesus Christ, a constitution which he
has made, that his church shall be furnished with ministers by
such a succession from one to another, then he will take care
that it shall never be interrupted, but shall be continued so
long as there is a church on earth.

But to this it has been said, that we have no evidence that
such succession has not in fact been interrupted many times ;
and not one minister or elder at this day can prove, or have
any evidence himself, that he has been ordained, by one or
more who have received this right and power to ordain, by an
uninterrupted succession from the apostles ; which he ought to
have, in order to be satisfied that he has a right to act in this
office ; and to be able to prove it to others, in order to their
receiving and treating him as an elder. Besides, if this suc-
cession could be proved, it must be brought down through the
hands of the pope, and the false anti-Christian church, which
is not the church of Christ, and necessarily interrupts the suc-
cession of the ministers of Christ.

Upon this the following things are to be observed: —
1. If there be evidence from the Scriptures, that such an
order and succession of men as officers in the church has been
instituted by Christ, and is implied in the commission which
he gave to his disciples, " Go ye and teach all nations, bap-
tizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost ; teaching them to observe all things whatso-
ever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you ahoay.,
even unto the end of the ivorld.''^ (Matt, xxviii. 19, 20.) This
is sufficient, positive proof that such a succession of ministers
does in fact take place in the visible church of Christ, and that
this commission has been transmitted down from one to
another, from that time to this day ; and this succession has
not been interrupted, and will not be, to the end of the world.
This, therefore, may safely, and with all desirable certainty,
be taken for granted, without any further positive proof, by
every minister of the gospel, unless there be strong positive
evidence that such succession has been interrupted with re-
spect to him, and that he has been irregularly introduced to
that office by him or them who have not had their commis-

78 CONCERNING THE OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH.

sion and authority to ordain handed down by succession from
the apostles to them.

Therefore, since the above-recited commission implies that
there should be a succession of officers in the church to the
end ot the world, to proselyte, baptize, and teach men to ob-
serve the institutions and commands of Christ, to whom he
has promised his presence and assistance ; and since the apos-
tles appear to understand their commission in this light, and
to practise upon it accordingly, by ordaining elders in every
church which they formed ; and elders or presbyters ordained
others by laying on their hands ; and they who were so ordained
were du-ected to commit the gospel, that is, the preaching and
dispensation of it, " to faithful men, who should be able to
teach others also ; " and to lay hands upon them, not sudden-
ly, but after proper examination and acquaintance, (1 Tim.
V. 22. 2 Tim. ii. 2,) which can be nothing less or more than
ordaining them to the work of the ministry; and Titus is
directed to ordain elders in every city in the island of Crete :
(Tit. i. 5; since all this is evident, and certainly so, and
there can be nothing found in the Scripture to contradict such
a succession appointed by Christ, or in the least inconsistent
with it, it may and ought to be considered as positive evi-
dence that there is, in fact, such an uninterrupted succession,
sufficient to satisfy the judgment and conscience of an honest
man, who is ordained to the work of the evangelical ministry,
that he has derived his ordination and commission from Christ,
by an uninterrupted succession, unless there be positive proof
to the contrary, with respect to his ordination.

2. Though the succession of ordinations, in order to its
being uninterrupted, must come through the hands of the
pope, and the ministers of the church of Rome, (which is not
certain, as it has been shown how it might be transmitted
down by others who were not members of that church,) yet
this affords no positive proof that a proper, uninterrupted suc-
cession has not taken place. A visible church may be very
corrupt, and yet be a visible church of Christ, and the public
administrations and acts of the officers of it authentic and
valid. And who can prove that the pope and his adherents
were visibly antichrist, and that the church of Rome was visi-
bly not the church of Christ, but a false church, and was
really and properly renounced and excommunicated by the
true church of Christ, before the time of the reformation from
popery ? During the preceding dark times, there was not
light enough, even among real Christians in general, to render
that church visibly not the church of Christ ; and so long as

CONCERNING THE OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH. 79

this was the case, the officers, the ministers in that church,
were visible ministers of Christ, and their visible acts, their
ordinations, etc., were valid, notwithstanding they were very
corrupt and wicked.* When the reformation came on, light
arose and increased, and the great corruptions and wickedness
of the church of Rome, and of particular churches included in
it, and the irregularity and wickedness of the officers of it, and
of their administrations, were clearly seen and exposed ; and
they were admonished, and great pains were taken to con-
vince and reform the pope and his clergy, and all orders and
degrees of men in that church. But they who still adhered to
that church were deaf and obstinate, and refused to repent
and reform. Upon which, those who were convinced of the
errors and wickedness of that church came out and separated
from it, and formed other churches more agreeable to the
Word of God, among whom there were ministers, or numbers
of the clergy, who had been ordained in the church of Rome,
while that was visibly a church of Christ. They, by the con-
sent of the reformed churches, took the oversight of them, and
administered ordinances, and ordained others to be elders in
the churches; and in this way an uninterrupted succession
of ordinations and ministers in the Protestant chui-ches in gen-
eral has taken place, and may continue down to the end of
the world, and certainly will, if this be the will and appointment
of Christ, though the church of Rome should be considered
noiv not the visible church of Christ, and properly excommu-
nicated, agreeably to the laws of Christ ; and though there
may have been some instances of irregular ordinations, and
which have not taken place in this succession in some Prot-
estant churches.

3. There is satisfactory and abundant evidence from history
and otherwise, that it has been the general, if not the univer-
sal, custom of the churches to ordain ministers by the laying
on of the hands of others who were before so ordained, and
that great care has been taken to keep up a succession in this
way. And even those churches who have believed they had

* A minister in the purest church may be a very wicked man, and practise
abominable vices. But so long as this is not visible and known, he is a visible
minister of Christ, and his public administrations are as authentic and valid as
those of any other minister, until he is detected, and his wickedness becomes
visible, and he is deposed from his office in the church by those who have a right
to do it, according to the laws of Christ. So the church of Rome was visibly a
church of Christ, till there was light to discover, or eyes to see, the corruptions
and wickedness of it, and the veil and covering was taken off, so that the marks
of the beast and the great harlot, described in the Scripture, were publicly seen
to be upon it, and events took place by which it was visibh^ rejected by Christ,
for the great apostasy of which the members of it had been guilty, and who
continued visibly impenitent.

80 CONCERNING THE OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH.

the power of ordination of their ministers within themselves,
nave generally thought it most regular and proper to have
them ordained by other ordained ministers, when and where
this was practicable. And there have been very few instances
of ordinations performed without the assistance of one or
more who had been before ordained in this way ; and if there
have been any such, they have had no influence to interrupt a
general and almost universal succession of ordinations by the
hands of presbyters, from the apostles down to this time.

When all this is well considered, will it not be evident that
every minister of the gospel, who has been ordained by the
hands of presbyters, or bishops, or at least of one, by whatever
name they or he may be called, has good warrant to consider
himself and act as a visible minister of Christ, who has re-
ceived his commission and authority for this from Christ by
an uninterrupted succession, unless there be good, positive
evidence that this cannot be true with respect to himself, he
being a known exception from what has generally, and almost
universally, taken place ?

It has been objected to the doctrine of an uninterrupted
succession, as necessary to continue this order of officers in
the church, that this will, in many instances, put it beyond
the power of Christians to obtain ministers or pastors, so as
to be a regular church, and have the ordinances of baptism
and the Lord's supper administered to them. A number of
Christians may be cast away on a desolate island, and be
obliged to live there, where they cannot obtain a pastor, unless
they can ordain him themselves, and give him authority to
perform all the business of this office. And a immber of true
Christians may live in a country, and at a time, where no
ministers can be found who will ordain any one to be their
minister, whom they shall choose, or think to be fit, for that
office. Must those be deprived of ministers and the ordinances
of the gospel ?

A reply to such an objection has been already suggested. It
is really begging the question ; for, if Christ has made such a
constitution, and ordained that those officers in his church
shall be continued by an uninterrupted succession, he will not
only see that it does take place, and that it shall not be inter-
rupted, but will always put it in the power of his people to be
suppUed with ministers in this way ; and there never has been
an instance to contradict this, and never will be. The suppo-
sition, therefore, which is made in the objection, is a ground-
less one, and impossible. Christ will not suffer such an in-
stance to take place, unless it be for his glory, the good of his
church in general, and best for the individual Christians, who

CONCERNING THE OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH. 81

are deprived, in this way, of gospel ministers and ordinances ;
and if there be any such instances, they can be no objection
to this institution of Christ.

These ministers and officers in the church are to be devoted
to the business of their station and office, and to give them-
selves to this work which they have undertaken, in preaching
the gospel and administering the ordinances of Christ — in
taking care of the church, and presiding in all the public trans-
actions of it, acting with the concurrence and consent of the
church ; for they have no authority to dictate to the church, and
control it in any matter, contrary to their judgment and consent.
They are, indeed, said to have the ride over the churches, (Heb.
xiii. 7, 17, 24,) but this means only to take the lead or preside
in the churches in their public devotions and transactions, as
the word in the original signifies. The churches, and every
particular member of them, are obliged to submit to them and
obey them, so far as they preach the doctrines of the gospel,
and urge the commands of Christ ; for, so far as they do this,
they have all the authority of Christ; and disobedience to
them, when they declare the will of Christ and urge obedience
to his laws, is disobedience to Christ, and rejecting him. But
of this the members of the church are to judge for themselves,
whether what they preach and dictate be agreeable to the
revealed will of Christ; and if they judge it to be contrary to
revealed truth, they will consider the minister as having no
authority, and themselves under no obligation to regard him
in those things ; and he has no authority to compel them to
obedience to his dictates, or to inflict any punishment upon
them, or subject them to any worldly inconvenience on this
account. They are, indeed, accountable to Christ for their
judgment and conduct in such cases, and to him alone, as he
has commanded them to judge and act right, and will con-
demn every thing that is not so, and is the final Judge to
whom all appeals are to be made.* Thus the elders of the
churches are not to be lords over them, but to lead them, and
be examples to them, while they preside as overseers, or bish-
ops, feeding them by preaching the truths of the gospel to
them, and declaring the whole counsel of God. (1 Pet. v. 2, 3.
Acts XX. 28.)

* This is said with reference to the whole, or the majority, of a church. If
particular members, or the minor part of a church, reject the doctrines, and
refuse to practise the duties, which the pastor inculcates as prescribed by Christ,
and the majority of the chiirch approve of them, the former are so far account-
able to the church as to be the proper subjects of discipline, and may be rejected
by the church as those who, in their judgment, refuse to obey the truth, and
walk disorderly.

82 CONCERNING THE OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH.

There are other officers in the church, called deacons, who
have the care of the temporal, worldly concerns of the church.
The church, when regulated according to the laws of Christ,
makes provision for the support of public religion — for a de-
cent and convenient place in which they may attend public
worship, the support of the ministers of the gospel, and fur-
nishing the table of the Lord. They are, also, to provide for
the relief and comfort of the poor members of the church.
The care and oversight of this provision is committed to the
deacons. And they are, more especially, to distribute to the
poor, out of the common stock of the church, and take care
that no one may suffer for want of the necessaries and com-
forts of life. We have a particular account of the institution
of those officers in the church, in the beginning of the sixth
chapter of the Acts. The church pointed out and chose those
whom they thought best qualified for this office, and presented
them to the apostles, who ordained them to this office by lay-
ing their hands on them and praying.

It does not appear, from the Scripture, that there are more
distinct orders of men and officers appointed in the church
than these two, viz., elders or bishops, and deacons. Both of
these are repeatedly mentioned together as being the only
officers in the church, as nothing is said of any other. The
apostle Paul, when he is directing Timothy in his regulating
the churches in which he had a particular concern, and ordain-
ing officers, mentions only elders or bishops, and deacons, and
particularly describes the quahfications of these. And he
directs his letter to the church at Philippi in the following
words : " To all the saints which are in Christ Jesus, at Phi-
lippi, with the bishops and deacons." Had there been any other
order of officers in that church, it may be presumed he would
have mentioned them when he directs so particularly to these.
This same apostle says, that, when Christ ascended to heaven,
" he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evan-
gelists, and some pastors and teachers." (Eph. iv. 11.) Some
have supposed there are more than two orders of ministers
mentioned here ; but there does not appear to be any evidence
of this. By apostles and prophets are intended the extraordi-
nary gifts and officers in the primitive church, who were not
to continue, but ceased when those miraculous gifts, with
which they were endowed, ceased, the church having no fur-
ther need of them. And if evangelists were not also extraor-
dinary officers, and, accordingly, ceased with the others men-
tioned before, they were ordinary ministers of the gospel,
ordained to travel and preach at large, not being confined to a
particular church, city, or country. Pastors and teachers were

PUBLIC WORSHIP. 83

the same office, which every elder in particular churches sus-
tained , so that, by evangelists, pastors, and teachers, but one
sort and degree of officers is meant, viz., ministers of the
gospel.

Section III.

Public Institutions^ Ordinances, and Worship of the Church.

Social and public worship, consisting in prayer, singing
psalms or hymns, and in preaching and hearing the gospel,
appears to be an institution of Christ, from what is recorded
in Scripture. The disciples of Christ, after his ascension, met
together, and continued with one accord in prayer and suppli-
cation, being about an hundred and twenty. (Acts i. 14, 15.)
And when converts were multiplied, and a church was formed
at Jerusalem, " they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doc-
trine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and prayers.
And continued daily with one accord in the temple, praising
God." (Acts ii. 42, 46, 47.) At Antioch, Barnabas and Saul
assembled themselves with the church a whole year, and
taught much people. (Acts xi. 26.) It appears that the church
at Corinth often came together into one place, to attend on the
preaching of the gospel, prayer, singing psalms, and the ad-
ministration of the Lord's supper. (1 Cor. xi, 18, etc., and
chap. xiv. throughout.) Christians had places convenient for
them to convene in public assemblies, and attend on public
worship. (Jam. ii. 1-10.) And they were commanded " not
to forsake the assembling themselves together" for public
exhortation and mutual edification, etc. (Heb. x. 24, 25.)

Public worship being an institution of Christ, this neces-
sarily implies a place where this may be attended decently,
and with the greatest convenience to the members of the
church, which is to be agreed upon and provided by the church,
using all such help and assistance as the head of the church
shall, in his providence, afford the.m. They are to assemble
on the first day of the week for public worship, and at any
other time which the church shall judge is agreeable to the
will of Christ, as best suited to promote his cause and their
edification. And there may be special calls in divine provi-
dence, to public fasting and prayer, or thanksgiving ; and par-
ticular circumstances may render it proper and important to
meet oftener, and to spend more time in public worship, at
some times than at others.

It has been observed that the bishops, or overseers of the
church, are to preach the word, and to preside and lead hi

84 PUBLIC WORSHIP.

public prayers, to which they are to devote themselves ; and
they are on this account to be counted worthy of double
honor, and be decently supported with the necessaries and
comforts of life. For Christ has ordained that they who
preach the gospel should live of the gospel. (1 Cor. ix. 14.
Gal. vi. 6. 1 Tim. v. 17, 18.)

The stated time for public worship is the first day of the
week, which the apostles, under the inspiration and particular
direction from Christ, fixed upon, and appointed to be the
Christian Sabbath. The Jewish seventh-day Sabbath, which
was a type and shadow of that redemption which was in a
peculiar sense and degree efTected by the sufferings and death
of Christ, from which he rose on the first day of the week, and
of the rest into which the Christian church entered, upon this
ceased and was abolished, when the substance and the things
typified by it took place. With reference to this, the apostle
Paul says to Christians, " Let no man, therefore, judge you in
meat or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new
moon, or of the Sabbath days, which are a shadow of things
to come, but the body is of Christ." (Col. ii. 16, 17.) The
apostle has respect to the Jewish rites respecting meat and
drink, and to their feast days, new moons, and their weekly
Sabbaths, and declares that Christians, especially those who
were Gentiles, were not under any obligation to observe them.
This has no respect to the Christian Sabbath. This was
observed by the apostles and Christian churches in their day.
Christ having risen on the first day of the week, he appeared
repeatedly to his disciples, while they were together on this
first day. And on this first day of the week, "when the day
of Pentecost was fully come, and they were all with one accord
in one place," the Holy Spirit was poured out on them, and
they spake with tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
And Peter preached to the multitude who were collected on
that occasion, and gi-eat numbers were converted. (Acts ii.
1, etc.) The day of Pentecost was always on the fii-st day of
the week. (Lev. xxiii. 15-21.) And this day of the week was
honored by this remarkable event, and not the seventh day
of the week, which was the Jewish Sabbath. And no reason
can be given why the church were together in one place
on that day, but that it was the day of the week on which
they were directed, and used to assemble for instruction and
worship.

Accordingly, we find that, on the first day of the week,
Christian churches used to assemble for public worship, with
the apostles' approbation. When the apostle Paul, and his
companions in ti-aveUing, came to Troas, they continued there

PUBLIC WORSHIP. 85

seven days without meeting for public worship. " And upon
the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to
break bread, Paul preached unto them." (Acts xx. 7.) By
this it appears, that the first day of the week was the day on
which Christians used to meet for public worship. If the sev-
enth day of the week had been their Sabbath, why did they
not meet on that day to hear Paul preach and to break bread,
that is, to partake of the Lord's supper? That Christian
churches were wont to meet on the first day of the week for
religious purposes, is evident from the foIlo\\ang direction
which this apostle gives to the church at Corinth : " Now,
concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order
to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye : upon the first day
of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store, as God
hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."
(1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2.) It appears from this, that Christian churches
in general, or rather universally, assembled together on every
first day of the week ; the reason of which cannot be given,
unless this were their Sabbath, on which day they attended
public worship. And this was a proper time to make a col-
lection for the poor saints, which is to be considered as an act
of public worship. Nor can it be supposed that the churches
would all agree in fixing on this day, to meet together for
public worship, unless it were by the direction of the apostles,
which they gave to all the churches, as from Christ, who had
instructed them in this matter before his ascension, or had
since communicated it to them by inspiration. In this view,
there appears a consistency in all the facts and assertions con-
cerning this which have been mentioned.

And the words of the apostle John are a confirmation of aU
this, when he says, " I was in the spirit on the Lord's dayP
(Rev. i. 10.) By the Lord's day, he must mean some particu-
lar day of the week, which was known by this name to the
churches of Christ, as distinguished from all other days ; for
otherwise it would not be saying any thing which would be
intelligible to Christians, or of any signification. It supposes
there was one day in the week consecrated to the honor and
service of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that this was therefore
called the Lord's day ; as that repast of bread and wine, which
was instituted by Christ, and observed in the churches, in re-
memhrance of him, was called the Lord's supper.^ to distinguish
it from all other eating and drinking together, as peculiarly
consecrated to his use and honor. And that this day, which
for this reason the apostle John calls the Lord's day, is the fu'st
day of the week, is evident beyond a doubt, in that this day,
and no other day of the week, has been distinguished and

VOL. II. 8

86 PUBLIC WORSHIP.

known by this name, in the church of Christ, from that clay to
this, of which there is incontestable evidence.

And ihat the first day of the week is appointed by Christ to
be the Christian Sabbath, to be observed by his church as holy
time, and distinguished from other days by being devoted by
them, in a peculiar manner, to his service and honor, will be
further evident, perhaps, and some objections removed, by the
following observations : —

1. It is evident, from divine revelation, that it is the will of
God that one day in seven should be observed as a Sabbath
by his people, to the end of the world, and not under the Mo-
saic dispensation only.

This may be argued from the institution of a holy Sab-
bath, which God blessed and sanctified, when he first made
man : having himself wrought six days, and finished the work
of creation, he rested on the seventh. And this is mentioned
in the fourth commandment as a reason why men, after they
had attended to secular business six days, should rest from
such labor, and observe the seventh day as a holy Sabbath.

And the command, to remember the Sabbath day, to keep
it holy, etc., being given from Mount Sinai, and written on
one of the tables of stone, and put into the ark with the rest
of the commands, containing the moral law, which is pei'petu-
ally binding on all men, and in this w^ay distinguished from
those particular precepts which were temporary, this is a
strong argument that it is equally perpetual with the other
nine commands, and points out the duty of all men, at all
times, to whom this command shall be made known. If
this command respected that nation only, and were to cease
when the Mosaic dispensation ended, it cannot be accounted
for that it should be revealed in the same peculiar manner
with that in w'hich the moral law was revealed and incorpo-
rated with the moral law, WTitten with it, on tables of stone,
and put into the ark. It has all the external marks of being
perpetual and binding on all men, which attend the rest of
the commands of the moral law.

Moreover, there are some things said in the Scripture, which
indicate that it is the will and design of God that the com-
mand to keep holy the Sabbath day should take place and be
observed under the gospel. The fifty-sixth chapter of Isaiah
is evidently a prophecy of gospel times ; and there, keeping the
Sabbath from polluting it is repeatedly mentioned, as an im-
portant duty, to which promises are made ; and in the eleventh
chapter are these w^ords, with reference to Christ and the gos-
pel dispensation : "And in that day, there shall be a root of
Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people ; to it shall

PUBLIC WORSHIP. 87

the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be gloriousP The word
translated rest, is the same whieh in other places is translated
Sabbath. His Sabbath shall be glorious. And it is not im-
probable that the Psalmist has reference to the first day of the
week, as distinguished and appointed by Christ, and made
holy by him, as the day on whieh he rose from the dead.
He foretells the resurrection of Christ in the following words:
" The stone which the builders rejected is become the head
of the corner." These \vords are cited by the apostle Peter,
and applied to the resurrection of Christ. (Acts iv. 11.) The
Psalmist adds, " This is the Lord's doing ; it is marvellous in
our eyes. This is the day ivhich the Lord hath made ; we will
rejoice and be glad in it." (Ps. cxviii. 22-24.) These words,
"this is the day which the Lord hath made," considered in
their connection with the foregoing, and referring to the resur-
rection of Christ, may naturally be understood of the day on
which Christ rose, as a day of the week which should be a
joyful day to the church, on which this great and happy event
should be celebrated by believers in Christ to the end of the
world ; it being made by him, and appointed to be a holy
Sabbath of rest, and peculiar gladness and praise.

2. The fourth command in the decalogue does not specify
any particular day of the week to be kept holy as a Sabbath,
but only commands men to observe one day in seven as a holy
Sabbath. " Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work ;
but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God."
We must look somewhere else in divine revelation to find
what day of the week is to be observed as a Sabbath, and
when to begin to reckon. The Israelites were told which
day of the week they should keep holy as a Sabbath, but not in
this command. The day of the week on which their Sabbath
should be was made known to them before this command was
given from Mount Sinai ; therefore, this command obliged
them to keep the seventh day of the week as their Sabbath.
And when Christ made it known to his church, that it was
his will that the first day of the week, on which he rose from
the dead, should be observed as a Sabbath, he having abol-
ished the Jewish Sabbath, this laid Christians under as great
obligations to keep the first day of the week as their Sabbath
as the Jews were under to keep the seventh day; and this
did not in the least degree set aside, or alter, the fourth com-
mand ; for Christians remember the Sabbath day to keep it
holy, when they, having attended to their secular business six
days, keep the seventh day as a holy day of rest from all un-
necessary worldly employment. And the fourth command as
much binds them to keep their Sabbath on the first day of the

88 PUBLIC WORSHIP.

week, as it did the children of Israel to keep the seventh day.
The evidence that Christ has revealed this to be his will, has
been briefly stated above.

3. The Jewish Sabbath was not to be perpetual, but did
cease and vanish away with other types and shadows of the
Mosaic dispensation, being equally a shadow with them, and
in some respects the greatest and most remarkable type,
which will be more fully considered under the next particular.
That the weekly Jewish Sabbath is a)3olished, seems to be ex-
pressly asserted by the apostle Paul, in the words which have
been mentioned. (Col. ii. 16, 17.) But since the Sabbath of
the fourth command is to be perpetual, and the Jewish Sab-
bath was not so, it follows, that another day of the week is
appointed by Christ, who is Lord of the Sabbath, to be ob-
served by his church, which appears, from what has been ob-
served above, to be the first day of the week.

4. There is no evidence from Scripture, that the Sabbath
which God gave to the people of Israel, by Moses, was on the
same day of the week with that which was instituted when
the work of creation was finished ; but it is very probable, if
not certain, that it was not.

The day on which God rested from the work of creation,
and which he blessed and sanctified to be a holy Sabbath for
man, was the seventh day from the beginning of the creation ;
but it was really the first day of Adam's life. He was created
on the latter part of the sixth day, but soon fell into a deep sleep,
and had no great enjoyment or thought till the next day. It is
certain the Sabbath day was the first whole day of his life, and
he would naturally begin to reckon time and weeks from that
day, as the first day in the rotation of weeks.* This day was
observed by the antediluvian church, and by Noah and his pos-
terity, as the first day of their week ; which has continued by
an uninteiTupted rotation of weeks to this day. When man-
kind, after the flood, corrupted their rehgion, and apostatized
from the instituted worship of the only true God to idolatry,
and deified and worshipped the sun, moon, and stars, which
was the first kind of idolatry practised by manldnd, they con-
secrated their Sabbath, which was the^r^^ day of their we(!k,
and considered as a high day, the most important and honor-
able of any of the days of the week, to the sun, which is the
first and brightest luminary of the heavens, devoting this day

* Sec Bedford's Scripture Chronolociy, demonstrated hy Astronomical Calcula-
tions ; and Kennedy's Complete System of .Astronomical Chronoloyy, tinfolding the
Scripturrs ; in which they have undertaken to demonstrate, by astronomical
calciihitions, that the seventh day from the be<;inning of the creation has been
reckoned the first day of the week fiom that time to this.

PUBLIC WORSHIP. 89

to the worship of this god ; and hence it obtained the name
of Sunday ; that is, the day of the sun, as it was devoted to
the worship of this heavenly luminary, as most or all the other
days of the week have had names given them from the par-
ticular planets to the worship of which they were devoted.
The original Sabbath, or the first day of the week, being thus
perverted, God saw fit, for this and other reasons, some of
which will be mentioned, to appoint another day of the w^eek
to be a Sabbath to the children of Israel, when he brought
them out of Egypt. He ordered it so that they should pass
through the Red Sea on the seventh day of the week, which
completed their redemption, and deliverance from Egypt, and
he appointed that day of the week to be their Sabbath, in
commemoration of this remarkable deliverance ; on which day
they praised God for this redemption, and sang the song re-
corded in the fifteenth chapter of Exodus. And in the next
chapter this their Sabbath is first mentioned, and was proba-
bly the statute and ordinance which God made with that
people, spoken of, chapter xv. verse 25. And when some of
the people went out on the seventh day to gather manna, and
found none, the Lord said, " See that the Lord hath given
you the Sabbath ; therefore, he giveth you, on the sixth day,
the bread of two days." The Lord hath given you the Sabbath.
This naturally expresses his having then appointed a day to
be their Sabbath, as peculiar to that people, and not that he
had appointed a Sabbath for all mankind when men were
first created. There were two reasons, if not more, for ap-
pointing this seventh day of the week to be their Sabbath.

First. This was suited, with many other laws which were
given to them, to keep them a distinct and separate people from
other nations, and prevent their joining with others in their
idolatrous improvement of the first day of the week. This
was then observed by the nations round them as a high day,
and a festival in honor of the sun and other gods which they
worshipped, and it was of great importance that they should
be kept a distinct people, and not join with them. Their
keeping another day of the week for their Sabbath was suited
to do this as much or more than any other law which was
given them for this end, excepting circumcision. Accordingly,
they were, in after ages, mentioned with contempt, and ridiculed
by the heathen for this peculiarity.

Secondly. As their deliverance out of Egypt was a great
and remarkable event, and a designed type and pledge of the
redemption and salvation of the church by Christ, it was
proper, and of the greatest importance, that it should be kept
in mind, and commemorated by a day appointed to be ob-

90 PUBLIC WORSHIP.

served out of particular respect to that event. Therefore, that
day of the week was fixed upon by God to be their weekly
Sabbath, on which this deliverance was completed. This ap-
pears to be the truth respecting this appointment, from the
words of Moses. When speaking to them of the command
of God to keep their Sabbath, he says, God commanded them
to keep it out of respect to this deliverance. " Keep the Sab-
bath day, to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded
thee. And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of
Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence,
through a mighty hand, and by a stretched-out arm ; there-
fore, the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath
day^ (Deut. v. 15.) This must respect the seventh-day Sab-
bath, which was peculiar to them, appointed out of respect to
that deliverance, and more especially to commemorate that,
not only as a great event in itself, but as a remarkable type
of the spiritual and eternal redemption of the church of Christ,
which is mentioned and referred to in the Scripture as such.
(See Isa. li. 9-11. 1 Cor. x. 1-11. Jude 5.) This is the
reason of God's appointing the seventh day of the week for
their Sabbath, and commanding them to keep it as a Sabbath
day, but is no reason why other nations and mankind at all
times should observe a Sabbath. Therefore, in the fourth
command, which was written on one of the tables of stone,
and put into the ark, and is binding on all men, in all ages,
this is not mentioned as a reason for observing it, nor is any
particular day of the week pointed out, as has been observed.
The seventh day of the week had been before given to the
Israelites for their Sabbath, and Moses gives the reason for this
particular appointment and command of God to them, in tlie
words above rehearsed. And the fourth command in the deca-
logue was a command to them to keep the seventh day of the
week as a Sabbath, because God -had before fixed on this day
for them to observe. But it prescribes no particular day to any
other people, unless it be the first day of the week, sanctified
by God, and handed down from the first Sabbath, and which
has been established by Christ to be the holy Sabbath for
Christians ; which lays the Christian church under as gi-eat
obligations from the fourth command to observe the first day
of the week as their Sabbath, as those under which the Israel-
ites were to observe the seventh day of the week as their
Sabbath.

The seventh-day Sabbath, being given to the Mosaic church
as a commemoration of their deliverance out of Egypt, which
was a distinguished type in that typical church, was itself,
therefore, a tyoical institution, and a shadow of good things

PUBLIC WORSHIP. 91

to come, as was the passover, and other festivals in that
church. Therefore, with truth and the greatest propriety, the
apostle Paul mentions their weekly Sabbaths, with other
Mosaic institutions, as shadows of things to come, which, of
course, ceased and were done away when the things of which
they were types and shadows took place. (Col. ii. 16, 17.)
And then the Sabbath took place, according to its original
institution and com-se, on the first day of the week, and per-
fectly agreeable to the fourth command, and, in a degi-ee,
more so than the Jewish Sabbath.

5. Upon the whole it must be observed, that some time
should be fixed upon, and set apart, and distinguished from
other time, to be in a peculiar manner devoted to the exercises
of piety and public worship, in which all pious men and Chris-
tians should agree and unite, appears reasonable, desirable,
and important. If this were left to men, they would not be
competent judges of the proportion of time that it would be
most suitable and proper to be set apart for those purposes,
and could never agi-ee in the particular days, and the precise
proportion of time, that should be thus distinguished and im-
proved. And, if they could do all this, they have no power
or authority to make one part of time, or one day, more sa-
cred, or relatively holy, than another. God alone, who is the
owner and Lord of time and of all things, can make this dis-
tinction, and in this sense sanctify any day or part of time,
and set it apart for particular holy purposes ; and he only has ,
authority to command men to observe it accordingly, and
keep it holy ; and he only knows what proportion of time is
wisest and best to be thus sanctified, so as to be best suited to
answer the purposes of it, and circumstances of man, to pro-
mote the good of his church. It is, therefore, desirable, and to
be expected, that God would determine this in the revelation
which he gives to the world. Accordingly, we find he has
done it, when he first made man, specifying the day which he
blessed and sanctified, and setting an example to man, that,
after six days of labor, he should rest from his worldly busi-
ness on the seventh day, and keep it holy. This he afterwards
inserted among those commands containing a perpetual moral
law, commanding men — ail men, without distinction — to
observe the Sabbath, and keep one day in seven holy, or the
seventh day, after six days' labor. In the mean time, for par-
ticular, wise, important reasons, he separated a people from
all other nations, and formed them into a church, giving them
laws and statutes suited to keep them separate from the idol-
atrous nations, and to point out by types and emblems the
Redeemer of man, and the great salvation by him, and to pre-

92

PUBLIC WORSHIP.

pare the way for his coming into the world, dying and rising
again, and setting up his kingdom on earth. And among the
rest, they received a command to keep the seventh day of the
week as a holy Sabbath, which was much insisted upon dur-
ing that dispensation as an important article, which should be
to them a constant, visible sign that they were a holy people,
devoted to God. When the end of this seventh-day Sabbath
was fully answered, and the thing of which this, and the event
it was to commemorate, were a type and shadow, took place,
it was abolished, and the Sabbath of the first day of the week
took place by his order and command, who is Lord of the
Sabbath, in commemoration of his resurrection from the dead,
and the eternal redemption of the church which he had ob-
tained by his blood, and which he arose to accomplish.

And nothing could be more suited by this institution to
gratify and please the friends of Christ, than to have the first
day of the week, on which their dear Lord arose from the
dead, consecrated and sanctified, that they may keep a holy
Sabbath on this day, and honor and praise him, and celebrate
the work of redemption. This has been, to the people of God
in general, in the Christian church ever since, a high day, a
delight, holy of the Lord, and honorable, and is so even now.
And if any of the true servants of Christ be otherwise minded,
God will show it unto them.*

It has been a question, up6n which professing Christians
have been divided, when a Christian Sabbath begins, — at
what time of the twenty-four hours of the day it commences,
— whether at the setting of the sun, at midnight, or when the
light comes on in the ftiorning. Some have supposed that it
cannot be certainly determined, and that it is of no importance
when it begins ; — that if persons act conscientiously, and ac-
cording to their own judgment, though they differ, and one
observes the night preceding the day, and the other the night
following the day, they are equally right, and do equally well.
Others, being at a loss about the time of beginning the Sab-
bath, will observe both the evening before and that after the
day, that they may be sure to keep the right.

* That the first day of the week, which is the Christian Sabbath, is the
same day of the ■week which was sanctified as a Sabbath when creation was
finished, appears probable from what has been observed, and, it is tliought,
serves in some def:;rcc to illustrate this point. But though this supposition be
natural and probable, and there be nothing in Scripture inconsistent with it,
yet it is not pretended to be demonstration, or necessary in order to prove the
first day of the Avcek to be the Christian Sabbath, For, if what has been sup-
posed and observed concerning this be considered as mere conjecture, and
without any foundation, the other arguments for the abolition of the Jewish
Sabbath, and the divine appointment of the first day of the week to be the
Christian Sabbath, stand good, and sufliciently establish the point.

PUBLIC WORSHIP. 93

Perhaps the following observations may give some light on
this point. They are offered to the serious, attentive, and
unprejudiced.

1. If God has sanctified one day in seven, or the first day
of the week, all the hours of that day, being twenty-four, are
holy time ; and there is a time when they begin independent
of us, or our opinion or practice. Man cannot make any time
holy. If God have not done it, there is no holy time ; and if
it be made holy by him, it is so independent of man ; and the
hours which are sanctified are fixed and stated, so that, when
the first hour of that time comes, it is holy time, and continues
so, till twenty-four hours be passed ; and then holy time ceases
till another Sabbath comes on, and commences at the same
hour that the preceding Sabbath did. And men cannot change
or commute it by neglecting that time which God has sancti-
fied, and keephig some other day, or hours of another day, as
holy time. Therefore, if the first day of the week be sancti-
fied, the precise hours of that day, from beginning to end, and
when they begin, are fixed, and all those hours are holy time,
and not those which precede or follow, and it is a piece of
superstition to keep them as holy time. Therefore, —

2. We have reason to believe and be sure, that there is light
enough in the Bible to discover to every Christian who will
faithfully use the advantages he has, to get light on this head,
when, or at what time, the Sabbath begins, as well as what
day of the week is sanctified as a Sabbath. For if such light
and information be not given, the command to keep the day
holy cannot reach him, as he has no capacity to obey it.
There may be light enough in the Scripture to determine this,
and yet not be seen by Christians, through some blamable
defect in them. They may be too inattentive, or prejudiced,
or both, and follow the opinion of others, without properly
examining for themselves, with that care and honest impar-
tiality which becomes a Christian ; and be satisfied with argu-
ments which really have no weight in them. If this be not
decided by any one express declaration in Scripture, telling
when the Sabbath is to begin, it may be as clearly revealed
otherwise, to an attentive, honest, discerning mind. Whatever
proposition or truth clearly follows from what God has said in
his word, from beginning to end, is part of divine revelation,
and is the light and truth it contains, or is discovered by it.

3. This cannot be determined by the hour, or time of day,
on which the Redeemer rose out of the grave or tomb ; for this
is not certainly known, which v/ould have been revealed, had
the time of beginning the Sabbath depended on this. But if
it were known, this would not decide the matter ; for no rea-

94 PUBLIC WORSHIP.

son can be given why the day, which is sanctified as a com-
memoration of that event, should begin precisely at the hour
when he rose from the dead. But if any reference be had to the
time of the resurrection of Christ, it is as probable, and perhaps
more so, that he rose soon after the Jewish Sabbath ended,
which was at sunsetting, when the first day of the week did
certainly begin, unless there were a chasm of time between the
seventh day of one week and the first day of another, and which
belonged to neither. Matthew says, " In the end of the Sab-
bath, when it began to dawn towards the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, came (or went) to see
the sepulchre." The same word in the original, here rendered
began to dawn, is used by Luke, and rendered dreia on : " The
Sabbath drew on;" (Luke xxiii. 54;) and it must have that
meaning there. And the words of Matthew may be accord-
ingly rendered: "In the end of the Sabbath, as the first day
of the week drew on, as soon as the Jewish Sabbath was over,
which ended at sundown, these women went to the sepul-
chre ; " that is, sat out to go : but that earthquake and storm,
which Matthew goes on tq relate, took place then, and stopped
them on their way, and prevented their getting there till next
morning; at which time of the earthquake, etc., Christ rose
from the dead, the first day of the week having began.* So
that he rose on the first day of the week, as much as if he had
lain in the grave tiU midnight, or the next morning. But be
this as it may, the time of the first day of the week, on which
Christ rose from the dead, whether between sundown and dark,
or at midnight, or at the dawning of the day, or at the rising
of the sun, were it certainly known, cannot determine when
the Sabbath begins.

4. The time in which men consider their civil day as begin-
ning and ending, will not determine when the Sabbath, which
God has sanctified, begins or ends. In this, men are -arbitrary,
and different nations begin their civil day at different times
and hours.

5. Time did not begin with light, or in the morning; but
darkness, or night, preceded the light of the first day ; and the
evening and the morning were the first day, and not the morn-
ing and the evening. And so the succeeding days, in which
the world was created, are reckoned to begin with the evening,
or night, and to end with the light. " And the evening and
the morning were the second day," etc. Therefore, the sev-
enth day, from the beginning of creation, which was blessed
and sanctified as a Sabbath, began with the evening, and ended

* See Mr. Knight's Harmony, on Matt xxviii. 1.

PUBLIC WORSHIP. 95

with the light, or with the setting of the sun. By this we learn
how time was reckoned by God, and at what time he fixed the
beginning of" the day; not in the morning, or at midnight,
but the evening which preceded the morning. And the first
Sabbath which was sanctified began at evening, and included
the night preceding the light of the day. And why is not this
a sufficient guide to us, in determining when the day is to be-
gin, which God has set apart for himself, and made holy?
We are told by him how he reclvoned time and days when
they first began, and that he connected the preceding night
with the following light, to malie a whole day ; and that he
sanctified such a day, which began in the evening and ended
at the next evening, and blessed it for the use of man ; and
may it not be safely and with certainty inferred that aU holy
days, which God hath made so, begin with the evening, since
there is no intimation in the Bible that he has altered his way
of reclvoning days, since the beginning of time, nor has left it
to men to determine as they please ? but the contrary ; for, —

6. When God made known, and gave a weekly Sabbath to
the children of Israel, and appointed other holy days, he ordered
them to begin all of them at the evening, or going down of
the sun. This none will dispute, who attends properly to his
Bible.

The Jews, when Christ was on earth, began their Sabbath
at the setting of the sun, and ended it at the same time of the
day. This is evident from what is related by three of the
evangelists. (Matt. viii. 16. Mark i. 32. Luke iv. 40.) When
Christ had attended the public exercises of the synagogue on
the Sabbath, and had cured a man found there possessed by
an unclean spirit, he went into the house of Simon ; " and at
even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that
w^ere diseased, and them that were possessed with devils ; and
all the city were gathered together at the door." The rulers
and doctors among the Jews held and taught that it was not
lawful to heal on the Sabbath, and strictly forbid all persons
coming to Christ on that day. When Jesus healed a woman
whom he found in the synagogue on the Sabbath, "the rulers
of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that
Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day, and said unto the peo-
ple, There are six days in which men ought to work ; in them,
therefore, come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day."
(Luke xiii. 14.) Therefore, the people did not bring any of
the diseased to Christ to be healed on the Sabbath day. But
at evening, when the sun was set, they came in crowds to the
house where Jesus was, bringing their sick and possessed to
Christ to be healed. This fact renders it certain, that the Jews

wo PUBLIC WORSHIP.

did then consider the Sabbath as ended when the sun did set ;
consequently they began at the setting of the sun. And the
Jews have practised agreeable to this from that time down to
this day, beginning their Sabbaths and all their other festivals
at the going down of the sun.

Jesus and his disciples observed the Jewish Sabbath, which
began and ended at the setting of the smi ; and the apostles
w^ould of course begin the Christian Sabbath at the same time,
which succeeded the Jewish Sabbath, on the first day of the
week, and began when that ended; and ought to do so, unless
they had a particular command to begin it at a difi'erent time,
of which there is not the least intimation. Though the Jewish
Sabbath is abolished, and the first day of the week is appointed
to be the Christian Sabbath, and thus the day is altered, yet
this is no warrant to alter the time of beginning the day, but
it must remain the same, unless Cxod has manifested it to be
his will that it should be altered, and fixed another time on
which to begin the day, wdiich he has not done. Since the
change is only of the day, and not of the time of beginning it,
and the first day began when the seventh day ended, which
was at sundown, is not this sufficient evidence that it is the
will of God that the Christian Sabbath shall begin at the going
down of the sun, when the Jewish Sabbath ended ? And does
not this, in conjunction with what has been observed in the
preceding particular, sufficiently discover the will of God re-
specting the beginning of the holy days, ^vhich he makes so
for the use of man ? And is it not presumption and will-
worship, to begin the Sabbath at any other time of the day,
without a divine warrant, sufficient to counteract what God
has done and revealed, in the instances which have been
mentioned ?

7. It is as proper and convenient to begin the Sabbath at
sundown as at any other time, and in some respects more so.
A care and exertion to have all worldly affairs and business
finished so as to be laid aside by that particular time, is a
proper expression of regard to a divine institution. And if the
heads of a family, and their household, be pious, and delight
in the Sabbath, they will find no insuperable difficulty, in or-
dinary cases, to be prepared to meet and w^elcome the Sab-
bath when the time comes on, and come together and begin
it in joining in social worship. The Jews find no insuperable
difficulty or inconvenience in punctually beginning their Sab-
bath at sundown, when" they commonly join in social worship.
And Christians may certainly, with equal convenience and
propriety, begin their Sabbath at the same time.

CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 97

CHRISTIAN BAPTISM.

Baptism is an ordinance, or sacrament, which Christ has
instituted. This is to be performed by the application of
water to the person ba))tized, in the name of the Father, and
the Son, and the Holy Ghost. In order to be a proper subject
of baptism, a person, if adult, must profess his I'aith in Christ,
and subjection to him, and engage to do all those things
which he has commanded, and appear to be a true Christian,
or real believer in Christ, and to understand and believe the
great and essential doctrines and precepts of the gospel. This
ordinance is to be a))plied to every one who appears to be
qualified, according to the rules which Christ has given, to be
a member of the visible church. And no one is to be con-
sidered and treated as a member of the church and kingdom
of Christ unless he be baptized with water, as this is the only
door by which persons can be introduced into the visible
kingdom of Christ, according to his appointment; and all
who are baptized according to his direction are visible mem-
bers of his church. Christ, in his commission to his disciples,
directed them to baptize all whom they proselyted. (Matt.
xxviii. 19.) And w^e find, by the history we, have of their
preaching and conduct, that they practised accordingly. The
words of Christ to Nicodemus express the essential qualifica-
tions by which a person becomes a true and real member of
his visible church. " Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a
man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God." (John iii. 5.) By the kingdom of
God, and the kingdom of heaven, when mentioned by Christ,
he commonly means his visible church and kingdom in this
world. By being born of the Spirit, is meant that renovation
of heart by which persons become real Christians and mem-
bers of the invisil)le kingdom of Christ. To be born of water
is to be baptized with water according to the institution and
command of Christ, by which persons enter into the visible
church, and become members of the visible kingdom of God,
without which they cannot enter into this kingdom, as this is
the only appointecl way to enter into that covenant of which
baptism is the initiating seal, and so to be made a visible
member of this khigdom. The former, his being born of the
Spirit, does not make him a member of the visible church or
kingdom of God. But in order to this, he must profess his
faitli, and enter into covenant, and have this visible seal of the
covenant put upon him. As a person may be born of the
Spirit before he is a visible member of the kingdom of God,

VOL. II. 9

VtS CHRISTIAN BAPTISM.

and must be so in order to be a real and true member at any
time, and he is supposed and appears to be such a one when
he is baptized, and by it becomes a visible member of this king-
dom ; so a person may appear to be born of the Spirit, and
profess that which implies it, and be baptized and enter into the
visible kingdom of God, and yet not be really born of the Spirit.
He is not a member of the invisible church, but may be a mem-
ber of the visible church, admitted according to the rules which
Christ has given to his church. He is not in the kingdom of
God in the sight of God, but is so in the sight of men. But
he who is born of the Spirit, and is baptized, has entered into
the kingdom of God, in the sight of God and man, and ap-
pears to be what he really is, and shall be saved ; whereas,
the other, who is born of water only, is a hypocrite, and is a
member of the kingdom of God only in appearance ; that is,
he is a visible member only, and not a complete one, and has
no title to salvation.

Baptism is an appointed seal of the covenant of grace, both
on the part of Christ, and of him who is baptized. It is a
seal of the truth of the promises of this covenant, to all who
believe, and are the true friends of Christ, And he who is
baptized makes this a visible seal and token of the truth of his
profession, of his believing in Christ, and of his friendship to
him, and his willingness to obey and serve him; so it is a visi-
ble, solemn covenant transaction between Christ and him who
is baptized, by which his sins are visibly washed away and
forgiven, and he is visibly entitled to ail the promises of the
covenant of grace, and numbered among the saved, and is really
so, if his heart be answerable in any degree to his profession
and this solemn transaction, as it is if he be born of the Spirit
of God.

Christian baptism is not to be repeated, or administered
more than once to the same person, because we have no pre-
cept or example for this in the Scripture. And there does not
appear any reason for doing it ; for by this, persons arc intro-
duced into the visible church of Christ, as appearing to be real
members of his kingdom. And if one so baptized and intro-
duced be afterwards rejected and cast out for his visible bad
conduct, and after this profess and appear to be a true peni-
tent, there can be no visible evidence that he was not a real
Christian when he was baptized and first introduced ; there-
fore, there is no more reason for rebaptizing him than for
repeating the baptism of any other visible member of the
church, and though he has been rejected, his relation to the
church does not cease on supposition he shall repent ; there-
fore, when he appears to repent, he restores himself to the
same station in the visible church in which he was before.

CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 99

Baptism is a public ordinance, and the church is to know
who are baptized and who are not, and it is, therefore, in ordi-
nary cases, to be administered in public. But. there may be
instances in which it is proper and necessary to do it more
privately, of which we have examples in the days of the
apostles.

There have been, and still are, different and opposite senti-
ments among professed believers respecting the ordinance of
baptism, especially with regard to the mode of applying water
in baptism, and the proper subjects of this ordinance ; and
many volumes have been wi'itten containing controversy on
these points. And as no new light can perhaps be given
now on these subjects in dispute, it is not thought needful
to enter particularly into this controversy here. A few things,
however, will be observed respecting these points, of the pro-
priety and truth of which every one will judge for himself.

1. The difference and opposition in sentiment and practice
respecting this institution, and all other Christian doctrines,
duties, and ordinances, is not owing to any want of light and
instruction in the Scriptures on these points. To suppose
this, is a reproach on divine revelation, and the author of it,
and an implicit denial that it comes from God. All differ-
ences of this kind are owing to something defective and wrong
in man, by which he is blind to that which is clearly revealed
in Scripture. This ought to encourage and excite every hon-
est man diligently to search the Scriptures on this subject, as
well as others, praying that he may not be blinded by preju-
dice or any wa'ong bias, but that his eyes may be opened to
see what God has revealed. We are not to confine ourselves
to one part of the Bible in neglect of others, or to conclude
nothing to be revealed which we do not find asserted in express
words, but all parts of Scripture are fo be carefully examined,
and compared together, in order to learn what is the whole re-
vealed will of God. And whatever is the just and necessary
consequence from any one or two, or more propositions or facts
which are expressly asserted, is as really revealed as those
propositions and facts themselves.

However we may differ now in sentiment and practice on
the subject of baptism, and oppose and censure each other,
when men shall be more upright, discerning, and diligent, in
attending to the Bible, ready to receive with meekness what
God has revealed, as they will be in the days of the millenni-
um, all those differences will cease, and what is so much dis-
puted now will then be seen to be clearly decided in divine
revelation; aU former errors will be rectified, and, doubtless,
it will then be seen that we were all more or less in the wrong

100 CHRISTIAN BAPTISM.

on this point. We must, therefore, go to the law and the tes-
timony ; and if we think and speak not according to this word,
it is because there is no light in us, while it shines sufficiently
clear in the Bible.

2. As to the mode of baptism, and the form and manner of
using and applying water in this ordinance, to the person bap-
tized, it does not appear to be decidedly fixed in the Scripture,
whether it be by plunging, pouring on water, aspersion, or
sprinkling. Each of those ways have been embraced and prac-
tised by different churches, and some do insist that plunging
the jjerson wholly under water is the only scriptural mode of
baptism, and that none are really baptized, who are not thus
plunged. But when the Scripture is carefully examined, it
wiU not appear that this form of baptism was instituted by
Christ, or practised by the apostles ; or that the word in the
original, translated baptism, or to baptize, invariably signifies
plunging the whole body in water. This has been particularly
considered and proved over and over again, by writers on this
subject. Therefore, their opinion and practice, with regard to
baptism, seems to be most agi-eeable to Scripture, who think
no particular form of applying water in baptism is prescribed
there, by precept or example, or by any thing that is there said
on this point ; therefore, every church is left to adopt that par-
ticular mode which appears to them most decent and con-
venient ; or that different persons may be baptized in different
ways of application of water, as shall be most agreeable to
them, allowing all to be really baptized, to whom water is re-
ligiously applied by a proper person, in the name of the sacred
Trinity, whether by plunging, pouring on water, or by asper-
sion and sprinkfing, as the Christian baptism does in no degree
consist in the particular manner of using and applying water;
and that it is as real baptism, according to the institution of
Christ, when performed in different modes. And they seem
to be rigid beyond any Scripture wan-ant, and in a degree
superstitious, who insist that aU shall be baptized by plunging,
and reject aU those to whom water has not been applied in
this particular mode, as not baptized. This is doubtless making
that essential to this ordinance which the Scripture has not
made so, and rejecting those from Christian communion and
the privileges of the visible church whom Christ receives. If
they who have adopted this mode of baptism by plunging did
not make it a term of communion, and exclude all as not
baptized who have not had water applied to them in Ihis
particular way, and not visible Christians, the dispute and
contention would be at an end, and they who think and prac-
tise difierently might hold communion with each other, and

CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. 101

be members of the same churches, though baptized in differ-
ent modes.

3. The proper subjects of baptism, if adult, are those who
by profession, and in appearance, are believers in Christ, and
true friends to him. None but they who are really such do in
heart " put on Christ," and approve of the covenant of gi-ace
and the way of salvation by him, and devote themselves to liis
honor and service, which all who come to baptism profess to
do, and by this transaction are admitted into the church as the
servants of Christ, and are visibly iiiterested in the blessings of
the covenant of gi'ace, and are considered as among the num-
ber of the saved, and are thus distinguished from all others, as
saints, or holy persons. They must, therefore, be really holy,
in order to put on this visibility and profession of it, with pro-
priety and truth, which they do in baptism ; for if they be not
really such, they are utterly unqualified, in the sight of God, to
be admitted to baptism, as it is, on their part, only a piece of
hypocrisy. Therefore none are to be admitted to this ordi-
nance but those who in the view of the church appear to be
true friends to Christ, or believers in him, and really holy, and
are justly considered by them as such, who can judge only by
outward appearance, and cannot certainly know what is in
the heart.

That none but such who are thus visibly, and in the chari-
table judgment of the church, and of those who administer
this ordinance, believers in Christ, and really holy, are the
proper subjects of this ordinance, and to be admitted to bap-
tism, is abundantly evident from Scripture, as well as from the
nature of the transaction, and the reason of things. The
apostles, when they first began to administer Christian bap-
tism and form a church, baptized none but such who " gladly
received the word." (Acts ii. 41.) When the eunuch desired
to be baptized, Philip said, " If thou believest with all thine
heart, thou mayest." (Acts viii. 37.) This implies that he was
not qualified for baptism, or a fit subject of that ordinance,
unless he were a true believer in Christ ; and that he could
not baptize him unless he professed and appeared to be such
a believer. Hence, all who were baptized and formed into
churches were considered and addressed by the apostles, in
their letters to them, as saints or holy persons, believers in
Christ, and friends to him, as those who were saved, and heirs
of eternal life ; or, which is the same, as real Christians : of
which every one must be sensible, who reads the Acts of the
Apostles and their epistles.
9*

102 INFANT BAPTISM.

INFANT BAPTISM.

Whether infants, the children of visible believers, and
members of the visible church, who have been now described,
are the proper subjects of baptism, is an important question,
upon which professing Christians are greatly divided, and
which has been the subject of much dispute in the three last
centuries. It is not thought proper, or that it will answer any
good end, to enter here very particularly into this dispute,
upon which so much has been written on both sides. It will
be sufficient briefly to state the chief arguments for the bap-
tism of such children, and the ground and import of this ordi-
nance, when applied to them.

AUGUIMENTS FOR INFANT BAPTISM.

I. The arguments may be exhibited under the following
particulars : —

1. It is observed from the Scripture, that God, in his deal-
ings with men, in his constitutions and conduct, and covenants
with them, does connect children with their parents, and con-
siders the former as included in the latter ; so that the children
take their moral character and visible relation to God, and de-
rive good or evil, a blessing, or the contrary, from their parents,
according to their character and conduct.

When God first made man, he considered the children of
Adam as included in him, and they were included in the cove-
nant made with him ; so that they were to be blessed or not,
according to the conduct of their parent, and his moral charac-
ter and conduct were to determine and fix theirs. Though
there were some things peculiar in this constitution, especially
as it was more general and comprehensive, taking in all the
natural descendants from Adam to the end of the world, yet
thus much is to be gathered from it, viz., that children may be
included in the covenant which is made with their parents, so
as to take their moral character from them, and derive good
or evil, according to the moral conduct of their parents, and
that God has actually done this in a perspicuous and most
striking instance, in which he may be considered, perhaps, as
setting a pattern and example of his conduct with mankind, in
his public covenant transactions with them, and that in all
such covenants children are to be considered as included with
their parents.

When God made a covenant with Noah, after the flood, his

INFANT BAPTISM. 103

children and seed were included; and God's covenant with
Abraham was with him, and his seed after him ; and his chil-
dren and posterity had favor and blessings in consequence of
this covenant, and out of respect to it. " He remembered his
holy promise, and Abraham his servant. And he brought forth
his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness. But thou,
Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of
Abraham my friend." (Ps. cv. 42, 43. Isa. xli. 8. ' See also Gen.
V. 4, 5, 24. Ex. vi. 5. Lev. xxvi. 42.) And God saved the
children and posterity of David from evil, and showed them
special favors for his sake, and out of respect to the covenant
made with him. (1 Kings xi. 12, 13, 32, 34, 36. 2 Chron. xxi. 7.
Isa. xxxvii. 35.)

From these instances it appears that God has, in fact, en-
tered into covenant with parents, in which their children or
seed were included in such a sense and degree that he has
showed favor to them out of respect to such covenants, and to
the parents with whom the covenant was made. When God
entered into covenant with the children of Israel, on the plains
of Moab, their children — even their little ones, or infants —
are expressly included in the covenant. (Deut. xxix. 10-12.)
They are said to enter into covenant with their parents.
Therefore, infants and children did enter into covenant with
their parents, as included with them in the solemn transaction.

Agreeably to this, God says, "I, the Lord thy God, am a
jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the
children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that
hate me ; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that
love me, and keep my commandments." (Ex. xx. 5, 6.) Here,
on the one hand, God says he brings evil on the children and
posterity of wicked parents, as the consequence of their ini-
quity. It hence is evident that the moral character of the
children of wicked parents is, by divine constitution, affected,
formed, and fixed by, or in consequence of, the parents' in-
iquity, who are enemies to him ; for God has declared that the
child who does not imitate his father in his iniquity shall not
suffer for his father's wickedness. (Eze. xviii. 1-20.) The
words cited from the second commandment are not repeated
or contradicted by this passage in Ezekiel, as some have sug-
gested, but are explained ; and hereby we learn that visiting
the iniquity of the fathers upon their children does not intend
punishing the children for the iniquity of their fathers, — w^hat-
ever be the moral character and conduct of the children, and
though they abhor and renounce their father's iniquity, and
fear and love God, — but their moral character is supposed to
be like that of their wicked father, and is necessarily impHed

104 INFANT BAPTISMi

in the iniquity of their father being visited upon them ; — that
they shall not renounce, but approve of, the sins of their father,
and suffer natural evil or punishment for their own disposition
and conduct, and because their moral character and conduct
is like their father's. Hence it appears that the moral charac-
ter of the childi'cn of wicked parents is the consequence of the
iniquity of then- parents, and is formed by it, as the foundation
of the natural' evil which they suffer ; and that this is meant
by visiting the iniquity of the fathers, who hate God, upon
their children. These fathers do hand down, and entail to
their children, their iniquity, or their own moral character, as
there is no other possible way in which their iniquity can be
visited upon their children.

On the contrary, God shows mercy unto a thousand gener-
ations successively of them who love him and keep his com-
mandments. This is God's covenant with such ; which ap-
pears from the words of Moses, in which he has reference to
the declaration and promise in the second command : " Know,
therefore, that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God,
which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him,
and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations."
(Deut. vii. 9.) From these words we learn two things : —

First. That the mercy mentioned in the second command,
which God exercises and shows, is covenanted mercy, — mercy
which he has promised to them who love him and keep his
commandments, who have entered into covenant with him.

Secondly. That thousands, in the second command, means
a thousand generations, and so is a promise of mercy not only
to those individual persons now on the stage of life who love
God and keep his commandments, but that these, by fearing
God and keeping his commandments, shall transmit and hand
down mercy to the next generation, or to their children ; and
those children, by faithfully following their parents' steps, and
keeping covenant, shall likewise procure mercy for their chil-
dren of the next generation. And, in this way, unless the
covenant be broken by unfaithfulness and disobedience, mercy
will go down from one to another, even to a thousand genera-
tions,— that is, to all generations, — and the course can never
be interrupted ; and, in this respect, it is an everlasting cove-
nant.

And that this is the meaning of the words in the second
commandment is evident from the words themselves taken
together ; for the promise is set in opposition to the threaten-
ing. The threatening respects posterity, or children, or gener-
ations yet to come — "unto the third and fourth generation."
Generation is not in the original, but is necessarily understood,

INFANT BAPTISM. 105

and, therefore, properly supplied by our translators. There-
fore, the promise has respect to the same ; and " showing
mercy unto thousands" means a thousand generations, and
might have been thus translated and supplied with as much
reason and propriety as the foregoing clause, and agreeable to
the sense Moses gives of the words in the place just cited. As
evil descends from father to children to the third and fourth
generation, so, on the other hand, mercy descends from parents
to children to a thousand generations ; — that is, to all genera-
tions without any limitation, — a certain number, or many, be-
ing mentioned for an unlimited one. The descent of evil from
father to children, from generation to generation, is limited,
and has an end, either by the interposition of mercy, to put a
stop to the succession of evil, as it sometimes does, and so
"mercy rejoices against judgment," or, by cutting off the pos-
terity, and putting an end to the succession of evil, which is
often the case. But mercy descends from parents to children,
from generation to generation, without limitation or end, un-
less the succession be interrupted and cut off by disobedience
and breach of covenant by the parents.

And as the disobedient parents transmit a bad moral char-
acter to their children by their iniquity, — this being implied
in the threatening, as has been shown, — and their iniquity is,
in this way, visited upon their children, so by the promise,
which is opposed to the threatening, the love and obedience
of the parents affect and form the moral character of their
children ; so that their piety and obedience do, by the promise,
convey spiritual blessings to their children, which is the mercy
promised and shown to the parents who love God and keep
his commandments, in opposition to the judgment and evil
threatened to disobedient parents. As their impiety and diso-
bedience is, in judgment, visited on their children in the man-
ner above explained, so, on the contrary, the piety and obedi-
ence of them who love God and keep his commandments is,
in mercy, visited upon their children, transmitting a good
moral character to them, and all those blessings which are
implied in this ; and thus, as the Psalmist declares, " the
generation of the upright shall be blessed; his seed shall be
mighty upon the earth." (Ps. cxii. 2.)

AH that is to be inferred from this passage at present, —
though further use may be made of it before this subject is
finished, — and from those mentioned before under this par-
ticular, is, that God, in his transactions and covenanting with
men, docs include children with their parents, and they are so
connected together that children derive their moral character,
at least in many instances, from their parents ; and God, in

106 INFANT BAPTISM.

entering into covenant with parents, extends the promises and
blessings of his covenant to their children, which are suspend-
ed on the character and conduct of their parents on their ful-
filling the covenant on their part, or not. It is presumed this
is undeniably certain from the passages of Scripture which
have been here cited.

As this has, in fact, been the way of God's dealing with
mankind, and this is declared to be his method of conduct
and the tenor of his covenanting with his peojile in the second
command, — not as a temporary, but a perpetual rule of his
proceeding and covenanting with man, — and this appears
rational and natural, no reason can be suggested why it should
not take place under the gospel to as great a degree, if not
greater, in God's covenanting with Christians ; but this gives
good reason to conclude, with great certainty, that this is the
way in which God deals with Christians and Christian
churches universally, and that his covenant with them includes
their children also.

This is thought to be one good and strong argument for
the baptism of children of parents who are visible believers,
and are in covenant with God, and members of a Christian
church. Since the covenant has respect to their children as
well as to them, and the children are really included in it, this
is a good reason why the seal of the covenant should be ap-
plied to them, as well as to their parents ; therefore, they are
proper subjects of baptism.

2. That the above reasoning is right and conclusive, from
the facts and declarations recorded in Scripture, which have
been mentioned ; that the children of those who enter into
covenant are proper subjects of the seal of the covenant,
and have an equal right to it with their parents, is confirmed
by the express direction and command of God to administer
and affix the seal of his covenant to the children, as well as to
their parents. Of this there is indisputable evidence, both
from precept and from fact.

When God entered into covenant with Abraham, the father
and pattern of all believers to the end of the world, and formed
a visible church in his house and family, and appointed cir-
cumcision to be a token and seal of the covenant, his children,
and all the children in his family, were included in the cove-
nant, and by an express direction and command were to be
circumcised at eight days old. And this was the seal of the
covenant between God and the seed and posterity of Abra-
ham, and all who were proselyted and joined with them, by
which they were visibly in covenant, and distinguished from
others, and was constantly applied to children, from Abraham

INFANT BAPTISM. 107

down to the Christian dispensation, and till the rite of circum-
cision was expressly set aside and abolished in the church,
and another rite appointed in the place of it by divine author-
ity, which is baptism with water. And the circumcision of
infants was so strictly enjoined, and made so important and
necessary, in order to continue and maintain a visible church,
that when a parent neglected to circumcise his children, the
covenant was broken with respect to the children and the
parent, and they were cut off from the church. (Gen. xvii. 9,
10, 14. Ex. iv. 24-26 ; xii. 48.)

The Abrahamic covenant, and that into which the children
of Israel entered, which is in substance the same, included the
promise of spiritual blessings, even all the good things which
are contained in the covenant of grace, which takes place be-
tween God and the visible churches of Christ, and every in-
dividual believer ; and the latter is the same with the former,
in the essence and substance of it. Nothing greater or more
is promised to man in the Bible, nor can more be promised
by God than that he will be a God unto them. This promise
was contained in the covenant made with Abraham and his
seed. (Gen. xvii.) And this promise contains all the bless-
ings of the gospel covenant, or the new covenant, called so to
distinguish it from the covenant pulJished from Mount Sinai,
in the form of a covenant of works, which did, however, under
that form, more darkly contain the covenant of grace. (Jer.
xxxi. 31-34. Ezek. xxxvii. 27. Heb. viii. 10. Rev. xxi. 7.)
And nothing more is to be promised, on man's part, than to
keep this covenant, which was enjoined upon Abraham and his
seed. " And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my
covenant therefore, thou and thy seed after thee, in their gener-
ations." (Gen. xvii. 9.) To enter into covenant \\ath God,
and acknowledge and receive him as their God, is to engage
to do all the duty enjoined in the covenant which is necessary
in order to partake of the promises ; to love God and keep his
commandments ; which is expressed to Abraham in the fol-
lowing words : " The Lord appeared to Abraham, and said
unto him, I am the Almighty God ; vmlk before me, and be
thou perfectP (Verse 1.)

This covenant did, indeed, contain a promise of temporal
blessings, and of possessing the land of Canaan ; but this does
not make it essentially different from the covenant under the
gospel ; for this contains a promise of temporal good things,
which shall be proper and needed. It has the "promise of the
life that now is, and of that which is to come." (1 Tim. iv. 8.)

Therefore, the token or seal of this covenant, on the part of
those to whom it was applied, signified a new heart, a heart

108

INFANT BAPTISM^

to love God, a humble, penitent, obedient heart. And a heart
opposite to all this is called an uncircumcised heart. " Cir-
cumcise, therefore, the foreskin of your heart, and be no more
stiff-necked. And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine
heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God
with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest
live." (Deut. x. 16 ; xxx. 6.) " If then their uncircumcised
hearts be humbled." (Lev. xxvi. 41.) " Ye stiff-necked, and
uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy
Ghost." (Acts vii. 51.) " He is not a Jew which is one out-
wardly, neither is that chcumcision which is outward in the
flesh ; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision
is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter." (Rom.
ii. 29.) Circumcision, therefore, implied, and did signify as
much, and the same tiling, as baptism does, when applied to
the adult or any other person.

The argument from this fact and divine constitution is
stated in the following manner: When God formed a church
in the family of Abraham, and in Israel his posterity, upon the
same foundation and covenant, as to substance, with that
upon which the church, under the gospel, is founded, requiring
the same character in order to be members of it, and contain-
ing the same mutual promises and engagements, and ap-
pointed a token or seal of this covenant, by the application
of which persons were introduced as visible members of this
church, and were distinguished from all others as a visibly
holy people ; he did, at the same time, order this distinguish-
ing seal of the covenant to be applied and administered to
their children, and they were taken into covenant with their
parents. The children of parents in the Christian church are
as capable of being included in the covenant with their par-
ents, and of having the qualifications for baptism, and the
things signified by it, as the infants of Abraham and his pos-
terity were of being included in the covenant made with them,
and of liaving the qualifications and those things which were
signified by circumcision, these being in substance the same,
there being no other alteration or change but that which is
circumstantial, and the ancient initiating rite and seal of the
covenant changed from circumcision to baptism with water,
which is the Christian circumcision. Therefore, the children
of believers in the Christian church are included in the cove-
nant into which the parents enter, and are to have the initiat-
ing seal of the covenant applied to tiiem, as being the proper
subjects of ])aptism. And the divine command to Abraham
and his posterity to circumcise their children is as binding on
Christians, who are the children of Abraham, to baptize their

INFANT BAPTISM. 109

children, unless this command and institution of God be ex-
pressly or clearly, by necessary implication, repealed and set
aside ; which is not to be found in the Bible, nor the least
intimation of any such thing, but the contrary, as will be
shown under the next particular. It was a favor and privilege
to both parents and children, in the Abrahamic church, to
have the latter admitted into covenant with their parents, and
to have the seal of the covenant applied to them ; and no
reason can be given or thought of, why it is not as great a
favor and privilege to both now, as it was then : no man,
therefore, can set this divine institution aside, unless he have
a warrant from heaven to do it, without disobedience to Gad,
and injuring the church of Christ, and offending those little
children, the children of believing parents.

God, by instituting a church in the family of Abraham, set
a pattern, and appointed a form of a church, in all the essen-
tials of it, agreeable to his own wisdom and goodness, in which
he included both parents and their children, and ordered the
initiating seal of the covenant to be applied to infants, hereby
declaring them to be the proper subjects of it. This was a
great favor and privilege to parents and children, and was,
therefore, strictly enjoined, and much insisted upon as an im-
portant duty, the neglect of which brought the parents under
censure, and excluded them from the privilege of the church,
and injured the children. Therefore, this institution continues,
and is binding on the Christian church, and will continue to
the end of the world, and there is no reason to expect or desire
that it should be set aside, and be made to cease, or that it
should be expressly enjoined again, and the command renewed
under the gospel, because this is wholly needless ; it having
been once expressly enjoined, and actually put into practice, a
total silence about it afterwards is a tacit command to con-
tinue the observance of it.*

3. It has been just now observed, that if nothing be recorded
in the New Testament that was said or done by Christ or his
apostles, contrary to including the children of believers in the

* They who are expecting and demanding that Christ or his apostles should
expressly renew and enjoin on Christians the appointment and command of
God to apply to the infants of believers the initiating seal of the covenant, in
order to warrant men to do it, refusing to acquiesce in the decision of this point,
which God had already made, if the arrjument above be conclusive, are imitating
Balaam, who did not rest satisfied with the decision which God had once made,
respecting his going to curse Israel, but expected and required that God should
speak again, if he did really forbid his doing it ; and are acting as the scribes
and Pharisees did, who demanded a sign from heaven to prove that Jesus was
the Messiah, while they disregarded all the signs and the abundant evidence
which had been given to confii-m this truth.
VOL. II. 10

110 INFANT BAPTISM.

covenant with their parents and baptizing them, then the con-
stitution which God had ah-cady made in his church with re-
spect to this must stand um-epealed ; and it may be safely
concluded, that it is the will of Christ that this should take
place in his church, and that it actually did take place, and
was practised, though nothing be said directly concerning it.
But it must be now observed, that there are things said in the
New Testament which do imply this, and show that the chil-
dren of believers were then considered in the same light and
character, and treated as the children at ere in the Abrahamic
church.

What Christ said of little children and infants, and did to
them which were brought to him for his blessing, is remark-
able. The disciples rebuked those who brought them for doing
it ; but Christ was much displeased with them for doing so, and
said to them, " Suffer little children to come unto me, and for-
bid them not ; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." And
he took them in his arms, and laid his hands on them, and
prayed for them, and blessed them. (Matt. xix. 13-15. Mark
X. 13, 14. Luke xviii. 15, 16.) Upon this the following things
are to be observed : —

1. They who brought those children and infants to Christ
were believers in him, and friends to him, for none but such
would in these circumstances bring their children to him, to
obtain his blessing.

2. They were not brought to Christ to be cured of any
bodily disease : for if this had been the case, and the children
had need of healing in this sense, the disciples would not have
rebuked them for bringing them to be healed; besides, there is
not a word said, intimating that they were cured of any bodily
disorder, or that they had any.

3. Christ encouraged their bringing their little children and
infants to him, and discovered his approbation, by showing his
displeasure with his disciples for discouraging and forbidding
them to do it, and charging them not to do so again, and by
granting the request of those who brought them.

4. Christ, by taking them in his arms, and praying for them
and blessing them, declared that they were capable of receiving
spiritual saving blessings ; of being the subjects of all the bless-
ings contained in the covenant of grace, and of all that is sig-
nified in the ordinance of baptism ; and that he actually fixed
this character upon them, and conferred these blessings, and
numbered them among the saved, those who are redeemed by
him. For his praying for them, and blessing them, must
imply all this, as he was always- heard, and they whom Christ
blesses are blessed, and shall be blessed forever.

INFANT BAPTISM. Ill

5. When Christ says, "for of such is the kingdom of
heaven," he, in these words, gives the reason why Uttle chil-
dren should be brought to him for his blessing. By the king-
dom of God, or the kingdom of heaven, which is the same,
is meant the visible kingdom of Christ in this world, or his
church ; in which sense, this phrase is most commonly used
by Christ. What he here declares, therefore, is, that such
children as these — that is, the children of his friends, who be-
lieve in him — belong to his kingdom, and are to be members
of his visible church, and to be with their parents numbered
among the redeemed.

This declaration of our Savior sets the children of believing
parents under the gospel in the same situation in which the
children of the visible members of the ancient church, in the
family and posterity of Abraham, were placed. Such were
introduced with their parents into that church and kingdom,
and were as real members of it as their parents. But they
cannot enter into this kingdom of God, the visible church of
Christ, in any way but by being baptized with water ; there-
fore, this is as proper, important, and necessary, as was the
circumcision of children, under the covenant made with Abra-
ham. If children of visible believers are to be considered as
having a r^ght to be visible members of the kingdom of God,
and to be treated as such, in which light Christ has set them
in those words, then they are to be introduced to this visible
standing in this church and kingdom, by the only door which
Christ has fixed and opened for this, which is, by being bap-
tized with water, in the name of the sacred Trinity ; or being
born of water.

In sum, what Christ said and did on this occasion is entirely
conformable to the institution in the covenant with Abraham,
and the practice of the church of Israel respecting children ;
and is really an approbation of it, and a manifestation of his
will, that the children of his disciples, and members of his visi-
ble church, should be considered and treated as the children
of Abraham and his posterity were, as being in the same cove-
nant and kingdom with their parents.

What the apostle Paul says to the church of Christ at Cor-
inth, and particular members of it, respecting then children, is
an evidence that they had the same station and character in
the Christian church which they had in the church before the
incarnation of Christ. " Else were your children unclean ; but
now are they holy." (1 Cor. vii. 14.)

Here it is asserted, that the children of believing parents,
even if one of them be a believer, are lioly. The meaning of
the word holy, here, is doubtless plain and determinate, and

112 INFANT BAPTISM.

will appear so, when properly considered and compared with
other parts of the Bible. Is it not certain that this word,
especially in the New Testament, when applied to a moral
agent, denotes a moral character, and means real holiness, or
the appearance of real holiness, in the view and judgment of
those persons who are to form a judgment of their moral char-
acter, and treat them accordingly ? This is the same with visi-
ble holiness ; that is, real holiness in the sight and judgment
of men, who are to judge and act upon it. To be visibly holy,
is to be really holy in appearance to men, so far as they can,
or have a right to judge ; and is a sufficient warrant for them
to consider and treat them who have this visibility of real
holiness, as if they were in fact really holy, though this visi-
bility, or the signs and evidence by which they are to judge,
be not infallibly connected with real holiness.

In this sense, all the members of the apostolic churches were
holy. They were, therefore, called " holy brethren," and saints,
which is the same word in the original, by which the character
of children of believers is here expressed, and might be trans-
lated, " Else were your children unclean ; but now are they
saints.'" This is an epithet common to all who were baptized
and received into the churches, professing faith in Christ, and
entering into covenant with him and with each otl^r, to obey
his laws, and to bring up their children in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ. They were thus called
saints, or holy, and considered and treated as being reaUy
such, because they had that appearance in the sight of men,
according to the rules by which they were to judge and act in
their treatment of them, and not because they infallibly knew
they were real saints. They were visibly real saints, according
to the marks and evidence, and the appearance they made in the
sight of men, by which Christ had ordered them to judge and
act. Thus they were visible saints. All the members of every
church were so. They were baptized and received as members
of the church, as appearing to be real saints, which is meant by
a visible saint. All who were not real saints, or really holy in
the sight of Christ, which was true of some, were hypocrites, »
and not what they professed and appeared to men to be. In
this case the fault was wholly in them, who made an appear-
ance and profession not agreeable to the truth ; and not theirs
who acted according to the rules which Christ has prescribed,
in forming a charitable judgment of them, and receiving them
as being really holy, and friends to Christ.

In this sense, the children of the believer are holy, or saints.
Christ has put this character upon them, and directed his
people to consider and receive them as such ; which character

INFANT BAPTISM. 113

is derived wholly from the believing parent. If the parent of
the children be a visible saint, or holy person, that is, appears
to men to be a real saint, the children are visible saints, or
holy, also; that is, they-have the appearance and character of
real saints, as really as their parents, and are to be treated as
such until this appearance ceases. How this appearance and
visibility may cease, and on what ground it is derived to chil-
dren from their parents, will be more particularly considered
in the sequel.

It has been said that the unbelieving parent is sanctified,
according to this text, which is the same with being made
holy. Such parent is, therefore, here represented to be as holy
as the children ; consequently the latter are no more, and in
no other sense, holy than the former, according to these words.

Answer. No one can suppose that to be sanctified, and to
be holy, do here express the same character, or that the unbe-
lieving parent is asserted to be holy in precisely the same
sense in which the children of believers are holy. Therefore,
the unbelieving parent being said to be sanctified by, in, or to,
the believing parent, whatever this may mean, does not in the
least determine what is the character of the children, which is
expressed by their being called holy, and is as consistent with
their being asserted to be really holy, in the sense which has
been now explained, as it is with their being holy in any other
sense. And it is to be considered whether the sense here given
be not the most natural, consistent sense, and whether any
other sense, which is consistent and unforced, has ever yet
been mentioned, or can be suggested.

When the unbelieving parent is said to be sanctified by, or
to, the believer, the meaning is plain and easy, viz., that the
believer may live in such a connection, consistent with main-
taining a Christian character, and the unbeliever may, to such
a degree, answer the ends of that relation to the believer, as to
be improved by the latter to the holy purposes of true religion.
Thus the unbeliever is sanctified to the believer, as every kind
of food and every creature of God is sanctified to such, by the
word of God and prayer. (1 Tim. iv. 5.) Therefore, the chil-
dren of such parents are holy; they derive their character from
the believing, holy parent, and not from the unbeliever ; which
could not be the case if the unbeliever "were not sanctified by,
or to, the believer, in the sense above explained. Who does not
see the difference between the unbeliever being sanctified by,
in, or to, the believer, and the children of the believer being
consequently holy ? The latter, according to the use of the
word in the New Testament, denotes a moral character, and
fixes it on the children ; the former has no respect to the moral
10*

114 INFANT BAPTISM.

character of the unbeliever, but of the beheving parent, from
whom that of the children is derived.

According to this view of the words under consideration,
the children of believers and members of Christian churches
are to be considered, and were considered, by Christ and his
apostles and the primitive churches, as having the same char-
acter with their believing parents, — just as the children of
parents in the Abrahamic church were considered and treated,
viz., as being in the same covenant, and having the same
character, with their parents. The children of Abraham and
of Israel, when more particularly formed into a church, — and
they renewed and entered into covenant at Mount Sinai, after
they had greatly apostatized during their long servitude in
Egypt, — were denominated, by God, "a holy nation, and a
holy people ; " and all their children were included in this cov-
enant, as has been shown, and this epithet was applied to
them as much as to their parents. The seal of the covenant
was, therefore, applied to them, by which they were visibly
separated and distinguished from all other people as a holy
nation, both parents and children.

Is not this sufficient evidence that it was the will of Christ
that the churches erected by the apostles should make no
alteration with respect to children, from that which took place
in the church formed in the family of Abraham, but they are
to have the same character and privileges with them ? How
contrary is this to a supposed repeal of the institution by
which children were received into covenant with their parents,
and had the seal of it applied to them, in the family of
Abraham !

And if the children of believers be holy, in the sense ex-
plained, and were so in the apostolic churches, are they not
the proper subjects of baptism ? Who can forbid water that
they should not be baptized ?

It may be added, that, consistent with these words thus
understood, this apostle treated and addressed the children of
believing parents as being numbered with the saints, and so
as saints. He addresses his epistle to the church at Ephesus,
and to that at Colosse, to the saints at Ephesus, and at
Colosse, and to no other persons ; and he speaks to such, and
no others, in those, and in all his epistles. Yet here we find
him particularly addressing and exhorting children, as included
in the church, and among the saints : " Children, obey your
parents in the Lord; for this is right. Children, obey your
parents in all things ; for this is well pleasing unto the Lord."
(Eph. vi. 1. Col. iii. 20.)

Other passages in the New Testament have been often

INFANT BAPTISM. 115

mentioned by writers on this subject, in support of the bap-
tism of the children of believers ; but it is not thought needful
particularly to consider them here, since these which have
been brought into view are supposed sufficient to show that it
is the will of Christ that the institution of a church in the
family of Abraham, so far as it respects children, including
them with their parents and applying the seal of the covenant
to them, should not be repealed under the gospel.

4. That the apostolic churches and primitive Christians did
admit their children to baptism, as proper subjects of it, is
argued from the general and almost universal practice of it,
in all ages since from that time. This is a fact which writers
on this subject have abundantly proved. From writings now
extant, it appears that infant baptism was practised in the
Christian churches in the second, third, and fourth centuries ;
and it was asserted, by writers in the church in those ages,
that it had been the universal practice from the days of the
apostles, and not one person appears to have denied it, or to
suggest that it was not thus handed down as an institution
of Christ ; and it appears to have been the common practice
in Christian churches for above a thousand years, at least, and
it is, to this day, the general practice in the Christian world.
If this were not the practice of the first Christian churches,
formed by the apostles, it seems impossible that it should be
introduced at so early an age, as the universal practice, with-
out opposition by any one church or person as an innovation,
and contrary to the practice of the primitive churches, and
without any account or notice given when it was done, and
by whom, and by whom it was opposed. Various heresies
took place in the churches, soon after the apostles' days, by
which Christians were divided in their sentiments and practice
in many things, of which we have the history handed down to
us, informed when and by whom they were introduced. And
learned men, — who took pains to inform themselves, and
were under advantages to do it, — who lived in the early ages
of the church, have given a particular account of the heresies
vi^hich had arisen among Christians in different parts of the
world, and at different times ; but they never mention infant
baptism as one of them, nor the omission or denial of it, as a
Christian institution, by any church or single person who
practised the baptism of any with water. By those heresies,
professing Christians were divided into parties, and became
spies upon each other; and if they had not all been agreed in
baptizing infants, and it had not been the universal practice
before those divisions rose, but was introduced afterwards, it
would have been impossible that they should all agree in it,

116 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

or that they should be silent about it, and that none should
dispute against it and oppose it. If one party had adopted it,
the other would oppose it as an innovation, never known to
be practised before, etc. But while they differed about many
things, in this practice they were all agreed, as an institution
handed down from the apostles.

Corruptions and practices have taken place in churches,
especially in the church of Rome, which are contrary to the
institutions of Christ, and were not practised by the primitive
churches ; but we have an account when most of those were
introduced, and of great opposition made to them by many,
and they have never been universally received by the churches.
K the baptism of children be not a divine institution, it is a
great error indeed, a great corruption and abuse of the ordi-
nance of baptism, and an utter perversion of it to a purpose
for which it was not instituted. And it is perfectly unaccount-
able (and may we not say impossible?) that it should so uni-
versally take place in the church of Christ, and that so soon
after the death of the apostles, without any opposition by any
one person, for many centuries, and no account be handed
down of the time when it was introduced, and by whom, if it
were not universally practised from the days of the apostles,
but is an innovation, contrary to the original institution and
practice of the churches ?

But if the baptism of the children of believers be a divine
institution, and universally practised by the churches in the
apostles' days, agreeably to the foregoing arguments, and was
handed down from them in the Christian churches, then its
taking place so generally, and even universally, from the earli-
est times, for so many ages, can be well accounted for, and
appears perfectly consistent. This fact, therefore, increases
the evidence, and serves to strengthen and confirm other argu-
ments, which are thought to be in themselves fully conclusive,
that the baptism of infants is a divine institution, and was
practised by the apostolic churches.

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

II. The next thing proposed on the subject of infant bap-
tism is, to consider the import and design of it, and what
good ends it may answer to the parents and their children.

If it be evident and certain that this is a divine institution,
it ought to b(^, punctually attended and practised, though the
reason, design, and end of it were not to be discovered, and
none could teU or see of what benefit it can be to the parents

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISW. 117

or children. But if this were in fact the case, and it should
appear to us only an unmeaning, useless ceremony, and really
of a bad tendency, this would greatly tend to blind us to the
evidence that it is indeed an institution of Christ, and to preju-
dice our minds, and shut our eyes, so as not to see it, however
clear it may be. It is, therefore, no wonder that persons who
have imbibed this notion of infant baptism, and look into the
Bible, and attend to the arguments which are brought in favor
of it, and what is said against it, with this prejudice on their
minds, should not be convinced that it is a divine institution,
but reject it with a great degree of confidence and religious
zeal. In this view, the inquiry now before us is very impor-
tant and interesting. And if a rational and consistent account
can be given of this institution, and the ground and design of
it be discovered by the help of the Scripture, and it can be
shown in what respect it is suited to promote the good of
parents and their children, and of the church, it will tend to
remove prejudices, and to confirm the arguments which have
been offered from the Scripture in favor of infant baptism.

This will now be attempted by offering the following ob-
servations and conclusions to the candid consideration and
careful examination of those who are willing to attend to this
subject, and desirous to form right conceptions of it, and to
know what is the reason, design, and advantage of this in-
stitution.

1. The baptism of the children of believers is a covenant
transaction, by which, in some sense or other, and in some de-
gree, at least, the children are visibly taken into covenant, so
as to be included in it, and are to be considered as sharing in
the blessings of it with their parents. No less than this can
be made of the transaction with Abraham, and the covenant
made with him and his seed, in which the seal of the cove-
nant was applied to them. And the same constitution takes
place in the Christian church with respect to children, and
the appointed seal of the gospel covenant is therefore applied
to them. If tftis were not a covenant transaction which has
respect to the childi-en, and they were in no sense included in
the covenant, the application of the seal of the covenant to
them, by baptizing them, would be an unmeaning transaction
indeed, or, rather, would be a signification of that which is
not true, and does not really take place. Nor would it an-
swer to what was intended and actually took place in the
circumcision of children in the Abrahamic church, which was
expressly called the token of the covenant, and the covenant
itself, which God made and established between himself and
Abraham and his seed. " I will make a covenant between

118 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

me and thee ; and I will establish my covenant between me
and thee, and thy seed after thee, to be a God unto thee, and
to thy seed after thee. This is my covenant which ye shall
keep between me and you, and thy seed after thee. Every
man child among you shall be circumcised, and it shall be a
token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And the uncir-
cumcised man child, w^hose flesh of his foreskin is not circum-
cised, that soul shall be cut off from his people ; he hath
broken my covenant." (Gen. xvii.) What can be more plain
and certain than those words make it, that the children of
Abraham were as really included in the covenant made wdth
him, of which circumcision was the appointed token and seal,
as he himself was, and, consequently, that all the parents in
Israel and their circumcised children were equally included in
the same covenant? And who that believes in infant bap-
tism will deny that this is as much a covenant transaction as
was the circumcision of the children of Abraham, and that the
baptized children of believers are as really and as much in
covenant as the ckcumcised children of Abraham ? There-
fore, they who believe the baptism of infants to be a Christian
institution have generally, if not universally, considered it as a
covenant transaction, importing the children of believers to be
included in the same covenant with their believing parents,
though they may have differed in their notion of this covenant,
as it respects children.

2. This covenant transaction in baptizing the children of
believers, is between God and the parents. It respects the
children, indeed, which are baptized, but they are incapable of
acting in the affair, so as to enter into covenant by any act
of theirs. If they be brought into covenant, and the seal of it
set upon them, it must be by what is done for them, and de-
termined and acted with respect to them, in which they are
the subjects, and not the agents ; and all this takes place pre-
vious to their knowing any thing of the matter. In this aU
are agreed.

8. A covenant is commonly understood to*imply mutual
engagements and promises, on some condition expressed or
understood between two parties so covenanting. Thus, when
God enters into covenant with men, or a covenant takes place
between them, he proposes and promises to grant some good
thing to them on some condition to be performed on their
part, which they engage and promise to perform, approving of
the proposal and complying with it. But the condition on
which the divine promises, are made in the covenant which he
proposes, and into which he enters with man, is all implied in
a cordial approbation of the promise, and acceptance of the

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 119

thing promised, and perseverance in this, and expressing it in
a proper and answerable conduct ; for this is to love God and
keep his commandments.

The absolute, unconditional promises of God are, indeed,
called a covenant, and he is said to make a covenant with
those to whom he makes such promises. Thus he is said to
establish his covenant with Noah and his seed, in which all
mankind who were to exist after that are comprehended, and
with every living creature, (Gen. ix. 3, etc. ;) which covenant
consisted in an absolute, unconditional promise that he would
not destroy the world again by a flood. Of the same kind
are many of the promises made to the church ; that God will
never forsake it, but that it shall continue to the end of the
world, and the gates of hell shall never prevail against it, and
that it shall yet prosper and flourish, and fill the world, etc.

The covenant of grace, which is called the new covenant, is,
in a sense, unconditional. As it is established with the re-
deemed, the church as a body, it is called a promise and
testament, in which are contained all the good things which
are implied in the complete, eternal redemption of the re-
deemed church ; and v/hatever is necessary on their part, is
comprised in the promise, in which God engages that it shall
take place and be wrought in them, so that they shall ^vill
and do the things necessary to their being in covenant with
God, and sharing in all the blessings of it. This is evident
from the particular description which the apostle Paul gives
of this covenant, in a quotation from the prophet Jeremiah.
" Behold the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of
Judah, This is the covenant that I will make with the house
of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord : I will put my
laws in their mind, and write them in their hearts ; and I will
be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And
they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man
his brother, saying, Know the Lord ; for all shall know me,
from the least to the greatest ; for I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I re-
member no more." (Heb, viii. 8, 10-12.) Here God prom-
ises to do all that is to be done ; and if there be any condition
necessary on the part of the church, it is included in the prom-
ise, and God engages that it shall take place. " I will put my
laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts, and they
shall be to me a people." This is to be considered as a con-
dition which must take place in all of the redeemed church,
and implies saving faith, or love to God, and obedience to
him in keeping his commandments. But in this covenant of

120 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

grace, this condition of salvation, and all that is implied in
eternal redemption, is promised to the chm'ch. This is the
legacy, the testament, or promise which Christ has left to his
church.

But this does not exclude, but necessarily includes, a con-
dition, or something which must take place in every individual,
in order to his being interested in the blessings of this cove-
nant, or being properly in covenant with God. This may
properly be called a condition, the condition of the covenant,
on man's part, as necessary in order to his being in covenant.

How the children of believers are visibly included in this
covenant, and may really be so, having the condition of it
wrought in them, will be shown in what follows. But the
observation in this particular, under which some digression
has been made that it might not be misunderstood, is, that in
the covenant transaction between God and the parents in the
baptism of their children, there are mutually promises and
engagements between them, which do particularly respect the
children. What they are, will be considered under the fol-
lowing particulars : —

4. The parent who offers his child to baptism, does expressly
or implicitly renew his covenant with God, and dedicates him-
self to him, to love him and keep his commandments, and
does renewedly lay hold of the covenant, acting for himself
and child. He brings his child to Christ for his blessing, and
dedicates and gives it away to him, and promises to bring it
up for him " in the nurture and admonition of the Lord," as
one of Christ's children. All this is professed and promised in
this visible, external transaction ; and if this be done under-
standingly and heartily, or is a true expression of the heart of
the parent, it is really done in the sight of God. This is true,
in the view of the church, who look only on the outward ap-
pearance, and cannot see the heart. The parent is considered
by them as sincere and hearty in making his profession and
promises, that he does really dedicate his child to Christ, and
will do all that is implied in bringing it up for him in the nur-
ture and admonition of the Lord.

What is implied in this engagement and promise will be
more particularly considered hereafter. Whatever this may
be, all who bcUeve the baptism of the children of believing
parents is a divine institution, will grant that all which has
been now expressed, is implied in the profession and promise
made by tlie parent in offering his child in baptism.

5. Jesus Christ does, in this transaction, receive the child
into the same visible standing and character with the parent,
as a visible saint or holy person, and orders the church to con-

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 121

sider and look upon it in this light, as being one in their view,
and so far as they are to judge, really holy, and among the
number of the saved. Of this holiness the child is as capable
as the parent; and by the command of Christ, who has put
this character upon all such children, and said, they are holij^
they are to be considered and received by the church as such ;
that is, in appearance, to their view, really holy. He has com-
manded his church to receive all those adult persons who make
a proper profession and appearance of real holiness, and to look
upon them as being really holy ; that is, to consider and treat
them as being really what they appear to be, though they may
not, in fact, be really what they appear to men to be ; though
they may not be really holy, and there be no reason to beheve
that they are all such ; and how great the number is of those
who are visible saints, that is, who appear to the church to be
real saints, and whom they are commanded to receive and
treat as such, and yet are not really saints, none can tell. In
like manner, he has commanded his people to receive their
children, Avhom they bring to the church, in the same charac-
ter with their parents, as really holy ; that is, as appearing
to them to be really holy, which is the same with being
visibly holy, because he has put this character upon them,
which he has put upon their parents, and ordered t!iem to be
called saints, or holy, though they may not be really so ; and
there may be as many, among such children, not really holy,
as there are among their parents, or the adult members of the
church, or more. Their connection with their parents, and
having the same character put upon them by Christ, by saying,
" Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not;
for of such is the kingdom of God," and calling them saints,
or holy, is a good warrant to the church to receive them, with
their parents, into the visible, holy covenant, and apply the
seal of the covenant to them, as the children of the parents
of the ancient church were, and were called holy, and the
holy seed.

Two reasons may be given why the Redeemer has affixed
the same character to the children of believing, visibly cove-
nanting parents, as he has to the parents themselves, and
ordered them to be taken into the same covenant, and to have
the seal of the covenant applied to them, and to be numbered
among the redeemed, both in his ancient church and in that
under the gospel.

1. Because he has ordered that those who are made really
holy, and are saved, should be chiefly taken from, and found
among, visible believers and their children. Therefore, he has
directed us to look there for really holy persons that shall be

VOL. II. 11

122 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

saved, and no Avhcre else. He has, for wise reasons, determined
that real hohness and salvation shall briefly and ordinarily
descend in this line from believing parents to their children.
Therefore, he has ordered them all to be looked upon by the
church to be holy, and to be numbered among the saved, for
the same reason that all adult professing believers are to be
received by the church as really holy, viz., because they who are
really holy and shall be saved are to be found among those
who have this appearance, and are to be looked for among
them ; and one cannot be distinguished from another, so as to
be known to be really holy, and the other not; therefore, all
such must be considered as really holy, and have this charac-
ter put upon them.

That it is God's common way, to convey saving blessings
down from godly parents to their children, and to bless the
children for the sake of their parents, may be argued from
many passages of Scripture, some of which have been men-
tioned heretofore. " The righteous is ever merciful and lend-
eth ; and his seed is blessed. The just man walketh in his
integrity; his children are blessed after him. Blessed is the
man that feareth the Lord, and delighteth greatly in his com-
mandments. His seed shall be mighty upon the earth. The
generation of the upright shall be blessed." (Ps. xxxvii. 26 ;
cxii. 1, 2. Pr. xx. 7.) God promises his church, which has
a special respect to the gospel church, that he will bless them
and their children with spiritual blessings, and the promise is
made as much to their offspring as to them. " I will pour
water upon him that is thirsty; and floods upon the dry
ground : I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing
upon thine offspring." (Isa. xliv. 3.) And still speaking of the
church, he says, " As for me, this is my covenant with them,
saith the Lord: my spirit that is upon thee, and my words
which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy
mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth
of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever.
They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble ; for they
are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with
them." (Isa. lix. 21 ; Ixv. 23.) " And they shall be my people, and
I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one
Avay, that tliey may fear me forever, for the good of them, and of
their children after them." (.Ter. xxxii. 38, 39.) Thus the children
are connected with their ))arents, and the good, the blessing, is
represented as descending from parents to children, and thelat-
ter are included in the promises of good to the former. To
the same purpose are the following words, which have refer-
ence to the gospel day : " And the Lord thy God will circumcise

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 123

thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy
God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou
mayest live." (Deut. xxx. 6.) And the covenant which God
makes with his church and people is represented as conveying
blessings from parents to children to a thousand generation^^.
(Ex. XX. 6. Deut. vii. 9.) Thus piety and spiritual blessings
are represented as descending down in a line from parents to
children, in the church, and there we are to look and expect to
find holiness, if any where ; and the children of visibly pious,
holy parents are to be considered and looked upon as of the
same character with their parents, and as the blessed of the
Lord, and holy with them, so long as they do not discover the
contrary. Therefore, they are to be considered and treated as
in the same covenant with their parents, and heirs of the same
blessings with them, so long as they are incapable of acting
for themselves, which cannot be done without applying the
seal of the covenant to them by baptizing them.

Agreeably to the representation of Scripture, which has
now been brought into view, this appears to be true, in fact,
from what has taken place in the visible church in all ages.
Ever since there has been a visible church in the world, those
who have been saved have generally been members of that,
and this salvation has been handed down from parents to
children, until, by apostasy and open breach of covenant, they
have been destroyed, or cast off by God, and ceased to be a
visible church. When the church was erected in the family
of Abraham, and was enlarged as his posterity multiplied, —
which continued down to the crucifixion of Christ, and even
to the destruction of the temple and nation of the Jews by the
Romans, before it was wholly abandoned and destroyed, —
true religion, real holiness, and salvation were chiefly confined
to that church, and handed down from parents to children.
The most of the truly pious and holy people in the world
were to be found in that church, during all that time, from
generation to generation. This church was, therefore, called
the inheritance of the Lord, and his heritage, and is repre-
sented by the apostle Paul by an olive-tree, which had flour-
ished a long time a holy tree ; but, when the branches were
broken off by unbelief, and an open breach of covenant, the
Gentiles were inserted in their place into the holy root of this
olive-tree, and then the Gentile and Christian church — being,
in the foundation and essence of it, the same with the church
which had subsisted in the family and posterity of Abraham
— was the visible, holy society, including parents and children.
And as Christ says salvation was of the Jews, while they
continued branches in the holy olive-tree, so, when they were

124 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

broken off as a nation, and agreeable to the ancient prediction,
the law went forth out of Zion, and the word of the Lord
from Jerusalem, unto the Gentile nations ; and many people
heard, and said, " Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his
ways, and we will walk in his paths." (Isa. ii. 3.) From that
time, salvation was of the Christian church, and has been
handed down from parents to children to this day. And
though some particular churches, or branches of the Christian
visible church, and however many and great, have been broken
off by apostasy, yet still the true visible Christian church sub-
sists, and will continue from parents to children to the end of
the w^orld ; and the parents and children of which it consists
are visibly holy, and heirs of salvation, and no others are or
can be so.

2. Another reason why the same character is affixed to the
children of believers, which the latter sustain, and why they
are received into covenant with them, and have the seal of the
covenant applied to them, — and which may be considered as
the foundation of what is observed as a reason of this, in the
foregoing particular, — is this: that real holiness and salvation
are secured to the children of believers, by the covenant into
ivhich the parents enter with God as it respects their children,
if the parents faithfully keep covenant, and fulfil tvhat they
profess and promise respecting' their children, ivhen they offer
them in baptism.

It has been observed that parents' offering their children in
baptism is a covenant transaction between God and them,
with regard to the children to whom the seal of the covenant
is administered, and that there are mutual promises and en-
gagements between the parties covenanting, without which
it would not be a covenant transaction ; and it has been also
observed that the baptism of children has been generally con-
sidered in this light by those who have believed it to be a
divine institution, and have vindicated it as such. The parent,
in this transaction, professes to devote his child to Christ, and
give it away to him, asking his blessing on it as the greatest
and only portion he wishes for his child, and promises, that
if he and the child shall live, to bring it up for Christ as
belonging to him, as one of his lambs in his flock, and bearing
his mark and name — to train it up in the way in which he
should go, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

And Jesus Christ, as the other party in this covenant trans-
action, visibly receives the child as belonging to him ; and on
the condition which the parent professes, and promises to per-
form, he promises to bless the child, and bestow salvation

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 125

upon it. Therefore, such children are visibly saints, and num-
bered among the saved ; for the profession and engagements
of the parents are to be relied upon by the church, and that
they will fulfil their promises respecting their children, upon
which the promise of Christ will be made good to them.

That this is the tenor of the covenant between God and
believing parents, respecting their children, seems to be evident
from the transaction itself in baptism, as it has been now
stated and explained, and this will fully account for the chil-
dren of believers belonging to the visible kingdom of God, and
their being called holy, or saints. But this may be further
confirmed by those passages of Scripture which contain prom-
ises of saving grace, or of salvation, to the children of those
parents who are faithful in keeping covenant with God.

The covenant with Abraham which has been mentioned, by
which a visible church was formed in his house and family
who is the father and pattern of all believers, — and which
covenant and church was handed down in his posterity, and
is not essentially different, but really the same covenant and
church which still exists since the natural posterity of Abra-
ham have been broken off or cast out by their unbelief and
open breach of covenant, as has been shown, — this covenant
with Abraham included his children, and the promise it con-
tained was made as much to his children as to him. The
words of the promise are, " to be a God unto thee, and to thy
seed after thee." The promise to be a God unto Abraham
included the blessings of the covenant of grace, even saving
mercies, and it must imply the same when made to his seed.
This promise was made on a condition on Abraham's part,
which is implied, and is expressed in the context : " The Lord
appeared unto Abraham, and said, Walk before me, and be
thou perfect, and I will make my covenant between me and
thee." (Gen. xvii. 1, 2.) The condition of the covenant, which
was required of Abraham, is here expressed in these words :
" Walk before me, and be thou perfect." And the condition
of the covenant, or promise, is again expressed in the follow-
ing words : " This is my covenant, ivhich ye shall keep, be-
tween me and you, and thy seed after thee : Every man child
among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the
flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a token of the covenant
betwixt me and you." (Gen. xvii. 10, 11.) The external rite
of circumcision is not here intended as the only condition of
the covenant, but this implies the things signified by circum-
cision,— the sign being mentioned as including what was the
import and signification of it. Therefore, it is here called the
token of the covenant. When Abraham circumcised his chil-
li*

126 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

dren, he devoted them to God, and promised to treat them as
God's children, and educate them for God, which implied
praying for them and with them, instructing them in the
things of this covenant, and directing and watching over them,
and exercising parental care and government of them, and
using all proper means to lead them to know and do their
duty to God and man, as soon as they should be capable of
acting for themselves, at the same time setting a good exam-
ple before them in all his conduct, both of true piety towards
God, and righteousness and benevolence towards men. This
was the covenant between God and Abraham, on Abraham's
part, with respect to his children, of which circumcision was
the sign, token, and seal ; and though he circumcised his cMl-
dren, if he did not in heart dedicate them to God, and faith-
fully perform the duties signified and promised in this trans-
action, he did not keep the covenant of circumcision, but
would break it in the most important and essential part of it.
Upon this condition, implied, professed, and engaged, in Abra-
ham's circumcising his children, God promised to be their
God, to bless them with the blessings of the covenant, or that
they should be holy and happy forever. Thus God entered
into covenant with Abraham and with his seed; and the
promise was to him and his children, upon condition he would
keep the covenant of circumcision, which was a token and
seal of the covenant, by both the parties covenanting.

This is here said to be an everlasting covenant. " And my
covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant."
(Gen. xvii. 13.) True religion and salvation w;ould be trans-
mitted to a thousand generations, even without end, or to the
end of the world, from parents to children, if parents were faith-
ful in the covenant, as it respects their children. But this
covenant may be broken by the parent's not keeping covenant,
and not acting up to his obligations, profession, and prom-
ises, with regard to his children, and being guilty of great and
persevering neglect of his duty, and by his unfaithfulness.
This is evident from the words which follow, and is plainly
expressed in them. " And the uncircumcised man child,
whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall
be cut off from his people ; he hath broken my covenant."
(Gen. X. 14.) Upon these words the following observations
may be made : —

First. In the case mentioned, the child does not properly
break the covenant ; for he is not in the least active or guilty
in the affair. The covenant is broken by the parent's neglect
of his duty to the child. Therefore, when it is said, " he hath
broken my covenant," the meaning is, the covenant is broken

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 127

as it respects the child, and by this means the child is out of
covenant, and excluded from the privileges of it ; but the par-
ent is the covenant-breaker, as it is wholly by his neglect to
circumcise his child.

Secondly. As the covenant made with Abraham was visi-
bly broken by a parent's refusing or neglecting to circumcise
his children ; so it w^as really broken by the parent if he re-
fused and neglected to do what is implied in the circumcision
of children, and what he professed and promised in that trans-
action. Though he performed the external rite, yet if his
heart were not answerable to it, and he were disposed to neg-
lect all the important duty respecting his children, which he
professes and solemnly engages, in performing the external
rite of circumcision, he breaks the covenant as much, and
more, in the sight of God, than if he had not circumcised his
children, and forfeits aU the promised blessings of the covenant
to his children which were promised on condition of his faith-
fulness in keeping this covenant. Circumcision, considered as
a mere external rite and ceremony, was not the circumcision
which was commanded by God, if the moral exercises and
duties implied in it, and signified by it, and which were pro-
fessed and engaged, did not take place, but were neglected.
These were of the essence of circumcision ; the external rite
was but a sign or token of the other, in which the covenant
consisted ; and if the things signified, professed, and promised
by this external sign and token did not take place, the external
sign and transaction was a mere nullity in the sight of God,
and in the sight of men too, so far as this was apparent and
known to them. This is expressly asserted by the apostle
Paul, when speaking of circumcision. " Circumcision verily
profiteth, if thou keep the law ; but if thou be a breaker of the
law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Neither is
that circumcision which is outward in the flesh." (Rom. ii.
25,28.)

Therefore, when a parent in Israel circumcised his children,
and neglected to do the duties enjoined, professed, and prom-
ised, of which the circumcision of his children was a token
and pledge, and so did not keep the law of circumcision, but
broke it, his children were, in this respect, as if they had not
been circumcised, and the covenant of circumcision was as
really and as much broken as if he had neglected to circum-
cise his children ; and his children were, by this neglect, cut
off from the promises and blessings of the covenant. Can
any thing be more plain and certain than this ? What moral
exercises and duties, respecting the children, the parent pro-
fessed and promised, and what was the law of ckcumcision in

128 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

this respect, has been briefly stated above, and will be more
fully explained before the subject is closed.

Thirdly. Hence it appears that the covenant of circum-
cision, as it respected the seed or children of the parents who
circumcised them, did not extend, in the promises of it, any
farther than to the children thus circumcised, though the
parents were faithful in keeping covenant, and acted up to
their profession and engagements. They could transmit the
blessings of the covenant, according to the promises of it, no
farther than to their children which were circumcised by them.
If these children should neglect to circumcise their ciiildren,
or if they should circumcise them, and yet not keep the law
of circumcision, but neglect the duties with respect to their
children which they had professed and engaged, the covenant
would be broken, and their children be cut off from the prom-
ises and blessings of it. And thus, this everlasting' covenant,
which, if faithfully kept, would transmit spiritual blessings
and salvation to all generations, to the end of the world, may
be, and has been, broken ; by which breach of this covenant,
all the dreadful and prevailing evils and the curse which have
fallen upon mankind have been introduced and spread over
the world, agreeably to the words of God by Isaiah. " The
earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because
they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken
the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured
the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate." (Isa. xxiv.
5,6.)

But the following question will be suggested here, which
requires an answer: —

Question. If spiritual blessings and salvation, the blessings
promised in the covenant, be transmitted from parents who
keep covenant to their children, these children will be holy
and obedient, according to the promise made to their parents ;
consequently, their children will be holy and obedient also, and
so on through every generation, to the end of the world. How
then can this covenant be broken, so that any children in this
line of succession should be unholy and disobedient ? Must
not holiness and salvation be infallibly transmitted from parents
to children,, to the last generation, according to this notion of
the covenant, without a possibility of a breach of covenant?

Answer. The covenant, as it respects the parents, in their
own persons, and the duties required of them, in order to their
own salvation, is different from the covenant, and the duties
required, as they respect their children. What regards their
children is a distinct branch of the covenant, and diflers from
what respects their own persons only.

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 129

The covenant, as it respects the individual person entering
into covenant, promises salvation to him who believeth, even
to the least and lowest degree of true faith, by which he lays
hold of the covenant ; it promises that all such shall be finally
saved; that they shall be furnished with every thing necessary
for this, and shall be kept by the power of God, through their
faith, unto salvation. The person entering into covenant, as
it respects his own person, professes this faith, and to devote
himself to God in the exercise of it; lays hold of the covenant,
and promises by divine assistance, relying upon the promised
grace of God, to live a life of faith and holiness.

The covenant, as it respects the children of believing parents,
and includes them, promises spiritual blessings and salvation
to them, on condition of the parents' faithfulness in devoting
them to God, and bringing them up for him, persevering in
the exercises and duties which are implied in this; and these
exercises and duties respecting their children are professed and
promised by the parents, when they devote them to God in
this covenant transaction, and in applying the seal of the cove-
nant to them. But there is no promise in this covenant that
if they do, with a degree of sincerity, give up their children to
God, and profess all those exercises and promise to perform all
that duty towards them which are implied in bringing them
up for God, that they shall certainly do all this ; but they may
be very deficient and unfaithful in this covenant, as it respects
their children, and bring a curse upon them, rather than the
blessings promised in the covenant.

Therefore, though the parents may be true believers, and
interested in all the blessings of the covenant, so far as they
respect themselves in their own persons, yet they may be so
negliofent of the exercises and duties of the covenant as it re-
spects their children, and which they have promised, and by
this so break the covenant, with respect to them, as to cut
them oif from the promised blessings of the covenant. Though
the parents of children may, in one instance or more, be faith-
ful in performing their promised duty to their children, and
their children be made partakers of spiritual blessings in con-
sequence of it ; yet these children, though true believers, and
interested in the blessings of the covenant themselves, may so
neglect their duty to their children, as not to keep covenant
as it respects them, and consequently their children be deprived
of the blessings of the covenant ; and so the covenant and the
succession of blessings, from parents to children, be broken,
and cease.

Though Abraham was faithful in this covenant, and fulfilled
the duties of it as it respected his children, yet Isaac or Jacob,

130 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

or both, though good men, and interested in the promises of
the covenant in their own persons, might be so negligent and
unfaithful in their duty to their children, or some of them, at
least, as to cut them off from the promises of the covenant, as
it respected them. Eli appears to have been a good man ; yet
he was so negligent of his duty to his sons, that by this, evil
came upon them. And King David, who was in many respects
an eminently holy man, appears, from the history we have of
him and his family, to be very unfaithful in his duty to many
of his children, and indulged a partiality in their favor, and a
parental fondness which was inconsistent with his treating
them as he ought to have done, and led him far astray from
his duty to them. Even his marrying so many wives was
inconsistent with the regard he ought to have had for his pos-
terity, and tended to prevent his doing his duty to his children.
The prophet Malachi, speaking against polygamy, refers to
the original institution of marriage by God, who made only
one woman for one man, and says, " And did not he make
ONE ? Yet had he the residue of the Spirit. And wherefore
ONE ? That he might seek a godly seed." (Mai. ii. 15.) It
appears from these words, that, in the institution of marriage,
God had regard to the good of children and posterity, that they
might be a holy seed ; and that if the duties of this relation,
particularly as they respect their offspring, be properly and
faithfully attended to and performed, their children will be
holy, inherit the blessings of the covenant, and be saved. It
also appears, that polygamy is contrary to the good of posterity,
and has a strong tendency to produce an ungodly seed, as it
is unfriendly to the duties which parents owe to their children,
and in many respects inconsistent with them.

It is to be observed, and must be kept in mind, that what
has been said on the Abrahamic covenant and the circum-
cising his children, the profession, promise, and duties implied
in this, and what depended upon these, with regard to the
children, is equally applicable to parents and their seed, and
to the baptism of their children, under the Christian dis-
pensation.

All that has been observed concerning the covenant made
with Abraham and his seed, may be yet further illustrated,
and made more evident, by attending to the following words
of God concerning Abraham and his children and household :
" For I know him, that he will command his children, and
his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the
Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring
upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." (Gen.
xviii. 19 )

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 131

First. We may observe what is here said of Abraham,
which God knew he would do. He knew he w^ould do it,
because he had determined to work in him to will and to do
it ; for Abraham was wholly dependent on God for this, as for
every thing else. " I know him, that he ivill command his chil-
dren and household after hini.''^ This implies the whole of
the duty which he engaged towards his children and house-
hold, in the covenant of circumcision, and when he circum-
cised his children ; and by doing this, he kept the covenant as
it respected them. Commanding them after him, implies proper
and careful instruction of them in the way of the Lord, teach-
ing them the great doctrines of religion, what the way of the
Lord is, what true religion is, and what are the revealed com-
mands of God, and what duties they must do ; for the exercise
of authority and commands, without such instruction, would be
improper, unreasonable, without a meaning, and absurd. This
branch of duty cannot be done without constant stud}^, and
great care and pains, watching every opportunity for it, and
repeating it without cessation, which cannot be done without
a good degree of religious knowledge, and great assiduity, con-
cern, and zeal. This part of the duty of parents to their chil-
dren is particularly and repeatedly inculcated by God on the
parents in Israel. " These words which I command thee this
day shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them dili-
gently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou
sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and
when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." (Deut, vi.
6, 7.) And again, " Therefore, ye shall lay up these my words
in your heart, and in your soul. And ye shall teach them
your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine
house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou
liest down, and when thou risest up ; that your days may
be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which
the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them as the days
of heaven upon earth." (Deut. xi. 18-21.)

Parental government is also implied in these words. With-
out a proper and wise government of children, they cannot
be properly and with success instructed. They must teach,
in this sense, vnth all anthoriti/. Children who are disobedient
to their parents, which is always the case where there is no
proper government, cannot be instructed by them. Therefore,
a proper, steady, wise government of children, in the exercise
, of parental authority, is essential to their good education ; and
parents must command their children after them, if they would
bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
The importance and necessity of family government, for the

132 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

good of children and of the church, are exhibited in a striking
light, by the law which God gave to Israel, which ordered that
no ungoverned, disobedient child should live there, but that
every one of this character should be put to death ; and the
paionts were commanded to see it executed upon every child
who would not submit to their government, and obey their
commands. (Deut. xxi. 18-21.)

This branch of the education of children, which is so impor-
tant and essential, cannot be properly and faithfully executed,
without great and constant care, circumspection, prudence,
and resolution ; continually watching over their children, and
treating and governing them in a manner best suited to an-
swer the end of government, and lead them both to fear and
love their parents.

These words also necessarily imply, that Abraham did pray
constantly and with earnestness and importunity for his chil-
dren, that God would indeed bless them, and render his en-
deavors successful, so as to form them to true piety, and secure
their salvation ; and also that he might be faithful and wise
in attending upon and executing the important charge re-
specting his children. A pious believer, who feels towards his
children in any good measure as he ought to do, and acts up
to his character and obligations in the religious education of
his children, must thus pray for himself, with regard to his duty
to them and for them. He feels the infinite importance of their
having the blessing of God, and of their salvation ; that all
their interest lies here ; and he is a thousand times more con-
cerned about this, and desirous of it, than of any temporal,
worldly interest whatsoever.* He knows his obligations, and
the vows he has solemnly taken upon himself, and is sensible
of his dependence on God for wisdom and fidelity in the per-
formance of what is justly expected of him, and that God only
can bless the means he uses, and grant salvation to his chil-
dren : a weighty sense of all this will bring him on his knees,
in humble, constant, earnest application to God by prayer for
assistance and success in this most important and interesting
matter. To neglect such prayer, is grossly to neglect his duty
to his children, and does imply a neglect of the other branches
of their religious education, implied in commanding them after
him. Therefore, when God said he knew Abraham, that he

* It is to be observed, that these are the views, feelings, and conduct of par-
ents who come up to what might be justly expected of tliem. But this is not
true of every ])ious parent. Such may be very unsteady in their views and
feelings with respect to their children, and conic vastly short of their duty in
their conduct, and say and do many things which have a contrary and bad in-
fluence on tlu'ir children, and be very offensive to God, and a gross violation of
their obligations and vows.

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 133

would command his children and his household after him, it
is implied that he knew he would pray for himself, that he
might faithfully do this, and for his children, that they might
have the blessing of God, and be saved.

These words also imply the good example that Abraham
would set before his children, and his household, of piety and
righteousness. He would command them after him; he would
set them an example of that religion in which he educated
them, and instruct and command them to follow him. This
is essential in the proper and religious education of children.
The parent who is not exemplary in his conduct, and does not
set before his children an example of piety, righteousness, and
benevolence, cannot give them a religious education. If he
attempt to instruct, direct, and command them in the ways
of religion, he will, in their sight, be guilty of gross contradic-
tions, and will appear to them not to be sincere and in earnest;
and his bad example, or want of a good one, will counteract
and defeat all his attempts to instruct, exhort, and govern
them, and will have more influence to corrupt them than any
thing he may say or do in favor of religion can have to form
them to piety and righteousness, if he should say or do any
thing of this kind ; but even this is not to be expected of such
a parent. They who do not love religion, and practise it
themselves, will not take any proper methods, and exert them-
selves suitably, to make their children truly religious.

This branch of duty requires gi-eat and constant care,
watchfulness, and circumspection, that the whole of their
conversation and conduct may be as becometh godliness, and
recommend religion to all with whom they live and converse,
— setting a calm, steady, dispassionate example of humility,
uprightness, sincerity, truth, justice, benevolence, and mercy,
expressing their piety in all proper ways, and on every suitable
occasion, and practising religion and devotion in their fam-
ilies, and in a constant attendance on all divine institutions.

Abraham was under obligation to do all this. He professed
to have a heart to do it, and promised to do all this duty to
his children and household when he circumcised them. And
God, who knew all things, and on whom Abraham wholly
depended for grace and assistance to perform this difficult and
important branch of duty, determined to work in him to will
and to do it, and, therefore, knew that he would be faithful in
keeping covenant, and not neglect to do it. And Christian
parents, who bring their children to baptism, profess and
engage all this duty in their treatment of them ; and their
obligations are increased, and are much greater and more
extensive than those under which Abraham was ; and they

VOL. II. 12

134 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT DAPTISM.

are bound to greater attention, concern, and zeal, and to do
much more in instructing and educating their children, than
he was, as they have much greater light and advantages than
he had, the future state being much more clearly brought into
view now than it was then ; and, consequently, the importance
that children should be religious and be saved ought to be
more strongly impressed on the minds of parents, and animate
them to greater concern and zeal in this matter. And as they
enjoy so much more light, they are under gi-eater advantages
to understand the great truths of religion, and to teach them
to their children, and constantly inculcate them both by words
and example ; their duty is enlarged, and their obligations to
faithfulness in the performance of it gi'eatly increased ; and
every neglect of duty toward their children is much more
criminal than such neglect would have been in the father of
the i'aithful.

Secondly. In these words is declared the consequence of
Abraham's faithfulness in his duty to his children in their
education, and the certain connection of the former with the
latter : " And they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do jus-
tice and judgment." This is to be truly pious and holy, and
to go in the way which leads to eternal salvation. Here, then,
is a declared and promised connection between Abraham's
being faithful and thorough in the covenant of circumcision,
as it respected his children and their holiness and salvation, —
the latter following as a certain and promised consequence of
the former. This explains the covenant mentioned in the
seventeenth chapter, wdiich God made with Abraham and his
seed, in which he promises to be a God to him and his seed
after him, and confirms what has been observed above con-
cerning this covenant, as being agi-eeable to the truth, viz.,
that in this covenant God promised spiritual blessings and
salvation to the children of Abraham, upon condition of his
faithfully performing what he professed and engaged to do
with respect to them when they were circumcised by him, and
that, on this ground, they were denominated a holy seed, and
to be numbered among the saved.*

And as this covenant with Abraham, including his seed
with him, was the covenant of grace, which, as to substance,

* It has been supposed, by some, that Ishmael, Abraham's son, was not a
good man ; but none ought to thmk so unless there were clear, positive evi-
dence of it, which it is believed there is not. This supposition is inconsistent
with the exi)ress declaration of God in the words which have been considered,
viz., that the children of Abraham should keep the way of the Lord, to do jus-
tice and judgment. It is said of him, when he died, " ho was gathered unto his
people." This is said of the good, but of no wicked man.

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 135

is the same into which God enters with all belie v^ers and their
children, and is a pattern and example of God's entering into
covenant with believers in all ages, taking in their children
with them, which all hold who believe in the baptism of the
children of believers; then why does not, why must not, this
same covenant contain the same promise to believers of the
holiness and salvation of their children, upon the same condi-
tion to be performed by' them, through all ages, to the end of
the world ? If this covenant made with Abraham, including
his seed with him, has been now rightly explained, agreeably
to the plain meaning of it, the consequence will certainly fol-
low. And that the true sense and meaning of the mutual
promises between God and Abraham, with respect to his seed,
has been given, and consequently that the seed of believers
have the promise of holiness and salvation, upon the parents
being faithful in keeping covenant as it respects their children,
will appear yet more evident from other passages of Scripture
which are now to be considered.

Those words of God which have been mentioned, — "show-
ing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my
commandments," (Ex. xx. 6,) — compared with the words of
Moses which have reference to these, — " Know, therefore, that
the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth
covenant and mercy with them that love him, and keep his
commandments, to a thousand generations," (Deut. vii. 9,) —
serve to explain the covenant made with Abraham and his
seed, and to confirm the sense which has now been given of it.

It has been shown that these words in the decalogue con-
tain a promise to parents, who love God and keep his com-
mandments, of mercy to their children ; and that this mercy
shown to their children, in consequence of the parents' keeping
the commandments of God, respects their moral character,
which implies true piety and final salvation ; and that the
course of this mercy, descending down to posterity, cannot be
interrupted, unless the parents are unfaithful in keeping cove-
nant. It has also been shown that keeping the command-
ments of God includes their duty to their children, in devoting
them to God, and bringing them up for God ; and what is
implied in this has been particularly explained, and needs not
to be repeated. It has been also shown that godly parents,
who have a degree of true love to God, may grossly fail of
keeping his commandments as they respect their children, and
so break the covenant between God and them so far as it
regards their posterity, and fail of having any share in the
promise of mercy to them. But those who do not greatly fail
of their duty in this respect, but are faithful in the covenant.

136 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

have the promise of mercy to their children, and are the happy
instruments of conveying holiness and salvation to them, and
no farther ; but if their children be also faithful, they hereby
hand down spiritual blessings to their children, and so on to
a thousand generations ; and the succession cannot be inter-
rupted but by breach of covenant by some of the parents.
These words, therefore, thus explained and understood,* (and
it is believed that no other consistent sense can be put upon
them,) do confirm what has been said of the covenant made
with Abraham, and his seed, and with all believers and their
children, to the end of the world, and prove that the covenant
of grace and mercy contains a promise of mercy and salva-
tion to the children of parents who faithfully keep the covenant
and commands of God as they respect their children.

And in this view, the natural and easy sense of those words
of the apostle Peter, which have been the subject of so much
altercation, offers itself as another proof of the point under
consideration. The words are, " Then Peter said unto them,
Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of
Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost ; for the jjromise is unto you and to
your children.'''' (Acts ii. 38, 39.)

The covenant with Abraham contained a promise to him
and his children, which is denoted by the promise. And as
the apostle is speaking to the Jews, they would naturally un-
derstand this covenant by the promise^ and that these words of
Peter imported that this covenant was still in force, and was
not curtailed or altered in this respect ; and though now
baptism was the token and seal of the covenant, instead of
circumcision, yet still it contained the promise of saving mer-
cy to every penitent believer, and to his children, as did the
covenant of circumcision made with Abraham their father.
It was natural, and of importance, when he spoke to the Jews
of baptism, and exhorted them to submit to it, to explain to
them the covenant and the promise of which baptism was the
seal, and to mention the nature and extent of it, and to show
that it reached their children as well as themselves, and in-
cluded them as much as their parents, as did the covenant
with Abraham and their fathers, the covenant of circumcision.

The Pedobaptists have generally understood these words in
the sense which has now been given, and considered them as
a strong and conclusive argument for the baptism of the chil-
dren of believers, as included in the covenant of which baptism
is the seal, and interested in the promise ; though they have

* See page 103, etc.

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 137

not agreed in the meaning and extent of the promise made to
the children of believing parents, nor in explaining the con-
dition on which the promise is made. It is for them now to
consider and judge whether the true meaning of these words
has not been stated above, according to the Scripture, and
whether any other consistent meaning in favor of infant
baptism, and agreeable to the passages of Scripture which
have been considered under this head, can be thought of and
supported.

The following \vords of Solomon connect the wise, faithful,
and pious education of children with their piety and salvation,
and amount to a promise that the latter shall be the conse-
quence of the former : " Train up a child in the way he should
go ; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Pr.
xxii. 6.) These words assert the same thing which God says
of Abraham and his children, which has been considered. " He
will command his children, and his household after him, and
they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judg-
ment." And they coincide with all that has been said on this
point, and serve to strengthen the evidence that parents have
a promise in the covenant of grace, that, upon their faithful-
ness in keeping covenant as it respects then* children, they
shall go in the way to heaven.

What he says elsewhere concerning the education of chil-
dren, may be considered in the same light. " Foolishness is
bound up in the heart of a child ; but the rod of con-ection
shall drive it far from him. Withhold not correction from the
child ; for if thou beatest him with a rod he shall not die.
Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul
from hell. Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest ; yea,
he shall give delight unto thy soul." (Pr. xxii. 15 ; xxiii.
13, 14 ; xxix. 17.) Correcting a child, the rod of correction^
and beating him with a rod^ intends the whole of a wise and
faithful education of children, as a proper government of them
is an essential part of such education, and cannot be properly
and thoroughly, and with success, maintained and practised
where the other parts of education are neglected. To such
proper and wise government, and the faithful, painful, religious
education implied in it, are connected the wisdom, piety, and
salvation of the children, and repeatedly promised in those
words. It will drive foolishness far from them ; consequently
they will be wise, which implies true piety. They shall not
die ; but their souls shall be delivered from hell, therefore shall
be saved. They shall give rest and delight to the pious par-
ent, which they cannot do unless they are wise and holy.

There are many other passages of Scripture which coincide
12*

138 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

wath the idea of the covenant of grace which has been now
given, and serve to strengthen the evidence which has already
been produced from the Scripture, that, it contains promises
of saving good to the children of those who keep covenant as it
respects their offspring. Several of these have been mentioned,
v\^hich contain declarations and promises of blessings to the
children of those who love God and keep his commandments,
and that this shall take place, especially in the millennium,
when parents shall in general be more faithful in keeping cov-
nant. There are others of the same tenor, such as the follow-
ng: "I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an ev-
erlasting covenant with them. And their seed shall be known
among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people.
All that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the
seed which the Lord hath blessed. They shall not labor in
vain, nor bring forth for trouble ; for they are the seed of the
blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them." (Isa. Ixi.
8, 9 ; Ixv. 23.) " He established a testimony in Jacob, and
appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers
that they should make them known to their children ; that the
generation to come might know them, even the children which
should be born ; who should arise and declare them to their
children, that they might set their hope in God, and not for-
get the works of God, but keep his commandments." (Ps.
Ixxviii. 5-7.) In these words, it is represented that, according
to the covenant and appointment of God, piety was to be
handed down from parents to children, by the care and fidelity
of the former, in educating and instructing the latter. The
following passage has reference to the words in the decalogue,
which have been considered, and confirm the meaning which
has been given of them : " The mercy of the Lord is from
everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him ; and his
righteousness unto children's children to such as keep his cov-
enant, and to those who remember his commandments to do
them." (Ps. ciii. 17, 18.)

When the prophet Malachi lon^tells the introduction of the
gospel dispensation, and of John the Baptist, the messenger
who should prepare the way before Christ, and the effect and
consequence of all this, he comprehends the whole in the fol-
lowing words, with which the Old Testament concludes :
" And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and
the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite
the earth with a cursr." (Mai. iv. 6.) These words do not
only express the effect of the preaching of John while he was
on the stage of life, but the nature and effect of the Christian
dispensation v.'hich he should introduce, so far as it should

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 139

take place. This effect took place, in some degi-ee, in the
days of John, and his preaching tended to promote it. And this
is the natural tendency of Christianity ; it had this effect in
the days of the apostles to a greater degree than in the days
of John ; and so far as Christianity has been understood, and
the true spirit of it has been imbibed, in any age and nation
since that time to this day, it has tended to turn the heart of
the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to the
fathers. But when true religion shall flourish, and take place
universally, to a greater degree than ever it has yet done, this
prediction will be accomplished in a much higher degree, and
more apparently than ever before ; to which the ministry of
John, and all that has taken place since, may properly be con-
sidered as an introduction, and to which those words, therefore,
have a principal reference ; and the chief accomplishment of
them will be in that day, which is yet to come.

By the heart of the fathers being turned unto the children,
is not meant the exercise and increase of what is called natu-
ral affection ; for this is found in a sufficient degree in almost
all parents, at all times, and if it were increased, it would not
alter their moral character, or answer any good end. It must,
therefore, intend the exercise of a religious, pious affection to-
wards them, leading them to a proper and great concern for
their salvation, and a zeal and engagedness to do their duty
faithfully, and in all respects, as it concerns their children, and
which has a tendency to promote their holiness and salvation,
and to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord ; sensible of their covenant engagements to do this, and
of the strong motives and great encouragement God has set
before them, to be faithful and laborious in this, by the gracious
promise he has given them.

The heart of the children is turned to their parents, when
they are disposed to obey them in the Lord, and grow up in
the exercise of piety and righteousness, or keep the way of the
Lord, to do justice and judgment; following and imitating
their parents in this, as the children of Abraham did. When
they hearken to their pious fathers, saying, " My son, receive
my words, and hide my commandments with thee, so that
thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to
understanding. My son, give me thine heart, and let thine
eyes observe my ways;" (Pr. ii. 1, 2; xxiii. 26;) then the
heart of the children will be turned to the fathers.

It is to be observed here, that the turning of the heart of the
children to their parents is in consequence of the heart of the
fathers being turned unto the children, as being connected with
it. This is agreeable to those Scriptures which have been

140 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

considered, as the}^ have been explained ; showing that there
is a constituted or promised connection between parents keep-
ing covenant, and doing the duty towards their children which
they have promised, which is expressed by their heart being
turned towards them, and the piety and salvation of the chil-
dren, which is necessarily implied in their heart being turned
toward their parents, hearkening to them, and obeying them in
the Lord in all things.

It is here represented, that this shall take place under the
gospel dispensation, which John the Baptist should introduce,
in a higher degree than it had done before ; and Christianity
and true religion should be propagated in this way, and handed
down from parents to children ; and that this shall take place,
especially in the millennium, of which time the prophet speaks
particularly in the preceding part of this chapter ; when Chris-
tianity shall have its proper and genuine effect, to a much
greater degree than ever before, and which will, therefore, be,
in the highest sense, the gospel day, the day of salvation;
when the heart of fathers will be turned unto their children,
in the sense above explained, to a vastly higher degree than
they ever were before, and consequently the hearts of children
will be turned to their fathers, more universally, in the high
exercise of piety, from their youth. And in this view, these
words coincide with those Scriptures which have been men-
tioned, where God promises that he will then circumcise the
heart of parents and of their children, to love the Lord, etc. ;
that he will pour his Spirit upon the seed of his people, and
his blessing upon their offspring; that his church shall be es-
tablished in righteousness, and all her children shall be taught
of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of her children ; and
they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the
watercourses. " As for me, this is my covenant with them,
saith the Lord ; my Spirit which is upon thee, and my words
which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy
mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of 1he mouth
of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever.
I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting
covenant with them ; and their seed shall be known among
the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people : all that
see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which
the Lord hath blessed. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring
forth for trouble ; for they are the seed of the blessed of the
Lord, and their ofl'spring with them. And they shall be my
people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one
heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for the good
of them, and of their children after them. And I will make

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 141

an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away
from them, to do them good ; but I will put my fear in their
hearts, that they shall not depart from me." (Deut. xxx. 6.
Isa. xliv. 3, 4 ; liv. 13, 14 ; lix. 21 ; Ixi. 8, 9 ; Ixv. 23. Jer. xxxii.
38-40.) — " Lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."
By these words, it is represented that the only way, according
to divine constitution and appointment, to keep up true re-
ligion in the world, and transmit it down to the end of it, and
so to prevent mankind becoming totally corrupt, so as to be
destroyed by the curse of God, as they once were by a flood,
is to turn the heart of the fathers to their children, and the
heart of the children to the fathers. And that this will take
place, in an eminent degree, in the millennium, by which the
everlasting covenant will be maintained, and appear in its full
force and operation ; by which means the curse of God on
mankind, by his terrible judgments for their wickedness in
breaking the everlasting covenant, renouncing it themselves
and with respect to their children, not training them up for
God in the ways of true piety, but for the devil, in the ways
of sin, shall have a stop put to it, and proceed no farther, as it
otherwise must, and would, to the total extirpation of man-
kind. These w^ords may, perhaps, receive some illustration by
the following passage in Isaiah, which has been mentioned:
" The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; be-
cause they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance,
broken the everlasting' covenant; therefore hath the curse de-
voured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate :
therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few
men left." (Isa. xxiv. 5, 6.) This chapter is a prophecy of the
introduction of the millennium, and of the awful judgments on
mankind, and especially on corrupt, nominal Christians, pre-
vious to that by which a great part of men shall be destroyed,
as a testimony of the displeasure of God with them for their
great wickedness, and not fearing God themselves, nor edu-
cating their children in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord, but the contrary ; training them up in sin and the ser-
vice of Satan, and thus transgressing the law, changing the
ordinance of God, and breaking the everlasting covenant,
which, if kept, would convey true religion down from gener-
ation to generation. But all mankind shall not be destroyed,
because the remaining few, compared with the whole, shall be
truly pious, and their hearts shall be turned to their children,
and the hearts of the children to them, and so a pious race
shall be propagated and multiplied and fill the world; "for
God will then pour his Spirit on them, and on their seed, and
his blessing on their offspring; and they shall spring up as

142 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

among grass, as Avillows by the watercourses." This is rep-
resented in the followmg words, in this same chapter : " When
thus it shall be, in the midst of the land, among the people,
there shall be as the shaking of an olive-tree, and as the glean-
ing of grapes, when the vintage is done. They shall lift up
their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they
shall cry aloud from the sea." (Isa. xxiv. 13, 14.)

The reasonableness and importance of such a constitution
and covenant between God and parents, with respect to their
children, and the good ends this is suited to answer, will fur-
ther appear by the following observations, which willy at the
same time, serve to strengthen the evidence that the covenant
of grace does contain a promise of saving good to the children
of parents who are faithful in keeping covenant, as it regards
their offspring: —

1. It appears from reason and the circumstances of the case,
and from fact and experience, that the good education of chil-
dren is of great importance, and necessary for their good and
the good of society.

Children are very much formed in their disposition and
manners by their education. If this be bad, or wholly, or in a
great measure, neglected, and they be not governed and in-
structed, and have not good examples set before them, but the
contrary, the bad effects of this are generally seen in them,
and they become injurious to society rather than a benefit.
God has so constituted things, that if parents be wise and
faithful in educating their children, they will have more in-
fluence on them than any others can, and this has a great
tendency to form them to a good moral character and con-
duct. And the parents must have the first and chief hand
in teaching them, and forming their minds, and regulating
their conduct, as they are under the best advantages to do
this ; and if it be wholly neglected by them, other means and
advantages are never like to reach them so as to do them any
great good, according to the ordinary course of things. It is
certain that no instruction from any other quarter, or any
means that can be used with them, can have an equal ten-
dency to their benefit ; and if parents neglect their duty to
then children, other means used for their instruction and ben-
efit are commonly useless and in vain to them.

It is known, from experience, that the character of children
is not only often, but commonly, formed for life while they
are in their minority, while they are under the care and edu-
cation of their parents, or of others who are substituted in
their room ; and a foundation is generally laid then, if ever,
for their piety and moral Christian character, so far as we can
judge from appearance and facts.

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 143

2. Therefore, this branch of duty — the wise and faithful ed-
ucation of children — is much insisted upon, and often strictly
enjoined, in Scripture. This is frequently inculcated on the
members of the church of Israel, as a very important part of
their duty. " Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul dili-
gently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen,
and lest they depart from thine heart all the days of thy life ;
hut teach them thy sons, and tJiy sons'' sons. Gather the people
together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may
learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the
earth, and that they may teach them their children. These
words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
and thou shalt teach them diligentty vnto thy children., and shalt
talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou
walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when
thou risest up." (Deut. iv. 9, 10 ; vii. 6 ; vi. 7.) This is so
important a command that it is repeated again : " And ye
shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou
sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way,
when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." (Deut
xi. 19.)

It is again and again enjoined in the following words :
" Gather the people together, men, and women, and children,
that they may hear, and that they may learn to fear the Lord
your God, and observe to do all the words of this law ; and
that their children, which have not known them, may hear,
and learn to fear the Lord your God." (Deut. xxxi. 12, 13.)
" Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among
you this day ; which ye shall command your children to ob-
serve, to do all the words of this law : for it is not a vain thing
for you, because it is your life." (Deut. xxxii. 46, 47.) It was
repeatedly enjoined upon parents to teach their children the
great works God had done for them, and the deliverances he
had wrought for his people, and to explain to them the mean-
ing of the religious rites which were instituted by God, and
the commands and ordinances which he had given them.
(Ex. X. 2; xii. 25-27; xiii. 14, 15. Deut. vi. 20-25.)

God speaks of it as an excellent and important part of the
character and conduct of Abraham, that he would command
his children, and his household after him, to keep the way of
the Lord, to do justice and judgment. (Gen. xviii. 19.) The
Psalmist mentions the command of God to instruct and
educate children, as an important article, and as necessary to
transmit true knowledge and piety to posterity. " He estab-
lished a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them

144 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

known to their children; that the generation to come might
know them, even the children which should be born, who
should arise and declare them to their children: that they might
set their hope in God," etc. (Ps. Ixxviii. 5-7.)

Solomon often speaks of the importance and advantage of
the faithful and wise education of children, and inculcates it
as a duty. He says, " He that spareth his rod, hateth his son ;
but he that loveth him, chasteneth him betimes. Chasten thy
son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his cry-
ing. Train up a child in the way he shonld go; and when he
is old, he will not depart from it. Foolishness is bound up in
the heart of a child ; but the rod of correction shall drive it far
from him. Withhold not correction from a child : for if thou
beatest him with a rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat
him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. The
rod and repi"Oof give wisdom ; but a child left to himself bring-
eth his mother to shame. Correct thy son, and he shall give
thee rest : yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul." (Pr.
xiii. 24 ; xix. 18 ; xxii. 6, 15 ; xxiii. 13, 14 ; xxix. 15, 17.) And
the nine first chapters of the Proverbs of Solomon are designed
to express the concern parents ought to have for the spiritual
good of their children, and their constant attention to them in
this view, — watching over them, instructing, admonishing,
and warning them, — and through the whole exhibit the
importance and necessity of the children's hearkening and
obeying their parents, in order to their good, and the happy
consequence of this to them ; and the awful consequence of
slighting and disobeying parents is repeatedly mentioned in
that book.

This is the first command in the second table of the deca-
logue : " Honor thy father and thy mother ; " to which is an-
nexed a promise of good, which supposes the duty of par-
ents to govern and instruct their children, and to exercise
great and constant care in their education, and to conduct so
as to be worthy of love, respect, and honor from their children.
And an awful curse is denounced upon those children who do
not obey this command: " Cursed is he that setteth light by
his father or mother." (Deut. xxvii. 16.) And God made a
law, which, if observed, did eff'ectually prevent any disobedient
children living in the congregation of Israel ; for, if parents
had a disobedient child, they were commanded to bring him
forth to the elders of the city, and witness against him, and
he was put to death. (Deut. xxi. 18-21.) This law was suited
to awaken and keep alive the feelings of pious parents towards
their children, and excite a great concern, and unremitting
care and exertion, early and constantly to govern them, and

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 145

keep up their authority in the wisest and best manner, suited
to form them to love and obedience ; and to instruct, admon-
ish, and warn them, and educate them in the best manner
which shall tend to promote their obedience and true piety,
having the awful event constantly in view, which might be the
consequence of their neglect, and would certainly take place
if their children should grow up ungoverned and disobedient.

And this law had a mighty tendency to impress the hearts
of children with a sense of the evil consequence to them of
disobedience to their parents, and to guard them against the
least degree of a disposition to disregard and slight them, and
to excite them to a constant care and resolution to attend to
the instructions and admonitions of their parents, and strictly
obey all their exhortations and commands. In what an
important and interesting light does this law, and the other
directions and precepts which have been mentioned under this
head, set the wise and faithful education of childi'en, and their
obedience to the instructions and authority of their parents I
It is suited powerfully to turn the heart of the fathers to the
children, and the heart of the children to the fathers.

And under the gospel dispensation the faithful and pious
education of children, and their obedience to parents in all
things, are strictly enjoined. The command is, " Children,
obey your parents in the Lord ; for this is right. Children,
obey your parents in all things ; for this is well pleasing unto
the Lord. And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath ;
but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
(Eph. vi. 1, 4. Col. iii. 20.) And no man who had a family
could be an officer in the church, unless he was " one that
ruled well his own house, having his children in subjection
with all gravity," even faithful or believing children. (1 Tim.
iii. 4. Tit. i. 6.)

3. Since the faithful, prudent, and religious education of
children is of such vast importance, and so necessary for their
good and the good of the church, according to the natural
course of things which God has constituted, and since this is
so strictly enjoined upon the people of God, and so much in-
culcated in divine revelation, it may hence be inferred, that
God has set before parents the strongest motives and the
greatest encouragements to be faithful and laborious in their
duty to their chiklren, and to bring them up in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord, and which will have the greatest
tendency to animate them to engagedness and perseverance
in this difficult work, in which they will meet with much op-
position and many discouragements from themselves, from the
world, Satan, and their children. This may be reasonably

VOL. II. 13

146 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

expected, especially in the covenant of grace, or that gra-
ciotis covenant which God maizes with believers as it respects
their children and their duty to them ; for the greater the bless-
ings are Avhich are promised to their offspring, and the gi-eater
the motives and encouragements are to do the duty enjoined,
or perform the condition on which the blessings are susj^ended,
the more grace is contained and exhibited in the covenant.

4. A promise that the children shall be blessed with spiritual
blessings and salvation on the parents' faithfulness to them,
and bringing them up for God, affords the strongest motive,
and gives the greatest encouragement, to pious parents to be
faithful and perform the condition of the covenant as it re-
spects their children, that can be thought of as possible, and
renders the covenant in this respect, in the highest degree, a
covenant of grace.

If pious parents felt as they ought, and had exercises which
might be reasonably expected towards their children, their
greatest concern would be that they might be sanctified and
saved. This they would desire for them unspeakably above
all other things. To have them live and die in sin is, to such
parents, infinitely dreadful. They had much rather have no
offspring than to bring forth children for such a death, even
eternal destruction. If their children may not be holy and
saved, they have nothing to ask or desire for them ; their ex-
istence, and all they can have and enjoy, is, on the whole, worse
than nothing, infinitely worse. Therefore, that they may
be holy and saved, is the great object of their desires and
prayers. And what can be more agreeable and pleasing to
such parents, than for God to take their children into covenant
with them, and to say, " If you will be faithful to your chil-
dren, and treat them as becomes pious parents, and bring them
up for me, I will be their God, and they shall be holy and
happy forever. Therefore, let all your concern for the good
and salvation of your children excite and animate you to
proper exercises and faithfulness with respect to them ; for
they are committed to you, to bring them up for me ; and if
you will do this faithfully, they shall be blessed and saved " ?
What Christian parent is there, whose views and feelings are
in any good measure answerable to his character, who would
not admire the condescension and grace of such a promise,
and rejoice to enter into such a covenant and promise, through
Christ's strengthening him to perform the condition of the
covenant, and give up his children to Christ, and have the seal
of the covenant put upon them ?

And upon this gi'ound, the children of believers are holy,
and numbered among the saints and the saved. Holiness and

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 147

salvation are secured to them by divine promise, on condition
the parents are faithful in the covenant, which they solemnly
profess and engage to be. The church, relying on their pro-
fession and engagements that they will be faithful and keep
the covenant as it respects their children, consider them, re-
ceive and look upon them, as holy, and those who shaU be
saved; so they are as visibly holy, or as really holy in their
view, as their parents are.

But here several questions, which may be suggested from
what has been said on this point, must be answered.

QuES. 1. Is not this doctrine, that the covenant of grace
contains a promise of the holiness and salvation of the chil-
dren of parents who are faithful in their duty to them, and in
educating them in the nurture and admonition of the. Lord,
contrary to known fact and experience, in that so many chil-
dren of pious parents appear as destitute of holiness as other
children, and are of a contrary character, when they are capa-
ble of discovering their disposition by their conduct, and many
of them appear to live and die so ; and there are many known
instances of children whose parents appear to be eminently
pious and careful to educate their children well, who yet ap-
pear to have no piety, but are openly and notoriously vicious,
and appear to live and die so ? And how can all the children
of professors of religion who enter into covenant with God,
be considered as really holy, or how can it be expected that
they wiU grow up pious children and be saved, when this
does not appear to be true in fact in so many instances, but
the contrary ?

Ans. 1. It does appear, from fact, that the education of
children, if in any good measure practised, and so far as it has
taken place, has a great influence on children in general ; and
many of them who have had any degree of a pious education,
do themselves become professors of religion, and appear to be
holy. How much greater and more universal might be the
good effect of such education, if parents were more faithful
and thorough in this branch of their duty than they generally
are, even as diligent and faithful as might reasonably be ex-
pected, considering the importance of the case, and the motives
and encouragements they have.

This leads to

Ans. 2. Parents who have been professors of religion, and
have entered into covenant with God, have been, in general,
grossly negligent of their duty to their children, and have lived
in the constant violation of the covenant as it respects their
children. This will appear to every one who will consider what
is implied in bringing them up in the nurture and admonition

148 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

of the Lord, as it has been briefly stated above, and judge what
might reasonably be required and expected of parents in this
important and interesting matter; and at the same time will,
in the light of this, observe how the children, even of the pro-
fessors of religion, are in general educated. He will be sensible
there is but little wise and prudent government, steadily and
perseveringly maintained, from the early days in which children
are capable of discipline and government until they cease to be
minors ; and that much of the contrary generally takes place,
which is suited to weaken all parental authority, and tends to
ruin the children. He will find few instances, if any, of that
careful, wise, and constant instruction, assiduously endeavor-
ing to instil into their young minds the principles of true
knowledge and wisdom, and watching over them to guard
them from wrong notions, errors, and delusions in things of
religion, which are most reasonable and important, and which
we find so strictly enjoined in the Bible. And what bad ex-
amples— of evil speaking and backbiting, of vain, trifling
conversation, of passion, of covetousness and worldliness, of
great indifference and neglects respecting the exercises and
practice of piety, in reading and studying the Bible and the
worship of God — are to be found amiong professors in gen-
eral, which have a gi-eat and destructive influence on the
minds of children I And how few are there who are not
greatly deficient in the example they set before their children,
which could not take place were they not grossly negligent in
their duty to them, and had they a reasonable and proper
concern for their good ! How little is done or said by par-
ents, in general, which is suited to excite and maintain a
proper and faithful education of children, in all the parts of it I
How little do they appear to regard or understand their cove-
nant engagements, or the nature of the covenant into which
they have entered, and the encouragements and promises
made to faithfulness in keeping covenant, and tlie infinite im-
portance of this to their children ! And the churches take no
care in this matter to watch over one another with respect to
the education of their children, and to warn and exhort and
assist each other to do their duty in this respect, which is
certainly a great neglect.

When these things are properly considered, the general want
of piety and the too common irreligion and vice, which are
found among the children of professors of religion, may be
accounted for, consistent with there being a promise in the
covenant of grace, that the children of parents who faith-
fully perform the duties of the covenant towards them
shall be holy, and share in the great salvation, and does not

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 149

afford the least shadow of an argument that there is no such
promise.

True religion has generally been in so low a degree in the
church, and still is, and there have been so many members of
it wholly strangers to a life of godliness, not being true believ-
ers, that the life and power of Christianity has not had the
proper influence and been acted out by professors in general
as it ought to be, and might be reasonably expected.

Most real Christians have been, and now are, shamefully
deficient as to the strength and constancy of their religious
exercises, and in every branch of duty ; and their discerning and
knowledge in the doctrines and duties of Christianity has been
in so small a degree, that when, considering the time and ad-
vantages they have had, they ought to be teachers, especially
of their children, they, in general, need themselves to be taught
the first principles of the oracles of God. And the nature and
extent of the covenant of grace, as it respects the children of
believers, and the design and meaning of the institution of
baptism of such children, and what is implied in it, have not
been generally understood : and the duty which parents engage
to do towards their children has been greatly overlooked and
disregarded, even in theory as well as practice ; and the prom-
ise of the success of faithfulness in this duty, in the holiness
and salvation of their children, has not been believed by the
most, and they are now disposed to oppose this sentiment,
and so cannot feel the motives and great encouragement this
affords and sets before parents, to care and faithfulness in this
branch of duty, nor the vast importance of it to them and
then- children.

It is, therefore, no matter of wonder that the children of
professors in general, and of really pious parents, have not
received the blessings of the covenant of grace, as the duties
of the covenant have been so grossly neglected by almost all ;
and they have not so much as believed that there is any such
covenant between God and themselves respecting their chil-
dren. This is what might be reasonably expected, as things
have gone on and still take place with regard to children, in
the great neglect of that duty to which the promise of success
is made : which branch of duty has doubtless been more
neglected by really Christian parents than other branches of
Christianity, not only because it has been less understood and
inculcated, and the motives and encouragement to faithfulness
in it have been kept out of sight, or, at most, been less in view,
but because there are peculiar difficulties and temptations in
the way of a wise and faithful discharge of this duty ; and
Satan, who knows how much depends upon the parent's faith-
13*

150 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

fulness, and what advantages he gains against children and
the church, and the interest of religion in general, by the gross
neglect of this branch of duty, exerts all his cunning and pow-
er, and improves every advantage he has, to lay snares and
stumbling blocks in the way of their duty, and in magnifying
the dilliculties and discouragements, to deter them from it;
offering every temptation he can to neglect it, and to do that
which has a contrary and most fatal tendency, even to ruin
their children. Nor is there any certainty that this influence
of the devil will cease, or that the power of godliness will so
take place in general, as to lead parents to be faithful in their
duty to their children, and to keej? covenant, so that the bless-
ings of it shall descend from father to son through many gener-
ations, until Satan shall be bound and cast into the bottomless
pit, and shut up there a thousand years, that he may deceive
men no more during all that time ; and when Christianity shall
have its proper and full effect, by the effusions of the Holy
Spirit in greater degrees than before, forming Christians to
eminent degrees of holiness and true zeal and engagedness to
do their duty in all the branches of it, especially that which
they owe to their children, w^iich is now so much and so gen-
erally neglected. Then the heart of the fathers will be turned
to the children, and the heart of the children to the fathers, as
they never were before ; and the covenant of grace, which con-
tains promises to parents and their children, will take place in
the full extent of it, and the happy consequences of it be seen
and enjoyed.

Such a time is abundantly spoken of and predicted in the
Scripture ; and all that takes place previous to that day is
preparatory to it. That is the time of salvation, in the highest
sense, when the doctrines and institutions of the gospel will be
better understood than ever before, and have their proper and
full effect. The Bible itself has principal reference to that time,
and will be then understood, prized, and improved more and
better than ever before. The institutions and ordinances of
Christ have been, and now are, greatly misunderstood, per-
verted, and abused by most Christian churches and professors
of religion, and great irregularities take place in attendance on
them. The time preceding the millennium may be compared
to the \vinter, when things appear in great disorder and con-
fusion, and the influences of the sun are weak and small, and
have little effect ; but all is preparatory to the s})ring and sum-
mer, w^icn the sun and rain will have their proper effect in
producing the fruits of the earth.

These observations are made, to show that we cannot judge
of the good effect of the proper, pious, and faithful education

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 151

of children, and of the extent of the promises of the covenant
of grace, and of the design and meaning of the baptism of the
children of believers, by what has already taken place in the
Christian church : but we must learn this from the Bible, and
not expect that the proper and happy effect of this institution
will take place in any great degree, until the spirit and power
of Christianity shall be more felt and exerted in practice, which
v.'ill introduce the millennium. Then parents, with their hearts
full of love to Christ, and under a sense of the infinite im-
portance of the salvation of their children, and ardently desir-
ing to be the happy instruments of it, will give them up to
Christ in baptism, rejoicing in this seal of the divine promise
to bless them, on their acting a consistent and faithful part
towards them, and with a heart admiring the grace of God in
this covenant, and strongly desirous and disposed to be faith-
ful, they will lay hold of the covenant, and make it their great
concern and an important branch of their duty, to bring up
their children for Christ. Then the happy effect of this will be
seen in the early piety of the children, who will grow up in the
fear of God, and walk in his ways, to the unspeakable satisfac-
tion and joy of the parents, and the comfort and edification of
the church. Then, when a large congregation of Christians shall
be assembled for public worship, all possessed with a realizing
belief and sense of the truth of the gospel and the great salva-
tion, and their hearts glowing with fervent love to Christ and
to each other, what pleasure and joy will it spread over such
an assembly, when children are brought by their parents and
publicly dedicated to Christ in baptism ; solemnly and with
all their hearts engaging to bring them up for him, and laying
hold of the gracious promise of the covenant to f heir children !
All will consider these children as heirs of the blessings of the
covenant and numbered among the saved, confident that the
parents will faithfully keep covenant with God; and having
seen the general happy effect of this, they will join in all the
solemnities of this transaction with great pleasure, fervency,
and joy, and every one be edified and animated to the duty of
his station, and go away with enlarged views of the grace of
the gospel, and the condescension and love of Christ.

Ans. 3. Though some of the children of parents who ap-
pear eminently pious, and to take much pains in the education
of their children, do, when they come to adult age, renounce
all religious duty and live in open vice, yet this affords no
real evidence that the doctrine to which this fact is alleged as
an objection is not true ; for, —

1. We cannot be certain that those who appear to be Chris-
tians, and to excel many others, are really such. They may

152 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

deceive others, and be themselves deceived, and never truly
and with their heart devote their children to God. The first,
in appearance and profession, may be last, and wholly destitute
of true holiness. No argument can be justly formed from such
instances, unless there were a certainty that the parents are
real Christians, and faithful in keeping covenant with God.

2. Parents who are real Christians, and excel in some re-
spects in pious zeal, and in the practice of many of the duties
of Christianity, may be very deficient and unfaithful in their
duty to their children. They may be guilty of neglecting that
which is important and essential in the good education of
children, in some instances at least, and of doing or saying
that which tends to hurt and ruin their children, in some par-
ticular instances and on some occasions, which may be the
means of giving an evil bias to their minds, and issue in their
abandoning themselves to vice. And this may be the case
with regard to one particular child, while they are more w4se
and faithful in their treatment and education of their other
children ; and such instances of neglect or \vi'ong conduct to-
ward some or all of their children may so displease God, as
to give up the children to sin and ruin. It has been observed,
that parents may keep covenant, as it respects their own per-
sons, and yet neglect the duties of it, as it respects their chil-
dren. This is so difficult a part of duty, and Satan is so
watchful, and exerts all his policy and power to prevent par-
ents doing it, and to promote that which is contrary to it, and
the proper education of children is so little understood, and the
importance of it not much attended to and realized, and the
encouragement and promise God has given to the faithful dis-
charge of this duty is so generally not believed or overlooked,
that it may be reasonably supposed that some parents who
are eminently pious, and devoted to the duties of religion in
other respects, may so fail of their duty to their children in
some important part of their education, as shall tend to bring
a curse on them rather than a blessing.*

And it is left to the reader to consider, whether it be not
more reasonable, and for the honor of God and religion, when
such instances of the impiety of the children of parents who

* AVhon all this is -u'cll considered, it will not appear incredible or unac-
countable, that pious parents, and even those who may appear eminently so, in
many respects, may be greatly deficient and unfaithful in their duty to their
children, and much more so than in any other branch of their duty, notwith-
standing the natural aftection they have for tliera, and the desire they must be
sup])osed to have of tlieir salvation ; and he "who contemplates and keeps in
view tlie nature and extent of this duty, and carefully observes the general con-
duct of tliose parents whose piety is not questioned as it respects their children,
will find it (tonfirmed by lamentable and too notorious fact. On what ground,
then, can. it be doubted ?

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISJI. 153

appear eminently godly take place, to impute it to the un-
faithfulness of the parents in this branch of their duty, in some
very important and capital instance, rather than to curtail the
covenant of grace and doubt of the promise of saving blessings
to the children of parents who are faithful in keeping cove-
nant, or of the faithfulness of God to fulfil his promise when-
ever the condition is in some good measure performed.

Ans. 4. Though parents who have given up their children
to Christ in baptism and promised to bring them up for him,
have in so many instances neglected their duty, and come so
far short in the education of their children, that they have
generally grown up without any appearance of piety, this is
not a sufficient reason to lay aside the institution of Christ,
and practise it no more. We are to hope that professors of
religion will in future be more faithful. The church has no
light to reject those who offer their children in baptism, and
profess and promise to devote them to Christ, and bring them
up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and refuse to
receive their children as holy and belonging to Christ, because
so many children of professors who have been thus devoted
and received have discovered, when they became adult, that
they were not truly pious, and have refused to obey Christ.
This should rather excite Christians to v^^atch over each other,
and exhort one another daily, respecting their duty to their
children, and awaken the church to the practice of a more
strict and thorough discipline ; and to take more care of the
children of the church, those lambs of the flock, as soon as
they are capable of public admonition and discipline.

There are too many instances of persons who are received
into the church in adult years, as holy and real Christians, who
afterwards fall from their Christian character and violate the
laws of Christ, and are rejected by the church, or ought to be,
as those who have disappointed their hopes and expectations ;
yet such instances, however numerous, cannot be justly alleged
as a reason why they should receive no more upon their pro-
fession and engagements to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, be-
cause they have been deceived in others, who have fallen from
their Christian profession. This ought to excite the church to
greater care in receiving persons as real Christians, and to a
more strict and constant watchfulness over those they do re-
ceive, and the use of all proper means to prevent their apostasy
and all unchristian conduct, and to induce them to obey Christ
in all things.

QuES. 2. If there were such a promise of saving bless-
ings to children, on a condition to be performed by the parents,
and which they engage, is it not reasonable to suppose this

154 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

condition would be specified, and so particularly stated and
described, that parents might distinctly know what it is, and
when they come up to it, or fall short of it ? and would not
this be necessary in order to afibrd any proper encouragement
and satisfaction to parents ? The covenant of grace contains
promises of salvation to faith, repentance, or love to God;
and these are defined, and the nature and concomitants of
them particularly described; and the promise is made not
only to those who exercise these graces in a particular high
degree, but to the lowest possible degree of these ; so that, if
persons know they have any thing of this nature, they may,
from that, be certain of salvation. But, in the case before us,
no such thing is supposed, or can be true ; but the matter is
left so vague and uncertain that none can know whether he
has come up to the condition to which the promise is made,
or not, or how far he is from it. Is not this a strong and un-
answerable objection to the doctrine now advanced ?

Ans. 1. All will grant that there are certain exercises of
heart, — a constant course and degree of them, — and of exter-
nal duties, which are the proper expression of those exercises
of heart which parents owe to their children, and which may
reasonably be expected of pious parents, and must take place
in order to their acting a consistent part, and answerable to
the Christian character and to such a relation. And they
who practise infant baptism consider parents as professing a
desire and willingness to perform this duty, and promising to
be faithful in doing it; that they profess to give up then:
children to Christ, desiring for them, above all other tilings,
that they may be saved ; and promise to bring them up for
Christ, and act a faithful part to them, agreeably to such ded-
ication and such desires.

Now, if any one will tell what is implied in this engagement
and duty, which the parent must perform in order to fulfil his
promise and perseveringly conduct agreeably to this transac-
tion, and state it with such exactness that the parent may
know when he has come fully up to it, or how far he has been
deficient, then it will be easy to tell precisely what is the con-
dition on the parent's part to which the promise of saving
blessings to his children is made, so that the parent may know
whether he has performed it or not, and how far he has fallen
short of it ; for he has already done it in showing what is the
duty promised by the parent and justly expected of him.

But if this cannot be done, it is as much of an objection to
there being any duty promised or required of the parent, in
order to his acting a faithful and consistent part towards his
child, as that which has been mentioned, in the question

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 155

under consideration, to there being a promise of saving bless-
ings to children, on a condition which is required, and yet not
precisely stated. If duty may be required of parents towards
their children, which they may and ought to promise to per-
form,— without pointing out the precise degree of duty, or
the particular manner and circumstances in which it is to be
done, — then this same duty, thus required and promised,
may be made the condition of saving blessings to the children.
Surely, if it may be required and promised, it may be required
and promised as a condition to which God, who requires it,
promises blessings to the children.

Ans. 2. The condition of the promise is expressed as par-
ticularly and as plain as the nature of the case will admit, and
so as to be sufficiently intelligible to an honest, pious mind.
The whole is contained and expressed in the following sen-
tence and injunction : " And ye fathers, provoke not your
children to wrath ; but bring them up in the nurture and ad-
monition of the Lord." The whole Bible is suited to explain
this sentence, and show what is the meaning of it, and the
duty implied in it, so that he who is willing to know and do
his duty, in this branch of it, and comply with this injunction,
and will properly attend to the matter, will sufficiently under-
stand the meaning of it, and be at no undesirable uncertainty
concerning it.

It is certain, that, in these words, a duty is enjoined on par-
ents, or a course of exercises, exertions, and conduct, to such
a degree, and with such constancy, care, and faithfulness, as
to educate their children in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord. And all will grant that this command is sufficiently
plain, and does clearly point out the duty, so that parents
may know what it is and comply with it, and that it is stated
as precisely as the nature of the case and kind of the duty
will admit. And must it not, then, for the same reason, be
granted that it is as sufficiently plain to be the condition of a
promise, and that, as such, it is as fully and clearly expressed
as the nature of the case requires, or will admit ?

Ans. 3. The condition, or the kind and measure, of the
duty to which this promise is made, is as precisely and fully
stated in the Scripture as is desirable, and so as to be suited
to answer the end designed by it.

It is enough for the parents to know that it is a covenant
of GRACE into which God enters with them, and that the con-
dition of the promise of saving blessings to their children is as
low as can be, consistent with answering the ends of it, and
that Christ, who is infinitely gracious, and knows what is
right, and has stated the condition, will not be rigorous, but

156 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

make all proper and possible allowances in their favor, even
all that they can reasonably desire; for grace will look on
their exercises and conduct in the most favorable light. They
have, therefore, all possible encouragement to exert themselves
constantly, and strain every nerve in doing their duty to their
children, that they may be faithful, and come up to the condi-
tion, knowing that no advantage will be taken of them for
their many imperfections and defects, which they constantly
confess and lament, if they be laborious and faithful in any
good degree answerable to the importance of the case, and the
motives and encouragements which are set before them. And
their not knowing whether they have come up to that degree
of exercise, care, and faithfulness, which is the condition of
the promise, and fear that they have not, will be a constant
spur to them to greater care, watchfulness, and diligence, that,
if by any means, they may obtain the promised blessing to
their children. And the greater and more constant their care
and exertions are, and the more strongly they find their hearts
turned unto their children in the practice of parental duty
toward them, the more comfort they will have in the hope and
confidence that the heart of their children will be turned to
them, and that God will bless and save them ; while they are
still constantly and with importunity looking to him for grace
and assistance to do their duty to their children, and that they
may be blessed indeed.

Quest. 3. Is not this a legal scheme? Salvation, ac-
cording to this, is given to children for the good works of the
parents ; or, the children are saved by the obedience, and good
and meritorious deeds, of the parents. Is not this directly
contrary to salvation by free grace ?

Ans. 1. It is certain, from Scripture, that God has given
blessings to children out of regard to the obedience and faith-
fulness of their parents and ancestors. There are many in-
stances of this in Scripture, which the attentive readers of it
must have observed. Abraham, Caleb, and David are in-
stances of it. Yet these blessings were as much of free grace
as if they had not been given in this way.

Ans. 2. Many and great blessings, both in this world and
in heaven, are promised and given to men as a reward of
their obedience ; and yet these blessings and rewards are as
much the fruit of free gi-ace as they could be if given in any
other way, oecause they are really no more deserving' of the
blessings and rewards they receive than if they had not
obeyed.

Ans. 3. The obedience and faithfulness of the parents in
keeping covenant docs not render their children more deserving

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 157

of blessings than if they had not obeyed. Holiness and salva-
tion come to the children as much a free gift, and there is as
much free grace in this gift to them, as if it did not come to
them in this way in connection with the obedience of the par-
ents ; and the parents' obedience has not the least merit or
desert of such blessings. Therefore, the promise made to them
of saving blessings to their children, on condition of their obe-
dience, is a gracious promise, wholly the fruit and expression
of free, undeserved grace, as much as if their obedience were
not the condition ; and the parents depend on free, sovereign
grace for a heart and assistance to perform the condition, so
that it is all of free grace from beginning to end, from the
foundation to the topstone. The covenant of grace is, there-
fore, hereby enlarged, and contains more grace by the promise
of saving mercy to the children of those who keep the covenant
than if it contained no such promise. The parents who have
been in this way the instruments of bringing salvation to their
children, will forever admire and adore that infinite free grace
which so constituted the covenant of grace as to include their
children with them, and given them grace to be faithful in the
covenant, and perform the condition on which the promise of
salvation to their children was made, and by which it has been
conveyed to them. The children who are saved in this way
will forever celebrate and adore that sovereign gi'ace of God,
exercised towards them in constituting such a gracious cove-
nant, and ordering that they should be born of such pious par-
ents, by whom they were brought into covenant and dedicated
to God, and in giving their parents a heart to bring them up
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and in this way
giving them holiness and salvation. This is, therefore, so far
from being inconsistent with salvation by free, sovereign grace,
that it serves to display it, and instead of curtailing, it enlarges
the covenant of grace.

QuES. 4. How are the children who are thus in covenant,
and holy, in the sense explained, to be treated by the church ?

Answer. Before they come to years of understanding, so as
to be capable of acting in matters of religion for themselves, they
are not to be admitted to receive the Lord's supper, because
they are incapable of receiving any benefit by it, or of attend-
ing upon it in the manner and for the ends prescribed by Christ,
viz., to do it in remembrance of him; but when they shall be
able to act for themselves, the church of which they are mem-
bers is to expect and require that they conduct as pious Chris-
tians, and profess and appear to understand the doctrines and
duties of Christianity, and to be willing to obey Christ, in
keeping all his commandments, and attending on all his insti-

VOL. II. 14

158 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

tutions, to which they are to be admitted, and treated in all
respects as the disciples of Christ. But if they be immoral, or
neglect the duties of Christianity, and refuse or neglect to make
a Christian profession, and attend upon the Lord's supper, the
church is to use proper means to reclaim them, and bring them
to their duty ; and if they still neglect and refuse to hear the
church and comply with their duty, they are to be rejected and
cast out of the church, and treated in all respects as any adult
persons are to be treated, who have been members of the church,
and are rejected for disobedience to the laws of Christ.

As soon as the children are capable of being taught, they
are to be instructed and told what their 'standing is, what has
been done for them, what will be expected and required of
them when they come to act for themselves ; that if they do
not then say " I am the Lord's," and subscribe with their hand
to the Lord, and comply with all the institutions of Christ,
they will fall under the censure of the church, and be cast out,
as unworthy of the station into which they were brought by
their parents ; and this is constantly to be held up to their
view, and urged upon them.

It has been observed, that if the laws given by Moses to the
congregation of Israel were strictly observed, no child who
was disobedient to his parents, and refused to serve the Lord,
could be suffered to live among them, for all such were to
be put to death ; and that this law was suited to have a con-
stant and mighty influence on parents, to awaken and excite
them to the greatest care, prudence, and faithfulness in edu-
cating their children ; and on the minds of children, from their
early days, to lead them to hearken to their parents and obey
them, and to make it their great concern to fear and serve
the Lord.

The Christian institution, now under consideration, is suited
to answer the same end, and to have a salutary effect on the
minds both of parents and their children. Though, under the
milder dispensation of the gospel, no one is to be put to death
for rejecting Christ and the gospel, even though he were before
this a visible member of the Christian church, yet he is to be
cut off, and cast out of the visible kingdom of Christ; and
every child in the church, who grows up in disobedience to
Christ, and in this most important concern will not obey his
parents, is tiuis to be rejected and cut off, after all proper means
are used by his parents and the church to reclaim him, and
bring him to his duty. Such an event will be viewed by
Christian parents as worse than death, or only to have a child
taken out of the world by death, and is suited to be a constant,
strong motive to concern, prayer, and fidelity respecting their

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 159

children and their education ; and it tends to have an equally
desirable effect on the minds of children, and must greatly im-
press the hearts of those who are in any degree considerate
and serious.

QuES. 5. According to this plan, if children grow up and.
continue in a state of sin, and a course of di^^obedicnce to
Christ, it must be owing to the parents' neglect and breach of
covenant; must they not, therefore, be censured and excom-
municated by tlie church, as well as their children, as cove-
nant-breakers ?

Answer. This question must be answered in the negative,
for the following reasons : —

1. Though it be evident that parents have not done their
duty to those of their children w4io grow up and continue in
disobedience to Christ, and refuse to walk in the way in which
they should go, yet if no course of actions, nor any particular
overt act contrary to their duty, nor any gross, known and
designed neglect of their duty to their children can be proved
or alleged against them, there can be no ground of public
censure.

2. Though it could be proved, and were known, that they
had been guilty of many mistakes, much imprudence, and
great neglects in the education of their children, and were far
li*om doing their duty, and complying with all that is implied
in bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord, and so had broken the covenant between God and them
with respect to their duty to their children ; yet this may be
consistent with their being true believers or real Christians,
and, therefore, cannot be a sufficient ground of censuring them,
and casting them out of the church ; for nothing can be the
proper ground of such censure, but those overt acts, or that
neglect of duty, which, if persisted in, is inconsistent with a
person's being a real Christian. It has been obsei-ved, that a
person may be a true believer, and be entitled to the blessings
of the covenant of grace as to his own person, and yet not
perform the condition of the covenant, as it respects his chil-
dren ; therefore, though the latter may be proved, this is no
evidence against him, with respect to the former ; consequently
is not a ground of rejecting him as no Christian.

QuEs. 6. It is a known truth, and often mentioned, that
parents cannot give or convey grace to their children by any
thing they can do. Is not the doctrine now advanced, which
teaches that the holiness and salvation of children is the cer-
tain consequence of their parents' doing their duty to them,
contrary to this truth?

Answer. It is true, that holiness is wrought in the heart by

160 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

the power and energy of the Holy Spirit, and cannot be com-
municated to children by any means or endeavors used by
parents, but is wholly effected by divine influences. In this
view and sense, parents do not convey grace to their children :
this is wholly out of their power ; it is the work of God. But
it does not follow from this that God has not so constituted
the covenant of gi-ace, that holiness shall be communicated
by him to the children, in consequence of the faithful, com-
manded endeavors of their parents ; so that, in this sense, and
by virtue of such a constitution, they do, by their faithful en-
deavors, convey saving blessings to their children.

In this way they give existence to their children. God pro-
duces their existence by his own almighty energy; but, by the
constitution he has established, they receive their existence
from their parents, or by their means. By an established con-
stitution, parents convey moral depravity to their children ; and
if God has been pleased to make a constitution, and appoint
a way in his covenant of grace with man, by which pious
parents may convey and communicate moral rectitude or holi-
ness to their children, they, by using the appointed means, do
it as really and efiectually as they communicate existence to
them. In this sense, therefore, they may convey and give
holiness and salvation to their children.

This is a maxim often mentioned by parents, when the
faithful education of their children is brought into view and
urged, that parents cannot give grace to their children, how-
ever faithful they are in their education. This is not true, in
the sense now mentioned, if the covenant of grace contains a
promise that their children shall be holy, if they will use all
proper and commanded endeavors to this end, by which there
is a constituted connection between such means and the end.
And whether this has not been proved from Scripture, the
reader will judge when he has considered what has now been
offered on this point. There is reason to fear, and even to
believe, that the above maxim is too often mentioned by par-
ents in order to exculpate and excuse themselves from fault,
when their children grow up ungoverned, ignorant, and vicious.
In this view it is desirable it should be laid aside.

QuEs. 7. If this be a doctrine plainly taught in Scrip-
ture, and explains and points out the meaning, design, and
importance of the baptism of the children of believers, why
has it not been understood and believed in all ages in the
Christian church, but remained in the dark, and unknown till
this time ?

Ans. 1. It was taught by Christ and his a])ostles ; as they
said things which do necessarily imply it, as has been shown.

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 161

And it was, therefore, doubtless understood and believed in
the churches constituted by the apostles, which, with other
doctrines and practices enjoined by them, was soon corrupted,
misunderstood, and, in a great measure, lost in darkness and
error. And that this was an apostolic institution may be
argued from the opinion which was handed down in the
Christian church, that baptized infants were regenerated : and
hence their baptism was called regeneration, which appears
by the writings of those who lived in the second century of
the Christian church and since. Though the true reason of
baptized children being considered and called holy — viz., their
being the children of parents who dedicated them to God, and
had engaged to bring them up for God, on which condition
they were to be holy and saved, according to the divine prom-
ise— was, soon after the days of the apostles, too generally
overlooked and misunderstood, yet the doctrine that such
children were to be considered to be regenerated and holy was
still taught and believed, and has been embraced by many,
even to this day. But, instead of understanding the true
ground of this, and giving a rational and scriptural account
of it, the most of them have either given no reason for it, or
attributed it not to what the parents had done or should do
for them, and the promise made to them in the covenant of
grace upon their faithfulness, but to the efficacy of the ordi-
nance of baptism itself, and thought that the bare administra-
tion of baptism would sanctify and save them, without regard
to any condition to be performed by their parents or others.

Ans. 2. This doctrine has been expressly asserted by writ-
ers of this and the last centuries.* And many divines, if not

* " Baptism seals our introduction and initiation into the visible church
and body of Christ, and our adoption to the heavenly inheritance." — Calvin,
Epist. 185.

Dr. Thomas Goodwin, in his discourse on 1 Cor. vii. 14, — Else were your
children unclean, hut noio are they holy, — says, "The meaning is this: that,
whereas unbelievers' children are, in the account of the gospel and of God
himself under the gospel, pronounced unclean, — that is, as remaining in the
state in which they were born, viz., of sin and unclcanness, — on the contrary,
(saith he,) your children, although born in sin, as others, are yet, by God's true
sentence of them, in his word and revealed will, proclaimed holy, and so are
to be judged of by us as truly regenerate and born again. He means, therefore,
evangelical holmess ; — that, though they be born in sin, as others arc, yet
they are, in part, sanctified, or regenerate, and made holy in state, and so are
not in a state of sin, but 'of evangelical holiness.

"For the terminus or object of our thoughts, it is real holiness; that is,
which we are to think real and true. Some divines have said that, because the
church was to judge any such child holy, though all were not so, that, there-
fore, it is but a reputative holiness, and an outward, sacramental holiness, that
we, in our judgments, arc to give them. But they are mistaken ; for though
in the event, indeed, it proves in many of them but a reputative holiness, and
only in esteem, yet, still, so as the terminus of the church's judgment, or

14*

162 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

most, who have WTitten in favor of infant baptism, have said
that which really implies this doctrine, while they assert that
the children of believers are received into covenant with their
parents, and have a visible title to the promise of the cove-
nant,— which is, that God will be a God to them, or their
God, — and, therefore, are federally holy, which implies the
whole that has been now advanced on this point, if these
words be taken in any proper consistent sense, or if, indeed,
they have any real meaning. It cannot be denied, indeed,
that many of these same authors have passed over this point
without an explanation, or have so explained this assertion as
to leave it without any consistent sense, or nothing but words
without any meaning, and have denied that to be the mean-
ing which is the only natural and consistent one.

Ans. 3. If this doctrine were wholly neglected and lost
ever since the. age in which the apostles lived, and had not
been revived or thought of till this time, or even till the mil-
lennium shall commence, this would be no argument against
the truth of it, whenever, upon inquiry, it be found to be con-
tained in the Bible,

Those doctrines and duties of Christianity which are most
contrary to the selfishness, pride, worldliness, and the various
natural corrupt inclinations of men, are most exposed to be
soon rejected and lost, or greatly corrupted ; and though once
taught and established, and continuing to be contained in
divine revelation, will be neglected and discarded when the

that holiness which they are, in their judgments, to attribvitc to them, is true,
real holiness, — but it is called rcputativc only in res^jcct to the event, in that
we should attribute true holiness to those who prove not so, (yet still the holi-
ness we are to think in them is no other than real to our thoughts, even as it is
in our judging those of riper years to be saints, when admitted into churches,)
— it follows not that it is a mere outward holiness that is to be the terminus of
our thoughts, or that which Ave are to content ourselves to find in them, or
think of them, but that they are truly and really hoh', though, in the event,
it proves no other, in many, than an outward, titular holiness : yet the holi-
ness we pitch vipon, and aim at, and judge of, and embrace men for, is a holi-
ness to our judgments real, though we be often mistaken." — Dr. Goodwin's
Works, Vol. il. Of Election, pp. 406, 422.

The Assembly of Divines, at Westminster, in the Shorter Catechism, com-
posed by them, say, " Baptism is a sacrament, wherein the wasliing with water,
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, doth signify
and seal our ingruftimj into Christ, and partaking of the blessings of the covenant
(f grace, and our engagement to be the Lord's." And in the next sentence say,
"The infants of such as are members of the visible church arc to be baptized."
This catechism is received by the church of Scotland, and by all or most of the
I'resbyterian and Congregational churches in England, Ireland, and America,
and taught to their children. If baptism signitics and seals what it is here said
to do, then infants, wlien they are baptized, are visibly, or, in the view of the
church, ingrafted into Christ, and partakers of the blessings of the covenant
of grace ; which is the same with being entitled to lioliness and salvation on
some condition, which, if not expressed, is supposed and understood.

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 163

power and spirit of true religion declines ; and they will not
be long maintained and practised in their original purity and
strictness in Christian churches, unless divine influences be
granted, to form the hearts of successive generations to dis-
cern and love the truth and practise it. This observation has
been verified by fact and experience. The Christian church,
in general, soon became corrupt, and sunk into darkness and
error, in principles and practice, after the days of the apostles;
and this declension and apostasy from the truth once delivered
to the saints became greater and more general as the spirit
of true religion vanished, and error in doctrine, and superstition
and corruption in practice, increased. There were, from time
to time; some degree of partial revivals of truth and rehgion,
and particular men were raised, up to investigate and declare
soiTie of the most important truths contained in the Bible, and
oppose the general corruption in Christian doctrine and duty ;
and this took place to a remarkable degree and extent in the
reformation from popery. But who will presume to say or
think, that any of the different sects and denominations of
Christians in the Protestant world have come up to the purity
in doctrine and practice of the primitive church ; or that the
Bible is yet understood in all the important branches of truth
and duty, as they are there revealed? Christians in general
are still in a great degree of darkness, and much of the light
held up in the Bible is not received, through the inattention,
prejudices, and l:)lindness of men. The Scripture has not been
so well and so fully understood, as it will be in the days of the
millennium, when the Spirit of God shall be poured put on
Christians in general, in much gi-eater degrees than it has been,
by which they shall have more discerning, and be disposed to
search the Bible with a sincere and earnest desire to know the
truth, and a strong disposition to receive it, and practise agreea-
ble to it. The Bible will then be improved to much better
purpose than it had ever been before, and many important
truths and duties, which had in ages before not been under-
stood or seen, will then appear plain and easy to be under-
stood. Then the Bible will answer the end for which it is
given to men, as it never had done before, as it was chiefly
designed for that day, by the proper improvement of w-hich,
the knowledge of God and of all revealed truth will fill the
earth as the waters cover the sea.

The doctrine now under consideration may be then well
understood by all, and the evidence of it appear much more
strong and clear than it can be made to do now, and being re-
duced, to practice, the good effect of it will be seen, as has
been observed above. This doctrine, taken in its full length

164 THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM.

and breadth, when reduced to a practice agreeable to it, is
directly contrary to the natural disposition of man, and pe-
culiarly so in many respects; and it is not expected that,
however evident the truth of it is from the Bible, it will be
generally believed, and that it will be received and properly
conformed to and practised by many churches, if by any, in
the Christian world, at this day. Religion, even the true spirit
of Christianity, must rise much higher than it now does, in
order to practise the duties implied in the baptism of infants,
and many other duties which are commanded, and ought to
take place among Christians and in Christian churches.

Q,UES. 8. If a right account of infant baptism has now
been given, then the baptism of children of believers is an in-
stitution of vast importance and an indispensable duty, as well
as a gi-eat privilege ; and they who deny that infant baptism
is a Christian institution, and refuse to practise it, are very
erroneous and wicked. Ought they not, therefore, to be re-
jected as no Christians ?

Answer. They who believe the baptism of infants is evi-
dently a Christian institution, and think it to be as important
and useful, and suited and designed by Christ to be of such
advantage to parents and their children and to the church, as
has been represented above, must look upon those who refuse to
comply with this institution, but oppose it, as in a great error,
and as oti'ending Christ and those little ones, vvho, being the
children of believing parents, ought to be considered and re-
ceived as believers in him. (See Matt, xviii. 5, 6. Luke Lx. 48.)
But they are to be thought of and treated with great candor,
tenderness, and Christian charity ; especially since there is rea-
son to believe that most, if not all, who believe in the baptism
of children, and practise it, are more guilty and oii'ensive to
Christ, in their treatment of this institution, than the anti-
Pedobaptists are. The Pedobaptists believe infant baptism to
be a divine institution, and baptize their children ; but most
of them, if not all, refuse to comply with and practise the
most important and essential duties implied in the institution,
which they solemnly profess and engage to do. Tliey make
use of the external rite, but treat it as a mere ceremony, be-
cause it is the custom of their denomination, or to gratify their
pride or superstition : they generally show that they do not
heartily devote their children to Christ, by their neglect to
educate them for him. In this respect, their children are not
distinguished from those who are not baptized ; and let them
behave as they will, they are not treated as being under the
care of th(^ church, or subject.^ of discipline, and most, if not
aU the parents who bring their children to baptism, do not

THE NATURE AND DESIGN OF INFANT BAPTISM. 165

desire they should be censured and cast out by the church, if,
when they are adult, they refuse to obey Christ, but stand
ready to oppose it. It is a common practice to baptize the
children of those who are not visible believers, who do not
obey Christ, in attending upon all his institutions, and, in many
instances, are in other respects immoral ; and in those churches
where no children are baptized but of parents who make a
profession of religion, and are members of the church, the
baptism of children is generally treated as a mere ceremony.
"When that is performed, no more is done for the children by
the parents or the church than is done for those who are not
baptized. How short do they come of the duty which is rea-
sonable and important, and solemnly engaged by the parents
and the church, if the above representation of this duty be in
any measure just! How greatly is this institution abused and
perverted even to bad purposes, by most of the Pedobaptists!
The error and sin of the anti-Pedobaptists consists in their not
believing infant baptism to be an institution of Christ, and
therefore rejecting it as a mere human invention. Theirs is a
sin of ignorance. Their ignorance and unbelief are criminal;
but who are the greatest criminals in their treatment of this
institution, it is easy to determine.

The words of Christ to them who brought to him a woman
guilty of adultery, and said Moses commanded such to be
stoned, are applicable to this case : " He that is without sin
among you, let him cast the first stone." Too many of the
Pedobaptists have treated those who deny infant baptism with
unreasonable censoriousness and severity ; especially since they
themselves have been so faulty in this very matter, and have
denied or neglected, in principle and practice, the most useful,
important, and essential part of this institution. To such may
be applied the words of the prophet Oded to the host of Is-
rael, with a little variation : " Ye have condemned and cen-
sin-ed your brethren, with a severity and rage that reacheth up
to heaven. But are there not with you, even with you, sins
against the Lord your God ? " (2 Chron. xxviii. 9, 10.)

This subject will be concluded by observing, that what has
been offered from the Scripture to prove that the baptism of
infants is a divine institution, and whatever other arguments
from it have been mentioned by others, or may be thought of,
stand good, and ought to be considered in their full weight,
independent of what has been now said, to show what is the
design and import of this institution, and whether this can
be sufficiently supported from Scripture or not ; though it is
thought that the view which has been here given of it, if it be
admitted, will serve to strengthen the evidence that it is an in-

166 THE lord's suppek.

stitution of Christ, and to show the propriety and importance
of it. Therefore, they who shall not be convinced that there
is any promised connection between the faithfulness of parents
in the covenant, as it respects their children, and the convey-
ance of .saving blessings to the latter, will not find the evidence
on which they believe and practise infant baptism, in any de-
gree weakened ; while they who believe that such a connection
is evident from Scripture, will, by this view of the matter, be
more confirmed in the reality, usefulness, and importance of
this institution, and excited to improve it accordingly. It is
presumed that this attempt has no tendency to prejudice any
one against the practice of infant baptism, or to lead him to
doubt whether it be a Christian institution ; and that no one
can have any reason to think that the belief of such a con-
nection, and a practice agreeable to it, can tend, in any respect,
to slur the institution, or to render it less important and useful
to the Christian church, or be hurtful to any.

If what has been now offered on this subject shall in any
degi'ce awaken the attention of divines and Christians in
general to this matter, and excite to a more careful and strict
examination of it, which, it is thought, has not yet been
thoroughly explored, but has been generally treated in too
loose and indeterminate a manner; and if, in consequence of
this, greater light on this point shall be obtained, and a more
consistent and scriptural account of it shall be given than is
here exhibited, the composing and reading of these pages will
not be in vain.

THE LORD'S SUPPER.

The Lord's supper is also an institution of Christ, which
he has commanded his followers to observe and attend upon,
and has appointed it to be celebrated in his church to the end
of the world.

The elements of this ordinance are bread and wine. The
bread, consecrated and broken, represents the broken body of
Christ in his death on the cross. The wine poured out repre-
sents his blood in his death, which was shed for the remission
of sins. The professed followers of Christ, by eating the bread
and drinking the wine, when consecrated and blessed by prayer
and thanksgiving, and distributed to them by the officers of
the church, do, by this transaction, profess cordially to receive
Christ by faith, and to five upon him, loving him and trust-
ing in him for pardon and complete redemption, consecrating
themselves to his service. And by the ministers of the gospel
consecrating those elements, and ordering them to be distrib-

THE lord's supper. 167

uted to the communicants, Christ is exhibited as an all-suffi-
cient Savior, and the promise of salvation is expressed and
sealed to all his friends. This is, therefore, a covenant trans-
action, in which those who partake of the bread and wine
express their faith in Christ, — that they are his friends and
devoted to his service, and their cordial compliance with the
covenant of grace, — and solemnly seal this covenant by par-
taking of these elements ; and, at the same time, they are a
token and seal of the covenant of grace on the part of Christ.
All this is asserted by the apostle Paul, when speaking of this
ordinance. " The cup of blessing, which we bless, is it not
the communion of the blood of Christ ? The bread which we
break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" (1 Cor.
X. 16.) " For I have received of the Lord that which I also
delivered unto you. That the Lord Jesus, in the same night in
which he was betrayed, took bread : and when he had given
thanks, he brake it, and said. Take, eat ; this is my body
which is broken for you : this do in remembrance of me. After
the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped,
saying, This cup is the neiv testament in my bJoodr (1 Cor. xi.
23-25.) And the church, by coming together and celebrating
this holy supper, not only profess their love to Christ and
union of heart to him, but that peculiar love and union to
each other which takes place between the true disciples of
Christ, and is essential to their character. This is expressed
in the following words of the apostle Paul : " For we, being
many, are one bread and one body : for we are all partakers of
that one breadP (1 Cor. x. 17.)

The appointment, therefore, of this holy supper is an in-
stance of the wisdom and goodness of Christ, as it is suited
to be a repeated and continual exhibition of a crucified Savior,
and hereby to excite the faith and love of Christians, and to
lead them to renew their covenant with him, dedicating them-
selves to his service and honor; and is also adapted to the
communicants' united expression of their mutual love and
union of heart to each other, while they jointly partake of one
common good, even all the benefits of Christ crucifixcd.

That this is appointed by Christ to be a standing ordinance,
to be observed by his church, and by every professed baptized
believer in him, to the end of the world, is evident by the words
and manner of the institution of it recorded by the evangelists
Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and is further evident by the his-
tory we have of the observation of it by the churches in the
days of the apostles. We are told that, on the first day of the
week, the disciples at Troas came together to break bread,
(Acts XX. 7,) that is, to celebrate the Lord's supper. The

168 THE lord's supper.

church at Corinth attended upon this ordinance from time to
tuTie, which appears from what the apostle Paul says to them
respecting it, when he undertakes to correct their abuse of it.
(1 Cor. xi.) And in order to reform them, he refers them to
the original institution by Christ, and tells them particularly
what it was, as he had received it from the Lord Jesus Christ
himself; and adds the following words: "For as often as ye
eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death
till he come;'^ which words strongly assert that this ordinance
was to be observed to the end of the world, when Christ the
Lord shall come the second time without sin vinto salvation.

This ordinance, according to the nature, signification, and
extent of it, is to be repeated by the same persons to the end
of life, as it expresses the believer's living upon Christ, and
the nourishment of his soul by faith in him, and is suited to
excite renewed acts of Christian love and holiness. There is
the same reason why a participation of it should be repeated,
as there is that it should be once attended. " As often as ye
eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's
death till he come." (1 Cor. xi. 26.) There is a difference be-
tween this ordinance and that of baptism, in this respect: as
the latter is the initiating ordinance and seal by which persons
are visibly introduced into the church and kingdom of Christ;
and this being 07ice done, the end of it is answered, and there
can be no reason or propriety in repeating it by applying it
more than once to the same person.

The infant children of believers are as capable subjects of
baptism, and of all that is signified by it, as adults are, as has
been shown. But, as they are not capable of that which is
signified by partaking of the Lord's supper till they arrive to
years of understanding, this is not to be administered to them
before that time, when they shall be able to "discern the
Lord's body, and examine themselves." There is no evidence
that the circumcised children in Israel were admitted to the
passover, and to partake of the paschal lamb, until they were
able to understand the reason and end of that institution.
The Jews say, children did not partake of the passover till
they arrived to the age of twelve years. This seems to be
confirmed by the history we have of the parents of Jesus tak-
ing him with them to the feast of the passover at Jerusalem
when he was twelve years old, which plainly implies that they
did not do it before. " Now his parents went to Jerusalem
every year at the feast of the passover. And when he was
twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem, after the custom
of the feast." (Luke ii. 41, 42.) This may be considered as a
guide to Christian churches in admitting baptized children to
the Lord's supper.

THE lord's supper. 169

This ordinance, according to the nature and design of it, is
to be administered and attended upon puhlicly by every par-
ticular church, and is not designed to be administered pri-
vately to one single person. Of this we have no example in
Scripture ; but the disciples, the whole church, came together
to break bread, and eat the Lord's supper. " And upon the
first day of the week, when the disci])les came together to break
bread.^^ (Acts xx. 7.) "When ye come together therefore into
one place^ this is not to eat the Lord's supper. Wherefore,
my brethren, ivheri ye come tog-ether to eat, tarry one for an-
other. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home ; that ye
come not together unto condemnation." (1 Cor. xi. 20, 33, 34.)

As to the frequency of administering this ordinance in a
church, this does not appear to be fixed by any precept or
example in Scripture, and, therefore, seems to be left to the
discretion of the church to determine how often they will at-
tend upon it, and have it administered to them, according to
their circumstances, and as they shall think it to be most con-
venient to them, and most for the honor of Christ and their
edification. It has been often said that Christians, in the first
ages of the church, celebrated the Lord's supper at least every
Lord's day. But it may be asked by what authentic history
this can be made evident? what author has produced this
evidence? and if it were certain that some churches did attend
upon it every Lord's day, and oftenei-, this would not prove
that this was commanded by Christ, or his apostles. Some
have thought it evident that this ordinance was attended by
the first Christian church, which was formed by the apostles at
Jerusalem, at least every first day of the week, — if not every
time they met for public worship, which they mvist have done
by the direction of the apostles, — and is, therefore, as binding
on all Christian churches, to the end of the world, as if fhere
were an express precept to attend upon it in the same manner
and so often. But the words on which this conclusion is
grounded do not appear sufficient to support it when carefully
examined. They are these : " And they continued steadfastly
in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of
bread, and in prayers. And they, continuing daily with one
accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house,
did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart."
(Acts ii. 42, 46.) " They continued steadfastly in the apos-
tles' doctrine ; " that is, they attended constantly on the in-
structions and preaching of the apostles, and steadfastly ad-
hered to the truths delivered by them. " And in fellowship;"
that is, in communicating and making collections and dis-
tribution to supply the bodily necessities of those who stood
VOL. n. 15

170 THE lord's supper.

in need of assistance and support. This is the meaning of
the word, xoivwvia, which is here translated fellowship. " And
in breaking of bread:" this probably means their partaking
of the Lord's supper. "And in prayers;" that is, joining in
public prayers, and in singing psalms, which is included in
prayer; which were constantly performed when they attended
the other parts of public worship. Here, then, every part of
their public worship is mentioned, viz., public teaching; dis-
tribution to the necessities of the poor saints ; attendance on
the Lord's supper; and prayer; including psalmody, Avhich is
devotion, and a particular manner of prayer. But it does not
follow, from this enumeration of the different parts of their
public worship, that every part was attended upon every time
they met for prayer or preaching ; or that they made a contri-
bution for the poor, or broke bread, every time they met to-
gether for public worship ; but that these were performed as
often as was convenient and proper. Breaking bread from
house to house, and eating their meat with gladness and sin-
gleness of heart, (verse 46,) does not appear to mean their
eating the Lord's supper from house to house, but their par-
taking of their common food, and eating together ; exercising
liberality and friendship one towards another, in eating their
common meals. But if breaking bread does here mean the
Lord's supper, and it were certain that believers at Jerusalem
did, in their then peculiar and extraordinary circumstances,
administer and partake of this ordinance whenever a number
of them met in a particular house, it would not hence follow
that the disciples of Christ are by this bound in all ages of the
world to attend the Lord's supper in the same manner, or
thus frequently.

When it is said, " And upon the first day of the week, when
the disciples came together to break bread," (Acts xx. 7,) it
does not import that breaking bread was the only or chief
thing for which they came together on that day, for this was
not true, as appears by the relation ; nor does it follow from
those words, that they always came together on the first day
of the week to break bread : it is only said that on that first
day they did so. They might, consistently with this, come to-
gether on many other first days of the week, not to break bread,
but to attend on other parts of public worship, without par-
taking of the Lord's supper.

DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH. 171

Section IV.
Concerning the Discipline of the Church.

The discipline of a church consists in their admitting or
rejecting those who offer themselves to join with them ; in the
members watching over each other; in reproving and admon-
ishing those who walk disorderly, and taking all proper meth-
ods to reform them ; and in rejecting those who will not be
reclaimed, but continue obstinate and unreformed, when all
proper means have been previously used to bring them to
repentance.

The proper exercise of discipline is important and necessary
in order to the comfort, edification, and prosperity of a church ;
and where this is wholly neglected in a church, it will go to
ruin, and such a society is not worthy of the name of a Chris-
tian church. Therefore, this is particularly enjoined by Christ
and his apostles;

The following particulars may serve to illustrate this sub-
ject : —

I. In the exercise of discipline, the church is to be wholly
governed by the laws of Christ. He is the only lawgiver in
his church, and in exercising discipline, Christians are to exe-
cute his laws, and have no authority or right to do any thing,
unless it be agreeable to his direction and command ; and
whatsoever is done by the church in his name, and according
to his laws, is done by authority derived from him, as they are
authorized by him to execute his laws : but when, and so far
as they deviate from this, they have no authority, and what
they do is null and void, and disapproved by him.

II. The power to execute the laws of Christ is not given by
him to any one man, or to any particular class or order of
men in the church, but to the church, as a particular and dis-
tinct society ; though some particular members or officers in
the church may, in many instances, have a distinguished in-
fluence and lead in the transactions of the church, and put
into execution their decisions. When the head of the church
said to Peter, " 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 shalt loose on earth,
shall be loosed in heaven," (Matt. xvi. 19,) we are not to sup-
pose that this commission and authority was given to Peter
alone, or to the apostles only, or to any distinct succession of
men or officers in the church ; but to the church which Peter
represented in the confession he had then just made, and of

172 DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH.

which Christ speaks in the preceding words : " Thou art Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it." And what Christ says in
the next chapter confirms the truth of this supposition ; for
when he is there speaking of the doing of the church, in cen-
suring and excommunicating an offender, he repeats the words
above mentioned, which he had spoken to Peter, and gives
this same authority to the church and sanction to their doings,
according to his laws : " Verily, I say unto you, whatsoever
ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven ; and what-
soever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven."
(Chap. xvii. 18.) Two things appear evident from hence. In
the first place, that Christ did not give this commission and
authority to Peter only, in distinction from the rest of his dis-
ciples, but to them all, as much as to Peter ; and in the next
place, that this authority was given to them, not as a distinct
order of men in his church, but as his disciples, and his church,
as they composed the only church which Christ then had on
earth, from whom all the professed disciples of Christ, and
members of his visible church, have descended as their suc-
cessors, being the followers of Christ, and members of his
church, as his first disciples were. Therefore, this power and
authority is given to the church, and is to continue in it as
long as there is a church on earth, even to the end of the
world.

III. This authority, therefore, to maintain and execute the
laws of Christ, is given to the church as a body or society,
each member of the church having an equal concern and right
to judge and act in all decisions to be made by the church, in
the exercise of discipline ; and the act of the majority is to be
considered as the act of the church, as no society can decide
and act in any other way ; and that the whole church are in
this way to judge, decide, and act, is evident from Scripture.
When our Savior is giving particular directions respecting
discipline, he gives the authority to judge and act to the church,
as a society, and not to any particular member of it. " Tell it
to the church ; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be
unto thee as a heathen man and a publican." (Matt, xviii.
17.) According to this, every matter is to come before the
church, and is to be decided by the judgment and voice of the
church, as a body; which cannot be done in any other way
but by the judgment and voice of all the members of it, or of
the majority. Agreeable to this are th(! words of the apostle
Paul to the church at Corinth, when he gave them direction
to discipline a particular member of the church, who had been
guilty of a scandalous crime. " In the name of our Lord Jesus

DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH. 173

Christ, ivhen ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the
power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such a one unto
Satan." (1 Cor. v. 4, 5.) This was to be done by the church ;
in order to which, they must all come together, that it might
be the act of the church ; and in the whole that he says on
this subject, he speaks to the whole church as concerned and
acting in this matter. " Purge out, therefore, the old leaven,
that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. I have
written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is
called a brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, etc., with such a
one, no not to eat. Do not ye judge them that are within?
But them that are without, God judgeth. Therefore, put away
from yourselves that wicked person." And when they had
rebuked and excommunicated this person, the apostle speaks
of it as being done by them all, or the majority of the church.
" Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was in-
flicted by many," or by the most, or major part, as the word
may properly be rendered. (2 Cor. ii. 6.) And he speaks the
same language to other churches, when treating of this sub-
ject: "I beseech you, brethren, mark them -which cause di-
visions and offences, contrary to the doctrine which ye have
learned, and avoid them ; for they that are such serve not our
Lord Jesus Christ, but their own bellies." (Rom. xvi. 17, 18.)
" Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother
that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which ye
have received of us ; and if any man obey not our word by
this epistle, note that man, and have no company w^ith him,
that he may be ashamed." (2 Thess. iii., 6, 14.) Hence it ap-
pears, that when this same apostle directs Timothy and Titus,
respecting the exercise of discipline in the churches in which
they presided, he does not mean that they had any authority
in the matter over the churches, but that they should excite
and lead the churches to a proper care and conduct in the
strict and faithful exercise of discipline ; for in any other view
and sense, he would be inconsistent with himself.

It has been observed, that in every decision and act of the
church, in the exercise of discipline, there must be the voice
of the major part, or greatest number of the church at least;
and every such act is to be considered as the act of that par-
ticular society or church. But it is desirable that the church
should be unanimous in all their decisions and votes ; and,
therefore, all proper and possible care and pains ought to be
taken to effect and maintain this unanimity in all their pro-
ceedings ; and when this cannot be obtained, and there appears
a difference in judgment among the members of the church,
15*

174 DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH.

and a iinmber do not view the case before them in the same
light with the majority, they are to be treated with love and
tenderness, and the latter ought to use all proper means to
enlighten and convince their dissenting brethren, that they may
think and act with them, and manifest a reluctance to proceed
and act without their concurrence and consent ; and, if possi-
ble, persuade them at least to say they are willing the ma-
jority should act as they think best, and though they cannot
see with them at present, they will not be offended, nor are
disposed to make any division or uneasiness in the church.

And the minority, who cannot act with their brethren in
any instance, when they have offered the reasons of their dis-
sent in meekness and love, ought to acquiesce in the decision
of the church, so as to take no offence, or do any thing to
interrupt the peace of the church, unless they consider the case
to be so important, and the proceedings of the majority so
contrary to the laws of Christ, that they ought to remonstrate,
and think they cannot be faithful to Christ and their brethren
unless they take some further steps. In such a case it will be
the duty of the church to join with the dissatisfied in asking
judgment and advice of other churches ; and in any instance,
where the matter to be decided is intricate or difficult, or when
the person concerning whom the decision is to be made, desires
it, it is proper and wise to ask the advice of other churches, in
order to get all the light and help they can obtain respecting
the matter to be determined. But every particular church,
after asking counsel and advice, and making the best improve-
ment of it they can, must act according to their own judg-
ment, they not being bound implicitly to submit to the dictates
of any other churches or councils, as having authority to decide
for them in any matter, or any further than they receive light
and conviction.

IV. The females are included in the male members of the
church, and are to act only by them, as thus included ; or the
males act for them, and the women are not to dictate and vote
in the church, in any matter which is to be decided, as this
would be usurping and exercising that authority over the men
which is forbidden in Scripture, and is inconsistent with that
state of inferiority to men, which God has, for wise reasons,
constituted, by which they are not to rule, but to be in subjec-
tion. But they have a right to know all the concerns and
proceedings of the church, as they are equally interested in
them with the male members, and it is desirable that they
should be satisfied with all the transactions of the ciuu-ch, and
know the reasons on which they proceed. They have, there-
fore, a right to be present in all the meetings of the church,

DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH. 175

and ought to attend with the males, and give all the light and
evidence they can in any case in which it is desired, and may
propose any difRcnlty or uneasiness in their minds respecting
the proceedings of the church, in order to get information and
satisfaction ; and they have a right to be regarded and treated
with respect and kindness by the brethren, who ought to give
the sisters all the light and satisfaction in their power, in
every case.

When a particular church is to be formed and constituted
in any place, the proposed members of it are to satisfy each
other that they are so far agreed in their understanding and
judgment respecting the Bible, as to the doctrines and truths
therein revealed, so far as they regard faith and practice, and
that they have such a practical acquaintance with the Chris-
tian religion, and that their life and conversation are so far
agreeable to the commands of Christ, that they can receive
each other as real Christians to a state of church fellowship,
and agree to walk in all the commands of Christ, and in
attendance on his worship and ordinances. By this they are
prepared to unite in a confession of their faith, or of their
understanding and belief of the important and essential doc-
trines contained in divine revelation, and of the institutions
and duties which Christ has appointed; and to enter into mu-
tual and solemn covenant to walk in the ways and ordinances
of Christ blameless, and to assist and watch over each other
in their Christian practice, and in the exercise of that discipline
which Jesus Christ has instituted, to prevent corruption and
apostasy in the church in doctrine or practice, and ipr their
mutual edification in love ; and when the necessary officers of
a church are chosen and ordained, they are prepared to attend
upon all the institutions of Christ, and to exercise that dis-
cipline which he has appointed.

In the exercise of this discipline, they are to admit or reject
those who ofier to join with them as members of their Chris-
tian society ; which is to be done with care, discerning, and
judgment. After proper acquaintance with such, and a care-
ful examination into their knowledge and belief of the most
important doctrines of revelation, and their experimental ac-
quaintance with them, and cordial ajjprobation of them ; if
they appear to the church to understand and approve of those
doctrines which they hold important and necessary to be under-
stood and believed in order to be real Christians, and to be
willing to devote themselves to Christ and observe all his com-
mandments, and to make public profession of this, and enter
into a solemn covenant to obey all the commands of Christ
as members of that church, they are to receive them as real

176

DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH.

Christians, so far as they are warranted to judge and deter-
mine; but if they appear to them ignorant of the essential truths
and doctrines of the gospel, or not to believe them, or do not
appear to have embraced them cordially and experimentally,
or if their temper and conduct have not been agreeable to the
gospel, and they do not manifest a disposition to repent and
reform, they are to be rejected, as not appearing to be real
Christians ; and, therefore, unworthy to be visible members of
a Christian church.

When any who are members of the church shall fall
from their profession and Christian character by embracing
error, or any unchristian practice, of which there is sufficient
evidence, and after proper methods taken with them to bring
them to repentance and reclaim them, without success, they
are to be rejected and cast out of the church, as unworthy of
a place in the visible church of Christ; but may afterwards
be received again, upon their giving proper evidence of true
repentance.

There is to.be special care taken of the children of the
church, viz., the children of those parents who are or have been
members of the church, who have dedicated them to Christ in
the ordinance of baptism, and have been received by the
church as visible members of Christ, the lambs in his flock, in
the manner and on the grounds which have been before ex-
plained. Every adult member of the church ought to be
concerned that these should have a Christian education, and
watch over one another with respect to this, and direct, ad-
monish^ and exhort those who appear negligent and deficient
in their duty to their children ; and every gross and continued
neglect ought to subject the person guilty to the censure of the
church. And when the children arrive to an age in v^'hich they
are capable of acting for themselves in matters of religion, and
making a profession of their adherence to the Christian faith
and practice, and coming to the Lord's supper; if they neg-
lect and refuse to do this, and act contrary to the commands
of Christ in any other respect, all proper means are to be used
and methods taken to bring them to repentance, and to do
their duty as Christians ; and if they cannot be reclaimed, but
continue impenitent and unreformed, they are to be rejected
and cast out of the church, as other adult members are, who
persist in disobedience to Christ.

V. The general rule of exercising discipline towards those
members who give offence in words or conduct, and which is
applicable to every case, is given by Jesus Christ in the follow-
ing words : " If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and
tell him his fault between thee and him alone : if he shall hear

DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH. 177

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 shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church : but if
he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a hea-
then man and a pijblican." (Matt, xviii. 15-17.)

It has been supposed by some, if not generally, that this
direction respects private and personal offences only, and that
it is not applicable to general and public offences. But perhaps
this will appear to be a mistake, when the matter is properly
considered, and that the method and steps here pointed out
are to be taken with every offender, as most agreeable to the
dictates of Christian love, and best suited to reclaim such, and
the most proper regulation and guard to prevent unreasonable
and frivolous complaints being brought to the church.

When a member of the church acts contrary to his Christian
profession, and transgresses any of the laws of Christ, and
walks disorderly, he trespasses or sins * against every brother
in the church, and offends him as really and as much as if he
injured him in particular in his person, character, or estate;
and there is the same reason and obligation to take steps to
reclaim him as if his trespass were against one individual
only. And if his sin be not of a private, but of a public na-
ture, and is known to many, or to all, this is no reason why
every person should not feel the trespass against him, and be
ready to take proper steps to bring him to repentance, and be
the first to apply to him to that end, unless particular circum-
stances render it more proper and convenient for some other
person to do it.

And however public the offence may be, every individual
ought to be disposed to make private application to him first,
unless some other person shall do it, before he speaks of it to
others ; and to consider this as necessary in order to obey the
command of Christ and the law of love, which ought to gov-
ern in every step taken in such a case. Perhaps the person
offending does not view what he has done in a true light, or
think himself guilty of unchristian conduct, or does not know
that others are offended with him ; and if he should have his
crime properly set before him in a private way, he might be
made sensible of what he had done, and that he had given

* The word in the origmal, aua'jT>,n>;, translated trespass, is the word which is
used for sinnint^. It is so translated in the 21st verse. ^ " IIow often shall ray
brother sin against mc, and I forgive him ? " And it is so translated in the fol-
lowing passage: "But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their
weak conscience, ye sin against Christ." (1 Cor. viii. 12.) And it is to be ob-
served, that by sinning against the brethren, he docs not mean any particular
personal injury or offence.

178

DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH.

just offence, and voluntarily make Christian satisfaction by a
public confession, without any public accusation or process
before the church. If the brethren were all under the proper
influence of Christian love, and felt that concern and tender-
ness towards an offending brother w^hich is the attendant of
such love, such a method would doubtless appear most agi-ee-
able to them, and they would be ready to take it whenever
there is opportunity and a call to do it ; and it will be pecu-
liarly agreeable to them to have a brother who has sinned re-
claimed in such a private and easy way. And it is presumed
there is no Christian who is a member of a church, who would
not wish to be treated in this manner, if he should in any
instance give offence to any or all of his brethren; and who
would not think it a privilege to be in union with brethren
who would deal thus privately and tenderly with him, when-
ever he should give them any just or supposed ground of
offence ; and, therefore, if he should neglect to take this method
with any of his brethren who should give offence to him, he
would not do to him as he would desire others to do to him-
self, and so transgress the law of love, and this wise law of
Christ, which commands Christians to endeavor to heal every
offence in the most private, easy, and tender manner. It may
be the supposed offender will satisfy his offended brother that
he is innocent, and has really given no ground of offence ; but
if he be not able to do this, and be not made sensible of his
fault, and so do not hear his brother, he must take one or two
of his brethren, whom he thinks most likely to convince and
gain the offender, as this is most agreeable to Christian love,
and best suited to answer the end. If they, when they have
heard and considered the case, judge there is just ground of
offence, and do convince the offender of it, and persuade him
to make Christian satisfaction, the faulty brother is gained.
If they judge that there is no sufficient ground of offence, or
no proper evidence of the fact with which he is charged, the
matter cannot be carried any further and laid before the church.
If they think there is just ground of offence, and evidence
of the fact of which he is accused, but cannot convince the
offender of it, and, therefore, judge it ought to be laid before
the church, the way is prepared to bring a complaint to the
church, which ought to be received when it comes to them by
the approbation of two or three, and not otherwise. And
thus, " by the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word is
established." They are witnesses which ought to have great
weight with the person's conscience with whom they deal, and
which is suited to convince him, and bring him to his duty, if
they condemn him. They are witnesses to the church, that

DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH. 179

private methods have been taken to convince and reclaim him ;
that he will not hear them, and that he ought to be called to
an account by the church ; and in this way, the church go on
proper and safe ground in receiving a complaint against any
of the members, and proceeding to call the accused person be-
fore them, in order to hear and judge of the matter of which
he is accused ; and there is a proper guard placed against
accusations being brought to the church by individuals, which
might be wholly without any foundation, which would give
needless trouble to the church, and might be very injurious to
those against whom the complaints are made.

On the whole, it will doubtless appear to all who well con-
sider the matter, that the rule our Savior has given, in the
words under consideration, extends to all instances of offences
given by any professing Christians ; and that no person can,
according to this, be called before the church to answer for
any fault, whether private or public, unless a complaint be
brought against him in the way here prescribed; and that the
wisdom and goodness of Christ appears in forming this short
and plain rule of proceeding in all such cases, which is per-
fectly agreeable to the law of love, and is in the best manner
suited to promote the peace and edification of the church, and
the good of every individual member; and, consequently,
every deviation from this rule is contrary to the law of
Christian benevolence, and tends to evil*

VI. When the accused person is thus regularly brought
before the church, if they judge he is censurable, and he re-
mains impenitent, and will not hear them, or if he refuse to

* It has been supposed by some, that the direction in this passage to go to
an offending brother, " and tell him his fault between thee and him alone," is
applicable to no case but such ■\vhercin none knows of the fault of which the
brother is guilty but the person who applies to him. But this cannot be true ;
for in such a case he Avould not be able to prove to the church, or any one, that
his brother has been guilty of any fault ; and, therefore, has no right to take one
or two more to deal -with him, or to speak of it to any person in the world. It
must remain a secret between him and his brother, and to tell it to others would
be a violation of the law of love, and a real slander, and would expose himself
to suffer as a slanderer of his brother, having spread an evil report of him which
he cannot prove. Therefore, in the case of a trespass mentioned by Christ in
this passage, it is supposed that it can be proved by other witnesses than him
•who tells him his fault, or those whom he takes with him in the second step,
otherwise he cannot take such a step ; and it is so secret that, though he knew
the fact to be true, he may not speak of it to any one, and cannot be a matter of
pubUc discipline.

If it be asked -what an offended brother can do in such a case, the answer
is plain and easy. He ought to deal with his faulty brother privately, and try
to convince and awaken his conscience, and bring him to repentance ; but if he
remain obstinate, he must leave the matter in secret till the day of judgment,
and continue to treat his brother before the world, and in the church, as visibly
in good standing, and a visible Christian, as he really is, whatever be the secret
sins of which ho is guilty.

180 DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH.

appear and answer to the complaint, when desired, he is to be
rejected and cast out of the church, and cannot be restored
again, without a proper manifestation of repentance. This
is expressed by Christ in the following words : " But if he
neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen
man and a publican." That is, consider and treat him as
you are accustomed to view and treat heathens and publi-
cans. The apostle Paul expresses the same thing in the fol-
lowing words : " I have written unto you, not to keep com-
pany, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or
covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extor-
tioner, with such a one, no not to eat." (1 Cor. v. 11.) And
to the same purpose he says again : " Now we command you,
brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye with-
draw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly,
and not after the tradition wiiich ye received of us ; and if any
man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and
have no company with him, that he may be ashamed." (2
Thess. iii. 6, 14.) The Jews avoided the company of heathens
and publicans, and did not eat their common meals with
them ; and in the above passage, Christ commands the mem-
bers of his churches to treat those who will not hear the church
in the same manner; and the same thing is enjoined by St.
Paul, when he commands the church at Corinth not to keep
company with such, no not to eat. He tells them he did not
forbid their keeping company with the wicked men of the world,
for this would be inconsistent with their living in the world ;
but if he, who had the name of a Christian brother, trans-
gressed the rules of Christ, and fell from his profession, they
should renounce him, and not only exclude him from the privi-
leges of a visible Christian in the church, but treat him with
peculiar neglect and slight, and avoid his company at all
times, and never so much as eat with him at a common table ;
as suited to keep in his view his character and situation in the
sight of Christians, and to excite those feelings and that shame
which tended to bring him to repentance.

Such a treatment of an excommunicated person is proper
and necessary, in order to answer the ends of the censures of
the church, so as to have their desired effect. By this their
authority is exercised, maintained, and kept in view, and their
particular abhorrence of the character and conduct of the cen-
sured person is constantly expressed to him and to the world,
and the distinction between him and those who are in good
standing, and his awful situation, is made manifest in all their
conduct towards him ; and it is suited constantly to affect and
impress his mind, to give him uneasiness in his situation, to

DISCIPLINE OF THE CRURCH. 181

make him ashamed, and bring him to repentance. Thus the
salutary ends of the censures of the church are in this way-
answered, both with respect to the church, the excommuni-
cated person, and the world.

VII. The brother who commits a fault, by which he falls
under the censure of the church, may be restored to good
standing again by reformation, a public confession, and pro-
fession of repentance, and not without this.

Some have thought that a confession before the church only
is sufficient in order to a person's being restored to good stand-
ing, and that this is all that can be reasonably required. But
it ought to be considered, that the church is a public society,
a city set on a hill, which cannot be hid, and their light is to
shine before others. When a Christian falls from his pro-
fession in his conduct, he puts out his light before others, as
well as in the sight of the church, and cannot recover it and
cause it to shine again but by a profession of repentance and
condemnation of himself before them, or in their sight; and a
true penitent will desire to do this before all to whom the
knowledge of his crime may have come, and wish all may
know that he does repent. A contrary disposition to this is
found only in the impenitent.

VIII. It is to be observed, that Jesus Christ has not given
to his church any authority to inflict any corporeal punishment
on men for disobedience to his laws ; to imprison or fine them,
or subject them to any worldly inconvenience, except what is
implied in casting them out of the church, and treating them
in the manner mentioned above.

All that has been done of this kind in the Christian world,
by the professed followers of Christ, has been an abuse and
violation of the laws of Christ, and has proceeded wholly from
an anti-Christian spirit. The kingdom of Christ is in this
respect, as well as others, not of this world.

IX. On the whole, it is observable, that the prevalence of
the spirit of Christian love is necessary in order to the proper
and useful practice of discipline in the churches of Christ.
Christ and his apostles have insisted much on this, as that
without which the laws of Christ cannot be obeyed in any
degi-ee. It is this alone by which the disciples and church of
Christ are to be distinguished from the men and the societies
of the world. " By this shall all men know that ye are my
disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John xiii. 35.)
Where a spirit of true Christian love prevails, it will be natu-
ral and easy to obey the laws of Christ respecting the disci-
pline to be exercised in his church ; it will appear important
and necessary that these laws should be observed and executed

VOL. II. 16

182 CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

\\4th great care and strictness, and the good effect will be
apparent. By this the church will edify itself in love, and
become " fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an
army with banners." And when this spirit of Christig,n love
is not in exercise, the proper practice of discipline will not take
place ; and all attempts to practise it will proceed from self-
ishness, pride, and a worldly spirit, and promote confusion,
divisions, and contention, rather than peace and edification,
which has been verified in too many instances.

CHAPTER XV.

ON CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

Every doctrine which comes into the system of truth, ex-
hibited in divine revelation, and which has been brought into
view in the preceding work, is, in a greater or less degree,
practical; and the whole, considered in a collective view, do
lead to, and involve, every thing essential in the whole sj'stem
of Christian exercise and practice, which consists wholly in
practising the truth, or walking in the truth. (John iii. 21.
2 John 4. 3 John 3, 4.) This will, therefore, serve as a
help and guide in the brief delineation of this, which is now
proposed.

The temper and exercises of a Christian, which take place
in the view of revealed truth, have been in some measure
brought into view and described already. They consist sum-
marily and most essentially in love ; in loving God with all
their heart, and loving their neighbor as themselves. Chris-
tian practice consists in expressing and acting out this affec-
tion on all occasions, in every suitable way, in obedience to
al\ the holy laws of God. The Christian owes perfect obedi-
ence at all times, as he always did before he was a Christian,
and which all men do. His becoming a Christian, and ob-
taining pardon and the divine favor, is so far from freeing him
from obligation to obey the laws of God perfectly, that his
obligation to this is hereby greatly increased.

There is no real obedience, or any thing morally good or
evil, in mere words and external actions, considered as un-
connected with the heart, and aside from the motives and
affections of which they are the fruit and expression ; for all
obedience and vktue consist in the disposition and exercises

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE. 183

of the heart, and in the expressions and exertions of it, in
words and external actions ; and when the latter are not the
fruit and genuine expressions of the former, whatever they
may be, there is no holiness or moral good in them ; and when
they are the fruit and production of a wrong and sinful dis-
position, motives, and exercises of heart, they are bad fruit,
and, considered in this connection, are sinful. This is ex-
pressly asserted by Christ : " Either make the tree good, and
his fruit good ; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit cor-
rupt. A good man, out of the good treasure of his heart,
bringeth forth good things : and an evil man, out of the evil
treasure, bringeth forth evil things." (Matt. xii. 33-35.) The
external appearances and expressions, in words and conduct,
of both of them, in some, yea, many instances, may be the
same, or so much alike, in the view of man, as not to be dis-
tinguished. But those of the one are good, as they proceed
from a good heart, and are the proper expression of his true
benevolence and goodness ; those of the other are evil, as they
proceed from an evil heart, and are the fruit and effect of sel-
fish motives, or of self-love, and all the appearance they have
of the contrary is nothing but falsehood and hypocrisy.

Mankind in their state of depravity and blindness are liable
to make great mistakes, not only with respect to real holiness
of heart, in what it consists, but as to the way and manner in
which an honest and good heart is to be expressed in words
and actions ; and, therefore, stand in need of particular in-
struction and direction with regard to this. God has been
pleased to furnish man with direction in the revelation which
he has given, and has abundantly taught us how, and in what
manner, we are to express that love in which all holiness con-
sists, and what are the natural effects of it in words and
actions, on different occasions, and towards different objects.
This is done more summarily in the ten commandments
spoken from Mount Sinai by God himself, in the audience
of all the people of Israel, and afterwards written by him on
two tables of stone. But this is more particularly taught and
explained by numerous precepts respecting our conduct on
various occasions, and towards different objects and persons;
and by the history and example of good men, and especially
by the precepts and example of Christ.

By these, the conduct, which is a proper expression of love
to God and to our neighbor, including ourselves, is so par-
ticularly delineated, that they who are under the influence of
this love are not exposed to make any great mistakes, but will
be directed and excited to all Christian practice in eaeh branch
of it.

184 CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

I. Christian practice, as it more immediately respects God
and the things of the invisible world, which is the practice of
piety, consists chiefly in the following things: —

1. A public profession of a belief of the great, important
truths and doctrines contained in divine revelation, and sin-
cei'e approbation of them ; a profession of repentance and
faith in Jesus Christ, and that we do dedicate and devote
ourselves to his service, submitting to him as our Lord and
Savior, promising to obey all his commands, and attend upon
all his ordinances ; at the same time, professing love to the
visible disciples of Christ, and a desire to join to a society of
such who are mutually engaged to promote the cause and
kingdom of Christ in the world, and maintain his worship and
ordinances, in a way w^hich is agreeable to our judgment and
conscience. Such a public profession is due to God, and no
man can properly honor Christ without it, and is, therefore,
the natural expression of love to God, and the spirit of true
piety. This, therefore, has been required and practised in all
ages, under the Old Testament and the New, as the only way
in which a visible church has existed in the world, or can ex-
ist. This is expressed in Scripture in the following words :
" Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God,
that thou shouldst enter into covenant with the Lord thy God,
and into his oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee
this day." (Deut. xxix. 10, 12.) " I will pour my Spirit upon
thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring ; . and they shall
spring up as among the grass, as willows by the watercourses.
One shall say, I am the Lord's ; and another shall call himself
by the name of Jacob ; and another shall subscribe with his
hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Is-
rael." (Isa. xliv. 3-5.) " Then they that gladly received the word
were baptized : and the same day there were added unto them
about three thousand souls. And the Lord added to the church
daUij such as should be saved. And believers were the more
added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women. And
much people was added unto the Lord. And he answered
and said, I believe that Jesus is the Son of God." (Acts ii.
'41, 47 ; v. 14 ; viii. 37 ; xi. 24.) « He that believeth, and is
baptized, shall be saved." (Mark xvi. 16.) Baptism neces-
sarily implies such a profession, and an express engagement
to obey and serve Jesus Christ.

2. If a person has not been baptized in his infancy, a sub-
mission to this commanded rite is required of him, as a Chris-
tian, without which no profession of faith and obedience to
Christ i- to be considered as credible, or can constitute him a
visible Christian. If he has been baptized in his infancy, and

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE. 185

SO made a visible member of the church, in the sense explained
above, his approbation of this, and of all that is implied in
it, must be expressly or implicitly declared in the public pro-
fession which he makes ; and when such a professor who is
baptized, and a visible member of a church, has children, he is
required to offer and dedicate them to Christ in baptism, and
promise to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord. This, and his faithful performance of his engage-
ments in this transaction, is an important part of the practice
of piety and the duty which he owes to Christ, which, at the
same time, is a duty which he owes to his children and to
the church.

3. A serious, devout, and constant attendance on all the
religious institutions of Jesus Christ is an important part of
Christian practice. These are, public worship ; consisting in
prayer, singing praise to God, and hearing the word preached;
attending on the Lord's supper, whenever it is administered
in the church to which he belongs ; a careful and strict ob-
servation of the Christian Sabbath, in abstaining from all
secular business, labor, or recreation, except that which is of
real necessity, and works of charity and mercy, and devoting
the whole day to religious exercises, in public and more pri-
vately. This is an important part of the practice of Christian
piety ; and every branch of the Christian's exercise of piety will
commonly keep pace with his observation of the Sabbath. If
a Christian feels in any good measure as he ought to do, this
will be a high day with him, as in a peculiar )iianner conse-
crated to the honor and service of Christ. He is ready to
welcome it on every return of it, with peculiar satisfaction
and joy, and be concerned to order his worldly circumstances
and business, so as to have the least possible interruption in
the duties of the Sabbath. Thus he will turn away his foot
from the Sabbath, from doing his worldly pleasure on God's
holy day, and will call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the
Lord, and honorable, and will conscientiously honor him, not
doing his own ways, nor finding his own pleasure, nor speak-
ing his own words. (Isa. Iviii. 13.)

4. A free and cheerful contribution for the support of the
gospel and public religion, according to his ability and oppor-
tunity, is a necessary part of the practice of a Christian. This
cannot be maintained and supported according to the institu-
tion of Christ, without cost and expense ; and the Lord Jesus
Christ has ordained that they who preach the gospel should
live of the gospel. (1 Cor. ix. 14.) Love to God and divine
institutions, and a regard for the honor of Christ, will open
the heart of a Christian, and he will be ready to contribute

16*

186

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

liberally for the support of the gospel, and will much rather
retrench his expenses in other things than fall short of his duty
in this, which he will consider as a privilege rather than a
burden ; and it is the duty of every Christian to make all
those exertions, and be at all the expense which may be ne-
cessary, to spread and propagate the gospel to those who have
not enjoyed it, according to his opportunity, capacity, and
ability to promote such an important design.

5. A serious, pious manner of conversation, which is the
proper effect and expression of a belief of the great truths of
Christianity, and a sense of their importance and excellence ;
being ready to speak and hear of the things of religion on all
proper occasions ; speaking of God, his works, and ways, and
institutions, and the things of the invisible, eternal world, as
being realities, and with becoming reverence and solemnity,
and carefully avoiding all vain, trifling conversation. " Let
no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but
that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister
grace unto the hearers." (Eph. iv. 29.)

6. The Christian ouglit to give great and constant attention
to his Bible, reading and studying it daily, that he may know
w^hat is the will of God there revealed, and understand the
important truths it contains, and that they may be more and
more impressed on his mind, and be plain and familiar to him.
" His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he
meditate day and night." (Ps. i. 2.) And he will be disposed
to improve all the advantages and helps which are in his reach
to understand the Scriptures, and make advances in divine
knowledge, both by reading the writings of those who have
explained the Scriptures and inculcated the doctrines and
duties of Christianity, and by conversation with those from
whom he may hope to get instruction. In this, and in his
devotions, he spends all the time which can be spared from
his particular worldly business and calling, and for which the
Sabbath gives him special advantages.

7. The pious education of children, and of all who are under
his care, is a duty comprehended in the practice of piety.
This consists in family government, and giving them religious
instruction at all proper opportunities, and in advising, ex-
horting, and admonishing them respecting their religious exer-
cises and conduct. This was strictly enjoined on the children
of Israel, as has been particularly observed in a former chap-
ter, and is implied in St. Paul's direction to Christian parents
to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord.

8. Prayer, or devotion, is a great and important branch of

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE. 1S7

Christian exercise and practice, and is the constant employ of
a pious heart, and essential to true Christianity. This com-
prehends adoration, confession, petition, thanksgiving, and
praise ; of all which, God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
is the immediate object. Adoration consists in thinking and
speaking of the divine perfections, character, and works, in
devout addresses to Him. And as this is to be done with
veneration, and a sense and acknowledgment of the divine
worthiness, excellence, and glory, consisting and appearing in
these, w^hich is praise ; therefore, adoration and praise are not
to be distinguished so as to be considered distinct and sepa-
rate from each other. Confession consists in an acknowl-
edgment made to God of our sins, unworthiness, guilt, and
misery, and of our absolute dependence on God for every
good ; and profession may be considered as implied in this,
of repentance, and dependence on God for pardon and all the
good we want, in a belief and approbation of the truths con-
tained in divine revelation. Petition is making request to
God, and asking for the good things which we want and de-
sire for ourselves or others, or for any good which appears to
us desirable, and not contrary to the revealed will of God to
grant or do ; which petitions are always to be made with an
unreserved, absolute resignation to the will of God. Thanks-
giving consists in expressing our gratitude to God for all the
expressions and exercises of his benevolence which come with-
in our view; for benevolence or goodness expressed is the only
object or ground of true gratitude, wherever it appears, and
whoever be the subjects of it, and however it may be abused
and perverted by individuals, and turned into the gi-eatest evil
to them.

Prayer, taken in this large sense, as comprehending all this,
even the whole that is implied in addressing God and hold-
ing intercourse with him, in secret, private or public, is much
spoken of in Scripture, and recommended by many precepts
and examples of pious men, and of Jesus Christ himself. He
spake a parable, to show that men ought always to pray, and
not to faint, and to encourage them to do it. (Luke xviii.
1, etc.) And we are commanded, in every thing, by prayer and
supplication, v^^ith thanksgiving, to let our requests be made
known to God. " To pray without ceasing ; to pray always,
with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, watching there-
unto with all perseverance." And the greatest motives and
encouragement to prayer that are possible are exhibited in
divine revelation, both by precept, example, and promises ; of
which every one must be sensible, who is well acquainted with
the Bible. It is, therefore, thought needless to go into par-
ticulars to prove or illustrate this.

188

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

The Christian is always near the throne of grace. God
represents his ear as always open to the cry of them who look
to him and trust in him. The Mediator has opened the way
of access to God for sinners, and bid them ask all good things
in his name, and promises that they shall be heard, and have
their petitions granted; therefore, we may have free access
to God, on all occasions and at all times, and we may pray
always, with all prayer ; and this is both the duty and interest
of a Christian. Wherever he is, whatever be his circum-
stances and business, his heart may rise to God in any part
of devotion, petition, thanksgiving, praise, etc., in desultory
ejaculations, and he pour out his heart before God in groan-
ings which cannot be uttered in words. With this sort of
prayer every Christian is acquainted, and the higher he rises
in the exercise of Christianity the more he practises it.

Set times of secret prayer, also, come into the practice of a
Christian, when he retires from the world, and out of the sight
of men, and summons his heart to attention to the worship
of God in secret. Of this particular kind of prayer, Christ
speaks in the following words : " But thou, when thou pray-
est, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door,
pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father who
seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." (Matt. vi. 6.) It is
plain that Christ speaks here of personal prayer, in distinction
from that which is social. No Christian can live comfortably
or as he ought, without the daily practice of this sort of prayer.
It is suited to keep religion alive in his heart. He has many
wants and particular concerns between God and his soul,
which cannot be expressed in social worship, which it is highly
proper and greatly beneficial for him to express before God in
secret, where he may do it with unrestrained freedom.

Social prayer -is also a duty, in which Christians join with
each other in worshipping God in a greater or less number,
more publicly or less, according to their particular connections
and special occasions. It is highly proper, and greatly bene-
ficial, that each family should practise social worship together
and as a family daily, and in a constant, uninterrupted course.
They have many family wants, mercies, and afflictions, wiiich
arc changing and may be renewed from day to day, and wliich
call ior particular acknowledgment, confessions, and petitions,
which cannot be so properly made in any other way, but by the
family uniting together, morning and evening, in social wor-
ship. And this, when properly practised, tends to keep up a
view and sense of the things of religion in the members of the
family, and to solemnize and quicken all of them ; and it
cannot be conceived how parents and heads of families can

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE. 189

properly educate their children, and those ot" whom they have
the care, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and treat
them in the best manner that tends to form them to piety and
religion, if they do not pray daily with them and for them, in
this social way, joining the serious reading of the Scriptures
with then* devotions.*

A number of instances of our Savior's praying with his dis-
ciples, which were his family, are mentioned, and there is no
reason to think these were the only instances ; but they are so
related, that it is reasonable to conclude that this was his con-
stant practice. (Luke ix. 18, 28 ; xi. 1.) The apostle Paul,
when he presents salutation to Christians, frequently mentions
and salutes the churches in their houses, by which he means
the members of Christian families. They are little churches,
when they unite in daily worship and reading the holy Scrip-
tures, and proper instruction, order, and discipline are main-
tained ; and are little nurseries, from whence more large and
extensive churches are supplied and supported. But the fam-
ilies in which there is no religious worship practised make a
contrary appearance, and have a contrary tendency, even to
demolish the church and root out religion, and are too com-
monly the places of irreligion and vice.

It is also agreeable to the nature and dictates of the Chris-
tian religion, that persons of different ages and sexes should
unite and form themselves into different societies, and meet
together at times and places upon which they shall agree, as
most convenient for prayer and religious conversation, or read-
ing the Word of God, or books suited to instruct and excite
them to their duty. This tends to promote religion, to keep
up a sense of it on the mind, and to unite the hearts of
Christians one to another, and direct and quicken them in

* Devout singing in families seems to be a proper part of family worship. It
has been, and now is, practised by many devout families. Christians ai-e di-
rected to sing psalms and hymns, and they doubtless did it in their families, as
well as more jjublicly. They taught and admonished one another in psalms,
and hjTnns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in their hearts to the Lord.
(Col. iii. 16.) Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises \into God, when only
they two worshipped together in prison. Where this is wholly neglected in
families, their worship appears to be defective ; and, doubtless, when religion
shall appear in the true spirit and lustre of it in families, singing in a sweet,
harmonious manner will be one part of their daily worship. It is owing to a
defect in the education of children that they are not all taught to sing when
young. If prqper attention were paid to this, there would be but few, if any,
unable to sing so as to add to the music and harmony ; and children would be
trained up in families so as to be able to join with others in this part of public
M'orship, and render it more universal, beautiful, and melodious, and more be-
coming a Christian, worshipping assembly. In the millennium, children will
sing hosannas to the Son of David, not only in public but in families, when all
will join with one heait and one mouth to sing praises unto God.

190 CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

relative duties. Thus young men may form themselves into
a society to meet frequently for those purposes, and young
women by themselves ; aiid elderly men by themselves, and
women apart by themselves. Or societies of males in general,
older and younger, may meet by themselves, and females of
every age apart in a distinct society ; or both males and females
may meet together in different neighborhoods, when it can be
done under proper regulations and may be found most con-
venient. It is easy to see that such societies, under good reg-
ulations, tend to promote religion, union, and good order among
Christians ; and it has been found by experience, that revivals
of religion have actually produced this effect, and led people
to form into praying societies of this kind, which, when prop-
erly conducted, have proved salutary and profitable.

The prayers and devotions of public worship are to be con-
stantly attended with a serious and decent behavior, so as
not to disturb, but promote and assist, others in this part of
public, solemn devotion. The constant practice of secret, fam-
ily, and other social prayer, which has now been mentioned,
is suited to prepare for this more public and solemn worship.
" Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be
more ready to hear than to offer the sacrifice of fools." (Ec.
V. 1.) " Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and
make them joyful in my house of prayer; for mine house shall
be called a house of prayer for all people." (Isa. Ivi. 7.)
" Now Peter and John went up together into the temple, at
the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour," (Acts iii. 1.) " And
the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us
go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of
hosts ; I will go also. Yea, many people and strong nations
shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray
before the Lord:' (Zech. viii. 21, 22.)

9. Fasting is to be joined with prayer, at certain times, and
on special occasions. Religious fasting consists in abstinence
from common food and drink for a certain time, longer or
shorter, as shall be found most convenient and best suited to
answer the ends of fasting, which are to promote and express
engagedness of mind in prayer and devotion ; especially to
express humiliation, contrition, and concern of mind, and a
readiness to crucify the flesh, with the affections and lusts,
and mortify the body. This is to be practised, especially
when under any particular and great calamity, 'spiritual or
temporal ; or when such calamity is threatened, and persons
set themselves to seek of God deliverance from the evil that is
upon them, or that the threatened evil may be averted. Also,
when any great and special mercy is to be sought, it is proper

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE. 191

to do it with fasting and prayer. This* is a commanded duty,
and there are many instances of it, as practised by pious per-
sons, both in the Old and in the New Testament. There
are many instances of personal fasting recorded in Scripture,
which is to be performed by single persons, and is to be done
as secretly as circumstances will permit. Of this personal
fasting Christ speaks, when he says, " But thou, when thou
fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face ; that thou appear
not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret;
and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."
(Matt. vi. 17, 18.) Social fasting and prayer is also a duty,
m the practice of which particular families have sometimes a
call to join ; and more public societies or whole churches,
as the duty may be pointed out in divine providence. ' Our
Savior supposes it will frequently be the duty for Christians to
fast, and implicitly, at least, enjoins it, when he says of them,
" The days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken
from them, and then shall they fast." (Matt. ix. 15.)

Before this account of the devotion which is essential to the
practice of Christians is dismissed, it will be proper to con-
sider the following question : —

Question. It is granted, that the Scripture reveals an om-
niscient and unchangeable God ; and at the same time directs
and commands men to pray. But how these are consistent,
is not so readily seen. What encouragement or reason can
there be to pray to an omniscient and unchangeable God?

Ans. 1. If there were no omniscient, unchangeable God,
there could be no just ground or reason for prayer. On this
supposition, there would be no God; for none but an omnis-
cient and unchangeable being can be God. But if this ^vere
possible, and God were changeable, there would be no reason
to trust in him for any thing, because what he would be dis-
posed to do, and whether he would grant any petition made
to him, or fulfil any of his promises, would be utterly un-
certain ; and, therefore, there would be no ground and encour-
agement for prayer. But if there could be any encouragement
to pray to a changeable being, and we knew he was able to
grant, and would give whatever we asked of him, and do as
we desired, it would be the greatest presumption to ask him
for any thing, unless we knew it was for our own good and
for the general good to have it granted, and so might set our-
selves up as judges, directors, and governors of the universe.
Therefore, the truly humble, pious person would not dare to
pray for any thing if God were not omniscient and un-
changeable. Hence it follows, that if there be any reason and
encouragement to pray at aU, it must be because God is om-

192

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

iiiscient and unchangeable. The truly pious do not set up
their own will, or desire any petition which they make should
be granted, unless it be consistent with the infinitely wise, good,
and unchangeable will of God. To this they refer all, and in
this they trust, with the most pleasing confidence, and say im-
plicitly or expressly, in all their petitions, " If it be consistent
with thy unchangeable, wise, and holy will ; not our will, but
thine be done, whatever it may be." Any petition which is
put up with a disposition contrary to this, is an act of im-
piety and enmity against God.

Ans. 2. There is good reason, and all desirable or possible
encouragement, to pray to an omniscient, unchangeable God.
For,—

1. It is reasonable and proper that the pious should express
their wants and desires to God and their dependence on him,
and trust in him for the supply of their wants. If they have
such wants and such desires, and feel their dependence on
God for a supply, and trust in him alone, and such feeling
and desires be right and proper, it must be reasonable and
proper that they should be expressed. And, indeed, the very
existence and exercise of such feelings and desires are a kind
and degree of expression of them before God, and, therefore,
the expression of them is essential to their existence ; and the
more clear, strong, and particular the expression of them is,
the more properly and the better do they exist. But these are
expressed in the most natural and best manner in prayer. It
appears, from what has been now observed, that such feelings
and desires are themselves a sort of mental prayer ; and it is,
therefore, too late not to pray when they exist ; and the more
particularly and distinctly, and with the greater strength they
are acted out and expressed in thoughts and words, in par-
ticular and solemn addresses to God, the more reasonable and
proper are these exercises of the mind. Besides, this is the
only way in which pious Christians in this world can not only
express their piety in the most proper manner, but also pay
proper acknowledgments to God, and give him the honor due
to his name.

2. Asking God for the favors they want is suited to prepare
them to receive them, and fit them for the mercy he designs
to bestow upon them, so as to render it Ihe greater and better
to them. Though God be unchangeable, the Christian stands
in need of being changed; the change is, therefore, to take place
in him ; and nothing can be more suited to prepare the Chris-
tian to receive good things, than a proper asking for them,
and 1he views and exercises implied in this. The expressing
our wants and our desires to God, in a particular and solemn

CHRISTIAN- PRACTICE. 193

application to him, and our dependence on him for help, and
trust in him, and our conviction and sense of his sufficiency
for us, tends greatly to strengthen these views, feelings, and
exercises of the heart, and to excite and maintain the constant
exercise of them ; and to form the mind more and more to a
preparedness to receive them as a free gift from God, and
to render the blessings which are asked more sweet, and of
greater worth to the soul. In this view, the reasonableness
of prayer, and the great encouragement to practise it, are
evident.

3. From the foregoing, it appears that prayer is a real, prop-
er, and necessary means of obtaining and receiving blessings
from God, and as much so as if he were not omniscient and
unchangeable. Though God has determined to bestow bless-
ings on men, this does not exclude the means by which they
are to be received, but necessarily supposes and includes them,
and prayer is one of them ; therefore, when God had declared,
by the prophet Ezekiel, what blessings he determined to be-
stow on his church and people, he nevertheless said, " I will
yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for
them." (Ezek. xxvi. 37.) .

4. Hence it appears, that God hears the prayers of his peo-
ple, and regards them as much and as really answers them,
and they receive blessings as really and as much by this means
and in answer to them, as if he were not unchangeable ; there-
fore, there is as much reason and as gi-eat encouragement to
pray, as if he were changeable : yea, and much more ; for it
has been shown, that if he were not unchangeable, there could
be no safety in trusting in him, or encouragement to pray
to him.

5. The satisfaction and pleasure that is to be enjoyed by
the Christian in prayer and devotion, is a sufficient reason for
it, and encouragement to practise it, if there were no other.
This is not performed by the pious Christian as a task and
burdensome duty, but as a privilege and high enjoyment. The
benevolent friends of God have great support, enjoyment, and
happiness in casting all their care upon him, and expressing
the desires of their heart to him ; and " by prayer and sup-
plication, with thanksgiving, making known their requests to
him." They would pray, were it only for the enjoyment which
they have in the exercise, and say in their hearts, " I will call
upon God as long as I live ; " while others restrain prayer be-
fore God, and say, "What is the Almighty, that we should
serve him ? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto
him?" They are pleased with the way which is opened for
sinners' access to God by an infinitely worthy Mediator,* and

VOL. II. 17

194 CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

admire the diviiie condescension and grace in this ; and though
they be certain that God is unchangeable, this does not tend
to prevent, or in the least abate, the pleasure and enjoyment
they have in making known their requests to God, or their
desire constantly to practise it ; but this truth gives them sup-
port and consolation, and increases their delight in calling
upon God; and were not God unchangeable, they would see
no reason nor feel any encouragement to pray unto him, or
even dare to ask any thing of him, as has been observed.

11. Christian practice consists, in part, in a proper conduct
towards our fellow-men, or in that conduct of which our neigh-
bor is the more immediate object, and is employed in relative
and social duties ; and this consists wholly in obeying the law
of love, in loving our neighbor as ourselves, and in expressing
and acting out this love in the most natural and proper man-
ner, in words and actions, on all occasions, and at all times.
All this is comprised in the two following particulars : —

1. In doing justice to all with whom we have any concern
and connection; in giving to every one what is his due, what
he has a right to from us ; which is opposed to every instance
and the least degree of dishonesty and injustice, whereby any
person is injured by words or actions, in any of his interests,
in his name, estate, or person. The least violation of the rights
of any person, by taking or withholding from him any thing
which is his due, and to which he has a right, is contrary to
that comprehensive precept of Christ, of which every rational
man cannot but approve in his conscience. " As ye would
that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise."
(Luke vi. 31.)

2. Benevolence is expressed and acted out further, in doing
good to all men, and promoting their true interest and hap-
piness, as far as we have opportunity, or according to our
capacity, and the advantages we have to do it. This is neces-
sarily included in loving our neighbor as ourselves, and in
doing to others as we would they should do unto us, and is
expressly commanded in the following words : " As we have
opportunity, let us do good unto all men." (Gal. vi. 10.)

These two generals comprehend a great number of par-
ticulars, some of which must be mentioned.

1. Speaking the truth in all cases, and at all times, in oppo-
sition to every instance and degree of falsehood, and deceiving
our neighbor. This includes a punctual fulfilment of all cov-
enants and promises we make with men, and the careful and
exact payment of all just debts ; honesty and uprightness in
all our dealings with our neighbor; taking no advantage of
his weakness, ignorance, or necessity, and dependence on us.

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE. 195

And we are not only to be concerned to conduct honestly,
but to take special care and pains to appear in the view of
others to do so, and guard to our utmost against all contrary
appearance. Our love to Christ, to our neighbor, and our-
selves, will lead to this; and it is commanded by the apostle
Paul. He directs Christians to "provide things honest in
the sight of all menJ' (Rom. xii. 17.) And this he says he
took care to do himself, "providing for honest things, not only
in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men." (2 Cor.
viii. 21.)

2. Taking great care and pains, and doing their utmost to
live in peace with all men, and to preserve or make peace be-
tween others with whom they have any influence and con-
nection as far as this is possible, consistent with truth and
duty. Christians live in peace with all men as far as is pos-
sible, and are peace-makers so far as is in their power, and are
disposed, when it is consistent with truth and duty, to give up
their own right and interest for the sake of peace. They are
concerned, and study and endeavor to " give no offence, neither
to Jews nor Gentiles, nor to the church of God ; but to please
all men in all things, not seeking their own profit, but the
profit of many." (1 Cor. x. 32, 33.)

3. Giving all the assistance and relief in their power to
others who are suffering under temporal bodily wants and dis-
tresses ; being disposed to do good, ready to distribute, wiUing
to communicate, and minister to the help and comfort of
others, as far as they have ability and opportunity. (1 Tim.
vi. 18.) " Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother
have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from
him, how dwelleth the love of God in him ?" (1 John iii. 17.)

4. As Christian benevolence seeks the greatest good and
happiness of all, so far as is consistent with the greatest gen-
eral good, and considers man as capable of infinitely better
and greater good than any carnal or worldly comfort and hap-
piness, and views him as infinitely miserable unless he be
renewed and saved by Jesus Christ; the Christian is disposed
to do all in his power to prevent the eternal destruction of
men, and promote their salvation by their becoming real
Christians. In this view he attempts, according to his ability,
opportunity, and station in life, and connection with others,
to instruct the ignorant, convince and reclaim the erroneous,
reform the vicious, and awaken the attention of all to the
great truths and important duties of Christianity, " if by any
means he may save some ; " and he exercises a constant care
and watchfulness with respect to all his words and conduct
before others, not to say or do any thing which would tend to

196

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

prejudice them against true religion, or be any way injurious
to their souls ; but on the contrary, to speak and act so, on all
occasions, as shall tend to remove prejudices against the truths
and ways of Christ, and lead them cordially to embrace the
gospel; and to cause his light so to shine before men, that
they may see his good works, and glorify his Father which is
in heaven. (Matt. v. 16.) In this there is the exercise both
of piety and humanity.

5. As Christianity forms the true Christian to a tender con-
cern both for the temporal and eternal interest of all, and aims
to conduct so as not to hurt it in any respect, but to promote
it, so he is particularly tender of the character of others, and
careful not to injure it by backbiting, speaking evil of them,
and slandering them. And this requires the more care and
resolution, as the contrary is so common among men, and
even many professing Christians, and as the tongue cannot
be properly bridled with respect to this, without constant care
and watchfulness. Christianity forbids all slander, backbiting,
and speaking evil of others, as this is directly contrary to that
charity or benevolence which is essential to a true Christian ;
therefore, he carefully avoids the practice of slander, and speak-
ing evil of others, in the following instances : —

First. He does not make or spread an evil report of others
which is not true, or which magnifies the faults of which they
may be guilty, and represents them worse than they really are.
This he avoids, as contrary to truth, and the highest kind of
slander. He will not only not make a false report and spread
it, but will not take up an evil report concerning others, and
spread it, merely because he has heard it asserted by others,
while he has no certain evidence of the truth of it; for this is
contrary to the law of love, and real slander, however com-
monly it may be practised by men.

Secondly. He will not speak of the evil conduct of any
person of which he knows him to be guilty, or divulge that to
any one whomsoever which is known to no one but himself
and the person who is guilty, and which, therefore, he cannot
prove to be true ; for this is contrary to loving our neighbor
as ourselves, and is real slander. If we ourselves should be
guilty of any action which is very \\Tong and odious, we should
not be disposed to speak of it to others, or if we should do it,
it would be wrong, and an addition to our crime; and though
it shonld be done in the view of some one person, he would
liave no right to discover it to any one else, but is obliged to
keep it an inviolable secret in his own breast, as he cannot
speak of it to any other person, consistent with loving his
neighbor as himself. And if he do speak of it, and spread this

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE. 197

evil report of his neighbor, of the truth of \vhich he is not able
to give any evidence but his own assertion, which is no proof,
he is guilty of slandering his neighbor, and it is proper that he
should sutfer as a slanderer. At least, he ought to be con-
sidered as a slanderer, and is justly exposed to suffer as such.*
Thirdly. The Christian is bound by his religion not to
spread an evil report concerning his brother or neighbor, or
make it more public than it already is, though there be good
evidence that it is true. If he hear an ill report of his neigh-
bor, or is a witness of some crime of which his brother is
guilty, among other witnesses, he will be sorry to see or hear
such evil things, but will not go and spread them farther, by
telling others of them. This would not be consistent with his
loving his neighbor as himself. For if a Christian be guilty
of a fault, the more public it is and the farther it is known,
the more disagreeable it is to him ; and it is contrary to his
duty as well as to his inclination to publish his own faults,
which otherwise might be kept more private ; and he who
is disposed to publish his neighbor's faults, and makes them
more known than otherwise they would be, is guilty of evil
speaking and real slander. But it must be here observed,
that there is an exception from this rule, when it is necessary
for the public safety and good, or the security of individuals,
to have the more private evil deeds or general bad character
of our neighbor made public ; or when persons are called to
give evidence against men, and be witnesses of their crimes
before civil authority, in order to their being brought to proper

* If it should bo asked whether the person who is really guilty of the evil
deed, though there can be no legal proof of it, ought not to confess it, seeing he
knows it to be true, and how can he deny it, consistent with truth ; the an-
swer is, the guilty person has no more call or right to confess and publish his
fault than if the other had not reported it, and, therefore, he cannot do it, con-
sistent with his duty. The other person has declared what he cannot prove;
and, therefore, has done it in his own Avrong, and it really remains as much of
a secret as if he had not asserted it. Nor is his silence and refusing to say
whether he be guilty or not in any degree denying the fact, or intimating that
the report is not true, or that it is true,, and he is guilty. The person who is in
this manner accused by a single evidence who reports it without any circum-
stance sufficient to confirm what he asserts, ought not to have the question put
to him, whether the report be true, and he be really guilty ; because he has no
right to answer in the affirmative, if he be really guilty, agreeable to the report ;
and he cannot answer in the negative, consistent with the truth. But if any
one imprudently, and without any right, do question him, he has a right to re-
fuse to give any answer, in the atfirmative or the contrary. His proper answer
will be to this effect, " Since my neighbor, or brother, has reported tliat I have
been guilty of such a crime, let him prove it. If he cannot, he ought not to be
believed, but must be considered as a slanderer, and is liable to suffer as such ;
and he who believes the report, and is disposed to treat me as if I were guilty,
and takes up this report and spreads it yet farther, injures me, and is guilty
of slander."

17*

im

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

punishment, for the benefit of society and the suppression of
such evil deeds. Or when this is necessary to bring an offend-
ing brother before the church, that he may be brought to
repentance, or rejected and cast out; and in that case, the
most private steps are first to be taken, in order to bring him
to repentance more privately, as has been observed in the
section on church discipline.

Fourthly. While a Christian is disposed not to publish
the faults of others, to make them known or speak freely of
them, but to hide and cover them, as far as consistently with
the public good, and the safety of his neighbor and his duty,
he will be ready to say every thing which he can with truth,
and consistently with his duty, in the favor of those in whom
he sees some, and perhaps many, faults. He will be more
ready to speak of the good part of their character than of the
bad, and of those things which are commendable in them;
and will appear in their cause, and vindicate them, when they
appear, to be too severely censured and unjustly condemned.

6. Christian practice includes the faithful and punctual per-
formance of all relative duties, founded in the difterent rela-
tions and stations in which persons stand in this life. These
are various, and call for difterent and various duties, but may
be all comprehended in the different relations included in
superiors, inferiors, and equals. Love will form the Christian
to the duties required in those different relations, and they all
consist in expressing this love in all proper ways in those dif-
ferent relations.

The first relations which are the foundation of all others
are those which commonly take place in a family, which re-
quire different duties. The heads of a family me generally
the parents, husband, and wife. It is the duty of the sexes in
general to enter into the marriage relation with each other,
unless their circumstances be so ordered, in divine providence,
as to be inconsistent with this. The standing command to
mankind is, to multiply and fill the earth, in this way, with
inhabitants. And the command is, " Let every man have his
own wife, and let every woman have her own husband."
And there is no marriage but this of one husband with one
wife, consistent with the divine institution, or the good of
mankind. This is a peculiar and near relation, suited to the
comfort and happiness of human life; and real Christianity
exalts the enjoyment and happiness of this relation unspeak-
ably, when it takes place in a proper degree in each party.
The union consists in love. The husband is the superior,
and the wife is the inferior. They are by love to serve each
other, by mutually promoting each other's comfort and use-

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE. 199

fulness and everlasting happiness. The inferiority and sub-
mission of the wife, when expressed properly in the acts of
love, will be in no respect disagreeable, but pleasing, and
greatly contribute to the happiness of the relation. The su-
periority of the husband, expressed in the most tender love, in
supporting, protecting, honoring, and nourishing his wife, is
suited to render the relation as complete and happy as any
can be in this life.

Their natural affections to their children will give them
pleasure in ministering to them and providing for them ; but
Christian benevolence will operate strongly to prompt them
to give them a religious education, to govern, instruct, exhort,
and persuade them to the exercise and practice of piety, train-
ing them up for Christ.

The children, as soon as they become pious, and are capa-
ble of expressing a Christian spirit, will be all obedience and
submission to their parents, and will delight to please, com-
fort, and honor them in all proper ways. As brethren and
sisters they will be united in the most sweet bonds of Chris-
tian love, added to their natural affection to each other, living
in the most happy peace and harmony, and striving to serve
and please each other in constant acts of kindness ; and if
there be any other domestics, they will quietly and with fidel-
ity, prudence, and cheerfulness, do the duty of their place, so
as to be most useful and comfortable to every member of the
family, taking care that nothing be wasted and lost, but that
the best interest of the family is secured and promoted. Thus
regulated and happy is every family, where the true spirit and
practice of Christianity take place in a proper manner and
degree.

Different families, and the individual members of them, are
connected with others by natural relation, near neighborhood,
etc., from whence arise a number of duties which are to be
practised towards them, according to their character, circum-
stances, and stations in life, whether superiors, equals, or in-
feriors, whether virtuous or vicious, friends or enemies. Chris-
tianity requires such a conduct towards all as shall express
uprightness, humility, meekness, and good will to all however
different their relation to us, or their character may be. A
forgiving spirit, and love of benevolence to enemies, are pe-
culiar to a Christian, and essential to his character. However
they may hate him, and injure and abuse him, he will not be
disposed to revenge himself, or do or wish them the least hurt;
but will fi*eely forgive them, and wish they may enjoy the
highest good, and be as ready to do them good, and pray for
them, as if they did not hate him and had not injured him.

200 CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

In the practice of this, Christian benevolence appears in the
true, distinguishing nature, beauty, and excellence of it; and
is, therefore, particularly and repeatedly enjoined by Christ on
his disciples. He says, " If ye forgive not men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. But I say
unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do
good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despite-
fully use you and persecute you." (Matt. v. 44 ; vi. 15.)

Christianity lays the best and only foundation for true friend-
ship ; by the influence, and in the exercise of this, friends may
be formed, and the most endearing and happy friendship take
place, and be cultivated. There is a peculiar friendship be-
tween Christians. They love one another with a peculiar
love of benevolence and complacency ; and, therefore, are
disposed, as they are commanded, to acts of beneficence and
kindness to such especially, and in the first place. (Gal. vi.
10.) But they who are most acquainted with each other will
exercise and enjoy this friendship to a much higher degree.
They take a particular pleasure in conversing with each other,
in which they are u)ider no restraint, opening to one another
their sentiments and their hearts with great freedom. They
put great confidence in each other, and are faithful in keeping
the secrets which are between them, and in doing good to
each other, and praying for one another, and expressing their
love and friendship in all proper ways, while it is in a great
measure concealed from the men of the world.

The Christian, considered as a citizen, and a member of
civil society, connected and supported by civil government, is
a peaceable and useful member, sincerely seeking the public
good, and ready to promote it in all proper ways, acting with
fidelity and discretion, according to his ability, circumstances,
and station, whether he be a ruler or subject. As a subject,
he submits to civil authority, and obeys, and does what he
can to support the laws of civil society, carefully performing
every social duty, desiring "to lead a quiet and peaceable life,
in all godliness and honesty." And as a good and faithful
member of the community, he will be ready to join with them
in all necessary and proper ways to defend themselves from
the unreasonable and violent assaults which others may make
upon them to destroy them.

Every Cin-isiian is, or ought to be, a member of some par-
ticular church or society of Christians, united in solemn cove-
nant to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, support and promote his
cause and kingdom, maintain his worship and ordinances, and
watch over and assist each other in Christian love and mutual
forbearance, tenderness, and faithfulness. The nature and

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE. 201

design of such a church have been considered above. This
is a society distinct from civil or worldly communities, and
independent of them, and there are relative duties peculiar to
the members of such churches. They are to pay a particular
respect to the elders of the churches, to esteem them very
highly for the sake of their work, and give them double honor,
not only by attending upon their ministry, and submitting to
them, when they declare the truths and duties whicji Christ
,has revealed and commanded, but also by giving them a suf-
ficient and decent support. They have much duty to do to
one another in faithfully attending to that discipline which
Christ has instituted, and practising it with prudence, impar-
tiality, and resolution. They are also to provide liberally for
the poor of the church, and freely to contribute for the supply
of their bodily wants, so that none shall suffer for the want of
the necessaries of life ; and it is not only the duty of indi-
viduals to give relief to particular persons, when they see
them to stand in need of their help, but they ought to con-
tribute a sufficient sum, to be lodged in the hands of the dea-
cons, to enable them to give full relief to all the needy of the
church ; whose duty it is to acquaint themselves with those
who may want, and with prudence and faithfulness to dis-
tribute, so as in the best and most private manner to relieve
and comfort them. If the institution and command of Christ
with respect to this were in aijy good measure observed, every
member of his churches would be so supplied with the neces-
saries for the body, that they would have no occasion to apply
to the men of the world, or to any worldly society, for help
and relief.

These duties of Christians, as members of churches, are
expressions of piety, and have been mentioned as such ; but
they are also relative duties of humanity and mercy; while
every one attends to the duties of his place and station, ac-
cording to the grace which is given unto him, so as to promote
the peace and comfort of every individual and the edification
of the whole body.

III. There are duties included in Christian practice, in which
a man has a more immediate respect to himself, his own per-
son, while they have a more remote respect to God and his
neighbor.

Universal, disinterested benevolence, which is opposed to
selfishness, desires and seeks the highest happiness of all, and,
therefore, of the benevolent person himself, so far as is con-
sistent with the good of others and the greatest general good ;
and as his individual person is more immediately under his
care, and as he is under greater advantage to take care of his

202

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

own personal interests than others commonly are, and as there
are certain exercises and duties which respect himself more
immediately, which are necessary for his own personal com-
fort and greatest happiness, as well as for the greatest good
of others, these are essential to the Christian character, and
necessarily implied in loving our neighbor as ourselves. These
duties may be ranked under the following heads: —

1. Temperance and frugality in eating and drinking. The
body requires constant nourishment by food and drink ; and,
what of this is necessary for health, and to preserve a person
in a state most fit to answer the proper ends of life, is com-
monly taken with pleasure; but all excess and intemperance
in eating or drinking is hurtful to the intemperate person, and
injurious to others with whom he is connected. The Christian,
therefore, is bound by the law of love to be temperate in all
things, and to eat and drink for strength and health, and so
that he may be best fitted for the duties of his station, and
promote his own greatest enjoyment and happiness, and that
of others. In this he is obliged to consult his own constitu-
tion, experience, and circumstances, that he may find what
degree and kind of food and drink are best suited for his health
and usefulness ; and not to gratify and indulge his appetites
any further than is necessary to answer these ends, but to
keep his body under, and bring it into subjection to these rules.
And in this way alone he can eat and drink, not unto himself,
but to the glory of God.

2. Frugality, decency, and prudence in apparel. The Chris-
tian is to put on nothing superfluous, or to gratify pride or
any lust ; but only that which is necessary, and best suited to
answer the ends of clothing, in which some regard is to be
had to a person's station, business, and circumstances in life.
The Christian, whatever apparel he is obliged to wear, or thinks
proper to put on, ought to take care to be and appear neat
and clean, as the contrary is indecent, and tends to injure the
health of the body. The short, but comprehensive and im-
portant command of Christ, being strictly and judiciously
observed, would regulate and fix the Christian's practice, both
in eating and drinking, and in putting on apparel : " Let

NOTHING BE LOST."

3. Chastity in thought, speech and behavior is an impor-
tant Christian duty. This is strictly commanded, and nuich
insisted upon in the Scripture. Christians are commanded
to " put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for
the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. Now the works of the
flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery, fornication, un-
cleanness, lasciviousness." (Rom. xiii. 14. Gal. v. 19.) " But

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE. 203

fornication and all uncleanness, let it not be once named
amongst you. as becometh saints. This is the will of God,
even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornica-
tion: that every one of you should know how to possess his ves-
sel in sanctification and honor." (Eph. v. 3. 1 Thess. vi. 3, 4.)
The strictest chastity is most for the comfort and happiness and
honor of those who practise it, and for the benefit of all with
whom they are connected ; and every thing contrary to this has
the most pernicious and fatal tendency, and is injurious in a
"greater or less degree to those who indulge it, and those with
whom they are concerned; therefore, strict chastity is obedience
to the law of universal benevolence ; and the contrary, and every
thing which tends to it, is opposed to this. There is no virtue
more recommended in Scripture than inviolable chastity and
continence ; and no vice more condemned, and the evil con-
sequences more exposed, both in the historical and preceptive
parts of Scripture, than incontinence and uncleanness. This
is particularly done by Solomon in his address to young per-
sons, in the first chapters of his Proverbs, which is proposed
as a proper example for all parents in their instructing and
warning their children. Youth are most exposed to violate
the rules of strict chastity ; therefore, have need of instruc-
tion, warning, and restraint on this head, and ought to keep
at the greatest distance from the contrary vice, and carefully
shun every temptation and snare by which they may be de-
coyed, as thousands have been, and never have recovered from
the evil consequences. Therefore, the young Christian is un-
der the greatest obligations to " flee youthful lusts."

4. A careful government and suppression of all those pas-
sions which distrub and rufHe the mind, and unfit persons for
duty, and make them uncomfortable to themselves and to
others. As Christians ought to govern their bodily inclina-
tions and appetites, and not to gratify, but suppress and mor-
tify, all those, so far as they tend to hurt themselves or others,
so they are under obligation to regulate and govern their men-
tal passions, and so to rule their own spirits, as to suppress
and lay aside all the angry, unruly passions, which are the
production of selfishness and pride, and render themselves un-
happy, so far as they are indulged ; and, on the contrary, they
are commanded to maintain and constantly to exercise a calm,
gentle, meek, peaceable, patient spirit, which is the natural
attendant and genuine fruit of benevolence, and necessary in
order to the Christian's proper possession and enjoyment of
himself, and attendance on the duties of Christianity. " He
that is slow to anger, is better than the mighty ; and he that
ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city. He that hath no

204

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

rule over his own spirit, is like a city that is broken down
and without walls." (Pr. xvi. 32; xxv. 28.) Agreeably to
this are the apostolic injunctions. " Let all bitterness, and
wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking be put away
from you, with all malice; and be ye kind one to another,
tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's
sake hath forgiven you." (Eph, iv. 31, 32.) " Let your mod-
eration be known unto all men." (Phil. vi. 5.) " The wisdom
that is from above is peaceable, gentle, and easy to be en-
treated." (James iii. 17.) " Charity suffereth long, and is kind;
charity envieth not ; is not easily provoked ; thinketh no evil."
(1 Cor. xiii. 4, 5.)

5. A constant and careful cultivation and improvement of
the mind, in seeking, pursuing, and acquiring useful knowl-
edge and wisdom. Solomon says, " It is not good that the
soul be without knowledge." This is the life and enjoyment
of the mind, and is unspeakably the highest and most noble
kind of enjoyment of which a rational creature is capable. All
the knowledge which a person of an honest and good heart
obtains is useful to him, and puts him under advantage to
be more useful to others. This is not to be obtained, and a
constant progress made in it, without labor, by diligent atten-
tion and inquiry, in the improvement of all those helps and
advantages with which we are furnished. The objects of
knowledge are various and infinite,; and the knowledge of
any of them is not useless to a mind well disposed, and every
branch and degree of knowledge is suited to improve such a
mind; it really adds to its existence, and increases true wis-
dom in a wise and benevolent heart. Some objects are more
important, grand, and excellent than others, and men have
more concern and connection with some than with others ;
and, therefore, the knowledge of them is proportionably more
excellent, important, and useful ; and that knowledge which
is of the moral kind, and implies a good taste and right exer-
cises of heart, and is, therefore, the knowledge of the great
objects and truths which respect the moral world and belong
to that, is the most important and excellent kind of knowl-
edge, and docs most enlarge the soul, and gives the highest
degree of enjoyment. This kind of knowledge is, therefore,
to be sought in the first place, and with the greatest thirst
and engagedness of mind.

And as God is infinitely the greatest part of existence, and
includes the sum of all the natural and moral world, and the
knowledge of his moral character includes the knowledge of
his laws, moral government, and kingdom, and of all morality,
and of every thing necessary to be known in the moral world,

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE. 205

the knowledge of God is, in Scripture, considered as compre-
hending the whole. " And this is life eternal, that they might
know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou
hast sent." (John xvii. 3.) " Yea, doubtless, and I count all
things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ
Jesus my Lord." (Phil, iii. 8.) "If thou criest after knowl-
edge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding : if thou seek-
est her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the
knowledge of God." (Pr. ii. 3, 4, 5.) " Let him that glorieth,
glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I
am the Lord, which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and
righteousness in the earth ; for in these things I delight, saith
the Lord." (Jer. ix. 24.) This is the knowledge which includes
true understanding and wisdom, of which Solomon speaks so
much in his wi'itings. It is the duty and interest of every
Christian to make advances in this knowledge, and in all
kinds of knowledge and speculations for which he has oppor-
tunity, as subservient and advantageous to this. In this way
he is to " grow in grace, and in the knowledge of his Lord
and Savior Jesus Clirist."

And this is one end which the Christian ought to have in
view, among others, in his devotions and prayers, and in his
daily reading and studying the " Holy Scriptures, which are
able to make them wise unto salvation, through faith which is
in Christ Jesus, being profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness ; that the man of
God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good
works." (2 Tim. ii. 15-17.) This is one end of his constant
attendance on public instruction, and the preaching of the
gospel, that by hearing the word he may understand it, and
bring forth Iruit. For this end, he is to meditate, read, and
study, as he has opportunity, that he may improve and ad-
vance in useful knowledge ; " trying all things, and holding
fast that which is good." And this ought to be one end in
his conversing with his neighbors and Christian friends. He
ought not only to study to speak to their benefit and edifica-
tion, but to converse in order to get instruction himself, and
improve his own mind in knowledge and understanding ; and
will, therefore, " be swift to hear, and slow to speak." And,
in this view, he will avoid, as much as may be, all trifling and
vain company, as well as that which is worse ; and he will be
ready to obey the command given by Solomon, " Go from the
presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him
the lips of knowledge." (Pr. xiv. 7.) And, on the contrary, he
will seek the company of the serious and wise, from whom

VOL. II. 18

206 CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

he may hope to get instruction. " For he that walkcth with
wise men shall be wise ; but a companion of fools shall be
destroyed." (Pr. xiii. 20.)

6. The Christian is diligent and faithful in attending to,
and prosecuting the business of, his particular calling, in which
he is fixed by divine Providence, in opposition to sloth, idle-
ness, and misspense of time. He attends to his own proper
calling and business, and pursues that with industry, pru-
dence, and diligence, and is not a busy body in other men's
matters ; not an idle tattler and brawler, going from house to
house, and spending his time in idle chat, which is of no advan-
tage to himself or to any one else, but the contrary ; but abides
in his own calling, steadily prosecuting his business, doing
every thing in the proper time and season. He does not sit
up late, when there is no particular and extraordinary call to
it, which tends to injure his health, and unfit him for his proper
business, or prevent his rising early to attend in the proper
season on the duties of his calling. Thus he conscientiously
and with care obeys the command, " Not to be slothful in his
business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord ; abiding with dili-
gence in the same calling wherein he is called." (Rom. xii.
11. 1 Cor. vii. 20.)

REFLECTIONS.

I. From the above brief sketch of Christian practice, and
the character of a true Christian, it appears that Christianity
is in the best manner suited to make those happy in this
world and foreyer who cordially embrace and practise it, and
to render society, whether public or more private, beautiful
and happy.

So far as the true spirit and proper practice of Christianity
take place, it delivers each subject of it from those passions
and lusts which war against the soul, and contain evil and
unhappiness, even in the indulgence of them; and it forms
them to those vic^vrs and exercises respecting the most grand
and excellent objects, and that practice in which they enjoy
peace of mind and conscience, and have the best and highest
kind of enjoyment of which the human nature is capable,
which never can cloy or cease, but is in the nature of it rea-
sonable, pure, and permanent; and it forms the Christian to
the highest and most excellent kind of social felicity. It con-
stitutes the best, most perfect, and happy society that can be
imagined, or Ihat is possible. It spreads the most happy peace
through the whole conunnnity, however large it may be, fixes
every one in liis proper place, and makes him useful to the

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE. 207

whole ; and at the same time gives each individual the high-
est satisfaction and pleasm*e in being a member of such a
society, composed of the most excellent friends to each other,
and to him ; and he, as a friend to every member of the society
and to the whole, enjoys the good and happiness of the whole,
to the extent of his capacity. Christianity forms society to
the strongest, most permanent, and happy union, so far as the
true spirit of it is imbibed and carried into practice. It binds
them together by the strong, everlasting, and most perfect
bond, charity, or Christian love.

And it must appear to ail who properly use their reason,
that piety, and the practice of it, is essential to the best good
and greatest happiness of society and of individuals in this
world. It is that love which unites men to God and the Re-
deemer, and forms them to all the acts of piety, and gives
them the highest enjoyment, which at the same time unites
them to each other, and forms them to all social duties and
enjoyments. The latter cannot exist without the former.
Where there is no piety, there may be a sort of union in so-
ciety, and a degree of enjoyment, in imitation of Christian
social virtues and duties ; but it must be a low, mean thing,
without any real benevolence, or proper, lasting foundation,
and, therefore, not to be depended upon.

How greatly mistaken, then, are they, who do not consider
the exercise and practice of piety as any part of social happi-
ness, or in the least advantageous to it, and leave Christianity
wholly out of their idea and scheme of public virtue and social
happiness! It is impossible there should be any great degree
of personal or public social happiness without Christian piety
and morality, founded on Christian principles ; and so far only
as these take place, personal and public happiness is secured
and promoted ; and they must certainly have a low, debased,
and corrupt taste for enjoyment and happiness, who think
they can be more happy, both personally and in society, with-
out real Christianity than with it, and are expecting and seek-
ing it for themselves and the public, in opposition to Christian
practice, and in disregard to the laws of Christ, and by an
open violation of them. Their enjoyment, considered person-
ally and by themselves, or in society, must be mean and low
at best, and very unworthy of man, who is made capable of
unspeakably higher and more noble happiness in his own
mind, independent of others, or in society, in the exercise and
practice of Christianity, and the social virtues and conduct
which it prescribes.

It will be asked by some, whether all this be not confuted
by fact and experience, since Christianity has not rendered

208 CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

societies and kingdoms happy wliere it has been generally
received and professed, and has been the means of the con-
trary, and produced contentions, cruel persecutions, and wars;
and Christians have contended with Christians, and persecuted
and destroyed each other.

Answer. That Christianity has had no better and no more
happy etlect where it has been in a sense received and pro-
fessed, has not been owing to the nature and tendency of it,
but to the abuse of it, and opposition to it, and a refusal
cordially to receive it, and practise agreeably to the spirit and
revealed laws of it. By this it has been perverted to very bad
purposes, and made the occasion of great mischief and un-
happiness among men. Any one may be certain of this, by
attending to the Bible, and well observing what are the prin-
ciples, rules, and practice there inculcated and prescribed;
and what would be the certain eflect, if they were cordially
received and obeyed. We must consult the Bible if we would
know what Christianity is ; what are the truths there revealed,
and what disposition, exercises, and practices it does recom-
mend and enjoin. And in this way alone can we learn, and
be able to judge of the nature and tendency of it, and see how
far it has been abused and perverted by men. He who will
attend to the Bible with impartiality, candor, and discerning,
will be sure that whenever the truths and religion there re-
vealed shall be properly received and reduced to practice by
all the people, and Christianity shall have a genuine and
complete effect, it will effectually banish all the evils which
now take place in society among men, whether more private
or public, by putting an end to all unrighteousness and op-
pression, unfaithfulness, and fraud, to all contention and war,
pride, ambition, and selfishness, and to the indulgence of every
lust, in word or conduct, which tends to evil, or to hurt any
one. And on the contrary, it will introduce that uprightness
and universal righteousness in practice, that benevolence and
beneficence to all, every one taking his proper place, and do-
ing the duties of it, so as to advance the good of the whole ;
which will spread universal peace, prosperity, and happiness
through the whole society, nation, or kingdom ; and that
nothing can destroy or disturb the peace, good order, and
happiness of society, but a deviation from the truths and
duties inculcated in the Holy Scriptures.

The Scripture foretells the evils of which the gospel would
be the occasion by the abuse of it, and the opposition which
would be made to it, and the corruption and apostasy, both
in doctrine and practice, which should take place among
the professors of Christianity, which would be the occasion of

CHRISTIAN PRACTICE. 209

persecution and innumerable calamities ; and these having
actually taken place as they were predicted, is so far from
being an objection to the truth and excellency of Christianity,
that hereby is exhibited a standing evidence of its divine
original, and may justly be considered as a pledge of the ad-
vantage and happiness which it shall produce in this world
in the last days, when it shall have its proper effect on the
-hearts and lives of mankind, which is also foretold.

The salutary influence Christianity has had already in the
world, forming men to be peaceable, harmless, and useful
members of society, in the practice of righteousness and good-
ness, where the dictates of it have been in any measure prop-
erly regarded and obeyed, of which there have been many
instances, is sufficient to convince every candid mind, that
when it shall be no longer abused and perverted to evil pur-
poses by men of perverse minds, but universally understood,
embraced, and practised, it will render mankind and society
unspeakably more happy than they have ever yet been or can
be, while men are ignorant of it, or refuse to regard and obey
its dictates. That there is such a happy era coming, is abun-
dantly foretold in the divine oracles, when by the influence
and power of the gospel, in the hand of the exalted Redeemer,
he will reign universally in the hearts of men, and they shall
obey him ; and the happy effect of Christianity shall be seen
in fact and experience, in extirpating all unrighteousness and
violence from the earth, and introducing universal peace, love,
and beneficence ; when men shall learn war no more, but prac-
tise all the social virtues, each one in his proper sphere, hon-
estly and wisely seeking and promoting the greatest public
good, and the happiness of every individual, so far as he has
ability and advantage.

But the most complete and happy effect of Christianity will
take place, and appear in the fulness, importance, and glory
of it, when the kingdom of Christ shall be brought to perfec-
tion in the future state ; when the most beautiful, harmonious,
and happy society will be formed by it, in the exercise of love
to God and to one another, by which the most perfect union
and the highest possible happiness shall exist forever. Here,
then, we are to look, to see what is the nature and genuine
tendency of Christianity, and what will be the happy effect of
it to individuals and to society, when it has overcome all
opposition, and shall reign in perfection in the heart and prac-
tice of every member of the kingdom of Christ.

II. From this view of Christian practice, and it being thus
in all respects suited to promote the good of mankind, and
the welfare and happiness of society in this world, arises a
18*

SIO CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

strong and forcible argument that the Bible is from God, and
Christianity has a divine original.

They who reject the Bible as a revelation from God do
generally confess that the rules of morel conduct contained
in it are suited to promote the good of society, and the peace
and happiness of mankind in this world ; and that Christian
morality, and attendance on the institutions of the Christian
religion, public worship and instruction, tend to promote civil-
ity and good order among men, and the political good of
society. In this they appear to be really inconsistent with
themselves, and confute their own creed. For this being
granted, (and grant it they must, or deny what is evident
from reason and fact,) the inference is clear and strong, that
the Bible is a revelation from heaven.

Were the Bible a contrivance of man, of one man, or any
number of men, who joined to form a plan to promote the
good of society, it cannot be reasonably supposed there would
be no gross mistakes in it ; or that it would be suited to pro-
mote the good of society in every age, and different nations
of the world, and in all the various and different circumstances
of mankind, under all the different forms of civil government,
as it really is. Much less can this be supposed, when it is
written by different men, unknown to each other, in various
ages and nations, and widely differing in their education and
particular tastes, habits, and customs. That a book should
he written by these men, in such circumstances, on so many
different occasions, which, when carefully examined, contains
one consistent system of rules for moral life, suited to the
comfort and happiness of every individual, and the greatest
good of all human societies, and in this respect far exceeding
the best code of civil laws that was ever invented, without
any light and assistance from this book, is the most incredi-
ble position that can be asserted.

CONCLUSION. 211

CONCLUSION.

Having diligently and with care examined the Holy Scrip-
tures to find what is that system of doctrines, truths, and
duties revealed there, and endeavored to state them, and set
them in a proper and clear light, and having at length finished
wliat was proposed and undertaken, we may now look back,
and, upon a general review of the whole, it is presumed that
the following conclusions may be deduced with clear and
abundant evidence : —

I. That there is a connection, consistence, and harmony in
the system of truths, taken from the Holy Scriptures, stated
and explained in the foregoing work.

Care and pains have been taken to support and prove each
by the sacred oracles ; but it is hoped that all these considered
collectively, and the whole put together and joined in one
system, will, "like an arch, add strength and firmness to each
part," and increase the evidence that every doctrine that has
been advanced as important truth is indeed contained in the
Bible, and so essential to the whole, that it cannot be ex-
cluded and rejected without marring, and in a sense rejecting,
all the rest which are connected with it and really implied in
it. It is certain, that doctrines inconsistent with each other
are not to be found in divine revelation. If any two or more
truths are plainly revealed, between which we cannot see the
consistence, we may be sure they are consistent with each
other, and that it is owing to our ignorance, and to some mis-
take we are making, that we do not see them to agree per-
fectly. But when the agreement and consistence of every
important doctrine revealed in the Bible is discerned, this gives
satisfaction to the mind, and casts a lustre of light and beauty
over the whole. No pains, therefore, ought to be spared in
examining the Bible with this view, that we may learn what
are the doctrines there revealed, and be able to see their con-
nection and consistence.

There is one chain, or consistent scheme of truth, which
runs through the whole of the Bible ; and every doctrine con-
tained in this divine plan is not only consistent with the rest,
but as much a part of the whole as is each link of a chain, so
that not one can be broken or taken out, without spoiling or
at least injuring the chain. In this view, the foregoing system
is offered to the examination of all who are willing to search
the Bible daily, and in the light of that, to try every doctrine
that has been advanced, that they may find whether they be
agreeable to the Scripture and consistent with each other, or

212 CONCLUSION.

not, and accordingly receive or reject them. It is not pretended,
that every particular article which has been mentioned, as
matter of conjecture or probable, of which there are some in-
stances, or that is considered as more evident from Scripture
than the opposite, is essential to the system. If it be con-
sistent \\dth the whole, it may be received, though it be not
essential ; and if it should be thought by any not worthy to be
received, or not so evident from Scripture as the contrary, it
may be rejected, and the contrary believed, perhaps, as con-
sistent with the system of connected truth. Of this every one
will judge for himself. And though persons may differ in
their judgment on some sentiments of this description, which
have been mentioned, yet they may agree in receiving every
doctrine which is essential to a system of truth, which is har-
monious in every part, and forms one connected, consistent
plan of divine truth. But if any doctrine be denied and re-
jected, which is a necessary part of the system of truth revealed
in the Scripture, or which is really implied in it, the connection
is hereby broken, and the whole system is destroyed; and
every truth contained in it is implicitly given up and denied :
as a chain is broken and spoiled by taking away one link of
it, and a well-cemented and strong arch is broken down and
demolished, by removing a small, but necessary part of it.
From this it follows, —

II. That there is no other scheme, or system of supposed
truth, which is connected and consistent with itself through
the whole of it.

This follows as a necessary conclusion from the foregoing.
If that be true, therefore, this must be also true. There is but
one consistent plan of religious truth, which is revealed in the
Scripture ; ' and another cannot be invented or exist, which is
consistent with itself in every part. Therefore, if we can find
what is the system of doctrines revealed in the Bible, (and this
we may and shall do, if it be not wholly our own fault,) we
may be sure no other which is throughout consistent can be
found, or is possible. As every divine, revealed truth is per-
fectly consistent with the whole truth, and every doctrine
comes in to make and complete one whole, and is so con-
nected as to make one uniform system, which is not capable
of any alteration without rendering it imperfect, so error and
false doctrine is always necessarily inconsistent with itself,
and no system of error can be invented, which is not incon-
sistent, and does not imply a contradiction. Thus error is
always crooked, and cannot be made straight. False doctrines
may be and often have been advanced, and formed into a sort
of a system, and have a degree of connection and agreement

CONCLUSION. 213

with each, other, and may be joined with some truths, and be
made to appear plausible, and even consistent with all truth,
to a superficial, undiscerning eye, and especially to a mind
filled with prejudices against the truth, and real disgust of it.
But when these doctrines, or this system of errors, are criti-
cally examined by a discerning mind, they will be found to im-
ply gross inconsistencies and contradictions; and a mind thus
prejudiced, and disafi'ected with the great truths of divine rev-
elation, may view them as inconsistent with reason and with
each other, and think he finds innumerable contradictions in
the Bible, and consequently reject it, and embrace what ap-
pears to him a more consistent, or at least a more pleasing
scheme. But nothing is obtained by this but a temporary,
pleasing dream and delusion, which, when properly examined,
wdll appear to consist in confusion and self-contradiction, and,
if followed in the natural and genuine tendency of it, will
land the infidel in total darkness and universal scepticism, the
greatest of all contradictions and absurdities. This has been
verified by numerous facts in the Christian world, and in-
stances of it are multiplying at this day.

Those doctrines which are inconsistent with the absolute
supremacy and independence of God; his omniscience, un-
changeableness, and infinite felicity ; his infinite wisdom, rec-
titude, and goodness, must be false doctrines ; and all that are
connected with them, and follow from them, must be also
contrary to the truth, and are an implicit denial of the being
of the true God, and inconsistent with any proper acknowl-
edgment of him. The denial of the decrees of God, and that
he hath foredained whatsoever comes to pass, and all those
doctrines which are implied in this and follow from it, are in-
consistent wdth this true character of God, and, therefore, are
false doctrines, and an implicit denial of the being of the only
true God, and inconsistent with all true piety, and, if followed
in their true consequences, will lead to universal scepticism,
darkness, and delusion.

Those tenets relating to human liberty, and that moral
agency of man necessary in order to render him capable of
virtue or vice, praise or blame, which are inconsistent with the
decrees of God fixing all events and all the actions of men,
are inconsistent with the divine character, and even with the
existence of God ; are inconsistent with the Holy Scripture,
and are inconsistent with themselves, implying self-contradic-
tion, and the greatest absurdity ; which, it is supposed, has
been in some measure made manifest in the foregoing work.
And without mentioning more particulars, it is left to the can-
did, considerate reader to examine every doctrine which has

214 CONCLUSION.

been proposed in this view; and it is presumed that he will
find the whole, and especially all the leading sentiments, not
only consistejit with each other, but with the being, perfec-
tions, and character of God, revealed in the Scripture ; and
that no other scheme of doctrine can be consistent with these,
or with itself, but tends to infidelity, and to remove all im-
portant religious truth : and if so, and he be disposed to re-
ceive the truth in the love of it, his mind will by this be more
established in the truth, and know it, and that no lie is of the
truth, but that this is the true God and eternal life. (1 John
ii. 21 ; V. 20.) And the farther he proceeds in the line of
truth, and the more clear and comprehensive view he obtains
of it, the greater will be his confidence and assurance that this
is the only system of doctrines which is agreeable to the divine
perfections, the Word of God, and with itself, and that these
are the doctrines which are according to godliness ; and the
greater satisfaction and joy will he have in contemplating,
loving, and obeying them.

III. It appears from the whole of the foregoing, that it is
of great importance that the doctrines and truths contained in
divine revelation should be understood, believed, and loved;
that this is necessarily implied in the exercise and practice of
true religion, without which there is no salvation.

If this were not important and necessary, there would be
little or no need of a divine revelation. This is a revelation
of a system of truth and of duty, the foundation and reason
of which is the revealed truth, and all obedience consists in
knowing, loving, and obeying the truth ; therefore, were there
no doctrines, no truth and articles of laith revealed, no duty or
obedience could be enjoined or known. The Bible reveals a
system of truth. It reveals the being and character of God ;
ais works and designs ; the state and character of man ; the
person and character of the Redeemer ; his work and designs,
and the way of salvation by him ; what God does, and what
man must be and do, in order to his salvation. The Bible
opens the invisible world to men, and sets before them the great,
important truths relating to the invisible, eternal kingdom of
Christ ; and there cannot be one exercise of piety or charity,
or any duty of either of these performed by any man, unless
it be in the view of those revealed truths, or in conformity
to them.

The Holy Scripture, therefore, represents the knowledge and
belief of the truth as necessary to salvation ; that faith, with-
out which men cannot be saved, is "the belief of the truth."
" He that believeth shah be saved." This supposes some truth
to be believed; and what can this be but the truths of the

CONCLUSION. 215

gospel, the truth to which Christ came to bear witness ? Were
there no revealed truths, there would be nothing to be be-
lieved ; no objects of faith ; for faith is a belief of the truth.
Surely none will say saving faith consists in believing noth-
ing, or in believing a lie ! Christ speaks of the knowledge of
the truth as necessary in order to salvation, and peculiar to
his followers. " If any man will do his will, he shall know
of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of
myself." (John vii. 17.) " And ye shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free." (John viii. 32.) " Sanctify
them through thy truth ; tliy word is truth.''' (John xvii. 17.)
" When the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all
truth." (John xvi. 13.) The apostle Paul represents the great
design of the gospel to be, to bring Christians to a union in
knowledge and faith, or a belief and practice of truth. " Till
we all come in the unit?/ of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stat-
ure of the fulness of Ciu-ist; that we henceforth be no more
children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every tniiid
of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, where-
by they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love,
may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even
Christ." (Eph. iv. 14, 15.) He speaks of the doctrine ivhich is
according- to godliness, as necessary to be known and obeyed
by every Christian. (1 Tim. vi. 3.) He directs Timothy to
" hold fast the form of sound Avords," which he had heard of
him. (2 Tim. i. 13.) By the form of sound words, nothing
can be meant but the system of gospel doctrines which the
apostle taught, and in which he had instructed Timothy ; and
he was to hold fast those sound woi'ds, those wholesome, im-
portant, solid truths, by meditating upon them, and maintaiif-
ing and preaching them ; which is the same with holding and
preaching sound doctrines, and being sound in the faith, which
he repeatedly mentions.

And the knowledge and belief of the truth revealed in the
Bible is so important and essential to a Christian, that all
Christian practice is denoted by obeying the truth. " Obey-
ing from the heart the form of doctrine which has been delivered
to them." (Rom. vi, 17.) "Doing the truth, and walking in
the truth." (John iii. 21. 3 John 4.) And Christians are ex-
horted to " contend earnestly for the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints." (Jude 3.) The faith which had
been delivered to the church can be nothing but the system
of doctrines contained in divine revelation ; the truths implied
and exhibited in the gospel, which were to be believed and
maintained by Christians. The apostle Paul, in all his epistles,

216

CONCLUSION.

shows how important the doctrines and truths of the gospel
are, and the necessity of their being understood and embraced,
in order to be saved; that the gospel consists essentially in
these, which, therefore, is overthrown and destroyed, by em-
bracing and promoting the opposite errors. Christ says to
Pilate, " To this end was I born, and for this cause came I
into the world, that I should bear witness mito the truth.^' (John
xviii. 37.) By the truth, here, is not meant one particular
truth, but all the truths and doctrines of divine revelation ;
the system of truth in which the gospel consists. This sets
the importance of the doctrines of the gospel, and the neces-
sity of understanding, believing, and practising them, in a
striking light. For to oppose, or neglect and live in ignorance
of these, is to oppose or slight that which Christ came into the
world to establish and promote. If the doctrines of the gos-
pel be rejected, or overlooked and not understood, the only
foundation of Christian faith and practice is removed, and
there remains nothing to be believed, and no duty to be done.

Hence it appears how contrary to reason and Scripture, and
to common sense, that position is, which has been espoused
and maintained by many, either expressly or by implication,
viz. : that it is of no importance what men believe, or whether
they believe the truths contained in divine revelation or not.
if their external conduct be regular and good. This position
is of the most dangerous and evil tendency; for it wholly sets
the gospel aside, and excludes that as altogether needless,
which Christ says he came into the world to establish and
promote. According to this, it is of no importance whether
Christians act from principle or not, or from what principle
they act, if they act from any ; or whether they believe or
tmderstand one truth contained in the gospel, or disbelieve and
reject all. This makes all creeds and confessions of faith, or
bearing witness to the truth, entirely useless and vain ; and
according to this, no candidate for admission into a church
or to the work of the ministry ought to be examined as to his
understanding and knowledge, or belief of any doctrine con-
tained in divine revelation, as any qualifieation necessary in
order to his being admitted; for however ig)iorant he may be
of the principles of Christ, or whatever he believes, he may be
as good a Christian, and as fit for an officer and teacher in the
church, as any other person whatever.

And the directions and commands which the apostle Paul
gave to Timothy and Titus, respecting the sound doctrines of
the gospel, were highly improper; or, at least, are out of date
now. Such are the following: " I besought thee to abide still
at Ephesus, that thou mightest charge some that they teach

CONCLUSION. 217

no other doctrine. Take heed to thyself and to thij doctrine.
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome
words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the
doctrine ivhich is according; to g-odliness, he is proud, knowing
nothing. Hold fast the form of sound ivords, which thou h'ast
heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. The
things which thou hast lieard of me among many witnesses,
the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to
teach others also." (1 Tim. i. 3 ; iv. 16 ; vi. 3, 4. 2 Tim. i.
13; ii. 2.) " A bishop must be blameless, as the steward of
God holding fast the faithful icord, as he hath been taught,
that he may be able b// sound doctrine both to exliort and to
convince gainsayers, whose mouths must be slopped. Where-
fore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.
But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine. In
all things showing thyself a pattern of good works ; in doctrine
showing- nncorrupfness, gravity, sincerity ; sound speech that
cannot be condemned." (Tit, i, 7, 9, 11, 13; ii. 1, 7, 8.)

The consequence and evil tendency of the sentiment now
under consideration appears from fact. That which is uow
called liberality of sentiment and Catholicism, which is spread-
ing far and wide, and is celebrated by multitudes as a most
excellent, noble way of thinking, has its foundation in this.
This liberality and Catholicism discards all attachment to any
particular system of iruth, or belief of any distinguishing doc-
trines of the gospel, as useless and hurtful, and holds that it
is no matter what a man's religious creed or practice is, or
whether he regards any, or not ; as he may be a good man,
and go to heaven without any thing of this kind. This really
renounces the Bible, and paves the way to infidelity; and this
leads on to the darkness and horrors of atheism itself.

IV. From the foregoing system of truths and duties, wliich
is contained in the Bible, and taken wholly from it, arises the
most clear and satisfying evidence that it is a revelation
from God, and no human invention ; " but holy men of God
have spoken and written it, as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost."

The evidence that the Bible contains a divine revelation has
been in some measure exhibited and considered in the first
chapter of this system, especially what is called the external
evidence. And some of the internal evidence was mentioned,
and it was observed, that this would be made to appear in the
clearest and most advantageous light, by prosecuting the in-
quiry concerning the doctrines and duties revealed and incul-
cated in this book, which was then proposed. This is now
finished ; and upon a careful review of the whole, must it not

VOL. II. . 19

218 CONCLUSION.

be evident to every attentive, honest, candid mind, that in this
book only is to be found such a system of truth, which could
not be contrived or even thought of by man, but must Ije from
God; that it contains a system of doctrines and commands,
which man's wisdom does not teach, and never can, but which
the Holy Ghost alone teacheth ?

Here the true God is represented in his glorious character,
subsisting in a manner infinitely above our comprehension;
yet suited, so far as we can conceive, most perfectly to accom-
plish his revealed designs, and to raise creatures, the objects
of his love, to the highest happiness. He is clothed with un-
limited power, wisdom, and goodness, absolutely independent,
self-sufficient, and all-sufficient, and has fixed on a ])lan of
operation which is wise and good, like himself; including all
his works, and every event that shall ever take place, suited
in the highest degree to glorify himself, and effect the highest
good and happiness of the creation ; and they must be blessed
who love and trust in him. His law is perfectly right, wise,
and excellent, and expresses the moral character and perfec-
tions of God; is infinitely important, and must stand forever
as the only rule of moral rectitude, and every one must be
happy so far as he is conformed to it. Here rebellion against
God, and violation of this law, is represented in the infinitely
evil and malignajit nature of it; and all the dispensations and
works of God, and his conduct towards his creatures, are
suited and designed to make the clearest and most lasting
display of this. Here is revealed the way in which mankind
are become universally sinful, mortal, and miserable ; and the
infinite guilt and misery of their state is discovered, and that
they are totally ruined and lost in themselves. This lays the
only foundation for the discovery of infinite benevolence and
sovereign grace in the redemption of man, and is the ground
of the existence and revelation of the person, character, and
works of the Redeemer, and salvation by him ; and every thing
relating to redemption is in the highest degree suited to make
the brightest and most glorious manifestation of the power,
wisdom, righteousness, goodness, truth, and faithfulness of
God, and his infinite displeasure with the sinner, to humble
man, and show his absolute and entire dependence on God,
consistent with the infinite vileness and criminality of the
least deviation, v.vvn in heart, from perfect obedience to his
law; to discover the infinite evil of the just consequence of
sin, and set before creatures the reasonableness and impor-
tance of obedience, and the strongest motives that are possible
to avoid every sin, and fear and t)b(^y God. And every truth
of divine revelation is levelled against the sin and rebellion of

CONCLUSION. 219

man ; and every thing included in redemption is perfectly
suited to form the redeemed to the most beautiful, sweet, per-
fect holiness, and to raise them to the highest happiness and
glory ; and while eternal happiness on the one hand, and end-
less misery on the other, are set before men, and one or the
other must be the certain portion of every one, according to
his conduct in this life in embracing the gospel and obeying
the Redeemer, or rejecting him and living in sin, this tends
to solemnize every mind and fill every one with the greatest
concern, and awaken him to the utmost exertions to escape
the one and obtain the other, and " work out his own salvation
with fear and trembling."

And the exercise and the practice of piety, righteousness,
and benevolence in all the branches of religion and Christian
morality, which consist in conformity of heart and life to the
doctrines and precepts contained in the Scripture, is the only
way to render every man happy in this life, in their various
connections and proper business, and in the use and enjoy-
ment of the things of this world ; and were this to take place
universally, it would necessarily form men into the most happy
society that can take place in this state, and at the same time
rectify and enlarge their hearts, and raise their pleasing hope
and prospect of glory, and honor, and immortality in the favor
of God, and the society of all his friends, in the everlasting
kingdom of the Redeemer, in consequence of their patient
continuance in well-doing.

When all this, and more which might be mentioned, and
will naturally come into the view of him who properly attends
to the subject, is well considered, together with the external
evidence that the Scripture was formed by divine inspiration,
mentioned in the first chapter, it must produce a conviction
and fixed persuasion that the Bible contains a divine revela-
tion of a system of important saving truth, which is not to be
found any where else, and never could have been known or
invented by the reason of man in his present corrupt state,
had it not been thus revealed from heaven ; unless the mind
be greatly biased and prejudiced against the truth by the
false taste and evil propensities of the heart, by which the
reason of man may be so perverted and abused, and the mind
so greatly blinded, as to reject the plainest, most consistent,
and important truth as gross error and absurdity, and imbibe
the most inconsistent and erroneous sentiments in opposition
to the truth.

It is true, indeed, that in order to discern the internal evi-
dence of the truth of the Holy Scriptures, and see it in its true,
clearest, and most convincing light, the mind must possess a

m

CONCLUSION.

right taste, and be friendly to true wisdom ; for the great and
leading truths of divine revelation are more objects of taste
than of mere speculative reason, and cannot be discerned in a
true light, in their true beauty, excellence and importance,
without the former, and by the latter only. Wisdom is seen
and justified only by the children of wisdom, and not by the
children of folly and vice, who are under the power of a false
taste and disposition of mind, which necessarily blinds the
mind to the beauty, excellence, and consistence of the things
and truths of the highest concern in the moral world. But he
who has a true and proper moral taste and discerning, whose
heart is disposed to be friendly to heavenly wisdom, is pre-
pared to see the divine original of the Bible, from the system
of truths it contains, and the exercises and duties there re-
quired, conformable to the doctrines revealed ; and to perceive
with a peculiar satisfaction and pleasure, the all-corivincing
evidence, that what the Scripture reveals is divine, and comes
from God. He believes, and has the witness within himself,
that this is the testimony of God. He has an understanding
to know him that is true, and that this is the true God, and
eternal life. (1 John v. 9, 10, 20.) This is expressly asserted
by Christ. " He that is of God, heareth God's words. Ye,
therefore, hear them not, because ye are not of God. My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me ;
as a shepherd goeth before the sheep, and they follow him ;
for they know his voice, and a stranger they will not follow."
(John viii. 47 ; x. 4, 5, 27.) And the apostle John says, " We
are of God ; he that knoweth God, heareth us ; he that is not
of God, heareth not us." (1 John iv. 6.) The same is asserted
by the apostle Paul, in plain and strong language. " The
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God ;
for they are foolishness unto him ; neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned. Bid he that is spiritual
judg-fith all thing's.''^ (1 Cor. ii. 14, 15.) " If our gospel be
hid, it is hid to them that are lost ; in whom the god of this
world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest
the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of
(Tod, should shine unto them. For God who commanded the
light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts, to
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the
face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor. iv. 3, 4, 6.)

Nevertheless, persons who are destitute of this right taste,
and are at heart and in practice unfriendly to the dictates of
true wisdom, and enemies to it, may be rationably convinced,
and in this sense believe, that the Bible is a revelation from
God. They may be so persuaded of the external evidence of

CONCLUSION. 221

this, and see so much of the internal evidence in a degree, as
to assent to it in their reason and judgment. They may
attend to it so much as to be in a degree convinced of their
moral blindness, and their want of a new heart and right
taste ; and that it is wholly owing to this that they do not see
and are not pleased and charmed with the glory of the gos-
pel; and that this is altogether their own fault, and that they
are, on this account, in a very miserable condition ; yea, that
they may be in their reason and judgment, in a measure, con-
vinced of all the truths contained in the Bible, while they have
no relish for them, and they are in their hearts real enemies
to them.

And where this conviction does not take place, it is owing
to ignorance or prejudices which take place by a bad educa-
tion, or from the want of a good one, together with the strong,
evil, and corrupt biases of their hearts, and the indulgence of
various foolish and hurtful lusts, and to many other things of
this kind, by which many have been led to conclude that the
real and true doctrines of divine revelation are inconsistent
and absurd, and to embrace contrary doctrines more agreeable
to the selfishness, pride, and other lusts of men. While others
have, from the same evil biases, been prejudiced against the
Scriptures, and rejected the Bible as so fabulous, inconsistent,
and absurd, as not to be worthy of the regard of a I'ational
man, and have hereby plunged themselves into an abyss of
darkness and uncertainty, while they have boasted that they
were following the infallible dictates of their own reason.

All these, of every class, however distinguished in some
respects, are wholly answerable and blamable for their igno-
rance, incredulity, and error, and that they do not discern,
relish, and love the truths of divine revelation, in a view of
their beauty, consistence, and glory, and are not pleased and
charmed with the divine character, and that of the Redeemer,
displayed in the Bible. For this is as really owing to a shutting
the mental eye against the light shining in the Scriptures, and
a refusing to come to it and see it, as is a person's shutting
his bodily eyes and refusing to admit the light of the sun,
when it shines in its meridian brightness ; and is as really a
voluntary exercise of the governing taste and propensity of
the heart opposing the light of the truth, as any other exer-
cise of heart of which man is capable, though there may be
a difference in many respects. How criminal, then, is all
infidelity, and turning away from the truth revealed in the
Scriptures, in all those who live under the gospel I And how
awful the consequence !
19*

A TREATISE

MILLENNIUM.

SHOWING FROM SCRIPTURE PROPHECY

THAT IT IS YET TO COME ; WHEN IT WILL COME ; IN WHAT IT

Wn.L CONSIST; AND THE EVENTS WHICH ARE FIRST

TO TAKE PLACE, INTRODUCTORY TO IT.

BY

SAMUEL HOPKINS, D.D.,

LATE PASTOR OF THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN NEWPORT. R. I.

"This shall be written for the generation to come ; and the people which
shall be created shall praise the Lord." — Psalm oil. 18.

BOSTON:

DOCTRINAL TRACT AND BOOK SOCIETY.

1854.

DEDICATION.

TO THE PEOPLE WHO SHALL LIVE IN THE DAYS OF THE
MILLENNIUM.

Hail, ye happy People, highly favored of tht Lord !

To you the following treatise on the Millennium is dedicated, as you will
live in that happy era, and enjoy the good of it in a much higher degree than
it can be now enjoyed in the prospect of it ; and that you may know, if this
book shall be conveyed down to your time, what is now thought of you, and
of the happy day in which you will come on the stage of life. You will be
able to see the mistakes which are now made on this head ; and how far what
is advanced here is agreeable to that which is noted in the Scripture of truth,
and a true and proper description of the events which are to take place, and
to rectify every mistake. All is therefore humbly submitted to your better
judgment.

When you shall learn what a variety of en-ors, in doctrine and practice,
have been, and are now, imbibed and propagated, and in what an imperfect
and defective manner they are opposed and confuted, and the truth explained
and defended, and observe how many defects and mistakes there are in those
writings which contain most truth, and come nearest to the standard of all
religious truth, the Holy Scripture, you will be ready to wonder how all this
could be, where divine revelation is enjoyed. But your benevolence and
candor will make all proper allowances for all the prejudices and darkness
which take place in these days, and pity us ; while your piety will lead you
to ascribe the greater light and advantages which you will enjoy, and your
better discerning and judgment, not unto yourselves, but to the distinguish-
ing, sovereign grace of God.

Though you have yet no existence, nevertheless, the faith of the Christians
in this and in former ages beholds you " at hand to come ; " and realizing your
future existence and character, you are greatly esteemed and loved ; and the
pious have great joy in you, while they are constantly, and with great earn-
estness, praying for you. They who make mention of the Lord will not keep
silence, nor give him any rest, till he establisli and till he make Jerusalem a
praise in the earth. For you they are praying and laboring, and to you they
arc ministerincr ; and without you they cannot be made perfect. And you
■will enter into l,heir labors, and reap the happy fruit of their prayers, toils,
and sufferings.

They will be in heaven, with the holy angels, and the spirits of the just
made perfect, when you will come upon the stage in this world ; and they
will rejoice in you, in your knowledge, benevolence, piety, righteousness, and
happiness. And all their past prayers for you will be turned into joy and
praise. And you will, in due time, be gathered together with them unto the
Lord Jesus Christ, in hi;-^ eternal kingdom, and join in seeing and praising
him forever, ascribing blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, unto the
only true God, the Father, Son, and Holy Giiost. Amen.

INTRODUCTION.

A PARTICULAR histoiy of the church of I'hnsc, from the
days of the apostles to this time; of the various changes
through which it has passed; of the doctrines which have been
taught and maintained ; of the discipline, worship, and man-
ners which have taken place ; of the grand apostasy in the
church of Rome, and of the reformation, etc., might be prop-
erly subjoined to the foregoing system, were it not that this
has been done by a number of writers already; so that all
who are disposed to acquaint tliemselves with ecclesiastical
history, may obtain this information by books already extant ;
which, at the same time, serve to confirm the truth and divine
original of Christianity, by discovering in how many in-
stances the state of the church, and the events which have
had a particular respect to it, have been foretold and have
taken place according to the predictions. This subject has
been particularly illustrated by Mr. Lowman, in his " Para-
phrase and Notes on the Revelation of St. John;" and since,
more largely, by Bishop Newton, in his " Dissertation on the
Prophecies, which have been remarkably fulfilled, and at this
time are fulfilling in the world."

A Treatise on the Millennium, however, and of the future
state of the church of Christ, from this time to the end of
the world, as it is predicted and described in divine revela-
tion, is thought proper and important, not only as it has
been more than once referred to in the preceding work, but as
it appears not to be believed by many, and not to be well
understood by more, or attended to by most, as an impor-

226 INTRODUCTION.

tant event, full of instruction, suited to support, comfort, and
encourage Christians in the present dark appearance of
things, respecting the interest of Christ and his church, and
to animate them to faith, patience, and perseverance in obe-
dience to Christ, putting on the hope of salvation for a
helmet; and to excite them more earnestly to pray for the
advancement and coming of the kingdom of Christ, of which
kingdom, as it is to take place in this world, or of Chris-
tianity itself, there cannot be so clear, full, and pleasing an
idea, if the Scripture doctrine of the Millennium be kept
out of view.

In the first three centuries after the apostles, the doctrine
of the Millennium was believed and taught; but so many
unworthy and absurd things were by some advanced con-
cerning it, that it afterwards fell into discredit, and was
opposed, or passed over in silence, by most, until the ref-
ormation from Popery ; and then a number of enthusiasts
advanced so many unscriptural and ridiculous notions con-
cerning it, and made such a bad improvement of it, that
many, if not most of the orthodox, in opposing them, were
led to disbelieve and oppose the doctrine in general, or to
say little or nothing in favor of the doctrine, in any sense
or view of it.

But few of the most noted WTiters of the last century in
Britain, or in other parts of the Protestant world, have said
any thing to establish or explain this doctrine ; and they who
have mentioned it do appear, at least the most of them, not
to have well understood it. In the present century, there has
been more attention to it; and the Scriptures which relate
to it have been more carefully considered and explained by
a number of writers, and it has been set in a more rational,
scriptural, and important light than before. Dr. Whitby has
written a Treatise on the Millennium ; and Mr. Robertson
and Mr. Lowman have asserted and explained it, in some
measure, in their exposition of the Book of the Revelation by
the apostle John, especially the beginning of the twentieth
chapter of that book ; and the late President Edwards at-
tended much to this subject, and wrote upon it more than
any other divine in this century. In the year 1747, he pub-

INTRODUCTION. 227

lished a book, entitled "An humble attempt to promote
explicit agreement, and visible union of God's people, in ex-
traordinary prayer for the revival of religion, and the advance-
ment of Christ's kingdom on earth, pursuant to Scripture
promises and prophecies concerning the last time ; " in which
he produces the evidence from Scripture that such a day is
yet to come. And in a posthumous publication of his, en-
titled " A History of the AVork of Redemption," this subject
is brought into view, and particularly considered. There is
also extant a sermon on the ]\'Iillennium, by the late Dr.
Bellamy ; and other writers have occasionally mentioned it ;
and this subject appears to be brought more particularly into
view in the public prayers and preaching, and in conver-
sation, in this age, than in former times, and the doctrine
of the Millennium is more generally believed and better
understood.

This is rather an encouragement to attempt further to
explain and illustrate this important, pleasing, useful subject,
in which every Christian is so much interested, than a reason
why nothing more should be said upon it. The subject is
far from being exhausted ; and as the church advances nearer
to the millennial state, we have reason to think the predic-
tions in divine revelation respecting it will be better under-
stood, and the minds of Christians will be more excited to
great attention to this subject, and strong desires to look into
those things, and to earnest longings and prayers for the
coming of the kingdom of Christ, as it will take place in
that day ; and all this is to be effected by means and proper
attempts and exertions. " Many shall run to and fro, and
knowledge shall be increased."

The prophecies of events which are yet to take place can-
not be so fully understood before these events come to pass
as they will be when they are fulfilled, and there is great
danger of making mistakes about them ; and it is certain
that many have made mistakes, since they have made very
diflii^^rent and opposite constructions of the same predictions,
and, therefore, all cannot be right. So far as the projihe-
cies which respect the Millennium, of which there arc many,
can be understood, and the real meaning of them be made

228 INTRODUCTION.

plain, by a careful and diligent attention to them and com-
paring them with each other, men may go on safe gi'ound,
and be certain of their accomplishment; and whatever is a
plain and undeniable consequence from what is expressly
predicted, is equally revealed in the prediction, as an event,
or circumstance of an event, necessarily included in it. But
every opinion respecting future events, which is matter of
conjecture only, however probable it may be in the view of
him who proposes it, ought to be entertained with modesty
and diffidence.

The following Treatise on the Millennium is not designed
so much to advance any new sentiments concerning it, which
have never before been offered to the public, as to revive
and repeat those which have been already suggested by some
authors, which are thought to be very important, and ought
to be understood and kept constantly in the view of all, in
order to their having a proper conception of the church of
Christ in this world, and reading the Scriptures to their best
advantage and greatest comfort; though perhaps something
will be advanced respecting the events which, according to
Scripture, are to take place between the present time and
the introduction of the happy state of the church, which have
not been before so particularly considered.

TREATISE ON THE MILLENNIUM.

SECTION I.

In ivhich it is proved from Scripture that the Church of Christ
is to come to a State of Prosperity in this World, which it has
never yet enjoyed; in which it will continue at least a Thou-
sand Years.

The first revelation of a Redeemer, in the prediction spoken
to the serpent, may be considered as implying the destruction
of the kingdom of the devil in this world, by the wisdom and
energy of Christ. " He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt
bruise his heel." (Gen. iii. 15.) Satan has bruised the heel
of Christ in the sufferings and dishonor he has been instru-
mental of bringing upon him, and in the opposition he has
made to the interest and church of Christ in this world; and
it is natural to suppose that Christ shall bruise his head in
this world, by destroying his interest and kingdom among
men, and gaining a conquest over him, in the struggle and
war which has taken place between the Redeemer and seducer
of men ; and by the Redeemer's bruising the head of the ser-
pent, is signified that he will not destroy him by the mere
exertion of his power, but that by his superior wisdom he will
confound and defeat Satan in all his subtlety and cunning, on
which he depends so much, and by which he aims to dis-
appoint Christ and defeat him in his designs. And by this
he will make a glorious display of his wisdom, as well as of
his power, while he discovers the craftiness of Satan to be
foolishness, and disappoints him in his devices, carrying all
the counsel of this cunning, froward enemy headlong. If all
this could not be gathered from this passage, considered by
itself, yet that this is the real meaning will perhaps appear
from what has already taken place in accomplishing this pre-
diction, and from other prophecies respecting this, some of
VOL. II. 20

230 PROPHECIES OF THE MILLENNIUM

which are to be brought into view in the sequel; without
which the full meaning of this first promise could not be
known.

In order to bruise the head of the serpent, in this sense,
most efl'ectually, and turn his boasted wisdom and cunning
into foolishness, and entirely defeat, him in this way, he must
have opportunity and advantage to try his skill and power,
and practise all his cunning, in opposing Christ and the sal-
vation of men, and in this way be overcome and wholly
defeated in the ruin of his interest and kingdom among men ;
so that all his attempts shall turn against himself, and be the
occasion of making the victory and triumph of the Redeemer
greater, more perspicuous, and glorious, in the final prevalence
of his kingdom on earth, by drawing all men to him, and de-
stroying the works and kingdom of Satan in this world, and
setting up his own on the ruins of it, and so as to turn all the
attempts and works of the devil against him, and render the
whole subservient to his own interest and kingdom. And thus
the. coming and kingdom of Christ will be "as the light of the
morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds;
as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining
after rain." When the sun rises in a clear morning, after a
dark night, attended with clouds, rain, and storms, the morn-
ing is more pleasant, beautiful, and glorious, and the grass
springs and grows more fresh and thrifty than if it had not
been preceded by such a stormy night. So the prosperity and
glory of the church, when the Sun of righteousness shall rise
upon it with healing in his beams, will be enjoyed to a higher
degree and be more pleasant and glorious, and Christ will be
more glorified than if it had not been preceded by a dreadful
night of darkness, confusion, and evil by the wickedness of
men and the power and agency of Satan.

The words above cited are the last words of David the
prophet and sweet psalmist of Israel, and are a prophecy of
the glorious event now under consideration. " The Spirit of
the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. The
God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake by me. ' He that
ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And
he shall be like the morning, when the sun riseth, even a
morning without clouds^; as tiie tender grass springing out of
the earth by clear shining after rain." (2 Sam. xxiii. 2-4.)
The first words may be rendered so as to give the trae sense
more clearly : " He who is to rule over men (i. e., the Messiah)
is just, ruling in the fear of God." The words must he., in our
translation, are not in the original, and the helping verb is,
which is commonly not expressed, but understood, in the

NOT YET FULFILLED. 231

Hebrew, should have been supplied : " He that ruleih, or is to
rule over men, is just." This is evidently a prophecy con-
cerning Christ, his church and kingdom, when he shall take
to himself his great power, and reign in his kingdom, which
shall succeed the reign of Satan during the four preceding
monarchies, which were first to take place, which will be more
particularly explained as we proceed in examining the prophe-
cies of this great event, the latter-day glory ; and that these
words of David are a prediction of the reign of Christ on
earth, after the long prevalence of Satan and wicked men, is
further evident from the words which follow, relative to the
same thing: " But the sons of Belial shall all of them as thorns
be thrust away because they cannot be taken with hands.
But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron,
and the staff of a spear, and they shall be utterly burnt with
fire in the same place."

Exactly parallel with this prophecy is that of the prophet
Malachi : " Behold, the day cometh, that shall liurn as an
oven ; and all the proud, yea, all that -do wickedly, shall be
stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the
Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteous-
ness arise with healing in his wings ; and ye shall go forth and
grow up as the calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down
the wicked ; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your
feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts."
(Mai. iv. 1-3.)

But to return from this, which may seem to be some digi'es-
sion or anticipation. The great and remarkable promise, so
often made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and more than once
mentioned by the apostles, will next be considered. This
promise was made to Abraham, and of him, three times. " In
thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." (Gen. xii. 3.)
" All the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him." (Chap,
xviii. 18.) " And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth
be blessed." (Chap. xxii. 18.) And this same promise is made
to Isaac : " I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham
thy father ; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed." (Chap. xxvi. 4.) And to Jacob : "In thee, and in
thy seed, shall all the families of the earth be blessed." (Chap,
xxviii. 14.) The apostle Peter mentions this promise as re-
ferring to the days of the gospel. " Ye are the children of the
prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our
fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the
kindreds of the earth be blessed." (Acts iii. 25.) The apostle
Paul speaks of this promise as referring to Christ, and all who

232 PROPHECIES OF THE MILLENNIUM

believe in him, making him to be the promised seed, and be-
lievers in him to be those exclusively who are blessed in him,
in whom the promised good takes place. " Know ye, there-
fore, that they which are of faith, the same are the children
of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would
justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel
unto Abraham, saying. In thee shall all nations be blessed.
So, then, they which be of faith are blessed with faithful
Abraham. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises
made. He saith not. And to seeds, as of many ; but as of one,
And to thy seed, which is Christ." (Gal. iii. 7-9, 16.)

This prediction and promise is very express and extensive,
that all the families, kindreds and nations of the earth should
be blessed in Christ, by their becoming believers in him.
This has never yet taken place, and cannot be fulfilled, unless
Christianity and the kingdom of Christ shall take place and
prevail in the world to a vastly higher degree, and more
extensrv^ely and universally, than has yet come to pass ; and
all nations, all the inhabitants of tiie earth, shall become be-
lievers in him, agreeable to a great number of other prophe-
cies, some of which will be mentioned in this section.

The reign of Christ on earth, with his church and people,
and the happiness and glory of that time, is a subject often
mentioned, predicted, and celebrated in the Book of Psalms.
To mention all that is there spoken with reference to that
happy time, would be to transcribe great part of that book.
Only the following passages will now be mentioned, which
are thought abundantly to prove that the kingdom of Christ
is to prevail and flourish in this world as it has never yet
done ; and the church is to be brought to a state of purity,
prosperity, and happiness on earth, which has not yet taken
place, and so as to include all nations and fill the world.

In the second Psalm it is predicted and promised that the
Son of God shall inherit and possess all nations to the ends
of the earth ; which necessarily implies that his church and
kingdom shall l)e thus extensive, reaching to the ends of the
earth, and including all the nations and men on earth. " I
have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare
the decree: The Lord hath said unto me. Thou art my Son,
this day have I begotten tht>e. Ask of me, and I shall give
thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts
of the earth for thy possession."' By Zion here is meant, as
in numerous other places in the prophecies, the church of
Christ, of which mount Zion was a type.

The twenty-second Psalm contains a prophecy of the suf-
ferings of Christ and the glory that shall follow ; and of the

NOT YET FULFILLED. 233

latter it is said, " The meek shall eat and be satisfied. They
shall praise the Lord that seek him : your heart shall live for-
ever. All the ends of the world shall remember, and turn unto
the Lord ; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship
before thee. For the kingdom is the Lord's, and he is the
Governor among the nations ; for evil doers shall be cut off:
but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the
earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be;
yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not
be. But the meek shall inherit the earth, and delight them-
selves in the abundance of peace." (Ps. xxxvii. 9-11.) This
is a prediction of an event which has never taken place yet.
Evil doers and the wicked have in all ages hitherto possessed
the earth, and flourished and reigned in the world. When it
is promised that they who wait upon the Lord and the meek
shall inherit the earth and delight themselves in the abundance
of peace, the meaning must be, that persons of this character
will yet have the possession of the earth and fill the world,
when no place shall be found foi- the wicked, as they shall be
all destroyed, and their cause wholly lost; and all of this
character who have lived before this time, and waited upon
the Lord in the exercise of meekness, shall flourish and live
in their successors, and in the prosperity and triumph of the
cause and interest in which they lived and died. This is
agreeable to other prophecies of this kind, as will be shown in
the sequel. " All the ends of the earth shall remember and
turn unto the Lord; and all the kindreds of the nations shall
worship before thee." Who can' believe that this has ever yet
been ? But few of mankind, compared with the whole, have
yet turned unto the Lord. By far the greatest part of the
nations of the earth, even to the ends of the world, have wor-
shipped, and do now worship, false gpds and idols. But when
all the ends of the vwrld shall remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him,
then the meek shall inherit the earth, and delight themselves
in the abundance of peace.

The whole of the sixty-seventh Psalm is a prediction of the
same event and of the same time, which is yet to come. It is
a prayer of the church that such a time may take place, at the
same time expressing her assurance that it was coming ; and
the whole is a prophecy of it. " God be merciful unto us
and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us ; that thy
way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all
nations. Let the people praise thee, O God ; let all the people
praise thee. O, let the nations be glad, and sing for joy ; for
thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations
20*

234

PROPHECIES OF THE MILLENNIUM

upon earth. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and
God, even our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us ; and
all the ends of the earth shaU fear himP

The seventy-second Psalm, the title of which is, " A Psalm
for Solonioii," contains a prophecy of Christ and his kingdom,
of whom Solomon was an eminent type. The Psalmist looks
beyond the type to the antitype, and says things which can be
applied to the latter only, and are not true of the former, con-
sidered as distinct from the latter, which is common in the
Scripture, in such cases. Here it is said, " He shall come
down like rain upon the mown grass ; as showers that water
the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish, and abun-
dance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have
dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the
ends of the earth. All kings shall fall down before him ; all
nations shall serve him. His name shall endure forever; his
name shall be continued as long as the sun ; and men shall be
blessed in him; all nations shall call him blessed. Blessed be
the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doth wondrous
things. And blessed be his glorious name forever, and let the
whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and amen."

" Arise, O God, judge the earth ; for thou shalt inherit all
nations." (Ps. Ixxxii. 8.) In this Psalm the rulers and judges
among men are accused of unrighteousness, and condemned ;
and then the Psalmist concludes with the words now quoted,
which refer to some future event, in which God should judge
the earth and inherit all nations, in a sense in which he has
not yet done it. In the secbnd Psalm, the heathen, i. e., the
nations, all nations, are given to Christ for his inheritance ;
and here the same thing is expressed, " Thou shalt inherit all
nations;" and by his J iidg-hig- the earth, is meant his reigning
and subduing the inhabitants of the earth to a cordial subjec-
tion to himself; which will be more evident by what follows,
where we shall find the same thing predicted.

The ninety-sixth Psalm relates wholly to redemption by
Christ, to the happiness and glory of his kingdom, and his
reign on earth. " O, worship the Lord in the beauty of holi-
ness. Fear before him, all the earth. Say among the heathen
that the Lord rcigneth ; the world also shall be established,
that it shall not be moved ; he shall judge the people right-
eously. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the field be joy-
ful, and all that is thereJn. Then shall all the trees of the
wood reijoice before the Lord, for he cometh to judge the
earth ; he shall judge the world wiih righteousness and the
people with his tnath." What is here foretold is to take place

NOT YET FULFILLED. 235

before the end of the world and the general judgment ; and it
relates to the whole world, all the earth and the nations in it ;
the kingdom and reign of Christ is to extend to all of them ;
and his coming to judge the earth and the world in righteous-
ness intends his reigning in righteousness, and bringing all
nations to share in the blessings of his salvation and kingdom.
Agreeably to this, it is said of Christ, by Isaiah and Jeremiah,
" Behold a king shall reign in righteousness. In those days,
and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to
grow up unto David, and he shall execute judgment and right-
eousness in the land," or in the earth. (Isa. xxxii. 1. Jer.
xxxiii. 15.)

Great part of the prophecy of Isaiah relates to the flourish-
ing and happy state of the kingdom of Christ, and the pros-
perity of the church in the latter days. When he foretells the
return of the people of Israel from the Babylonish captivity,
which w^as a type of the deliverance of the church of Christ -
from spiritual Babylon, and from all her enemies in this world,
visible and invisible, he commonly looks forward to the latter,
and keeps that in view, and says things of it which are not
true of the former, and cannot be applied to it ; and as Zion,
Jerusalem, and Judah, and Israel were types of the church
and kingdom of Christ, as including all nations, the former
are commonly mentioned only as types, being put for and
signifying the latter ; and when the gospel day, the coming
of Christ, and his church and kingdom, are brought into view,
all that is included in these is comprehended, and commonly
chief reference is had to the millennium, or the day of the
flourishing of the -•kingdom of Christ on earth, which is in a
peculiar manner and eminently the day of salvation, and will
issue in the complete redemption of the church, at and after
the day of judgment. He who reads this prophecy with care
and discerning will be convinced of the truth of these obser-
vations ; and in any other view, great part of it cannot be
understood.

Only part of the many prophecies of the glory and extent
of the kingdom of Christ in this world, which are contained in
this book, will be now mentioned, as those which are most
express and clear with reference to the subject in view. They
who attentively read this prophecy will find many more which
refer to the same event.

" And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the moun-
tain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the
mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations
shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say. Come
ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house

236 PROPHECIES OF THE MILLENNIUM

of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we
will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge
among the nations, and shall rebuke many people ; and they
shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into
pruning hooks ; nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more." (Isa. ii. 2-4.) It is
certain that this prophecy has not been yet fulfilled, except in
a very small degree, as the beginning and first fruits of it.

" 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 Tiord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and under-
standing, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord,
and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the
Lord, and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither
reprove after the hearing of his ears. But with righteousness
shall he judge the poor, ajid reprove with equity for the meek
of the earth ; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his
mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithful-
ness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with
the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid ; and the
calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together, and a little
child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed ;
their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall
eat straw like the ox. The sucking child shall play on the
hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on
the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all iuy
holy mountain ; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge
of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." (Isa. xi. 1-9.)

This is evidently a prophecy of Christ and his kingdom on
earth. He shall judge and reprove for the meek of the earth,
and slay all the wicked on earth, that the meek may inherit
it; which is exactly agreeable to the fore-mentioned ))rophecy
in the thirty-seventh Psalm. " Evil doers shall be cut oft", and
yet a little while and the wicked shall not be ; but the meek
shall inherit the earth, and delight themselves in the abundance
of peace." And this universal peace and harmony among
men, which shall take place at that time, is expressed in the
prophecy before us, in very strong, figurative language; by the
wolf dwelling with the lamb, etc. And the ground and reason
of this is given : " For the earth shall l>e lull of the knowledge
of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." By the knowledge
of the Lord is meant true religion, or real Christianity, which
consists most essentially in benevolence and goodness, as has
been shown. So far as this takes place, love, peace, and the

NOT YET FULFILLED. 237

most happy concord and union are promoted, and every thing
contrary to this suppressed and banished. Therefore, when
this shall take place universally among men, and fill the earth
as the waters cover the sea, there will be nothing to destroy or
hurt, but universal safety, peace, and love. No such time has
ever yet been known. The true knowledge of God has been
so far from filling the earth, that gross darkness has covered
much the greatest part of it, and real Christianity has been
confined to narrow bounds ; and but very few of mankind
have attained to the character of true Christians, even where
the gospel has been published ; and a horrible scene of oppres-
sion, cruelty, war, and murder has spread all over the earth,
and will continue to do so, until Christ shall arise and smite
the earth with the rod of his mouth, and slay the wicked with
the breath of his lips, and cause the earth to be filled with the
knowledge of God. Such a happy time is yet future, and will
certainly come.

The twenty-fifth chapter contains a prophecy of the same
event, some of which is worthy to be transcribed. " And in
this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a
feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things
full of marrow, of wines on the less, well refined ; and he will
destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all
people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will
swallow up death in victory, and the Lord God will wipe
away tears from off all faces, and the rebuke of his people
shall he take away from off all the earth ; for the Lord hath
spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our
God, we have waited for him, and he will save us ; this is the
Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad, and rejoice in
his salvation."

The gospel is here represented by a rich feast, and it is
promised that all people and nations shall have their eyes
opened to see it ; and all reproach and opposition to the church
of Christ shall be taken away from ofi" all the earth ; and there
shall be universal joy in the salvation for which the church
has long waited, and which shall come in the last day.

" Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak
comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her that her warfare
is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned ; for she hath
received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The voice
of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the
Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill
shall be made low ; and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall

238 PROPHECIES OF THE MILLENNIUM

be revealed, and all flesh shall sec it together ; for the mouth
of the Lord hath spoken it." (Isa. xl. 1, etc.)

This is a prophecy of the times of the gospel, as it is thus
applied in the New Testament. It does refer to the first intro-
duction and the coming of Christ into the world, but is not
confined to this. It gives a comprehensive view of this great
salvation, and the favor and glory which is to come to the
church of Christ in this world, and looks forward to the day
when the glory of the Lord shall be so revealed that all flesh,
that is, all nations, all mankind, shall see it together. This
has not yet been fulfilled, but is to be accompfished in a
time yet to come, when "the earth shall be filled with the
knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the
sea." (Hab. ii. 14.) All that precedes this day is preparatory
to it, as the ministry of John the Baptist was an introduction
to it, and more immediately prepared the way for Christ.

From the beginning of the fortieth chapter of Isaiah to the
end of the sixty-sixth chapter, with which his prophecy closes,
there is almost one continued series of predictions and promises
of good, salvation, happiness, and glory to the church of Christ,
which have principal reference to the latter day, when the
millennium shall take place, and when they will have their
chief accomplishment. It will be sufficient to answer the end
now proposed, to mention the following passages : —

Salvation by Christ is frequently represented as actually
extended to the ends of the earth, which has not yet been ac-
complished. " Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of
the earth ; for I am God, and there is none else. And he said,
It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise
np the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel;
I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest
be my salvation unto the end of the earth. The Lord hath
made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all nations, and all the
ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God."' (Isa. xlv.
22 : xiix. 6 ; lii. 10.) The same phrase is used by the prophet
Micah : " And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the
Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God, and
they shall abide ; for now shall he be great ivnto the ends of
the earthr (Chap. v. 4.)

The sixtieth chapter of Isaiah is filled with comfort and
promis(\s to the church, as also are the preceding chapters.
The following expressions may be particularly noted: "Arise,
shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen
upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
and gross darkness the people : but the Lord shall arise upon
thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. The Gentiles

NOT YET FULFILLED. 239

shall come to thy light, and kings to thy rising. Therefore,
thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day
nor night ; that men may bring unto thee the Ibrces of the Gen-
tiles, and that their kings may be brought. For the nation
and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish : yea, those
nations shall be utterly wasted." No such event has been
yet. When this shall take place, all nations, all mankind,
must belong to the church ; for all others shall be utterly
wasted. The same thing is foretold by the prophet Zecha-
riah. (Chap. iii. 14-19.)

The sixty-first chapter of Isaiah is on the same subject, and
the sixty-second throughout. Upon such promises made to
the church, she breaks forth into joy and praise, in the prospect
of the good that is coming to her. " I will greatly rejoice in
the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God ; for he hath
clothed me with the garments of salvation ; he hath covered
me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh
himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with
jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the
garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring
forth before all tuitions^ " For Zion's sake I will not hold
my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the
righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation
thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see
thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory; and thou shalt be
called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall
name. I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem,
which shall never hold their peace day nor night. Ye that
make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no
rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in
the earth. Go through, go through the gates; prepare you
the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway, gather
out the stones, lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the
Lord hath proclaimed vnfo the end of the world, Say ye to the
daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh ; behold, his
reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall
call them, The holy people, the redeemed of the Lord; and
thou shalt be called. Sought out, a city not forsaken." (Isa.
Ixii. 1, 2, 6, 7, 10-12.) " Who hath heard such a thing ?
Who hath seen such things ? Shall the earth be made to bring
forth in one day, or shall a nation be born at once ? For as
soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her children. Shall
I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth ? saith the
Lord. Shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the \vomb ? saith
thy God. Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her,

240 PROPHECIES OF THE MILLENNIUM

all ye that love her; rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn
for her ; that ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts
of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted
with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith the Lord,
Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory
of the Gentiles like a flowing stream." (Isa. Ixvi. 8-12.)

In the prophecy of Jeremiah, the following passages are
found, which predict the utter abolition of idolatry on earth
and the conversion of all nations to Christianity, which events
have not yet come to pass : " At that time they shall call
Jerusalem (i. e., the church) the throne of the Lord, (i. e., the
Lord shall reign in and by it;) and all nations shall be gath-
ered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem ; (i. e., shall
become members of the church ;) neither shall they walk any
more after the imagination of their evil heart." (Jer. iii. 17.)
They shall wholly renounce their idolatry, and all their wick-
edness. " Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have
not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish
from the earth, and from under these heavens. They are
vanity, and the work of errors. In the time of their visitation
they shall perish." (Chap. x. 11, 15.) According to this proph-
ecy, this will take place while this earth and the heavens remain,
and, therefore, before the day of judgment.

This subject is set in a very clear light in the Book of Dan-
iel the prophet. It is there repeatedly declared that the church
or kingdom of Christ shall be the last kingdom on earth ; that
it shall succeed four preceding monarchies, become great and
fill the world, and exist in a very happy and glorious state on
earth. By the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and the interpreta-
tion of it in the second chapter of Daniel, the kingdom of
Christ is set in this light : The image which Nebuchadnezzar
saw represents four kingdoms or monarchies, viz., 1. The
Babylonian. 2. The Medo-Persian, or that of the Modes and
Persians. 3. The Macedonian or Grecian. 4. The Roman.
These are all to pass away and be destroyed, to make way for
a fifth kingdom, which shall be great, and fill the world, which
is described in the dream by the following words : " Thou
sawest till a stone was cut out without hands, which smote
the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake
them in pieces. Then were the iron, the clay, the brass, the
silver and gold broken to pieces together, and became like the
chaff of th(; summer threshing-floors, and the wind carried
them away, that no place was found for them. And the
stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and
filled the whole earthP This is interpreted by Daniel in the
following words : " And in the days of these kings shall the

NOT YET FULFILLED. 241

God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be de-
stroyed ; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, bvit it
shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it
shall stand forever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone
was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke
in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver and gold, the
great God hath made known to the king what shall come to
pass hereaftei'." That this last kingdom is the kingdom of
Christ, there can be no doubt.* The same is called in the
New Testament " the kingdom of God, or the kingdom of
heaven." This is to succeed the kingdom of the Romans, and
to fill the whole earth, in which all nations, all mankind, will
be included. The Roman empire or kingdom is not yet
wholly destroyed; therefore, what is here predicted of the
kingdom of Christ is not yet accomplished, but shall take
place in some future day. Nothing can be plainer and more
certain than this.

In the seventh chapter of this book there is a representation
of the same thing in a vision which Daniel had. He saw the
same four empires or kingdoms in their succession represented
by four great, wild, fierce beasts, coming up from the sea.
The last kingdom turned into a little horn which came up
last ; and Daniel " beheld till this fourth beast with the little
horn was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burn-
ing flame." And then the vision proceeds, " I saw in the
night vision, and beheld one like the Son of man come with
the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and
they brought him near before him ; and there was given him
dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations,
and languages should serve him ; his dominion is an ever-
lasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom
that which shall not be destroyed." This vision is briefly
explained to Daniel in the following words : " These great
beasts, which are four, are four kings, (i. e., kingdoms,) which
shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High
shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even
forever and ever." Daniel requested a more particular ex-
planation of the fourth beast, and of the ten horns, and of the
little horn, " even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that
spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his
fellows. And the same horn made war with the saints and
prevailed against them, until the Ancient of days came, and
judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the
time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." And he

* See Newton on the Prophecies, vol. i. p. 426, 427, etc.
VOL. II. 21

242 PROPHECIES OF THE MILLENNIUM

is then told that " the fourth beast shall be the fourth king-
dom upon earth. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are
ten kings that shall arise ; and another shall rise alter them,
and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three
kings. And he shall speak great words against the Most
High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and
think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into
his hand until a time, and times, and the dividing of time.
But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his do-
minion, to consume and to destroy it to the end. And the
king-c/oi)i, and dcnninion., and the g-reatnessof the kingdom under
the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the
Most Hig-h, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all
dominions shall serve and obey him."

As in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, so in this vision, the fifth
and last kingdom is the kingdom of Christ, consisting wholly
of saints. It is Jesus Christ whom Daniel saw. " And be-
hold, one like to the Son of man came with the clouds of
heaven; and there was given him dominion and glory, and
a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should
serve him." His kingdom and dominion is universal, in-
cluding all the inhabitants of the earth ; and these shall be
all saints or holy persons, as no others can be the proper sub-
jects of this kingdom. " The saints of the Most High shall
take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever; and the
kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom
under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the
saints of the Most High." The strongest expressions are used
and repeated, to assert the universality of this kingdom, com-
prehending all mankind who shall then live on earth ; and it
is repeatedly declared that this kingdom shall stand forever.
It shall not be destroyed by any succeeding power or king-
dom as the former kingdoms were, but shall continue to the
end of the world, and then be removed to heaven, to a more
perfect and glorious state, and there exist and flourish in the
highest perfection forever and ever.

The little horn which was on the beast, and destroyed with
the beast, whose body was given to the burning flame, is the
pope of Rome, with the kingdom and power, civil and eccle-
siastical, of which he is the head.* This beast with this horn
is not yet destroyed. When this is done, the kingdom and
I power of sin and Satan in the world will fall; and then the
.kingdom of Christ will rise and fill the world, as is predicted

* This is abundantly proved in Newton's Dissertation on the Prophecies,
vol. 1, p. 441-498.

NOT YET FULFILLED. 243

here, and in the second chapter of this book. This is very-
evident by these prophecies, if there were no other ; but this
truth is greatly illustrated and established by those predic-
tions of the same event which have been considered, and more
so by those w^iich are yet to be mentioned.

The prophet Micah predicted the prosperity o[ the church
of Christ, and the prevalence of his interest and kingdom in
the last days, (Chap. iv. 1-4; v. 1-4;) and there is a par-
ticular prophecy of the same event by Zephaniah. (Chap. iii.
8-12.) This is also particularly foretold by Zechariah : " Sing
and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for lo, I come, and I will
dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many nations
shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my peo-
ple ; and I will dwell in the midst of thee." (Chap. ii. 10, 11.)
" Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion ; shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem I Behold thy King cometh unto thee; he is just,
and having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon
a colt, the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from
Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle-bow
sliaU be cut off; and he shall speak peace unto the heathen ;
and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the
river even to the ends of the earthP (Zech. ix. 9, 10.) The
whole of the fourteenth chapter relates chiefly to this great
event and happy time, of which only the following words
will be transcribed: "And it shall come to pass in that day,
that the light shall not be clear, nor dark. But it shall be one
day, which shall be known to the Lord, not day and night;
but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be
light. And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go
out from Jerusalem ; half of them toward the former sea, and
half of them toward the hinder sea ; in summer and in winter
it shall be. And the Lord shall be King over all the earth.
In that day there shall be one Lord, and his name one."

This is a prophecy of the millennial state in figurative lan-
guage. Then, in the mQxal- world, the church, there shall be
no night or darkness, no change of day and night, as there
was before, when the church was in a state of affliction, when
her days of prosperity were short, and soon succeeded by dark-
ness and night of degeneracy and affliction ; but at the time
when night used to come on it shall be day, so that it shall
be constantly light and day, and the enjoyment of prosperity,
light, and holiness without interruption ; and there shall be
a constant flow of living waters, without any interruption,
into all parts of the earth, among all nations; that is, spiritual
blessings, consisting in spiritual life,'holy joy, and happiness ;
aad then all idolatry and false worship shall be wholly abol-

244 PROPHECIES OF THE MILLENNIUM

ished, and Christ shall reign in all the earth, and all nations
shall trust in him, and obey him. This prediction agrees
exactly with all those which have been mentioned, pointing
to the same important, glorious event.

r The prophecies in the New Testament foretell the universal
/spread of" Christianity, until all nations shall become the ser-

/vants of Christ, and that Christ and his people shall reign on

^ earth a thousand years, when Satan shall be cast out of the
earth, and his subjects and kingdom shall be destroyed, agree-

\ ably to the numerous prophecies in the Old Testament which

\ have been mentioned.

Jesus Christ has foretold this, by the following parables :
" Another parable put he forth unto them, saying. The king-
dom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man
took and sowed in his field ; which, indeed, is the least of all
seeds ; but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs,
and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and
lodge in the branches thereof. Another parable spake he unto
them: The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a
woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole
was leavened." (Matt. xiii. 31-33.) By the first of those
parables Christ teaches that his church and kingdom, though
small in the beginning of it, should increase and become great
in the world. In the next, he makes an advance, and more
fully predicts the universal extent of this kingdom ; that the
gospel shall not cease to spread and influence the world, till
all mankind living on earth, the whole world, shall be formed
by it, and imbibe the spirit of it, so as to become the children
of this kingdom. If the kingdom of heaven shall not finally
prevail and extend to all nations, and fill the whole world, how
can this parable be a just or true representation of it? In this
view of it, it agrees exactly with many of the prophecies which
have been mentioned, and with others which are yet to be
considered.

Agreeably \o this are the following words of Christ, in
which indeed he asserts the same thing: " Now is the judgment
of this world ; now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto
me." (John xii. 31, 32.) Wiiat is liere foretold by Christ is
not yet accomplished, except in a very small part, as the first
fruits and pletlgt; of the whole. A foundation for this was
laid in the death of Christ, when he was lifted up on the cross;
but the prince of this world, the devil, is not yet cast out
of the world; nor has Christ yet drawn all men unto iiim.
Christ has drawn great numbers to him, who have become
his faithful subjects and servants, and has made great inroads

NOT YET FULFILLED. 245

upon the interest and kingdom of the prince of this world*
but very few of mankind, compared with the whole, have been
drawn to Christ; by far the greatest number, even in the
Christian world, have rejected and opposed him ; and the king-
dom of Satan has been great and strong, including the most
of men who have lived in the wdrld, from the time in which
these words were spoken by Christ to this day. Both of
these events are, therefore, yet future, and the former is to
make way for the latter, or rather, one is included in the other.
The same things which are here foretold are predicted in
different words, in the twentieth chapter of the Revelation,
which will be considered. When Christ says he will draw
all men unto him, he does not mean that every one of man-
kind shall come unto him ; for this is contrary to known fact
and to many express declarations of Christ; but that, in con-
sequence of his death, the kingdom of Satan shall be utterly
destroyed on earth, and then all nations, even all men then
in the world, shall become his \oluntary subjects, and believe
in him.

This was suited to support and comfort his disciples and
friends at that time, when he had been speaking of his own
death as at hand, in the view of the glory that should ibllow
his dying on the cross, and served to explain what was spoken
by the voice from heaven, in answer to his petition, " Father,
glorify thy name." " I have both glorified it, and will glorify
it again." (John xii. 28.)

What the apostle Paul says in the eleventh chapter of his
Epistle to the Romans of the Jews and Gentiles, which com-
prehend all mankind, holds forth this same truth. He there
speaks of the Jews who were then, the most of them, broken
off from the church by unbelief, as yet to come into the king-
dom of Christ, even all of them, which he terms their fulness ;
and he says, that when they shall in their fulness be brought
in, the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in also. The fulness
of the Jews, and the fulness of the Gentiles, must include the
whole of all nations. And he speaks of what had taken place
in the days of the apostles, in the conversion of Jews and
Gentiles, as only the first fruits, the root, foundation, and be-
ginning of the whole lump, and the tree which were to follow
in the coming in of the Jews and Gentiles, of the whole world,
in the fulness thereof. (Rom. xi. 12, 16, 25.)

This leads to recollect the many prophecies by the ancient
prophets of the restoration of the Jews to a state of holiness
and happiness in the last days, which has not yet come to
pass, some of which it may be proper to mention here, as they
serve to confirm the point under consideration. The thirty-
21*

246 PROPHECIES OF THE MILLENNIUM

fourth, thirty-sixth, and thirty-seventh chapters of Ezekiel
relate chiefly to this event. Though the return of the Jews
from their captivity in Babylon may be implied in this proph-
ecy, and some expressions may have particular reference to
that, yet it evidently looks farther, to a deliverance and salva-
tion, of which their return from Babylon was a type or pledge ;
and there are many things predicted which cannot be applied
to the former, and were not true of it, particularly the follow-
ing : " I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed
them, even my servant David ; and he shall feed them, and he
shall be their shepherd. One king shall be king to them all.
And I will cleanse them ; so shall they be my people, and I
will be their God. And David, my servant, shall be king over
them, and they all shall have one shepherd. They shall also
walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes and do them.
And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob
my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall
dwell therein, even they and their children, and their children's
children forever, and my servant David shall be their prince
forever." (Eze. xxxiv. 23; xxxvii. 22-25.) By David, Jesus
Christ, the Son of David, is meant, as the former was an emi-
nent type of the latter; therefore, this must refer to their
restoration and happy state under Christ, which is certainly
not yet come, but will take place when there shall be one fold
and one shepherd, and Jews and Gentiles shall be united in
one church under the Redeemer, which, after the millennium,
shall be transplanted from earth to heaven, where the spiritual
David will reign over it forever.

The same is foretold by the prophet Hosea. " The children
of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a
prince, and without sacrifice, and without an image, and with-
out an ephod, and without tcraphim. Afterward shall the
children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and
David their king, and shall fear the Lord, and his goodness in
the latter days." (Chap. iii. 4, 5.) The children of Israel are
now in the state here described, without a king, and without
a prince, without a sacrifice ; for their temple is destroyed, and
they cannot go to Jerusalem, and their law forbids them to
sacrifice in any other place. They are without an image,
without an ephod and teraphim ; for they have a great and
obstinate aversion from all kinds of idolatry, to which they
were once so much addicted. They have been a long time,
many days, in tiiis state, and will continue so, until they return
and seek Jesus Christ their King, and submit to him, which is
yet to come.

These prophecies, and others of the same land, if they be

NOT YET FULFILLED. 247

considered as having reference to the Jews exclusively, and
not including the whole church of Christ in the latter day,
composed of Jews and Gentiles, do prove that there is yet to
be a time when the church of Christ shall be universal, and
include all nations ; for it appears from what St. Paul says,
that when those prophecies shall be fulfilled to the Jews, the
fulness of the Gentiles will also come in, and all men in every
nation will be subject to Christ, and his kingdom shall be
glorious, and fill the world. And in this sense, " all Israel
shall be saved."

In the revelation made by Jesus Christ to the apostle John,
the final victory and triumph of the church on earth over all
her enemies, and the happy state to which it will be brought,
which shall continue a thousand years, is, in some respects,
more clearly set forth than in the preceding prophecies, by
which they are illustrated, and their meaning is more fully
fixed and confirmed. Here the general state and circum-
stances of the church, from the time when the revelation was
given to this time, and down to the end of the world, are pre-
dicted. Here the afllictions and persecutions, through which
the church should pass ; the respite which she should have,
and victory over the persecuting power of heathen Rome, in
the days of Constantine ; the grand apostasy which should
take place in the church by the rise of the pope and the hie-
rachy of the false church of Rome ; the gross idolatry which
should be practised in that church ; and the violent opposition
of this jDower to the true followers of Christ ; their cruel perse-
cutions of them, and shedding their blood, for a thousand two
hundred and sixty years; the judgments that should be exe-
cuted on that corrupt church and her adherents, and on the
whole world, for their obstinacy in wickedness ; and the final
overthrow of the pope and all who support him, and of the
kingdom of Satan in the world, and the deliverance of the
church of Christ into a state of rest and peace, when this
kingdom of Christ shall increase, and spread, and fill the
world, and continue in this happy state on earth a thousand
years. All this is foretold, much of which is already come to
pass ; but the most happy and glorious events are yet to come.
The great and remarkable things which have come to pass, as
they were foretold, are a standing, incontestable evidence and
demonstration that the prophecies in this book are from heaven ;
for it is as certain that none but the omniscient God can know
and predict such events, which take place according to the
prediction, as it is that this world was made by him. And
the events which are come to pass, and are now taking place
in the world before our eyes, agreeably to the prophecies in this

248

PROPHECIES OF THE MILLENNIUM

book, at the same time that they prove that those predictions
are from God, are also a pledge and assurance that the prophe-
cies of things not yet come will be fulfilled in due season.

The subject now in hand will lead more particularly to con-
sider what are the ]:)rophecies in this book which relate to the
future prosperity of the church and kingdom of Christ in this
world, in which all the darkness and afflictions which do
attend it, being oppressed and trodden down by enemies,
while they prevail and triumph, shall issue ; and to show that
such a day is certainly coming, according to the predictions
which are to be found here.

in the fifth chapter of tiie E-evelation, the four and twenty
elders, who represent the church, appear rejoicing and praising
Christ in the prospect of their reigning on the earth. " And
they sung a new song, saying. Thou art worthy to take the
book, and to open the seals thereof ; for thou wast slain, and
hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred,
and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made us unto
our God kings and priests ; atid ive shall reig-n on the earthy
This is spoken of the church, and is not literally true of every
particular member of it that then actually existed in heaven
or on earth. When the church shall reign on earth, consist-
ing of the numerous members who shall then exist in this
world, all those who are gone out of the world and are in
heaven will reign in and with the church on earth, as mem-
bers of the same society and kingdom, and will partake in
all the joy and glory of this event, in a much higher degree
than if they were personally on earth. They will reign in
their successors, who represent them, and in the prevalencej
victory, and triumph of that cause which is theirs, and in
which they lived and died. But this will be more particularly
considered hereafter.

" And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices
in heaven, saying. The kingdoms of this world are become
the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign
forever and ever." (Rev. xi. 15.) Here it is asserted, that
under the seventh trumpet, which contains all the events from
the time of its sounding to the end of the world, all the na-
tions and kingdoms in this world shall become one kingdom
under Christ, and shall be wholly swallowed up in this king-
dom, which shall not be succeeded or give place to any other
kingdom, but shall stand forever. It shall continue the only
kingdom on earth to the end of the world, and exist forever in
heaven; which is perfectly agreeable to many other prophe-
cies which have been mentioned. The meaning is not, that
this event shall follow immediately upon the sounding of the

NOT YET FULFILLED.

249

seventh trumpet, but that this is comprehended in the events
of this trumpet, to which all the preceding have respect, and
in which they shall issue, as the most important and glorious
event, to which all the inhabitants of heaven were attending,
and in the prospect of which they had peculiar joy.

The same event is celebrated in heaven, as having actually
taken place, in the former part of the nineteenth chapter.
" And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and
as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty
thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipo-
tent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to
him ; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife
hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she
should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and w^hite ; for the fine
linen is the righteousness of saints. And he said unto me,
Write, Blessed are they who are called unto the marriage
supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the
true sayings of God." Here the Lord Jesus Christ is repre-
sented as reigning as he never had done before ; which is the
same event which is so often predicted in the Psalms, and by
the prophets, especially by Daniel, by the Lord's reigning, that
is Christ, and which is mentioned and celebrated in the
tenth chapter, and in the twentieth chapter. "And I saw-
thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given
unto them, and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years." By the bride having made herself ready, and being
arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, is meant the eminent
degree of holiness and moral beauty to which the church
will arrive at that day, in the millennial state. This is repre-
sented as taking place upon the fall of antichrist and the
great whore, the false, idolatrous church of Rome. And it
succeeds the overthrow of Satan's kingdom in the world, and
not only the destruction of the Roman empire under anti-
christ, but of all the nations of wicked men ; which is de-
scribed in the sixteenth chapter, verse seventeenth, etc.

And the same event is again represented in the latter part
of the nineteenth chapter, and in the beginning of the twen-
tieth. " And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white
horse ; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness he doth judge and make war." From
the following description it appears that this person is Jesus
Christ, prepared and going forth to destroy his enemies on
earth. And an angel is seen standing in the sun, in the most
conspicuous place, calling with a loud voice upon all the
fowls of the air to come ^' to the supper of the great God, to
eat the flesh of kings and captains, etc., and the flesh of all men,

850 PROPHECIES OF THE MILLENNIUM

both free and bond, both small and great. And he saw the
beast and the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered
together, to make war against him that sat on the horse, and
against his army." And the beast and false prophet were
destroyed by him ; and the remnant of those who joined with
the beast and were enemies to Christ were slain by him.
This battle, and the destruction of the enemies of Christ, does
not follow in time, and is not to take place after the events
mentioned in the first part of this chapter, viz., the joy and.
praise in heaven, upon the reigning of Christ on earth, and
the bride, the Lamb's wife, making herself ready, etc., but is
a repeated and more particular representation of what is to
precede that happy event, which had been before mentioned
in the sixteenth chapter, from the thirteenth verse to the end
of it. There the kings of the earth, and the whole world, are
said to be gathered together to battle ; " the battle of the
great day of God Almighty." So here, " the beast and the
kings of the earth and their armies are gathered together to
make war against him that sat on the horse." And there the
battle is described as coming on, upon the pouring out of the
seventh vial, and great Babylon, which is the same with the
beast and the false prophet, and all the enemies of Christ, are
destroyed in battle ; which is exactly parallel with the war
and battle of which there is a more particular description in
the nineteenth chapter, and must be one and the same event.
This is confirmed by what immediately follows this destruc-
tion of the enemies of Christ, in the beginning of the twen-
tieth chapter, which, as has been observed, is the same event
with that described in the nineteenth chapter by the marriage
of the Lamb, whose bride, that is, the church, was made ready
and arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. A more particular
and remarkable description of this same thing, in the twenti-
eth chapter, is in the following words : —

" And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the
key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And
he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil
and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him
into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a Seal upon
him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the
thousand years should be fulfilled : and after that he must
be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat
upon them, and judgment was given unto them. And I saw
the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus,
and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped
the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark
upon their foreheads, or in their hands ; and they lived and

NOT YET FULFILLED. 251

reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the
dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.
This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath
part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath
no power ; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and
shall reign with him a thousand years."

A particular explanation of this passage of Scripture will be
attempted in the next section. That it does express and con-
firm the truth which is contained in the numerous prophecies
which have been mentioned, and which is set up to be proved
in this section, the following observations will show: —

1. This event here predicted is to take place after the over-
throw of the Roman anti-Christian kingdom, and the destruc-
tion of all the enemies of Christ and his church on earth. This
is evident from the account of the destruction of these in the
prophecy immediately preceding these words, and upon which
the glorious scene opened in this passage is to take place ;
and the same is predicted in the last part of the sixteenth
chapter, as has been shown. This is agreeable to the prophe-
cies of the same event in the Psalms, and by Daniel, and others,
viz., that the time of the reign of Christ, and of the saints on
earth, shall succeed the destruction of the wicked, and the total
overthrow of all the preceding kingdoms and powers in the
world, which has been from time to time observed upon them
when they were transcribed; and in this very passage, Satan
himself is represented as bound and cast out of the earth, and
shut up in the bottomless pit, antecedent to the reign of Christ
and his followers in the world, which necessarily implies the
total ruin of his cause and kingdom on earth, and the extir-
pation of all the wicked who are his children and servants;
therefore, the time here predicted is not yet come.

2. All this is to take ]>lace before the end of the world and
the day of judgment. This is very evident and certain, since
it is said, that when this happy time of a thousand years is
ended, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go
out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the
earth ; and then, after this, Christ is represented as coming to
judgment, of which there is a particular account, and of the
final and eternal destruction of all his enemies.

3. Christ is here said to reign, and his saints to reign with
him, which, without any doubt, is the same event and the
same period which is foretold by Daniel and other prophets,
as a most happy and joyful time, when that nation and those
men who will not serve Jesus Christ shall be destroyed, and
there shall be given to him dominion and glory, and a king-
dom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him.

253 PROPHECIES OF THE MILLENNIUM

And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the
kingdom under the whole heaven, ishall be given to the saints
of the Most High, and all dominions shall serve him ; and the
extent and universality of the kingdom of Christ, and of those
who reign with him, as including all nations and all men, is
supposed and implied in his binding Satan, and casting him
out, " that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thou-
sand years should be fulfilled." Satan is said to deceive the
whole world. (Rev. xii. 9.) And when he is cast out of the
whole world, Jesus Christ and his people will take possession
of it, and reign in all the earth.

4. Christ and his people are to reign on earth a thousand
YEARS.* All have not been agreed in the length of time de-
noted here by a thousand years. Some have supposed that a
thousand years is used indefinitely, not to express any precise
number of years, but a great number of years, or a long time.
But this cannot reasonably be admitted as the sense of the
expression here, since this precise number of years is men-
tioned six times in this passage, which appears inconsistent
with its being used in such an indefinite, vague sense; and
besides, there is nothing in the connection here, or in the
nature or circumstances of the case, to lead any one to under-
stand this number as put indefinitely^

There are others who suppose that these are to be under-
stood to be a thousand prophetical years; that is, as many
years as there are days in a thousand literal years, a day being
put for a year. According to this way of reckoning, a thou-
sand years are put for three hundred and sixty thousand years;
for in that age a year was reckoned to consist of three hundred
and sixty days. It is said, that in this Book of Revelation a
day is constantly put for a year. A thousand two hundred
and sixty days mean so many years, and forty-two months
mean as many years as there are days in so many months,
reckoning thirty days to each month, as they then did ; which,
therefore, amount to the same number of years, i. e., one thou-
sand two hundred and sixty years; and a time and times,
and half a time, i. e., three years and a half, mean as many
years as there are days in three years and a half; which are
just as many as there are in forty-two months; that is, one
thousand two hundred and sixty years. It is, therefore, con-
cluded that these thousand years must be understood in the
same way; 1hat is, that a day is put for a year; which will
amount to three hundred and sixty thousand years.

It is acknowledged that this supposition is supported by

* Hence this time is called the millj.nnium, which signifies a thousand
years.

NOT YET FULFILLED. 253

some color of argument and plausibility; but there are objec-
tions to it, some of which will be mentioned.

1. It does by no means follow that these are prophetical
years, in the sense mentioned, because a day is put for a year
in other places in this prophecy. There may he reasons for
putting a day for a year in other instances, and yet there be
no reason for putting a thousand years for as many years as
there are days in a thousand years in this instance, and, there-
fore, no reason for understanding them so ; and a day is not
put for a year in every other instance in this book. The dead
bodies of the two witnesses are said to lie in the street of the
city three days and a half, (Rev. xi. 9,) which do not mean
three years and a half, as no event respecting them can be
made consistent with such a meaning.

2. The number, a Ihoiisand //ears, being repeated so many
times in one short paragraph, seems to be a reason that it is
to be understood literally, for just so many years, and not so
many prophetical years ; especially as there is nothing in this
case to lead us to understand it in the latter sense; but it may
as consistently with every thing in this book, and this prophecy
in particular, and more so, as will be now observed, be under-
stood literally ; and it is further to be observed, that there is
no instance in this book, or in the whole Bible, where a precise
number is so often repeated in the same words, that is not to
be understood literally.

3. It seems to be out of all proper proportion to suppose
there will be so long a time as three hundred and sixty thou-
sand years of prosperity and happiness, and of great and uni-
versal holiness in this world, the habitation of an apostate,
sinful race of men, and but six thousand years of evil times.
And this does not appear consistent with this world being re-
presented as an evil ivor/d, as it is in the Scripture, or with its
being cursed in consequence of man's rebellion. One thou-
sand years may be an exception out of seven thousand, in
which the curse may be mitigated and in a great measure
removed ; and yet, on the whole, or the whole taken together,
it may be considered and called an evil and accursed world,
for man's sake ; but if there were to be only six thousand
years of evil and the curse, and three hundred and sixty thou-
sand years of good and a blessing, it would not, on the whole,
be an evil or cursed, but a happy and blessed world.

4. It has been observed, that the natural world is evidently
a designed type or shadow of the moral world, especially of
the redemption by Christ; and that creating it in six days,
and then resting on the seventh, is designed to be a type of
bringing the moral world, in the work of redemotion, to a state

VOL. II. 22

254 PROPHECIES OF THE MILLENNIUM

of rest ; that there are to be six thousand years in which every-
thing with respect to redemption and the kingdom of Christ
is to be done and prepared for a seventh thousand years of
peace, and rest, and joy in this glorious work. And it will be
shown, in the sequel, that there are institutions in the Mosaic
ritual which point out the same thing. The apostle Peter
seems to allude to this when speaking of the coming of Christ,
and the end of the world. " But, beloved, be not ignorant of
this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand
years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not
slack concerning his promise ; but the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night," etc. (2 Pet. iii. 8-10.) Hence
the constant revolution of weeks, consisting of seven days, is
an emblem of the revolution of time, which will come to an
end when the world has existed seven thousand years. And
there has been a tradition among both Jews and Christians
agreeable to this sentiment.* Now, this sentiment and tra-
dition suppose that the thousand years of the millennium is but
one literal thousand years, or the seventh part of the time in
which the world is to stand ; and as far as there is any
weight in them, oppose and overthrow the notion that the
world will not come to an end till it has existed three hundred
and sixty thousand years after the millennium shall begin.

5. All the ends of such a day of peace and prosperity, of
victory, triumph, and salvation to the chvirch on earth, and of
the so much celebrated reign of Christ, with his saints, in this
world, will be fully answered in a literal thousand years, so far
as it can be learned what they are from Scripture, or man can
conceive them to be, as much and as fully answered as they
could be in hundreds of thousands of years, or in any supposed
length of time.

Satan will be as much defeated, and his kingdom and in-
terest wholly destroyed in the world, the cause of wickedness
and evil men will be entirely ruined and lost, and they all
banished from the earth. The wisdom, power, grace, truth,
and faithfulness of Christ will have a proper and glorious
manifestation, by introducing such a state, and continuing it
as long as is most for his glory and the best good of his church,

* " There is an old tradition, l)oth amon<^ Jews and Christians, that at the
end of six thousand years the Messiah shall come, and the -world shall be re-
newed, the reign of the wicked one shall cease, and the reign of the saints upon
earth shall begin." — Xcwton'.'i Dissertations on the Prophecies, vol. i. p. 490. And
again, vol. iii. p. 410, "According to tradition, these thousand years of the
reign of Christ and the saints will be the seventh millenary of the world ; for,
as God created the world in si.K days and rested on the seventh, so the world,
it is argued, will continue six thousand years, and the seventh thousand will
be the great sabbatism, or holy rest, to the people of God ; one day beinc/ with the
Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." (2 Pet. iii. 8.)

NOT YET FULFILLED. 255

though it shall continue but a thousand years. The church
may have all the reward and enjoyment in that time that it is
proper or desirable that it should have on earth ; and it may
be wisest and best then to take it to a more perfect, happy,
and glorious state in heaven. A thousand years will be lime
enough for Christ to show what he can do in brin^^^inggood out
of evil, and vindicating his cause and church, and triumphing
gloriously over all opposition from earth and hell, and filling
the world with his powerful presence and kingdom, with the
knowledge of the glory of the Lord, with holiness and happi-
ness. There will be full opportunity in this time to show and
demonstrate, from fact and abundant experience, what is the
nature, beauty, and excellence of Christianity; that it is exact-
ly suited to form the world into a state of love, union, and
happiness; and that all the preceding evils among mankind
have been chiefly owing to ignorance or neglect of Christ and
the true spirit of Christianity, and opposition to those in life
or heart, or both. And this will be time enough to show that
all means are ineffectual to reclaim man from sin ; and that
this can be effected by nothing but the Spirit of GckI, poured
down in plentiful effusions ; and to give a sample and foretaste
of the beauty, happiness, and glory of the holy society and
redeemed church in heaven.

And in this thousand years the work of redemption and
salvation may be fully accomplished in the utmost extent and
glory of it. In this time, in which the world will be soon filled
with real Christians, and continue full, by constant propagation,
to supply the place of those who will leave the world, there
will be many thousands born and live on earth to each one that
had been born and lived in the preceding six thousand years.
So that if they who shall be born in that thousand years shall
be all, or most of them, "saved, as they will be, there will, on
the whole, be many thousands of mankind saved to one that
shall be lost*

The only end that can be imagined would be answered by
protracting this time of the prosperity of the church in this
world is, that greater numbers of mankind might exist and be
saved. But that this is really desirable or best, all things con-
sidered, there is not the least evidence. A desire that more
of mankind should be saved than will be saved in a thousand
years of the prevalence of holiness and salvation in all the
families of the earth never could be satisfied ; for, though three
hundred and sixty thousand years should be added, and all
should be saved who lived in that time, still, for the same

* See Bellamy's Sermon on the Millennium.

X

256 PROPHECIES OF THE MILLENNIUM

reason that this is desired, it will be equally desirable, and
more so, that the time of salvation should be lengthened out
yet longer, and so on without end. This reason for making
the time longer, that more may be saved, cannot cease ; and
a desire of more time on this ground, or for this reason, is
like the four things which Solomon mentions as never satisfied,
and say not, It is enough. It is most wise and best, that a
certain number and proportion of mankind should be saved.
And God only knows what this number is, how great, and
what proportion it bears to the whole human race. And no
man has any reason to think that this number will not be
completed within a literal thousand years, after the millen-
nium commences. Nor can there be the least evidence from
any quarter that it will not, unless there be evidence that the
millennium contains a longer time ; which is the question
under consideration. And it is supposed that no evidence of
this has yet been produced, or can be at present. And it is
certain that the salvation of more of mankind, were the time
to be longer, is no reason why it should be longer. But this
will be best, and most infallibly decided by the event which
will take place in due season ; which, perhaps, cannot be de-
termined with certainty now, or so that all shall be satisfied
and agreed in the matter. And it may not be wise to be
very confident on either side of the question.

The evidence has now been produced from Scripture, that
there is a time coming, in which the cause of Christ shall
prevail in this world, and his kingdom spread and fill the
earth, as it has never yet done ; in which time the church and
people of Christ shall come to a state of peace and prosper-
ity ; when the kingdom of Satan shall be utterly destroyed,
and all wicked men shall be put down, and cast out of the
earth, and there shall be none to destroy, hurt, or oppose the
truth and ways of Christ or his people ; and this happy,
glorious day shall last a thousand years.

This is foretold, not by one single prophecy, but is repeat-
edly and abundantly mentioned in the sacred, prophetic
writings, and represented by a variety of strong expressions,
and by difi'erent similitudes, and in figurative langnage ; and
yet all p(!rfect]y agree to point out the same thing. And there
are many prophecies of the same event by Isaiah, and in
other j)arts of the Bible, which have not been particularly
mentioned.

Nothing has yet taken place in favor of the church of
Christ, and in opposition to his enemies, which is in any
measure answerable to these predictions. By far the greater
part of mankind have been in a state of ignorance of Christi-

NOT YET FULFILLED. 257

anity, or of opposition to it, ever since the gospel has been
preached to men ; and Satan has had a greater and stronger
kingdom on earth than Christ, most of the time since his
ascension. And sin and real opposition of Christ, in princi-
ple and practice, have abounded in every age, even among
nominal Christians. The overthrow of the Jews by the Ro-
mans, and the consequent spread of Christianity among the
Gentiles, were events favorable to the church of Christ, and
were a pledge and type of what he will yet do, in overthrow-
ing his enemies and delivering his church in the latter days.
And so was the overthrow of heathen Rome, and the spread
and prevalence of Christianity through all the Roman empire,
in the days of the Emperor Constantine, in the fourth century.
But this was of short continuance, and within twenty years
the church fell into a state of great calamity by divisions,
contentions, and heresies, and the empire was involved in
confusion and war ; and from that time to this the church
has been in a low, afflicted state. The many promises made
to Israel by the prophets, of r<;storation to a long, abiding
state of obedience, holiness, and prosperity, have not been in
any measure fulfilled to that nation, nor to the church, including
Jews and Gentiles, represented and typified by Israel, Jerusalem,
Mount Zion, etc. If such a day of prosperity of the church of
Christ, comprehending .lews and Gentiles, and all nations, were
not yet to come, great part of the prophecies in the Bible
could have but a very low and little meaning, and would be
in a great measure, if not wholly, useless; whereas, if they be
understood according to the most natural, plain import of
them, they open a most pleasing, wonderful scene, suited to
support and animate the Christian, and fill him with gratitude
and joy on the agreeable prospect.

It appears reasonable and desirable that Jesus Christ, who
suffered shame and reproach in this world, and was condemned
and put to death as a malefactor by men, should have this
reproach wiped off in the sight of all men, and that the cause
in which he suffered and died should prevail and be victorious
in this same world, where he suffered and died ; that he should,
agreeably to ancient prophecies, be here on earth, "exalted
and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonished at
him, (his visage was so marred more than any man, and his
form more than the sons of men,) so shall he sprinkle many
nations, and kings shall shut their mouths at him; for that
which had not been told them shall they see, and that which
they had not heard shall they consider. He shall see of the
travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. He shall divide the
spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul
22*

258 PROPHECIES OF THE MILLENNIUM NOT YET FULFILLED.

unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors." (Isa,
lii. 13-1.5; liii. 11,1:2.)

And it appears very desirable that the enemies of Christ
and his church should meet with disappointment, be defeated
and confounded in this world, and that the reproach which
has been cast upon the church should be removed ; — that the
church should ])ut on her beautiful garments, and shine in the
true l)uauties of Christianity; — that it sliould be seen from
experiment in this world what Christianity is when acted out
according to the true nature and spirit of it, and that this,
and this only, can render men and society happy in this state.
All tliis is, therefore, predicted and promised. " Behold, at
that time I will undo all that afflict thee, and I will save her
that halteth, and gather her that was driven out, and I will
get them praise and fame in every land where they have been
put to shame ; for I will make you a name and a praise
among all people of the earth." (Zeph. iii. 19, 20.)

One reason why this day of salvation is delayed so long
after the death and resurrection of Christ doubtless is, that
there may be proper and full opportunity to discover the
depravity and wickedness of man, and the insufficiency of all
means that can be used, or methods taken, to bring men to
repentance and a cordial submission to Christ, unless accom-
panied by the special, omnipotent influences of the Holy Spirit
to renew their hearts, and clearly to manifest the natural en-
mity in the hearts of mankind against Christ and the truths of
the gospel, and their strong disposition, and unconquerable, by
all possible external means and advantages to oppose and per-
vert the gospel, and abuse it to the worst purposes ; that it
may appear in the most clear and striking light how greatly
and AvhoUy depraved and utterly lost men are, unless they be
saved by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the
Holy Ghost, and that the v/hole praise and glory of the salva-
tion of every one may be ascribed to the sovereign grace of
Christ, and man be forever abased. When God has sulficiently
tried men, and used a variety of the most proper and powerful
means to bring the world to repentance, and all has proved in
vain, he will then pour out his Spirit upon all, and renew their
hearts, and converts will sj)ring up as grass after showers of
rain ; and the obstinacy of man, and the power and sovereign
gi-ace of Christ, will be acknowledged by all, and that men are
saved not by human might or power, but by the Spirit of the
Lord. (Zech. iv. 6. Rom. xi. 32. 1 Cor. i. 21.)

And it appears proper and wise that this day of prosperity
and salvation should be in the latter end of the world, in the
last times, as this is suited to excite and support the faith and

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 259

patience of Christians who live in the preceding dark and evil
times, and to encourage and aiihnate them to faithfulness and
constancy in following Christ, and adherence to his cause in
the midst of temptations and trials ; and this use is made
of it in the Scripture, especially in the Book of Revelation.
And this is suited to excite the prayers of Christians, in all the
preceding ages of darkness, affliction, and suffering, and the
prevalence of sin and Satan, for the coming and kingdom of
Christ, which he has prescribed as the first and most impor-
tant petition in the pattern of prayer which he has given.
" Our P'ather, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven."
Daniel was excited and encouraged to fast and pray for the
deliverance of the people of God from their affliction and dis-
tress in their captivity, by finding that this was foretold and
promised by Jeremiah the prophet. (Pan. ix. 2-4.) And tbis
has actually excited Christians to pray for this event in all
ages of the church ; and doubtless they will be awakened and
stirred up to pray more generally, constantly, and fervently for
this important, glorious event, as the approach of it is found
by prophecy to be nearer. And it will be introduced in
answer to the prayers of thousands and millions who have
been, and who will yet be, crying to God night and day,
resolving not to keep silence, or give him any rest, till he
establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
(Isa. Ixii. 6, 7.) For he will be inquired of for this by his
church and people to do it for them. (Ezek. xxxvi. 87.)

SECTION II.

In ivhich ii is considered in ivhat the Millennium ■will consist,
and ivhat ivill be the peculiar Happiness and Glory of that
Day, according to Scripture.

There have been, and still are, very different opinions
respecting the millennium, and the events which will take
place in that day, which are grounded chiefly on the first six
verses in the twentieth chapter of the Revelation, which pas-
sage has been brought into view in the preceding section, but
is to be more particularly considered in this.

Some have supposed that this passage is to be taken liter-
ally, as importing that at that time Jesus Christ will come in
his human nature from heaven to earth, and set his kingdom up
here, and reign visibly and personafly, and with distinguished
glory on earth, and that the bodies of the martyrs and other

260 THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

eminent Christians will then be raised from the dead, in which
they shall live and reign with Christ here on earth a thousand
years ; and some suppose that all the saints, the true friends
to God and Christ, who have lived before that time, will then
be raised from the dead, and live on earth perfectly holy dur-
ing this thousand years, and this they suppose is meant by
the first resurrection. Those who agree in general in this
notion of the millennium, differ with respect to many circum-
stances, which it is needless to mention here.

Others have understood this paragraph of Scripture in a
figurative sense; — that by this reign of Christ on earth is not
meant his coujing from heaven to earth in his human, visible
nature, but his taking to himself his power, and utterly over-
throwing the kingdom of Satan, and setting up his own king-
dom in all the world, which before this had been confined to
very narrow bounds, and subduing all hearts to a willing sub-
jection, and thus reigning over all men who shall then be in
the world, and live in that thousand years. And by "the
souls of them which were beheaded for the witness of Jesus,
and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the
beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon
their foreheads, or in their hands," livin<? aajain and reignino:
with Christ a thousand years, they suppose is not meant a
literal resurrection, or the resurrection of their bodies, — which
is not asserted here, as there is nothing said of their bodies, or
of their being raised to life, — but that they shall live again
and reign with Christ in the revival, prosperity, reign, and
triumph of that cause and interest in which they lived, and
for the promotion of which they died, and in whose death the
cause seemed, in a measure and for a time, to die and be lost.
And they shall live again in their successors, who shall arise
and stand up with the same spirit, and in the same cause, in
which they lived and died, and fill the world and reign with
Christ a thousand years, agreeably to ancient prophecies. " The
meek shall inherit the earth. And the kingdom and dominion,
and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven,
shall be given to the saints of the people of the INIost High,
whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions
shall serve him." And they suppose that this revival of the
truths and cause of Christ, by the numerous inhabitants of the
earth rising up to a new and holy life, and filling the world
with holiness and happiness, is that which is here called the
first rcsurrectiun, in distinction from the second, which will con-
sist in the resurrection of the body; whereas this is a spiritual
resurrection, — a resurrection of the truths and cause of Christ,
which had been, in a great degree, dead and lost, — and a

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 261

resurrection of the souls of men, by the renovation of the
Holy Ghost.

That this important passage of Scripture is to be under-
stood in the figurative sense, last mentioned, is very probable,
if not certain. And the following considerations are thought
suificient to support it : —

1, Most, if not all, the prophecies in this book, are delivered
in figurative language, referring to types and events recorded
in the Old Testament, and in imitation of the language of
the ancient prophets. And this was proper and even neces-
sary in the best manner to answer the ends of prophecy, as
might easily be shown, were it necessary. The first part of
this passage, all must allow, is figurative. Satan cannot be
bound Math a literal, material chain. The key, the great
chain, and the seal, cannot be understood literally. The
whole is a figure, and can mean no more than that when the
time of the raillenninm arrives, or rather, previous to it, Jesus
Christ will lay effectual restraints on Satan, so that his power-
ful and prevailing influence, by which he has before deceived
and destroyed a great part of mankind, shall be wholly taken
from him for a thousand years. And it is most natural ta
understand the other part of the description of this remarkable-
event to be represented in the same figurative language, a#
the whole is a representation of one scene ; especially, sinc'6
no reason can be given why it should not be understood so.
And there are reasons against taking it in a literal sense,
which will be mentioned in the following particulars: —

2. To suppose that Christ shall come in his human nature
to this earth, and live here in his^ whole person visibly a thou-
sand years, before the day of judgment, appears to be contrary
to several passages of Scripture.

The coming of Christ, and his appearing at the day of
judgment in his human nature, is said to be his second ap-
pearance, answering to his first appearance in his human
nature on earth, from his birth to his ascension into heaven,
which was past. " And as it is appointed unto men once to
die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered
to bear the sins of many; and unto them who look for him
shall he appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation."
(Heb. ix. 27, 28.) The appearance here spoken of is the ap-
pearance of Christ at the day of judgment, to complete the
salvation of his church. This could not be his appearing the
second time, were he thus to appear and be bodily present in
his human nature on earth, in the time of the millennium,
which is to take place before the day of judgment. The
corning of Christ does not always intend his coming visibly

262 THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

in his human nature ; but he is said to come, when he de-
stroyed the temple and nation of the Jews, and appeared in
favor of his church. So his destruction of heathen Rome,
and delivering his church from that persecuting power, was an
instance of his coming. And he will, in the same way, come
to destroy antichrist, and the kingdom of Satan in the world,
and introduce the millennium ; and in these instances, and
others, he may be said to appear. But his coming to judg-
ment, and appearing to complete the final destruction of all
his enemies, and to perfect the salvation of his church, is his
last coming and appearance. And though this will not be his
second appearance and coming, in the sense now mentioned,
and with reference to those instances of his coming; yet, as he
will then come and appear visibly in his human nature, this
will be his second coming and appearance in this way and
manner, having never appeared on earth in his human nature
more than once before, or since his first ascension to heaven,
after his incarnation. Therefore, when the final judgment
shall take place, Christ is represented as being revealed and
coming from heaven, and this is often called, by way of emi-
nence, his appearing; meaning his appearing and coming
from heaven in visible splendor and glory, in his whole per-
son, in both natures, divine and human. But if he were here
on earth, visible in his human nature, and reigning in his
glorified body, during the millennium, he would be already
nere to attend the last judgment, and he could not be prop-
erly said to come from heaven, and to be revealed from
heaven, because this was done a thousand years before.
Therefore that Christ should ^come from heaven, and appear
and reign in his human nature and presence before the day
of judgment, seems to be contrary to the following Scriptures:
" For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God ; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. When the Lord
Jesus shall be revealed from Iieaven, with his mighty angels in
flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God,"
etc. " When he shall come to be glorified in his saints." (1
Thess. iv. 16. 2 Thess. i. 7, 8, 10.) This is evidently his ap-
pearing the second time for the salvation of all them that
look for him ; but were he on earth before this, in the human
nature, during the time of the millennium, how could he be
said to be revealed, to descend, and come from heaven to
Judge the world?

3. As it seems to be contrary to the above-mentioned
Scriptures to suppose that Christ will appear on earth, and
reign a thousand years in his human nature, so it appears

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 263

contrary to all reason. Jesus Christ is now on the throne of
the universe, having all power in heaven and earth given to
him as God-man and Redeemer, being made head over all
things to the charch. He is in the most proper, agreeable,
and convenient situation to govern the world, and take care
of his church. It does not appear agreeable to his station
and office, as king and head over all things, for him to de-
scend in the human nature, and erect a throne on earth, which,
so far as can be conceived, would be no advantage to his per-
son, design, and work, but very much to the contrary. He is
gone to heaven in the human nature, that he might reign
there till his enemies are made his footstool, and all things
shall be subdued under him. And his church on earth will
enjoy him to as great a degree, and as much advantage, as if
he were personally on earth in the human nature, and more,
and will have as great enjoyment of his presence. He is now
in the best situation to be adored and worshipped by his
church on earth. Though they do not now see him, yet, be-
lieving and loving him, they rejoice with joy unspeakable and
full of glory; and it would not tend to increase this faith,
love, and joy, to have him come from heaven,, and live in
some place on earth in his human nature, but the contrary ;
for but few, compared with the whole inhabitants of the world,
could have access to him, or see him more than they now do.
And when the human nature is in heaven, all may equally
have access to him, love and worship him. His church and
kingdom on earth will be as happy, splendid, and glorious as
if he were on earth as he is nov\^ in heaven, and much more
so ; for these will consist in his spiritual presence and influ-
ence, which may be as great while his human nature is in
heaven, as if it were on earth ; and in their holy conformity
to Christ, which would not be increased by his being in that
sense on earth. It hence appears in no respect advantageous
or desirable, but the contrary, that Jesus Christ should come
personally in the human nature from heaven to earth to reign
here with his church, or that he should thus appear, till he
shall come to judgment. It is, therefore, unreasonable to
expect or suppose he will thus come, unless it were expressly
asserted in Scripture, which it- certainly is not ; but there are
some, if not many, passages which seem to be inconsistent
with it.

It may be proper to observe here that the question respect-
ing the manner in which Christ will reign on earth in the
millennium has no concern with the question concerning the
literal or figurative meaning of this passage, as the former
does not depend upon the latter; for no man will suppose that

264 THE MILLE.WIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

Christ's reigning on earth is to be understood in a figurative
sense. If he sliull reign on earth in the hearts of men by
their voluntary subjection to hiin, he will reign as literally as
if he were present on earth in his humanity. The question
whether this passage is to be understood literally or figura-
tively, respects the souls of them that were beheaded for the
witness of Jesus, etc., their living aiid reigning with Christ a
thousand years. This, therefore, leads to other observations.

4. The apostle Paul in his writings does not appear to
expect to have his body raised from the dead to live here on
earth again after he died, or say any thing to lead the Chris-
tians of this day to expect any such thing, but the contrary.

He says, " It is appointed unto man once to die, but after
this the judgment," and leads Christians to look forward to
the second coming of Christ, when he will come to judgment,
as the next great event that will immediately respect them,
which seems to be inconsistent with the saints' having their
bodies raised, and living in this world again, a thousand years
before the day of judgment. He addresses Christians in the
following words : " If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those
things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand
of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on
the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ
in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall
ye also appear with him in glory." (Col. iii. 1—4.) He directs
them to expect and seek enjoyment in heaven where Christ is,
and not to expect that he will leave his throne there, till he
shall appear the second time to receive his saints to glory in
heaven; for appearing with Christ in glory means appearing
with him in heaven, as that is the place of glory where the
redeemed are brought to be glorified — to be where Christ is,
to behold his glory. The apostle Peter, speaking of the dis-
solution of the heavens and earth, says, " Nevertheless we,
according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." (2 Pet. iii. 13.) Some
have supposed that this is the millennial state, which shall
take place after the general conflagration, by which the earth
wiir be renewed — in which a perfectly holy and haj^py slate
shall commence, to which all the saints who had died shall be
raised, etc. But such a notion cannot be reconciled to other
passages of Scripture, in which, as has been observed, the
millennium is represented as taking j)lace before the general
conllagration and the day of judgment. And after these
are ov(!r, and the wicked are cast into endless punishment,
(Rev. 20,) the apostle John says, "And I saw a new heaven
and a new earth ; for the first heaven and the first earth were

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 265

passed away, and there was no more sea." (Chap. xxi. 1.)
By which the heavenly state is chiefly if not wholly meant,
where redemption and the chm-ch will be perfected. By the
new heaven and new earth is meant the work of redemption,
or the church redeemed by Christ. This is the new creation,
infinitely supei'ior to the old creation, the natural world, and
more important, excellent, and durable ; of which the latter is
a faint type or shadow.

The renovation of the hearts of men by the Spirit of God,
by which they become true Christians, is in Scripture called
a new creature, or as the original words xKin] xriai: may as well
be rendered, a new creation. " Therefore, if any man be in
Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold,
all Things are become new." (2 Cor. v. 17.) " For in Christ
Jesus, neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircum-
cision, but a new creature." (Gal. vi. 15.) Therefore, every
true member of the church belongs to the new creation, and is
part of it ; and this new creation of the new heaven and new
earth goes on and makes advances as the church is enlarged
and rises to a state of greater prosperity, and proceeds towards
perfection.

The new heavens and new earth, the redeemed church of
Christ, will be brought to a very happy and glorious state in
the millennium, and greater advantages will be made then in
this new creation than were ever made before. Therefore, to
this event the following prophecy of Isaiah does chiefly refer,
if not wholly : " For behold, I create new heavens, a.nd a new
earth. And the former shall not be remembered, nor come
into mind. But be you glad and rejoice forever in that which
I create ; for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her
people a joy." (Isa. Iv. 17, 18.) It appears from the preceding
and following context, that this prophecy refers to the millen-
nium, in which the new creation, the church of Christ, will
come to the most perfect and happy state to which it will be
brought in this world ; from which it will pass to a perfect
state, and be completely finished, after the general resurrection
and judgment. Then the old creation, the heavens and the
earth, shall pass away, and be burnt up, and the new creation
shall be finished and brought to a most perfect, beautiful,
happy, and glorious state. To the new heaven and new earth,,
thus completed, wherein that righteousness or true holiness,
which is the beauty, happiness, and glory of the new creation,
will dwell, i. e., continue and flourish forever, the apostles
Peter and John have chief reference in their words, which have
been transcribed above.

5. It does not appear desirable, or to be any advantage to
VOL. II. 23

2QQ THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULAKLY DESCRIBED.

the departed saints, or to the ch\iroh of Christ on earth, to
have the bodies of all .who have died before the millennium
raised from their graves, and come to live a thousand years in
this world before the general resurrection. They are now
perfectly holy and happy ; and so far as can be conceived, it
would be no addition, but a dimimition to their happiness, to
come and live in this world in the body, to eat and drink, and
partake of the enjoyments of the world. This would be a
degradation which on no account can be desirable to the
spirits of the just, now made perfect in heaven ; and it would
be no advance in the work of redemption, which is then to be
carried on in a greater degree than ever before. Nor would this
be any advantage to the church in that happy state to which it
will then be brought; but the contrary, as they would take up
that room in the world which will be then wanted for those
who will be born in that day; and the spirits of the just could
not know or enjoy so much of the prosperity and happiness
of the church in the salvation of men, were they to live in
bodies on earth in that time. The inhabitants of heaven have
a more particular and extensive knowledge of what takes
place in favor of the church on earth than any in this world
have, or than they could have, were they to come and live
here. They know of every conversion that takes place in this
world, and they must have the knowledge of the state of the
church on earth and of every event which comes to pass in
favor of it, and see the whole of its prosperity ; and they have
great joy in every thing of this kind: "there is joy in heaven,
in presence of the angels of God, ovei- one sinner that re-
penteth." How greatly v,'ill the happiness and joy in heaven
be increased, whoi all the inhabitants of the world shall be
converted to Christ, and the church of Christ shall fill the
earth, and appear in the beauty of holiness ! Agreeably to
this, the inhabitants of heaven are represented as greatly re-
joicing in the prosperity of the church on earth, and the over-
throw of all her enemies. " Rejoice over her, thou heaven,
and ye holy apostles and projjhets, for God hath avenged
you on her. And I heard a great voice of much people in
heaven, saying, Alleluia ; salvation, and glory, and honor, and
power unto the Lord our God ; for he hath judged the great
whore, etc. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to
him ; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath
made herself ready." (Rev. xviii. 20; xix. 1-7.) Surely none
will desire to leave that place of knowledge, li2:ht and joy, and
come and be confined in the body in this world, which will be
darkness and solitary, compared with that; such a change of
place could be no privilege or reward, but rather a calamity.

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 267

Therefore, it is not to be believed, unless it be plainly, and in
express words, revealed; which, it is presumed, it is not. This
leads to another observation.

6. There is nothing expressly snid of the resurrection of the
body in this passage. Tiie apostle John saw the soui:i of them
which were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, t i-j., and they
lived and reigned with Christ. The resurrection of the body
is nowhere expressed in Scripture by the soul's living ; and as
there is nothing said of the body, and he only saw their souls
to live, this does not appear to be a proper expression to denote
the resurrection of the body, and their living in that. This,
therefore, does not seem to be the natural meaning of the
words, and certainly is not the necessary meaning; we are,
therefore, warranted to look for another meaning, and to ac-
quiesce in it, if one can be found, which is more easy and
natural, and more agreeable to the whole passage and to the
Scripture in general. Therefore, —

7. -XhcL most easy and probable meaning is, that the souls
of the martyrs and all the faithful followers of Christ who
have lived in the world, and have died before the laillennium
shall commence, shall revive and live again in their successors,
who shall rise up in the same spirit and in the same charac-
ter in which they lived and died, and in the revival and flour-
ishing of that cause which they espoused and spent their lives
in promoting, which cause shall appear to be almost lost
and dead previous to the introduction of that glorious day.
This is, therefore, a spiritual resurrection, by which all the
inhabitants of the world will be made spiritually alive where
spiritual death before had reigned; and they shall appear in
the spirit and power of those martyrs and holy men who had
before lived in the world and who shall live again in these
their successors, and in the revival of their cause, and in the
resurrection of the church from the very low state in which
it had been before the millennium to a state of great pros-
perity and glory.

This is agreeable to the way of representing things in Scrip-
ture in other instances. John the Baptist was Elijah, because
he rose in the spirit of Elijah, and promoted the same cause
in which Elijah lived and died, and Elijah revived and lived
in John the Baptist because he went before Christ in the
spirit and power of Elijah. (Luke i. 17.) Therefore, Christ
says of John, " This is Elijah who was to come." (Matt.
xi. 14.)

It is also to be observed, that the revival and restoration of
the church to a state of prosperity, from a dark, low state, is
represented by a resurrection to life, or as life from the dead.

268 THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

" Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall
they arise: awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust; for thy
dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the
dead." (Isa. xxvi. 19.) In the thirty-seventh chapter of Eze-
kiel, this is represented by bringing dry bones to life, and
from them raising up a very gi'eat army. This is a metaphor-
ical or figurative resurrection. Then he said unto me, Son of
man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold,
they say. Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost ; we are
cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them,
Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, O my people, I will open
your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves,
and bring you into the land of Israel." The apostle Paul,
speaking of the conversion of the Jews to Christ at the
millennium, says it shall be as "life from the dead." (Rom.
xi. 15.)

In the millennium, there will be a spiritual resurrection, a
resurrection of the souls of the whole church on earth and in
heaven. AJl nations will be converted, and the world will be
filled with spiritual life, as it never was before ; and this will
be a general resurrection of the souls of men. This was rep-
resented in the returning prodigal. The father says, " This
my son was dead, and is alive." And the apostle Paul speaks
of Christians as raised from the dead to life. " But God, who
is rich in mercy, for the great love wherewith he loved us, even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened vis together with
Christ." (Eph. ii. 4, 5.) " If ye then be risen with Christ."
(Col. iii. 1.) And this will be a most remarkable resurrection
of the church on earth, from a low, dark, afiiicted state, to a
state of great life and joy. It will be multiplied to an exceed-
ing great army, which will cover the face of the earth. And
heaven will, in a sense and degree, come down to earth ; the
.spirit of the martyrs, and of all the just made perfect, will now
revive and appear on earth, in their numerous successors, and
the joy of those in heaven will be greatly increased.

This is the first r£surrection, in which all they who have a
part are blessed and holy. " Blessed and holy is he who hath
part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath
no power." It is implied that tlicy only are blessed and holy
who share in this resurrection ; and, therefore, that all the re-
deemed in heaven and earth, who are blessed and holy, are
the subjects of it, or have part in it. All who have been or
shall be raised from death to spiritual life, have by this a part
in this first resurrection ; and tliey, and they only, shall escape
the second death. This is a further evidence that this first
resurrection is a spiritual resurrection, a resurrection of the

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 269

soul ; for, if it were a literal resurrection of the body, no one
would think it would include all the happy and holy, all that
shall be saved.

The secondxesurxfiiclion is to be the resurrection of the body,
in which all shall have part, both the holy and the unholy,
the blessed and the miserable, which is to take place after
the first resurrection is over and the millennium is ended, and
after the rise and destruction of Gog and Magog, when the
day of judgment shall come on, of which there is an account
in the latter part of this chapter. " And I saw the dead, small
and great, stand before God. And the sea gave vip the dead
which were in it ; and death and hell delivered up the dead
which were in them ; and they were judged every man accord-
ing to their works." " But the rest of the dead lived not again
until the thousand years were finished." The rest of the dead
are all the dead which have no part in the first resurrection;
that is, are not holy, and partakers of spiritual life. This in-
cludes all the wicked who shall have lived and shall die before
the millennium, the last of which will be slain, and swept off"
the earth previous to the millennium, and in order to intro-
duce it, of which there is a representation in the words imme-
diately preceding the passage under consideration. " And the
rest were slain with the sword of him that sat upofi the horse,
which sword proceeded out of his mouth, and all the fowls
were filled with their flesh." Li our translation, it is the rem-
nant. It is the same word in the original, oi loinoi, which is
translated the rest, in the words transcribed above, and the lat-
ter seem to have reference to the former. The rest of the dead
are the wicked dead, in opposition to the righteous, who lived
again in their successors, who take possession of the earth and
reign, and in the revival and prosperity of their cause, and the
kingdom of which they are members. During this thousand
years, the rest of the dead, all the anti-Christian party, and the
wicked enemies of Christ, who lived and died in the cause of
Satan, do not live again ; they will have no successors on
earth who shall rise in their spirit, and espouse and promote
their cause ; but this will be wholly run down and lost, till the
thousand years shall be ended; and then they shall live again
a short time in their successors, Gog and Magog, who shall
arise in their spirit and cause, and increase and prevail, while
Satan is loosed again for a little season. This is implied in
the words, " But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished." It is supposed that they will
live again then, which must be during the time in which Sa-
tan shall be loosed ; for the general resurrection of the bodies
will not be till this is ended. These dead will live, then, just
23*

270 THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

as the souls of the martyrs, and all the faithful followers of
Christ who had died, will live in the millennium.*

That this prophecy respects all nations, and the whole of
mankind who shall live in the world in that thousand years, is
evident, in that the binding of Satan respects them all. " That
he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years
should be fulfilled." And this answers to a prophecy in
Isaiah. " And he will destroy in this mountain the face of
the covering cast over all people^ and the vail that is spread
over nil ncUions.''^ (Isaiah xxv. 7.) All nations, the world
of mankind, therefore, who shall then live on the earth, will
have part in the first resurrection ; and this warrants the ap-
plication of all the prophecies Avhich have been mentioned in
the preceding section, and others of the same tenor, to this
time. And there is good reason to believe that this prophecy
in the first six verses of the twentieth chapter of the Revela-
tion is expressed in language best suited to answer the end
of it, if it be understood as it has been now explained. The
meaning is as obvious and plain as is desirable and proper
that of prophecy should be, when compared with other proph-
ecies. And it is in the best manner suited to support and com-
fort the followers of Christ, who live before that time, and to
animate them to faithfulness, constancy and patience, under
all their sufferings in this cause, while the wicked prosper and
triumph, and Satan reigns in the world, which is one special
end of this revelation. Here they are taught that an end is
to come to the afflictions of the church and to the triumph
of all her enemies ; that Satan's kingdom on earth shall come
to an end, and the church shall rise and .spread, and fill the
world ; that the cause in which they labor and sutler shall be
victorious, and that all who suffer in this cause, and who are
faithful to Christ, shall live to see this happy, glorious day, and
have a large share in it, in proportion to the degree and length
of their sufferings, labors, and persevering patience and fidel-
ity in the cause of Christ and his church.

The way is now prepared to consider and show more par-
ticularly iji what the happiness and glory of .tlxe railltMinium
ivill consist, and what particular circumstances will attend

* " It is very aptrccahle to the design and connection of this prophecy to
understand the rest of the dead, who lived not again till the thousand years
were finished, of the rest or remnant, viz., of those who were slain with the
sword of him that sat on the horse. Thus the dead church, raised to life, and
living and reigning for a thousand years, and the enemies of the church re-
maining dead, and not living again till tlie thousand years were finished, will
exactly agree in the same figurative meaning. This will he a sense consistent
with the resurrection of the anti- Christian party again, for a little season, after
the thousand eyars shall be finished. Lowtnan's note on Rev. xx. 5.

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 271

the church at that clay ; what is revealed concerning this by
express prophecies, and what is implied in them, or may be
deduced as consequences from what is expressly declared. It
will be no wonder if some mistakes should be made on this
point; but it is hoped if there should be any, they will not
be very hurtful. And it is ajiprehended that the greatest
error will be in falling short, and not coming up to the reality,
in the description of the happiness and glory of that day ; for
doubtless our ideas of these, when raised to the highest of
which we are at present capable, fall vastly short of the truth.
There is good reason to conclude, however, that the church
and Christians will not be perfectly holy in that day, but that
every one will be attended with a degree of sinful imperfec-
tion, while in the body, however great may be his attainments
and advantages in knowledge and holiness. Doubtless the in-
spired declarations, that " there is no man which sinneth not ;
there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and
sinnetii not ; that if any who professes to be a Christian say
he hath no sin, he deceiveth himself, and the truth is not in
him," will remain true to the end of the world, even in the
millennium, and there will be no perfection on this side
heaven. The apostasy which will take place at the end of
the millennium can be better accounted for, on the supposi-
tion that the saints will not be perfect in that time, and seems
to suppose it. Though they may, and doubtless will, have
vastly higher degrees of light and holiness than any shall have
before that time, yet they will be far from being wholly with-
out sin.

It is most probable, that every individual person who shall
then live will be a real Christian, and all will doubtless be
members of the church in that day. That is the time when
" all shall know the Lord, from the least to the greatest." God
says to his church, speaking of that day, " Thy people also shall
be all righteous." (Isa. Ix. 21.) " Awake, awake : put on thy
strength, O Zion ; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusa?
lem, the holy city ; for henceforth there shall no more come
unto thee the uncircumcised and the unclean." (Isa. lii. 1.) \

The following things will take place in the millennium in^
an eminent degree, as they never did before, which may be
mentioned as generals, including many particulars, some of
\vbic.h will be afterwards suggested.

(j/ That will be qL_time_^o£eiTiinent holiness, when it shall be
acted out by all in a high degree, in all the branches of it, so
as to appear in its true beauty and the happy effects of it.
This will be the peculiar glory and the source of the happi-
ness of the millennium. The prophet Zechariah, speaking of

272 THE MILLENMU.M STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

that day, says, " In that day shall there be upon the beils of
the horses, Holiness unto the Lord : and the pots t)f the
Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea,
every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto
the Lord of hosts." (Zech. xiv. 20, 21.) In these metaphorical
expressions is declared the eminent degree of holiness of that
day, which will consecrate every thing, even all the utensils and
the common business and enjoyments of life unto the Lord.

Holiness consists in love to God and to man, with every
affection and exercise implied in this, which being expressed
and acted out, appears in the exercise of piety towards God,
in every branch of it, and of righteousness and goodness, or
disinterested benevolence towards man, including ourselves.

I This, so far as it shall take place, will banish all the evils
which have existed and prevailed in the world, and becoming
universal, and rising to a high and eminent degree, will intro-
duce a state of enjoyment and happiness which never was
known before on earth, and render it a resemblance of heaven
in a high degree.

This will be effected by the abundant influences of the

_Hely Spiiit, poured down on men more universally, and in
more constant and plentiful effusions than ever before ; ■f&it-all
holiness in man is the effect of the Holy Spirit. That day
will be, in a peculiar sense, tliSc._dispeiisation of the liohf Spirit,
when he will appear as the author of all holiness, by whose
influence alone divine, revealed truth, and all religious institu-
tions and means, become efficacious and salutary ; by which
he will have peculiar honor in the holiness and salvation which
shall then take place. The prophecies of Scripture which re-
spect the millennium represent it in this light. God, speaking
by Isaiah of that time, says, " I will pour water upon him that
is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will pom* my
Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring;
and they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by
the watercourses." And the same time and event is men-
tioned as the effect of the Holy Spirit poured out upon the
church. "Neither will I hide my face any more from Ihein;
for I have poured out my Spirit vpon the house of Israel, saith
the Lord God." (Eze. xxxix. 29.) The same event is pre-
dicted by the prophet Joel : " And it shall come to pass after-
ward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh ; and also
upon the servants, and upon the handmaids in these days,
will I pour out my Spirit." (Joel ii. 28, 29.) The apostle
Peter applies this passage in Joel to the pouring out of the
Spirit on the apostles and others on the day of Pentecost.
(Acts ii. 16, etc.) But this prophecy was fulfilled only in a

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 273

small degree then. This was but the beginning, the first
fruits, which will issue in that which is unspeakably greater,
more extensive and glorious, in the days of the millennium,
to which this prediction has chief respect, and when it will
have the full and most complete accomplishment.

(lli There will be a great increase of light and knowledge
to a degree vastly beyond v/hat has been before. This is in-
deed implied in the great degree of holiness which has been
mentioned; for knowledge, mental light, and holiness are
inseparably connected, and are, in some respects, the same.
Holiness is true light and discerning, so far as it depends upon
a right taste, and consists in it, and it is a thirst after every
kind and degree of useful knowledge; and this desire and
thirst for knowledge will be great and strong, in proportion to
the degree of holiness exercised, and forms the mind to con-
stant attention, and to make swift advances in understanding
and knowledge, and becomes a strong guard against mistakes,
error, and delusion. Therefore, a time of eminent holiness
must be a time of proportionably great light and knowledge.
This is the representation which the Scripture gives of that
time. The end of binding Satan, and casting him into the
bottomless pit, is said to be, "that he should deceive the
nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled."
This will put an end to the darkness and multiiilicity of strong
delusions which i^o prevail, and will prevail, till that time, by
which Satan supports and promotes his interest and kingdom
among men. Then " the face of the covering cast over all
people, and the vail spread over ail nations, shall be taken
away and destroyed." (Isa. xxv. 7.) " And the eyes of them
that see shall not be dim; and the ears of them that hear
shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall understand
knowledge, and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready
to speak plainly." (Isa. xxxii. 3, 4.) The superior light and
knowledge of that day are metaphorically represented in the
following words : " Moreover, the light of the moon shall be
as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-
fold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bind-
eth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their
wound." (Isa. xxx. 26.) In that day, "the earth shall be full
of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."
(Isa. xi. 9.)

The Holy Scriptures will then be attended to by all, and
studied with care, meekness, humility, and uprightness of
heart, earnestly desiring to understand them and know the
truth, and the truths they contain will be received with a high
relish and delight ; and the Bible will be much better under-

274 THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

stood than ever before. Many things expressed or implied in
the Scripture, which are now overloolvcd and disregarded, will
then be discovered and appear important and excellent; and
those things which now appear intricate and unintelligible, will
then appear plain and easy. Then public teachers will be emi-
nently iDurning and shining lights ; apt to teach ; scribes well
instructed into the things of the kingdom of heaven, who will
bring out of their treasures things new and old ; and the hear-
ers will be all attention, and receive the truth in the love of it,
into honest and good hearts, and light and knowledge will
constantly increase. The conversation of friends and neigh-
bors, when they meet, will be full of instruction, and they will
assist each other in their inquiries after the truth, and in pur-
suit of knowledge. Parents will be able and disposed to in-
struct their children as soon as they are capable of learning ;
and they will early understand what are the great and leading
truths which are revealed in the Bible, and the duties and in-
stitutions there prescribed ; and from their childhood they will
know and understand the Holy Scriptures, by which they will
grow in understanding and wisdom, and will soon know
more than the greatest and best divines have known in ages
before ; and a happy foundation will be laid for great advances
in knowledge and usefulness to the end of life. Agreeably to
this, the Scripture, speaking of that day, says, " There shall be
no more thence (i. e., in the church) an infant of days, nor an
old man that hath not filled his days ; for the child shall die
a hundred years old." (Isa. Ixv. 20.) "An infant of days"
is an old infcmt; that is, an old man who is an infant in
knowledge, understanding, and discretion. Many such aged
infants have been and still are to be found. In that day, all
shall make advances in true knowledge, discretion and wis-
dom, in some proportion to their years. "Nor an old man
that hath not filled his days ; " that is, an old man who has
not improved in knowledge and usefulness, and every good
attainment, according to his age. " For a child shall die a
hundred years old ; " that is, children in years shall then
make such early progress in knowledge and in religion, and
in all excellent and useful attainments, that they shall equal,
if not surpass, the highest attainments in these things of the
oldest men who have lived in former ages.

They will then have every desirable advantage and opportu-
nity to get knowledge. They will all be engaged in \hv. same
pursuit, and give all the aid and assistance to each other in
their power. They will all Imve suilicient leisure to pursue and
acquire learning of every kind, that will be beneficial to them-
selves and to society,especially knowledge of divinity ; and great

THE MILLENN[UM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 275

advances will be made in all arts and sciences, and in every use-
ful branch of knowledge, which tends to promote the spiritual
and eternal good of men, or their convenience and comfort in
this life.

III. It_will-be a time of universal peace, love, and general
and cordial friendship. War and all strife and contention
shall then cease, and be succeeded by mutual love, friendship,
and beneficence. Those lusts of men which originate in self-
love, or selfishness, which produce all the wars and strifes
among men, shall be subdued and mortified, and yield to that
disinterested benevolence, that heavenly wisdom, which is
peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated. This will effect-
ually put an end to war, as the Scripture teaches. " And he
shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their
spears into pruning-hooks : nation shall not lift up sword
against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. And
my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure
dwellings, and in quiet resting-places." (Isa. ii. 4; xxxii. 18.)
The whole world of mankind will be united as one family,
wisely seeking the good of each other, in the exercise of the
most sweet love and friendship, founded upon the best and
everlasting principles. " The meek shall inherit the earth, and
shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." This
change, which shall then take place, in which men, who- were
in ages before like savage beasts, injurious, cruel, revengeful,
and destructive to each other, shall lay aside all this, and be-
come harmless, humble, and benevolent, is set in a striking,
beautiful light in prophecies, representing it by the most fierce
and cruel beasts of prey changing their nature, and living
quietly with those creatures which they used to destroy, and
so tame and pliable that a little child might lead them ; and
by the most venomous creatures and insects becoming harm-
less, so that a child might play with them without any danger
of being hurt. Isaiah, speaking of that day, says, " The wolf
shall dwell Vx^ith the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down
■U'ith the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling
together ; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow
and the bear shall feed ; their young ones shall lie down to-
gether : and the' lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the
sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the
weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den." (Isa.
xi. 6-8.) Then " they shall sit every man under his vine,
and under his fig-tree, and none shall make them afraid."
(Mic.iv. 4.)

(IV)) In that day;^men will not only be united in peace and

276 THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

love, as brethren, but will agree in sentiments respecting the
doctrines and truth contahied in the Bible, and the religious
institutions and practice which are there prescribed.

Professing Christians have been, from the begiiming of
Christianity to this day, greatly divided, and have opposed
each other in their religions sentiments and practices, and are
now divided into various parties, sects, and denominations,
while all appeal to divine revelation, and profess to take their
sentiments and practices from that.

It has been often said by some professing Christians, and is
a sentiment which appears to be spreading at this day, that
difference in religious sentiments, and in attendance on the
institutions of the gospel and modes of worship, is attended
with no inconvenience, but is rather desirable and advanta-
geous ; and by this variety, Christianity is rendered more agree-
able and beautiful; that it is impossible that all men, whose
capacities and genius are so different and various, and their
minds and way of thinking and conception are naturally so
far from being alike, should ever be brought to think alike,
and embrace the same religious sentiments ; that this differ-
ence in man's belief and sentiment cannot be criminal ; for
men are no more obliged to think alike than they are to look
alike, and have the same bodily features and stature. All the
union that is required, or that can take place, is that of kind
affection, love, and charity.

But such sentiments as these are not agreeable to reason or
Scripture. Error in judgment and sentiment, especially in
things of a moral nature, is always wrong, and does not con-
sist or originate merely in any defect of the natural faculties
of the mind, but is of a moral nature, in which the taste,
affection, or inclination of the heart is concerned, and there-
fore is always, in every degree of it, morally wrong, and more
or less criminal. Were the moral faculties of the mind, were
the heart perfectly right, man would not be capable of error,
or of judging wrong, or making any mistake, especially in
things of religion. The natural faculties of the mind, of per-
ception and understanding or reason, considered as separate
from the inclination or will, do not lead, and have no tendency
in themselves to judge wrong, or conti-ary to the truth of
things. To do so, is to judge without evidence, and contrary
to it, which the mind never would or could do, were not the
inclination or heart concerned in it so as to have influence,
which must be a wrong inclination, and contrary to the truth
and to evidence, and, therefore, is morally wrong or criminal.

Therefore, all the mistakes and wrong opinions which men
entertain respecting the doctrines, institutions, and duties

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 277

revealed in the Bible are criminal, and of a bad tendency. They
must be so, as they are contrary to man's obligation ani^l duty
to believe all revealed truth, and are wholly owing to a wrong
bias or inclination, or the depravity or corruption of the heart.
What God has revealed in his Word, he has declared to man,
to be received by him and believed to be the truth, of which
he has given sufficient evidence ; and the man who does not
believe what God has clearly revealed, and of which he has
given sufficient evidence, even all that can be reasonably de-
sired, does abuse and pervert his own understanding, and
shuts his eyes against the truth, and refuses to receive the
testimony which God has given. And who will say there is
no crime in this ?

Since, therefore, all mistakes and errors, contrary to the
truths made known in the Bible, are criminal and owing to
the corruption of the heart of man, then perfect holiness will
exclude all error, and there neither is, nor can be, any wrong
judgment in heaven; and in the millennium, which will be a
greater image of heaven than ever was before on earth, holi-
ness, light, and knowledge will rise so high that the former
errors in principle and practice will subside, and there will be
a great and general union in the belief and practice of the,
truth contained in divine revelation. i

As there is but " one Lord, one faith, and one baptism," so
in that day men will be united in the belief and profession of
this one faith, in the system of doctrines revealed in the Bible,
which then will appear plain, and with the clearest evidence
to all. And they will have one common Lord, will under-
stand and obey all the commands of Christ, and they will
know what are the institutions and ordinances which Christ
has appointed, which are all implied in baptism ; they will
understand what is the import of this, and implied in it, and
be united in sentiments and practice, so as to form a beautiful,
happy union and harmony, which will put an end to the vari-
ety and opposition of opinions and practices which now
divide professing Christians into so many sects, parties, and
denominations. The ^yhole church, with all the members of it,
which till the earth and include all mankind then living, will,
in that day^ come to that to which the gospel tends and is de-
signed to bring it. It will " come in the unUij of the faith^ and
of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto
the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; that they
shall be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about
with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and the
cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive ; but
speaking the truth in love shall grow up into him in all things,
VOL. II. 24

278 THE MIILLKNNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

which is the head, even Christ." (Eph. iv. 13-15.) Then,
agreeably to the wish and injunction of the apostle Paul,
Christians will " all speak the same thing, and there will be
no divisions among them, but will be perfectly joined together
in the same mind, and in the same judgment." (1 Cor. i. 10.)
Then the inventions and prescriptions of men, both in doctrines
and modes of worship, and in Christian practice, will be abol-
ished and cease. The Bible will be then understood, and be
found a sufficient and perfect rule of faith and practice, in which
all will agree, and will join, " with one mind, and one mouth,
to worship and glorify God." (Rom. xv. 6.) Then the weapons
of the gospel, the truths of divine revelation, being preached,
understood, and received, will cast down the imaginations
of men, and every high thing introduced by tlie pride of man,
which now exalts itself against the knowledge of God; and
will bring into captivity every thought, to the obedience of
Christ." (2 Cor. x. 4, 5.) " And the Lord shall be king over
all the earth. In that day shall there be one Lord, and his
name one." (Zech. xiv. 9.) All shall agree in their view and
acknowledgment of the divine character, and consequently
in all the revealed truths and duties contained in the Bible.
Christ will then come to his temple, his church, "and he will
be like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. And he shall sit
as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the
sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they
may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness." (Mai.
iii. 1-3.) The question will be asked now, as it was then,
"But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall
stand when he appeareth?" What sector denomination of
Christians will abide the trial of that day, and be established ?
Answer. Nothing but the truth, or that which is conform-
able to it, will abide the trial of that day. " The lip of truth
shall be established forever." (Pr. xii. 19.) " The righteous
nation which keepeth the truth shall enter in/' and be estab-
lished in that day. (Isa. xxvi. 2.) Those of every denomi-
nation will doubtless expect that the doctrines they hold, and
their mode of worship and discipline and practice, with re-
spect to the institutions and ordinances of Christ, will be then
established as agreeable to the truth, and all others will be
given up ; and all men will freely conform to them. But the
most, and perhaps all, will be much disappointed in this ex-
pectation, especially with regard to the different modes of
worship, and practices relating to discipline, and the ordi-
nances of the gospel. When the church comes to be built up
in that day, and put on her beautiful garments, it will doubt-
Jess be different from any thing which now takes place ; and

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 279

what church and particular denomination is now nearest the
truth, and the church which will exist at that time, must be
left to be decided by the event. It is certain, that all doctrines
and practices which are not ag:reeable to the truth will at that
day, as wood, hay, and stubble, be burnt up. Therefore, it
now highly concerns all honestly to seek and uad, love, and
practise truth and peace.

It is agreeable to human nature, and seeiltis to be essential
to rational creatures, to be most pleased with those who think
as they do, and are of the same sentiments with themselves,
in those things in which they feel themselves chiefly interested
and concerned. And this agreement in sentiment cements
and increases their union and friendship. But this is true, in
a peculiar sense and degree, in the case before us. There can
be no proper, cordial, religious union among professing Chris-
tians, who wholly diifer and oppose each other in their opinion
respecting the truths and doctrines of the gospel. And agree-
ment in sentiment, and in the knowledge and b-jlief of the
truth, is essential to the most happy Christian union and
friendship. To him who loves the truth, error in others is dis-
agreeable and hateful, and that in proportion to the degree of
his love of the truth and pleasure in it. Therefore, Christians
love one another in the truth,) as the apostles and primitive
Christians did. " The elder unto the weU-beloved Gaius,
whom I love in the truth." (3 John, verse 1.) Where there
is no agreement and union in sentiment and belief of the
truth, there is no foundation for Christian love and friendship.
Love, without any regard to truth, is not Christian love. In
this sense, the knowledge and belief of the truth, and Christian
love, cannot be separated ; and where there is no knowledge
and belief of the truths of the gospel, and agreement in senti-
ment, there can be no union of heart and true Christian love
and friendship.*

As light and knowledge will be greatly increased in the mil-
lennium, and the great truths and doctrines contained in

* They who talk of Christian union, love and charity, whore there is no
agreement in sentiment, respecting the truths and doctrines of the gospel, but
a great difference and opposition, and think that doctrinal sentiments are of
no importance in Christianity, and that their having no belief of particular
doctrines, and no creed, or differing in their religious sentiments ever so much
is no impediment to the greatest union and Christian friendship, seem not to
know what real Christian union, love, and friendship is. It is certain they do
not love one another in the truth, and for the truth's sake, which dwellcth in
them, as Christians did in the apostles' days. (2 John i. 2.) The Catholicism and
love for which they plead appears to be a po/itical love and union, which may
in some measure unite civil worldly societies, but has nothing of the nature
of real Chi'istianity and that union and love by which the followers of Christ
are one.

280 THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

divine revelation will then be more clearly discerned, and appear
in their true connection, excellence and importance, they will
be understood and cordially embraced by all ; and they will
be united together in the same mind, and the same judgment;
and by this be formed to a high degree of happy Christian
union, love and friendship, loving one another in the truth,
with a pure heart fervently. Thus were the primitive Chris-
tians united in knowing and obeying the truth, whom the
apostle Peter thus addresses : " Seeing ye have purified your
souls in obeying' the truth through the Spirit, unto unfeigned
love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure
heart fervently." (1 Pet. i. 22.) In that day the promise and
prophecy spoken by Jeremiah will be accomplished to a
greater extent and degree than it ever was before. " And I
will give them one heart, and one ivay, that they may fear me
forever, for the good of them, and of their children after
them." (Jer. xxxii. 39.)

V. The millennium will be a time of great enjoyment, hap-
piness, and universal joy.

This is often mentioned in prophecy, as what will take
place in that day, in a peculiar manner and high degree. " For
ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace : the
mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into sing-
ing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Be
ye glad, and rejoice forever in that which I create ; for I create
Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy." (Isa. Iv. 12; Ixv.
18.) The enjoyments of that day are represented by a rich
and plentiful feast for all people, consisting in provision of the
most agreeable and delicious kind. " And in this mountain
shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat
things, a feast of wines on the lees,, a feast of fat things full
of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined." (Isa. xxv. 6.)
The enjoyments and happiness of the millennium are com-
pared to a marriage supper. " Let us rejoice and give honor
to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife
hath made herself ready. Blessed are they who are called
unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." (Rev. xix. 7, 9.)
And there will be a great increase of happiness and joy in
heaven at the introduction of that day, and during the con-
tinuance of it. (Rev. xviii. 20; xix. 1-7.) "There shall be
joy in heaven, and there is joy in the presence of the angels
of God, over one sinner that repenteth." (Luke xv. 7, 10.)

And this great increase of happiness and joy on earth will
be the natural, and even necessary, consequence of the great
degree and universality of knowledge and holiness, which all
wiJJ then possess. The knowledge of God and the Redeemer,

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 281

and love to him, will be the source of unspeakable pleasure
and joy in his character, government, and kingdom. And the
more the great truths of divine revelation are opened and
come into view, and the wisdom and grace of God in the
work of redemption are seen, the more they are contemplated
and relished, the greater will be their enjoyment and happi-
ness ; and great will be their evidence and assurance of the
love and favor of God, and that they shall enjoy him and all
the blessings and glory of his kingdom forever. Then, as it
is predicted of that time, " the work of righteousness shall be
peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance
forever." (Isa. xxxii. 17.) Then the eminent degi'ee of right-
eousness or holiness to which all shall arrive will be attended
with great enjoyment and happiness, which is often meant by
peace in Scripture. And the effect and consequence of this
high degree of holiness and happiness, in seeing and loving
God and divine truth, shall be that they shall have a steady,
quiet assurance of the love of God, and of his favor forever,
which will greatly add to their happiness.*

They will have unspeakable satisfaction and delight in
worshipping God in secret and in social worship, whether
more private or public, and their meditations and study on
divine things will be sweet. The Word of God will be to
them sweeter than honey or the honeycomb, and they will
rejoice in the truths there revealed more than the men of the
world ever did, or can do, in all riches. In public assemblies,
while the heart and lips of the preacher will glow with heav-
enly truth, and he pours light and instruction on a numerous
congregation, they wall all hang upon his lips, and drink in
the divine sentiments which are communicated, with a high
relish and delight. And in such entertainments there will be
enjoyed unspeakably more real pleasure and happiness than
all the men of the world ever found in the most gay, brilliant
company, with the most agreeable festivity and mirth, music,
and dancing, that is possible. The latter is not worthy to be
compared with the former.

Then religious enjoyment, whether in company or alone,

* Assurance of the love of God, and of enjoying his favor forever, is here
said to be the effect of the exercise of holiness, and that peace of soul and en-
joyment which attends it ; so that persons must frst be holy, and love God,
before they can have any assurance or evidence that God loves them, and that
they shall be saved ; the latter being the eifect, and not the cause, of the for-
mer. They, therefore, turn things upside down, and contradict this passage,
and the whole of divine revelation, and even all reason and common sense, who
hold that persons must first have assurance, or at least believe, that God loves
them with an everlasting love, before they can love God, or exercise any de-
gree of true holiness, and that the latter is the effect of the foraier.

24*

282 THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

will appear to be a reality, and of the highest and most noble
kind, and every one will be a witness and instance of it.
There will then be no brier and thorns to molest enjoyment,
or render company disagreeable, but all will be amiable,
happy, and full of love, and render themselves agreeable to
every one. Every one will behave with decency and pro-
priety towards all, agreeably to his station and connections.
The law of kindness will be on the tongues of all, and true
friendship, of which there is so little among men now, will
then be common and universal — even Christian love and
friendship, which is the most excellent kind of friendship, and
is, indeed, the only real, happy, lasting friendship. And this
will lay a foundation for a peculiar, happy intimacy and
friendship in the nearest relations and connections, by which
conjugal and domestic duties will be faithfully performed; and
the happiness of those relations will be very great, and the
end of the institutions of marriage and families be answered
in a much greater degree than ever before, and they will have
their proper effect in promoting the enjoyment of individuals,
and the good of society.

Then the happiness and joy each one will have in the wel-
fare of others, and the blessings bestowed on them, will be
very great. Now the few Christians who exercise disinter-
ested benevolence have, as the apostle Paul had, great heavi-
ness, and continual sorrow in their hearts, while they behold
so many miserable objects, and are surrounded with those
who are unhappy in this world, and appear to be going to
everlasting destruction by their folly and obstinacy in sin.
They have great comfort and joy, indeed, in the few who
appear to be Christians and heirs of eternal life. When they
see persons who appear to understand and love the doctrines
of the gospel, and to have imbibed the amiable, excellent
spirit of Christianity, and to be the blessed favorites of
Heaven, they greatly rejoice with them in their happiness,
and can say, as Paul did, " What thanks can we render to
God for you lor all the joy wherewith we rejoice for your
sakes before our God ? " (i Thess. iii. 9.) But in the millen-
nium, the happiness and joy of each one will be unspeakably
.greater in the character and happiness of all. The benevo-
lence^^of every one will be gratified and pleased to a very high
degree by all whom he beholds, all with whom he converses,
and of whom he thinks ; and in their amiable character and
great happiness, he will have pleasure and joy in proportion
to the degree of his benevolence, which will vastly surpass
that degree of it which the best Christians now exercise.
There will then be no such infinitely miserable objects which

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 283

are now every where to be seen, to excite painful grief and
sorrow; and the character of Christians will then be much
more beautiful and excellent than that of real Christians is now,
as they will abound so much more in all holy exercise and
practice, and their present enjoyment and future happiness in
heaven will be more evident and realized by each one, which
will give pleasure and joy to every one, in the amiable charac-
ter and happiness of others, even beyond all our present con-
ceptions. " There shall be no more a pricking brier unto the
church, (or particular Christians,) nor any grieving thorn of all
that are round about them." (Eze. xxviii. 24.) But all will
live in pleasing harmony and friendship, and every one will
consider himself as surrounded with amiable friends, though
he may have no particular connection or acquaintance with
them, and all he will see or meet as he passes in the public
streets, or elsewhere, will give him a peculiar pleasure, as he
will have good reason to consider them to be friends to Christ
and to him, and as possessing the peculiarly amiable character
of Christians ; and this pleasure will be mutual between those
who have no particular knowledge of each other. But this
enjoyment and pleasure will rise much higher between those
who are particularly acquainted with each other's character,
exercises, and circumstances ; and especially those who are in
a more near connection with each other, and whose circum-
stances and opportunities lead them to form and cultivate a
peculiar intimacy and friendship.

Bnt it is not to be supposed that we are now a,ble to give a
proper and full description, or to form an adequate idea of the
happiness, joy, and glory of that day ; but all that is attempted,
and our most enlarged and pleasing conceptions, fall much
short of the truth, which cannot be fully known till that happy
time shall come. They who now have the best and highest
taste for divine truth, and the greatest religious enjoyment,
who abound most in Christian love, and have the most ex-
perience of the happiness of Christian friendship, and attend
most to the Bible, and study the predictions of that day, will
doubtless have the clearest view of it, and most agreeable to
the truth, and the highest satisfaction and pleasure in the
prospect of it.

There are many other things and circumstances which will
take place in that day, which are implied in what has now
been observed, or may be inferred from it and from the Scrip-
ture, by which the advantages, happiness and glory of the
millennium will be promoted; some of which will be men-
tioned in the following particulars: —
f\. All outward, worldly circumstances will then be agreeable

284 THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

and prosperous, and there will be for all a sufficiency and
fulness of every thing needed for the body, and for the com-
fort and convenience of every one.

This may be inferred from many passages of Scripture,
which refer to that day ; among which are the following :
" Then shall the earth yield her increase ; and God, even our
own God, shall bless us." (Ps. Ixvii. 6.) " Then shall he give
the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal,
and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and
plenteous. In that day shall thy cattle feed in large pastures.
The oxen, likewise, and the young asses that ear the gi'ound,
shall eat clear provender, which hath been winnowed with the
shovel and with the fan. And the inhabitant shall not say, 1
am sick. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them ; and
they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They
shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and
another eat ; for as the days of a tree are the days of my peo-
ple, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble ; for
they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their otfspring
with them." (Isa. xxx. 23, 24 ; xxxiii. 24 ; Ixv. 21-23. Eze.
xxxiv. 23-27.) " They shall sit every man under his vine,
and under his fig-tree, and none shall make him afraid."
{Mic. iv. 4.) " The seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall
give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the
heavens shall give their dew ; and I will cause the remnant of
this people to possess all these things." (Zech. viii. 12.)

This plenty and fulness of the things of this life and worldly
prosperity, by which all will be in easy, comfortable circum-
stances as to outward conveniences and temporal enjoyments,
..will be owing to the following things : —
(Q 1. To the kindness and pecuhar blessing of God in his '
providence. When all the inhabitants of the world shall be- \
come eminently pious, and devote all they have or can enjoy
in this world to God, to the reigning Savior, he will smile
upon men in his providence, and bless them in the city and in
the field, in the fruit of the ground, in the increase of their
herds, and of their flocks, in their basket and in their store, as
he ])r()mised he would bless the children of Israel, if they
would be obedient to him. (Deut. xxviii. 1-8.) There will be
no more unsuitable seasons or calamitous events to prevent
or destroy the fruits of the earth ; but every circumstance with
regard to rains and tlu^ shining of the sun, heat, and cold, will
be so ordered as to render the earth fertile, and succeed the
labor of man in cultivating it, and there will be nothing to
devour and destroy the fruit of the field.

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 285

j 2. To the great degree of benevolence, virtue, and wisdom
i which all will then have and exercise with respect to the
j affairs of" this world, there will then be no war to impover-
' ish, lay waste, and destroy. This has been a vast expense
and scourge to mankind in all ages, by which poverty and
distress have been spread among all nations ; and the fruits
of the earth, produced and stored by the hard labor of man,
have been devoured, and worse than lost. Then there will be
no unrighteous persons, who shall be disposed to invade the
rights and property of others, or deprive them of what justly
belongs to them ; but every one shall securely sit under his
own vine and fig-tree, and there shall be none to make him
afraid. Then there will be no lawsuits, which now, in civilized
nations, are so vexatious and very expensive of time and
money. Then, by the temperance in all things which will be
practised, and the prudent and wise care of the body, and by
the smiles of Heaven, there will be no expensive, distressing,
desolating pestilence and sickness, but general health will be
enjoyed, by which much expense of time and money will be
prevented.

The intemperance, excess, extravagance, and waste in food
and raiment, and the use of the things of life which were be-
fore practised, will be discarded and cease in that day. By
these, a great part of the productions of the earth which are
for the comfort and convenience of man are now wasted and
worse than lost, as they are, in innumerable instances, the
cause of debility of body, sickness, and death. But every thing
of this kind will be used with great prudence and economy,
and in that way, measure, and degree which will best answer
the ends of food, drink, and clothing, and all other furniture,
so as to be most comfortable, decent, and convenient, and in
the best manner furnish persons for their proper business and
duty. Nothing will be sought or used to gratify pride, inordi-
nate, sensual appetite or lust ; so that there will be no waste
of the things of life ; nothing will be lost.

And at that time, the art of husbandry will be greatly ad-
vanced, and men will have skill to cultivate and manure the
earth in a much better and more easy way than ever before ;
so that the same land will then produce much more than it
does now, twenty, thirty, sixty, and perhaps a hundred fold
more ; and that which is now esteemed barren, and not ca-
pable of producing any thing by cultivation, will then yield
much more for the sustenance of man and beast than that
which is most productive now ; so that a very little spot will
then produce more of the necessaries and comforts of life than
large tracts of land do now ; and in this way, the curse which

286 THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

has hitherto been upon the ground for the rebellion of man
will be in a great measure removed.

There will also, doubtless, be great improvement and ad-
vances made in all those mechanic arts, by which the earth
will be subdued and cultivated, and all the necessary and con-
venient articles of life, such as all utensils, clothing, buildings,
etc., will be formed and made in a better manner, and with
much less labor than they now are. There may be inventions
and arts of this kind which are beyond our present conception.
And if they could be now known by any one, and he could
tell what they will be, they would be thought by most to be
utterly incredible and impossible, as those inventions and arts,
which are now known and familiar to us, would have appeared
to those who lived before they were found out and took place.

It is not impossible, but very probable, that ways will yet
be found out by men to cut rocks and stones into any shape
they please, and to remove them from place to place with as
little labor as that with which they now cut and remove the
softest and lightest wood, in order to build houses, fences,
bridges, paving roads, etc. ; and those huge rocks and stones,
which now appear to be useless, and even a nuisance, may
then be found to be made and reserved, by Him who is infi-
nitely wise and good, for great usefulness and important
purposes. Perhaps there is good reason not to doubt of this.
And can he doubt of it who considers what inventions and
arts have taken place in latter ages, which are as much an ad-
vance beyond what was known or thought of in ages before
as such an art would be beyond what is now known and prac-
tised ? The art by which they removed great stones, and
raised them to a vast height, by which they built the pyramids
in Egypt, and that by which huge stones were cut and put
into the temple of Jerusalem, is now lost, and it cannot be
conceived how this was done. This art may be revived in
the millennium ; and there may be other inventions and arts
to us inconceivably greater and more useful than that. Then,
in a literal sense, the valleys shall be filled, and the mountains
and hills shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made
straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth, to render
travelling more convenient and easy, and the earth more pro-
ductive and fertile.

When all these things are considered which have now been
suggested, and others which will naturally occur to them who
attend to this sul)ject, it will appear evident that in the days
of the millennium there will be a fulness and plenty of all the
necessaries and conveniences of life to render all much more
easy and comfortable in their worldly circumstances and enjoy-

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 287

ments than ever before, and with much less labor and toil, and
that it will not be then necessary for any men or women to spend
all or the gi-eatest part of their time in labor in order to procure
a living, and enjoy all the comforts and desirable conveniences
of life. It will not be necessary for each one to labor more
than two or three hours in a day, and not more than will con-
duce to the health and vigor of the body ; and the rest of then:
time they will be disposed to spend in reading and conversation,
and in all those exercises which are necessary and proper in
order to improve their minds and make progress in knowledge,
especially in the knowledge of divinity, and in studying the
Scriptures, and in private and social and public worship, and
attending on public instruction, etc. When the earth shall be
all subdued and prepared in the best manner for cultivation,
and houses and enclosures and other necessary and conveni-
ent buildings shall be erected and completely finished, con-
sisting of the most durable materials, the labor will not be
hard, and will require but a small portion of their time, in
order to supply every one with all the necessaries and con-
veniences of life ; and the rest of their time will not be spent
in dissipation or idleness, but in business more entertaining
and important, which has been now mentioned.

And there will be then such benevolence and fervent charity
in every heart, that if any one shall be reduced to a state of
want by some casualty, or by inability to provide for himself,
fie wiirhave all the relief and assistance that he could desire,
and there will be such a mutual care and assistance of each
other, that all worldly things will be in a great degree and in
the best manner common, so as not to be withheld from any
who may want them ; and they will take great delight in
ministering to others and serving them, whenever and in
whatever ways there shall be opportunity to do it.

2. In that day, mankind will greatly multiply and increase
in number till the earth shall be filled with them.

When God first made mankind, he said to them, " Be fruit-
ful and multiply, and replenish (or fill) the earth, and subdue
it." (Gen. i. 28.) And he renewed this command to Noah
and his sons, after the flood, and in them to mankind in gen-
eral. " And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto
them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth."
(Gen. ix. 1.) This command has never yet been obeyed by
mankind; they have yet done but little, compared with what
they ought to have done, in subduing and filling the earth.
Instead of this, they have spent great part of their time and
strength in subduing and destroying each other, and in that
impiety, intemperance, folly, and wickedness, which have

288 THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

brought the divine judgments upon them ; and they have been
reduced and destroyed in all ages by famine, pestilence, and
poverty, and innumerable calamities and evil occurrents; so
that by far the greatest part of the earth remains yet unsub-
dued, and lies waste without inhabitants; and where it has
been most subdued and cultivated and populous it has been,
and still is, far from being filled with inhabitants, so that" it
could support no more, except in a very few instances, if in
any. An exact calculation cannot be made ; but it is pre-
sumed that every man who considers the things which have
been mentioned above will be sensible that this earth may be
made capable of sustaining thousands to one of mankind who
now inhabit it ; so that if each one were multiplied to many
thousands, the earth would not be more than filled, and all
might have ample provision for their sustenance, convenience,
and comfort. This will not take place so long as the world
of mankind continue to exercise so much selfishness, un-
righteousness, and impiety as they do now and always have
done ; but there is reason to think they will be greatly dimin-
ished, by their destroying themselves and one another, and
by remarkable divine judgments, which will be particularly
considered in a following section.

But when the millennium shall begin, the inhabitants which
shall then be on the earth will be disposed to obey the divine
command to subdue the earth, and multiply until they have
filled it ; and they will have skill, and be under all desirable
advantages to do it, and the earth will be soon replenished
with inhabitants, and be brought to a state of high cultivation
and improvement in every part of it, and will bring forth
abundantly for the full supply of all ; and there will be many
thousand times more people than ever existed before at once
in the world. Then the following prophecy, which relates to
that day, shall be fulfilled : " A little one shall become a thou-
sand, and a small one a strong nation. I the Lord will hasten
it in his time." (Isa. Ix. 22.) And there is reason to think
the earth Avill be then, in some degree, enlarged in more ways
than can now be mentioned or thought of. In many thou-
sands, hundred of thousands, yea, millions of instances, large
tracts now covered with water, coves, and arms of the sea,
may be drained, or the water shut out by banks and walls,
so that hundreds of millions of persons may live on those
places and be sustained by the produce of them, which are
now overflowed with water. Who can doubt of this, who
recollects how many millions of people now inhabit Holland
and the Low Countries, the greatest pflrt of which was once
covered with the sea, or thought not to be capable of im-
provement? Other instances might be mentioned.

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 289

Though there will be so many millions of millions of peo-
ple on the earth at the same time, this will not be the least
inconvenience to any, but the contrary ; for each one will be
fully supplied with ail he wants, and they will all be united
in love, as brethren of one family, and will be mutual helps
and blessings to each other. They will die, or, rather, fall
asleep, and pass into the invisible world, and others will come
on the stage in their room. But death then will not be at-
tended with the same calamitous and terrible circumstances
as it has been and is now, and will not be considered as an
evil. It will not be brought on with long and painful sickness,
or be accompanied with any great distress of body or mind.
They will be in all respects ready for it, and welcome it with
the greatest comfort and joy. Every one will die at the time
and in the manner which will be best for him and all with
whom he is connected ; and death will not bring distress on
surviving relatives and friends ; and they will rather rejoice
than mom-n, while they have a lively sense of the wisdom and
goodness of the will of God, and of the greater happiness of
the invisible world to which their beloved friends are gone, and
where they expect soon to arrive. So that, in that day, death
will in a great measure lose his sting, and have the appear-
ance of a friend, and be welcomed by all as such.

3. In the millennium, all will probably s})eak one Icaig-uag-e ;
so that one language shall be known and understood all over
the world, when it shall be filled with inhabitants innumerable.

The whole earth was once and originally of one language,
and of one speech. (Gen. xi. 1, 6.) And the folly and rebel-
lion of men was the occasion of their being confounded in
speaking and understanding this one language, and the intro-
duction of a variety of languages. This was considered as in
itself a great calamity, and was ordered as such, and it can be
considered in no other light. Had men been disposed to im-
prove the advantages of all speaking and understanding one
language to wise and good purposes, this diversity never
would have taken place ; and when men shall become univer-
sally pious, virtuous, and benevol^t, and be disposed to use
such an advantage and blessing, as having one speech and
language will be for the glory of God and the general good,
it will doubtless be restored to them again. This may easily
and soon be done, without a miracle, when mankind and the
state of the world shall be ripe for it. When they shall all
become as one family in affection, and discerning and wisdom
shall preside and govern in all their afikirs, they will soon be
sensible of the gi'eat disadvantage of being divided into so
many different tongues, which will greatly impede that uni-
voL. II. 25

290 THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

versal free intercourse which will be very desirable, and of the
advantage of all speaking and using one language. And God
may so order things in his providence that it will then be easy
for the most learned and wise to determine which is the best
language to be adopted to be universally taught and spoken ;
and when this shall be once determined, and published through
the world by those who are acknowledged to be the wisest
men, and best able to fix upon a language that shall be uni-
versal, and have a right to do it, all will freely consent to the
proposal ; and that language will be taught in all schools,
and used in public writings and books that shall be printed,
and, in a few years, will become the common language, un-
derstood and spoken by all, and all or most of the different
languages now in the world will be forgotten and lost. All
the learning and knowledge of former ages contained in books
in different languages worth preserving will be introduced and
published in the universal language, and communicated to all.
This will, in a great measure, supersede and render useless
the great expense of time, toil, and money which is now be-
stowed on teaching and studying what are called the learned
lang-uages. Many thousands, if not millions, of youths are
now consuming years in learning these languages, at great
expense of money, and thousands of teachers are spending
their lives in attending to them. It is thought by many now
that this is a useless and imprudent waste of time and money,
in most instances, at least; it will appear to be much more so
when there shall be one universal language, which shall be
understood and spoken by all, and when the books written in
that language shall contain all the useful learning and knowl-
edge in the world, and all further improvements will be com-
municated to the world in that lanofuasje.

And when this language shall be established and become
universal, all the learning and wisdom in the world will tend
and serve to improve it, and render it more and more perfect;
and there can be no doubt that such improvements will be
made that persons will be able to communicate their ideas
with more ease and precision, and with less ambiguity and
danger of being misunderstood, than could be done before.

And ways will be invented to learn children to read this
language with propriety, and to spell and write it with cor-
rectness, with more ease, and in much less time than it is
now done, and with little labor and cost. And ways may be
invented, perhaps something like the short hands which are
now used by many, by which they will be able to communi-
cate their ideas, and hold intercourse and correspondence with
each other who live in different parts of the world, with much

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 291

less expense of" time and labor, perhaps a hundred times less,
than that with which men now correspond.

This will also greatly facilitate the spreading useful knowl-
edge, and all kinds of intelligence which may be a benefit to
mankind, to all parts of the world, and render books very
cheap and easy to be obtained by all. There \vi!l then be no
need of translations into other languages, and numerous new
impressions, in order to have the most useful books read by
all. Many hundreds of thousands of copies may be cast off
by one impression, and spread over all the earth. And the
Bible, one of which, at least, every person will have, by print-
ing such a vast number of them at one impression may be
afforded much cheaper than it can be now, even though it
should be supposed that no improvement will be made in the
art of printing and making paper, which cannot be reasonably
supposed ; bat the contrary is much more probable, viz., that
both these will then be performed in a better manner, and
with much less labor and expense, than they are now exe-
cuted. None can doubt of this who consider what improve-
ments have been made in these arts since they were first
invented.

This universality of language will tend to cement the
world of mankind so as to make them one in a higher degree,
and to greater advantage, than otherwise could be. This
will absorb the distinctions that are now kept up between
nations speaking different languages, and promote a general,
free communication. It is observed when there was but one
language in the world, that the people were one. (Gen. xi. 6.)
And this will greatly facilitate their united exertions to effect
whatever may be for the public good.

Therefore, since there will be so many and great advantages
in having one universal language, understood and used by all
mankind, and it will answer so many good purposes, when
men shall be disposed to make a right improvement of it, —
and since it may be so easily effected when men shall be
united in piety and benevolence, and wisdom shall reign
among them, — there is reason to think that God will so
order things in his providence, and so influence and turn the
hearts of mankind, as in the most agreeable manner to intro-
duce the best language, to be adopted and used by all in that
day, in which great and peculiar favor and blessings will be
granted to the world, far beyond those which had been given
in preceding ages. And this is agreeable to the Scripture,
which speaks of that day as distinguished and remarkable for
the union and happiness of mankind, when they shall have
one heart and one way ; and this seems to be expressly pre-

292 THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

dieted. When s}3eaking of that time it is said, " Then will I
turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call
upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent."
(Zeph. iii. 9.) These words have been understood in another
sense ; but the most natural and consistent meaning seems to
be, that the people shall not then have a mixed language,
speaking with different tongues, which would naturally sepa-
rate them into different parties, and render them barbarians
to each other in their worship ; but God will so order things
at that time that one language shall be introduced and spoken
by all, — and which shall be more perfect, elegant, and pure,
free from those defects, inconsistencies, and that jargon which
before attended all or most languages, — that they may all,
even all mankind, call upon the name of the Lord with one
voice, and in one language, to serve him with one consent ; by
which they shall be united in worship and divine service, not
only in heart, but in lip, as mankind never were before.

(.4. The church of Christ will then be formed and regulated,
according to his laws and institutions, in the most beautiful
and pleasing order.

This is implied in what has been said, but is worthy of a
more particular attention. There will then be but one uni-
versal catholic church, comprehending all the inhabitants of
the world, formed into numerous particular societies and con-
gregations, as shall be most convenient, to attend on public
worship and the institutions of Christ. There will be no
schisms in the church then ; Christians wiU not be divided
into various sects and denominations, but there will be a
beautiful and happy union in sentiment respecting the doc-
trines, worship, and institutions of Christ, and all will be of
one heart and one way, and serve Christ with one consent.
The ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper, and all the
institutions of Christ, will be attended in due order, with
solemnity and decency, and, being accompanied with divine
efficacy, will have their proper and saving effect. All the
children will be members of the church, having the initiating
seal applied to them, and being solemnly devoted to Christ
in baptism ; and they ^\dll be faithfully brought up for him,,
and early discover their love to Christ not only in words, but
by obeying him and attending upon all his institu^tions. The
discipline which Christ has instituted will be faithfully prac-
tised so far as there shall be any occasion; and Christians, by
watching over each other in love, and exhorting and admon-
ishing one another, will prevent, or immediately heal, all
offences. In those respects, and in others not here mentioned,
and perhaps not thought of, the church of Christ will then be

THE MILLENNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 293

the best regulated, most beautiful and happy society that ever
existed, or can be formed on earth. " When the Lord shall
build up Zion, the church, he shall appear in his glory."
Then what is predicted in the sixtieth chapter of Isaiah, and
many other prophecies of the same event, shall be fulfilled.
God says to his church, " Arise, shine, for thy light is come,
and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. Whereas thou
hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through
thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, the joy of many
generations. I will make the place of my feet glorious. Thou
shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a
royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Glorious things are
spoken of thee, O city of God ! " *

\5. Then Christianity will appear in its true beauty and
excellence, and the nature and genuine effects of it will be
more manifest than ever before, and the truth and amiable-
ness of it be exhibited in a clear and striking light.

Christianity has, hitherto, been generally abused and per-
verted by those who have enjoyed the gospel, and but little of
the genuine spirit and power of it has appeared among those
who have been called Christians. They have, the most of
them, disobeyed the laws of Christ, and misrepresented and
perverted the doctrines and institutions of the gospel to ac-
commodate it to the gratification of their selfishness, pride,
and worldly spirit, and have hated and persecuted one another
unto death. They have divided into innumerable sects and
parties, and have not been agreed in the doctrines and institu-
tions of the gospel, but have embraced various and contrary
opinions concerning them, and contended about them with
wrath and bitterness. And the greatest part of the Christian
world have been as openly vicious as the heathen nations, if
not more so. And as the name of God was blasphemed among
the Gentiles by the wicked fives of the Jews, (Rom. ii. 24,) so

* It has been a question whether in the millennium, when the church shall
be thus universal, and be brought to such a Avell-regulated, holy, and happy-
state, there will be any need of civil rulers to preside and govern in temporal
matters. It is said that every thing which will be necessary of this kind wiU
be regulated and ordered by particular churches, and civil officers will not be
needed, and will have nothing to do.

But when it is considered that the church of Christ is not a worldly society,
and has no concern with temporal matters and the concerns of the world, con-
sidered merely as such, or any further than they are included in obedience
to the laws of Christ, and that there will be need of regulations and laws or
orders with respect to the temporal concerns of mankind, it will appear proper
and convenient, if not necessary, that there should be wise men chosen and
appointed to superintend and direct in worldly affairs, whose business it shall
be to consult the temporal interest of men, and dictate those regulations fioni
time to time which shall promote the public good, and the temporal interest of
individuals.

25*

294 THE MILLEXNIUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED.

the name of Christ has been blasphemed by infidels and others,
through the various kinds of wickedness of those who have
been called Christians, " by reason of whom, the way of truth
has been evil spoken of." (2 Pet. ii. 2.) But few in the Chris-
tian world, in comparison with the rest, have honored Christ by
entering into the true meaning and spirit of the gospel, loving
it and living agi'eeably to it, and those few have been generally
hidden and overlooked by the multitude of merely nominal
Christians ; and genuine Christianity is not to be found in the
faith and lives of those in general who assume the name of
Christians, but in the Bible only, since the most who profess
to know Christ, by their doctrines and works do deny him.

But in the millennium the scene will be changed, and Chris-
tianity will be understood and acted out in the true spirit and
power of it, and have its genuine effect in the lives and con-
duct of all; and when it comes to be thus reduced to practice
by all, it will appear from fact and experience to have a divine
stamp, and that the gospel is indeed the wisdom of God and
the power of God, forming all who cordially embrace it to a
truly amiable and excellent character, and is suited to make
men happy in this world and that which is to come. Then
all the disgrace and reproach which has come upon Christ,
his true followers, and upon Christianity, by the wickedness
and enmity of men and the abuse of the gospel, shall be
wiped off". This is foretold in the following words : " Behold,
at that time Twill undo all that afflict thee, and I will save
her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out, and I will
get them praise and fame in every land where they have been
put to shame. I will make you a name and a praise among
all people of the earth." (Zeph. iii. 19, 20.) After the various
schemes of false religion and infidelity have been tried by men
and* the evil nature and bad effects of them discovered, real
Christianity, as it is stated in divine revelation, when it shall
be understood by all and appear in universal practice, will
shine with peculiar lustre and glory ; and the beauty and
exceUence of it, and the happiness it produces, will be more
apparent and affecting, and be more admired by the contrast,
than if no such delusion and false religion had taken place.
This is represented in the last words of David the j)rophet:
" And he shall be as the light of the morning when the sun
riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass
springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain." (2
Sam. xxiii. 4.) When the sun rises in a clear morning, after
a dark, stormy night, and the tender grass springs up fresh
and lively, it is much more pleasant and refreshing than if it
had not been preceded by such a night.

THE MILLENxMUM STATE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED. 295

■ 6. The time of the millennmm will be, in a peculiar and
eminent sense and degree, the day of salvatio7i, in which the
Bible and all the doctrines, commands, and institutions con-
tained in it, will have their proper and designed issue and
etlect ; and that which precedes that day Js preparatory to
it, and suited in the best manner to introduce it and render
it eminently the gospel day.

The Spirit of God will then be poured out in his glorious
fulness, and fill the world with holiness and salvation, as floods
upon the dry gi'ound. All the preceding influences of the
Holy S})irit, in converting and saving men, are but the first
fruits which precede the harvest which will take place in that
latter day. This was typified in the Mosaic institutions. The
most remarkable festivals were the passover, the feast of the
first fruits, and the feast of tabernacles, upon which all the
males in Israel were commanded to attend at Jerusalem.
The passover typified the death of Christ, and he was cruci-
fied at the time of that feast. The feast of the first fruits, or
pentecost, as it is called in the New Testament, typified the
first fruits of the death of Christ in the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit, and the conversion of men when the gospel was first
preached, which took place at the time of this feast. (Acts
ii. 1.) The feast of tabernacles, which was "the feast of in-
g-athering; wdiich was in the end of the year," (Ex. xxxiv. 22,)
was a type of the millennium, which will be in the latter end
of the world, when the great and chief ingathering of souls to
Christ and his church shall take place. This is the time when
Christ will see the fruit of the travail of his soul, and shall be
satisfied. To this day most of the prophecies of Christ, and
salvation, and of the good things which were coming to the
church, have their principal reference, and they will have their
chief fulfilment then. This is the day which our Lord said
Abraham saw with gladness and joy. " Your father Abra-
ham rejoiced (or leaped forward) to see my day; and he saw
it, and was glad." (John viii. 56.) He saw the day of Christ
in the promise made to him, that in his seed all nations
should be blessed ; which will be accomplished in the millen-
nium, and not before. This is the day of Christ, the day of
his great success and glory. This is the gospel day, in com-
parison with which all that precedes it is night and darkness.

Then the chief end of divine revelation will be answered.
It has been given with a chief reference to that time, and it
will then be the means of producing unspeakably greater good
than in all ages before. It will then be no longer misunder-
stood, and perverted and* abused, to support error and wick-
edness, but be universally prized more than all riches, and

296 WHEN THE MILLENNIUM WILL TAKE PLACE.

improved to the best purposes, as the fountain of knowledge
and wisdom ; and all the institutions and ordinances ap-
pointed by Christ will then have their effect. They will then
be understood and take place in due order, and be attended in
a proper manner^ and the wisdom and goodness of Christ in
ordaining them will be seeft and experienced by all. Then
the gospel will be preached as it never was before since the
days of inspiration, in which the ministers of the gospel will
be eminently burning and shining lights, exhibiting the im-
portant, affecting, glorious truths of the gospel in a clear and
striking light, and in a manner most agreeable and entertain-
ing, which will fall into honest and good hearts, and be re-
ceived with the highest relish and pleasure, and bring forth
fruit abundantly. The Sabbath will be a most pleasant and
profitable day, and improved to the best and most noble
purposes ; and the administration of baptism and the Lord's
supper, according to divine institution, will greatly conduce to
the edification of the church, and appear in their true impor-
tance and usefulness, as they never did before ; these and all
other institutions of Christ being appointed with special refer-
ence to that day, when they will have their chief use, and
answer the end of their appointment.

As the winter in the natural world is preparatory to the
spring and summer, and the rain and snow, the shining of the
sun, the wind and frost, issue in the order, bea.uty, and fruit-
fulness of the vegetable world, and have their proper effect in
these, and the end of winter is answered chiefly in what takes
place in the spring and summer, and the former is necessary
to introduce the latter, and in the best manner to prepare for
it ; so in the moral world, or the church of Christ, what pre-
cedes the millennium is as the winter, while the way is pre-
paring for the summer, and all that takes place has reference
to that happy season, and is suited to introduce it in the best
manner and most proper time, when the gospel, so far as it
respects the church in this world, and all the institutions and
ordinances of it, will have their genuine and chief effect in the
order, beauty, felicity and fruitfulness of the church.

SECTION III.

In which is considered ivhich Thousand Years of the World will
be the Millennium, and when it ivill begin.

All who attend to the subject ofjiifhe millennium will natu-
rally inquire when this happy time will take place, and how

WHEN THE JVIILLENXIUM WILL TAKE PLACE. 297

long it will be before it shall be introduced. And some who
have undertaken to find from Serij3ture, and to tell ihe precise
time and the year wdien it will begin, have been evidently mis-
taken, because the time on wdiich they fixed for this is passed,
and the event has not taken place. From this, some have
concluded that it is uncertain whether there will ever be such
a time, and others have exploded all attempts to find from
Scripture when this time will be.

Though there be good reason to conclude that the exact
time, the particular day or year of the beginning of the mil-
lennium, cannot be known, and that it will be introduced
gradually, by different successive, great, and remarkable events,
the precise time of wdiich cannot be known before they take
place ; and that the prophecies respecting it are so formed on
design, that no man can certainly know when the event pre-
dicted shall be accomplished, within a year or a number of
years, until it is manifest by the accomplishment, as such
knowledge would answer no good end, but the contrary ; yet
there is no reason to suppose that this is left wholly in the
dark, and that it is impossible to know, within a thousand ot
hundreds of years, when this glorious day shall commence,
which is so much the subject of prophecy, in which the glory
which is to follow the sufferings of Christ and the afflictions
of his church will chiefly consist, so far as it relates to the
transactions of time.

Though it may be evident from Scripture that the seventh
thousand years of the world will be the time of the prosperity
of the church of Christ on earth, yet this event may come oa
by degrees, and be in a measure introduced years before that
time ; and the church may not be brought to the most com-
plete and happy state of that day, but still have further ad-
vances to make after this seventh thousand years begin, and
continue some years after they are ended ; so that the particu-
lar year of the beginning or end of this time cannot be knowa
before it actually takes place.

It is thought that there is reason to conclude, from divine
revelation, that the seventh millenary of the world will be the
time in which the cliurch of Christ will enjoy a Sabbath of
rest, and be brought to its highest and chief prosperity in this
world, which is so much the subject of Scripture prophecy,,
and that the end of the world and the day of general judgment
will take place soon after this millennium is over. The fol-
lowing observations are designed to point out some of the
evidence of this : —

It has been already observed, that the creation of the natu-
ral world in six days, and the seventh being appointed to be

298 WHEN THE MILLENNIUM WILL TAKE PLACE.

a day of rest, does afford an argument that the moral world,
or the church and kingdom of Christ, of which the natural
world is a designed type in many respects, will be six thou-
sand years in forming, in order to be brought to such a state as
in the best manner to enjoy a thousand years of rest, peace,
and prosperity ; a day in the natural world, in this instance,
representing a thousand years in the moral world ; and that
time being thus divided into sevens, to have a perpetual rota-
tion to the end of it, denotes that the world is to stand but
seven thousand years, as "one day is with the Lord as a thou-
sand years, and a thousand years as one day," and that this
has been handed down as the opinion of many ancients, both
Jews and Christians.* It is acknowledged that this argument
is not sufficient to establish this point, considered by itself
alone; but it is thought to have some weight when joined
with other arguments from Scripture which coincide with this
and serve to strengthen it.

It is observable that the number seven is the most noted
number mentioned in Scripture in many respects, and is a
sacred number above all others. And in the Mosaic ritual,
which contained many typical institutions, the Israelites were
commanded not only to observe every seventh day as a day
of rest, but every seventh year as a Sabbath and year of rest ;
and the seventh month in every year was a festival and
sacred month above all other months of the year. In this
month was the feast of tabernacles, which was to be observed
seven days with great joy. On the first day of this month
was the feast of trumpets, when the trumpets were to be
blown through all the land, which was a type of the extraor-
dinary preaching of the gospel which will introduce the mil-
lennium. And on the tenth day was their annual and most
solemn fast, on which they were to confess their sins and
afflict their souls, and atonement was made for them, which
was a figure of the repentance and extraordinary humiliation
to which the inhabitants of the world will be brought by the
preaching of the gospel, attended with the dispensations of
divine Providence suited to promote this, previous to their
being raised up to the prosperity and joy of that day. And
then the joyful feast of ingathering, in the end of the year,
came on, on the fifteenth day of the same month. This was
a type of the happy, joyful milleiuiium, in the seventh and
last thousand years of the world, in which vast multitudes,
even most of the redeemed, will be gathered into the church
and kingdom of Christ, in comparison with whom all who

* See p. 254, and note.

WHEN THE MILLENNIUM WILL TAKE PLACE. 299

shall have been saved before this time are but the first fruits
of the purchase of Christ.

It is evident that this feast of tabernacles in the seventh
month was a designed type of the millennium, from what has
been now observed, and what has been said, on the three
most remarkable feasts appointed in the law of Moses, in the
preceding section ; but this evidence is strengthened, and
made certain, by what is said by the prophet Zechariah.
When he is speaking of the millennium, and predicting that
happy day, he says, "And it shall come to pass that every
one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusa-
lem, shall even go up from year to year to worship the King,
the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles." (Zech.
xiv. 16.) By the feast of tabernacles are meant the enjoy-
ments and blessings of the millennium, of which all nations
shall then partake, and which were typified by that feast.

All these things seem to point out the seventh thousand
years of the world to be the time of the millennium. But
there is yet greater evidence of this, which will serve to
strengthen what has been observed, and show that it is not
mere conjecture.

The prophecies in the Book of Daniel, of the rise and con-
tinuance of the little horn, and of the time in which the church
shall be in a state of afiliction, and those in the Revelation, of
the continuance of the beast, who is the same with the horn,
and of the duration of the afflicted state of the church during
that time, when examined and compared, will lead to fix on
the seventh thousand years of the world to be the time of the
millennium.

In the Revelation, the time of the continuance of the beast,
after his deadly wound was healed, is said to be forty and two
months. (Rev. xiii. 5.) And the time in which the church
should be trodden down, afflicted, and oppressed, is said to be
forty and two months, a thousand two hundred and sixty days,
and a time and times and half a time. (Rev. xi. 2, 3; xii. 6,14.)
The same term of time is denoted by each of these expres-
sions. A year was then reckoned to contain three hundred
and sixty days, and a month consisted of thirty days. In
forty and two months were a thousand two hundred and
sLxty days; and a time and times and half a time are three
years and a half, which contain forty and two months, and a
thousand two hundred and sixty days. So long the beast —
the idolatrous persecuting power exercised by the bishop of
Rome, the pope — is to continue; during which time the
church of Christ is to be oppressed, afflicted, and opposed —
represented by the holy city being trodden under foot by the

WHEN THE MILLENNIUM ^VILI; TAKE PLACE.

Gentiles, the two witnesses prophesying in sackcloth, and a
woman persecuted and flying into the wilderness to hide
herself from her enemies, where she is fed and protected dur-
ing the reign of the beast, which is to continue a thousand
two hundred and sixty jears, a prophetical day being a year.
At the end of those yeai's the pope, and the church of Rome
of which he is the head, will be destroyed ; and according to
the representation in the Revelation, the kingdom of the devil
in the world will fall at the same time, and the kingdom of
Christ be set up on the ruins of it, and the millennium will
take place. *

If it were known when the bishop of Rome first became
what is designed to be denoted by the beast, — the time of
his fall, and of the end of the church of Rome and of Satan's
kingdom in the world, — when the millennium will commence
could be ascertained to a year. But as this beast rose gradu-
ally, from step to step, till he became a beast in the highest
and most proper sense, this involves the subject in some
degree of uncertainty, and renders it more dilBcult to deter-
mine at which considerable increase and advance of the
bishop of Rome in power and influence the thousand two
hundred and sixty years began. He had great influence —
not only in the church in the ecclesiastical matters, but in the
temporal affairs of the Roman empire, and of the kingdoms
which were erected in it by the invasion of the northern
nations — before he was publicly acknowledged and declared
to be universal bishop, which was done in the year of Christ
606. This greatly increased his influence and power in the
Christian world, and the church was now become exceed-
ing corrupt. If the one thousand two hundred and sixty
prophetic years be reckoned from this time, they will end in
the year 1866 — seventy-four years from this time, viz., 1792,
But the pope did not become a temporal prince, and publicly
assume civil jurisdiction, till the year 7f56, when Pepin, the
king of France, then the most powerful prince in Christen-
dom, made him prince over a large dominion, and he assumed
civil authority, and upon this he subdued three kings or king-
doms, and they fell before him, according to the prediction of
him in the prophecy of Daniel (Dan. vii. 8, 20, 24.) And he
soon had such power over the nations as to set u]) an emperor
in Germany to be his tool, by whom to raise himself lo uni-
versal empire, reserving to himself and claiming power over
the emperor, and over all kings in the Christian world, to set
them up and crown them, or depose them when he pleased.

This is the most remarkable epoch, when the pope became
a beast in the most proper sense, from whence his reign is to

WHEN THE MILLENNIUM WILL TAKE PLACE. 301

be dated. Twelve hundred and sixty years from this date,
756, will end near the beginning of the seventh thousand
years of the world. But as he rose to this height gradually,
and was a beast in a lower sense long before this, it is reason-
able to sujopose that he will fall by degrees, until his usurped
power is wholly taken from him, and the false church of
Rome, the great whore, utterly destroyed ; and that he has
been falling many years, and that as the time of his reign
draws nearer to a close, more remarkable events, by which he
and that church will come to total ruin, will take place in a
more rapid succession. But this will be more particularly
considered in the next section.

Therefore, these prophecies of the rise and fall of anti-
christ, or the beast, and the time of his reign, and of the
afflicted state of the church of Christ, fix the end of these and
of the reign of Satan in the world of mankind, near the be-
ginning of the seventh thousand years of the world, when the
millennium will be introduced, though many things will take
place before that time, by which the pope and his interest
will gradually decline and sink, and in favor of the church and j
kingdom of Christ, to prepare the way for the introduction of /
the millennium.

In the Book of Daniel, the same idolatrous, persecuting
power, and the time of the continuance of it, and of the op-
pressed state of the church, arc predicted ; and the time is
fixed and expressed by a time and times and a half, or the
dividing of time, (Dan. vii. 25 ; xii. 7,) which is the same men-
tioned by St. John in the Revelation, and is one thousand
two hundred and sixty prophetic days ; that is, so many years,
as has been observed above. There it is said by him who in-
terpreted to Daniel the vision of the four beasts, "the fourth
beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be
diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth,
and tread it down and break it in pieces." This is the Roman
empire. " And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten
kings that shall arise. And another shall arise after them, and
he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak gi-eat words
against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the
Most High, and think to change times and laws ; and they
shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the
dividing of time." (Dan. vii. 23-25.) This last horn, king, or
ruling power, is evidently the same with the little horn men-
tioned in the eighth chapter,, and is the same with the beast
when he was recovered to life, after he had been wounded unto
death, which St. John saw ; that is, the pope of Rome, ir
whom the power and idolatry of this empire is revived and
VOL. II. 26

302 AVHEN THE MILLENNIUM WILL TAKE PLACE.

continued. The character given of each is the same in sub-
stance, and the time of their continuance is the same, which
must end, according to every probable calculation, at or about
the end of the sixth thousand years of the world, or about two
thousand years after the incarnation of Christ.* And at the
end of this time, this power and kingdom is to be destroyed,
and a total end put to the Roman empire, represented by the
beast; and the kingdom of Christ, in its fulness and glory,
shall then take place, in the universal prevalence and reign of
his church and people, wdiich is expressed in the following
words : " But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away
his dominion, to consume and destroy it to the end ; and the
kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom
under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the
saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." (Dan.
vii. 26, 27.)

In the eighth chapter of Daniel we have a different repre-
sentation of this same kingdom, power, or empire, by a little
horn which came forth out of one of the four horns, into which
the Grecian empire, founded by Alexander the Great, was di-
vided some time after his death. This is the Roman, or fourth
and last empire, upon the destruction of which the kingdom
of Christ is to prevail and fill the world. Daniel describes this
little horn as it appeared to him in the vision, in the following
\vords : " And out of one of them came forth a little horn,
which waxed exceeding great towards the south, and toward
the east, and toward the pleasant land ; and it waxed great
even to the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host
and of the stars to the ground and stamped upon them. Yea,
he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by
him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his
sanctuary was cast down. And a host was given him against
the daily sacrifice, by reason of transgression, and it cast dowoi
the truth to the gi'ound, and it practised and prospered." (Dan.
viii. 9-12.) And this vision is explained by the angel inter-
preter in the following part of the chapter. (Verses 23-25.)
What is said of this horn respects the Roman kingdom and
empire, from the beginning and end of it, the ruin of vvdiich
shall open the way for the kingdom of Christ to flourish in
the world and ihe reign of the saints on the earth. And w^hat
is said of this power or kingdom here respects the idolatry
that should be supported and practised by it, and the oppo-
sition it should make to God and his people, in which it

* See Bishop Newton's Dissertation on the Prophecies.

WHEN THE MILLENNIUM WILL TAKE PLACE. 303

should prevail, and have power to oppress and persecute the
saints ; and there is special reference to the pope and those
under his influence and direction, when he should be at the
head of this empire and rule in it, who is particularly designed
in the seventh chapter, denoted by the little horn, "which had
eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things,
which should make war with the saints and prevail against
them, and speak great words against the Most High, and wear
out the saints of the Most High." (Dan. vii. 8, 21, 25.) This
power, indeed, did oppose and destroy the mighty and holy
people, and stand up against the Prince of princes before it
existed, and was exercised by antichrist in the church of
E-ome. Jesus Christ, the Prince of princes, was put to death
by this power. And this horn persecuted the church, especial-
ly at times, for near three hundred years after the death of
Christ; all of which is included in the description of the horn
or kingdom which is the chief subject of this chapter; but
there is particular and chief reference to what this power
would be and do, when in the hands of antichrist, for he,
above all others, has spoken great things, and opened his
mouth to blaspheme God and the saints. He has introduced
and promoted the gi-ossest idolatry, and stood up against the
Prince of princes ; has magnified himself in his heart even to
the Prince of the host, the Lord Jesus Christ, and has been
the most cruel and bloody persecutor of the saints for many
ages ; he has cast down the truth to the ground, and practised
and prospered, and has destroyed vast numbers of the holy
people, or the saints. Gabriel, who was ordered to make
Daniel understand the vision, said to him, " Behold, I will
make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indigna-
tion; for at the time appointed the end shall be." (Dan. viii.
19.) His interpretation had chief respect to the latter end of
this kingdom under the reign of antichrist, in whose end the
kingdom should be ruined, and exist no more.

The question is here asked, " How long shall be the vision
concerning the daily sacrifice and the transgression of desola-
tion, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden
under foot ? " Bishop Newton says, " In the original there is
no such word as concerning; ; and Mr. Lowth rightly observes,
that the words may be rendered more agreeably to the Hebrew
thus : For how long a time sliall the vision last, the daily sacri-
fice he taken aiuaij, and the transgression of the desolation con-
tinue ? etc. After the same manner the question is translated
by the Seventy, and in the Arabic version, and in the vulgar
Latin."

The answer is, " Unto two thousand and three hundred

304 WHEN THE MILLENNIUM WILL TAKE PLACE.

days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." (Dan. viii. 13, 14.)
These are no doubt prophetical days, a day being put for a
year. The time therefore specified is two thousand and three
hundred years. All the difficulty in fixing on the time of the
end of these days lies in determining at what time the reckon-
ing begins. This is left in a degree of uncertainty, as is the
beginning of the reign of antichrist, which is to continue
twelve hundred and sixty years ; the reason of which doubt-
less is, that it should not be precisely known to a day or year
when this time will end till it shall be actually accomplished,
while it is made certain the time of the end is fixed, and they
who are willing to attend to the subject, and make use of all
the light that is offered, may have sufficient evidence to deter-
mine within a few years when the time will be, and not be
left in a total uncertainty about it.

The little horn, which is the chief subject of this vision,
and was to do such great things against the holy people, the
church, came forth out of one of the four notable horns, towards
the four winds of heaven, which grew out of the goat, after
the one great horn was broken which the goat had at first.
(Verse 8.) The goat is the king of Grecia, or the Grecian
empire, erected by Alexander the Great, who was the first
king, or the great horn. (Verse 21.) After the death of Al-
exander, and when his successors in his family were extinct,
four kings were set up, and divided the great empire between
them into four kingdoms, w^hich division was towards, or ac-
cording to the four winds, east, west, north, and south. Cas-
sander, one of the four kings, took the western part of the
empire, or the western kingdom, containing Macedon, Greece,
etc. Out of this horn came forth the little horn, which " waxed
exceeding great toward the south, and toward the east, and
toward the pleasant land." (Verse 9.) This horn Gabriel
explains to be " a king of fierce countenance and understand-
ing dark sentences, who shall stand up." (Verse 23.) The
Romans are meant by this horn, who were west of Greece, and
may be considered as included in the western part of the em-
pire, which was one of the four horns out of which they rose,
and soon were conspicuous ; and Prideaux says, " Their name
began to grow of great note and fame among foreign nations,
by their conquests in a few, not above five or six and twenty
years after the above-mentioned partition of the empire of the
goat into four horns or kingdoms. And they were a distinct
people, and doubtless made some figure when the four horns
first existed. From this time, and this small beginning, the
Romans arose by their policy, power, and conquests, until
they arrived to a vast a;id universal empire. And as they

WHEN THE MILLENNIUM WILL TAKE PLACE. 305

existed as a jjeople when the Grecian empire was divided into
four kingdoms or horns, and they were really included in the
western horn, and soon rose out of it, and went on and grew
to universal empire, their beginning may properly be reckoned
from the time when the western horn or kingdom arose, in
which they were included, as they soon after that became a
distinct power and kingdom, and were a little horn, and pro-
ceeded to conquer and destroy the horn out of which they
came, and to subdue all the other horns.

This partition of the Grecian empire into four kingdoms, or
horns, was just about three hundred years before the birth of
Jesus Christ, or the beginning of the Christian era ; and as the
incarnation of Christ was about the beginning of the fifth
thousand years of the world, two thousand and three hundred
years from the rise of the four horns will end at or near the
beginning of the seventh thousand years of the world. Or, if
the beginning of the little horn should not be reckoned from
that time, but from the time when the Roman power or horn
began to be conspicuous and acknowledged among the na-
tions, two thousand three hundred years from that time will
carry them but a few years beyond the beginning of the sev-
enth thousand years of the world ; so that this number serves
to confirm what has been observed from the other numbers in
Daniel and the Revelation, viz., that the reign of antichrist,
who is the last head of the Roman empire, will end about the
beginning of the seventh millenary of the Avorld, when the
millennium will begin, and the meek, the saints, shall inherit
the earth, take the kingdom, and reign with Christ.

In the last chapter of Daniel, " one said to the man clothed
in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long
shall it be to the end of these wonders ? " The answer is
made in a very solemn manner, in the following words : " It
shall be for a time, times, and a half And when he shall
have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all
these things shall be finished." He who shall scatter the power
of the holy people or the saints, is the same with the horn
mentioned in the seventh chapter, who should " wear out the
saints of the Most High," which is the same event which is
here expressed in different words ; and the time of his doing
this is the same which is mentioned here : " And they shall be
given into his hand, until a time and times and the dividing
of time." (Dan. vii. 25.) That is, three prophetical years and
a half, in which are one thousand two hundred and sixty
prophetical days, which are put for so many years ; and this
is the same power which is called a beast in the Revelation,
who was to do the same thing mentioned here, viz., it was
26*

^6 "WHEN THE MILLENNIUM WILL TAKE PLACE.

given unto him to make war with the saints and to over-
come them. And the same time is there fixed for his doing
this. " And power was given unto him to continue (or prac-
tise and make war) forty and two months," after he was
recovered to life from being wounded unto death, (Rev. xiii.
3, 5, 7,) which is just three years and a half, or twelve hundred
and sLxty days.

Daniel heard, but did not understand the answer, and, there-
fore, put the following question, " Then said I, O my Lord,
what shall be the end of these things ? " The answer is,
" From the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away,
and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall
be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he
that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and
five and thirty days." Here are two different numbers or
times mentioned, and neither of them agrees exactly with the
foregoing answer. In that, the time of the continuance of the
persecuting power which shall scatter and wear out the saints
is limited to one thousand two hundred and sixty years. In
the answer to Daniel's question, two different numbers of years
are mentioned, when those evil things shall come to an end,
and the profanation of the church, and the worship and ordi-
nances of Christ, shall cease, and the church shall be restored
to due order, and be blessed and brought to a happy, glorious
state, viz., one thousand two hundred and ninety, and one
thousand three hundred and thirty-five years. The first is
thirty years longer than the time mentioned above and in the
Revelation, and the last exceeds it seventy-five years. This
seeming dift'erence may be reconciled by observing, that these
answers do not respect precisely the same event. The former
expresses the time of the continuance and reign of antichrist,
in which he shall oppress the church of Christ; and when he
shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy peo-
ple, he shall be destroyed. The latter looks forward to the
recovery of the church of Christ from her low, afflicted, broken
state, to a state of peace and prosperity, in the proper use
and enjoyment of the worship, institutions, and ordinances
of Christ, which have been so greatly corrupted by the false
church of Rome. It may take some time to effect this, after
the pope and the church of Rome are wholly destroyed and
extinct. As the corruption and perversion of the church, wor-
ship, and ordinances of Christ were brought on by degrees,
and considerable advances were made in th-is after antichrist
arose, and the pope became a persecuting beast ; so doubtless
the church will not be wholly purified when this beast shall
be destroyed ; but it will be some time after this before all

WHEN THE MILLENNIUM WILL TAKE PLACE. 307

corruptions and errors in doctrine and practice will be wholly
extirpated, and the church appear in her true beauty, and
come to a state of universal, established peace and prosperity.
Within thirty years after the beast shall be slain, and his body
destroyed and given to the burning flame, or at the end of
one thousand two hundred and ninety years, the church may
become universal, and all nations be members of it, and it
may arrive to a state of gi'eat purity and peace, and an end
be put to all her troubles, and most of the wicked be swept
off from the face of the earth by some remarkable event and
sudden stroke, by which the kingdom of Satan shall be nearly
extinct, and his influence among mankind almost wholly
cease. But the church of Christ may not arrive to the most
pure and happy state which it shall enjoy under forty or
fifty years after this. For this happy period Christians must
wait; and they will be in a peculiar and high degi-ee blessed
who shall come to this happy and glorious state of the church,
when the first resurrection shall be universal and complete,
and the millennial state established and brought to its full
stature and proper height in holiness and happiness, which
took place in a considerable degree, and might properly be
said to have begun, a number of years before. But these
events, and the precise time and manner of their taking place,
will be fully known, and the prophecies by which they are fore-
told will be better understood when they shall be actually ac-
complished, and all the mistakes which are now made respect-
ing them will be rectified ; until which time, they must be in
some measure sealed. Nevertheless, it may be evident from
divine revelation, that the end of the reign of antichrist draws
near, and the time of deliverance of the church from the dark
and low state in which it has been near twelve hundred years,
and of the ruin of the kingdom of Satan in the world, is not
far off, and that these great events will come on within two
hundred years, or about that time, and that the seventh thou-
sand years of the world is the time fixed for the prosperity of
the church of Christ, and the reign of the saints on earth.
And it is hoped that what has been now observed on this
point is sufficient to convince every unprejudiced, attentive
inquirer that there is satisfactory evidence from prophecy and
other things contained in Scripture, that the predicted millen-
nium will take place at that time.

It has been observed, that as antichrist rose gradually from
one degree of influence and power to another till he became a
complete beast, so this persecuting, idolatrous, anti- Christian
power will fall by degrees, until it is wholly taken out of the
way ; and there may, and probably will be, one thousand two

308 WHEN THE MILLENNIUM WILL TAKE PLACE.

hundred and sixty years between the most remarkable steps
by which lie rose, and as great and remarkable steps by which
he is to {'all and go into perdition.*

The corra]5tion and apostasy of the church had early begin-
nings, and the usurped, tyrannical, and worldly power of the
bishops, especially of the bishops of Rome, soon began to take
place. The apostle Paul, speaking of the grand apostasy
which has actually taken place in the church of Rome, under
the influence and power of the man of sin, that is, the pope, says,
that the seeds of all this were then sown, and this mystery of
iniquity did then begin to work with power and energy, h'&q-
yeiTut, which was to be kept under powerful restraints for a
while, but should openly appear and be acted out when these
restraints should be taken off. (2 Thess. ii. 3-8.) In the third
century, "the bishops assumed in many places a princely au-
thority, particularly those who had the greatest number of
churches under their inspection, and who presided over the
most opulent assemblies. They appropriated to their evan-
gelical function the splendid ensigns of temporal majesty; a
throne surrounded with ministers, exalted above their equals
the servants of the meek and humble Jesus, and sumptuous
garments dazzled the eyes and the minds of the multitude into
an ignorant veneration for their arrogated authority." f And
about the middle of that century, Stephen, the bishop of Rome,
a haughty, ambitious man, aspired to a superiority and power
over all the other bishops and churches, and his preeminence
in the church universal was acknowledged. From this time
to the reformation from popery in the sixteenth century, when
the pope began to fall in a remarkable degree, and lost a great
part of his power and influence, which he is never like to re-
gain, are one thousand two hundred and sixty years. Luther,
the first reformer, arose in the year of Christ 1517. If we

* The time of the captivity of the Jews hy the Babylonians Avas fixed in the
prophecy of Jeremiah to seventy years. But this prediction had reference to
different beginnings and endings. It was just seventy years from the first cap-
tivity, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, when Daniel and many other Jews
were carried to Babylon to the decree of Cyrus giving leave to the Jews to
return, and ordering that the temple and Jerusalem should be rebuilt. And it
was seventy years from tlie destruction of Jerusalem and the temple to the
piiblishing of the decree of Darius, by which the building of the temple was
completed and the Jews restored to their former state.

So the one tliousand two hundred and sixty years of the captivity of the
church of Christ in spiritual Babylon will doubtless have different beginnings,
and, consequently, different endings. As the power and tyranny of the bishop
and church of Kome rose from loss beginnings to their full height, so the fall
is to be gradual, till it is completed. And from each remarkable advance,
there are one thousand two hundred and sixty years to as remarkable succes-
sive events, by which the kingdom and the power of the beast shall decline,
and be utterly destroyed.

t Mosheim's Ecclesiastical History, third century, chap. ii.

WHEN THE MILLENNIUM WILL TAKE PLACE. 309

reckon back from that time, one thousand two hundred and
sLxty years will carry us to the year 257, which is the very
time in which Stephen, bishop of Rome, claimed and usurped
the power and preeminence above mentioned, and which was,
in some measure at least, granted to him.

And as this man of sin rose higher and higher, and became
more conspicuous by one remarkable step after another, in
the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh centuries, until he w^as
publicly invested with temporal dominion about the middle
of the eighth century, viz., in the year 756, when he became a
complete beast, and assumed the greatest authority both in
civil and religious matters in the Christian world, and, in fact,
had more power and influence over all persons and things in
the church and state than any other man, so there is good
reason to conclude he will gradually fall, by one remarkable
event after another, from the time of the reformation in the
sixteenth century, when his power and influence in the Chris-
tian world were so greatly eclipsed, until this son of perdition
shall be utterly destroyed, not far from the end of the twen-
tieth century, or the beginning of the seventh thousand years
of the world. And with the fall of this son of Satan, the
kingdom of Satan, which has been so great and strong in this
world for so long a time, will come to an end, and he will be
cast out of the earth, and chained down in the bottomless pit;
which event will be succeeded by the kingdom of heaven,
which shall comprehend all the men then on earth, in which
the saints shall reign a thousand years.

The facts and events which have taken place since that
time, especially in the present century, coincide with such a
conclusion, and serve to strengthen and confirm it. The pope
and the hierarchy of the church of Rome are sinking with a
rapid descent. The kings and nations who once wandered
after this beast, and joined to support and exalt this anti-
Christian power, now pay little regard to him ; they neither
love nor fear him much, but are rather disposed to pull him
down and strip him of his riches and power. The dissolution
of the society of the Jesuits, the banishing them and confiscat-
ing their riches, who were a great support of that church and
the pope; the kings' taking from the pope the power, which he
claimed as his right, to nominate and appoint all the bishops
to vacant sees, and actually taking it upon themselves to do
this, by which a vast stream of money, which used to be
poured into the coffers of the pope, is taken from him, and
ialls into the hands of these kings ; the increase and spread
of light, by which the tyranny, superstition, and idolatry of the
church of Rome and its hierarchy are more clearly discerned

310 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

and exposed to the abhorrence and contempt of men ; and
especially the great increase of the knowledge of the nature,
reasonableness, and importance of religious and civil liberty?
and the rapid spread of zeal among the nations to promote
these, — all these are remarkable events, which, among others
not mentioned, serve to confirm the above conclusion that the
pope is falling with increasing rapidity ; and there is reason
to expect, from what has come to pass and is now taking
place, and from Scripture prophecy, that yet greater and more
remarkable events will soon take place, and come on in a swift
and surprising succession, which will hasten on the utter over-
throw of the beast and all his adherents, and that the time
predicted will soon come when the ten horns, or kings, who
have agreed in time past, and given their kingdom unto the
beast, shall change their minds, and hate the whore, and make
her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her
with fire. (Rev. xvii. 16, 17.)

SECTION IV.

In which is considered ivhat Events are to take jilace, according
to Scripture Prophecy., before the beginning of the Millen-
nium., and to prepare the Way for it.

By attending to the events predicted, which are to take
place before the millennium, and which are to introduce it,
further evidence will come into view that it will not com-
mence long before the beginning of the seventh thousand
years of the world, nor much later, and, therefore, that it will
be in that thousand years, and begin about two hundred
years from the end of the eighteenth century.

The seven vials, or cups — which contained the seven last
plagues, or remarkable judgments, which are to be executed
upon the beast and his adherents, and upon the world of
mankind — are to be poured out during the time of the reign
of the beast and the existence of the false church of Rome,
and which will issue in the destruction of the beast and of
that church. This is evident from the fifteenth and sixteenth
chapters of the Revelation. The first vial respects the beast
and his followers, and brought sore calamities upon them,
expressed in the following words : "And there fell a noisome
and grievous sore upon the men wiiich had the mark of the
beast, and upon them who worshipped his image." (Rev.
xvi. 2.) A number of these vials must have been already
poured out, as the beast has existed above a thousand years

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 311

already ; and, therefore, the effects of the last vial, which in-
clude his utter destruction, will not reach much more than
two hundred years from this time, and, consequently, these
effects will soon begin to take place, if they have not already
began in some measure; for, as the pouring out, or running,
of the seven vials is limited to the one thousand two hundred
and sixty years of the continuance of the beast, there are not
two hundred years for each vial, and some may run longer,
and others a shorter time of this space.

Some acquaintance with the history of the calamitous
events which have taken place, answering to the prophetic
description under those vials which have been poured out, is
necessary in order to know how and when it has been ful-
filled, and how many vials appear to have already run out,
and which is now running. Mr. Lowman has taken pains to
show, from many credible historians, that the remarkable
calamitous events which have taken place, and which have
especially affected the beast and his followers and brought
great and distressing evils upon them, have answered to the
evils and events described in prophetic language under the
successive first five vials of wrath ; and there appears to be
satisfactory evidence that the judgments predicted under these
vials have already been executed on antichrist and his sup-
porters and followers, and that the reformation began by
Luther, and the remarkable events attending it, was the judg-
ment predicted by the pouring out of the fifth vial, to be
inflicted on the beast and the church of Rome. This vial
was to be poured out on the seat, or, as it is in the original,
the throne, of the beast; "and his kingdom was full of dark-
ness, and they gnawed their tongues for pain." (Rev. xvi. 10.)
When the Protestant reformation came on, Protestants nad
light — had discerning and wisdom, prosperity and joy; but
the pope and his followers suffered great vexation and an-
guish ; every event turned against them ; their light was
turned into darkness; their policy and counsels, by which they
had prospered and obtained their ends before, were now
turned into foolishness, and they were baffled and con-
founded ; and their attempts to suppress the northern heresy,
as they called it, and to crush the Protestants, proved abortive,
and turned against themselves in a remarkable manner. And
those events proved like a lasting, painful sore to them, from
which they have not recovered to this day. " And they blas-
phemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their
sores, and repented not of their deeds." They blasphemed God,
by attributing what took place in favor of truth and the cause
of Christ to the exertions and obstinacy of wicked men, and

312 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MII-LENXIUM.

calling the truths of the gospel and holiness, espoused and
propagated by the reformers, the delusions and works of
Satan, and treating the reformation, and the work of God, as
if it were the work of the devil. They also blasphemed the
God of heaven, by persisting in their gross idolatry, wor-
shipping saints and images, in the face of the light exhibited
by the reformers, which idolatry is called blasphemy in the
Bible ; and the famous Council of Trent, which was called by
the pope at that time, and sat eighteen years, were so far from
complying with the reformation, that they anathematized the
persons, doctrines, and practices by which it was introduced
and supported; and formed decrees in favor of the power and
tyranny of the pope, and the superstition and idolatry of the
church of Rome, and in some instances went beyond any
thing that had ever been decreed by any council before, in
favor of these abominations. " Thus they repented not of
their evil deeds."

This vial began to be poured out near the beginning of the
sixteenth century, in the year 1517, when Luther began to
oppose the wickedness of the church of Rome and the power
and evil practices of the pope; and from that time the influ-
ence and power, or throne, of this man of sin has been dimin-
ishing, and he is in a great measure deposed, and has fallen
almost to the ground from that high throne and unlimited
power in church and state to which he had, before that,
aspired and risen. As it is near three hundred years since
the fifth vial was poured out, there is good reason to conclude
that the sixth vial began to be poured out and has been run-
ning from the latter end of the last century, at least, i. e., for
a hundred years or more; that it is near run out, and the
seventh and last vial will begin to run early in the next cen-
tury. Whether this be so or not, may be determined with
greater and more satisfactory evidence, by attending to the
prophetic description of the events which are to take place
und(>r those vials; and as the sixth vial is supposed to be now
running, there is reason to pay a more particular and care-
ful attention to the prophetic language by which the events
under this vial are expressed, that tb6 meaning may be under-
stood and applied to the events which are pointed out, so as
to be clearly discovered, and the signs of these times be
discerned by all who will properly attend to this interesting
subject.

" And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great
River Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the
way of the kings of the east might be prepared." Ancient
Babylon was a type of the anti- Christian church of Rome.

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 313

By that, the church of Israel was afflicted and reduced to a
state of captivity seventy years, until it was taken by Cyrus
and Darius, whose kingdoms were east of Babylon. So the
church of Christ has fallen under the power of this anti-Chris-
tian church, and power is given to the beast to make war with
the saints, and to overcome them, and to continue forty-two
months ; therefore, the church of Rome is called Babylon in
the Revelation.

The River Eupln-ates ran through Babylon, under the walls
of the city, and a wide and deep moat, filled with water from
the river, encompassed the city on the outside of the walls ; so
that the river was not only a defence to the city, but afforded
a supply of water and fish, and other provisions, brought into
it by water carriage. Cyrus, who came against Babylon with
an army of Medes and Persians, took the city, by turning the
water of the river from the usual channel, in which it went
under the walls of the city, and ran through it, and dried up
the water in that channel, by which a way was opened for his
army to pass into the city under the walls, in the dried channel,
where the river used to run. Accordingly the army marched
in and took the city in the night, when the inhabitants were
either asleep or intoxicated with drinking, as that was the time
of a great festival. In that night the king of Babylon was
slain, and Cyrus took the Idngdom for his uncle Darius, the
Mede. (Dan. v.) *

In this prophecy there is an illusion to this manner of taking
Babylon, by Darius and Cyrus, the kings of the east. The
church of Rome is the antetype of Babylon. By the kings of
the east are meant those, whoever they may be, who are or
shall be enemies to the church of Rome, and wish to reduce
and destroy it, and shall be made the instruments of it; as the
eastern kings took Babylon, by drying up the River Euphrates.
The riches and power of the pope and the church of Rome,
and whatever serves as a defence and support of that church,
answer to the River Euphrates in old Babylon, and the removal
of those is meant by drying up the river, which will prepare
the way for the enemies and opposers of this church to take
possession of it and destroy it.

The river, in this sense of it, has been drying up for a cen-
tury or more, while this sixth vial has been running, and there
have been more remarkable instances of it in this century,
some of which have been mentioned above, by which the
riches of the church of Rome are greatly diminished, and she
is stripped and becoming poor; and the power and influence

* See Prideaux's Connection, Part I. Book II.

VOL. 11. 27

314 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

of the pope is become very small and inconsiderable, and he is
but little regarded by those who once worshipped him ; and
the way is fast preparing for the pope and his church to be
hated, made desolate, and burned with fire." *

John goes on to relate a further vision which he had of
events which are to take place under this vial, in the following
words : " And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of
the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and
out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits
of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the
earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that
great day of God Almighty. And he gathered them together
into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." (Rev.
xvi. 13, 14, 16.) This is the first time that the false prophet is
mentioned. And it appears from what is said of this false proph-
et, in the twentieth verse of the nineteenth chapter, that he is
the same with the second beast, which is described in the thir-
teenth chapter, by which is meant the hierarchy of the church of
Rome, or the pope and his clergy, in their ecclesiastical capacity,
claiming to have the sole jurisdiction, and to be infallible dicta-
tors in every thing that relates to Christian faith and practice.
The beast, as distinguished from the false prophet here, is the
civil power of the Roman empire, with which the pope is in-
vested, which he has claimed and exercised, by which he became
a beast.

The dragon is the devil, who is represented as a powerful,
invisible agent, having a great hand in all the wickedness in
the world, and has set up and animates the beast and false
prophet, making them instruments to answer his ends, being
the spirit who works with all his power and deceptive cunning
in these children of disobedience, and who are his children in
a peculiar sense. These spirits are, therefore, the numerous
spirits of devils who unite in one design, working miracles or
wonders, as the word in the original is sometimes rendered,
which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole
world ; that is, to all men who dwell on the earth, great and
small, high and low. What is the tendency and effect of
these invisible, evil spirits, what they design and do accom-
plish, when thus let loose, and suffered to go forth into all the
world, there can be no doubt. They will corrupt the World,
and promote all kinds of wickedness among men, to the ut-
most of their power and skill, and excite mankind to rise
against God and the Redeemer, and oppose and despise all
divine institutions and commands; and, at the same time, to

* See Edwards's Humble Attempt, Sec, p. 153.

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 315

hate and destroy each other, and attempt to gi'atify every hate-
ful lust of the flesh and of the mind, without restraint.

If any distinction is to be made between those evil spirits
which are united in this same design, and like frogs pervade
all places and assault all men, as the frogs did the Egyptians,
in their attempts to seduce and corrupt them, especially those
who live in the Christian world, that which comes out of the
mouth of the dragon promotes infidelity, and influences and
persuades men to renounce all religion, especially that which
is inculcated in the Bible. The spirit which proceeds from the
mouth of the beast inspires men with a worldly spirit, by which
they are strongly attached to the things and enjoyments of
this world, and eagerly pursue them, either by gratifying their
fleshly appetites and lusts, in beastly uncleanness, and intem-
perance in eating and drinking, frolic and wantonness, or by
indulging an avaricious spirit, which leads to ail kinds of un-
righteousness, and oppression of each other, according to their
power and opportunity, or they eagerly pursue (he honors
of the world, in the gratification of pride and haughtiness,
striving to outshine others in dress and high living, or in dis-
tinguished posts of honor. And though some persons, under
the influence of the spirit of the beast, are more inclined to
some one of these, and others to another, yet the same per-
son will often pursue them all, and seek to gratify the lust of
the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. And all
these will prevail more and more, under the influence of the
spirit of the beast, and at the same time promote infidelity,
and are promoted by that. The spirit which comes out of
the mouth of the false prophet is a spirit of false religion and
delusion, by which false doctrines and gross errors in principle
and practice are imbibed and propagated.

These spirits of devils unite and are agreed in one design,
to promote all kinds of vice and wickedness among men, and,
to as great a degree as they possibly can, leading them to in-
fidelity and impiety, and an endless train of gross errors and
delusions in matters of religion, and hurrying them on in a
greedy pursuit of the enjoyments of this world, in the indul-
gence of their lusts, and the gratification of their love of their
own selves, and their pride in the practice of injustice and op-
pression, living in malice and envy, hating and speaking evil
of one another, and engaging in fierce contention, cruel and
destructive war, and murder. By this the world in general will
be in arms against God and his Son ; and they will be gath-
ered and knit together, as one man, in open war with heaven
and all the friends of Christ on earth. This is, doubtless,
meant by these spirits of devils going out into the whole

316 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God
Almighty. It is not meant that tiiey shall be gathered into
one place oi> this globe, or any where else ; but that they shall
be united with one heart in the same cause of sin and Satan,
against God, and his revealed truth and ways, in whatever
part of the earth they live ; and thus take arms, and rise in
open rebellion, provoking the Almighty to battle, and, in a
sense, challenging him to do his worst. Thus they will be as
really gathered to the battle as an army are gathered together
to engage in battle with another army, or to besiege a city.

" And he gathered them together into a place called in the
Hebrew tongue Armageddon." Armageddon is the Moun-
tain of Megiddo, at the foot of which the memorable battle
was fought between the Canaanites, the enemies of Israel,
and Barak, and the army under him, when Sisera and his
host were defeated and utterly destroyed, which was a com-
plete overthrow of the Canaanites, and issued in the final
deliverance of Israel from their yoke and power. This was a
type of the total defeat and overthrow of the enemies of Christ
and his church, which will issue in the peace and prosperity
of the church in the millennial state. This is intimated in the
concluding words of the song of Deborah and Barak, in which
this victory and deliverance is celebrated. " So let all thine
enemies perish, O Lord ; but let them who love him be as the
sun when he goeth forth in his might." (Judges v. 31.) There
is, therefore, an allusion to the type in this prophecy of the
event which was typified by it, viz., the overthrow of all the
combined enemies of Christ and his church, in the battle of
that great day of God Almighty. It cannot be reasonably in-
ferred from this prediction that there will be a decisive battle
between Christ and his followers, and their enemies, in any
particular place. All that is signified by these words is, that
as Jabin, king of Canaan, gathered together a great army under
Sisera, to fight with the God of Israel and his people, at the foot
of the Mountain of Megiddo, who were there overthrown and
destroyed in battle, when " they fought from heaven, the stars
in their courses fought against Sisera." So, by the agency of
the spirits of devils, under the superintendence and direction
of divine Providence, the world of mankind in general, and
especially those in Christendom, will be so corrupted and ob-
stinately rebellious, in all kinds and the greatest degrees of
wiclcedncss, as to be united, and, in this sense, gathered to-
gether, all armed in a spiritual war against God, his cause and
people. And their iniquity being full and they ripe for battle,
God will arise as a man of war, and in his providence con-
tend in battle with them till they be utterly destroyed from

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM 317

the face of the earth. Thus "the wicked shall perish, and the
enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs ; they shall
consume ; into smoke shall they consume away ; " and by this,
way shall be made for the meek to inherit the earth, and
delight themselves in the abundance of peace. (Ps. xxxvii.
11,20.)

But this battle is to come on under the next vial, which is
the seventh and last. When mankind shall be prepared and
gathered together, by the great degree of all kinds of wicked-
ness, while God has been waiting upon them, even to long-
suffering, in the use of very powerful and all proper means to
reclaim and reform them, he will arise to battle, and, by doing
terrible things in righteousness, will manifest and display his
awful displeasure with them for their great wickedness and
obstinacy in rebellion against him ; and the events will then
take place which are predicted under the seventh vial.

" And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air;
and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven,
from the throne, saying. It is done." This vial being poured
out into the air, denotes that it should affect and destroy Sa-
tan's kingdom and his followers in the world in general, who
is the prince of the power of the air. And the voice from
heaven, saying, It is done, is a prediction that the events under
this vial, by which the battle before mentioned is to be carried
on and completed, will utterly destroy the interest and king-
dom of the devil in the world, and finish the awful scene of
divine judgments on the anti-Christian church and the wicked
world in general. The prophecy then goes on to give a gen-
eral and summary account of the battle of that great day,
from the seventh verse to the end of the chapter, and the great
and marvellous effects it will have upon great Babylon, i. e.,
the church of Rome, and upon the nations of the world in
general. There will be the greatest convulsions and revolu-
tions in the political and moral world that have ever been,
attended with awful judgments upon men, which are pre-
dicted in prophetic language. " And there were voices, and
thunders, and lightnings, and a great earthquake, such as was
not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake
and so great. And every island fled away, and the mountains
were not found." " And the great city was divided into three
parts, and the cities of the nations fell ; and great Babylon
came into remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup
of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath." The great city,
and great Babylon, seem to be one and the same thing, the
church of Rome. In the next chapter, this same false church
is called "Babylon the great," and "the great city which
27*

318 AVIIAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

reigiieth over the kings of the earth." (Rev. xvii. 5, 18.) What
is meant by this city being divided into three parts will be
better known when the prediction shall be accomplished. It
doubtless intends, that which shall break the anti-Christian
church into pieces, and will issue in the ruin of it, the fatal
blow being struck. Perhaps it intends a division and oppo-
sition among those who have been the members and support-
ers of that church, by which this spiritual Babylon shall fall,
or which shall hasten on the ruin of it ; as a kingdom divided
against itself cannot stand, but is brought to desolation. In
the prophecy of this kingdom of antichrist by Daniel, in the
latter end of it, he says, " The kingdom shall be divided; and
by this it shall be partly broken." (Dan. ii. 41, 42.)

" And the cities of the nations fell." Divine judgments,
and a peculiar measure of wrath, shall fall upon the- Christian
world in which the anti-Christian kingdom has been setup;
but the rest of mankind shall share in the calamity of that
day, and be punished for their wickedness, to which this ex-
pression seems to have respect. The cities of the nations of
the world are their strength, defence, and pride. These shall
be demolished and wholly taken away, that they shall no
more be able to tyrannize over one another. The pride and
power of Mahometans and heathen nations shall be made to
cease by a series of divine judgments. " The day of the Lord
of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and
upon every one that is lifted up, and he shall be brought low.
And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall. And
the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness
of men shall be made low, in that day. And I will punish the
world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity ; and I
will cause the arrogancy of the jjroud to cease, and will lay low
the haughtiness of the terrible." (Isa. ii. 12, 15, 17 ; xiii. 11.)
The same is predicted in the following words : " I have cut
ofT the nations, their towers are desolate ; I have made their
streets waste, that none passeth by; their eitie.s are destroyed,
so that there is no man, there is none inhabitant. Therefore,
wait upon me, saith the Lord, vmtil the day that I rise up to
the prey; for my determination is to gather the nations, that
I may assemble the kingdoms to pour upon them mine indig-
nation, even all my fierce anger ; for the earth shall be de-
voured with the fire of my jealousy." (Zeph. iii. 6, 8.) These
words doubtless have reference to the events which were to
take place under the sixth and seventh vials, when the nations
and the kingdoms of the world are to be g-athered, and God
will rise up to battle, to the prey, and pour upon them his
indignation, even all his fierce anger, for their obstinate

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 319

continuance in sin and rebellion against him ; and all the earth
shall be devoured with the fire of his jealousy ; and thus the
cities of the nations shall fall, the nations shall be cut off,
their towers made desolate, and their cities destroyed.

The prophecy under the seventh vial goes on, " And there
fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about
the weight of a talent ; and men blasphemed God, because of
the plague of the hail, for the plague thereof was exceeding
great." There is reference in those words to the destruction
of the Canaanites, in the great and terrible battle, when the
Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them, and
they died, and there were more that died with hailstones than
they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword. (.Tosh.
X. 11.) And God said to Job, " Hast thou seen the treasures
of hail, which I have reserved against the time of trouble,
against the day of battle and ivar.'^ (Job. xxxviii. 22, 23.)
Therefore, when great judgments and awful destruction of
men are predicted, they are represented by storms of great
hail. " Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which
as a tempest of hail, and a destroying storm, shall cast down
to the earth with the hand. Judgment also will I lay to the
line, and righteousness to the plummet, and the hail shall
sweep away the refuge of lies. The Lord shall cause his glo-
rious voice to be heard, and shall show the lighting down of
his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame
of devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones."
(Tsa. xxviii. 2, 17 ; xxx. 30.) " Say unto them who daub with
untempered mortar, that it shall fall ; there shall be an over-
flowing shower, and ye, O gi-eat hailstones, shall fall, and a
stormy wind shall rend it. I will even rend it with a stormy
wind in my fury ; and there shall be an overflowing shower
in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.
And I will plead against him with pestilence, and with blood,
and I will rain upon him and his bands, and upon many peo-
ple that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hail-
stones, fire, and brimstone." (Eze. xiii. 11, 13 ; xxxviii. 22.)
All these passages* will doubtless have their ultimate and
most complete fulfilment under the seventh vial, and in the
same sore calamities and judgments which are predicted in

* Unless that in Ezekiel be an exception, which is a description of the pun-
ishment of Gog and Magog, by which name the multitude of wicked men are
called, who shall rise up when the millennium is ended, and will be destroyed
when Christ shall come to jiidgment. These words may have their ultimate
accomplishment then. Eut as the Gog and !Magog of Ezckicl represent the
wicked world which shall be destroyed before the millennium begins, as well
as those who shall rise up when it shall end, this passage has a primary, if not
an ultimate, reference to the destruction of the former.

320 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

the words under consideration, by the great hail which fell on
men out of heaven. The hailstones are represented as weigh-
ing a hundred pounds, which is the weight of a talent, to
denote the greatness of the judgments and destruction pre-
dicted, the sore and awful distresses which shall come on
men; "for the plague thereof was exceeding great." These
judgments will not reform the obstinate enemies of God on
whom they shall fall ; they will be exasperated and blaspheme
God the more, until they are utterly destroyed, and swept off
from the earth, agreeably to the prophecy which may be con-
sidered as referring ultimately to this dreadful scene. " And
they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry ; and it
shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry they shall
fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look
upward. And they shall look unto the earth, and behold
trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish ; and they shall be
driven into darkness." (Isa. viii. 21, 22.)

This battle is more particularly described in the nineteenth
chapter, from the beginning of the eleventh verse to the end of
the chapter : " And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white
horse ; and he who sat upon him was called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness doth he judge and make\var." This
person is further described, by which he appears to be the Lord
Jesus Christ. " And the armies which were in heaven fol-
lowed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and
clean." This does not mean that the inhabitants of heaven,
or the saints on earth, will join in a visible army, and person-
ally fight with the enemies of Christ and his church, and
destroy them ; but only that these shall join with Christ and
be on his side when he shall arise in his providence, and by
his power destroy his and their enemies. In this sense, all
heaven will be with him, when he shall come forth to battle
in his providence, and execute his wrath upon men in awful
successive judgments, in which the angels may be used as in-
visible instruments of his vengeance ; and he will do all this,
in answer to the prayers of his church on earth, and in their
cause, to vindicate and deliver them, and prepare the way for
the prosperity of his church on earth. That he will be the
great invisible agent in this battle, appears from the following
words : " And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with
it he should smite the nations; and he shall rule them with a
rod of iron ; and he treadeth the wine press of the fierceness
and wrath of Almighty God." This is the battle of that great
day of God Almighty. This awful scene proceeds and is yet
further described : " And I saw an angel standing in the sun ;
and he cried wilh a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 321

in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yom-selves together
unto the supper of the great God ; that ye may eat the flesh
of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty
men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and
the flesh of all men, both small and great." This is a strong,
figurative, prophetic expression of the great slaughter and ter-
rible destruction of mankind, when God Almighty shall come
forth to battle, and manifest his hot displeasure and terrible
wrath, in the judgment he will inflict on them. The repre-
sentation of this battle, and the issue of it, goes on, and " I
John saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their
armies gathered together^ to make war against him who sat
on the horse, and against his army." These are the same who
are mentioned, chap. xvi. 14-16, as gathered together to the
battle of that great day of God Almighty, the meaning of
which has been explained. And in this war and battle the
beast and the false prophet were taken and destroyed, with
their adherents. " And the remnant were slain with the sword
of him who sat upon the horse, whose sword proceedeth out
of his mouth, and all the fowls were filled with their flesh."
By the remnant, are meant the rest of mankind, who by their
sins make war with Christ, and are not included in the beast
and false prophet and their followers, who belong to the king-
dom of antichrist. Their being slain by the sword which
proceeded out of the mouth of Christ, does not mean their
conversion, but their falling victims to his vengeance, which is
expressed by the fowls being filled with their flesh.

The same battle and slaughter of men is represented and
predicted in figurative prophetic language, in the fourteenth
chapter, where John describes a vision which he had of one
like unto the Son of man, who sat upon a white cloud, having
on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
And it was said unto him, " Thrust in thy sickle and reap ;
for the time is come for thee to reap ; for the harvest of the
earth is ripe. And he thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the
earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the tem-
ple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle." And
it was said unto him, " Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather
the clusters of the vine of the earth ; for her grapes are fully
ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and
gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great wine
press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden
without the city, and blood came out of the wine press, even
unto the horse-bridles, by the space of a thousand and six
hundred furlongs."

Upon this vision it is to be observed, that by the harvest of

322 AVUAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

the earth, and the clusters of the vine of the earth, are meant
the inhabitants of the earth, or mankind in general. And
reaping the harve.-*t, and gathering the clusters of the vine of
the earth, signifies the slaughter and destruction of the inhab-
itants of the earth ; not every one of them indeed, for in the
harvest and vintage, some ears of corn are commonly left
standing, which escape the sickle, and a few scattering grapes
are left on the vine when the clusters in general are gathered.
And that this slaughter and desolation, which shall be made
of the inhabitants of the world, will take place in consequence
of their apostasy, and obstinate continuance and increase in
sin, until they are become ripe, fully ripe, for this dreadful ex-
ecution and destruction, by divine vengeance ; therefore, that
this reaping, and the harvest, and gathering the clusters of
the vine of the earth will not be a merciful dispensation
towards the inhabitants then in the world, but the execution
of divine vengeance, and an awful exercise and display of the
displeasure and wrath of God, in the evils which shall fall on
men, for their perseverance and increase in wickedness. This
is represented and expressed in a striking manner, by the
figure of casting the vintage into the great wine press of the
wrath of God, and the large and amazing quantity of blood
which proceeded from thence, signifying the great and gen-
eral slaughter, and terrible sufferings of mankind, when this
time of wrath shall come.

From this view of the events predicted under the sixth and
seventh vials, it appears that, while the sixth vial is running,
the way will be preparing for the overthrow of spiritual
Babylon.

One event will take place after another, which will greatly
weaken and remove the power and influence of the pope
among the nations in Christendom, by taking away his riches,
by drying up the stream of wealth, and the removal of other
things, by which the church of Rome has been made strong,
and stood as impregnable for many ages. But this will
not be attended by any general reformation of profess-
ing Christians, or revival and great increase of the true
church of Christ ; nor will the moral state of the Christian
world, or of mankind in general, be reformed and grow better,
but the contrary. By the evil influence which the beast and
the hierarchy of the church of Rome have had in the world,
and by the j>ower and agency of Satan, the unrestrained lusts
of men will hurry them on to all kinds of wickedness, so
that it will rise to a greater degree, and be more universal
than ever before. Infidelity, deism, and atheism, and the
most open and gross impiety and profanation of every thing

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 323

sacred, will prevail and abound ; and false religion, and the
grossest errors and delusions of all kinds, will take place and
spread among those who do not discard all religion. And a
worldly spirit will be very strong and prevalent among old
and young, urging them on to the gratification of their sensual
inclinations and lusts, in all kinds of intemperance and lewd-
ness, and prompting them to acts of unrighteousness, oppres-
sion and cruelty, which will promote mutual hatred, bitterness,
and contention, and spread confusion and every evil work in
fierce and cruel wars and horrid murders. It is certain that
the unclean spirits like frogs, those spirits of devils, when they
go forth to the whole world, will promote all kinds of disorder
and wickedness to the greatest degree, and set mankind
against God, and all his revealed truth, and against each
other, and every thing good and excellent, and make this
world as much an image of hell as they possibly can ; by
which the inhabitants on earth in general will be united and
gathered togther in arras against heaven, and become wholly
ripe for destruction from the Almighty, for the battle of that
great day which will come on under the seventh vial, and will
be conducted, fought, and finished by Christ himself, against
an iingodly world.

The prevailing unrestrained wickedness of men, which has
been now mentioned, by which they shall be gathered unto
this battle, is described by the apostle Paul in the following
words : " This know, also, that in the last days perilous times
shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, cov-
etous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, covenant-break-
ers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those who
are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more
than lovers of God ; having a form of godliness, but denying
the power thereof." (2 Tim. iii. 1-5.) All these evil characters
have been in every age of the world ; but they will then, in
those last days, take place to a greater degree, and more uni-
versally, than ever before.

The true church of Christ will subsist and continue in this
evil time of the prevalence of the powers of darkness, but
the number of real Christians will be small; and many, even
of them — if not the most — will probably be weak and low
in their Christian exercises, by the influences and uncommon
power of those evil spirits, and in too great a degree con-
formed to this world. They will be hated, opposed, and trod-
den down by the wicked, and be in an aiHicted, suffering
state in this dark and evil day. They will be in a gi-eat
measure hidden and unknown, and the cause of Christ and

324 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

of truth will be reproached, and appear to be almost lost ; and
the true followers of Christ, his sheep, will be scattered into
corners in this cloudy and dark day. (Eze. xxxiv. 12.)
Whether wicked men, and enemies to the true servants of
Christ, will persecute them unto death, and renew this horrid
work, of which so much has been done in former ages, in
this time when iniquity will abound to such a great degree,
cannot now be determined by any thing said in Scripture
respecting it. It is thought, by most, that, since the pope is
brought so low, and his power and influence is still sinking so
fast, and so much light is spreading in favor of civil and reli-^
gious liberty, showing the reasonableness and importance of it,
and the unreasonableness and folly of a persecuting spirit, and
liberal sentiments respecting religion are propagated and in-
creasing,— persecution on account of religious sentiments or
practice is near come to an end, and never will be revived
and practised again. This may appear most probable. But
though the anti-Christian church should never persecute the
faithl-ul followers of Christ again, and a persecuting spirit
should wholly cease among professing Christians of all de-
nominations, yet infidels, who condemn all religious persecu-
tion, in every degree and form in which it has been practised,
and boast of their liberal sentiments and spirit with respect to
this, and use it as a strong and conclusive argument against
Christianity itself, that professed Christians have, in so many
instances, persecuted others — even these in/idels, or their suc-
cessors, may find true Christians, their doctrines and practices,
to be so disagreeable and hateful to them, and, in their view,
so hurtful to society, and so contrary to all that in which they
place their own happiness and that of mankind, that, having
all restraints taken off, and the power being put into their
hands, they may think these men ought not to be suffered to
live, and that it is for the good of society to have them extir-
pated and put to death, unless they can be brought to
renounce their sentiments and practices by persuasion or
punishments ; and so become as determined, cruel persecutors
of Christians as any have been in past ages. If this should
take place, it will make a new, and perhaps greater and more
striking, discovery of the wickedness of the human heart —
especially of the hearts and real character of this sort of men —
than ever has been exhibited before. And they who now know
what is in man, from the character given of him in Scripture,
and by the discovery mankind have made of their own hearts
by words and deeds, and from a true acquaintance with their
own hearts, must be sensible that nothing can prevent even
men of this cast persecuting Christians but restraints from

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 325

ireaven. But, however, perhaps this discovery of what is in
man is reserved to be made after the millennium shall be
over, in the rise of Gog and Magog, when it may be exhibited
in many respects to greater advantage, and so as to answer
more important ends.

Though the true church of Christ must be in a low, dark
state, in many respects, under this vial, yet there will doubtless
be revivals of religion, and an increase of converts to real
Christianity in many dift'erent places, and truth may be get-
ting advantage, and more clearly distinguished from error, by
those who have eyes to see ; and Christianity be more and
more refined in doctrines and practice, from the various errors
and corruptions which have been introduced among the true
followers of Christ, and every thing and all events will serve
to bring on and introduce the millennium in the best manner,
and in the most proper time.

The battle of that great day of God Almighty is to come
on under the seventh vial, as has been observed. When the
iniquity of the world of mankind shall be full, and they shall be
united in open rebellion, and, in this sense, gathered together
and armed against heaven; and, after God has waited long
upon them in the use of all proper means to reclaim them,
especially the Christian world, and they are become fully ripe
for destruction, he will come forth to battle against them, and
execute most fearful judgments upon them, and destroy them
in a manner and degree which shall manifest his awful dis-
pleasure with them for their obstinacy in all kinds of wicked-
ness. When these briers and thorns are set against God in
battle, he will go through them and burn them together. (See
Isa. xxvii. 4.) The destruction of the world of mankind by a
flood, when the wickedness of man was become great, and the
earth was' filled with violence, and they continued obstinate in
disobedience, while the long suffering of God waited upon them
in the days of Noah, was an emblem of this battle ; as also was
the destruction of the inhabitants of Canaan, when their iniqui-
ty w^as full, which prepared the way for the people of God to
take possession of that land. So God punished the nation of
the Jews, by destroying them, and laying waste Jerusalem and
the temple. When they had filled up the measure of their
sins, wrath came upon them to the uttermost. This was a
figure or type of this greater, more dreadful, and general battle
under the seventh vial, when " the Lord shall come out of his
place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity,
and the earth shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover
her slain." (Isa. xxvi, 21.)

This battle, it has been observed, will not consist in the
VOL. II. 28

326 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MTLLEXNIUM.

church or Christians' raising armies, and fighting and carrying
on war with the anti-Christian party, or with the wicked world ;
or in conflict between the former and the latter, respecting the
truths and cause of Christ. But it will be commenced and
carried on by Christ while invisible in heaven, invested with
all divine power in heav(>n and earth, in the exercise of his
providence, bringing judginents upon his enemies and a
wicked world in sucli remarkable ways and maimer as to be
a clear and remarkable manifestation of his presence and
power; of his displeasure with a wicked world for opposing
him, his church, and the gospel ; and an incontestable evi-
dence of the truth of Christianity, by fulfilling his predictions
and promises, taking vengeance on the enemies of his people,
and elh'ctually supporting them and their cause. He will
doubtless make use of instruments in this battle.

The holy angels may be made the instruments of many
events which shall be full of evil to wicked men. And the true
church of Christ, his witnesses in his cause, and against the
delusions and wickedness of the anti-Christian church and of
the world, are represented as having a hand in bringing upon
their enemies all the evils which will come upon them, because
they will take place in answer to their prayers in their cause,-
and in order effectually to avenge his own elect of their adver-
saries. (Luke xviii. 7.) Therefore, it is said of them, " These
have power to shut heaven, that it rain not, in the days of
their proj)hecy ; and have power over waters to turn them
into Ijlood, and to smite the earth with all plagues as often as
they will. (Rev. \i. (3.) And the wicked themselves will be
instruments of afllicting and destroying each other, in a very
cruel and dreadful manner, by opposing and fighting with
one another, and carrying on destructive and bloody wars,
killing men by thousands, and laying waste whole countries
and nations, by which the earth will be in a great degree de-
popuhited, and rivers of blood will be shed by the unrestrained
pride and cruel rage of man. And many will probably put
an end to their own lives, and instances of suicide will be
greatly multiplied.

But multitudes of mankind will be destroyed by the more
immediate hand of God, by famine and pestilences, which will
prevail in many countries, at difl'erent times, in an extraordinary
manner, antl to a degree never known' before ; by which vast
muhitudes will perish suddenly, and in circumstances very sur-
prising and awful. And then^ will be earthquakes, and terrible
storms of lightning and thunder, and inundations of water, by
which many cities and places shall sink and be overflowed,
with all the inhabitants ; and multitudes will perish by these

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 327

and innumerable other evil occurrences, which will take place
In an unusual manner and in quick succession ; so that the
hand of" God will be visibly stretched out against the inhab-
itants of the world, to punish and destroy them for their wick-
edness, and the following prediction will be fuHilled in the full
and awful extent of it : " Fear, and the pit, and the snare are
upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall come to
pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into
the pit, and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall
be taken in the snare ; for the windows from on high are open,
and the foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is
utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is
moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a
drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage, and the trans-
gression thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall and
not rise again." (Isa. xxiv. 17-20.)

This battle will not be fought at once, so as to be soon
finished, but will be carried on through a course of years,
probably for more than a century and a half, in order to make
a suitable and sufficiently clear display of the displeasure of
God with a wicked world, and to give opportunity to men to
repent and reform, when they are warned, called upon, and
urged to it, by being made to suffer such a variety and long-
continued series of calamities for their sins, and to discover
and set in the most clear and striking light the hardness,
obstinacy, and wickedness of the heart of man, while they
continue disobedient and inflexible under all these terrible dis-
pensations of Providence, suited to awaken and reform them,
to teach them the evil of sin, and the awful displeasure of
God with them, and to warn them to fly from the wrath to
come, and unto Christ, as the only refuge, and go on to revolt
yet more and more, and blaspheme the hand which inflicts
these evils. By all this will be more clearly manifested than
ever before, how totally lost and infinitely miserable mankind
are, and their infinite need of a Redeemer; that no means that
can be used, or methods taken to reclaim and save them, will
be in the least degree effectual, unless the Spirit of God be
given to change and renew their hearts, and, therefore, that
the salvation of men depends wholly on the mere sovereign
grace of God, even all that good, holiness, and salvation which
shall take place in the millennium ; and it will, in this respect,
prepare tlie way for that day of grace.

This battle and terrible slaughter and destruction of men in
so many ways, and for so long a course of years, will greatly
lessen the number of mankind in the world, so that in the
close of this terrible scene comparatively few will be left alive.

328 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

Those will be the Christians who shall be then members of
the churches, and descendants from good people who have
lived in former ages, and others who will then be true peni-
tents, who will look back on the terrible scene which had
taken place in the battle of the great day of God Almighty,
and see and have a clear and afiecting conviction of his dis-
pleasure with mankind for their sins, and the terribleness of
his wrath, and will acknowledge the righteousness of it. They
will consequently see the guilty, miserable, and utterly lost
state of mail, and their need of a Redeemer to make atone-
ment for their sins, and the necessity of the Holy Spirit to
renew their hearts and form them to right and truly Christian
exercises ; and will be clearly convinced of the truth of all the
great and important doctrines of the gospel, and cordially em-
brace them ; and they will repent and humble themselves in
the sight of the Lord, and earnestly, with united hearts, cry to
Heaven for the forgiveness of their sins, and for mercy on them-
selves and on their children, acknowledging their infinite ill
desert, and flying to Christ, and sovereign grace through him,
as their only refuge and hope. And then the scene will change.
The battle will be over, divine judgments w'ill cease, and
there will be no more frowns on man in the providence of God,
but all dispensations and events will be expressions of kind-
ness and mercy, and the Holy Spirit will be poured out on
them and their ofi'spring, and all shall be holiness to the Lord,
and the millennium will begin, and men will multiply and
soon subdue the earth, and fill it with inhabitants.

As antichrist and the church of Rome will have a large
share in the cup of indignation and wrath which will be
poured out, so all the Christian world will have a distinguished
portion of it, as the inhabitants of it are much more guilty
than others. There is no reason to consider the anti-Christian
spirit and practices to be confined to that which is now called
the church of Rome. The Protestant churches have much of
antichrist in them, and are far from being wholly reformed from
the corruptions and wickedness, in doctrine and practice, which
are I'ound in that which is called Babylon the great, the

MOTHER OF HARLOTS, AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Her

influence in promoting delusion and wickedness extends, to.
some degree, to all the inhabitants of the world, and more
especially the Christian world. She is the mother of all the
false doctrines, superstition, inlidelity, and abominable prac-
tices in the Protestant world. And where can the church be
found, which is thoroughly purged from all these abomina-
tions? Some churches may be more pure, and may have pro-
ceeded farther in the reformation than others; but none are

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 829

wholly clear of an anti- Christian spirit, and the fruits of it.
Tliere may be, and in many instances doubtless there is, much
of the exercise of the spirit of antichrist, in opposing what is
called antichrist and the church of Rome, and by running into
as great extremes another way. The apostle Paul said, this
mystery of iniquity, the man of sin, which is antichrist, began
already to work in the churches even in his day. (2 Thes. ii.
7.) How much of this then, may it be reasonably thought, is
to be found in most, if not all, the churches now ? In this
view, the spirit and operation of antichrist are very extensive ;
and how few churches or individual Christians have so far
come out from this mother of harlots and abominations of
the earth, as not to be in any degree partakers of her sins, so
as not to receive of her plagues I And while the sixth vial
continues to run, it is not to be expected that the Protestant
churches in general will grow more pure; but the evil spirits
which are gone forth will promote and spread still greater cor-
ruption in doctrine and practice, by which they will be more
ripe for divine judgments, and prepared to suffer in the battle
under the seventh vial. The purest churches and real Chris-
tians will suffer much in this battle, and few will go wholly
unpunished. By this, the rebels, or false-hearted professing
Christians, will be purged out from among real Christians,
and these shall be purified, and made white, and tried ; but the
wicked shall do wickedly. (Dan. xii. 10.)

TheJews have suffered greatly for their peculiarly aggra-
vated wickedness in rejecting and crucifying the Son of God,
and they are now, and have been for near two thousand years,
in a state of great atffiction and under the manifest displeasure
of Heaven to a gi-eat and distinguished degree. They yet
continue a people distinguished from all other nations, though
scattered all over the world as outcasts and vagabonds, and
will continue thus a distinct people down to the millennium.
But though they have suffered so much, they yet continue as
obstinate as ever in rejecting Christ, and in all their sins; and
there is reason to think they will not escape the battle of the
great day of Almighty God, but great and new calamities will
fall upon them, by which they may be much diminished, so as
to be left few in number compared with what they have been,
or are now ; and the threatening denounced against that peo-
ple by Moses will then be executed on them in the full mean-
ing and extent of it : " And ye shall be left few in numbei,
wdiereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude ; because
thou wouldst not obey the voice of the Lord thy God." (Deut.
xxviii. 62.) But God will not make a full end of them, which
he probably will do of some, if not of many other nations.
28*

330 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

The revolutions which will take place in this battle will
open the way tor their return to the land given to their an-
cestors, and they whicli are left will repent and return to the
Lord Jesus Christ, against whom they and their fathers have
sinned, and unto their own land, and will become an eminent-
ly excellent part of the Christian church, who shall multiply,
and till all tliat vast tract of land given to Abraham and his
posterity, from the River of Egypt, to the great River Euphrates,
(Gen. XV. 18,) which has never yet been fully possessed by
them. And their being thus received into the church of
Christ will be as life from the dead to them, and to the
Gentiles.

But whether they will continue a distinct people from all
other Christians through the whole time of the millennium,
or be so intermixed with others as not to be distinguished
from them, will be determined by the event. But the latter is
most probable, as the ends of their being preserved in such a
state of distinction will then be answered, and those circum-
stances and things which have been, and still are, the means
of their continuing a distinct and separate people, will then
cease, such as circumcision, and the observance of other Mo-
saic rites. When they shall become Christians, their name
by which they are now distinguished will be lost, and they
will be absorbed in the Christian church, the true Israel of God,
where there is neither Jew nor Greek, but all are one in Christ ;
and then there will be one fold, and one shepherd. And then,
by this event, the following prediction will be fully accom-
plished : " And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my
chosen : for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants
by another name." (Isa. Ixv. 15.)

That the above representation of this battle, which will be
previous to the millennium, and will introduce it, taken from
the passages in the Revelation which have been considered, is
just, and agreeable to the true sense of them, further appears,
and is confirmed by other parts of holy Scripture, especially
by the prophecies of this same event, recorded in the Old
Testament.

The destruction of the world of mankind by a flood, and
the preservation of Noah and his family, who were by this
brought into a new world, to be replenished by them, may be
considered as a typical and prophetic representation of the
great battle with the wicked world, previous to the millennium,
by which the wicked will be swept oil" the earth, and the true
church of Christ will be delivcTcd and preserved, and the way
opened for its prosperity and filling the earth.

The series of judgments brought upon Pharaoh and the

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 331

Egyptians, for their disobedience to Jehovah, and oppressions
of his people, and their dreadful overthrow in the Red Sea, to
prepare the way for the deliverance of Israel, was also a pro-
phetic type of this great battle. So was the destruction of
the inhabitants of Canaan, in order to introduce the people of
Israel, and put them in possession of that land. Therefore,
reference is had to this in the representation of the battle of
that great day, as has been observed.

David was a man of blood, carried on great wars, and de-
stroyed much people, and many nations, w4io were enemies to
him, and the people of God, and by his conquests prepared
the way for the peaceable and glorious reign of Solomon, and
the building of the temple. In this, David was the type of
Christ, when he shall go forth, clothed with a vesture dipt in
blood, and in righteousness make war, and destroy the na-
tions of mankind, his enemies, to prepare the way for the mil-
lennium. Solomon was a type of Christ reigning in the mil-
lennium, when the church shall rise to a state of beauty and
glory, of which Solomon's temple was a type, when the meek
shall inherit the earth, and delight themselves in the abundance
of peace.

The coming of Christ, in favor of his church, and of the
redeemed, is spoken of as a time of vengeance to his and
their enemies, in which they shall be punished and destroyed,
and his people shall be avenged on them. " The Spirit of the
Lord God is upon me ; because the Lord hath anointed me to
preach good tidings unto the meek : to proclaim the accepta-
ble year of the Lord, and the dcuj of vengeance of onr God ; to
coinfort all that mourn." " For the day of vengeance is in mine
heart, and the year of my redeemed is come." (Isa. Ixi. 1, 2 ;
Ixiii. 4.) " And shall not God avenge his own elect, who cry
day and night unto him, though he bear long with them ? I
teli you that he will avenge them speedily." (Luke xviii. 7,
8.) " Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and
prophets ; for God hath avenged you on her. And after these
things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying.
Alleluia ; salvation, and glory, and honor, and power unto the
Lord our God : for true and righteous are his judgments : for
he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth
with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his ser-
vants at her hand." (Rev. xviii. 20 ; xix. 1, 2.)

Balaam, in his remarkable prophecy of Christ and his king-
dom, speaking of this latter day, when the Roman empire
shall come to an end, and Christ shall have the dominion, rep-
resents this event as attended with great destruction of men.
" Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and

332 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

shall destroy him that remaineth in the city. And he took
up his parable, and said, Alas! who shall live when God
doeth this ? " This expresses a great and general destruction
of men, so that comparatively few of them will be left alive.
(Num. xxiv. 17-24.) The same is predicted in the song which
God directed Moses to rehearse to the children of Israel, to
be preserved by them. " For I lift my hand to heaven, and
say, I live forever. If (or when) I whet my glittering sword,
and mine hand take hold on judgment, I will render ven-
geance to mine enemies, and I will reward them that hate
me. I will make mine arrows drunk with their blood, and
my sword shall devour flesh, and that with the blood of the
slain, and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges
upon the enemy. Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people,
for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render
vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto
his land, and to his people." (Deut. xxxii. 40-43.) This
prophecy is very parallel with that which has been mentioned,
which relates to the great battle. (Rev. xviii. 20; xix. 1, 2.)
The same events are predicted in the following words of Mo-
ses : " There is none like unto the God of Jeshurm, who rideth
upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the ever-
lasting arms : and he shall thrust out the enemy from before
thee ; and shall say, Destroy them. Israel then shall dwell in
safety alone : the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of
corn and wine ; also his heavens shall drop down dew." (Deut.
xxxiii. 26-28.) In these words, God is represented as riding
forth to thrust out and destroy the enemies of his people, and
upon this the prosperity of his church, the true Israel, is intro-
duced. Tiiis prophecy, therefore, coincides with the description
of the battle in the Revelation, as introductory to the millen-
nium. The same events are predicted in the prayer or song
of Hannah. " He will keep the feet of his saints, and the
wicked siiall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no
man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to
pieces : out of heaven shall h? thunder upon them. The
Lord shall judge the end of the earth, and he shall give
strength unto iiis king, and exalt the horn of his anointed."
(1 Sam. ii. 9, 10.)

This battle, by which the wicked will be destroyed, and the
reign of Christ and his church on earth introduced, is frequent-
ly brought into view and predicted in the book of Psalms.
The following predictions of this kind are worthy to be ob-
served : " Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for
thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 333

possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, thou
siialt clash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." (Ps. ii. 8,
9.) There is reference to this prediction and promise in the
following words of Christ: "And he that overcometh, and
keepeth my works to the end, to him will I give power over
the nations : and he shall rule them with a rod of iron ; as
the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to pieces : even as
I received of my P'ather."' (Rev. ii. 26, 27.) The followers of
Christ are said to do what he does for tiiem and in their behalf in
destroying their enemies, as they are engaged in the same cause,
and are with him in these works of vengeance, and they who
have overcome, and have arrived to heaven, will be with him in a
peculiar manner, when he shall come forth to fight this great
iDattle, and dash the nations of the world into pieces, as a
potter's vessel is broken. Therefore, there is again reference
to those words in the second Psalm, when Christ is repre-
sented as riding forth to the battle there described, followed
by the armies in heaven, comprehending all who shall then
have overcome. " And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword,
that with it he should smite the nations : and he shall rule
them with a rod of iron : and he treadeth the wine press of
the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." (Rev. xix. 14,
15.) This is certainly the same with the battle of that great
day of Almighty God, mentioned in the sixteenth chapter, as
has been shown, and is predicted in the words now quoted
from the second Psalm. There is a prediction of the same
battle described in the nineteenth chapter of the Revelation,
in the following words : " Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O
most Mighty; with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy
majesty ride prosperously, because of truth and meekness, and
righteousness ; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible
things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's en-
emies, whereby the people fall under thee." (Ps. xlv. 3-5.)
In the next Psalm, the prosperity of the church is predicted,
which will take place in the millennium, and the battle by
which it will be introduced and effected is also described.
'' There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glud the
city of our God. God is in the midst of her; she shall not
be moved : God shall help her, and that right early. The
heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved : he uttered his
voice, the earth melted. Come, behold the works of the Lord,
what desolations he hath made in the earth. He makelh wars
to cease unto the end of the earth, he breaketh the bow, and
cutteth the spear in sunder, he burneth the chariot in the fire.
Be still, and know that I am God : I will be exalted among
the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."

334 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

The twenty-first Psalm contains a prediction of Christ, and
foretells the destruction of the wicked, as introducing his reign
on earth, and the prosperity and joy of the church. " Thine
hand shall find out all thine enemies, thy right hand shall find
out those that hate thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery
oven in the time of thine anger. The Lord shall swallow
them up in his wrath, and the lire shall devour them. Their
fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from
among the children of men ; for they intended evil against
thee; they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not
able to perform. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their
back when thou shalt make ready thine an'ows upon thy
strings, against the face of them. Be thou exalted, Lord, in
thine own strength ; so shall we sing and praise thy power."
(Ps. xxi. 8-13.)

That the wicked shall be cut off and destroyed from the
earth, that the saints may inherit it, is foretold throughout the
thirty-seventh Psalm. " Evil doers shall be cut off; but those
that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet
a little while, and the wicked shall not be ; yea, thou shalt dili-
gently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek
shall inherit the earth, and delight themselves in the abun-
dance of peace. Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he
shalt exalt thee to inherit the earth ; when the wicked are cut
off, thou shalt see it. The transgressors shall be destroyed
together; the end of the wicked shall be cut oft'. But the
salvation of the righteous is of the Lord."

The same thing is brought into view in the seventy-fifth,
seventy-sixth, and ninety-seventh Psalms. " God is the judge ;
he putteth down one and setteth u\y another. For in the hand
of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of
mixture, and he poureth out of the same ; but the dregs thereof
all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out and drink
them. All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the
horns of the righteous shall be exalted. In Judah is God
known, his name is great in Israel. In Salem, also, is his
tabernacle, and his dwelling-place in Zion. There brake he
the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the bat-
tle. Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains
of prey. The stout hearted are spoiled, they have slept their
sleep ; and none of the men of might have found their hands.
At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse
are cast into a dead sleep. Thou didst cause judgment to be
heard from heaven ; the earth feared and was still, when God
arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. He
shall cut off" the spirit of princes ; he is terrible to the kings of

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 335

the earth." " The Lord reigneth, let the people rejoice ; let
the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness
are round about him, righteousness and judgment are the hab-
itation of his throne. A fire goeth before him, and burneth
up his enemies round about. ■■ His lightnings enlightened the
world ; the earth saw and trembled. The hills melted like
wax at the presence of the Lord ; at the presence of the Lord
of the whole earth. Confounded be all they that serve graven
images, that boast themselves of idols. Worship him all ye
gods." This battle is brought into view, and foretold, in the
hundred and tenth Psalm. " The Lord said unto my Lord,
Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy
footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of
Zion ; rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. The Lord at
thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his
wrath, (i. e., in the great day of battle.) He shall judge among
the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies ; he
shall wound the heads over many countries."

Ill the prophecy of Isaiah, this battle, as it has been ex-
plained, is often brought into view, as connected with the pros-
perity of the church of Christ on earth, and introductory to it.
Some instances of this will be mentioned. In the first five
verses of the second chapter there is a prophecy of the happy
state of the church in the last days, that is, in the millennium.
In the four next verses is a description of the corruption, world-
liness and idolatry of the visible church, and, consequently, of
the world in general, as the reason of the displeasure with them,
and his punishing them. And from the tenth verse to the end
of the chapter, the manifestation of his displeasure, in his fight-
ing against them and punishing them, is described. " Enter
into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and
for the glory of his majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be
humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down,
and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day
of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and
lofty, and upon every one that is Ijfted up, and he shall be
brought low. And the idols he shall utterly abolish. And
they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of
the earth, for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty,
when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth."

The eleventh chapter contains a prediction of the millen-
nium, and of the slaughter of the wicked of the earth, which
shall make way for it. " With righteousness shall he judge
the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth.
And he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and
with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked." (Isa.

336 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

xi. 4.) These last words are parallel with those in the Rev-
elation, by which this battle, and the effect of it, are expressed.
" And out of his mouth goeth a siiarp sword, that with it he
should smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod
of iron. And the remnant wero slain with the sword of him
who sat on the horse, which sword proceeded out of his
mouth." (Rev. xix. 15, 21.)

In the thirteenth chapter is a prediction of the same thing.
" Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand ; it shall come
as a destruction from the Almighty. Behold, the day of the
Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay
the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out
of it. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the
wicked for their iniquity ; and Twill cause the arrogancy of
the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the
terrible." (Isa. xiii. 6-11.) What is said in this chapter has
reference to ancient Babylon, and the destruction of that and
of other nations, in order to the deliverance and restoration of
Israel. But it evidently has chief reference to the destruction
of spiritual Babylon, and all the wicked in the world, in order
to the deliverance and prosperity of the true, spiritual Israel
of God, and will be most completely fulfilled in the latter, of
which the former are types and shadows ; as those prophecies
which have a primary respect to the type do, generally, if not
always, look forward to the antitype, and have their full and
chief accomplishment in that, and the events which relate
to it.

The twenty-fourth chapter is wholly on this subject, and
describes the battle of that great day of God Almighty, and
the slaughter of the wicked, in clear and striking language, in
consequence of which the church and people of God shall
spread and prosper. " Behold, the Lord maketh the earth
empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and
scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof The earth shall be
utterly emptied ; for the Lord hath spoken this word. The
earth mourneth and fadeth away ; the world languisheth and
fadeth away; the haughty people of the earth do languish.
The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, be-
cause they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance,
broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse
devoured the earth, and they who dwell therein are desolate :
therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men
left. The city of confusion is broken down ; every house is
shut up, that no man may come in. In the city is left desola-
tion, and the gate is smitten with destruction. When thus
it shall be in the midst of the earth among the people, there

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 337

shall be as the shaking of an olive-tree, and as the gleaninf^
grapes when the vintage is done. They shall lift up their
voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord," etc.

Upon this prophecy it may be observed, that it is a predic-
tion of great calamities on the inhabitants of the world in
general, as a punishment for their sins, by which the earth is
defiled, they having transgressed the laws of God, changed
his ordinance, and broken the everlasting covenant. They
have broken the covenant of grace and peace made with
Noah and his children, which, if it had been strictly observed,
would have transmitted blessings, both holiness and happiness,
to all mankind to the end of the world. By violating this
covenant, corruption and iniquity, and all the idolatry and
abominations which have taken place, or ever will be prac-
tised among men, have been introduced. And by breaking
the everlasting covenant made with Abraham, and trans-
gressing the laws, and changing the ordinances, which have
been given and published by Moses and the prophets, by
Jesus Christ and his apostles, — which, had they been observed,
would have preserved the cliurch uncorrupt, and spread true
religion and holiness over the whole earth, — by disregarding
and violating all these, the world is filled with wickedness,
which will continue and increase, until mankind in general
shall be ripe for that punishment, which God will inflict in
those calamities and judgments which will destroy and sweep
from the earth the greatest part of the inhabitants; so that
there will be but comparatively feiu men left — like the few
olives which remain on the tree after it is shaken, and the
scattering grapes which hang on the vine after the vintage is
over. Those who shall be left when the battle is over will lift
up their voice, and sing for the majesty of the Lord. They
will behold the terrible works of God, in which they will see
his terrible majesty, and tremble, submit, approve, and adore,
and praise and pray ; and then the millennium will begin.

The prophecy goes on, and the same events, as to sub-
stance, and this battle and the consequence of it, are described
in other words : " Fear, and the pit, and the snare are upon
thee, O inhabitant of the earth. The earth is utterly broken
down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceed-
ingly. The earth shall move to and fro like a drunkard, and
shall be removed like a cottage, and the transgression thereof
shall be heavy upon it ; and it shall fall, and not rise again."
This battle is described in the Revelation in the same figura-
tive language : " And there Avas a great earthquake, such as
was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earth-
quake and so great. And every island fled away, and the
VOL. II. 29

338 WHAT IS ro take place before the millennium.

mountains were not fomid." (Rev. xvi. 18, 20.) " And it shall
come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall j)miish the host
of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth
upon the earth ; and they shall be gathered together as prison-
ers are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison ;
and after many days shall they be visited.* Then the moon
shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of
hosts shall reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before
his ancients gloriously." This prediction respects the great
men and kings of the earth who exalt themselves in pride and
wickedness, and tyrannize over men, and describes their over-
throw in this battle. They shall be taken as prisoners, be
punished for their pride and tyranny, and shut up that they
may do no more mischief. Thus God " will cut off the spirit
of princes, and be terrible to the kings of the earth." (Ps. Ixxvi.
12.) And it is here said, that the millennium shall follow
upon this in the reign of Christ and his church, "when the
Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
and before his ancients gloriously." " Then the moon shall be
confounded, and the sun ashamed." That is, then there shall
be such spiritual light and glory in the flourishing of the king-
dom of Christ on earth, and so superior to all the light and
glory of the natural world, as that the latter shall be utterly
eclipsed, and appear to be worthy of no regard, compared with
the former.

The three next chapters are a continuation of prophecy of
the same event, viz., the judgments which are to be inflicted
on the i'alse and degenerate professors of religion and the world
of mankind in general, previous to the prosperity of the church
and kingdom of Christ in the world, which will be evident to
the careful, judicious reader, and that the predictions con-
tained in them coincide with those which have been men-
tioned. It is needless to transcribe any particular passage

* What is meant by the host of the high ones and the kings of the earth be-
ing visited after many days is not so clear, at tirst view, and perhaps it is not
now understood. God is often said in Scripture to visit those whom he pun-
ishes, and the word here in the original is frequently translated, to punish.
They who are shut up in prison are often confined there, to be taken out after
some days and receive their punishment. "SVhen it is here said, " And after
many days shall they be visited," may not the meaning be, that those high
ones and kings of tlie earth shall no more appear in this world, but sliall bo
shut up in prison until the day of judgment, when they shall be brought forth
and punished r As the fallen angels are bound in chants of darkness to be re-
served unto judgment, so these unjust men will be reserved unto the day of
judgment to be punished. When it is said of Zedekiali, that he should be
carried captive to Babylon, it is added, " And there shall he be, until I \dsit
him, saith the liOrd." (Jer. xxxii. 5.) That is, until God should take him out
of the world by death and to judgment, so that he shall never reign as king
any more.

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM 339

here, except the following : " Come, my people, enter thou into
thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee ; hide thyself as
it were for a little moment, until the indignation be over-
passed. For behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to pun-
ish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity ; the earth
also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain."
(Isa. xxvi. 20, 21.) This must be a great and dreadful day of
battle, punishment, and vengeance, which shall fall on the
inhabitants of the earth in general, when all the blood which
has been and shall be shed, from the beginning of the world to
that day, shall be required at their hands. There is no reason
to think that this punishment has yet been inflicted; but it
will doubtless be executed by the battle of that great day of
God Almighty mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Rev-
elation, and more particularly described in the fourteenth and
nineteenth chapters, which have been considered, and in the
foregoing prophecies of Isaiah, which have been now men-
tioned. The words which follow those transcribed above are,
" In that day, the Lord with his sore, great, and strong sword,
shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that
crooked serpent, and he shall slay the dragon that is in the
sea." The same event is here predicted, of which there is a
prophecy in the twentieth chapter of the Revelation, viz., of the
dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, being
laid hold of and bound and cast into the bottomless pit ; and
the same consequence of this with respect to the church is
here foretold, as is described there, viz., the prosperity of it, by
the special favor and presence of God. " In that day sing ye
unto her, A vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it, I
will water it every moment ; lest any hurt it, I will keep it day
and night." While the battle is going on, and God is pun-
ishing the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, his people
will be hid as in a secret chamber; but when it is over, they
will become as a flourishing, fruitful vineyard, producing
abundance of red wine, in consequence of the peculiar favor
and care of Jesus Christ and the abundance of heavenly
divine influences.

The thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth chapters of Isaiah contain
a prophecy of the millennium, and of the day of battle which
will precede it, which will consist in the punishment of the
world for their iniquity. " Come near, ye nations, to hear, and
hearken, ye people ; let the earth hear, and all that is therein ;
the world, and all things that come forth of it. For the indig-
nation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all
their armies. He hath utterly destroyed them, he hath deliv-
ered them to the slaughter. For it is the day of the Lord's

340 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy
of Zion. Strengthen ye the weak hands, confirm the feeble
knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear
not ; behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God
wdth a reconipcnse ; he will come and save you. Then the
eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall
be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart,
and the tongue of the dumb shall sing ; for in the wilderness
shall waters break out, and streams in the desert." " And the
ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with
songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain
joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

In the forty-first chapter of Isaiah, God, speaking to the
'Church, and promising the good things and prosperity which
^vere in store for it in the days of the millennium, says, " Be-
hold, all they that are incensed against thee shall be ashamed
and confounded ; they shall be as nothing, and they that strive
with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shall not
find them, even them that contended with thee ; they that war
against thee shall be as nothing and as a thing of nought. Be-
hold, I will make thee a new, sharp threshing instrument, hav-
ing teeth ; thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them
small, and make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt fan them, and
the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scat-
ter them ; and thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, and shalt glory in
the Holy One of Israel."

In the forty-second chapter, God makes promises to his
church, which are to be accomplished in their fulness in the
days of the millennium, and speaks of the war and battle in
which he will destroy his enemies, to open the way for the good
things which was to be done for the church. " The Lord shall
go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man
of war. He shall cry, yea, roar ; he shall prevail against his
enemies. I have long time holden my peace, I have been still,
and refrained myself; now will I cry like a travailing woman,
I will destroy and devour at once. I will make waste moun-
tains and hills, and dry up all their herbs ; and I will make the
rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools. And I will bring
the blind by away that they knew not; I will lead them in
paths that they have not known; I will make darkness light
before them, and crooked things straight. These things will
I do unto them, and not forsake them."

The fifty-ninth and sixtieth chapters are wholly on the sub-
ject of the millennium. In thd first fourteen verses of the
fifty-ninth chapter, the great degree of wickedness of the
world of mankind is described. And then God is represented

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 341

as greatly displeased, and rising to battle, to punish men for
their evil deeds. " And the Lord saw it, and it displeased
him that there was no judgment. And he saw that there was
no man, and he wondered that there was no intercessor : there-
fore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteous-
ness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a
breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head, and he
put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad
with zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, accordingly
he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompense to his ene-
mies ; to the islands he will repay recompense. So shall they
fear the name of the Lord from the w"est, and his glory from
the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a
flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against
him." And to this battle, this work of judgment and ven-
geance, succeeds the day of light and salvation to the church.
Those who are left shall repent and humble themselves, and
" fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from
the rising of the sun. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion,
and to them that turn from transgression in Jacob." It will
be then said to the church, " Arise, shine, for thy light is come,
and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." The prophecy
of the millennium goes on through the sixtieth, sixty-first, and
sixty-second chapters.

There is a parallel representation of this battle in the sixty-
third chapter, as executed by the same person, who is exhibit-
ed in the nineteenth chapter of the Revelation, riding forth to
make war in righteousness, and fighting this same battle, in
which the wicked then on earth will be slain. " Who is this
that Cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah ?*
This that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness
of his strength ? I who speak in righteousness, mighty to
save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy gar-
ments like him who treadeth in the wine vat ? I have trodden
the wine press alone, and of the people there was none with
me ; for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in
my fury, and the blood shalt be sprinkled upon my garments,
and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance
is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I
looked, and there w^as none to help, and I wondered that there
was none to uphold. Therefore, mine own arm brought sal-

* Bozrah was in the land of Edom. The Edomitcs were implacable ene-
mies to the people of God, and are, in the prophecies of Isaiah and elsewhere,
put for the enemies of God and his church in general, who shall be destroyed,
as the Edomitcs were, of whom the Edomites and their destruction were a
type.

29*

342 AVIIAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

vation nnto me, and my fury it upheld me. And I will tread
down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my
fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth."

The same thing is predicted in the sixty-sixth chapter. " A
voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice
of the Lord who rendereth recompense to his enemies. And
the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants, and
his indignation toward his enemies. For behold, the Lord
will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to
render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
For by fire, and by his sword, will the Lord plead with all
flesh ; and the slain of the Lord shall be many." These pre-
dictions of the slaughter and destruction of the wicked are
here intermixed with promises of salvation and prosperity to
the church. " Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with
her, all ye who love her : rejoice for joy with her, all ye
that mourn for her ; that ye may suck and be satisfied with
the breasts of her consolations ; that ye may milk out, and
be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus
saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river,
and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. And
when ye see this your heart shall rejoice, and your bones
shall flourish like an herb."

A passage in the tenth chapter of Jeremiah seems to refer
to the same event. The folly, idolatry, and great wickedness
of the people and nations of the earth, is mentioned and de-
scribed in the first part of the chaj)ler, upon which the following
prediction is uttered : " But Jehovah is the true God, he is the
living God, and an everlasting king. At his wrath the earth
shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his
indignation. Thus shall ye say unto them. The gods that
have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall
perii^h from the (!arth, and from under those heavens."

In the first part of the twenty-fifth chapter, there is a proph-
ecy of the captivity of the Jews, and of other adjacent na-
tions, by Nebuchadnezzar; and when their captivity during
seventy years should be ended, Jeremiah fortells the ruin of
Babylon, and the land of the Chaldeans. And the evil that
was coming on the nations of the earth, wliich should attend
the destruction of Babylon, is represented by ordering Jere-
miah to take the wine cup of wrath, and cause all the nations
of the earth to drink of it. And as the destruction of ancient
Babylon, and the judgments which came on many other na-
tions, was an eminent type of yet greater and more remark-
able destruction of spiritual Babylon, and of all the nations
of the earth, which will attend that, the prophecy is carried on

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 343

beyond the type, and looks forward to the antitype, which is
common in Scripture prophecy ; and expressions are used
which cannot be applied to the former, to the type, in their full
extent and meaning, but to the latter, the antitype, and there-
fore the prophecy is accomplished but in part, and in a lower
degree in the former, but fully and most completely in the
latter; therefore, the prophet goes on, and uses expressions
towards the close of the prophecy, which refer chiefly to the
battle in which antichrist and the nations of the earth will fall.
Such are the following : " Therefore, prophecy thou against
them all those words, and- say unto them. The Lord shall roar
from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation ; he
shall mightily roar upon his habitation, he shall give a shout,
as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of
the earth. A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth ; for
the Lord hath a controversy with the nations ; he will plead
with all flesh ; he will give them that are wicked to the sword,
saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil
shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind
shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain
of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth
even unto the other end of the earth. They shall not be la-
mented, neither gathered, nor buried ; they shall be dung upon
the ground." (Verse 30—33.) The prophet goes on to pre-
dict the evil that should come on the shepherds, and the prin-
cipal of the flock, by whom are meant the kings and great
men among the nations, who are to be brought down and de-
stroyed in the battle, (verse 34-38,) which is agi-eeable to the
fore-mentioned prophecy in Isaiah, (chap. xxiv. 21, 22,) and to
the representation of the same battle in the Revelation. (Rev.
xix. 16.)

There is another prophecy of this in the thirtieth chapter of
Jeremiah. Here the deliverance of the church from her op-
pressors and from all her sufferings and trouble is promised;
which shall be attended with the utter overthrow and destruc-
tion of the wicked, and all her enemies. That this prophecy
looks beyond the deliverance of the Jews from the Babylonish
captivity, and the evil that came on their enemies then, to the
greater deliverance of the church from spiritual Babylon and
the general destruction of the wicked, which shall attend it,
of which the former was a type, is evident, not only from a
number of expressions and promises which were not fully
accomplished in the former, and have respect to the latter,
bvit from the express promise that God will raise up David
their king to reign over them, by whom must be meant Jesus
Christ, the Son of David, and of whom David was an emi-

344 WHAT IS TO TAKK PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

ncnt type. This will appear, by attending to the following
passages : " Alas ! for that day is great, so that none is like
it; it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be de-
livered out of it. For it shall come to pass in that day, saith
the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck,
and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve
themselves of him. But they shall serve the Lord their God,
and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. For I
am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee. Though Lmake
a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet I
will not make a full end of thee. Behold, a whirlwind of the
Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind : it shall
fall with ))ain uj)on the head of the wicked. The fierce anger
of the Lord shall not return, until he have done it, and until he
have performed the intents of his heart. In the latter days ye
shall consider it." (Jer. xxx. 7-9, 11, 23, 24.)

In the Book of Daniel there is prophecy of the same event.
" And at that time" (i. e., when antichrist is to be destroyed,
which is predicted in the paragi*aph immediately preceding
these words) " shall Michael stand up, the great Prince who
standeth for the children of thy people," (that is, Jesus Christ,
who will support and deliver his church.) " And there shall
be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a na-
tion, even to that same time," (this is the time of the battle of
that great day of God Almighty.) '• And at that time, thy
people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written
in the book." This is the time of the deliverance of the church
from the power of antichrist, and from all wicked men, her
enemies, and of her entering upon the prosperous, happy state
in which the saints will reign on the earth a thousand years.

The prophet Joel speaks of the same events. From the
twenty-eighth verse of the second chapter of his prophecy is a
prediction of the millennium, and the preceding evils that shall
be inflicted on mankind. " And it shall come to pass alter-
wards, that I will pour out my Spirit u))on all llesli," etc.
This prophecy began to be fulfilled when the Holy Spirit was
first j)oured out after the ascension of Christ; but this, as has
been befon; observed, was but the first fruits, and the prophecy
wnll be fulfilled only in a very small part before the harvest
shall come in the days of the millennium. At the same time
he speaks of the great evils and terrible events which shall
take place. " The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the
moon into !)lood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord
comt!. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call
on the name of the Lord shall be delivered." The prophet
goes oil in the next chapter to speak more particularly on this

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 345

subject. " For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when
I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I
will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the
valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my
people, and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered
among the nations, and parted my land."

Judah and Jerusalem are put for the church of Christ, being
a type of that, as has been observed. The captivity of the
Jews in Babylon, and their return from it, is typical of the
afflicted, sutl'ering state of the church during the reign of anti-
christ, and the deliverance of it from this state on the fall of
antichrist, and in the millennium. This is therefore meant
when it is said, " In those days, and in that time, when I shall
bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem." When
the children of Moab, Ammon, and Edom came with a great
army combined together to destroy Judah, Jehoshaphat was
directed to go forth with the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusa-
lem, and meet them ; and had a promise that he should have
no occasion to fight with them, but should stand still and see
the salvation of the Lord, because the battle was not theirs,
but God's. Accordingly they went out and stood still, and
saw their enemies fall upon and destroy each other, until they
were all wasted away. Jehoshaphat and his people went out
to their camp, and found great riches, silver and gold, and
much spoil, and they spent three days in gathering it; and,
on the fourth day, they assembled in the valley to bless and
praise the I^ord, which was from that called "the valley of
Berachah." This is the valley of Jehoshaphat. And to this
story these words of the prophet Joel refer. (See 2 Chron. xx.)
Moab, Ammon, and Edom, the enemies of Israel, were a type
of the enemies of the church and people of God, under the
gospel dispensation, among all nations. This battle, and
their destruction of the enemies of Judah and Jerusalem in the
valley of Jehoshaphat, was a type of the overthrow of all the
enemies of Christ and his church, when they shall be gathered
to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. This proph-
ecy, therefore, is a prediction of the same event which is de-
scribed in the sixteenth chapter of the Revelation. Here it is
said, " I will gather all nations, and will bring them down into
the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead \Ath them there for
my people." That is, will punish and destroy them for their
opposition to me and my church. Tiiere it is said, " The
kings of the earth and of the whole world were gathered to
the battle of that great dviy. And he gathered them together
to a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." Which
passage has been before explained.

346 WHAT IS TO TAKE i>LACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

The prophet further enlarges on this subject in the follow-
ing part of this chapter : " Proclaim me this among the Gen-
tiles; prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men
of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares
into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears ; let the weak
say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye
heathen, and gather yourselves together round about; thither
cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the
heathen be wakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat;
for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put
ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe ; come, get you down,
for the press is full, the fats overflow, for their wickedness is
great. Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision ; for
the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The
sun and moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw
their shining. The Lord shall also roar out of Zion, and utter
his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shall
shake ; but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the
strength of the children of Israel." (Joel iii. 9, etc.) Every
one who attends to this passage will observe what a striking
similitude there is between this description of a battle and
that in the Revelation which has been considered. God is
here represented as fighting the battle against all the heathen,
and destroying multitudes on multitudes. All the heathen,
even all nations, are gathered together, all armed for war, and
come up to the valley of .lehoshaphat, and there are cut oft' in
this valley of decision. In the Revelation all the nations of
the earth are gathered together to battle at Megiddo, typifying
the same thing with the valley of Jehoshaphat, and there they
are slain. God causes his mighty ones to come down. And
John says, " I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse;
and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness doth he judge and make war. And his name
is called the Word of God. And the armies in heaven fol-
lowed him upon white horses." Here there is a command
to " put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe ; come, get you
down, for the press is full, the fats overflow, for the wickedness
is great." Much the same representation is made of this
battle in the Revelation, (chap. xiv. 14, etc.,) which has been
particularly mentioned already. The prophet Joel goes on to
the end of his prophecy describing the happy state of the
church which shall succeed this battle, which has never yet
taken place, and is like other descriptions of the millennial
state by the proj)hets. " Then shall Jerusalem be holy, and
there shall no stranger pass through her any more. And it
shall come to pass in that day, that the mountain shall drop

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 847

down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk. Egypt
shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilder-
ness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because
they have shed innocent blood in their land. But Judah shall
dwell forever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation."

The prophet Micah prophesied of Christ and his kingdom,
in the extent and glory of it in the latter day, and of the des-
truction of the wicked men, and the nations of the world, in
favor of the church of Christ, and in order to the prosperity of
his people. All this is contained in the fifth chapter of his
prophecy. " And He (i. e., Christ) shall stand and feed in the
streligth of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord
his God ; and they shall abide, for now shall he be great unto
the ends of the earth. And the remnant of Jacob shall
be among the Gentiles, in the midst of many people, as a
lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among
the flocks of sheep ; who, if he go through, both treadeth down
and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Thine hand shall
be lift up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall
be cut off. And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury
upon the heathen, such as they have not heard." (Verses 4,
8, 9, 15.)

The prophecy of Zephaniah has respect to the battle of that
great day of God Almighty, and the succeeding happy and
prosperous state of the church in the millennium. It has in-
deed a primary respect to the evils and punishment brought
upon Jerusalem and the Jews by the Chaldeans, for their
apostasy and idolatry ; and to the calamities and destruction
which came upon the nations at that time, and previous to the
restoration of the Jews, and to their restoration from their cap-
tivity, and return to their own land, which were types of the
much greater and more important events, in the last days, in
which all nations will be more immediately concerned, and to
which the prophecy has an ultimate and chief resj)ect. It was
fulfilled but in part, and in a small degree, in the former
events, and will have the chief and complete accomplish-
ment in the latter, as has been before observed concerning
other prophecies of the same kind. Jerusalem, in her most
pure state, when the statutes and ordinances which God had
prescribed were in some good degree observed, was a type of
the true church of Christ. Therefore, under this name, and
that of Mount Zion and Israel, the prophets speak of the true
church in all future ages. But Jerusalem, considered in her
most corrupt state of apostasy, was a type of the false church
of Rome, and of all Christian churches when they apostatize
from the holy doctrines and precepts of the gospel. Therefore,

348 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MII-LEXNIUM.

Christ is said to be crucified in the great city, by which is
meant the apostate church of Rome, and all who partake of
her corruptions, because he was crucified at Jerusalem, which
was then a type of that great city, in her apostasy and en-
mity against Christ and his true church. (Rev. xi. 8.) The
nations round about the land of Israel and Judea, and all
those who at times afflicted and oppressed the visible people
of God, and were enemies to them, were types of the enemies
of the church of Christ, in the time of her affliction, especially
of all the idolatrous nations and wicked men, who oppose the
prosperity of the church, and are to be destroyed, in order to her
deliverance and salvation. With these observations in view,
this proi)liecy may be read, and the whole of it applied to the
battle and events which will take place previous to the intro-
duction of the millennium, predicted in the Revelation, under
the seventh vial, and to the prosperity of the church which
will then commence. Then it will have its full accomplish-
ment, and many of the expressions in it, considered in their
most natural and extensive meaning, cannot be accommodat-
ed to any events which have taken place, and are not yet ful-
filled. Some of these will be now mentioned. The prophecy
begins with the following words : " I will utterly consume all
things from off the land,* saith the Lord. I will consume
man and beast : I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and
the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked,
and I will cut off man from off the land, (the earth,) saith the
Lord. Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God ; for
the day of the Lord is at hand ; for the Lord hath prepared a
sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. The great day of the Lord
is near ; it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the
day of the Lord. The mighty men shall cry there bitterly.
That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a
day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and
gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the
trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the
high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they
shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against
the Lord; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and
their llesh as dung. Neither their silver, nor their gold, shall
be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath, but the
whole land (earth) shall be devoured by the tire of his jeal-
ousy ; for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them

* The word in tho original, translated land, is the same which in other places
in this prophecy, and in many other places in Scripture, is translated earth, and
doubtless should have been so translated here, and in some other passages
which will be transcribed.

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE .BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 349

that dwell in the land, (earth.) Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek
of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek
righteousness ; seek meekness ; it may be ye shall be hid
in the day of the Lord's anger. Therefore, wait upon me,
saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey, for my
determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble
the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, and all
my fierce anger ; for all the earth shall be devoured with the
fire of my jealousy." The parallel and likeness between this
prophecy and that of the battle in the Revelation, is worthy
of particular notice. This is called " the great day of the
Lord, — the day of the Lord's wrath, — a day of distress and
desolation, — the day that God will rise up to the prey, to
gather the nations, and assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon
them his indignation and fierce anger." In the Revelation,
the whole world were gathered to the battle of that great day
of God Almighty. The words, that great day of battle,
seem to have referen(;e to some day which had already been
made known, and undoubtedly refer to the great day of God's
wrath, which is mentioned in the prophecy before us, and by
the other prophets. " And he gathered them together into a
place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the
seventh angel poured out his vial (of wrath) into the air. And
there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there
w^as a great earthquake, such as w^as not since men were
upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great. And
the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon came in
remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the
wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And the remnant were
slain with the sword of him who sat on the horse ; and the
fowls were filled with their flesh." In this prophecy it is said,
" The Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests."
In the Revelation, the fowls of heaven are invited to come to
the supper of the great God to eat the flesh of kings, etc.

According to this prophet, when the nations and kingdoms
of the world have been gathered, and God has poured upon
them his indignation, even all his fierce anger, and all the
earth shall be devoured with the fire of his jealousy, the scene
is changed, and the remnant which are left in the earth, the
few afiiicted and poor people, shall repent, and pray, and
humble themselves before God, and return and put their trust
in him alone ; and God will return to them in a way of mercy,
and build them up, and they shall be comforted, rejoice, and
prosper. This is represented in the last chapter, from verse
ninth to the end of the prophecy : " For then will I turn to
the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the
VOL. II. 30

350 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE. BRFOUE THE MILLENNIUM.

name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent. From
beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, my snppUants, even the daugh-
ters of my dispersed, shall bring mine otiering. I will also
leave in thee an afUicted and poor j^eople, and they shall trust
in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall not do
iniquity, nor speak lies, neither shall a deceitful tongue be
found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and
none shall make them afraid. Sing, O daughter of Zion ;
shout, O Israel ; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O
daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy
judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy : the King of Israel,
even the Lord, is in the midst of thee. Thou shalt not see
evil any more," etc., to the end of the prophecy. This is set
in much the same light in the Revelation, chapters nineteen
and twenty. When the battle there described is over, the
millennium is introduced.

There is a prophecy by the prophet Haggai to the same
purpose with the foregoing. " Again the word of the Lord
came unto Haggai, saying. Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of
Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; and I
will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the
strength of the kingdoms of the heathen, and I will overthrow
the chariots, and those who ride in them ; and the horses and
their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his
brother. In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, I will take thee,
O Zerubbabel my servant, and will make thee as a signet ; for I
have chosen thee." (Hag. ii. 20-23.) Zerubbabel was a type
of Christ ; and what is here said of the type was not fulfilled
in him, but is to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the antitype,
when he shall reign on the earth, and his church fill the world,
and " he shall be exalted, and extolled, and be very high."
(Isa. lii. 13.) In order to this, the great changes are to take
place represented here by shaking the heavens and the earth,
and by overthrowing the throne and strength of all the king-
doms and nations, and their being destroyed by the sword;
which is the battle represented in the Revelation by thunders,
and lightnings, and a great earthquake, and the falling of the
cities of the nations.

The prophet Zechariah also speaks of these things. He
prophesies of the millennium, and of the destruction of all the
people and nations who oppose the interest of the church, as
preceding the days of her prosperity, and introductory to it.
" And in that day will I make Jerusalem [the true church of
Christ] a burdensome stone ibr all people: all that burden
themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people
of the earth be gathered logelhcr against it. In that day, saith

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 351

the Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his
rider with madness ; and I will open mine eyes upon the
house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with
blindness. In that day shall tlie Lord defend the inhabitants
of Jerusalem ; and he that is feeble among them at that day
shall be as David ; and the house of David shall be as God,
as the angel of the Lord before them. And it shall come to
pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations
that come against Jerusalem." (Zech. xii. 3, 4, 8, 9.) "Be-
hold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be
divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations
against Jerusalem to battle ; and the cities shall be taken, and
the houses rifled, and the women ravished, and half of the
city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people
shall not be cut oft' from the city." This is the gathering of
the kingdoms and nations of the whole world unto the battle
by the unclean spirits which go forth to corrupt the world, and
arm them against God and his people, by the practice of all
kinds of wickedness, by which the best part of the church will
be greatly corrupted; and the saints will suffer very much,
being besieged on all sides by very wicked men, mentioned in
the Revelation, (Rev. xvi. 13, 14,) which has been explained.

The prophet goes on to describe the battle of that great day
of God Almighty, which is mentioned in the Revelation :
" Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations,
as when he fought in the day of battle. And this shall be the
plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have
fought against Jerusalem : their flesh shall consume away
while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume
away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in
their mouth." (Zech. xiv. 3, 12.)

Malachi prophesied of the millennium, and the preceding
slaughter of the wicked, in the battle of that great day of God
Almighty, in the following concise and striking language :
" Behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven ; and all
the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble:
and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord
of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
But unto you that fear ray name shall the Sun of righteous-
ness arise with healing in his wings ; and ye shall go forth
and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down
the wicked ; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your
feet, in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts."
(Mai. iv. 1-3.)

From the above detail, it appears that the prophecy in the
Revelation of the millennium, and of the manner in which it

/

352 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

will be introduced, is agreeable to the ancient prophecies of
these same events ; that previous to this, the Christian world,
and mankind in general, will become more corrupt in all kinds
of wickedness ; that God will rise out of his place, and come
forth to do his work, his strange work, to punish the world for
their wickedness, and manifest his high displeasure and anger
with mankind, for their perverseness and obstinacy in rebellion
against him, and in opposition to his church ; that this is the
battle of that great day of God Almighty, in which he will, by
a course of various and multiplied calamities and sore judg-
ments, greater and more general, and continued longer than any
which have taken place before, reduce and destroy mankind, so
that comparatively few will be left — an afflicted and poor peo-
ple, who will repent and humble themselves before God, and
trust in the mighty Savior, for whom he will appear in great
mercy, and pour down the Holy Spirit on them and their off-
spring; and they will multiply and fill the world. And thus
the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom
under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the
saints of the Most High, and the church will reign on earth a
thousand years.

It appears reasonable and proper, that God should manifest
his displeasure with the inhabitants of Christendom, and of
the world, for their long-continued abuse of his goodness, and
of all the means used with them to reclaim them, and their
perseverance in their opposition to Christ and his people, and
increasing in all kinds of wickedness, while he has been wait-
ing upon them, even to long suftering, by inflicting on them
severe and awful judgments, and remarkably fearful punish-
ments, to vindicate the honor of his own name, and avenge
his church and people, who have been so greatly injured, de-
spised, and trampled upon ; and that it may be made known
by this, as well as in other ways, that the God of Christians,
the God and Savior revealed in the Bible, is the true God.
AjuI this will give great instruction to those who shall be left,
who will have a heart to perceive and understand. They will
have before their eyes a lesson suited to teach them the exceed-
ing depravity and wickedness of man ; how real and dreadful
is the divine displeasure and anger with sinners; how undone
and utterly lost forever all men are without a Redeemer and
Sanctifier, by whom they may be recovered from the power of
mi and Satan, and obtain the forgiveness of their sins and the
favor of God ; how dependent they are on sovereign gi-ace for
all good, for every thing better than complete destruction, by
which alone they are distinguished from those who persevere
in their sins and perish. And all this will tend to guard them

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 353

against sin, to promote tlieir repentance and humiliation, to
lead them to more earnest, constant, and united prayer to God
for mercy, than was ever exercised before by men, and to
ascribe all the favors they shall receive, which will then be
much more abundant than ever before, to the free, sovereign
grace of God, and to give him the praise of all.

In the beginning of this section it was suggested, that by
attending to the events which are to take place, according to
Scripture prophecy, before the commencement of the millen-
nium, further evidence would come into view, that this will
not be much sooner or later than the beginning of the seventh
millenary of the world. This evidence has been now pro-
duced. The sixth vial is now running, and probably began to
be poured out before the end of the seventeenth century, and
will continue to run a considerable part of the next century,
under which the power of antichrist is to be greatly weakened,
and the way prepared for his utter overthrow; and at the same
time, the Christian world, and mankind in general, will be so
far from reforming, that they will grow more and more corrupt
in doctrine and practice, and greedily run into all manner of
vice and wickedness, until they are prepared for the battle of
that great day, and ripe to be cut down and destroyed by
a series of divine judgments, which will be inflicted under
the seventh vial, and will issue in the introduction of the
millennium.

The River Euphrates has been drying up, and the way has
been preparing, for near a century past, for the utter ruin of
the pope and the hierarchy of the church of Rome, and the
time of the utter overthrow of antichrist appears to be hasten-
ing on. But this is not accompanied with any reformation in
that church, or in the Greek church, or in the Protestant
churches in general ; but very much to the contrary appears.
Ignorance, error, and delusion, and open vice and wickedness
abound, and are increasing, and infidelity is rapidly spreading
in the Christian world. The unclean spirits, like frogs, appear
to have gone forth to all the kings' courts and the great men
in Christendom, and the greatest corruption and abominable
vices are spread among them, and real Christianity is neglected,
run down, and opposed ; and the multitude in general, both
learned and unlearned, are going the same way. Deism, and
a multitude of errors which lead to it, and even to atheism,
are increasing. A spirit of irreligion, selfishness, pride, and
worldliness is exceeding strong and prevalent, producing all
kinds of wickedness, and a strong and general opposition to
true religion and the great truths and doctrines of the gospel.
And the heathen world are no more disposed to become
30*

354 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

Christians than they ever were ; and the way to their con-
version to Christianity appears to be more obstructed, and the
few attempts that are made to Christianize any of them are
generally unsuccessful ; and Mahometans and Jews hate and
oppose Christianity as much as ever they did, if not more, and
are sinking farther down in stupidity, ignorance, infidelity,
worldliness, and all kinds of vice.

It is certain that most of the evil things now mentioned
have been found among the body of mankind, in a greater or
less degree, in all ages; and the pious friends of God and true
religion have complained of and lamented them ; and it is
probable that the representation now made will be considered
by many only as the revival of the old complaint, by those
who are of an illiberal, gloomy cast of mind, and Avholly with-
out foundation in truth and fact. But this opinion, though it
should be generally imbibed and asserted with great confi-
dence, will not be any evidence that the representation is not
true and just, but it will rather serve to confirm it; for it is
commonly, if not always the case, that in times of great de-
generacy, and the prevalence of ignorance, error, and vice, they
w4io are the greatest instances of it, and most sunk in dark-
ness and delusion, are deluded in this also, and entertain a
good opinion of themselves and of others who join with them,
being ignorant of their true character. They put darkness for
light, and light for darkness, and call evil good, and good evil.
And while real Christianity and true virtue, founded upon
principles of truth and genuine piety, are abandoned, opposed,
and forsaken, they perceive it not, but think all is well, and much
better than before; and they may undertake io reform Chris-
tianity^ and think it is greatly reformed, when every doctrine
and duty is excluded from it, which is contrary to the selfish-
ness, pride, and worldly spirit of man, and little or nothing is
left of it but the mere name, to distinguish it from the religion
of infidels or heathen, and nothing to render it preferable
to these.

An appeal must be made, in this case, from the judgment
ot those of this character, to those who are born of the Spirit
of God, are created in Christ Jesus unto good work, by which
they arc become new creatures, and turned from the darkness
of this world to marvellous light; who are not conformed to
this world, but have overcome it, and are transformed by the
renewing of their minds, so as to know and distinguish what
is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God which is
revealed in the Scriptures. They who are thus s))iritual, judge
of all things respecting the doctrines and duties of Christiani-
ty, in some good measure, according to the truth. To such,

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 355

especially those of them who have a general knowledge of the
state of religion in the Christian world, and of the deluge of
ignorance, error, and vice with which it is overflowed, it is
presumed the above description will not appear exaggerated,
and that there are greater strides and swifter progress made in
infidelity and irreligion, error and false religion, in vice and all
kinds of wickedness, than have- been ever known before ; and
that all these are more common, have a wider spread, and are
carried to a higher degree at this time than in former ages, and
threaten to bear down all truth and real Christianity before
them ; and that the appearance of things, in this respect, is
just such as might be reasonably expected, when the unclean
spirits like frogs, the spirits of devils, are gone forth with a
license and design to spread their influence among men, and
deceive and corrupt the whole world.

There is reason to conclude, from what has already taken
place of this kind, and from the prophecy of these unclean
spirits, that they have not yet finished their w^ork ; but that the
world, especially that part of it called Christian and Protestant,
will yet make greater and more rapid advances in all kinds of
moral corruption and open wickedness, till it will come to that
state in which it will be fully ripe, and prepared to be cut
down by the sickle of divine justice and wraih ; and it may
take near half a century from this time for these evil spirits to
complete their work and gather the world to thi^ battle ; but
during this time, whether it be longer or shorter, and before
the battle shall come on, there wiU probably be great and
remarkable judgments, and sore, unusual and surpr-sing ca-
lamities, in one place and another, suited to awaken and warn
mankind, and lead them to fear God, repent, and reform ;
which being by most disregarded and abused, will become the
occasion of greater hardness of heart and obstinacy, which
will be a prelude and provocation to the battle of that great
day in which mankind will be destroyed, in the manner and to
the degree which has been described above. This battle, as
has been before observed, will not be fought and finished at
once; but, by a series of difterent and' increasing calamities
and sore punishments, mankind will be reduced and brought
down, and every high thing levelled to the ground, in which
the hand of God will be remarkably visible, and his arm of
power and vengeance made bare ; and it may take more than
a century to effect all this in the wisest and best manner, so
that it will not be finished till near the beginning of the seventh
millenary of the world.

It has been observed, that while antichrist is coming down,
and the way preparing for the utter extinction of the church

35G AVHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

of Rome and all her appendages, the world in general, and
especially the Christian world, will make swift advances in
delusion and all kinds of wickedness, and infidelity will make
great progress under the influence of the spirits of devils which
are gone forth to the whole world; and it maybe here ob-
served, that the increase and spreading of this wickedness and
spirit of infidelity will doubtless be the means of weakening
and |)reparing the way for the overthrow of that church. The
ten horns or kings, which shall hate the whore, and make her
desolate and naked, and eat her flesh, and burn her with fire,
will do this from a selfish, worldly spirit, and under the influ-
ence of infidelity and opposition to all kinds of religion. And
the prevalence of deism and atheism in popish countries and
nations, which are the natural fruit and offspring of the abom-
inable practices and tyranny of the anti-Christian church, has
been the means of exposing the superstition and Vv-ickedness
of that church, and weakening the papal hierarchy. And
deists, and other wicked men, may be made the instruments
of pulling down that anti-Christian fabric yet further, as the
heathen Romans were of destroying the corrupt church of
Israel. If so, the fall of the pope will be so far from implying
a revival of true religion, that it may be attended with the
contrary, viz., infidelity, immorality, and all kinds of wicked-
ness, as the means of it, so far as it will be effected by the
instrumentality of men.

When John is describing the vision under the sixth vial, of
the unclean spirits like frogs, going forth to the whole world
to gather them to the battle, he stops before he has finished
the relation, and Jesus Christ himself speaks the following
words : " Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that
watcheth and keepeth his garment, lest he w^alk naked, and
they see his shame." (Rev. xvi. 15.) By which he warns
those in particular, who shall live when this vial is poured out,
of their danger of being seduced by those evil spirits, and
those who are corrupted by them, and behaving unworthy of
their Christian character, and sets before them the strongest
motives to deter them from apostasy, and induce them to be
faithful to him, to ivatc/t and keep their garments, to continue
spiritually awake, and properly attentive to all those things
which concern them as Christians; to their situation and state,
their own exercises and conduct, to the cause of Christ, and
the enemies with whom they are surrounded ; to maintain
their Christian profession, and act agreeably to it, in the exer-
cise of all Christian graces; trusting in the great Captain and
(General, who only can save them, and his church, and waiting
for him with a patient continuance in well doing. He conies

AVHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 357

as a thief. The thief does not make his presence and designs
known to any but those who are joined with him, being his
friends, and engaged in the same design with him. So, though
Christ be present with his church and people, and is in the
midst of his enemies, having all men and devils in his hands,
and ordering and conducting every thing that is done by them,
in this time of the greatest degeneracy, and high-handed
wickedness, and knows how to answer his own ends by it
and them, and to protect his people, and bring the wheel over
his enemies ; yet, in this, his coming and presence, he is not
seen or thought of by the corrupt, wicked world. They think
nothing of his presence, and see not his hand. He is seen
only by his friends, who are engaged in the same cause with
him, who watch and keep their garments. They see his hand
in all those things, behold hira present, and doing his own
work, and are protected from all evil by him, while the wicked
fall into mischief, and are destroying themselves. And when
he comes forth to the battle, and rises up to the prey, and to
punish the world for their wickedness, the wicked will not see
him, they will not know their danger, or believe he is come, or
will come, till evil falls upon them, and it is too late to escape.
" For when they shall say, Peace and safety ; then sudden
destruction cometh upon them, and they shall not escape."
(1 Thess. v. 3.) And they only are safe who watch and keep
their garments, and see and adore his hand and presence in
all his works of terror and wrath. " Be wise now, therefore,
O ye kings ; be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the
Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest
he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is
kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust
in him." (Ps. ii. 10-12.)

It is of the greatest importance to Christians, who live at
this day, and those who shall live in the time when the battle
shall come on, that they should attend and discern the signs
^of the times, and watch and keep their garments, as this is the
only way to be safe and happy. Our Lord gave the same di-
rection and command, as to substance, when he was on earth,
with reference to these same events. " Take heed to your-
selves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged witii sur-
feiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day
come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on
all them who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch
ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted
worthy to escape all those things that shall come to pass, and
to stand before the Son of man." (Luke xxi. 34-36.)

It will probably be suggested, that the representation of

358 WH^T IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

such a dark scene, and evil time, to take place before the mil-
lennium will come, is matter of great discouragement, and
tends to damp the spirits and hopes of Christians, and to dis-
courage them from attempting to promote it, or praying for it,
especially as it is set so far off from our day, so that none in
this or the next sfcneration are like to see it.
To such suggestions it js easy to reply, —

1. If it be true, and clearly and abundantly foretold, that
such evils are to take place, before the prosperous state of the
church comes on, it is proper and desirable that all should
know it, and attend to it, and it cannot be of any disadvan-
tage to any to know the truth in this case, but the contrary.
This is revealed to the church for the instruction and benefit
of Christians, that they may be informed and warned of what
is coming, and be prepared for it, and not be disappointed in
their expectations, and surprised when it shall take place ; but
when they see these things coming to pass, their faith may be
strengthened, and they lift up their heads and rejoice, knowing
that the redemption, the deliverance and prosperity of the
church, draweth near.

2. These evils, both natural and moral, however undesirable
and dreadful, in themselves, are necessary for the greatest
good of the church of Christ, and to introduce the millennium
in the best manner, and there will be then, and forever, more
holiness, joy, and happiness than if these evils had never
taken place. In this view, they are kind and merciful dispen-
sations to the church. The apostles and prophets, and all the
inhabitants of heaven, are represented as rejoicing in the evils,
the punishments and destruction of the enemies of Christ and
his church. (Rev. xviii. 20; xix. 1-6.) The affliction and
servitude of the children of Israel in Egypt, and the wicked-
ness, oppression, and cruelty exercised towards them by Pha-
raoh and the Egyptians, and the successive calamities and
punishments brought on them by the hand of God, and their
final overthrow and destruction in the Red Sea, were an un-
speakable advantage to the former, and afforded matter of joy
and praise. Therefore, Christians may now not only acqui-
esce, by even rejoice in these events, as ordered by God for
wise ends, and necessary, in order to the greatest display of
his righteousness and goodness, and to promote the best good
and greatest happiness of his church.

3. God revealed to Abraham the evils which were coming
on his posterity in Egypt, previous to their deliverance and
prosperity, and the wickedness and punishment of the Egyp-
tians ; not to discourage him, and sink his spirit, but to support
and animate him, and strengthen his faith, and this did not

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 359

damp his joy, but, in the view of the whole, he rejoiced. And
Jesus Christ foretold to his disciples the great evils which were
coming on them, upon the Jews, the church, and tiie world,
not to discourage and deject them, but that they might be
forewarned, and expect them, so as not to be disappointed when
they came, but have their faith confirmed, and possess their
souls in ])atience when the dark scene should come on ; and
that they might be encouraged and rejoice, considering these
events as tokens that their deliverance was at hand. He
therefore said unto them, " And when these things begin to
come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your
redemption draweth nigh." (Luke xxi. 28.) This may be
applied to Christians now. While you see the World gather-
ing to the battle of the great day of God Almighty, and view
this battle near at hand, lift up your heads and rejoice, that
the church has got so near the end of darkness and affliction,
and that the happy day of her deliverance and prosperity is so
near at hand.

4. As to the distance of that happy day of salvation from
this time, two hundred years, or near so many, will pass off be-
fore it will arrive, according to the calculation which has been
made from Scripture, so that none, now on the stage of life,
will live to see and enjoy it on eai*th. But much may be
done by Christians who live in this age to promote its coming
on in the proper time, by prayer, and promoting the interest
of religion, and the conversion of sinners. For that good day
would not come unless the cause of Christ be maintained to
that time, and sinners be converted to keep up the church, and
prevent the total extinction of it. In order to this, thousands
must be converted, and there must be a succession of profess-
ing and real Christians down to that day. The doctrines, in-
stitutions, and duties of Christianity must be maintained,
and there will doubtless be remarkable revivals of religion in
many places, and knowledge will increase among true Chris-
tians, and there will be advances made in the purity of doc-
trines and worship, and all holy practice, by bringing all these
nearer to the standard of the holy Scriptures. And the
churches will be formed into a greater union with each other,
being more and more conformed to the divine pattern con-
tained in the Bible. Here then is work enough to do, by those
who desire and are looking for such a day, to prepare the way
for it, and it may be introduced in the proper time, and there
is no want of encouragement to do it, even in this view, to be
steadfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of
the Lord, forasmuch as they may know that their labor will
not be in vain in the Lord. (1 Cor. xv. 58.)

360 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

And Christians may now have a great degree of enjoyment
of that day, and joy in it, though they do not expect to live
on earth till it shall come. True Christians are disinterested
and benevolent to such a degree, that they can enjoy and re-
joice in the good of others, even those who may live many
ages hence, and in the good and prosperity of the chm*ch, and
the advancement of the cause and kingdom of Christ in this
world, though they should not live to see it. The stronger
their faith is that this good day is coming, and the clearer and
more constant view they have of it, and the more desirable it
appears to them that there should be such a time, the higher
enjoyment and greater joy they will have in it, and in the
prospect of it. Thus Abraham looked forward by his faith,
and saw this day of Christ, when all the nations of the earth
should be blessed in him, and derived great comfort and joy
in this prospect. " Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my
day, and he saw it and was glad." (John viii. 56.) Christians
know that it will come on in the best time, as soon as it can
be introduced by infinite wisdom and goodness ; that there is
no delay, but " God will hasten it in his time." In this sense
Christ will come quickly to set up his kingdom in the whole
world. He is on his way, coming as fast and as soon as he
can, consistent with infinite wisdom. He is preparing the
way, and ordering every thing in the best manner, so as in the
most proper time to reign with his church on earth, and no
time is lost. And what Christian can desire that it should be
sooner, or before this time ? Is it not enough that Jesus
Christ has undertaken it, and will bring it on in the best man-
ner, and the fittest time ? And must not this give joy to
every real Christian ?

It is further to be observed, that though the Christians who
live at this day will not see the millennium come while they
are in the body on earth, yet they will see and enjoy it, when
it shall come, in a much higher degree than they could do
were they living on earth, or than those who will live on earth
at that day. The powers, knowledge, and views of the spirits
of the just made perfect are greatly enlarged in heaven, and
they have a more clear and comprehensive view of the works
of God, and a more particular knowledge of what is done in
this world, especially of what relates to the work of redemp-
tion, the salvation of sinners, and the prosperity of the ciuirch
and cause of Christ. There is joy in the presence of the
angels over one sinner that repenteth. The spirits of the just
made perfect are with the angels, and must know all that
passes in their presence, and must rejoice in such an event, as
much or more than they. How great must be their joy then,

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 361

when whole nations, yea, all the world, become true penitents,
and they see and know this, and what is implied in it, un-
speakably to better advantage, and more clearly than any can
do who shall be then on earth !

The more Christians labor and suffer on earth in the cause
of^Christ, and the more they desire, pray for, and promote his
coming and kingdom in this world, the more they will enjoy
it in heaven when it shall take place, and the greater will be
their joy and happiness. Ajid it will be unspeakably more
and greater in heaven than if they were in bodies on earth.
Who, then, can reasonably desire to live in this world merely
to see and enjoy the happy day of the millennium?

On the whole, it is hoped that it does appear from what has
been said in this dissertation, that there will be a thousand
years of prosperity of the church of Christ in this world ; that
this is abundantly foretold and held up to view in the Bible ;
that this will be about the seventh millenary of the world ;
that it will be a most happy and glorious day, in which the
Christian dispensation shall have its proper and full effect on
earth, in the salvation of men, to which all the preceding times
and events are preparatory ; that the degeneracy and increas-
ing prevalence of ignorance, error, and wickedness now in the
world, especially in Christendom, is preparing for and hasten-
ing on the battle of that great day of God Almighty, in which
mankind will be punished, and the greatest part then on earth
destroyed, and then the millennium will be introduced; that
this is an important and pleasing subject, suited to support
and comfort Christians in all the dark and evil days which
precede it, and to excite them to earnest, constant, united
prayer for this coming of Christ, and patient waiting for him,
and to constant exertions in all proper ways, to promote his
interest and kingdom in the world.

After the thousand years of the reign of Christ and his
church on earth, " Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and
shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quar-
ters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to
battle ; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And
they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the
camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; and fire came
down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." (Rev.
XX. 7-9.) In these words there is reference to what is said of
Gog and Magog, in the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth chapters
of Ezekiel, which prophecy there is reason to think is not to
be understood literally, but in a figurative sense; as no events
have ever taken place answerable to this representation, if

VOL. II. 31

362 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

taken in a literal sense. The prophecy of Gog and Magog
may be considered as having relerence to two events which
arc to take place at difl'erent times, and are similar in some
respects, and diHer in others, viz., the great and general corrup-
tion and wickedness of mankind, and their punishment and
destruction, which will precede the millennium which has been
described in this section ; and the apostasy and wickedness of
mankind at the end of the millennium, and the remarkable
overthrow and destruction of them when Christ shall come to
judgment, predicted in the words which have been now tran-
scribed. Some things said of Gog and Magog, of their de-
signs, tloings, and their punishment, and a number of expres-
sions in that prophecy, are more applicable to the former of
these events than to the latter, and some more applicable to
the latter than to the former, and the whole cannot be well
applied to one, exclusive of the other ; but in both the proph-
ecy is completely fulfilled. Both these events respect wicked
men, who have arrived to a great degree of obstinacy and wick-
edness ; and they are both gathered together by the agency and
deception of Satan, let loose for that end ; and they are both
gathered together to battle against Christ and his church, and
are destroyed in the battle.

This prophecy is figurative. It is not to be supposed that
all this great multitude will be gathered together into one
place, or that the church will be encamped together in one
spot on earth, or collected in one city ; but the gathering
of the wicked means their being abandoned to infidelity and
a very great degree of wickedness, in opposition to the church
of Christ and true religion, and being disposed to extirpate
these from the face of the earth. In this sense, the wicked
will be gathered together to battle before the millennium, by
the s))irits of devils, or Satan, who will go forth to the whole
world for that end, as has been explained. The church will
become small, and surrounded and assaulted by the wicked
on every side, and ready to be swallowed up, and totally de-
stroyed by them.

It has been a question from whence this multitude of people
here called Gog and Magog should come, after the church of
Christ and true religion had prevailed in the world a thousand
years. Some have supposed that a number of people, and
perhaps whole nations, would live in some corner of the earth,
during the time of the millennium, without partaking of any
of the blessings of it; but will continue in a state of heathen-
ism and wickedness all that time, till at length they will mul-
tiply so much as to be able to rise in opposition to tJK^ church,
and destroy it, were they not prevented by the miraculous in-
terposition of Heaven. And many have supposed that this

WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM. 363

fact is inconsistent with all the inhabitants of the world being
real Christians and eminently holy in the time of the millen-
nium. But this supposed difficulty may be easily solved, and
the general and great apostasy accounted for, consistent with
the supposition that in the millennium ail mankind will be
real Christians. Near the end of the thousand years, the
divine influences which produced and continued the universal
and eminent holiness in the millennium may be in such a
measure withheld, as that real Christians will, in their exer-
cises and conduct, sink much below what had taken place
before, and indulge a careless and worldly spirit to a great
and sinful degree, and become more and more negligent of
their duty, especially with respect to their children, and be
really guilty of breaking covenant with God in this important
point. In consequence of this, their children will not be re-
generated and converted, but grow up in a state of sin, real
enemies to God and to the truth. And as the world will be
then full of people, it will in this way soon become full of
wicked men, and the church will be very small. And those
who will grow up under the power of sin and Satan, in the
face of all that light, truth, and holiness which had taken
place through the millennium, and in opposition to it, will
naturally arrive to a great and amazing degree of hardness
and obstinacy in sin, and become a far more guilty and per-
verse generation of men than ever existed before, and will be
greater enemies to truth and righteousness and the church
of Christ ; and, consequently, will be united and engaged to
banish all these from the earth. The world will have more
wicked persons in it than ever before, and all these much more
sinful, and engaged in all kinds and ways of opposition to
Christ and his cause and people. The church will be on the
brink of ruin, just ready to sink and be swallowed up, and the
appearance and coming of Christ will be less believed, expect-
ed, or thought of than at any other time. Then Christ will
be revealed from heaven in flaming fire, taking vengeance on
them who know not God and obey not the gospel.

This apostasy and great wickedness of so many milfions of
mankind, the number of whom will be as the sand of the sea,
and their consequent misery, is an awful dispensation indeed,
and is, in itself, an evil infinitely beyond the comprehension
of man. But there is the clearest evidence and the greatest
certainty that this instance of evil, as well as all other evil
which precedes it, and will succeed it, though it will be end-
less, will, by the overruling hand of God, be productive of
overbalancing good, and is necessary in order to effect the
greatest possible good to the universe. ^^ Surely the wrath of
man shall praise thee ; the remainder of wrath shalt thou

364 WHAT IS TO TAKE PLACE BEFORE THE MILLENNIUM.

restrain." (Ps. Ixxvi. 10.) This event will serve to set the
total depravity and the strong propensity of man to the great-
est degree of wickedness in a more clear and striking light
than it had been or perhaps could be before. That man should
apostatize, and so soon arrive to such a high degree of wick-
edness, after all the light and holiness, and the wonderful
goodness of God to man, displayed in the millennium, and in
opposition to all this light and grace, and in the greatest abuse
of it, join in rebellion against God, and trample on his au-
thority, truth, and goodness, contrary to the admonitions and
warnings from the Word of God; and all faithful ministers and
Christians will make a new discovery, and greater than was
ever made before, of fallen human nature, and of the great and
desperate evil that is in the heart of man, and that it is utterly
incurable by any means that can possibly be used, short of
the almighty energy of the Spirit of God, by which the heart
is renewed, and consequently of the guilt and infinite ill desert
of man ; which discovery will be of gi-eat advantage to the
church and kingdom of Christ forever, and necessary for the
greatest happiness and glory of it, and the highest honor of
the Redeemer.

And this will make from fact a new and greater discovery
of the absolute dependence of man on the grace and Spirit
of God, to prevent his greatest wickedness and endless destruc-
tion, and to form him to holiness and happiness ; and of the
great and sovereign grace of God in converting and saving
lost man, and in bringing on such a wonderful degree of holi-
ness and happiness, and continuing it a thousand years ; and
that this is all to be ascribed to the sovereign power and grace
of God, who has mercy on whom he will have mercy, and
whom he will he hardeneth. When all men shall be righteous
and holy from generation to generation for a thousand years,
and all the children which shall be born in that time shall
appear to be pious and holy as soon as they begin to act, and
persevere in this to the end of life, the appearance will be,
that mankind are now grown better, and that the evil na-
ture of man is not so great, but he is naturally inclined
to obedience and holiness. The sudden and great apostasy
which will take place will take oft' this appearance, and show
that the heart of man is naturally as full of evil as ever it was,
and that all the good and holiness of the millennial state was
the effect of the power of the Spirit of God, and to be wholly
ascribed to the infinite, sovereign grace of God ; and this dis-
covery will be remembered by the redeemed forever, and im-
proved to the glory of God, to the praise of rich, sovereign
^ace, and consequently to their own eternal advantage.

" Even soj come, Lord Jesus." Amen.

AN INQUIRY

CONCERNINO THB

FTJTUHE STATE OF THOSE WHO DIE
IN THEIE SINS;

OR,

ENDLESS PUNISHMENT

CONSISTENT WITH

DIVINE JUSTICE, WISDOM, AND GOODNESS.

" O that they were wise, that they understood this,
that they would consider theix latter end ! " — Jshotah.

31'

INTRODUCTION.

Man is not only made capable of looking forward, but is
strongly inclined to do it, and cannot avoid a greater or less
degree of thought and concern about futurity, and the good
or evil which he shall be the subject of hereafter. These are
the objects of all his hopes and fears, and afford great scope
for the continual exercise of them, and those affections which
attend them ; by which he is influenced, more or less, in all his
conduct. And though most of mankind appear to confine
their prospects chiefly or altogether within the narrow limits
of this life, and feel little concerned about that which may take
place after they leave this world, yet who is there that will not
pronounce this very unreasonable, on the least serious reflec-
tion, and consider it as an evidence, among a thousand others,
of human depravity?

We are certainly capable of existence in a future state, —
yea, of continuing to exist without end, — and there is noth-
ing in reason or experience to render this improbable, but
much to induce us to believe that this present life is only pre-
paratory to our existing in an endless state hereafter, and that
we shall be happy or miserable there, according as we are the
objects of the favor of our Maker, or not. Therefore, this —
our future existence — is the most interesting and important
to us, and demands our greatest and most serious attention
and concern, and the highest exercise of our hopes and fears.

It is true, indeed, that when we turn our thoughts to this
subject, we at once feel that reason alone will never enable us

368 INTRODUCTION.

to determine, without hesitation, many important inquiries
about a future state ; and that mankind would be left in great
and most undesirable uncertainty and darkness respecting all
things that relate to the invisible world, without some other
assistance ; and that it is, therefore, greatly desirable, and of
infinite importance, that God, who is able, should assist man
by a particular revelation of his will and design with regard
to a future state. And this might not only be a ground of
hope that God may thus favor his creature, man, — to whom
he grants so many favors in his providence, and shows him-
self propitious, — but affords good reason to conclude he has
actually given such a revelation, and may serve to excite our
gratitude to God, who find ourselves in actual possession of a
revelation which bears every mark, and is attended with all
the evidence, of its divine original that can be desired, or even
conceived ; and ought to lead us to feel the great obligations
we are under to attend to it with a serious and honest mind,
ready to receive the dictates of Heaven on this important
point, whatever we may find to be revealed.

All who admit the Scriptures of the Old and New Testa-
ments to be from God, agree that it is there revealed that they
who shall be redeemed from sin, and be made happy by Christ
the Savior, shall have an unceasing existence, in perfect hap-
piness, in his everlasting kingdom ; but they have differed
much about the future existence and punishment of those
who do not embrace the gospel in this life, but live and die in
their sins. Most who have lived in the Christian world have
professed to believe that it is as clearly revealed that the latter
shall exist forever in endless punishment as that the former
shall be happy without end ; but a number have denied this.
Some have expressed a confidence that all the wicked shall
cease to exist, and be annihilated, either immediately upon
the death of the body, or after they have continued in misery
and been punished during a proper length of time. Others
are confident it can be proved from Scripture that all the
human race will be finally and eternally happy. Some of
these allow that they who die in their sins will be punished
for a season, even after the day of judgment, as an effectual
discipline to bring them to repentance ; but others confidently

INTRODUCTION. 369

assert that all will be happy at the day of judgment, and some
of these hold that all do enter into perfect blessedness when
they leave this world.

The design of the following inquiry is to assist all who are
desirous to know the truth, in examining this point in the
light of the sacred oracles, and to help them to see the reason
ableness of what is there revealed concerning it, and to answer
the most material objections that have been made against it.
There seems to be a special call for this now, as the denial of
endless punishment has been more open and common of late,
and the doctrine of universal salvation, though in different
forms, is zealously espoused by many.

We have no reason to think the diflference of sentiment on
so important and interesting a point, among those who pro-
fess to form their different opinions from divine revelation, is
owing to any defect in the Bible, or because the truth respect-
ing it is not revealed with sufficient plainness. This diversity
and opposition of sentiment, therefore, must be wholly owing
to the faulty prejudices and evil biases in the minds of mer^
which indispose them to believe the truth, and lead them to
misunderstand and pervert the Holy Scriptures, even where
that which is revealed is very plain and decisive.

Whoever attends to the different and opposite sentiments
on almost every point in religion which have been and are
embraced, even by those who have the Bible in their hands
and appeal to that for the support of what they believe, will
have sufficient reason to determine that no standing revela-
tion can be given from heaven, however perfect, plain, and
decisive, that cannot be misunderstood and perverted by men
of corrupt and perverse minds. If divine revelation be so
formed that they cannot fail of seeing every important truth
contained in it who give suitable attention to it, and have a
meek, humble, honest mind, it is suited to answer all the de-
sirable ends of a revelation, however it may be abused and
perverted by those who do not love the truth, in support of
the most gross and hurtful errors.

We, therefore, have all desirable encouragement to search
the Scriptures, that we may learn what will be the certain
consequence of living and dying in sin — what will be the

370

INTRODUCTION.

punishment of the wicked in a future state, as it is certainly
there plainly revealed ; and however men have differed, — and
many have run into great and dangerous errors on this point,

— we may have the comfortable assurance that we shall
know what is the truth respecting this important article, if
with meekness and impartiality we be ready to receive and
love what God has revealed. But as many have failed of

'this, and have come to the Bible full of prejudices against the
truth there revealed, and disposed to believe nothing con-
tained in divine revelation which is not agreeable to their
corrupted minds, — and so have not believed the truth, and
have been justly given up to strong delusion, to believe a lie,
and we are liable to the same sin and dreadful consequence,

— let us therefore take heed to ourselves, and humbly, with
earnestness and constancy, look to the Father of lights, that
ne may give us an honest heart, and so open our minds to
understand the Scriptures that we may find the truth, after
which we are now inquiring, and have our hearts established
in it, and be directed to improve it to his glory, our own eter-
nal good, and the benefit of our neighbor.

AN INQUIRY

CONCERNING THE FUTURE STATE OF THOSE
WHO DIE IN THEIR SINS.

SECTION I.

TJie Holy Scriptures teach that the Wicked ivill be jnmished
in the future State.

Much is said in the Scripture concerning the evil and pun-
ishment that will come on the wicked in a future state. This
observation will be sufficiently illustrated by the following
passages, though they do not contain all that is said on this
subject in the inspired writings.

The evils which God brings on men in this world for their
sins, and his often destroying them in a terrible manner, as a
testimony of his displeasure with them, many instances of
which we find recorded in sacred ^^Tit, do forebode the future
punishment of the wicked, and may well be considered as a
standing evidence and admonition of this.

The destruction of the old world by the flood, when only
one family was saved, the overthrow of Sodom and Gomor-
rah, and the deliverance of Lot, are considered by Christ and
his apostles as emblems or types of the destruction or punish-
ment of the wicked in the future state, and the salvation of
God's people. " But as the days of Noah were, so shall also
the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that
were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, etc.,
until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not
till the flood came and took them afi away ; so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be." (Matt. xxvi. 37, 38.) " For if
God spared not the old world, but saved Noah, bringing in the
flood upon the world of the ungodly, and turning the cities of

372

THE WICKED PUNISHED

Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an
overthrow, making them an ensample to those that after should
live ungodly, and delivered just Lot; the Lord knoweth how
to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the un-
just unto the day of judgment to be punished." (2 Pet. ii.
5, etc.) Here the apostle makes these destructions of the
wicked an argument that the ungodly in general will be pun-
ished in the future state, and after the day of judgment ; and,
therefore, teaches us to consider them in this light, and by
them to learn the distinction God will make between the
godly and unjust at the last day. In the same light St. Jude
considers the destruction of Sodom. " Even as Sodom and
Gomorrah, giving themselves over to fornication, and going
after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the
vengeance of eternal fire." In this view, the Bible is full of
admonitions of the certain punishment of all that live ungodly,
when the righteous shall be completely delivered and enter
into everlasting life. A contrary doom is pointed out for the
wicked.

When God reveals a Savior by Moses, and promiseth he
shall come into the world in the character of a prophet, he
adds the following words : " And it shall come to pass that
whosoever will not hearken unto my words, which he shall
speak in my name, I will require it of him." (Deut. xviii. 19.)
That is, he shall answer to me for it, and I will deal with him,
and punish him accordingly. Therefore, when St. Peter quotes
this passage, he expresses the true sense in the following
words : " He shall be destroyed from among his people."
This is an early declaration that rejection of Christ in this
world would prove fatal to men ; and that he would be so far
Jrom saving all men, that they who shall disregard him in this
life will certainly be punished with a peculiarly aggravated
destruction.

We find an awful threatening of God to the wicked, who
continue his incorrigible enemies through this life, under all
the methods taken to reclaim them, in Deut. xxxii. 35, etc. :
" To me belongeth vengeance and recompense; their foot shall
slide in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand,
and the things that shall come upon them make haste. For
I lift my hand to heaven, and say, I live forever. If I whet
my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on jndgments,
I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward
them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with
blood, and that with the blood of the slain and of the cap-
tives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy."

The punishment here threatened to the obstinately wicked

IN THE FUTURE STATE. 373

is to be inflicted in a future state; for no such distinction be-
tween God's peojDle and his enemies, as is rej)resented in this
passage of Scripture, does take place in this world ; besides,
the first words of this paragraph are quoted by St. Paul, (Heb.
X. 30,) and he applies them to the future punishment of the
wicked, of which he is there speaking. " For ye know him
that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recom-
pense, saith the Lord." And he then adds, « It is a fearful
thing to fall into the hands of the living God." In the last
words, "the living God," he evidently has reference to those in
the passage above recited, " I lift my hand to heaven, and say,
I live forever." Which certainly implies that God lives so as
to be able to punish the wicked in a future state ; so that they
are so far from getting out of his hands when they die, that
then, in a peculiar sense, they fall into his hands, to suffer the
vengeance threatened ; and may it not be justly observed here,
that, though the endless duration of this punishment is not
expresfsly asserted in the threatening, yet it seems to be plainly
intimated, when Jehovah introduces himself as living forever,
to express his determination and ability to render vengeance
and recompense to his enemies ; and that he will do this as
long as he liveth ? But this is to be more particularly con-
sidered hereafter. And perhaps it will appear, when properly
considered, that it is necessary that God should live forever, in
order to render vengeance and a proper and full recompense
to his enemies; that is, a punishment equal to their desert.

Job and his friends speak much of the evil end and punish-
ment of the wicked, as certain and inevitable, being the objects
of God's displeasure and wrath ; and at the same time men-
tion the security and happiness of the righteous in his favor
and protection. (See Job iv. 8, 9, 20, 21; viii. 13-22; xi.
13-20 ; XV. 20-35 ; xviii. 5-21 ; xx. 4-29.) In this last-quoted
passage are the following words : " Knowest thou not this of
old, that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of
the hypocrite but for a moment? Though his excellency
mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds,
yet he shall perish forever, like his own dung. His bones are
full of the sins of his youth, which shall lie down with him in
the dust. When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast
the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him
while he is eating. He shall flee from the iron weapon, and
a bow of steel shall strike him through. It is drawn and
cometh out of the body; yea, the glittering sword cometh out
of his gall; terrors are upon him. A fire not blown shall
consume him. The heaven shall reveal his iniquity, and the
earth shall rise up against him. This is the portion of a wicked
VOL. II. 32

374 THK WICKED PUNISHED

man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by
God." Job himself agrees with liis friends in this, that the
Mncked arc the objects of God's wrath, and shall be punished.
They differed on this head only in applying this doctrine.
They considered outward afiiictions in this world as included
in the punishment of the wicked, and therefore concluded that
they who suffered greatly by the hand of God in this life
were ungodly, and the objects of divine displeasure, and that
God would protect and save the truly pious from such evils
in this world. He insisted that the distinction between the
righteous and the wicked did not take place and appear in
God's dispensations and dealings with them in his providence
in this life, therefore the good and evil by which they were to
be distinguished must and would take place in a future state
only. He says that innocence and righteovisness will not
secure a person from afflictions in this life, and from death, in
common with the wicked. " This is one thing, therefore I
said it, he destroyeth the perfect and the wicked. If the
scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the inno-
cent. The earth is given into the hands of the wicked ; if
not, where and who is he ? " (Job ix. 22, etc.) He observes,
that the wacked live long and prosper in their wickedness in
this world. " The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that
provoke God are secure, into whose hand God bringeth
abundantly." (Job. xii. 6.) " Wherefore do the wicked live,
become old, yea, and mighty in power ? Their seed is estab-
lished in their sight with them, and their offspring before their
eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of
God upon them," etc. (.Job. xxi. 7-9.) Yet he speaks of the
punishment and destruction of the wicked as certain and in-
evitable, which, therefore, must take place in a future state.
Speaking of the wicked, he says, " They are as stubble before
the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away. God
layeth up his iniquity for his children ; he rewardeth him, and
he shall know it. His eyes shall see his destruction, and he
shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty." (Job xxi. 18-20.)
*' Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up
against me as the unrighteous. For what is the hope of the
hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his
soul? Will God hear his cry wdien trouble cometh upon him?
This is the portion of the wicked man with God, and the heri-
tage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty.
The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered,"
i. e., he shall die, but shall not be gathered and received
to the society of the blessed, as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
were at their death. " He openeth his eyes, and he is not.

IN THE FUTURE STATE. 375

Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him
away in the night. The east wind carrieth him away, and
he departeth ; and a storm hurleth him out of his place!^ For
God shall cast upon him, and not spare ; he would fain flee
out of his hand." (Job xxvii. 7, etc.) " Is not destruction to
the wicked, and a strange punishment to the workers of in-
iquity ? " (Job xxxi. 3.)

Job and his friends lived in the days of Moses, or before, and
by them we learn what was the doctrine respecting the future
punishment of the wicked, received and taught by the people of
God at that time. They represent it as certain and very dread-
ful, and give not the least hint that it shall ever end, but the
whole they say rather imports the contrary. They represent
the wicked as deprived of all his hopes, when he dies, which
surely cannot be true, if he shall be immediately happy, or
happy forever, though punished for a time. What is the hope of
the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away
his soul? God shall cast upon him, and not spare. Yea, he
shall perish forever.

The Book of Psalms, in which the future state is brought
more fully into view than in the preceding part of Scripture,
is full of threatenings to sinners, and declarations of their
punishment in the world to come. This will be sufficiently
evident, by reciting the following passages, out of many more
which are found in those sacred writings : —

In the first Psalm the truly pious are pronounced blessed,
and the ungodly are cursed, as those who shall be condemned
at the day of judgment, separated from the righteous, and ut-
terly perish and be destroyed. " The ungodly are not so, but
are like the chalf which the wind driveth away. Therefore
the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in
the congregation of the righteous ; for the Lord knoweth the
way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall per-
ish." " Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brim-
stone, and an horrible tempest : this shall be the portion of
their cup." (Ps. xi. 6.) This is not their portion in this life,
therefore it must refer to their punishment in a future state,
which is represented as very dreadful. " Thine hand shall
find out all thine enemies, thy right hand shall find out those
that hate thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the
time of thine anger. The Lord shall swallow them up, and
the fire shall devour them. Evil shall slay the wicked ; and
they that hate the righteous shall be desolate." (Ps. xxi. 8, 9;
xxxiv. 21.) When the Psalmist has related the trouble and
perplexity he had experienced, by observing the apparent pros-
perity and happiness of the wicked in this world, he says,

376 THE WICKED PUNISHED

" When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me, un-
til I went into the sanctuary of God ; then understood I their
end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places : thou
castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought
into desolation as in a moment I they are utterly consumed
with terrors. As a dream when one awaketh ; so, O Lord,
when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image. For, lo,
they that are far from thee shall perish ; thou hast destroyed
all them that go a whoring from thee." (Ps. Ixxiii. 17, etc.)
All this evil, wretchedness, and destruction, in which the
wicked perish, is what must be inflicted on them after death,
in the invisible world; for these are they who prosper in this
world, and die like other men, as death is common to both the
righteous and wicked. Their end, therefore, which he then
understood and described, must be the punishment which
comes on the wicked in consequence of death, or leaving this
world. If the wicked were happy as soon as they leave this
world, this passage would be altogether unintelligible, yea, a
perfect deception. And how can there be any end to this de-
struction and punishment, when this itself is said to be their
end? If this destruction were to come to an end, and they,
after all, must be eternally happy, how can this be called their
end ? When St. Paul speaks of some whose end is destruc-
tion, must he not intend a destruction which is inconsistent
with their eternal happiness ? For if he meant a destruction
consistent with their having eternal life, such a destruction is
not their end, but infinitely far from it, and everlasting life
would be their end, and there would be no propriety or truth
in the distinction which he makes. " What fruit had ye then
in those things whereof ye are now ashamed ? For the end
of those things is death. But now being made free from sin,
and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness,
and the end everlasting life." (Rom. vi. 21, 22.)

" In the hand of the Lord there is a cuji, and the wine is
red ; it is full of mixture, and he poureth out the same ; but
the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them
out, and drink them. When the wicked spring as the grass,
and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish, it is that
they shall be destroyed forever. But thou. Lord, art most
high forevermore. For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine
enemies shall perish. And he shall bring upon them their
own iniquity ; and shall cut them off' in their own wickedness ;
yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off'. His righteousness
(who feareth llie Lord) endureth forever: his horn shall be
exalted with honor. The wicked shall see it, and be grieved :
he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away ; the desire of

IN THE FUTURE STATE. 377

the wicked shall perish." (Ps. Ixxv. 8; xcii. 7-9; xciv. 23;
cxii. 9, 10.) This distinction between the righteous and the
wicked is not made in this life, therefore it must be made in
the future state ; and then this threatening shall be inflicted
on the wicked. " Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God."
(Ps. cxxxix. 19.) This does not intend God's taking them
out of the world by death, for in this sense he slays the right-
eous as much as the wicked, but it must intend a punish-
ment after the death of the body, or the second death, or it
can have no meaning. This is evidently opposed to what
David desires God would grant unto him. " Lead me in the
way everlasting- P (Ps. cxxxix. 24.) " The Lord preserveth all
them that love him ; but all the wicked will he destroy."
(Ps. cxlv. 20.) This also must refer to a future state, for both
they who love God, and his enemies, are equally preserved in
this life, and destroyed by dying. This destruction of the
wicked is that which is so often spoken of as their portion
and end in the future state.

In the writings of Solomon, especially in his Proverbs, we
find the future punishment and misery of the wicked often
mentioned, and generally in contrast to the safety and happi-
ness of the righteous. The following instances, out of many
more that might be mentioned, will be sufficient to illustrate
this remark. " Because I have called, and ye refused, I have
stretched out my hand, and no man regarded ; but ye have
set at nought my counsel, and would none of my reproof; I
also will laugh at your calamity, and I will mock when your
fear cometh. When your fear cometh as desolation, and your
destruction cometh as a whirlwind ; when distress and anguish
cometh upon you ; then shall they call upon me, but I will
not answer ; they shall seek me early, but shall not find me :
for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of
the Lord : therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own
way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning
away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools
shall destroy them." (Pr. i. 24, etc.) " His own iniquities shall
take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords
of his sins. He shall die without instruction, and in the
greatness of his folly he shall go astray." (Pr. v. 22.)
" The hope of the righteous shall be gladness ; but the expecta-
tion of the wicked shall perish. The way of the Lord is strength
to the upright; but destruction to the workers of iniquity."
(Pr. x. 28.) " When a wicked man dieth his expectation shall
perish : and the hope of unjust men perisheth." (Pr. xi. 7.)
What words could more fully express the misery of the
wicked after death, or assert more strongly that he shall then
32*

378

THE WICKED PUNISHED

be deprived of all ^^ood, which is the object of hope, and fall
into absolute despair ? And how inconsistent are such asser-
tions as these with his surviving this misery, and, after all
this, obtaining eternal happiness ! How can his hope perish
when he dies, if he knows, or has the least hope, that he shall
be yet eternally happy ? Solomon says, " Let not thine heart
envy sinners ; but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day
long; for surely there is an end, and thy expectation shall
not be cut otf." (Pr. xxiii. 17, 18.) These words illustrate
those last quoted. If this be a promise to him that feareth
God, that he shall be happy after death, and that without end,
as it certainly is, then the other is a threatening of the con-
trary, which is misery without end. If both the righteous and
the wicked shall be happy together forever, how is it possible
to be true, that the hope of the latter shqll be cut off and per-
ish when he dies, and directly the contrary be true of the
former ?

" Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be
unpunished." (Pr. xi. 21.) " The wicked are overthrown,
and are not; but the house of the righteous shall stand."
(Pr. xii. 7.) " Evil pursueth sinners ; but to the righteous
good shall be repaid." (Pr. xiii. 21.) " The wicked is driven
away in his wickedness, but the righteous hath hope in
his death. (Pr. xiv. 32.) " The Lord hath made all things
for himself; yea, even the wicked for the day of evil." (Pr.
xvi. 4.) " God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness."
(Pr. xxi. 12.) " Though a sinner do evil an hundred times,"
or years, " and his days be prolonged, yet, surely I know that
it shall be well with them that fear God; biit it shall not be
well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which
are as a shadow, because he feareth not before God." (Ec.
viii. 12, 13.)

It is certain that all these evils which are denounced against
the wicked, by which they are to be distinguished from the
righteous, are inflicted, not in this life, but in a future state ;
because the same inspired writer says there is no such distinc-
tion in this life. " No man knoweth either love or hatred, by
all that is before them. All things come alike to all : there is
one event to the righteous and to the wicked ; to the good and
to the clean, and to the unclean ; to him that sacrificeth, and
to him that sacrificeth not. As is the good, so is the sinner;
and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath." (Ec. ix.
1,2.)

The pro|)het Isaiah speaks much of the dreadful evil and
unavoidable punishment that will attend the wicked in the
future state. He seems to sum up and declare the whole

IN THE FUTURE STATE. 379

import of his commission and prophecy. " Say ye to the right-
eous that it shall be well with him ; for they shall eat the iVuit
of their doings. Woe unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him ;
for the reward of his hands shall be given him." (Isa. iii.
10, 11.) Here the righteous and the wicked are set in oppo-
sition to each other, with respect to the fruit and end of what
they do in this world. And if what is promised to the former
be endless life and happiness, can the threatening of the con-
trary to the latter be any thing but directly the opposite — end-
less misery and punishment ? That punishment must be very
dreadful which is a full reward of all that is done in this life, that
is, answerable to his ill desert ; and doubtless will be without
end, which will be particularly considered in the sequel.

" Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in Zion
for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner
stone, a sure foundation. He that believeth shall not make
haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness
to the plummet, and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of
lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place. And your
covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement
with hell shall not stand ; when the overflowing scourge shall
pass through, then shall ye be trodden down by it." (Isa. xxviii.
16, etc.) This passage respects Christ, and points out the cer-
tain opposite consequences of believing on him and reject-
ing him. To him who believeth, the most perfect security
from all evil is promised. He shall be out of the reach of the
rising floods of water, and the overflowing scourge. But all
the rest shall have judgment without mercy, and be punished
according to their crimes, and swept away by the irresistible
billows and overflowing scourge of the divine vengeance and
wrath. What a striking, awful representation is this of the
future punishment of the wicked! " The sinners in Zion are
afraid ; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among
us shall dwell with devouring fire ? Who among us shall
dwell with everlasting burnings?" (Isa. xxxiii. 14.) How
can this representation be just or true if a most dreadful
punishment, yea, an endless one, does not await afl those sin-
ners and hypocrites who sustain this character to the end of
life ? " For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the
year of recomi)enses for the controversies of Zion. And the
streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof
into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning
pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day ; the smoke
thereof shall go up forever : from generation to generation it
shall lie waste ; none shall pass through it forever and ever."
(Isa. xxxiv. 8-10.)

380

THE WICKED PUNISHED

The prophet, in this passage and in the preceding verses,
is representing the dreadful punishment that shall come on
the enemies of God and his church when he shall rise up to
take vengeance on them, and recompense them for their evil
deeds. And when he brings into view the great evils and aw-
ful destruction that shall come on the enemies of God's peo-
ple upon the introduction of the happy state of the church in
this world, he extends this view to their misery in ihe future
state, in whicii their punishment shall issue and be completed.
This is not the only instance of this kind, but we often find in
the prophecies, both of the prosperity and happiness of God's
church and people, and the overthrow and punishment of his
enemies, that the prophetic vision connects the complete and
eternal ha]:)piness of the former w4th their happy state in this
world, and includes both in the same figurative representation,
and in the same manner represents the punishment of the lat-
ter. And that this passage hath reference to the future misery
of the wicked, is further evident from the plain allusion to it
in the Revelation, when speaking of the future and dreadful
misery of the enemies of God and his people. " And they
shall be tormented wnth fire and brimstone, and the smoke of
their torment ascendeth up forever and ever, and they have
no rest day nor night." (Rev. xiv, 11.)

In the fiftieth chapter of Isaiah, the last verse, there is anoth-
er threatening of future evil to the wicked : " Behold all ye
that kindle a fire, and compass yourselves about with sparks.
Walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have
kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand ; ye shall lie down
in sorrow." " Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed
garments from Bozrah ? Who is glorious in his apjjarel, trav-
elling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in right-
eousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine
apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine-
fat ? I have trodden the wine press alone, and of the ueople
there was none with me ; for I will tread them in mine anger,
and trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled
upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment ; for the
day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of ray re-
deemed is come. . And I will tread down the people in mine
anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring
down their strength to the earth." (Isa. Ixiii. 1-6.) Here
Christ is represented as pouring vengeance on all his enemies,
while he redeems and saves his church. This is exactly
agreeable to several passages already quoted, and to the gen-
eral current of Scripture. The acceptable year of the Lord is
also the day of vengeance of our God. (Isa. Ixi. 2.) And

IN THE FUTURE STATE. 381

agreeably to the Scripture now under consideration, it is said
of Cin-ist, " He treadeth the wine press of the fierceness and
wrath of Almighty God." (Rev. xix. 15.) And we are told
by Christ himself, and by St. Paul, how and when this shall
be completely done. " Then shall he say unto them on his
left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire."
(Matt. XXV. 41.) " 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 everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,
and the glory of his power." (2 Thess. i. 7, etc.)

" And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to
another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come
to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth
and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed
against me ; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their
tire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring unto all
flesh." (Isa. Ixvi. 23, 24.)

This prophet had dwelt much on the certain overthrow and
destruction of all the enemies of the church, and the prosperity
and happiness to which that shall be brought in the latter
days, and now concludes his prophecy in these remarkable
words, which, in figurative language, represent the eternal
state of the church, and of her enemies, which are destroyed
and punished for their transgression. Dead bodies which are
not buried soon become very nauseous and abominable, until
they are wholly consumed by worms or by fire. Here the
gi-eatness and duration of the punishment of these transgress-
ors is set forth by their bodies, though putrid and very offen-
sive, continuing unconsumed by the worm or by the fire, and
remaining food for the one and fuel for the other, without any
end or diminution. And this is to take place in the sight of
all the inhabitants of heaven, and they shall have it fully in
view while they worship and praise God. This is exactly
agreeable to other passages of Scripture, especially Rev. xiv.
10, " And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone, in
the presence of the holy ang-els, and in the presence of the Lamb.
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and
ever." " And I heard a great voice of much people in heaven,
saying, Alleluia! salvation, and glory, and honor, and power
unto the Lord our God. And again they said. Alleluia. And
her smoke rose up forever and ever." (Rev. xix. 1-3.) No
similitude, no words could be chosen that would, in a more
determinate and striking manner, set forth the dreadlulness
and perpetuity of the future punishment of the wicked than

382 THE WICKED PUNISHED

these used by the prophet Isaiah. For this reason, doubtless,
our Savior alhides to this passage repeatedly when he would
set this awful subject in the most awakening point of light.
But this will be more particularly considered hereafter.

By the prophet Jeremiah, God fixeth an awful curse on those
who refuse to trust in him, and pronounceth every one blessed
that trusteth in the Lord. " Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be
the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and
whose heart departeth from the Lord ; for he shall be like the
heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh, but
shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt
land, and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in
the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is ; for he shall be as a
tree planted by the waters," etc. (Jer. xvii. 5, etc.)

The curse here pronounced on the unbeliever must intend
the curse which will fall on him in the future state; for no
such curse as is here described, and opposed to the blessing
pronounced on him who trusteth or believeth in God, comes
on the sinner in this world ; but, as Jeremiah himself says, in
this world, " The way of the wicked prospereth, and they are
happy that deal very treacherously," (Jer. xii. 1.) This curse
is expressed in figurative language, but appears to be the same
which is fixed by John the Baptist and our Savior on all un-
believers. " He that believeth not the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God abideth on him. He that believeth not
shall be damned. Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting
fire."

In the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, it is often declared that
they who persist in evil ways through life shall die^ shall die
in their iniquity. And, on the contrary, they who turn from
their evil ways shall live. (See Eze. iii. ; xviii. ; xxxiii.) By
dying here cannot mean departing out of this life by the death
of the body ; for the penitent and obedient die this death, as
well as the obstinate sinner. It must, therefore, mean what
is called the second deaths which is to be judged according to
their works, and cast into the lake of fire, where they shall be
tormented forever and ever. (Rev. xx. 14.)

But one text more will be mentioned in the Old Testament
importing the future punishment of the wicked, and that is
in Dan. xii. 2. " And many of them that sleep in the dust
of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to
shame and everlasting contempt,"

We now come to the New Testament, to see what is said
there on the future punishment of the wicked. We may
justly expect greater light on this head, in this more clear rev-

IN THE FUTURE STATE. 383

elation of a future state. If, notwithstanding all that is found
in the Old Testament, there be really no such punishment,
doubtless Christ and his apostles have plainly told vis that
there will be no such evil, and have not said a word that can
be construed in favor it. But if the glad tidings proclaimed
in the gospel are consistent with the future punishment of
those who reject it, and if a great, awfully aggravated, and
endless punishment awaits them, the kind Savior, who is full
of grace and truth, and those whom he authorized to preach
the whole truth, have certainly warned mankind of this, and
stated the doctrine of the wrath to come in the most plain
and determinate words.

John the Baptist, who was raised up to introduce the Sa-
vior, is not silent on this head, but publishes awful threats
against the obstinately wicked, and those who reject Christ.
" When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come
to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers,
who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come ? Bring
forth, therefore, fruits meet for repentance." (Matt. iii. 7, 8.)
Here he brings into view wrath to come, which could be
avoided only by true repentance. " And now also the axe is
laid unto the root of the trees : therefore every tree which
bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the
fire. He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose fan
is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and
gather his wheat into the garner, but he will burn up the chaff
with unquenchable fire." (Matt. iii. 10-12.) "He that be-
lieveth on the Son hath everlasting life ; and he that believeth
not the Son shall not see life ; but the WTath of God abideth
on him." (John iii. 36.)

What need of going any farther ? The point is decided.
He who introduceth the Savior plainly tells us what will be
the consequence. They who repent and believe the gospel
shall be saved, but all wdio do not are left in, at least, as bad a
case as they could be in had there been no Savior. They
shall not see"^ life, but the wrath of God abideth on them ; they
shall be cast into unquenchable fire.

But what does Christ himself say ? " Whosoever shall say
to his brother. Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Agree
with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with
him ; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge,
and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into
prison. Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come
out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. And
if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from
thee ; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members

384 THE WICKED PUNISHED

should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast
into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it oft' and
cast it from thee ; for it iij profitable for thee that one of thy
members should perish, and not that thv whole body should
be cast into hell." (Matt. v. 22, etc.) "^" Enter ye in at the
strait gate ; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that
leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat."
(Matt. vii. 13.) " Many will say unto me in that day. Lord, Lord,
have wc not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name cast
out devils," etc. " And then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you : depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Every
one that hfrareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not,
shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon
the sand : and the rain descended, and the floods came ; and
the winds blew, and beat upon that house ; and it fell, and
gi-eat was the fall of it." (Matt. vii. 22, etc.) " But the chil-
dren of the kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness : there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. viii. 12.)
" Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land
of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of judgment, than for
that city." (Matt. x. 15.) » Fear not them which kill the body,
and are not able to kill the soul : but rather fear him which is
able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (]\Iatt. x. 28.)
"Woe unto thee, Chorazin ! I say unto you, it shall be more
tolerable for Tyre and Sidon, at the day of judgment, than
for you. And thou Capernaum, I say unto you, it shall be
more tolerable for the lajid of Sodom, in the day of judgment,
than for thee." (Matt. xi. 21, etc.) « Wherefore I say unto
you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto
men : but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be
forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh against the
Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world,
nor in the world to come." (Matt. xii. 31, 32.) "He that
shall blasjjheme against the Holy Ghost, hath never forgive-
ness, but is in danger of eternal damnation." (Mark iii. 29.)
" And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man,
it shall be forgiven him; but unto him that blasphemeth
against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven." (Luke xii.
10.) There is a certain connection between not being forgiven
aiid pnnishmcMit or damnation. " So shall it be in the end of
the world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and
they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that ofTend,
and them which do iniquity ; and shall cast them into a fur-
nace of fn-e : there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
(Matt. xiii. 41.) So shall it be in the end of the world: the
angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the

IN THE FUTURE STATE. 385

just ; and shall cast them into the furnace of fire : there shall
be wailing and gnashing of teeth. " Whosoever shall save
his life, shall lose it. For what is a man profited, if he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? Or, what shall
a man give in exchange for his soul ? For 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." (Matt,
xvi. 25, etc.) " If thy hand or thy foot oflend thee, cut them
off and cast them from thee ; it is better for thee to enter into
life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet
to be cast into everlasting jfire. And if thine eye offend thee,
pluck it out, and cast it from thee : it is better for thee to
enter into life with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast
into hell fire." (Matt, xviii. 8, 9.) " And whosoever shall fall on
this stone shall be broken : but on whomsoever it shall fall, it
will grind him to powder." (Matt. xxi. 44.) " Then said the
king to his servants. Bind him hand and foot, and take him
away, and cast him into outer darkness ; there shall be weep-
ing and gnashing of teeth. For many arc called, but few are
chosen." (Matt. xxii. 13.) "Woe unto you, scribes and Phar-
isees, hypocrites ! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pre-
tence make long prayers ; therefore ye shall receive the greater
damnation. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye
escape the damnation of helf? " (Matt, xxiii. 14, 33.) " The
Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not
for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of; and shall cut
him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. xxiv.
50, 51.) " And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came,
and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage,
and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins,
saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said,
Verily I say unto you, I know you not. For unto every one
that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance ; but
from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which
he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer
darkness : there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
(Matt. XXV. 10, etc.) " The Son of man goeth as it is written
of him : but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is
betrayed ! it had been good for that man if he had not been
born." (Matt. xxvi. 24.) " Whosoever therefore shall be
ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful
generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when
he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels."
(Mark viii. 38.) » And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off; it
is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two
VOL. II. 33

386 THE -WICKED PUNISHED

hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched :
where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
And if thy foot ofiend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to
enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell,
into the fire that never shall be qncuiched : where their worm
dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye
offend thee, pluck it out : it is better for thee to enter into the
kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be
cast into hell fire : where their worm dieth not, and the fire is
not quenched." (jMark ix. 43, etc.) " He that believeth not
shall be damned." (Mark xvi. 30.) " Woe unto you that are
rich : for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that
are full : for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now:
for ye shall mourn and weep." (Luke vi. 24, 25.) "But I
will forewarn you whom you shall fear. Fear him which,
after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell: yea, I say
unto yon, fear him. But if that servant say in his heart. My
Lord delayeth his coming, the Lord of that servant will come
in a day when he looketh not for him, and will cut him in
sunder, and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And
that servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not
himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten wnth
many stripes. When thou goest with thine adversary to the
magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou
mayest be delivered from him ; lest he hale thee to the judge,
ancl the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast
thee into prison. I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till
thou hast paid the very last mite." (Luke xii. 5, etc.) " When
once the master of the house is risen up, and has shut to
the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the
door, saying. Lord, Lord, open unto us, he shall say, I tell you,
I know you not ; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall
see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the
kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out." (Luke xiii.
25, etc.) " The rich man also died, and was buried. And in
hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham
afar off', and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried, and said,
Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that
he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue ;
for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said. Son,
remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good
things, and likewise Lazarus evil things ; but now he is com-
forted, and thou art tormented. And besides all this, between
us and you there is a great gulf fixed ; so that they which
would pass from hence to you cannot ; neither can they pass

IN THE FUTURE STATE. 387

to US that would come from thence," (Luke xvi. 22, etc.) " And
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of man be lifted ; that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever be-
lieveth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
(John iii. 14-16.) In these words it is implied, that they who
believe not on Christ shall perish ; and perishing is directly
opposed to having everlasting life. All is implied here which
is expressly asserted in v. 36, " He that believeth not the Son,
shall not see life ; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
" The hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall
hear his voice, and shall come forth ; they that have done
good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that have done
evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." (John v. 28, 29.)
" I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your
sins. Ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said
therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins : for if ye
believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." (John
viii. 21, 24.) What Christ repeatedly threatens in these words
must be evil which would come on them after their death,
which can be no less than a proper punishment for their sins.
" He that loveth his life, shall lose it : and he that hateth his life
in this world, shall keep it unto life eternal." (John xii. 25,
48.) Losing his life, is an evil which is opposed to keeping it
to life eternal ; therefore, must mean eternal death. " He that
rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that
judgeth him : the word that I have spoken, the same shall
judge him in the last day." That is, he shall then be condemned
and punished. " If 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." (John xv. 6.) " Then
shall he say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye
cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his
angels. And these shall go away into everlasting punish-
ment." (Matt. XXV. 41, 46.)

Who can read all these words of Christ, and yet think that
he came into the world with a design to save all men from
future punishment? If we had nothing but his own declara-
tions to determine us, these are more than sufficient to give
us as much assurance that the wicked will be punished to a
great and awful degree in a future state as we can have that
he is the Son of God, the Savior of the world ; yea, we can-
not doubt of the former, without calling the latter equally in
question. No person that ever spoke on earth by divine in-
spiration has said so much of the future punishment of the

388 THE "WICKED PUNISHED

wicked, and preached hell and damnation so much and so
often, or set it in so awful and shocking a light, as did the
only begotten Son of God, who is full of grace and truth.

But what we find in the writings of the apostles of Christ
will show how they understood him on this point, and
strengthen the evidence of the destruction and punishment of
the wicked in a future state, if it be capable of receiving any
addition.

" And it shall come to pass that every soul which will not
hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people."
(Acts iii, 23.) These words, with the foregoing, are a quota-
tion from Moses made by the apostle Peter in his speech to
the people in the temple, which words he applies to Christ, as
being the Prophet of which God speaks by Moses ; and here
is a threatening of certain destruction to every soul which
shall disregard this Prophet : " " Beware, therefore, lest that
come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets : Behold,
ye despisers, and wonder, and perish." (Acts xiii. 40, 41.)
" And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judg-
ment to come, Felix trembled." (Acts xxiv. 25.) What could
there be in Paul's preaching to make Felix tremble, if he
brought no evil into view as coming on the unrighteous and
intemperate at and after the day of judgment ? If he had
preached to this wicked Roman governor that there was no
future punishment to be feared, — yea, if he had not preached
the contrary, — Felix could not have been terrified. Paul
brought the day of judgment into view as matter of great
terror to wicked men ; therefore, he preached that they would
then be condemned and punished according to their evil
deeds in this life. This appears from the words under con-
sideration, and also from St. Paul's own words : " For 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. Knowing
therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men." (2 Cor.
V. 10, 11.) What words can more expressly declare that they
who die impenitent in their sins shall, at the day of judgment,
be condemned by Christ to a punishment answerable to the
number and magnitude of the crimes of which they were
guilty in this life? And this was the terror which the apos-
tles had in view, by displaying which they sought to persuade
men to fly from the wrath to come. They who believe the
wicked will not be punished after the day of judgment, do not
know the terror of Christ, of which St. Paul here speaks, but
deny that there is any such terror; and were a Felix to hear
them preach, and believe what they say, he would be so

IN THE FUTURE STATE. 389

far from trembling, that he would be soothed into perfect
security.

But let us proceed, and see what this apostle says further of
future punishment. " For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteoiisness of men,
who hold the truth in unrighteousness." (Rom. i. 18.) " But
after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto
thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the
righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man
according to his deeds : unto them that are contentious, and
do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation
and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man
that doth evil. For as many as have sinned without law,
shall perish without law : and as many as have sinned in the
law, shall be judged by the law, in the day when God shall
judge the secrets of men, by Jesus Christ, according to my
gospel." (Rom. ii. 5, etc.) " For if ye live after the flesh, ye
shall die;" (Rom. viii. 13;) — that is, the second death, which
is the wages of sin, in opposition to eternal life : " For the
wages of sin is death ; but the gift of God is eternal life,
through Jesus Christ our Lord." " What if God, willing to
show his wrath, and make his po\^r known, endured with
much long-sufiering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction."
(Rom. ix. 22.) " For the preaching of the cross is to them
that perish foolishness ; but unto us which are saved, it is the
power of God. For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ,
in them that are saved, and in them that perish. To the one
we are a savor of death unto death ; and to the other a savor
of life unto life." (1 Cor. i. 18, with 2 Cor. ii. 15, 16.) " If
any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy."
(1 Cor. iii. 17.) " But I keep under my body, and bring it into
subjection ; lest that by any means, when I have preached to
others, I myself should be a castaway." (1 Cor. ix. 27.) " Be
not deceived ; God is not mocked : for whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he reap. For he that soweth to his flesh,
shall of the flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth to the
Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." (Gal. vi. 7, 8.)
" For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person,
nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in
the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you
with vain words : for because of these things cometh the
wrath of God upon the children of disobedience." (Eph. v.
5, 6.) "And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which
is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salva-
tion, and that of God." (Philip, i. 28.) " For many walk, of
whom I have told you often, and now tell you, even weeping,
33*

390 THE WICKED PUNISHED

that thoy arc the enemies of the cross of Christ : whose end is
destruction." (Philip, iii. 18, 19.) " Mortify therefore your
members which are npon the earth ; fornication, covetous-
ness," etc. : " for which things' salve the wrath of God cometh
on the children of disobedience." (Col. iii. 5, 6.) " But he that
doth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done :
and there is no respect of persons." (Col. iii. 25.) " Whom
he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from
the wrath to come." (1 Thess. i. 10.) " That no man go
beyond and defraud his brother in any matter; because that
the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have fore-
warned you and testified." (1 Thess. iv. 6.) " For when they
shall say. Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh
upon them, as travail upon a woman with child ; and they
shall not escape." (1 Thess. v. 3.) " Seeing it is a righteous
thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble
you ; and to you who are troubled, rest with us ; when the
Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty
angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know
not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction
from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his
power." (2 Thess. i. 6-9.) " And with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish ; because they received
not the love of the truth that they might be saved. And for
this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they
should believe a lie : that they all might be damned who be-
lieved not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
(2 .Thess. ii. 10-12.) " Some men's sins are open beforehand,
going before to judgment; and some men they follow after."
(1 Tim. V. 24.) " But they that will be rich fall into tempta-
tion and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts,
which draw men in destruction and perdition." (1 Tim. vi. 9.)
" If we suffer, we shall also reign with him : if we deny him,
he also will deny us." (2 Tim. ii. 12.) " For if the word
spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and
disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall
we escape, if we neglect so great salvation ?" (Heb. ii. 2, 3.)
" So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall
after the same example of unbelief." (Heb. iii. 19 compared
with iv. 11.) " For it is impossible for those who were once
enlightened," etc., "if they shall fall away, to renew them
again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the
Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the
earth, which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and

IN THE FUTURE STATE. 391

bringeth forth herbs," etc., " receiveth blessing from God, But
that which beareth thorns and briers is rt^ected, and is nigh
unto cursing; whose end is to be burned." (Heb. vi. 4, etc.)
" For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowl-
edge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins;
but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indig-
nation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised
Moses's law died without mercy ; of how much sorer punish-
ment, suppose ye, shall he be t iiought worthy, who has trodden
under foot the Son of God, and counted the blood of the cov-
enant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thiug, and hath
done despite to the Spirit of gi'ace ? For we know him that
hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense,
■saith the Lord. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of
the living God. But we are not of them w^ho draw back unto
perdition ; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul."
(Heb. X. 26, etc.) " Looking diligently, lest any man fail of the
grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble
you, and thereby many be defiled ; lest there be any fornica-
tor, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat
sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when
he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected; for he
found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully
with tears. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh ; for if
they escaped not who refused liim that spake on earth, much
more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that
speaketh from heaven." (Heb. xii. 15, etc.)

We have also the apostle James's witness to future punish-
ment. " For he shall have judgment without mercy that hath
shewed no mercy." (James ii. 13.) To have judgment with-
out mercy, is to be punished according to his ill desert. " There
is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who art
thou that judgest another?" (James iv. 12.) "Go to now,
ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come
upon you. Your gold and your silver is cankered ; and the
rust of them shall be a wdtness against you, and shall eat your
flesh, as it were fire; ye have heaped treasure together for the
last days." (James v. 1-3.)

St. Peter comes next in course. " By which also he went
and preached to the spirits in prison ; which sometime were
disobedient, when once the long suffering of God waited in the
days of Noah, while the ark was preparing." (1 Pet. iii. 19.)
Here the spirits of the sinners of the old world, to whom Noah
preached, being infiuenced thereto by the spirit of Christ, are
spoken of as being in prison, when St. Peter w^-ote, which was
above two thousand years after they left this world. They

392 THE WICKED PUNISHED

are, therefore, prisoners now, confined in darkness and despair,
to the judgment of the gi-eat day. " For the time is come
that judgment must begin at the house of God ; and if it first
begin at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the
gospel of God ? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where
shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Pet. iv. 17, 18.)
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as
a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour."
(1 Pet. V. 8.) " Who bring on themselves swift destruction.
Whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their
damnation slumbereth not. For if God spared not the angels
that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them
into chains of darkness to be reserved un.to judgment, and
spared not the old world, bringing in the fiood upon the world
of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomor-
rah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making
them an example unto those that after should live ungodly;
the Lord knoweth how to reserve the unjust unto the day of
judgment, to be punished. These, as natural brute beasts,
made to be taken and destroyed, shall utterly perish in their
corruption. These are wells without w^ater, clouds that are
carried with a tempest, to whom the mist of darkness is re-
served forever." (2 Pet. ii. 1, 3, etc.) " But the heavens and
the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store,
reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition
of ungodly men. The Lord is not slack concerning his prom-
ise, as som.e men count slackness, but is long-sufiering to us-
ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should
come to repentance." (2 Pet. iii. 7, 9, 16.) Here it is sup-
posed that all will perish who do not come to repentance in
this life while God waits on tliem ; and, therefore, certain
destruction to those who continue impenitent through life,
under all means used with them to bring them to repentance,
is in these words fully asserted.

It will be thought strange, perhaps, by some, that this pas-
sage, from which it has been inferred that all mankind will
be saved, should be used to prove directly the reverse, viz.,
that many will perish. It has been said, if God is not willing
that any should perish, certainly none can perish; for who
hath resisted his will?

To this it may be ansAvered, in the first place, that it is
certainly very strange indeed, and perfectly unaccountable,
that St. Peter should here assert that none of mankind will
perish, since he had declared the contrary, over and over again,
in this epistle, and does it even in this very paragraph. He
had said, that false teachers would bring on themselves swift

l^ THE FUTURE STATE. 393

destrnciion ; that God reserved the wicked to the day of jiidg-
niont, to be punished; that they will utterly j»em/i in their
own corruption ; and in the next verse but one before this
says, the heavens and the earth are reserved unto lire, against
the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. And
with reference to this awful catastrophe, Ije says, that God
does not bring it on immediately, because he is long-suffering
and disposed to give men time and opportunity to repent, not
willing that any should perish in that destruction which he
had just said was coming on ungodly men. So that he here
asserts, God is long-suffering, not willing that any should
perish, as he had just said ungodly men will perish ; for whose
perdition God had already made provision.

The way is now prepared to answer in the next place.
When the apostle says, God is long-suffering, not willing that
any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, the
natural, plain, and only consistent meaning is, that God in his
dealings with men, in his providence, does not consult and
pursue methods to circumvent and insnare them, to prevent
their having a sufficient and fair opportunity to repent ; but
puts them under all proper advantages for this, sets before
them the strongest motives, and w^aits upon them with great
patience and long-suffering ; and who has at the same time
declared, that if they do not come to repentance in this life,
they shall certainly perish in the perdition of ungodly men.
He will not put an end to the world, until he has used all
proper and suitable means, and taken the greatest conceivable
variety of methods and ways, in the wisest and best manner,
adapted to bring them to repentance ; that they who continue
impenitent may appear in their true obstinacy and perverse-
ness, and be left wholly without any excuse ; and their full
desert of the destruction which God will bring upon them, and
his righteousness in jjunishing them, may be seen in the clear-
est light by all.

And, by the way, they who suppose that St. Peter here
asserts that not one shall perish, must allow he equally asserts
that all shall come to repentance, for God is said to will
the latter as much as the former; and this repentance is to
take place in this life, because G«d is long-suffering towards
them in this world for this end ; but they do not pretend that
God brings all men to repentance in this world. If, then, not-
withstanding what God wills respecting their repentance, they
do not repent, what evidence is there that they will not perish ?
If they say, the repentance which God wills is to take place
in the other world, it will then be asked, why he is long-suffer-
ing towards them in this world, in order to their coming to

394 THE WICKED PUNISHED

repentance in the other world ? If they are not to come to
repentance in this life, why does God wait upon them here
even to long-suftering, and not send them directly into the
other world, where they will repent? For to wait on them
here, is only to put their repentance off to a greater distance.
To send them out of this world, is the only way to effect and
hasten their repentance.

But to proceed: this apostle speaks of those who go to
destruction by abusing the Holy Scriptures. " In which," i. e.,
St. Paul's writings, "are some things hard to be understood,
which they that are unlearned (or rather, unteachable) and un-
stable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their
own destruction."

The apostle Jude speaks in much the same language with
St. Peter, of the punishment and destruction of sinners. He
says, " I will, therefore, put you in remembrance how that the
Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, after-
wards destroyed them that believed not. And the angels
which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation,
he hath reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto
the judgment of the great day; even as Sodom and Gomor-
rah, and the cities about them, are set forth for an example,
suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise these filthy
dreamers, etc. ; woe unto them ! for they have gone in the way
of Cain, and ran greedily in the way of Balaam for reward,
and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are wan-
dering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness
forever."

The apostle John, who so much celebrates the love of God,
yet speaks of future punishment. " There is a sin unto death ;
I do not say that he shall pray for it." (1 John v. 16.) That
is, there is a sin which God will not pardon; but it is infallibly
connected with the second death, which is the wages of sin.
I, therefore, do not direct any Christian to pray for the pardon
of this sin. But more of this is to be found in the Book of
the Revelation, written by St. John. " He that overcometh
shall not be hurt of the second death." (Rev. ii. 11.) It is
here implied, that all who do not overcome in this life shall
sutler the second death. What this is, we shall find fully
explained in this book. " And the nations were angry, and
thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should
be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy ser-
vants, and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."
(Rev. xi. 18.) The destruction here spoken of is consequent
on the day of judgment. " And the third angel followed them,
saying with a loud voice. If any man worship the beast and

IX THE FUTLRE STATE. 395

his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his
hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God,
which is poured out, without mixture, into the cup of his in-
dignation ; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone,
in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the
Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for-
ever and ever; and they have no rest day nor night. And the
angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine
of the earth, and cast it into the great wine press of the wrath
of God. And the wine press was trodden without the city,
and blood came out of the wine press, even unto the horse
bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs."'
(Rev. xiv. 9, etc.) " And I heard a great voice of much people in
heaven, saying. Alleluia ; salvation and glory, and honor, and
power unto the Lord our God. And again they said. Alle-
luia. And her smoke rose up forever and ever." (Rev. xix.
1, 3.) " Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection ; on such the second death hath no power. And
fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are,
and shall be tormented day and night, forever and ever. And
I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it. And I
saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. And they
were judged every man according to their works. And deatli
and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second
death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev. xx. 6, etc.) " But the
fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers,
and whoremongers^ and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,
shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and
brimstone; luhich is the second death.''^ (Rev\ xxi. 8.) "And
he said unto me. Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this
book; for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be
unjust still ; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still ; and he
that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is
holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and
my reward is with me, to give every man according as his
work shall be. Blessed are they that do his commandments,
that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in
through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and
sorcerers, and whoremongers, and idolaters, and whosoever
loveth and maketh a lie. I testify unto every man that hear-
eth the w^ords of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall
add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues
that are written in this book. And if any man shall take

396 THE WICKED PUNISHED

away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall
take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy
city, and from the things which are written in this book. He
which tcstifieth these things saith. Surely I come quickly.
Amen." (Rev. xxii. 10, etc.)

Having thus attended to what we find in the Holy Scrip-
tures respecting the future punishment of the wicked, the
following remarks may be made upon it: —

1. Their punishment will certainly be very great and terri-
ble. If it were not so there w^ould not be so much said of it,
and it would not be represented in such language, and by such
figures and similitudes, as have been transcribed. It is said,
they shall be cast into a furnace of fire, where they shall ex-
press their anguish, torture, and rage, by wailing and gnashing
of teeth. They shall be tormented day and night, without
cessation or the least intermission of ease, in a lake of fire
and brimstone. They shall suffer God's fiery indignation and
wrath, being in the utmost tribulation and anguish ; and in
punishing them God will show his wrath, and make his power
known, they being vessels of wrath, fitted to this terrible de-
struction, etc. That must be a very great and dreadful evil
which requires such language as this in order to give us the
most proper idea of it that we can have in this state.

2. It is abundantly evident, from a great number of the pas-
sages of Scripture which have been cited, that this punishment
is to be extended beyond the day of judgment; yea, will then
commence in its proper magnitude and terrible perfection.
They are said to be reserved unto the day of judgment, to be
punished. They are said to be treasuring up wrath while in
this world, against that day of wrath ; and then they are to
receive the awful sentence from Christ, Depart, ye cursed,
into everlasting fire, and actually go away into everlasting
punishment.

3. Is it not surprising, that any wdio profess to adhere to
the Bible as a revelation from God should believe there is no
punishment for the wicked in a future state ; or if there may
be some degree of evil after death, it will not be extended
beyond the day of judgment in any instance, but all will be
perfectly happy from that time forever? This notion is so
directly opposed to the Scripture account of this matter, and
particularly the passages which have now been mentioned,
that it may be expected they, especially the most sensible of
them, who have embraced it, will either soon give it up and
admit that the wicked will be punished in the future state
after the day of judgment, or reject the Bible and turn deists.
If they do the latter, they will be more consistent with them-

IN THE FUTURE STATE. 397

selves than now they are. If they persist in their present pro-
fessed belief, with the Bible in their hands, they must be con-
sidered as remarkable instances of infatuation and " strong
delusion." They, indeed, say they have a number of passages
of Scripture in favor of their opinion. But he who has with
seriousness and attention considered the Scriptures which
have now been produced, may be confident that no Scripture
can be found to support a doctrine so directly contrary to such
a great number of plain, express declarations ; and that he
must be under the power of great prejudice and enthusiasm
who can be confident he has found one passage in favor of
such a doctrine. However, the Scriptures they produce will
be particularly considered hereafter, by which, it is hoped, the
justice of this remark will be sufficiently supported.*

* To evade the force of the numerous declarations and threatenings of the
future punishment of the wicked, Avhich have been recited in the foregoing
pages, they Avho deny that any man will be punished in the future state have
suggested the following things : —

It has been said, these threatenings are all levelled against the sins of men ;
and that these sins or evil principles in men, wlien separated from them, shall
be punished.

But to talk of the existence and punishment, pains and sufferings of sins or
evil principles in men, when separated from those who sinned, and they are
made perfectly happy, is too absurd and ridiculoxis to need a serious and formal
answer. And it is difficult to conceive how any man can be satisfied with such
a solution, or even believe what he advances.

It has also been said, that this threatened punishment is to be inflicted on
the devils, not on man.

Answer. Though this does not shock common sense so much as that just
mentioned, yet it flatly contradicts what is exiDrcssed in every threatening ; for
wicked men are threatened, not devils. It undermines all ground of reliance
on the Word of God ; for, according to this, when he says, hundreds of times,
that wicked men shall be punished, and particularly gives their character, he
does not mean any such thing ! Besides, when the devil shall be cast into the
lake of Are, the beast and the false prophet are there with him, where they
shall be tormented forever and ever. Yea, all the fearful and unbelieving, and
murderers, and whoremongers, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have
their part in the same lake of fire. (Ilev. xx. 10 ; xxi. 8 )

Others have said, these threatenings are designed only to show what sinners
deserve, and not what they shall suffer, for Christ suffers the whole ; all tho
evil threatened falls on him. The sinner, therefore, will escape what he other-
wise must have suffered.

Ans. 1. This is directly contrary to those threatenings and declarations. It
is expressly said, in a great variety of jiassages, that wicked men, whose char-
acter is particularly and abundantly described, shall themselves, in their own
persons, be punished : that God will inflict it on them ; and that these shall be
rewarded according to their works, and receive of Christ the Judge according to
what they have done in the body; and that these shall actually go away into
everlasting punishment, etc.

Axs. 2. If those declarations and threatenings were only to declare and show
what all men deserve, and not what any will suftcr, or if they only refer to
Christ, and he is the only pei'son that suffers, then one man or class of men, of a
particular character, could not be jjointed out as tho objects of these declaratiojis
and threatenings, more than all others ; for, on this supposition, they must be
CfjLually true of all men, and equally applicable to them, whatever be their char-

voL. II. 34

398 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED

4. It ought to be observed, that though these Scriptures
have been ]M-odured only to show that it is abundantly asserted
that a sore and awful punishment awaits all the wicked in the
future state who die impenitent; yet, from an attentive view
of them, they prove more, even that this punishment will be
without end! This has been remarked concerning a number
of Scriptures that have been mentioned, in which the punish-
ment is not expressly said to be everlasting ; but that it will
be so, is necessarily implied ; and the same remark might be
made concerning a number of others. And it may be observed
here, that what the Scripture says of future punishment, being
considered in one collective view, nothing can be found which
can-ies the least intimation that this punishment will ever end ;
which we might expect, since there is so much said of it, if
this were true ; especially, since there is such infinite diflerence
between a temporary and an endless punishment, and it is of
such importance to men to know whether it be without end
or not; but, on the contrary, the whole taken together, or if
every passage be viewed separately, it carries the complexion
of an endless punishment; especially since it is so often, and
in such a particular way and connection, asserted to be eter-
nal and everlasting. But as this w^as not to be particularly
considered under this head, it of course brings us to the next
section.

SECTION 11.

The Holy Scriptures teach that the future Punishment of the
Wicked will he endless.

It is particularly and abundantly declared in the Holy
Scriptures, that the future punishment of the wicked will have
no end.

The evidence of this proposition will be produced under the
following particulars : —

acter. Why then is this punishment threatened, and said to be inflicted only on
one class of men, of a particular character, viz., those who have no love to
Christ, are unbehevers, know not God, and do not obey the gospel, etc., Avhile
not one threatening, but promises of deliverance and salvation, are made to
those of a different and contrary character, and it is abundantly declared that
while the former are punished with everlasting destruction, the latter shall not
be punished or condcnnacd, but have everlasting life ? This is impossible.

On the whole, do not such notions and evasions as these serve to show how
weak and defenceless their cause is who assert there is no punishment for any
man in the world to come, rather than to give it so much as any plausible sup-
port ? Surely they tend to roiidor the Bible useless and contemptible. Must
not every consistent friend to that sacred book reject thctn with abhorrence,
and not without surprise that they should ever be thought of by any man ?

WILL BE ENDLESS. 399

First. The punishment of the wicked is many times, in the
Scriptures, expressly declared to be everlasting, eternal, and to
continue forever.

These passages have been mentioned under the preceding
head, but must be rehearsed here, with a view to illustrate
this particular. " It is said, that the wicked perish forever."
(Job XX. 7.) " When the wicked spring as the grass, and
when all the workers of iniquity do flourish, it is that they
shall be destroyed forever." (Ps. xcii. 7.) The evil that is
coming on sinners is called " everlasting burnings." And
the prophet Daniel, speaking of the wicked, says, they shall
rise to shame and everlasting contempt. (Dan. xii. 2.) St.
Paul, speaking of Christ's coming to judgment, to take ven-
geance on all that have not known and obeyed him, says,
they shall be punished with everlasting destruction. The
apostles Peter and Jude, speaking of the punishment of the
wicked, say, " To whom the mist of darkness is reserved for-
ever." " To whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for-
ever. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about
them, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after
strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the ven-
geance of eternal fire." (2 Pet. ii. 17. Jude i. 7, 13.) And
Christ himself has repeatedly declared, that the punishment
of the wicked will be everlasting, " He that shall blaspheme
against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in
danger of eternal damnation." (Mark iii. 29.) "It is better
for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having
two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire." (Matt,
xviii. 8.) '' Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand,
Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for
the devil and his angels. And these shall go away into ever-
lasting punishment : but the righteous into life eternal." (Matt.
XXV. 41, 46.) On the last-mentioned words, the following
observations may be made : —

1. Our Savior here gives a particular and solemn repre-
sentation of the day of judgment, and states the issue of it,
both to the righteous and the wicked, very particularly, and
doubtless uses language that is quite plain and intelligible, so
that the final state of one and the other is precisely stated,
and will be clearly suggested, without need of any labored
criticism. The subject is of infinite importance to all ; and
when our divine Teacher undertakes to give a particular ac-
count of it, and to tell all men, of every capacity, learned and
unlearned, what are the different and opposite characters of
those whom he will set on his right hand, and on his left, and
what will be the sentence which he will pronounce on each ;

400 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE AVICKED

what will be the reward and happiness of the one, and what
the punishment and misery of the other, we may be sure he
has chosen words that are most plain and easy to be under-
stood, and best suited to convey the truth, and has properly
guarded against every mistake. He has not left us in the
dark about the duration of the happiness of the righteous, or
punishment of the wicked, whether the one or the other shall
be endless, or infinitely short of it, but most certainly has
stated this important point, in which we are all so much inter-
ested, very precisely, so that we are in no danger of making a
mistake, and of taking his meaning to be infinitely otherwise
than it really is, unless it be wholly our own fault.

2. The word which our Savior uses twice, in this passage,
to denote the duration of the punishment of the wicked, and
tell us how long this shall last, he has used twenty times on
various occasions, and in difi'erent discourses, and in every one
of these instances he evidently uses it in exactly one and the
same sense, and intends by it an endless duration. And when
he uses it twice here on purpose to tell us how long the pun-
ishment of the wicked shall continue, is it possible that he
should intend by it something infinitely difterent, a duration
infinitely short of endless, and that without giving the least
intimation of his using it in such a difterent sense ? So far
from this, he uses it in such a connection here as will
naturally lead us to understand him as designing to express
an endless duration, though he had never used the word on
any other occasion. This leads to another remark.

3. The same word is used here, in the very same sentence,
to express the endless life and happiness of the righteous,
which is used to denote the duration of the punishment of
the wicked. " And these shall go away into everlasting pun-
ment, but the righteous into life eternal." The word in our
translation is indeed varied, though everlasting' and eternal
have precisely the same meaning, but in the original, the very
same word is used in each part of the sentence, and might be
most exactly rendered. These shall go away into everlasting
punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life. If the
life into which the righteous go be endless, which all grant,
and Jesus uses a word here to express such a duration, then
certainly the same word, used in the same sentence to express
the duration of the punishment into which the wicked shall
go, must mean an endless duration ; especially, as the life of
the righteous and punishment of the wicked are set in direct
opposition to each other. If the punishment of the wicked
were temporary and must have an end, and the life of the
righteous endless, so that the former is as nothing compared

WILL BE ENDLESS. 401

with the latter, and the wicked as well as the righteous were
equally to enjoy everlasting life, would Christ thus set the
endless happiness of the righteous and the temporary misery
of the wicked in direct opposition to each other, and in the
same sentence use the same word to express a duration infi-
nitely ditterent ? This cannot be, for such a supposition makes
him confound language as never any man did, and renders it
perfectly unintelligible and insignificant. This represents Him,
who is full of grace and truth, and came into the world to
reveal the wonderful love and grace of God, and accomplish
and display the great salvation of man, as using words and
speaking in a manner which tends to deceive men, and make
them believe that this salvation is far less extensive than it
really is, and lead them to think he will punish the wicked in-
finitely more than he designs, — that the duration of this
punishment will be equal to that of the happiness of the
righteous, when, in truth, it is infinitely less, and not worthy
to be mentioned in comparison with the latter. This be far
from him. And if it be, there is as much reason to conclude,
from his most express and pointed assertion, that the punish-
ment of the wicked will be without end as that the happiness
of the righteous will be so ; yea, we may be as sure of it as
we can be that he is a teacher come from God.

Secondly. The endless punishment of the wicked is ex-
pressed a number of times in Scripture in words yet more
emphatical, if possible, when it is said to continue forever and
ever. " And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone
in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the
Lamb : and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever
and ever." (Rev. xiv. 10, 11.) "And again they said. Alleluia.
And her smoke rose up forever and ever." (Rev. xix. 3.) " And
the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall
be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Rev. xx. 10.)
And all the wicked are said to be cast into this lake. " And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire." (Rev. xx. 15.) " But the fearful, and
unbelieving, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers,
and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake
which burneth with fire and brimstone ; which is the second
death." (Rev. xxi. 8.)

This expression, " forever and ever," is found twenty-two
times in the original in the New Testament. It is used eight
times in the epistles of St. Paul and Peter, where they ascribe
glory, honor, and praise and dominion to God, forever and
ever. It is found fourteen times in this Book of the Revela-
34*

402 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED

tion. It is used twice to express the duration of the king-
dom and reign of Christ and the redeemed. " The kingdoms
of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of
his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever." (Rev. xi. 15.)
" And there shall be no night there ; and they need no candle,
neither light of the sun ; lor the Lord God giveth them light :
and they shall reign forever and ever." (Rev. xxii. 5.) Three
times it is used to express the endless duration of the power,
glory, and dominion of God. " To him be glory and domin-
ion forever and ever." (Rev. i. 6.) « Blessing, and honor, and
glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb, forever and ever." (Rev. v. 13.) " Bless-
ing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and
power, and might, be unto our God forever ahd ever." (Rev.
vii. 12.) Six times it is used to express the endless existence
and life of God. " I am he that liveth and was dead ; and
behold, I am alive forevermore." (Rev. i. 18.) The words are
the same in the original which are elsewhere translated " for-
ever and ever." " And when those four beasts give glory, and
honor, and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth
forever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before
him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for-
ever and ever." (Rev. iv. 9, 10.) " And the four and twenty
elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth forever and
ever." (Rev. v. 14.) "And sware by him that liveth forever
and ever." (Rev. x. 6.) "And one of the four beasts gave unto
the seven angels seven golden vials, full of the wrath of God
who liveth forever and ever." (Rev. xv. 7.) The same words
are used three times to express the duration of the punishment
of the wicked, in the places which have been quoted above.

When we find the very same words used in the New Tes-
tament near twenty times to express an endless duration, and
above ten times in this Book of the Revelation, — and six of
them most emphatically, and in the strongest manner, to mark
God's eternity, or the endless duration of his existence, — and
at the same time find them used three times in the same
book by the same writer to denote the duration of future pun-
ishment, is it possible to mistake the meaning, and think that
in these three instances only these words are used for a finite
duration ? How can any one think they do not mean an
endless duration in these places, but something infinitely
•short of it, without doing violence to the Scripture and his

own reason

If it were contrary to God's nature and perfections to pun-
ish sinners wilh endless misery, and very impious and most
dishonorable to him, and of the worst tendency to man, for us

WILL BE ENDLESS. 403

to entertain such a thought, — which they who oppose this
doctrine generally assert, — can it be thought that he would
express himself so on this point as would naturally, and even
necessarily, lead all to conclude he will thus punish them,
even as long as he himself shall exist, and not say a word
to guard against this conclusion? Is it possible he should
do this in a revelation which is designed to give men right
notions of the divine character, and of the future state of the
wicked, and in the most plain and decisive manner declare
what they are to expect, and to guard against all wrong and
hurtful conceptions respecting this infinitely important sub-
ject? Most certainly He who liveth forever and ever, and
whose kingdom, honor, and praise from the redeemed will
continue forever and ever, will punish his impenitent ene-
mies forever and ever, even as long as he liveth. »To doubt
of this is to call in question the divine authority of this
Revelation.

It has been said by some that the words " everlasting,"
'• forever," and " forever and ever," do not mean an endless
Juration, and are often used for a limited time in Scripture ;
and that the words in the Hebrew and Greek languages trans-
lated into the above English words do not signify an endless
duration ; therefore, it does not follow that the punishment of
the wicked will be without end, though such words are used
TO denote its duration.

Whether there be any weight in this objection, let every one
judge when he has attended to the following observations: —

1. It is certain that the words " eternal," " everlasting,"
'• forever," etc., are, in a great luimber of instances, used in the
Old Testament to express the duration of the existence of
CJod, and of his kingdom and reign, — of his truth, mercy,
praise, and honor, and of his counsels, and designs, and the
happiness of his friends; and in all these instances an endless
duration is intended. We are obliged to affix this meaning
to these words here, and, therefore, without doubt this is the
proper meaning of them, and they must be so understood
wherever they are used, unless we arc guarded against it by
an express or necessary limitation.

2. It does not yet appear that these words are ever used in
the original, when they are translated " everlasting," " forever,"
etc., where it would not be proper to make use of them, —
though they do, when considered in their proper, full meaning,
signify an endless duration, — but the contrary is evident.
This observation might be illustrated by jiroducing all the
instances in which these words are used in the Old Testa-
ment, but this would be too tedious. It mav suffice to men-

404 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED

tion one or two, and leave the reader to examine others, if he
pleases. When it is said of a servant who refused his free-
dom, and consequently had his ear bored through with an awl
by his master, that he shall serve him ibrever, though the sub-
ject necessarily limits the meaning to this life, yet a word that
means an endless duration is properly used here, to signify his
perpetual servitude, in opposition to his being made free.
When it is frequently said of many of the laws which were
given to Israel by Moses, that they were to be everlasting
statutes, etc., and should be so to that people, the meaning is
plain, viz., that they should never disregard them and set them
aside, and a word that signifies endless is the most proj)er to
be used in this case ; and, indeed, no other word could convey
the idea designed to be expressed. Therefore, though these
words ara used in instances where the nature of the subject
does in some respect limit them, yet this is no evidence that
they do in themselves signify a limited time ; because a word
that signifies an unlimited duration is most proper, and
even necessary, to convey the idea in the most plain and the
strongest manner.*

3. As to those words in the New Testament, the English
reader, who knows nothing of the original Greek, may have
full satisfaction about the meaning of them ; and that they
must intend an endless duration, even when they respect the
punishment of the wicked, since they are used so often to ex-
press the endless existence of God and his kingdom, and the
never-ending life and happiness of the redeemed ; and never
are used for a temporary duration, unless it be in this instance,
which cannot be supposed, without confounding language and
doing violence to words, as has been observed.

4. The Greek word which is used six times to express the
duration of the punishment of the wicked, and translated eter-
nal and everlasting, is to be found in above seventy places in
the New Testament; and it every where is evidently used to
express an endless duration, unless those six places which
speak of the duration of future punishment be excepted ; and
is not this sufficient to ascertain the meaning of the word, if
we had no other way to determine what it is designed to

* In a deed of conveyance of land, it is given and granted to him to \vhom
the conveyance is made, and his heirs, forever. This forever is necessarily
limited, and is not designed to extend beyond the end of the -n-orld ; and yet a
word which signifies an unUmited duration, or endless, is the most proper word
to be used here, to signify that the grantor will never revoke the conveyance ;
and if any one, observing the u«o of this word forever, in those instruments of
conveyance, should hence conclude that neither this word nor any one in the
English language, did signify an endless duration in any case whatever, he
would reason as well as they do who make the objection above.

WILL BE ENDLESS. 405

express ? * If a consistent and judicious author should use a
particular word above seventy times in one small volume, and
in every instance evidently make use of it to express precisely
the same thing, so that he could not possibly mean any thing
else, or be misunderstood, except in five or six of them, should
we not think ourselves warranted to fix the same meaning to
it, in these instances, unless he had given sufficient intimation
that he then used the word in a difterent sense? There cer-
tainly could be no doubt about his meaning in such a case ;
and if any one should insist upon it, that in these six places
he meant no such thing, as he certainly meant in the other, but
something very dilierent, and directly contrary, because the
word from which this is derived does not necessarily mean
any such thing, and is sometimes used in a different sense,
would he be thought worthy of any regard?

It is further to be observed, that this word is not only con-
stantly used where the duration to be expressed is endless,
which shows the force and meaning of it, as has been ob-
served, but it is express-ly opposed to a word which signifies a
temporary duration, to express directly the contrary. " For
the things which are seen are temporal ; but the things which
are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor. iv. 18.) If this word sig-
nified a temporary duration, i.e., a duration which has an end,

* This word is Aionios, and is derived from Aio?i ; 'which is used about a
hundred times in the New Testament, and does not mean any certain, definite,
but an indeterminate duration, unless it be limited by the words or subject with
which it is connected ; and when the preposition eis is put before it, whether
it be used in the singular or plural number, it always signifies an endless dura-
tion, and is generally translated /yjvt-tr, and sometimes never; of which there
are near forty instances, only two of which respect the duration of future pun-
ishment, viz , 2 Pet. ii. 17 ; Jude v. 13; and no reason can be given why it
should not be understood here, as it must be in other places where it is used.
When the words are doubled, they are more emiihatical, and are translated
forever and ever. There are twenty-two instances of this, nineteen of which ex-
press a duration which is certainly endless. In the remaining three, the dura-
tion of future punishment is expressed, agreeable to what has been observed
above. From this state of the case, is it not easy to determine whether these
words, which in all other instances are used to express a duration which is
cndress, do mean only a temporary, or an endless duration, when they are used
with a design to let us know what is the duration of future punishment ?

It is said by some, that this word signifies only an age ; or ages, when it is
plural. If it bo granted tliat it is sometimes used for an indefinite age, yet, if the
adjective aionius is always used to express endless duration, and the substantive
is constantly used so, when it follows the preposition eis, — and, except two in-
stances, these are the only words used to express the duration of future punish-
ment, — who can be at a loss whether it be endless or not? Besides, it would
make no sense, but the contrary, to translate the word age instead of ever, or
never. This may be illustrated by an instance or two. " This is that bread
which came down from hcave!i ; not as you fathers did eat manna, and are
dead; he that eateth of this bread shall live to an age." (John vi. 58.) "i\jid
1 give unto them eternal life, and they shall not perish to an age." (John x. 28.)
" Thou art a priest to an age, after the order of Mclchisedek." (Heb. y. 6.)

406 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED

it could not be opposed to that which signifies such a dura-
tion, ever so long; and if it did not mean an endless duration,
it would have no force or sense at all in this place, but would
signify nothing, and might as well be used to express the du-
ration of the things that are seen as of things that are not
seen, and tiie words might as properly be put thus : For the
things which are seen are eternal ; but the things which are
not seen are temporal ; if both words signify only a temporal
or limited duration.

Thirdly. It is not only expressly said in Holy Scripture,
that the future punishment of the wicked shall be everlasting,
and yet more emphatically, they shall be punished forever
and ever, but the endless duration of it is yet more strongly
asserted, if possible, by negatives, or expressly denying that it
shall have any end.

John the Baptist, speaking of Christ, says, " Whose fan is
in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather
his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chafi" with
unquenchable fire. ^^ (Matt. iii. 12.) That is, fire that cannot be
put out ; there will be no end to its burning.

Our Savior expresseth this in a yet more pointed and
solemn manner: "And if tliy hand offend thee, cut it off; it
is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two
hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched ;
where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off; for it is better for thee
to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into
hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched ; where their
worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine
eye offend thee, pluck it out ; it is better for thee to enter into
the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to
be cast into hell fire; where their worm dieth not, and the fire
is not quenched." (Mark ix. 43, etc.)

This is a remarkable and singular passage, in which our Sa-
vior, full of love and grace, sets himself to warn men of future
punishment, and persuade them, from a particular, awful view
of it, to avoid and renounce every thing that will expose them
to it. He dwells on the subject, and particularly mentions the
hand, the foot, and the eye ; and, with relation to each of
these, describes the ])unishment that is connected with not
parting with them when they offend. And this punishment
is represented in strong and frightful colors ; it is to be cast
into hell fire ; and what adds infinitely to the dreadfulness of
it, it shall never be quenched — the punishment never shall
have an end. And he expressly says, there shall be no end ;
not once only, but repeats it over and over again, and uses

WILL BE ENDLESS. 407

negatives eight times in this short discourse, with every one
of which he asserts that this punishment will have no end.

Our Savior does here, doubtless, allude to the words of
Isaiah : " And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses
of the men that have transgressed against me, for their worm
shall not die, neither shall the fire be quenched,"

There are two ways in which the bodies of men are con-
sumed after they are dead, viz., by being cast into a fire and
burnt, or left to consume away, and be eaten up of worms,
which naturally breed in them. But as the body is soon con-
sumed by the worm, or by the fire into which it is cast, and
the worm of course dies, and the fire goes out, the endless
duration of the punishment of the wicked is asserted by saying
the fire into which they are cast shall not be quenched or go out,
and their worm never dies. If they who are cast into this pun-
ishment can ever cease to be, or shall be delivered from it after
they have suffered for a time, then it could not be said their
worm dieth not, and the fire in which they are burnt is not
quenched, or put out ; for the worm and the fire continue only
by the continuance of the subject upon which they prey ; when
that ceases to be a subject of punishment, the worm dies, and
the fire goes out. There could, therefore, be no other expression,
perhaps, thought of, which would, with so much precision and
so clearly, assert that the wicked shall be preserved in a state
of endless punishment. And this fixes the meaning of Christ's
words, when he says they shall go away into everlasting pun-
ishment, everlasting fire, if there could otherwise be any possible
doubt about it. Everlasting fire, the fire in which the wicked
shall be tormented forever and ever, is, if we allow Christ him-
self to tell us, the fire that never shall be quenched.

Fourthly. The future punishment of the wicked is proved
to be endless, not only by its being expressly said in the Scrip-
ture to be everlasting, or eternal, and that it shall endure for-
ever and ever, and also in a pointed manner declared that it
shall never end, as has been shown, but from many other pas-
sages of Scripture, in which this truth is plainly, and even
necessarily implied.

Our Savior says, " The Son of man goeth as it is written
of him ; but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is
betrayed I It had been good for that man if he had not been
born." (Matt, xxvi, 24.) Not to be born, is the same as to
have no existence ; therefore it is here said of Judas, that his
existence was worse than non-existence ; which could not be
true, if he were to be happy forever, after suffering a tempo-
rary punishment, though ever so long and severe. Judas is,
therefore, in these words, sentenced to endless punishment ;

408

THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED

and there is the same reason why all impenitent sinners should
be punished without end as that Judas should.*

Our Savior says, " Whosoever shall speak a word against
the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him ; but unto him
that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be for-
given." (Luke xii. 10.) And if such a one can never be for-
given, then he cannot be saved ; but must be cursed and
punished as long as he exists. This is expressed in different
words by St. Mark, iii. 29 : " He that shall blaspheme against
the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of
eternal damnation." In Matt. xii. 31, 32, it is said, " The
blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven urjto
men ; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall
not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world
to come." f Here it is asserted by Christ, in the strongest

* In order to evade the evidence of future endless punishment from th&se
words it has been said, (see some deductions from the system promulgated
in the pages of divine revelation,) if Judas had given up the ghost before
he had been born, he would have escaped all the exquisite distress which he
suffered in this life, and so have been happy forever, without being born into
this state of misery. This represents Christ as solemnly pronouncing an awful
woe on Judas, which yet was nothing more than that which comes on every
man that is born, and is therefore equallj' true of every man as of the traitor ;
for every man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward, r,nd his life is full
of trouble ; all which they might have escaped by not being born. Solomon
says. It is better not to be born (i. e., not to exist) than to have an existence in
this state onh^. Is not this to make our Savior say nothing, or, rather, to trifle
about the most solemn matters ?

Not to be born is ojiposed to existence, and the only natural meaning of the
phrase is, not to come into existence.

It is further said, that Christ promised Judas, that he, with the other disci-
ples, should sit on twelve thrones, judging the tviclve tribes of Israel, which is
inconsistent with his being miserable forever.

Answek. We are told, in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, that
this was not true of Judas personally, but of the twelve when their number
was filled up by choosing one to take the place of Judas, fi-om v.hich he fell by
his transgression.

t Some have said this last expression means no more than that this sin
should not be forgiven under the Jewish or Christian dispensation, as the word
here translated world is used sometimes for an age ; and this toorld may signify the
Mosaic dispensation, and the world to come the Christian, and not the future state.

Answek. It is said in the preceding verse, and in the other evangelists, that
this sin shall not be forgiven unto men, without any limitation or exception
whatever. And these words that are here added, neither in this icorld, neither
in the world to come, cannot be considered as limiting the otlier words, as thej'
are not in the other evangelists ; but they are added to express the same thing
in a yet more strong and striking manner. Wc know what our Savior meant
bj' the icorld to come, by his use of it elsewhere. " There is no man that hath
left house and brctliren," etc., " for my sake and the gospel's, but ho shall re-
ceive a hundred fold now in this time, and in the world to come eternal life."
(Mark x. 29-31.) Here the world to come means the future state, and an end-
less or eternal state, if the followers of Christ will be happy without end.

" It is clearly shown, by Dr. Whitby, that this was used as a proverbial ex-
pression, and tliat it only signified a titinxj should never be, when it was said. It
shall not bv, either in this world or the icorld to come." — Dr. Doddridye on Matt,
xii. 32.

WILL BE ENDLESS. 409

terms, that this sin shall not be forgiven. Therefore, they who
are guilty of this sin must suffer endless punishment, unless
they can have eternal life without forgiveness.

What is said in Heb. x. 26, 27, serves to illustrate these words
of Christ: " For if we sin wilfully after that we have received
the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice
for sins ; but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery
indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." Where there
is no sacrifice for sin, there cannot be forgiveness of sin ; there-
fore all who commit this sin, and all who die in their sins, are
got beyond forgiveness, as the sacrifice for sin does not extend
to them.

That the wicked will never be released from punishment, and
pass from hell into the abodes of the blessed, is asserted by
our Savior in the words in which he represents Abraham
speaking to the rich man : " And besides all this, between us
and you there is a great gulf fixed ; so that they who would
pass from hence to you cannot ; neither can they pass to us
that would come from thence." (Luke xvi. 26.)

Agreeably to this is what Christ hath declared since his
exaltation, and when he is speaking his last words to his
church and to the world : " And he saith unto me. Seal not the
sayings of the prophecy of this book ; for the time is at hand :
he' that is unjust, let him be unjust still ; and he which is
filthy, let him be filthy still ; and he that is righteous, let him
be righteous still ; and he that his holy, let him be holy still.
And behold, I come quickly ; and my reward is with me, to give
every man according as his work shall be." (Rev. xxii. 10, etc.)

The time here spoken of is evidently the time when the
events foretold in this book shall be accomplished ; when
Christ will come to judgment, and reward every man accord-
ing as his work in this life shall be found to have been, whether
good or evil. And then, he says, every man's character shall
be fixed, and remain forever as it shall then be found to be.
He that is then unjust and filthy shall still continue so, without
any possibility of being recovered to rectitude and purity at
any future period. And, on the other hand, he that is then
found righteous and holy shall be confirmed in holiness, and
continue so to all eternity. What could more fully express
the fixed ruin and endless punishment of the wicked? And
what words could be invented more directly against their no-
tion who dream that they who shall appear unrighteous at the
day of judgment, shall in some after period become holy and
enter into everlasting life ? If the exalted Head of the church
here declares that they who shall be found righteous at the
day of judgment shall continue so forever, without any danger
VOL. n. 35

410 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE AVICKED

or possibility of ever falling from their righteousness, which
all allow to be so, how is it possible for any one not to see
that he equally and in the same strong terms declares
that he who shall then be found unjust shall continue so from
that time, without any possibility of being recovered to holi-
ness, even as long as the righteous shall be righteous still?

There are many other passages of Scripture which are
clearly inconsistent with the salvation of all men, and which,
of consequence, necessarily imply the endless punishment of
the wicked. These are too numerous to be particularly men-
tioned, but they will be pointed out to the reader who attends
to the Bible, by being ranked under the following heads: —

1. The everlasting life and happiness of the righteous, and
the destruction and punishment of the wicked, are, in a mul-
titude of instances, and commonly, set in opposition to each
other, as two direct contraries, which could not be a proper
way of representing it, or agreeable to the truth, if they were
both to enjoy everlasting life together in the kingdom of God.
If the wicked are to be afllicted but for a time and then be de-
livered from misery, and be as greatly happy as the righteous
and as long, then their perishing, their punishment, is as light
as nothing, and but for a moment, compared with the eternal
weight of glory and happiness, which they shall enjoy equally
with the righteous, and therefore cannot be set in opposition
to eternal life, or the blessedness of the righteous, as this would
be highly improper, and a gross misrepresentation. A few in-
stances out of many which might be mentioned will be suf-
ficient to illustrate this remark. " The Lord knoweth the days
of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever. But the
wicked shall perish," etc. (Ps. xxxvii. 18, 20.) Here the
perishing of the wicked is opposed to the everlasting, incor-
ruptible inheritance of the righteous, which could not be if
their perishing were consistent with their enjoying this ever-
lasting inheritance as well and as long as the righteous. For,
on that supposition, it is as true of the wicked as of the up-
right, that their inheritance shall be forever, and in this respect
there is no distinction, much less opposition. Therefore, to set
them in opposition would be a misrepresentation, and not
agreeable to the truth. If the perishing of the wicked runs
parallel with the inheritance of the upright, and forever ex-
cludes them from this inheritance, then these \vords express
a great and important truth, but on any other supposition
they are perfectly unintelligible, or not true.

These same remarks will apply to those words of Christ
and .John the Baptist. " That whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the

WILL BE ENDLESS. 411

world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever be-
iieveth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
(John iii. 15.) Here it is implicitly asserted that he who does
not believe in Christ shall perish ; but if to perish is not to be
excluded from eternal life, with what propriety or truth can
this be set in opposition to having eternal life, when it is as
true of the unbeliever as of the believer, that he shall have
eternal life, and this happy lot is as much the portion of the
former as of the latter ? " He that believeth in the Son hath
everlasting life ; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see
life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." Here what is
necessarily in our Savior's words, just mentioned, is expressed,
and we are told what is meant by the unbeliever's perishing.
He shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him as
long as he is excluded from life, and that must be as long as
the believer enjoys everlasting life.

" Who will render to every man according to his deeds.
To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for
glory, and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to them
that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey un-
righteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish
upon every soul that doeth evil." (Rom. ii. 6, etc.) Here the
rewards or portions of the righteous and of the wicked are
contrasted and opposed to each other. But if the latter shall
have glory, honor, peace, and eternal life, as well as the former,
why are the former represented as distinguished from the
latter in this, which is common to them both ? " And for this
cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie, that they might be damned," etc. " But we are
bound always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you
to salvation." (2 Tliess. ii. 11, etc.) Here salvation and
damnation are opposed, and Christians are distinguished from
those who believe a lie and obey unrighteousness to their own
damnation, and set in opposition to them as being chosen to
salvation. But if salvation and damnation are so consistent
with each other that all who are damned shall be the subjects
of eternal salvation, and are chosen to salvation, as really as
the true Christian, what does the apostle mean by all this?

" There is one lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy."
(James iv. 12.) Salvation and destruction are here opposed as
inconsistent with each other, which could not be if there were
no destruction inconsistent with eternal salvation,

" Enter ye in at the strait gate : for wide is the gate, and
broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction. Because strait;
is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leadeth unto life."
(Matt. vii. 13, 14.)

412 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED

If all the wicked who go in the broad way do enter into life
as certainly, and nearly as soon, as they who walk in the nar-
now way, only the former pass through a little more severe
discipline than the other, is not the broad way as certain a
road to life as the other ? How then can life and destruction,
and these different roads, be opposed to each other?

2. The Holy Scriptures every where represent the servants
of God who fear and trust in him as happy and blessed;
and, on the other hand, speak of those who go on in evil ways
through this life as most miserable, and pronounces woes and
curses on them, which is not consistent with their being alike
happy forever in the kingdom of Christ. To the former innu-
merable promises are made, that no evil shall come near
them, — that all things shall work for their good, and promote
their best interest, — and that they shall have eternal life. To
the latter no good is promised, and nothing but evil is spoken
and foretold of them, for which there could be no reason, if
endless happiness awaited the latter as certainly as the former.
If this were the case, they would both be blessed, and there
would be no such great difference between them. Though
the wicked shall suffer for a time, yet, if this shall issue in
their eternal happiness, and be the special and necessary
means of it too, what St. Paul says of Christians may, with
truth and propriety, be applied to them. That their sufferings,
for a time, are not worthy to be compared with the glory which
shall be revealed in them, and their light aflliction, which is
but for a moment, compared with endless happiness, worketh
for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
And St. Peter's prayer for suffering Christians will be answered
for all that are in hell, or ever shall be there, and may with as
gr(Mit propriety be made for them. " The God of all grace,
who hath called us into his eternal glory by Jesus Christ, after
that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect," etc. And
the words of Christ to his disciples may be applied to them.
In all your sufferings, "rejoice and be exceeding glad, for
great is your reward in heaven." Why then is God's Word so
full of threatenings of evil to the wicked without the least in-
timation of any good coming to them, and of promises of
nothing but good to the righteous ? Why does God say to
the righteous that it shall be well with him, for they shall eat
of the fruit of their doings ? Woe unto the wicked ! it shall be
ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
There is no peace, saith the Lord unto the wicked, while he
.speaks peace, and nothing but peace unto his people and to
his saints. " There shall no evil happen to the just, but the
wicked shall be filled with mischief." (Pr. xii. 21.) The just

WILL BE ENDLESS. 413

suffer much evil, but it is no evil to them, because it is de-
signed for their best good, and will issue in it. And if the
future sufferings of the wicked are temporary and designed to
purge them from their sins, — are necessary in order to do this,
and will have this happy effect, — why is it not as true of
them, that no evil shall happen to them ? Why are they,
with respect to this, set in opposition to the just, and marked
out for nothing but mischief and evil ? " Evil pursueth sin-
ners : but to the righteous good shall be repaid." (Pr. xiii. 21.)
" Many are the afflictions of the righteous : but the Lord de-
livereth him out of them all. Evil shall slay the wicked ; and
they that hate the righteous shall be desolate." (Ps. xxxiv.
19.) If the sufferings of the wicked in hell are in mercy to
them, and designed to bring them to repentance, and they
shall be delivered out of them all, then what is here said of
the righteous is just as true of the wicked ; though their af-
flictions and sufferings may be many, yet the Lord will de-
liver them out of them all. Why then is directly the opposite
said of the wicked, that evil shall slay or destroy him, when
all the evil that comes upon him will work for his good, and
his deliverance is certain and hastening? " Blessed is the man
whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy
law ; that thou mayest give him rest from the days of ad-
versity, until the pit be digged for the wicked." (Ps. xciv. 12,
13.) If the future punishment of the wicked be of the nature
of correction, and God is hereby chastening him, that he may
teach him wisdom and bring him to his duty, that he may
be delivered from all adversity and evil, and this shall be
the happy consequence, may he not with as much reason and
propriety be pronounced blessed as the righteous ? Why
then is he always cursed, and set in opposition to the righteous
in this respect ?

If the wicked shall certainly be delivered from hell, as soon
as he repents and makes his submission to God, and God
inflicts this evil on him with a design to bring him to this,
then what is said of the children of God is as true of the
wicked in hell — that God chasteneth them for their profit,
that they might be partakers of his holiness. And if this be
true, are they not blessed ? The whole current of Scripture
on this head is perfectly inconsistent with the temporary pun-
ishment of the wicked, and their eternal salvation, and, there-
fore, evidently asserts their endless destruction.

3. The Scripture represents the wicked, when rejected and

cast into hell, as repenting, and earnestly desiring and seeking

deliverance, — but all in vain, for their repentance and cries

will not be regarded, — which is inconsistent with their pun-

35*

414 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED

ishment being of the nature of merciful chastisement, in order
to their obtaining eternal life, which shall be granted when-
ever they submit and ask deliverance ; yea, strongly imports
that they never shall be iieard and delivered.

" Because I have called, and ye refused," etc., " I also will
laugh at your calamity ; I will mock when your fear cometh ;
when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall
they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me
early, but they shall not find me." (Pr. i. 24, etc.) " After-
wards came also the other virgins, saying. Lord, Lord, open
to us. But he answered and said. Verily I say unto you, I
know you not." (Matt. xxv. 11, 12.) " Strive to enter in at
the strait gate ; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter
in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house
is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand
without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open
unto us ; and he shall answer, and say unto you, I know not
whence ye are ; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity :
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall
see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in
the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out." (Luke
xiii. 24, etc.) According to this, wiien the door of mercy is
once shut, it will be shut forever ; and however earnestly they
who are excluded may desire and seek admittance, it will be
all in vain.*

Christ represents the rich man in hell as earnestly praying
for a little mitigation of his torment, but meeting wdth a de-
nial ; and Abraham tells him there is a great gulf fixed, so
that they who would come out of hell cannot. No desires
of deliverance that will ever take place in hell can avail or be
regarded. In the Epistle to the Hebrews the case of those
who come short of being real Christians in this world, and so
are cast into hell, is represented by Esau, who, by selling his
birthright, lost it forever. " For ye know how that afterward,
when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected :

* Tliesc words of Christ are in consequence of a question which was asked
by one, in the following words: •' Lord, are there few that shall be saved"? If
our Ijord knew that all should be saved, and that this was a joyful, glorious
doctrine, necessary to be preached in order to set the character of God in the
best light and make the brightest display of divine grace, and was perfectly
suited to turn men from sin, and lead them to embrace the gospel, and excite
in them the highest gratitude, joy, and praise, why did he neglect such a good
opportunity to declare this very important, useful truth? Why did he not
only wholly conceal it, but make a. contrary representation, teaching that all
who did neglect salvation in this life would be shut out of the kingdom of
heaven, and cast into hell, and that no repentance, earnest seeking and en-
treaties for deliverance, will then be to any purpose ? Can these questions be
answered ?

WILL BE ENDLESS. 415

for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it care-
fully with tears." This representation must be very contrary
to truth, if any repentance and cries for mercy that shall take
place in hell will be regarded and obtain deliverance, which
will be the case if they are ever delivered. All these passages
of Scripture, therefore, and others of the like tenor, are op-
posed to the deliverance of the wicked from hell, by their
being brought to repentance and to cry for mercy, and are not
consistent with any future punishment, except an endless one.
And this representation militates directly against the notion
that future punishment is salutary, and inflicted by God in
mercy to the wicked, and tending to their repentance and
amendment, in order to their being fitted for eternal happi-
ness. Directly the reverse of this is the idea held up in these
passages, and, indeed, throughout the whole Bible. The door
of mercy is shut. God punishes them in anger, to show his
wrath and make his power known. He will not regard their
repentance, nor hear their cries for mercy, but will laugh at
their calamity, and mock when their destruction falls upon
them, and they will be abandoned to perfect despair and end-
less woe.

The evidence contained in the Scripture of the future and
endless punishment of the wicked is now laid before the
reader. And is it not as clearly revealed that this punish-
ment will never end, as any truth whatever which is contained
in the Bible? It is, at least, as certain from divine revelation
that this punishment will be endless as that the happiness of
the righteous will be so ; yea, it cannot be conceived how the
eternal duration of the punishment of the wicked could be
more plainly and fully expressed. Language does not afford
words more expressive of this than those which are used, and
they are used in such a manner and connection as to fix their
meaning as clearly, and as much beyond all doubt, as is pos-
sible ; and this is expressed, or necessarily implied, so often,
and in so many difierent ways, that there is a multiplicity of
evidence, and demonstration rises on demonstration ; so that,
if the doctrine of endless punishment be not most clearly
revealed, it is doubtless impossible it should be made knowm
by any words, or in any way whatsoever.

This will well account for Ihe general belief of this doctrine
in the Christian world, from the days of the apostles down to
this time ; and though there have been some individuals, in
almost every age, who have renounced it, and have attempted
to persuade others to reject it; yet comparatively few, who
have paid any regard to the Bible, have hearkened to them ;
and if the disbelief of endless punishment, and even of any

416 OBJECTIONS EXAMINED.

future punishment at all, should now prevail, and have a
wider spread than ever before, it will be doubtless owing to a
greater and more general prevalence of ])linding moral corrup-
tion and the greater power of Satan, which it is foretold he
shall have in the world, previous to the flourishing of the king-
dom of Christ ; * which will produce a remarkable degree of
infatuation and error, even strong delusion, in believing that
first and most pernicious lie, which the great deceiver told in
this world, and has been ever since endeavoring to propagate,
Ye shall not surelij die ; and it may be justly expected, that the
propagation of this delusion will promote to total disregard to
divine revelation.

SECTION III.

An Examination of Passages of Scripture supposed hy some to
teach another Doctrine.

These Scriptures must be full and express, and most evi-
dently opposite to the doctrine of endless punishment; and so
worded and in such connection, as not to be capable of a con-
struction consistent with it, in order to have any weight in
the mind of an honest inquirer, who has attended to the Scrip-
tures which have been produced, wherein it is so often, so
expressly, and in so many ways asserted ; and if any such
passages are to be found, which can by no means, in a fair
and honest way, be reconciled to the future and endless pun-
ishment of the wicked, an insuperable difficulty will be intro-
duced, viz., that the Bible is inconsistent with itself, so that
one part cannot be reconciled with another.

It is not uncommon for men to appeal to the Scriptures, in
order to support the grossest errors, and think they find much
in the Bible in their favor; therefore, in the matter before ns,
it becomes us carefully to examine those Scriptures which are
produced as inconsistent with endless punishment, and what-
ever plausible gloss has been put upon them, if they appear
capable of a natural, fair construction, perfectly consistent with
it, we shall have the satisfaction of seeing the consistency and
harmony of the Holy Scriptures on this point, and this doc-
trine will, if possibh', be more confirmed.

It would be needless, if it were jjracticable, to consider every
text which has been mentioned by those who plead for uni-

* " And I sa-\v three unclean spirits, like frogs, come out of the mouth of the
dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false
prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth
unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world," etc. (Rev. xvi. 13, 14.)

OBJECTIONS EXAMINED. 417

versal salvation as favoring their cause. It will be sufficient
to attend to those upon which they appear to have the most
dependence ; and if it can be proved these are nothing to their
purpose, the rest will, of course, be given up. To prove that
all men will be saved, those passages of Scripture are pro-
duced which speak of the sufficiency and designed extent of
the atonement made by Christ for the sins of men ; such are
the following: "Behold the liamb of God, which taketh away
the sin of the world." (John i. 29.) " Who gave himself a
ransom for all." (1 Tim. ii. 6.) " That he, by the grace of
God, should taste death for every man." (Heb. ii. 9.) " And
he is the propitiation for our sins ; and not for ours only, but
also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John ii. 2.)

In order to see the true import of these Scripture passages,
and a number of others which are to be mentioned, the follow-
ing observations must be made and kept in view: —

1. The atonement which Christ has made for the sins of
men, by his obedience unto death, is every way sufficient for
tlie salvation of all men ; as sufficient for all as for any one.
This has eftectually removed the difliculty, the bar which was
in the way of the salvation of any one of mankind, and this is
as fully removed with respect to all as to one ; and there is
nothing of that kind which Christ came to remove out of the
way by his atonement, in the way of the salvation of the
whole world. Had it not been for this atonement, the sins of
men had barred the way of their salvation, and mercy could
not have been extended to them. Christ, by making atone-
ment for sin, has taken this obstacle out of the way of man's
salvation, even the salvation of all men of the whole world.
It is in this sense that he has " finished the transgression, and
made an end of sin." (Dan. ix. 24.) In this sense, he has
taken away the sin of the world, is the propitiation for the
sins of the whole world, and has "put away sin, by the sacri-
fice of himself." (Heb. ix. 26.) This observation alone opens
an easy, plain, natural, and important meaning to the pas-
sages now under consideration, and to others which will be
mentioned ; a meaning which has no respect to the actual
salvation of all men, and is perfectly consistent with those
numerous declarations in sacred writ, that multitudes shall,
notwithstanding, perish forever. Though sin is, in this true,
important sense, taken wholly out of the way of the salvation
of all men, yet something further is necessary, in order to their
actual salvation, which must take place, or they will die in
their sins, and perish forever ; and what this is, we find clearly
stated and abundantly declared by Christ himself, and his
apostles. Our Savior has fixed it beyond all dispute. " For

418

OBJECTIONS EXAMINED.

God SO loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have
everlasting life." (John iii. 16.) The Savior is given to the
world, and he has taken away the sin of the world by the
sacrifice of himself; nevertheless, they only who believe on
him shall be saved, and they who refuse and reject him shall
perish; for "he that believeth not shall be damned." What
can be plainer than all this ? and how can the Scriptures be
consistent, if this interpretation be not admitted?

2. It follows from the preceding observations, that the sal-
vation procured for man by the atonement of Christ, and
opened in the gospel, is a common salvation. There is suf-
ficient provision made for the salvation of all. It is, therefore,
for all, proposed and offered to all, without distinction. It is
offered to their acceptance, that whosoever is willing and does
accept of it shall be saved, and none can fail of this salvation
but by a continued neglect and obstinate rejection of it to
the end of life. This salvation, therefore, belongs to all, in
this sense. It is salvation for all men, the whole world, if
they will accept of it, or unless they reject it. It comes to
one as well as another, without distinction. This appears,
and is expressed, in the orders Christ gave to his disciples,
•and in them to all who are authorized to preach the gospel.
' Go teach all nations. Go ye into all the world, and preach
*he gospel to every creature." That is, to all men. " He that
•)elieveth and is baptized shall be saved ; but he that believeth
not shall be damned." If the declared will and command of
Christ had been properly regarded and executed, and were it
not for the inexcusable wickedness of men in opposing or
neglecting the gospel and the great salvation it proclaims and
offers to all, every son and daughter of Adam on earth would
soon have heard this good news, and would have believed
unto salvation ; and every one of mankind who have lived
from that day to this would have been saved, having come to
the knowledge of the truth.

This gives a clear and determinate sense to the words of
St Paul : " I exhort, therefore, that, first of all, svipplications,
prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all
men ; for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Savior, who will have all men to be saved and come to the
knowledge of the truth." (1 Tim. ii. 1, etc.) The apostle
knew that it was the express will and command of our Sa-
vior, who is God, that the gospel should be preached to all
men, that they might come to the knowledge of the truth, and
be saved; unless they should wickedly reject it when offered
to them. And how could this be expressed better, or in more

OBJECTIONS EXAMINED. 419

proper and intelligible language, than in the words just quoted ?
And if this be the most natural, easy, and consistent sense of
the words, then they are perfectly consistent with the eternal
destruction of all who, in this life, reject the gospel, or neglect
this great salvation.* The propriety and importance of such
expressions as are now under consideration, will further appear
by observing, —

3. The Jews had very contracted, unworthy notions of
God's designs of mercy to men, and of the work and salvation
of the Messiah. They confined this salvation wholly to them-
selves, and considered all other nations as outcasts, wholly ex-
eluded from God's favor and all benefits in the kingdom of
Christ, unless they became Jews by circumcision. This was
a fixed and favorite doctrine among the Jews, and it was not

* To make out from this passage that all men will be actually saved, it has
been asserted that " God authoritatively ■wills the salvation of all — wills it as
a being of suju'eme, luicontrollable power, a being that will be obeyed in spite
of the corrupt dispositions of men," etc. But this is said without any proof ;
yea, contrary to the clearest evidence. God our Savior willed and commanded
that the gospel should be preached to everj' creature ; so that the whole world
might be saved, luiless they should perseveriiigly reject the salvation offered.
But this his will has been opposed by men, so that it has not taken effect, and
millions have perished by this neglect. And this is the will spoken of in the
text under consideration. Besides, if this meant the efficacious will of God our
Savior, a will with which the event is necessarily connected, why has it not
taken place in this ^■iorld r

God can as easily bring all to the knowledge of the truth and to a state of
salvation in this life as in any fixture time. Why, then, does he not effect it
here ; but put it off to a distant period, in the unseen world, with respect to
which not a word is said of bringing men to the knowledge of the truth and to
salvation who die in their sins ? Or, rather, why will any imagine this, when
there is not a tittle in this passage to support it, but all is against it ?

God our Savior has provided salvation for all men ; has formed an institution
which comprehends, and will infallibly effect the salvation of all men, if prop-
erly regarded and improved by men, and this he hath willed and commanded
to be done. It is his express will and command that this gospel be preached
to every creature, to all men, and he wills and commands all men every where,
upon hearing that gospel, to repent and believe the gospel unto salvation. In
this sense he wills that all men should be saved ; but this his will has been re-
sisted by the folly and obstinacy of men ; as it was in another instance, of which
he himself speaks. " O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets,
and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often 2Vould I have gathered
thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,
and ye looukl mtt!" (Matt, xxiii. 37.) Here is the same word in the original
as in the text under consideration translated will, and in this passage, would
might have been rendered how often have I willed to gather thy children.
Here he represents himself as willing the salvation of the inhabitants of Jeru-
salem, which they prevented taking effect, by their refusal to accept his offered
kindness. He had made full provision for their salvation, and offered to bestow
it on them ; so that, had they consented and accepted the offer, they would
have been saved ; and this he calls his willing to protect and save them ; but
notwithstanding this, they ^jcrished, because they would not comply with his
kind offer.

But more than enough has been said to show how far the words under con-
sideration are from afibrding the least evidence of the actual salvation of all
men.

420 OBJECTIONS EXAMINED.

easy for them to give it wholly up, and free themselves from
all the influcnee of it, when they embraced Christianity, The
apostles themselves, for some time after the resurrection of
Christ, formed th(Mr notions of salvation by this Jewish preju-
dice, in which they were educated, and had no thought of
offering salvation to the uncircnmcised Gentiles. Several
miracles were at length wrought in order to convince them
that in every nation he that feared God and embraced the
gospel was accepted of him, and saved, and that God had
also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life, as well as
unto Jews.

And this prejudice remained on the minds of the Jewish
Christians for a long time, which the apostle Paul, who was
an apostle of the Gentiles, took special care and pains, in his
epistles, to oppose and eradicate, by asserting that salvation
by Christ was as free and as much for one nation as another ;
and therefore to be preached and offered to all nations and
every man, without distinction. And with this view, the ex-
pressions under consideration are evidently used, as well as
many others of the like kind, in the New Testament; and
their full meaning, design, and importance will not appear
without keeping this in view. This observation may be illus-
trated by reviewing the passage that has been considered.
(1 Tim. ii. 1.) The true meaning may be expressed in the fol-
lowing paraphrase : " I exhort that Christians pray for all men,
Gentiles as well as Jews, without making any distinction ; for
this is certainly acceptable to God our Savior, who is the God
and Savior, not only of the Jews, but of the Gentiles also, and
has provided salvation equally for all nations and all men ; and
has willed and commanded that the gospel should be preached
to all nations, and salvation freely offered to all, without dis-
tinction, that they may come to the knowledge of the truth
and be saved, unless they perish by their own fault; for there
is but one God, who is the God of the Gentiles as well as of
the Jews, and one Mediator between God and man, the man
Christ Jesus, whose mediation and atonement, therefore, does
not respect one nation only, but is unlimited and universal ;
and he gave himself a ransom for all, that this gospel might
be preached, and salvation offered to all men, which he deter-
mined r-hould be testified and made known in due time, how-
ever ignorant of it both Jews and Gentiles have been in ages
past. This lias, indeed, been a mystery which was kept secret
since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the
Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of
the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedi-
ence of faith ; that is, that 'whosoever believeth may be saved.'"

OBJECTIONS EXAMINED. 421

The following passages of Scripture have been also urged
against the doctrine of endless punishment: " It shall bruise
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Gen. iii. 15.) "For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might
destroy the works of the devil." (1 John iii. 8.) " For he
must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet." (1
Cor. XV. 25.) It is said these Scriptures are inconsistent with
the continuance of sin and misery forever, for these are among
the enemies which shall be put under the feet of Christ, and
are the works of the devil which he came to destroy; that
Satan's head cannot be bruised effectually, and his works de-
stroyed, if any of the human race are left in his hands, and
finally destroyed in endless sin and misery.

That these declarations do not afford the least ground for
such a consequence, will be very evident, by attending to the
following observations: —

1. The natural and common meaning of a person's having
his enemies put under his feet, is his completely defeating and
overcoming, and triumphing over them. This \vas represented
by the captains of the men of war in Joshua's army putting
their feet upon the necks of the kings of Canaan. (Josh. x.
24.) This does not imply that the enemies are reconciled to
the conqueror, and do cordially submit, and become his friends,
and applaud and rejoice in his conquests, but suppose the
contrary, viz., that they continue his enemies, though com-
pletely overcome, and they are held under his feet, to answer
his ends and grace his conquest and triumph.

2, The devil will be most effectually subdued, his works
will be destroyed, and his head bruised in the highest sense
and degree, when he shall be perfectly defeated and disap-
pointed in all his ends and designs, and every thing he has at-
tempted and done against Christ and his interest shall be
turned against himself, to answer those ends which he con-
stantly sought to defeat by all his attempts, and Christ shall
be rrtore honored, and his kingdom more happy and glorious
forever, than it could have been if Satan had never opposed
him, or seduced and destroyed any of mankind. This does
not imply that the devil shall ever become a friend to Christ,
or cease to exist, or that all the human race shall be saved, but
the contrary may be necessary in order to effect this to the
highest degree, viz., that the devil and his angels, with all his
impenitent followers in this world, be doomed to everlasting
punishment, as Christ himself says they shall. And that this
is necessary in order to destroy the kingdom and works of the
devil most effectually, and to answer the most important ends
to Christ and his eternal kingdom, will, it is hoped, be made

VOL. II. 36

422 OBJECTIONS EXAMINED.

to appear in the sequel. In this view these passages of Scrip-
ture are so far from being inconsistent with endless punish-
ment, that this is necessarily supposed and implied in what
they assert.

Another passage of Scripture, which refers to the same
event, is found in Philip, ii. 10, 11, " 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." This text has been produced as inconsistent with
endless punishment, and as a full proof that all men and
devils will be finally saved. The whole weight of their argu-
ment, from this passage, lies in the meaning they affix to bow-
ing the knee at the name of Christ, and confessing that Jesus
Christ is Lord. They say this means a voluntary homage
paid to him, as his friends and obedient servants. But what
evidence is there of this ? The words are as capable of an-
other meaning as of this, and perfectly agreeable to the design
of the apostle here, which is to show how Christ is exalted
and honored, and is to reign until all creatures and things in
the universe shall be made subject to him, and his enemies to
be put under his feet. His friends will bow the knee to him,
and cheerfully give him the glory due to his name, and joyful-
ly submit to him, and own him as their Lord and the Lord
of all. His enemies also will be obliged to submit to him,
and own his power and dominion, and that they are justly
condemned and punished by him ; and while in punishing
them he will tread the wine press of the fierceness of the
wrath of Almighty God, it will be to the glory of God the
Father. In this sense, this same apostle quotes and uses
these words in his Epistle to the Romans, xiv. 10, etc. : " For
we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it
is written. As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to
me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every
one of us shall give account of himself to God." Here the
apostle uses the words only to signify that all shall give an ac-
count to Christ as their Judge, and consequently receive a
sentence according as their works have been, whether good or
evil, which he will cause to be properly executed. And may
we not, rather, vinst ive not understand them in much the same
sense, when he uses the same words in another epistle ?

The apostle Peter, speaking of Christ, says, " Whom the
heavens must receive, until the times of the restitution of all
things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy
prophets since the world began," (Acts iii. 21.) Some have
thought these words signify that all creatures shall be restored

OBJECTIONS EXAMINED. 423

to holiness and happiness by Christ. That they import no
such thing will be evident, if the following things be ob-
served : —

1. The restitution of all things seems to mean nothing else
here but the accomplishment of all things which God hath
spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets. This sense is
given to the original word, in some translations, and is natural
and easy, and agreeable to the following words, which have
been cited.

2. All things will not be restored to their former state at
Christ's second coming, and therefore this cannot be the mean-
ing. This earth and the visible heavens are reserved unto
fire, against the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly
men, when the heavens shall pass away with a great noise,
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat ; the earth also,
and the works that are therein, shall be burnt up.

3. The time of the restitution of all things, of which the
apostle speaks, is the time of Christ's coming to judgment,
which is elsewhere called his coming the second time ; for the
heavens must receive him till this time of restitution, which
they will not do, any longer than to the day of judgment, for then
he will " so come in like manner as his disciples saw him go
into heaven." Therefore, they who allow there will be any
punishment of men and devils after the day of judgment, as
all must who will pay any regard to the Bible, cannot make
this text mean the restoring all creatures to holiness or happi-
ness, consistent with their own notion of the final restitution.

4. If the restitution of all things does not mean only the
fulfilment of all the great things which the prophets have fore-
told, which has been observed as the most natural sense, and
will certainly take place at the day of judgment, and if some-
thing more, or different, be signified by this expression, it must
mean the restitution of all things from the state of disorder
and confusion into which they are fallen by sin, into a state
of order, at the day of judgment; when all shall be called to
an account, and rebellion shall be silenced and come to a
proper issue, and every one be rewarded according to his
works, and all obstinate sinners, both men and devils, receive
their proper doom and punishment, while the righteous are
separated from them, to inherit the kingdom prepared for
them, and Christ and his kingdom receive all the advantage
of the rebellion that has taken place, and of the endless pun-
ishment of the wicked, so that there shall be unspeakably
more glory and happiness in the kingdom of God, in conse-
quence of sin and the endless punishment of the wicked, than
could have been without it. When things shall be brought to

424

OBJECTIONS EXAMINED.

this state and issue, which certainly they will be at the day
of judgment, the restitution of all things will take place to
the highest degree. Every thing will be set perfectly right,
the wicked will receive their proper punishment, all the re-
proach cast on God's law, government, and character will be
wiped olf, and he shall have his full revenue of glory, by all
the sin and punishment of the wicked. Christ shall receive
the full reward of his work, and his kingdom have all the ad-
vantage of the whole. Who can imagine a more perfect and
glorious restitution of all things than this ? *

Another text, which is produced in favor of universal sal-
vation, and to oppose the doctrine of endless punishment, is
Rom. V. 18. " Therefore, as by the oftence of one, judgment
came upon all men to condemnation : even so, by the right-
eousness of one, the free gift came upon all men, unto justifi-
cation of life."

Answer. The apostle had particularly stated the way by
which men become interested in the righteousness and salva-
tion exhibited and offered freely to all in the gospel, and proved
that this is by faith, or believing in Christ, or receiving him,
and the abounding grace and gift of righteousness by him,
and had abundantly insisted that there is no other possible
way for men to have any share in this righteousness and jus-
tification by Christ, but by faith. He had mentioned this
above twenty times, in this epistle, before he comes to these
words now under consideration, keeping it constantly in view.
It will suilice to cite only three or four instances now out of
more than twenty. " For I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ ; for it is the power of God unto salvation, to every one
that believeth." (Rom. i. 16.) " Even the righteousness of
God, wjiich is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all, and upon all
them that believe.'' (Rom. iii. 22.) And this chapter begins
with the following v^^ords : " Therefore, being justified by faith,
we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ."
And in the sentence immediately preceding the words we are
upon the same thing is brought into view, though the word
faith or believing is not used. " For if by one man's offence
death reigned by one ; much more they which receive
abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall
reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Rom. v. 17.) Here the
word receive is active, and expresses that particular exercise

* Christ says, " Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things." (Matt.
xvii. 11.) The same word is used here as in Acts iii. 21. There it is a sub-
stantive,^ and here a verb, and must signify to regulate and reduce things to
order. Thi.s John did by preaching repentance and reformation, and declaring
that all Mho refused to comply should be punished in unquenchable fire.
Christ wiU restore all things by seeing this most completely executed.

OBJECTIONS EXAMINED. 425

or act by which men embrace the gospel or receive Christ,
and is the same thing with faith, or beheving on Christ. " But
as many as received him, to them gave he power to become
the sons of God ; even to them that beheve on his name."
(John i. 12.) He here limits the abundant grace and gift of
righteousness, by which men reign in life, to those who re-
ceive it, or believe on Christ, for it is in and upon all them
that believe. There was, therefore, no need of repeating this
limitation in the words underconsideration,andsaying, " Even
so, by the righteousness of one, the free gift came [or comes]
upon all men [who believe] unto justification of life." For this
is naturally and even necessarily understood ; and it would be
doing violence to the words to leave out this idea, and make
the apostle say, in direct contradiction to what he had so often
asserted before and labored to prove, that justification and
salvation comes alike upon all men, believers and unbelievers,
or whether they believe or not ; and this not only makes him
contradict himself, but the express words of Christ and John
the Baptist, " He that believeth not is condemned already.
He that believeth not shall be damned. He that believeth not
the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth
on him."

The free gift does indeed come to all men, in the offer of
the gospel, and it is wholly owing to the wickedness of men,
disposing them to slight and reject this salvation, thus brought
and coming to them, that all men, even every one of the hu-
man race, are not actually saved ; but still it remains true,
that they only who believe, and thankfully receive this offered
grace and gift of righteousness, shall be actually justified, and
reign in life by Jesus Christ ; for he that believeth not, after
all, shall be damned.

It has been also imagined, that the salvation of all men is
asserted in the eighth chapter of this epistle, (verse 19-23.)
" For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the
manifestation of the sons of God ; for the creature was made
subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath
subjected the same in hope. Because the creature itself also
shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, into the
glorious liberty of the children of God ; for we know that the
whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until
now ; and not only they, but we ourselves also, which have
the first fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves groan within
ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our
body."

In order to make this passage of Scripture have the least
appearance of asserting universal salvation, the creature and
36*

426 OBJECTIONS EXAMINED.

the whole creation * must mean rational creatures only ; of
which there is not the least evidence. But that this is not the
meaning, is very manifest. This word, which is used four
times in these verses, is found in fifteen other places, and does
not apjjear to mean rational creatures only, except in two
places. (Mark xvi. 15. Col. i. 23.) It is used twice in the first
chapter of this epistle, (verse 20-25,) where it means the vis-
ible creation and creatures in general, as it also does in the 39tn
verse of this chapter ; and that by the creation, in this pas-
sage, is meant, not man, but the visible, material creation,
and the various inferior creatures, subjected to man and abused
by him, is evident: 1. Because the creature is said to be
made subject to vanity, not willingly ; which cannot be true
of those who are voluntary servants of sin, which all men are,
except those who are the sons of God. 2. The creature or
creation is here distinguished from the sons of God, (verse
19-23,) so that neither the wicked nor the children of God
are here intended by the creation.

The apostle is in this passage representing the certainty and
greatness of the glory which shall take place in behalf of the
church of Christ, which he had mentioned in the preceding
verse, as the consequence of their present sufferings. This he
does, by first bringing into view the church's deliverance from
the power of evil and wicked men, in the latter days, when
"the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the king-
dom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of
the saints of the Most High, and they shall reign with Christ
on earth." In order to exhibit the certainty and greatness of
this event, he, by a figure often used in Scripture, represents
the whole creation as unwillingly subjected to bondage in the
service of wickedness, and groaning under this calamity, and
earnestly desiring and expecting deliverance ; which will take
place in this happy state of the church, when the creation shall
be delivered out of the hands of the wicked, and consecrated
and improved by saints, to the glory of God and happiness of
his children. Thus he makes the visible creation, now sub-
jected to vanity, and in bondage to Satan and wicked men, to
groan, and speak a language which is a sure and standing
evidence and pledge of the future glory of the church in this
world ; and then in the 23d verse he passes from this deliver-
ance and glory of the children of God to the yet higher and
complete glory of the church at the general resurrection, when
the children of God shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom

* It is the same word in the original ; and the passage would be more intelli-
gible, perhaps, to the English reader, had it been translated the creation^ in each
clause of the text.

OBJECTIONS EXAMINED. 427

of their Father ; for which complete redemption, not the whole
creation, but believers, wait and long, in this state of suffering
and sin, with eager expectation.*

In this view, the connection of these verses with the pre-
ceding is plain and natural, and the gradation observed, clear
and beautiful. Here is not a word in favor of universal sal-
vation ; but .the w^iole is perfectly consistent with what this
apostle asserts in this chapter, and the next, and elsewhere,
viz., that they who live after the flesh shall die ; and that
God, willing to show his wrath, and make his power known,
endureth with much long suffering these vessels of wrath, fitted
to destruction, who shall be punished with everlasting de-
struction, etc.

" That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might
gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in
heaven and which are on earth, even in him." (Eph. i. 10.)
" And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by
him to reconcile all things unto himself, by him, I say, whether
they be things in earth, or things in heaven." (Col. i. 20.)
These words have been produced by some, as containing the
doctrine of universal salvation ; as all things, which are in
heaven and on earth, are here said to be gathered together in
one, and to be reconciled unto God by Christ, which, they say,
certainly comprehend all men.

Ans. 1. By gathering together in one all things in Christ
— or, as it might be rendered, gathering all things together
under one head — is doubtless meant setting Christ at the
head of all things in heaven and earth, — i. e., on the throne
of the universe, having the government and direction of all
things put into his hands, — or, as he himself expresseth it:
" All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." (?>latt.
xxviii. 18.) " AH things are delivered unto me of my Father."
(Matt. xi. 27.) The whole created universe, which is ex-
pressed by heaven and earth and the things therein, fell into a
dissolved and broken state, in a sense, by the introduction of
sin. Christ is appointed to bear up the pillars of it, to pre-
vent any evil coming by sin on the whole, and to bring the
greatest good out of it by the redemjjfion of the church, and
its attendants and consequences ; and that he may efiect this,

* When it is said, verse 21, "The creation itself shall be delivered from the
bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God," the
meaning is, that the visible creation which is now abused to answer the pur-
poses of the enemies of God shall be delivered from this bondage, in itself
so undesirable, in the deliverance and glorious hbcrty and triumph of the
church, in the latter days, and for the sake of the children of God. The word
here translated into is, many times in this epistle, and in other places, translated
in, for, to, and utito.

428 OBJECTIONS EXAMINED.

all things are put into his hands, and he is made the head of
all. This is expressed by the apostle in the same chapter
(verse 22) in different words, which serve to explain these
under consideration : " And hath put all things under his feet,
and gave him to be the head over all things to the church."
To gather together all things under one head, and to consti-
tute Christ head over all things, is the same thing. But this
does not imply the savation of all things, or of all men, nor
has any relation to it.

2. The other passage, in the Epistle to the Colossians,
doubtless means much the same thing with this, and they are
to be considered as parallel texts. Whoever reads these two
epistles with attention, — written by St. Paul, and most prob-
ably about the same time, — and compares them together,
will find that much the same matter is contained in them,
and often expressed in the same words, with but little varia-
tion. The only difi'erence in the words of these two parallel
places is, that in the former, all things in heaven and earth are
said to be gathered together in one in Christ; in the latter,
the same things are said to be reconciled by him. When all
things in the created universe — which had, in a measure,
fallen into confusion, and jarring contradictions, and discord,
by rebellion — were put under Christ to be formed into one
harmonious system, — bringing good out of all the evil, and
causing every thing to conspire to bring the gi-eatest honor to
God, and issue in the highest good of the whole, — all things
in heaven and earth were, in the most important and highest
sense, reconciled to God in him ; and this is the same with
gathering all things together in one, by or in Christ. Thus
these passages appear to harmonize, and express one and the
same thing. How can all things, whether they be things in
earth, or things in heaven, — by which more are comprehended
than angels, and men, and all rational creatures, — be recon-
ciled, in any other sense ? These words, therefore, make
nothing against endless punishment, but are in favor of it,
and necessarily imply it, if this be most for the honor of God
and the general good, and necessary, that all things may be
put in due order and the most perfect harmony ; which will
be considered in a following section.

Some have thought the words of St. Paul (1 Cor. xv. 22)
assert the salvation of all men : " For as in Adam all die,
even so in Christ shall all be made alive." But this must
certainly be owing to want of proper attention to this chapter
in general, and to the words which immediately precede and
follow these. The apostle is here speaking of the resurrection
of the body — of the resurrection of Christ, and of those who

OBJECTIONS EXAMINED, 429

belong to him ; and not a word is here said of the resurrection
of any other person but those whom Christ repeatedly prom-
ises to raise up at the last day, viz., those who in this life
believe on him. " And this is the will of him that sent me,
that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him,
may have everlasting life ; and I will raise him up at tiie last
day." (John vi. 40.) It is certain from Scripture that there
shall be a resurrection of the wicked ; but this is not brought
into view by the apostle in this chapter, but he attends wholly
to the resurrection of Christ and his people, that is, the resur-
rection of the body. The words with which these are con^
iiected make this sufficiently evident. " 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. But every man in his own order; Christ the first fruits;
afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." By death and
dying is meant the death of the body ; and by " resurrection,"
and " being made alive," is meant the resurrection of the body,
and that only of the saints.

The word " all " is, therefore, necessarily restrained here to
all that belong to Christ. When it is said. In Adam all die, it
means all that are in Adam — all his posterity; and when it
is said, In Christ all shall be made alive, it means all that are
in Christ; so that the latter " all" is not of equal extent with the
former. The apostle expresseth himself here just as he does
when speaking of Adam and Christ in that passage which
has been considered. " Therefore, as by the offence of one
judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by
the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto
justification of life." (Rom. v. 18.) It has been shown, that,
by the context, the w^ords " all men," in the last clause, are
necessarily restrained to all those who belong to Christ, or
believe in him; and in just the same manner the word "all,"
in this place, is, by the context and the matter treated of,
necessarily restrained to all that are Christ's, or believers in
him. And they who will not attend to the context, and take
these words in their only natural, plain meaning, but run
away with the mere sound of a word or two, without consid-
ering their connection, only to support a favorite opinion of
theirs, will not understand the Scriptures, but remain in
darkness.

Our Savior says, " And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,
will draw all men unto me." (John xii. 32.) It has hence
been inferred, with great assurance by some, that every one
of the human race will be saved by Christ.

This is the only word which Christ spake when he was on

430

OBJECTIONS EXAMINED.

earth in favor of universal salvation, if this be so ; and this had
need be very plain, and strongly asserted here, and so that the
words cannot possibly be understood in any other sense, to
counterbalance all that has been quoted from him, in which
the contrary is asserted over and over again in the most plain
and unequivocal terms. One design of Christ's coming into
the world was to reveal the true character of God — to pro-
claim the love of God, and his designs of mercy to men, and
what would be the issue of all this to mankind. And if his
grand design was to save every man, and this were necessary
for the full and most glorious display of the divine character,
it might have been expected that he would dwell much upon
this glorious theme, — the salvation of all, — and set it in
a light most clear and incontestable. But the fact is so far
from this, that he dwelt abundantly on the future and ever-
lasting punishment of the wicked, and set it in the most
alarming, dreadful light, representing it by being cast into a
furnace of fire, — into a fire that never shall be quenched,
where there worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, —
and dwells long upon it, repeating it again and again. And
he leads us to the day of judgment, and represents himself as
dooming the wicked, even all who were not friendly to him
in this world, to everlasting fire, and concludes by saying,
" These shall go away into everlasting punishment." And he
has not left the least hint to caution us against understanding
him as asserting the endless punishment of the wicked, nor
has he spoken one sentence that any one pretends has the
least appearance of a contrary meaning, unless it be this. If,
when this is carefully examined, it should appear to assert
that every man that ever did or shall exist shall be saved, and
cannot be fairly understood in any other sense, we shall be
thrown into an inextricable plunge by finding a most aston-
ishing inconsistence.

But there will appear no danger of falling into such a diffi-
culty, and an easy and natural sense will be found in these
words, consistent with the endless punishment of the wicked,
by attending to the following observations : —

1. These words of Christ evidently respect the consequence
of his crucifixion in this world, and while men are in this life;
and it is a forced sense, indeed, to suppose they respect every
person that had ever Hved, and was then in the unseen world ;
or that he means to say, that though men live in unbelief
through life, he will draw them to "himself, and they shall
be converted after they die. The words of Christ respecting
the same thing serve fully to explain these : " As Moses lifted
up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man

OBJECTIONS EXAMINED. 431

be lifted up ; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have eternal life." (John iii. 14, 15.) Here Christ tells how
men should be drawn to him, viz., by believing on him ; and all
that do not believe on him are represented as certainly perishing.

2. The words all and all men are used when every individu-
al is not intended, but many^ or all in general, or a great mul-
titude. There are the following instances of this, and many
more that might be mentioned : " All Judea, and all the region
round about Jordan, went out to John, and were baptized of
him in Jordan." (Matt. iii. 5, 6.) " All men counted John,
that he was a prophet indeed." (Mark xi. 32.) It is said all
men came to Christ. (John iii. 26.) The disciples say to
Christ, " All men seek after thee." (Mark i. 37.) They do not
mean every man, without exception, for that was not true.

The words all men are sometimes used for the Gentile na-
tions in general, in opposition to the Jews only ; and to sig-
nify that the gospel and salvation were not confined to the
latter, but equally extended to the former, though every man
be not included. Our Savior speaks the words under consid-
eration at an interview which he had with a number of
Greeks, proselytes to the worship of the true God from among
the Gentiles, who had come up to Jerusalem to worship at
the feast ; and, upon their desire, were introduced to him by
his disciples. These words are spoken with reference to them,
and are suited to convey this idea to them, viz., that after his
death, of which he speaks in the preceding verses, salvation
by him should be extended to the Gentile nations, as well as
to the Jews, and they should be drawn unto him, and not that
he would actually save every one of the human race ; for such
a thought could not be suggested to them by these words.
Nor have we now any warrant to put such a forced meaning
on them, when another, consistent with all that Christ has said
of everlasting punishment, is so natural and easy.

3. Salvation by Christ is not only extended to all nations,
but the influence of the gospel will continue and spread, till
all men in general, if not every individual person then living,
shall be drawn to Christ, and become his friends and servants.
This event is so much and so often predicted in the Scriptures,
that none who attend to them properly can be ignorant of it.
Christ represents this by a woman putting leaven into three
measures of meal, which continues there till the whole is
leavened, and by many other similitudes, all importing that
the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached and spread in the
world, till, by the divine influence attending it, all nations, the
whole world, or all men, shall be brought into subjection to
him, and the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom

432 OBJECTIONS EXAMINED.

of Christ. " The Lord will make bare his holy arm in the eyes
of all nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salva-
tion of God." (Isa. lii. 10.) » And they shall all know the
Lord, from the least of them unto the greatest of them." (Jer.
xxxi. 34.) In the twenty-second Psalm, where the death of
Christ is predicted, the consequence of this is expressed in the
following words: " All the ends of the world shall remember
and tm-n unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations
shall worship before thee." These words, and those of our
Savior under consideration, express the same. event, and illus-
trate each other. Who, then, can think they imply the actual
salvation of all the human race?

Another passage of Scripture which has been produced as
favoring the doctrine of universal salvation is 1 Pet. iii. 18-20.
Speaking of Christ, he says, "Being put to death in the flesh,
but quickened by the spirit; by which, also, he went and
preached unto the spirits in prison, which sometime were dis-
obedient, when once the long suffering of God waited in the
days of Noah, while the ark was preparing."

A few observations on these words will be sufficient to
show that there is nothing in them favorable to the salvation
of all men, but directly the contrary.

1. Granting that Christ did go and preach to the spirits
when they were in prison, either before or after his resurrec-
tion, though it is not asserted in these words, — for this was
done by the spirit, and they might be preached to before they
v.ere spirits in prison, — yet, granting as above, we are not told
what he preached. He might preach no glad tidings, and
nothing but terror and eternal damnation to them, consistent
with all that is said here.

2. If it be granted that he preached the gospel to them, we
are not told what was the effect, or that so much as one of
them repented and believed, and was delivered out of prison.
They may all be in prison yet, notwithstanding any thing that
is said here, and, consequentl}', be more miserable forever than
if they had not heard this preaching.

3. Granting, not only that Christ did preach to them when
in prison, and that he preached the gospel to them, and offered
to deliver and save all of them, but that they all accepted the
offer and are gone to heaven, — all which is only matter of mere
conjecture, as neither of these is asserted or implied in this
passage, — but granting Ihom all, it does not follow from hence
that all the rest of mankind who die in their sins, or that so
much as one, except those who lived in the days of Noah, will be
saved, but the contrary may be very strongly inferred ; for if
all that had died in their sins, from the beginning of the world

OBJECTIONS EXAMINED. 433

to the death of Christ, were to be saved, why are those who
perished by the flood singled out from all the rest, and the
preaching of Christ confined to them? This looks as if they
were to be distinguished from all others, who are left in prison,
without hope of deliverance.

This text, therefore, appears to be a poor, sandy foundation
for a man to build his hopes of salvation upon, or of the salva-
tion of others ; yea, he must be infatuated to a great degree,
who has the least dependence on this for his deliverance from
hell, and obtaining eternal salvation.

4. When the most easy, plain meaning of these words is
fixed, it will very clearly appear that they have no reference
to the salvation of any one that ever did or shall die in his
sins, but imply the contrary to this.

It is not here said that these spirits were in prison when
Christ went, and, by the spirit, preached unto them. They
were spirits in prison when this epistle was written, but were
once embodied spirits, the spirits of those long since disobedi-
ent men who lived in the days of Noah ; to whom he, inspired
by Christ to foretell the flood, and warn and exhort them to
prepare for it, was a preacher of righteousness for one hundred
and twenty years ; through which space the spirit of Christ
did strive with them, and the long suffering of God waited
upon them. All this is exactly agreeable to the history of the
flood and its attendants. Noah was inspired to warn that
generation in words, by foretelling the flood ; and by actions,
in building the ark ; and the Spirit of God did strive with them
during this time. But they were disobedient to all his warn-
ing and preaching, and consequently perished in their sins,
and their spirits are confined in the prison of hell, where Christ
fixeth the rich man when he died, and are kept in custody, as
the fallen angels are, unto the judgment of the great day.

And that this is the true sense of this passage, is confirmed
by the apostle's evident design. It is introduced to encourage
and animate Christians to faithfulness, patience, constancy,
and cheerful resolution, in following Christ, under all opposi-
tion and suffering from wicked men. He mentions the suffer-
ings of Christ, and his triumphant resurrection and deliverance;
and then introduces this instance of Noah, and those with
whom he lived before the flood, v%^ho opposed him, and the
spirit of Christ, preaching to them by him. God waited on
them with long suffering, and Noah went through his suffering
and work with patience and resolution, till at length the time
of vengeance came, when Noah and his family were saved ;
but the disobedient were destroyed, not by ceasing to exist,
for though their bodies perished, their souls were shut up in
VOL. II. 37

434 OBJECTIONS EXAMINED.

the prison of hell, where they now were and had been above
two thousand years ; not as prisoners of hope, but of justice,
reserved unto judgment, and final, eternal condemnation. This
representation is suited to support and encourage Christians,
while they wvre ridiculed and opposed and suffering by wicked
men, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, and to ex-
cite them, with patience and meekness, to wait the expected
end. St. Peter makes use of this instance to the like purpose,
in his second epistle, in the following Avords : " For if God
spared not the old world, but saved Noah, the eighth person,
a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the
world of the ungodly ; the Lord knoweth how to deliver the
godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day
of judgment, to be punished." And by the way, if the un-
godly men who perished by the flood were delivered and car-
ried to heaven by Christ so long before the day of judgment,
they could not be a fit instance of God's reserving wicked men
unto the day of judgment to be punished, and it was not to the
apostle's purpose ; but if they were then in the prison of hell,
reserved in confinement unto judgment, to be punished with
a severity becoming their guilt and wickedness, this example is
mentioned agreeable to truth, and is suited to answer his end.

On the whole, therefore, there is not the least evidence from
these words of St. Peter that any one man that has died, or
shall die in his sins, ever was, or ever will be, delivered from a
state of punishment, to all eternity ; but the whole that he
says has a different and contrary complexion, viz., that men
who are disobedient to Christ while they live in this world are
cast into the prison of hell when they die, and are kept there
in custody, unto the day of judgment, when they shall receive
of Christ, the Judge, according to what they have done in the
body, and be doomed to a more severe and everlasting pun-
ishment.

" And every creature which is in heaven, and on earth, and
under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in
them, heard I, saying. Blessing, and honor, and glory, and
power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the
Lamb, forever and ever." (Rev. v. 13.) These words have been
produced by some as a proof that all men and devils will be
happy, and praise God and Christ forever and ever. How far
they are from proving any such thing, will appear, if it be
considered, —

1. John saw this take place, and heard this universal song
of praise, when Christ took the government of the world into
his hands, being made head over all things to the church ;
represented by his taking the book out of the right hand of

OBJECTIONS EXAMINED. 435

him who sat upon the throne, in order to open the seals of it,
and accomplish the divine decrees contained in it, in the ad-
ministration of providence to the end of the world. This,
therefore, can have no reference to the winding up and issue
of things at the day of judgment, or in any alter period; and,
consequently, can have no respect to the final salvation of all,
or of any. And long after this scene, when all the seals of
the book were opened, John saw all the devils, and all the men
who died in their sins, cast into a lake of fire, where they were
to be tormented forever and ever; and he certainly had no
vision before or after, which is contrary to this, or looks be-
yond it.

2. If these words are any proof of the salvation of all men,
they are an equal proof that every creature on earth, and under
the earth, and in the sea, and all that are in them, both beasts,
serpents, worms, and fishes, will actively sing praise to God,
becoming reasonable creatures, and having the faculty of
speech, and will be happy iti this employ forever. But there
are very few, if any, who will believe all this to be asserted here ;
therefore, a more natural, consistent meaning offers itself, and
must be the only true one.

3. This is only a figurative representation, to express the
universal subjection of all things to the power and government
of Christ, to be improved to answer his ends, and to promote
his blessedness, honor, and glory, and the happiness of this
desirable, joyful event, and his worthiness to receive all this.
This is parallel to the frequent representations in the prophets
and in the Psalms, where mountains, hills and trees, beasts
and cattle, fire and hail, stormy wind, dragons, and all the
works of creation, are represented as praising God. How
absurd would it be to infer from this that all things were
rational, and capable of praising God in an active way, or
ever will be I All the creation praises God, as the divine glory
and character are exhibited by every creature ; but in this all
creatures and things are passive, except those which are ration-
al, and the friends of God. They are the priests who actively
offer up this praise to God, for which all his works of creation
and providence afford the most ample matter. In this sense,
" the wrath of man shall praise God." (Ps. Ixxvi. 10.) All the
rebellion of creatures he will turn to his own highest honor
and praise ; and if it be necessary, in order to this, that there
should be endless punishment, which may be true, and the
evidence that it is so is to be exhibited hereafter, then this pun-
ishment, and those that shall be punished forever, shall render
an eternal tribute of praise to (rod, which otherwise could not
have been obtained. Li this viov.^ the words under examina-

436 OBJECTIONS EXAMINED.

tion are so far from implying that all creatures, or all men,
shall be happy forever, that the contrary is necessarily implied,
viz., that creatures will be punished without end, even as many
as shall be necessary for God's highest honor and praise. The
smoke of their torments shall rise up in the sight of all happy
intelligences, and bring a tribute of praise to God, which shall
be actively offered up to him by those who are his happy
friends. (See Rev. xix. 1, etc.)

" The Lord is good unto all, and his tender mercies are over
all his works." (Ps. cxiv. 9.) « God is love." (1 John iv. 8, 16.)
It is said the character these words give of God is inconsistent
with his making any of his creatures miserable forever.

Ans. 1. This is not inconsistent with his punishing them,
and inflicting very great evil and misery upon them. This we
know he has done in this world. He destroyed the inhabit-
ants of the old world with a flood ; he burned up the inhabit-
ants of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone ; he
overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea; he destroyed
the inhabitants of Canaan by fire and sword ; and he inflicts
all the evils that nations or individuals have suffered in this
world, of which there are instances innumerable, and many of
them very dreadful and terrible. The Psalmist says, in the
words preceding those just quoted, " Men shall speak of the
might of thy terrible acts." In Ps. Ixvi. 3, etc., are the follow-
ing words : " Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy
works ! Come and see the works of God ; he is terrible in his
doing toward the children of men." And he is often styled
the great and terrible God, with whom is terrible majesty.
And if all this be consistent with his goodness to all, and
with his tender mercies being over all his works, then any de-
gree and duration of punishment which his creatures deserve
may be consistent with it, notwithstanding any thing we know.
Can any man prescribe to God, and point out the exact meas-
ure of evil, and the length of the punishment creatures may
suffer, consistent with his goodness ?

Ans. 2. God may be good to all, and his tender mercies be
over all his works, and yet punish his creatures with endless
misery. Where is there one, who has not experienced the
goodness of God? Let him be pointed out, if there be one.
In this world, of which the Psalmist evidently speaks, and not
of the invisible world, every one who has lived, does now, or
ever will live, receives great and constant kindness from God ;
for every thing better than perfect misery is goodness and
tender mercy to sinners.*

* Some render the orin;inal words thus, " His tender mercy is above all his
works." That is, his work, of mercy in the redemption of sinners is his chief
and lughcst work. So it is translated in the Scptuagint, and by others.

OBJECTIONS EXAMINED. 437

Ans. 3. Thovigh God be love, infinite, unbounded goodness,
yet this is not only consistent with his punishing creatures ac-
cording to their deserts, but his great love and goodness may
influence him to punish them without end, and not to do it
may be inconsistent with infinite goodness.

It is not thought inconsistent with the greatest benevolence
and compassion in an earthly king or judge to sentence a
criminal to a most painful death, and to see it executed, when
the sufferer deserves it, and this is necessary for the public
good; yea, this is not only consistent with the most extensive
and unblemished goodness, but is itself an exercise and act
of love and goodness, because the public and general good is
sought and promoted by it. And it is the nature of true and
the most exalted love and benevolence to regard the good of
the public, and not to give that up, and act contrary to it, in
order to favor an unworthy individual. To do this is partial-
ity, which is contrary to uprightness and goodness. Yea, to
spare the criminal from just punishment in such a case would
be so far from the dictates and fruit of love, that it would be
an act of unrighteousness and cruelty, to injure the public, and
hurt millions, in order to grant an undeserved favor to any in-
dividual. Should a king spare his own son from a just pun-
ishment, when the good of the public required that it should
be inflicted, and thereby ruin the whole kingdom, this would
be the height of injustice and cruelty.*

If God be infinitely good, he must and will punish those
creatures who deserve it with endless punishment, when this
is necessary for the highest good and happiness of his king-
dom, — for this is the dictate of the most perfect love, — and
not to do it would be inconsistent with goodness. If this be
so, in vain is the love and goodness of God alleged as in-
consistent with endless punishment. That the highest good
of God's eternal kingdom does not require that such a pun-

* And his causing his son to be punished would be so far from an act of
cruelty, that it would be an act of mercy, and perfectly consistent with love
and tender compassion for his son. Yea, it Avould be an evidence of his true
benevolence to his son, as it would be the strongest evidence of his love to the
public, for true love to the community necessarily implies benevolence to every
individual of which the community is composed.

The following words of Cicero, the famous Roman orator, in his fourth ora-
tion against Catiline, who was at the head of a conspiracy, formed to destroy
the city and the principal men in it, are worthy to be introduced here : —

" For let me ask, should a master of a family, finding his children butchered,
his wife murdered, and his house burned by a slave, inflict upon the offender a
punishment that fell short of the highest rigor, would he be counted mild and
merciful, or inhuman and cruel ? If we punish them (that is, the conspirators)
with the utmost severity, we shall be accounted compassionate, but if we are
remiss in. the execution of justice, we may deservedly be charged with the
greatest cruelty in exposing the public and our fellow-citizens to ruin.

37*

438 ENDLESS PUNISHMENT

ishment should be inflicted, it is certain no man has any right
or ability to determine ; and the evidence which there is of the
contrary will be considered in the next section.

These are the chief and leading passages of Scripture, which
have been thought by the advocates for universal salvation to
be most clearly inconsistent with endless punishment. And
let every one now judge whether they are sufficient to over-
balance those wdiich have been produced in the preceding
section, as plainly declaring, in a variety of ways, that the fu-
ture punishment of the wicked will be endless, so that he can
sit down with satisfaction and confidence, and rest his eternal
interest on this foundation, and rejoice in the prospect of ever-
lasting happiness, purely because the Scripture says that all
shall be happy forever, whatever be their character, and how-
ever they live in this world. Yea, let all judge whether these
texts have the least weight in opposition to eternal punish-
ment, and are not perfectly consistent with that doctrine.
Surely this may be easily decided. Greater light and evidence
cannot be desired, and divine revelation has set this point in
so clear a light, that he who runs may read, if he have eyes
to see.

SECTION IV.

The Doctrine of Endless Punishment confirmed hy Reason.

Though it be granted that reason, without the help of di-
vine revelation, can determine nothing with certainty about
future and endless punishment, yet when we find the doctrine
of eternal punishment expressly and abundantly asserted in
the Bible, we may reason upon it, and as it must be most
reasonable, it may appear to be so, and we be able to vindi-
cate it from all objections which any may pretend to
found in reason against it. It will therefore be proper and
useful to consider this doctrine in the light of reason, and see
how far it may be vindicated on this ground, and whether
the objections that are made against it can be supported by
reason.

Not a few have been so prejudiced against this doctrine, by
their inclination and feelings, and their own way of reasoning
on the subject, that they come to the Bible determined not to
find it there, or, if they do, to reject that book as not from
God. And some professed Christians have been so weak and
unreasonable as to think they have been doing God service, in
attempting to prevent persons of this cast renouncing the
Bible, and becoming professed Deists, by trying to make it
appear that it contains no such doctrine.

CONFIRMED BY REASON. 439

A contrary method is here proposed, viz., to examine their
reasonings and objections, and see whether they will bear the
test of truth and sound reason, or are only the figments of a
dark and prejudiced mind.

First. Let it be inquired whether God may justly punish
any of his rebellious creatures with an endless punishment, or
whether they can deserve such a punishment.

If sin against God be so great a crime as fully to deserve
an endless punishment, so that his justice and righteovisness
may be gloriously displayed by inflicting it, then this may be
one reason why he will do it. But if not, if such a punish-
ment be too great, and exceeds the ill desert of the sinner, it
is impossible he should be doomed to it by the righteous
Governor of the world.

It has been said that endless punishment is truly an infinite
evil, and, therefore, cannot be justly inflicted on any, unless
their crimes, or their guilt, be infinitely great ; for justice in
punishing consists in proportioning the punishment to the
magnitude of the crimes for which it is inflicted ; but no
finite creature, especially man, can contract infini,te guilt,
or be guilty of crimes infinitely great, in the short space of
human life ; therefore, cannot deserve an infinite or endless
punishment.

Let impartial reason be consulted on this point. If it can
be made evident and certain that sin against God is not an
infinite evil, a crime of unbounded magnitude, the argument
in favor of endless punishment, from the reason of the thing,
must be given up, and it must be acknowledged that no
reason can be offered why God should punish the sinner for-
ever.* But if sin be an infinite evil, — a crime so great that
it really has, in one or more respects, no bounds or limits,
and this shall appear to be agreeable to the dictates of reason
and common sense, — then it must be acknowledged that it
deserves an endless punishment, and that this is the proper

* It will be thought by some, perhajis, that too much is granted here, and
that God's punishing the sinner without end may be vindicated as just and
proper, though the infinite evil of sin be denied.

There have been those, it must be acknowledged, who have rejected the
doctrine of the infinite evil or ill desert of sin, as not to be vindicated, and
involving unanswerable difficulties, in their view, and yet have thouglit they
could give a good reason why they who die in their sins should be punished
forever, viz., because they will continue to sin, and remain in a state of rebel-
lion without end, and, therefore, will deserve to be punished without end ; and
this will be proper, and even necessary.

But, perhaps, when tliis is examined, it will not appear to have any weight,
or agreeable to Scripture or reason ; for, —

1. The Scripture represents sinners to be sentenced to this punishment, and
punished in the future state, for the sins which they did commit, token in the

440

ENDLESS PUNISHMENT

wages of all sin against God, and, therefore, he may with jus-
tice and propriety inflict it, and mnst do it, whenever he lays
judgment to the line, and righteousness to the plummet, and
rewards sinners according to their works.

But when we attempt to reason on this subject, it ought to
be done with great care and caution, lest, through partiality
in our own favor, we should reason and judge wrong. Men
have all sinned against God, and joined in a common rebel-
lion ; and this is naturally attended with a selfish partiality,
disposing them to overlook their own guilt, and call in ques-
tion the righteousness of their Maker's conduct, if he treats
them according to their desert. Therefore, however just it
may appear to an impartial judge that rebellious creatures
should be punished forever, yet no wonder if the heart of
rebels should rise against it, and so far prejudice their minds
as to blind them to the reasonableness of it, and lead them to
pronounce it unjust. Tha danger of error here lies chiefly on
this side.

Whether sin be an infinite evil, and in what sense it is so,
will appear, it is hoped, by attending to the following obser-
vations, objections, and answers : —

1. All sin, or wrong aflection and conduct of men, is more
or less criminal, according as their obligations to the contrary
are greater or less ; or, according to the degree of obligation
that is violated is the degree and magnitude of the crime in
violating such obligation. There are different degrees of obli-
gation. A man is under greater obligation to love and befriend
his parents, wife, and children, or his benevolent friend from
vvhoni he has received innumerable kindnesses, than he is
to a stranger, or one who has no peculiar relation to him.
Therefore, if he is unkind and injurious to the former, this is
an unspeakably greater crime in him than his unkind and
uijurious treatment of the latter can be.

2. The obligations which men violate by sin, or wrong

bod:/, in this world. "When our Savior represents himself as sentencing sinners
to endless jiunishment, the sentence is grounded on their past conduct in this
world — "Fori was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat," etc. And St.
Paul says, " Wc must all appear before the judgment-seat of Clnist, that every
one may receive the things done in the body, according to that he hath done,
whether it be good or bad." Therefore, according to Scripture, sinners will be
sentenced to a punishment which they already deserve for their sins in this
life ; but they would not deserve to besentenced to an endless punishment for
these sins, if they were not an iniinite evil, and they infinitely criminal.

2. There docs not appear to be any justice in sentencLnga sinner to a pun-
ishment which he does not alreadij deserve for what he has done, for this is to
condemn him for that of which he hath not been guilty. Therefore, if the
infinite evil of siu be given up, there will not appear any justice in endless
punishment.

CONFIRMED BY REASON. 441

affection or conduct, are chiefly derived from the object who is
thereby opposed and injured ; therefore, the chief aggravation
of all sin, or the greatness of the crime, is derived Irom the
object against which it is committed, and is according to the
greatness, excellence, worth, and importance of that object, and
the criminal's special concern and connection with it, etc.
There are indeed other considerations which may render obli-
gation, in particular instances, greater or less, and consequent-
ly the magnitude of the crime in violating the obligation will
be in some respects varied by these, but the chief and highest
aggravation of all sin has its foundation in the object against
which it is committed, and the evil of it chiefly consists in this.

Hence it is a greater crime for a son to hate and injure, and
act a cruel part towards his excellent father, who presides in a
large family V\^ith dignity and benevolence, and who alone pro-
vides for him, and all the rest, than it would be for him to treat
one of the servants in the family after the same manner. If a
man fall upon a stranger, whom he meets in the road, and
takes away his life, in order to obtain his money, his crime is
great ; but if he proceed to take away the life of his most
worthy friend and greatest benefactor, who had often rescued
him from death, this would be a crime immensely greater than
the former. He is very criminal who injures and seeks to de-
stroy, and actually takes away the life of one of his inoffen-
sive, though most inconsiderable, neighbors ; but how much
more criminal and ill deserving is he who rises in rebellion
against a most excellent prince, on whom a great nation de-
pend for protection, support, and happiness, and actually de-
thrones him, and puts him to death, and hereby brings total
ruin on his whole kingdom ?

Concerning such instances as these, the common sense, the
feelings of men, determine without hesitation, and even irre-
sistibly, without the labor of long reasoning, they being, in a
sense, self-evident. And, doubtless, if men had as clear dis-
cerning, and as great sensibility, respecting the being and
character of God, his presence, greatness, power, excellence,
and goodness, and of the absolute dependence of all things on
him, and of the infinite importance of his being and king-
dom, as they have with respect to those things mentioned in
the examples above, the conviction of the infinite magnitude
of the crime of rebelling against him would be more than
equally clear and irresistible.

In all the instances mentioned, and in all of this kind that
can be imagined, the greater guilt and ill desert of the crimi-
nal arises from the object injured, against which the crime is
conmiitted ; and is in proportion to the degree of obligation
violated by the transgressor.

442 ENDLESS PUNISHMENT

3. All the sins of men are committed against God. He is
opposed and injm-ed thereby. This cannot be disputed, since
sin is a transgression of the law of God ; for to disregard, op-
pose, and despise the law of God, is certainly to disregard, op-
pose, and despise God, and to rise in rebellion against his au-
thority and government. Some instances of sin are more di-
rectly against God than others ; but all sin is against him,
and he is the chief object who is opposed and injured by it, —
because he is the first and gi-eatest, and so much exceeds all
others, who can be injured by sin, in his being, worth, and ex-
tensive rights and interest, that, in comparison with him, they
are of no consideration, sink into nothing, and vanish. This
is strongly expressed by David, when he was humbling himself
before God for his sins. " Against thee, thee only, have I
sinned, and done this evil in thy si^JitP

4. God is infinitely great, excellent, and worthy ; and his
being, interest, honor, and kingdom are of infinite worth and
importance. His interest is so great, extensive, and universal,
that, strictly speaking, there is no other interest but this one
in the universe. He has made all things for himself ; he is
the only proprietor who has an absolute, perfect, and unalien-
able right to all creatures and things. They all depend wholly
and constantly on him, and he is the boundless, infinite bene-
factor to all. His authority over all is without limits, and his
government absolutely perfect.

Therefore, all sin is against an infinitely great, worthy, and
important object; it is opposition to God, his whole interest
and kingdom ; it disregards and despises him, and tramples
his authority under foot.

From these premises, which none can dispute, but all must
grant, the plain and unavoidable conclusion is, that all sin is
infinitely criminal and ill deserving. This proposition is as de-
monstrably certain as any one of a moral nature can be. If
wrong affection and conduct be criminal, in proportion to the
greatness of the obligation to the contrary, and the obliga-
tion be great in proportion to the greatness and worthiness of
the object injured by such wrong affection and conduct; if all
sin be against God and injurious to him, and he is infinitely
great and worthy, and his interest and kingdom infinitely
great and important, — all which is granted, — then men are
under infinite obligations to God to love and serve him, and be
friendly to his interest and kingdom ; consequently, all oppo-
sition to these is a violation of infinite obligation, and infin-
itely criminal. Or, shorter, thus : Every crime is great in de-
gree, in proportion to the greatness and worthiness of the
being against which it is committed. Every sin is committed

CONFIRMED BY REASON. 443

against God, and is an injury done to Y\m, who is infinitely
great and worthy ; therefore, every sin is a crime of infinite
magnitude, and deserves an infinite punishment.

5. The infinite evil of sin appears from the evil consequence
of it, or the evil which it naturally tends to produce, and will
take place, unless prevented. A crime is great in proportion
to the evil it tends to effect, or is the natural consequence of
it. But the evil which sin aims at, and tends to produce, is
truly infinite.

This appears from what has been already observed. All sin
is against God, and his whole interest and kingdom ; it tends
to dishonor and dethrone the Almighty; to destroy all his hap-
piness, and to ruin his whole interest and kingdom ; to intro-
duce the most dreadful confusion and infinite misery, and
render the whole universe infinitely worse than nothing, to all
eternity. If there be any such thing as infinite evil, this is
such ; and he who aims at this, and does the least towards it,
or what has a direct tendency to it, is guilty of a crime which
has no bounds, in this respect, as to its degree of ill desert. It
is big with infinite mischief, and, therefore, is in itself an infi-
nite evil, and nothing short of endless punishment can be its
proper reward. To inflict an evil infinitely less than this, as
a punishment, falls infinitely short of being answerable to the
crime, or of manifesting the evil or guilt of it.

To this it will be objected, perhaps, that no such evil ac-
tually takes place. God cannot be dethroned, or really hurt,
by the sinner; he is infinitely beyond the reach of the rebel,
and his kingdom and interest cannot be hurt ; yea, God will
overrule all sin for his own honor, and to promote the happi-
ness and glory of his kingdom forever. Why, then, should
the sinner be punished as if he had actually effected infinite
evil, when the evil tendency of what he does and his criminal
endeavors are prevented taking effect, and no such evil can
come ?

Ans. 1. The crime is not to be estimated by the evil that is
actually effected by it, but by the nature and tendency of what
is done, and the aim of the criminal. Though the evil conse-
quence be prevented, and it be not in the power of the criminal to
effect it, yet if he does what he can to accomplish it, his crime
is to be estimated by his manifest disposition, and the ten-
dency of what he does. If a subject attempts to take away
the life of a king, or, from disaffection to him, does that which
tends to destroy him, and would do it, were he not prevented,
though the life of the king be not hurt, and the attempt wholly
miscarries, yet he is justly condemned as guilty of high trea-
son, and punished accordingly.

444 ENDLESS PUNISHMENT

The sinner does all he can to dethrone his Maker, and ren-
der him infinitely miserable, and ruin his kingdom forever.
Every sin has a strong and mighty tendency to this, and no
thanks to the sinner that this infinite evil has not been ef-
fected by his rebellion ; and is his crime not so great, because
the evil is prevented by the infinite power and wisdom of
God? He who will assert this must renounce all reason and
common sense. David, inspired to imprecate punishment on
the wicked, says, " Give them according to their deeds, and
according to the wickedness of their endeavors : give them
after the work of their hands, and render to them their desert."
(Ps. xxviii. 4.) They are to be punished according to their
deeds, the nature and tendency of them, and according to the
wickedness of their endeavors, whether they accomplish what
they attempt or not. Again : " Thine hand shall find out all
thine enemies, thy right hand shall find out those that hate
thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of
thine anger," etc. " For they intended evil against thee ; they
imagined a mischievous device which they are not able to per-
form." (Ps. xxi. 8, etc.) According to the objection, their in-
tending evil against God, and imagining a mischievous de-
vice, which they were not able to perform, ought to have been
given as a reason why they should not be punished, whereas
it is here mentioned as a reason why God would certainly
punish them.

And as God, in punishing the wicked forever, will do no
more to them than they would have done to him, had it been
in their power, — and surely this is but a just and equitable
punishment, which they fully deserve, if they deserve any at
all, — they will rebel against him, and trample on his authori-
ty and laws, let what will be the consequence to him. He
would have been dethroned, and made infinitely miserable for-
ever, had they been able to bring it to pass. This is the ten-
dency of their treatment of him, and this must have been the
effect, had he not been able to defend himself against them,
and counteract their endeavors. And do they not deserve to
be treated after the same manner by him, and made eternally
miserable ? Would any punishment short of this be in any
measure answerable to the crime ? If they have cast God be-
hind their back, and cared nothing for his honor, interest, or
happiness, do they not deserve to be cast off by God, and that
he should take no care of their interest or happiness ? Their
hearts have been full of mischievous devices against God, and
all they have done has tended to destroy him, his happiness,
and kingdom ; and will it not be just to bring the mischief ou
their own heads, and give them over to endless misery ?

CONFIRMED BY REASON. 445

Among the laws given by Moses to Israel is the following
one : " If a false witness rise up against any man, to testify
against him that which is wrong, the judges shall make dili-
gent inquisition ; and behold, if the witness be a false witness,
and testified falsely against his brother, then shall ye do unto
him as he had thought to have done unto his brother. And
thine eye shall not pity, but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth
for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." (Deut. xix. 16, etc.) This
law requires them to punish the man, who, by false Avitness,
thought and endeavored to bring evil on his brother, by inflict-
ing that very evil on him, though his brother received not the
least hurt by it. All will doubtless say this is a righteous law,
and it is but just that such an evil-designing man should be
thus punished. And will it be unrighteousness in God,
who ordered this law, to act by the same rule in punishing
those who have borne false witness against him and his char-
acter, and have attempted to bring ruin on him and all his
friends, by giving them up to eternal destruction, though he
and his kingdom have received no hurt by their wicked
attempts ?

As God and his kingdom are infinitely distinguished from
every thing else in their infinite greatness, excellence, and im-
portance, so rebellion against him, and opposition to his inter-
est and kingdom, and an attempt to destroy the whole, must
be equally distinguished from any other possible or supposable
crime, and, therefore, it is right and proper that it should have
an equally distinguished punishment, that is, an endless one..
A temporary punishment, which is infinitely less than this,
and infinitely less than the evil of sin, cannot answer the end
of punishment; it will neither express the evil or crime of in-
juring the infinitely great Jehovah, nor serve in the least de-
gree to show his infinite worth, grandeur, and greatness, but
speak a contrary language, viz., that his being, character, and
kingdom are of infinitely less worth than they really are, and
so would be a real dishonor to him. *

If one who has defamed the character of a worthy person-
age, being prosecuted, convicted, and condemned, should be
punished only by paying a small fine, viz., one penny or shil-
ling, the language of this would be, that the character of
the person defamed was worth no more, and, therefore, would
be so far from answering to the injury, and wiping off" the re-
proach, that it would really fasten the disgrace upon him, and
his character would suffer more than if the criminal had not
been condemned and punished. And if God should punish
rebels against him, who have defamed him, and highly in-
jured his character, with a temporary punishment only, thisr
VOL. II. 38

446 ENDLESS PUNISHMENT

would be as far from answering to his infinitely superior, ex-
cellent, and important character, and properly vindicating it, as
if no punishment at all were inflicted ; yea, it would be infinite-
ly worse than none, and really degrade his character, and be a
reproach to him. In this case, a just punishment must be
answerable to the infinitely amiable, worthy, and important
character which is injured and blasphemed ; that is, such a
punishment as is suited to express the greatness of the injury
done, and the infinite worthiness of him who is injured, and thus
take oft" the reproach cast upon him. But this can be no less
than an endless punishment. Therefore such a punishment is
just; it is deserved, and must be inflicted, if there be any pun-
ishment at all, in order to vindicate the divine character.

But there are other objections against the infinite evil of sin,
and the sinner's desert of endless punishment, which must be
considered.

Obj. 1. It is said, that as all creatures are finite, they are
not capable of infinite guilt, or of committing a crime that
has an infinite degree of evil in it, or that is in any respect
infinite.

Ans. 1. This objection is obviated by what has been said in
proving the infinite evil of sin, viz., that this results from the
greatness and excellence of the being against which it is com-
mitted ; and depends not at all on the degree of existence of
him who ofters the abuse. If a finite creature can affi'ont and
abuse his Creator, who is infinitely gi'eat and worthy, he can
be guilty of an infinite crime ; because the greatness of the
injury does not arise from the greatness of him who offers it,
but from the character of him who is injured.

Ans. 2. If a creature should actually put an end to his
Maker's existence, or dethrone him and destroy his kingdom,
his crime would be truly infinite, all will grant. But to desire
and attempt this, and do that which would certainly effect
it, were it not prevented by a superior power, is to be guilty
of the same crime, so far as the criminal is concerned, and
therefore must be infinitely great, and deserve the same pun-
ishment as if the effect had actually followed. The infinite
magnitude of the crime, in this case, does not in the least de-
gree depend upon the greatness of the criminal, or the degree
of existence of which he is possessed.

Ans. 3. Agreeably to this, when a crime is committed, men
do not first inquire into the greatness or smallness of the perpe-
trator, in order to determine the magnitude of the crime ; but
consider the nature of the crime, and the injury done, and who
is injured, etc. If an abject, dependent slave burns his mas-
ter's house, and destroys him and his whole family, or attempts

CONFIRMED BY REASON. 447

to do it, his inferiority and dependence on his master do not
extenuate his crime in the judgment of men, but rather aggra-
vate it, and no one will offer this as a plea in his favor, or as
a reason for a mitigation of his punishment.

And here it may be observed, that it is equally unreason-
able, and contrary to the common sense and practice of men,
to say that an infinite crime cannot be committed in the short
space of human life, and that men cannot deserve endless
punishment for the sins of a few years ; for, as the infinity of
the crime does not depend on the greatness of the offender, so
neither does it depend on the length of time in which it is
perpetrated. In judging of crimes, and the degree of punish-
ment they deserve, men do not inquire what length of time
was spent in committing them ; but what is the nature of
them, and what is done. And men are condemned to death,
or imprisonment during life, for crimes which were perpetrated
in a few minutes.

Obj. 2. It is said, if every sin be an infinite evil, a crime of
infinite magnitude, then all crimes must be equal ; for none
can be greater than infinite ; which is contrary to reason and
Scripture.

Answer. This consequence does not follow from the doc-
trine of the infinite evil of sin, as it has been stated. Two
crimes may be both infinite in their criminality and ill desert,
as committed against God, and yet, in other respects, one may
be greatly aggravated and criminal above the other, being
committed against more light and greater warnings, and an
abuse of greater favors. They both deserve endless punish-
ment, but one deserves a greater degree of punishment than
the other. It is easy to conceive two persons deserving and
suffering endless punishment, and yet one deserving and suf-
fering a much greater degree of pain or punishment than the
other. And is it not as easy to conceive of two persons being
infinitely guilty, as rebels against the Monarch of the universe,
and yet, in other respects, the rebellion of one be much more
criminal than that of the other? This may be illustrated by
the following similitude : Two cords or cylinders extended
without end, and, in this respect, both equally infinite, may bo
of very different diameters, and, in that respect, one much
larger than the other.

Obj. 3. If sin be an infinite evil because committed against
an infinite object, then the virtue and holiness of creatures
must be infinitely good, excellent, and praiseworthy, because
exercised towards the same infinite object, which is too absurd
to be admitted.

Answer. This consequence does by no means follow.

448 ENDLESS PUNISHMENT

Creatures can do more mischief, by rebellion, and take more
from God, than they can do good, or give to him, by their
obedience. Here there is an infinite ditt'erence. It has been
shown that sin takes all from God, and in its very nature and
tendency destroys all the good in the universe, and would
actually do it, were it not counteracted by omnipotence, infi-
nite wisdom, and goodness; but the obedience and holiness of
creatures is not to be estimated by the object towards which
it is exercised, but by the subject, by him who exercises it, or
the degree and quantity given to God. All that a finite crea-
ture can give is but finite ; he can give no more than himself,
and therefore what he gives is infinitely short of infinite — it is
as nothing compared with the object towards which it is ex-
ercised, or to whom it is given.

Ob.i. 4. Though God be infinitely great, excellent, and wor-
thy, yet finite minds can have no conception of that which is
infinite. The infinity of God is altogether inconceivable to
them, and out of their sight, and all their ideas must be limited.
But that of which they can have no idea or conception can have
no influence on the mind, and therefore cannot increase the
obfigation of creatures so as to render it greater than if the
object was finite; consequently, a creature cannot be under in-
finite obligations from God's infinite greatness and excellence.
Answer. It is certainly not true that a finite mind can have
no conception of an infinite being different from that which
he has of one who is finite ; because this is contrary to our
experience in the consciousness of the ideas that are in our
own minds. If men could have no idea of that which is
infinite different from that which they have of a finite object,
they could not reason, nor speak an intelligible word about it,
wliich the objector himself thinks he can do, and is actually
doing it while he is making the objection. And if we con-
sult our own feelings, we find that we feel otherwise towards
that which we conceive to be infinite than we could if we
thought it was not so. The instance before us will sufficiently
prove this. Are we not conscious that we ought to be affected
with the infinite being and perfection of God, inexpressibly
otherwise than towards any finite being ? And if so, then his
infinity, or his being infinitely great and good, brings an obli-
gation on us to respect and love him, which we could not be
under were he not infinite. And if that which is infinite, viz.,
infinite greatness, authority, and excellence, binds us, and the
greatness of the obligation arises from the infinity of the object,
then it must be an infinite obligation.

When W(; think of future life and happiness, we easily and
necessarily distinguish between temporary and endless happi-

CONFIRMED BY REASON. 449

ness, and prefer the latter to the former feeling, in some sense,
the infinite difterence. And when we attend to infinite or
endless punishment, and argue for or against it, we feel that
this is infinitely more dreadful than any finite evil, and cannot
but dread it unspeakably more, and be sensible that it affords
an inexpressibly stronger motive not to rebel against God than
any finite punishment can ; and that it is infinitely greater folly
and madness to provoke God to cast us into such punishment
than to expose ourselves to one infinitely less. Therefore, the
reason and experience of every man, if properly attended to,
will teach him that the objection is without founflation.

The evidence that sin is properly an infinite evil, and has in
its nature infinite ill desert, has now been considered, and ob-
jections have been examined and obviated ; and the reader is
to judge whether it may not be proved, even to a demonstra-
tion, that all sin deserves infinite or endless punishment. But
as the infinite evil of sin appears from another consideration,
it may be further observed, —

6. The atonement which has been made for sin, in order to
the sinner's being pardoned, shows that there is infinite ill
desert in sin.

They who acknowledge the divinity of Christ, and, con-
sequently, his infinite greatness and worthiness, must also
acknowledge that the atonement he has made for sin, by his
obedience and sufferings, has infinite worth and merit, and is
as great and considerable as the person who gave himself to
be the propitiation for the sins of men. But if sin be not an
infinite evil, then this atonement is infinitely more and greater
than was necessary in order to open the way for the pardon
of it ; and the Mediator is infinitely greater and more worthy
than it was necessary he should be, in order to make atone-
ment for sin. One end of the atonement which Christ made
for sin was, to show what evil there is in sin, and its ill de-
sert. But this is every way sufficient to atone for sin which
has infinite ill desert; therefore, this declares sin to be an in-
finite evil, or to deserve infinite or endless punishment. Con-
sequently, to deny that there is infinite evil in sin, is, in effect,
to deny the divinity of our Savior, or the truth which is
declared in the atonement which he has made for sin.

It being thus evident, beyond all contradiction, that all sin
is infinitely criminal, and deserves endless punishment, so that
God may justly inflict it, and must do it, if he lays judgment
to the line and righteousness to the plummet, and punishes
sinners according to their desert, it hence appears further evi-
dent and certain, that this punishment will be inflicted on all
who die in their sins, from those passages of Scripture which
38*

4rj0 ENDLESS PUNISHMENT

declare that God will reward them according to their works,
and inflict a punishment answerable to their desert.

This is often and abundantly asserted in Scripture. From
many instances of this, the following are selected : " Woe
unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him; for the reward of his
hands shall be given him." (Isa.iii. 11.) " Give them accord-
ing to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their
endeavors ; give them after the work of their hands ; render to
them their deserV (Ps. xxviii. 4.) " For the Son of man
shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and
then he shall reward every man according to his works."
(Matt. xvi. 27.) " But after thy hardness and impenitent
heart treasurest up wrath against the day of wrath, and reve-
lation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to
every man according to his deeds ; tribulation and anguish
upon every soul of man that doeth evil." (ROm. ii. 5.) " For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ ; that
every one may receive the things done in the body, according
to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." (2 Cor. v.
10.) " And the dead were judged oat of those things that
were written in the books, according to their works." (Rev.
XX. 12.) " Behold I come quickly ; and my reward is with
•me, to give to every man according as his work shall be."
(Rev. xxii. 12.)

All sin deserves endless punishment ; this is the proper
wages of sin, and God may most justly inflict it. God has
said, in his word, that he will punish sinners in the future
state, according to their ill desert; therefore, they will be
punished forever.

Secondly. It must be considered whether any good end
can be answered by inflicting an endless punishment on
creatures.

If no good end can be answered by thus punishing, and if
it be not, all things considered, necessary for the good of the
whole that any creature should be made miserable forever,
then it is not consistent with wisdom and goodness to inflict
such a punishment upon any, though they may deserve it,
and no injustice would be done to them by inflicting it. The
infinitely wise and good Governor of the world always has
some wise and good end in all he does, and never punishes his
creatures merely for the sake of punishing, or only to make
them miserable. This is strongly asserted by God himself,
when he says, " As I live, I have no pleasure in the death of
the wicked;" and, therefore, we may be sure he will not
punish them forever, though they deserve it, unless it be neces-
sary to prevent greater evil and answer the best and most
important purposes.

CONFIRMED BY REASON.

451

But if endless punishment, infinitely dreadful as it is, be
necessary to answer the highest and best ends, and to promote
the greatest good of the whole, and is an important and essen-
tial part of the most wise and benevolent administration in
the government of the world, then it is not only perfectly con-
sistent with infinite goodness, but it is the dictate and exercise
of goodness itself; and not to inflict this punishment, must be
infi^nitely disagreeable and crossing to unlimited goodness, and
demonstrate the want of benevolence. On this supposition,
then, all the objections which have been with such confidence
urged against endless punishment, from the goodness of God,
as being inconsistent with that, fall to the ground, and appear
highly unreasonable, childish, and absurd.

"We are, indeed, poor and very inadequate judges of the
ends and designs of God in all his administrations, in our
present situation and in this very imperfect and sinful state,
in which it is no uncommon thing for men to call God's wis-
dom and goodness in question, and say, His ways are not
equal ; therefore, though we were not able to see why there is
to be endless punishment, and understand what wise and good
ends God designs to answer by it, yet, since he has revealed
to us that he will punish the wicked forever, it would be very
unbecoming, yea, intolerable arrogance, for men to say no good
end can bs answered by it, or even doubt of the wisdom and
goodness of this part of the divine administration.

But we are not left wholly in the dark with regard to this
part of God's w^ays. In the sober exercise of our reason,
assisted by divine revelation, we are able to justify God in
punishing"the wicked forever, and to see and rejoice in some
of the infinitely important, wise, and good ends which will be
answered by this awful, tremendous branch of the divine gov-
ernment, in which God will do terrible things in righteous-
ness, so that the great good that shall be produced by it will
infinitely overbalance and swallow up all the evil.

The following considerations will be sufficient, it is pre-
sumed, to illustrate and establish this point: —

I. All will grant it is not only just that criminals should
be punished according to their deserts, but it is an expression
of wisdom and goodness in a governor or judge thus to pun-
ish them, when this is suitable and necessary to maintain
authority, law, and government, and deter others from the like
crimes ; and in this case, to refuse or neglect to punish, can
proceed from nothing but a defect in true benevolence and
goodness. Punishments are, therefore, found necessary in
human government, in order to prevent greater evil, and pro-
mote the public good ; so that every true friend to the pubhc

452

ENDLESS PUNISHMENT

and the greatest common good must be a friend to such
punishments.

And who can think himself able to determine that eternal
punishment is not proper and necessary, as a means, to an-
swer these ends in the divine government, which is infinitely
extended and everlasting? And if he cannot certainly deter-
mine such punishments to be unnecessary and useless, he has
no warrant to conclude it is not perfectly agreeable to infinite
goodness to inflict it. Why is it not as much suited, and as
necessary, as a means to restrain creatures from sin, as any
kind or degree of punishments in human governments ? AVho
dare say, or think, that the punishment of the fallen angels,
who are reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto
the judgment of the great day, has had no influence on the
angels who have not sinned, and has not been a means of
preserving and confirming them in obedience ? And though
it be certain that the redeemed from among men will, after
they are made perfect, continue in obedience and holiness
forever, yet this will not be effected without means, and this
may, and doubtless will be one, even the everlasting punish-
ment of the wicked, the smoke of whose punishment will rise
up in their sight forever and ever. No punishment but an
endless one can answer this end. God ordered punishments
in Israel, even the greatest that perhaps could be inflicted in
this w^orld, viz., that transgressors should be publicly stoned
to death, that others might hear, and fear, and hereby be
restrained from sin. Endless punishment may be as neces-
sary in the future state to answer the same end.

II. It is desirable, and of the greatest importance, that all
the divine perfection — his whole character and glory, even
all that is amiable and excellent in God — should be acted
out and displayed in the sight of his creatures, that his friends
may be under the best advantage to see it, and enjoy God,
and adore and praise him forever. This is as desirable and
important as it is that God should be glorified to the highest
degree ; for this is done only by such a manifestation and
display of his excellence and perfections, and in the conse-
quent love and praise of his creatures. And this is as desira-
ble and important as the highest happiness of the servants of
God, the members of his eternal kingdom; for their happiness
must consist summarily in the knowledge and enjoyment of
God — in beholding his glory, and loving and glorifying him.
But they know and enjoy him no further than he is mani-
fested to ihcm in his glorious perfection by his works; and
their happiness will be in degree answerable to this display
of the divine perfections, and is promoted by every thing by
which God is glorified.

CONFIRMED BY REASON. 453

But the eternal punishment of the wicked is suited to pro-
mote and answer these desirable and important ends, and is
necessary in order to their being accomplished most perfectly,
and to the highest degree. This will appear by descending
to particulars.

1. The terrible majesty of God, and the infinite dreadfulness
of his displeasure and wrath, could not be fully displayed and
known, did he not inflict eternal punishment on any of his
creatures who deserve it.

Terrible majesty and wrath are ascribed to God in the
inspired writings, as included in his amiableness and glorious
perfection, his absolutely perfect character, for which he is
worthy to be loved and adored. And his terribleness and
wrath are equal in degree to his infinite existence and capaci-
ty, and, therefore, are infinitely great and dreadful. And if it
be agreeable and desirable that there should be a God of infi-
nite terribleness and wrath, it is equally desirable that this
should appear, and be discovered and displayed, in the works
of God. But this cannot be done in any way or degree,
unless it be by terrible acts, or works, by which evil is inflicted
on creatures.* If there were no possible evil in the universe,
and God never did or would inflict any evil on his creatures
as a punishment for their sins, there could be no possible ap-
pearance of terrible majesty in God, or of any displeasure and
wrath ; for that being from whom no evil, no pain or suffering,
ever did or ever will come, has no wrath, or any thing that is
terrible or awful. And as God's terrible majesty appears, and
is acted out, only by his inflicting evil, so this appears great
in proportion to the evil inflicted. Therefore, infinite evil
must be inflicted, in order to express the infinitely terrible
majesty and wrath of God. Any finite evil or punishment
will be no proper expression of infinite terribleness and wrath,
but fall infinitely short of it. But endless punishment is a
full and proper expression of this, as it is an evil infinitely
terrible and dreadful, and can be inflicted by none but the
infinitely powerful and terrible Jehovah, who only is able, in
this way, to make a most glorious and eternal display of his
infinite power and wrath. And is not the answering this

* The threatening of eternal punishment against the transgressors of the
law of God is, indeed, an expression of infinite terror and wrath against sin,
if it be supposed it may and will be executed on any ; but if the punishment
threatened be only a temporary one, it is no proper expression of the terrible
majesty and wrath of God. And though endless punishment be threatened,
yet if it be known that it will never be executed in any instance, it will stand
for nothing, and be no expression of any thing terrible ; because the evil,
which aloue is terrible, lies in the execution of the threatening, and not in the
threatening itself, unconnected with the punishment threatened.

454 ENDLESS PUNISHMENT

important end one good reason why the wicked should be
punished according to their deserts ? " What if God, willing
to show his wrath, and make his power known, has deter-
mined to punish these vessels of wrath, fitted to such a
destruction — to punish them with everlasting destruction
from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power ? "

2. God's infinite displeasure and anger with sin and the
sinner, and the opposition of his heart to them, are properly
exhibited in punishing the sinner forever, but cannot be ex-
pressed by any temporary punishment.

Infinite hatred of that which is opposition to all good is
necessarily implied in infinite benevolence and goodness, and,
therefore, is essential to the divine character; and it cannot be
perfect and infinitely excellent without it, but directly the
contrary. It is, therefore, desirable and necessary that this
should appear, and be gloriously displayed, in God's conduct
towards sinners. One way to express this is in punishing the
sinner; but this cannot be done by any punishment but an
endless one, because the degree of hatred of sin manifested in
punishing it is in proportion to the degree of evil inflicted in
the punishment. An endless punishment, therefore, is neces-
sary to answer this important end. A temporary punishment
will be so far from expressing infinite opposition to sin, that
it expresses the contrary, viz., that God is infinitely less dis-
pleased at sin than an infinitely perfect and good being must
be ; and, therefore, would be worse than no punishment, and
really injure the divine character.

3. In the everlasting punishment of the wicked, the infinite
dignity and worthiness of God, and excellence of his law and
government, are expressed and asserted in a very advanta-
geous and striking manner; and this is one important end
and design of this punishment.

Sin is criminal, and the evil of it great, in proportion to the
dignity, excellence, and worth of the Governor of the world, as
has been shown. Therefore, so far as the evil of sin is discov-
ered, in the same degree are manifested God's greatness, dig-
nity, worthiness, and glory. But the everlasting punishment
of the sinner will be, in some respects, the strongest possible
expression of the infinite evil of sin, and, consequently, a bright
and affecting manifestation of the infinite worthiness and ex-
cellence of God, and the sacredness of his law and government.
By this punishment it will forever appear to angels and the
redeemed — yea, to all intelligences — what an infinitely evil
and bitter thing it is to sin against God; and by means of
this, God will be eternally seen and exalted in his infinite
greatness, worth, and excellence, as he could not be were there

CONFIRMED BY REASON. 455

no such punishment; and it will, consequently, be the occa-
sion of joy and praise in heaven, by which God will be honored
and exalted forever.

A finite punishment, which is punishing the sinner infinitely
less than he deserves, \vould be so far from answering this
end, that it would have a contrary tendency, and reflect dis-
honor on God, and represent him as infinitely less honorable
and excellent than he is. It hence appears, that endless pun-
ishment is as important and necessary as is the most clear
manifestation of God's infinite worthiness and glory, and his
asserting and maintaining his own rights, dignity, and honor,
and the infinite importance and excellence of his law and
government, to the greatest advantage of the universe, him-
self, and the creation.

4. Endless punishment is suited, and necessary, to make the
brightest everlasting display of the righteousness and good-
ness of God.

It has been observed that infinite anger and displeasure
against sin is essential to infinite goodness; and it must be
further observed now, that such displeasure and anger is good-
ness itself, opposing, and kindled up into wrath, against that
which opposes and tends to destroy what infinite goodness
seeks. Infinite goodness seeks the greatest good of the whole,
and, therefore, must be infinitely displeased with that which
sets itself against all good ; therefore, the more this displeasure
and anger is manifested, the greater is the manifestation of
divine goodness. But this cannot be properly and fully mani-
fested but by inflicting infinite evil on the obstinate, confirmed
enemies of all good. Hence it appears, that the greater the
evil is which is inflicted on the obstinate sinner, if it be just,
the greater is the display of divine goodness ; and, therefore,
to inflict endless punishment on such who deserve it, is a
display both of the righteousness and infinite goodness of
God, which could not be made in any finite punishment.

If a subject turn enemy to a whole kingdom, and do all in
his power to destroy both the king and the people, and obsti-
nately persist in his rebellion, the king must be displeased and
angry in proportion to his goodness, his benevolent regard to
the highest good of his kingdom ; and in this case, his good-
ness must be exercised and acted out, in expressing his dis-
pleasure, by punishing the obstinate offender; and to neglect
to punish him, or to inflict a small and light punishment, un-
speakably less than his crime deserves, would be so far from
expressing any goodness, that it would demonstrate the want
of it ; and, on the contrary, punishing him according to his de-
sert would be the highest evidence he could give, in this case,
of his benevolence and goodness.

456 ENDLESS PUNISHMENT

And why is not this equally true of the Governor of the
universe? If it be, then endless punishment must be one
essential part of his government, as necessary to display, in
the clearest light, his infinite righteousness and goodness.

Thus it appears, from the view given of it under this head,
that endless punishment will serve to manifest and display the
divine perfections and character, and in what way and man-
ner it w\\\ do this, and why it is necessary in order to answer
this infinitely important end, so much to the glory of God, and
consequently for the good and happiness of all who love him.

But that infinite goodness is exercised and displayed in
punishing the wicked forever, will be more fully proved under
the next head ; where it will be particularly considered, as it
respects and will promote the general good, the glory and
happiness of the kingdom of God.

III. The eternal punishment of the wicked will many ways
promote the highest good of the blessed, especially the re-
deemed from among men, and is the most proper and necessary
means of their unspeakably greater degree of holiness and
happiness forever than could otherwise take place ; and, there-
fore, must be agreeable to infinite goodness, and a strong
expression of it.

The exercise and manifestation of God's displeasure against
his enemies, and the enemies of his church and people, in con-
demning and punishing them according to their deserts and
evil deeds, and vindicating his servants and their cause, and
saving and delivering them from the hand and power of their
adversaries, causing them to triumph over all that injured them,
is certainly an instance and expression of his righteousness
and goodness. The Holy Scriptures every where represent it
in this light, of which every person, attentive to his Bible,
must be sensible. God, in vindicating the righteous cause of
his servants, by delivering and saving them, and manifesting
his high displeasure against their enemies, by condemning and
punishing them as they deserve, exercises and displays his
righteousness ; and, at the same time this righteousness is
nothing but kindness and mercy to his church and people;
and the more his displeasure and anger towards his and their
enemies is manifested in the greatness of the righteous punish-
ment inflicted upon them, the greater is the expression of his
goodness to them, and they are unspeakably more happy in
the righteousness of God and in his love and favor to them,
than they could have been had they not been thus vindicated
and delivered, and their enemies had not been destroyed and
punished with everlasting destruction ; therefore, the righteous-
ness of God, as it respects this case, is often spoken of in

CONFIRMED BY REASON. 457

Scripture as including his goodness ; and righteousness and
salvation are words frequent used as synonymous, as every
careful reader of his Bible must have observed. The follow-
ing passages, among a multitude of others, serve to illustrate
these observations : " Deliver me in thy righteousness, and
cause me to escape. Let them be confounded and consumed
that are adversaries to my soul. But I will yet praise thee
more and more. My mouth shall shew forth thy righteous-
ness, and thy salvation all the day." (Ps. Ixxi. 2, 13, etc.)
" For thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.
And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them
that afflict my soul." (Ps. cxliii. 11, 12.) " By terrible things
in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation."
(Ps. Ixv. 5.) " Rejoice, O ye nations, his people ; for he will
avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance
to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to
his people." (Deut. xxxii. 43.)

Therefore, the divine vengeance and eternal punishment
that shall be inflicted on the wicked is represented in Scrip-
ture to be in the clear and full view of the redeemed and
inhabitants of heaven, as a means of exciting and greatly in-
creasing their love, joy, and praise. Speaking of the wicked,
he says, " God shall destroy thee forever. The righteous also
shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him." (Ps. lii. 5, 6.)
" He shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living,
and in his wrath. The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth
the vengeance ; he shall wash his feet in the blood of the
wicked." (Ps. Iviii. 9, 10.) " Render unto our neighbors seven-
fold into their bosoms, their reproach wherewith they have
reproached thee, O Lord. So we, thy people, will give thee
thanks forever." (Ps. Ixxix. 12, 13.) " Only with thine eyes
shalt thou behold, and see the reward of the wicked." (Ps.
xci. 8.) "And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses
of the men that have transgressed against me; for their worm
shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched ; and they
shall be an abhorring unto all flesh." (Isa. Ixvi. 24.) " And
he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone, in the presence
of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and the
smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever." (Rev
xiv. 10.) " Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apos-
tles and prophets ; for God hath avenged you on her." (Rev.
xviii. 20.) " After these things I heard a great voice of much
people in heaven, saying. Alleluia ; salvation, and glory, and
honor, and power, unto the Lord our God ; for true and right-
eous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great whore,
which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath
VOL. 11. 39

458 ENDLESS PUNISHMENT

avenged the blood of his servants at lier hand. And again
they said, Alleluia, and her smoke rose up forever and ever."
(Rev. xix. 1, etc.)

None, surely, will dispute the goodness of God in punishing
his enemies, and the enemies of his church and kingdom, so
far, and as long, as shall be necessary to secure and promote
the best interest and highest happiness and glory of all who
belong to this kingdom ; for that goodness itself should do
this, is agreeable to common sense and reason. And this is
asserted in the Holy Scripture. God there represents himself as
giving people and nations up to ruin and destruction, for the
sake of his church, as the effect and expression of his love and
goodness. " I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel,
thy Savior : I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba
for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast
been honorable, and I have loved thee ; therefore will I give
men for thee, and people for thy life." (Is. xliii. 3, 4.) In
these words there is reference to the destruction of Pharaoh
and the Egyptians, for the sake of Israel, that they might be
delivered to the greatest advantage to themselves, as an ex-
ample of what God would yet do for his church. And when
we see Moses and that people rejoicing and praising God, for
his goodness in overthrowing and taking vengeance on his and
their enemies in such a signal and dreadful manner, we ap-
prove of it as reasonable, for it was, viewed in all its connec-
tions and consequences, a wonderful act of divine goodness.
Therefore it is celebrated as such, and made matter of solemn,
joyful praise to God in Ps. cxxxvi. " To Him that smote
Egypt in their first born ; for his mercy endureth forever. To
Him which divided the Red Sea into parts, and made Israel to
pass through the midst of it ; for his mercy endureth forever.
But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea ; for his
mercy endureth forever."

And if this was such a remarkable instance of God's good-
ness and mercy, thus to punish and destroy Pharaoh and the
Egyptians, for the sake of his church, to promote their good
and happiness, when he could have delivered them without
this destruction, but not so much to his glory and their ad-
vantage, and in this God made a display of his glorious char-
acter and infinite goodness, as matter of admiration, joy, and
praise to his church, and to be celebrated forever; then it is
equally an instance of his goodness, yea, an infinitely greater
and more remarkable instance of it, and proportionably brighter
display of his glorious character, and greater matter of eternal
joy and praise, to punish forever the impenitent enemies of
his redeemed church, this being necessary, in order to promote

CONFIRMED BY REASOA. 459

their highest good, to make their redemption most complete
and glorious, and raise them to the greatest height of felicity
and glory.

It is now to be more particularly considered and shown how
the everlasting punishment of the wicked is suited, and even
necessary, to answer these ends.

It has been already observed and shown how well suited
and necessary endless punishment is, to make a full and most
glorious display of the divine character, in the view of the
blessed. In this will be seen, as could not be seen so clearly and
to such advantage by any other medium, or without this, the
infinite greatness, power, and terrible majesty of Jehovah;
and also his infinite excellence and worthiness, and his hatred
and displeasure, his indignation and wrath against sin, and
his infinite benevolence and goodness, to which sin is opposed.
The smoke of their torment shall ascend up in the sight of
the blessed forever and ever, and serve, as a most clear glass,
always before their eyes, to give them a constant, bright, and
most affecting view of all these. And all this display of the
divine character and glory will be in favor of the redeemed,
and most entertaining, and give the highest pleasure to all
who love God, and raise their happiness to ineffable heights,
whose felicity consists summarily in the knowledge and en-
joyment of God. This eternal punishment must therefore be
unspeakably to their advantage, and will add such immense
degrees of glory and happiness to the kingdom of God, as in-
conceivably to overbalance all they will suffer, who shall fall
under this righteous punishment, and render it all, in this view
and connection, an infinite good. But it will further appear
how useful and necessary the endless punishment of the
wicked is, to the highest good and happiness of the redeemed,
and all the friends of God, by attending to the following
particulars: —

1. The eternal existence of sin, in all its horrors, acted out
without restraint, with the infinite evil which is the natural
and just consequence of it, taking place in the sight of the in-
habitants of heaven, will serve to manifest and illustrate the
beauty, excellence, and worth of holiness, and the happiness
of all holy beings, and forever brighten the character of God
and all his friends, and render the blessed unspeakably more
sensible of their happiness, and of the beauty and happi-
ness of each other, than they could be if there were no such
contrast.

It is well known that contraries illustrate each other, and
that the greatest beauty cannot appear to the best advantage
without a shade ; that deformity gives a lustre to beauty, and

460 ENDLESS PUNISHMENT

evil mao^nifies and sweetens the contrary good. This con-
trast will take place to the highest |30ssible degree, and to the
greatest advantage forever, by endless punishment, and can-
not be without it ; therefore it is necessary to the highest hap-
piness and glory of heaven.

2. The eternal punishment of the wicked, in the sight of
the redeemed, will serve, incessantly, to keep fresh in their
view the infinite evil of sin, and, in the most effectual, lively
manner, teach them and make them feel their own infinite ill
desert, and the infinitely evil case in which they should have
been, had God treated them according to their deserts, and so
keep in clear and constant view the infinite guilt and misery
from which they have been redeemed, and maintain in their
minds a lively, growing sense of all this. There are many
other ways in which they are and will be taught these things,
but this will add great instruction, which they could not have
without it, and it is better suited than any other to keep up
their attention, and give them a more lively, constant, affect-
ing apprehension and sense of them. It is of great impor-
tance, and necessary, that the redeemed should be under the
best advantage to see these truths, in order to their glorifying
God in the best manner, and enjoying the highest happiness.
For,—

3. This is necessary in order to their most clearly seeing,
and celebrating to the highest degree, the goodness of God,
his astonishing grace and mercy in their redemption. Had
there been no sin, guilt, and misery, there could have been no
such thing as redeeming love and grace ever known or
thought of by creatures ; and this is great in proportion to the
greatness of the guilt, vileness, ill desert, and misery of the
sinner, and the former cannot be known any farther than the
latter are discovered and seen ; therefore, redeeming love and
goodness can be no farther seen and celebrated by the re-
deemed than they realize their ill desert and the infinite guilt
and misery from which they are redeemed. In the light of
this only is seen the goodness and sovereign grace of God to
them in their redemption ; and in proportion to their sight and
sense of this will they feel and adore the goodness of God to
the redeemed, and their hearts glow with the most, sincere,
sweet gratitude and joy, while they give all the praise and
glory to God, for the distinction made between them and
those who in their sight are forever unutterably miserable;
and their enjoyment and happiness, their love, gratitude, and
praise, will rise in proportion to their view and sense of God's
infinite, astonishing goodness and distinguishing sovereign
grace to them and all the redeemed. Therefore, while they

CONFIRMED BY REASON. 461

behold the damned, in all their sin and awful misery, and
doomed thus to sutfer without end, and this will be fully in-
their sight, it will be the occasion of their rising proportionably
high in their exercises of love and praise, and in the sweetest
sense of redeeming love and grace. And in them will be
most completely fulfilled the last words of the prophet Isaiah :
" And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to an-
other, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to
worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth,
and look upon the men that have transgressed against me ; for
their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched,
and they shall be an abhorring to all fiesh." The inhabitants
of heaven, while they are worshiping God, shall have in full
view the men that for their transgressions are cast into endless
burnings, and this sight will give them most clear and affect-
ing apprehensions of the infinite evil of sin, and the just de-
sert of it ; and in this light they will abhor sin and the sinners,
approve of God's righteous judgments, and see and adore the
infinite goodness and astonishing grace, by which they are re-
deemed from this infinite depth of sin and misery, which will
animate them in all their worship and praises, and unspeakably
add to their increasing felicity.

The apostle Paul sets the punishment of the wicked exactly
in this light. " What if God, willing to show his wrath and
make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the
vessels of wrath fitted to destruction ; and that he might
make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy,
which he had before prepared vinto glory ? " (Rom. ix. 22, 23.)
Here one end of God's showing his wrath and making his
power known in the eternal punishment of the wicked is rep-
resented to be, that he might make known the riches of his
glory on the vessels of mercy ; that is, that he might, by this
means, make known to the redeemed the riches of his glorious
grace exercised towards them in their salvation.

4. The endless punishment of the wicked being always in
the sight of the redeemed, will serve to manifest to them as
nothing else can, and keep constantly in their view, the power,
dignity, worthiness, love, and grace of the Redeemer, who was
able and willing to redeem them from such a state of sin and
punishment, of infinite guilt and wretchedness ; or, it will
make a bright and eternal display of the glorious character
and infinite worth of the Mediator.

They who suppose it would not be just to punish sinners

with everlasting destruction, or that it is inconsistent with the

goodness of God to punish them forever, make redemption a

very small and inconsiderable matter. It is really, according

39*

462 ENDLESS PUNISHMENT

to this, redemption from little or no evil, as it was nothing
very great to make atonement for sins which did not deserve
infinite evil, and which could not be punished with everlasting
destruction consistent with the goodness of God, and which
his goodness obliged him to pardon, and so make the sinner
happy, had there been no Redeemer; for men cannot be re-
deemed from evil which they do not deserve, or which cannot
be inflicted on them consistent with the goodness of God.
This sinks and hides the character of a Redeemer, and at once
reduces redemption to very little or nothing. The actual ex-
istence of eternal punishment, in the sight of all intelligent
creatures, will serve to confute these unworthy notions of God
and of redemption, and is necessary in order to do it most
effectually, and to set the Redeemer in an infinitely more
important and glorious light forever. His infinite greatness
and worth, the value and preciousness of his blood, appear in
that, by his sufferings and obedience unto death, he could
atone for such sins, and deliver from such punishment, and
merit and procure pardon and favor for such infinitely guilty,
ill-deserving creatures. And the almighty power and wonder-
ful condescension, love, and grace of Christ will appear in a
most affecting light, in his being able and willing to pluck such
vile, obstinate sinners from those everlasting burnings, and will,
by this punishment, be kept in fresh remembrance, and cause
his glorious character and works to be more and more known
and celebrated forever.

And all this will be in favor of the redeemed, and will add
unspeakably to their happiness ; for the more glorious Christ
appears to them, the more his dignity and worth come into
their view, and the greater their redemption appears to be, and
the clearer sight they have of the love and grace of the Re-
deemer, and tiie more indebted and obliged they are to him,
and the higher he is exalted in their salvation, so much the more
happy they must be, and with proportionably greater sweet-
ness and joy will they forever sing, " Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain, and has redeemed us to God by his blood, to
receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and hon-
or, and glory, and blessing, forever and ever."

Upon the whole, it aj)pears, from the view we have had of
this subject, so far from being inconsistent with the goodness
of God to punish sinners forever, that the ends of divine good-
ness are answered by this to the highest possible degree, and
as they could not be without it, or in any other possible way ;
so that it is utterly inconsistent with infinite goodness not to
punish them thus. This eternal punishment reflects such light
on the divine character, government, and works, especially

CONFIRMED BY REASON. 463

the work of redemption, and makes such a bright display of
the worthiness and grandeur of the Redeemer, and of divine
love and grace to the redeemed, and is the occasion of so
much happiness in heaven, and so necessary in order to the
highest glory and greatest increasing felicity of God's everlast-
ing kingdom, that, should it cease, and this fire could be ex-
tinguished, it would, in a great measure, obscure the light of
heaven, and put an end to great part of the happiness and
glory of the blessed, and be an irreparable detriment to God's
eternal kingdom, most contrary to infinite wisdom and good-
ness. And, however great an evil the endless misery of so
many millions is, in itself considered, yet, it being not only
just, but the necessary means of such infinite glory and hap-
piness to the kingdom of God, in this view, and in compari-
son with this, it sinks into nothing, and is wholly absorbed, as
to the evil of it, and lost in the unspeakable glory and felicity
of which it is the occasion, and is, on the whole, most desira-
ble, and really becomes, in this connection, an important good,
essential to the perfection of the divine government and the
highest glory and happiness of God's eternal kingdom. How
inconsiderate and unreasonable, then, must they be who dis-
believe the doctrine of endless punishment, and oppose it as
inconsistent with infinite goodness I *

* Some have argued from the aversion of a tender parent or fond mother to
the pain and sufferings of their children, by being cast into the fire, etc., and
from the desire that men profess to have that all men should be saved, that
these have more goodness than they ascribe to God who believe he will cast
multitudes of his creatures into everlasting burnings ; and hence infer that end-
less punishment is inconsistent with infinite goodness.

If there were any weight or propriety in this waj' of arguing, it proves that God
never did, nor ever will, infiict any evil on his creatures as much as it does that
he will not punish them forever. It proves, for instance, that he did not rain fire
and brimstone on the inhabitants of Sodom, and cause them, both old and
young, to welter in the keenest anguish till they expired ; and that ho does
not inflict those excruciating pains and tortures on children and others, which
tender parents and friends often behold with the utmost aversion, distress, and
anguish. And since this way of arguing is as much against known facts as it
is against endless punishment, it is certainly just as consistent with the exist-
ence of the latter as of the former, and therefore is not worthy of tlie least
regi^.rd. And when any one pretends to argue in this way, he discovers himself
to be a very shallow reasoner, or a stranger to uprightness and honesty. Had
Abraham reason to think ho had more goodness than his Maker, because ho
was shocked at the proposal of destroying the inhabitants of Sodom, and inter-
ceded for them r

When parents in Israel had a disobedient son, they were commanded to bring
him forth into public, and witness against him, that he might be stoned to
death. (Dent. xxi. 18-21.) If the parent's love and tenderness towards their
children led them to refuse to execute this law, or to look iipon it hard and
cruel, and reluct at the thought of having one of their children put to death in
this manner, had they reason to think the God of Israel severe and cruel, or
that he had less goodness than themselves r

A benevolent man may wish and pray for the salvation of all those whom he
sees, or that do exist in the world, as their salvation is, in itself considered, de-

464 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

SECTION V.

Questions and Answers relatin<^ to the Doctrine of Endless
Fiinishment.

Upon the subject, as it has been now stated, the following
queries may arise in the minds of some, which ought to be
answered : —

I. Though it be gi-anted that the blessed will receive great
advantage by the eternal destruction of such vast numbers of
the human race, and there will be unspeakably more happi-
ness in the kingdom of God than could be were there no such
punishment, yet how can it be consistent with goodness, or
even impartial justice, to make part of the human race happy
at the expense of the rest, and by means of their eternal
misery ? Would it not be much better for all to be free from
misery, and have a less and moderate share of happiness,
than for some to be so very miserable forever, as the mean-s of
the greater happiness of others? And would not this be more
agreeable to a benevolent, generous mind ? Would it not much
rather choose to have a less share of happiness, than to enjoy
more at such amazing expense and cost of his fellow-creatures,
even their everlasting misery ?

Ans. 1. Since they who shall be miserable forever do de-
serve this punishment, neither they nor any creature will have
any reason to complain because they are thus punished ; and
if God can, by executing justice on them, answer great and
important ends to himself, his government and kingdom, which
could not l)e obtained, but must be forever lost, without it,
and can render his kingdom unspeakably more happy and
glorious than it could otherwise be, surely all true friends to
God and his kingdom, who desire and seek the greatest good
of the whole, must be pleased and greatly rejoice in it.

sirablc, and he knows not that this is inconsistent with the general good. But
if any one, or a number, should be pointed out to him, who deserve to perish,
and ho shotild know that this was necessary for the glory of God and the good
of his kingdom, he would not ask nor desire that they should be saved, unless
his benevolence were very imperfect. When a king or judge condemns a crim-
inal to death, and sees the sentence executed because it is necessary for the
public good, is not this an act of goodness r Or shall wo tliink the tender
mother, wife, or child of the criminal, who wishes, and, in agonies of pity, im-
plores, his pardon and reprieve, and cannot bear the thought of his execution,
to have and show more benevolence and goodness than the king or judge?
And if these sliould boast of their benevolence, and represent the wise and
good judge as inexorably cruel, they would appear to the friends of good gov-
ernment and tlic public good just as do the advocates for universal salvation
when tlicy boast of this as the benevolent plan, and represent the opposers of it
as unchiu-itable, inhuman, and cruel.

RELATING TO ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 465

2. Since the good of which endless punishment will be the
means will be so vastly great as immensely to overbalance
the evil, so that it will be as nothing comjDared with the good,
every degree of evil producing millions of millions of degrees
of good and happiness, and there would be, on the whole, in-
finitely less good should this punishment cease, it must be the
dictate and choice of infinite benevolence thus to punish ; and
that must be a very partial, imperfect, defective goodness,
which, in this case, would give up the greatest general good
for the sake of an infinitely less good to some unworthy indi-
viduals. Such a disposition is not true benevolence, but the
contrary. This has been observed before, and it is presumed
is evident beyond all possible doubt. Therefore, —

3. The generous, benevolent mind, which desires and seeks
the greatest good of the whole, the glory of God, and the
greatest glory and happiness of his kingdom, must choose and
be pleased with that just, eternal misery of the wicked, which
is so necessary to promote this to the highest degree, and the
greater and more generous and benevolent the mind is, the
more pleasure will it take in such a plan ; and he only, whose
heart is contracted, partial, and selfish, and consequently an
enemy to the greatest general good, will object and oppose it.

All will allow there may be wisdom and goodness in sub-
jecting a person to a great degree of deserved evil, in order to
promote his unspeakably greater good, so that the evil he
suffers becomes the means of his immensely greater happiness
forever, and that this is vastly preferable to no suffering and
misery. In this case, therefore, the misery suffered is, on the
whole, a good ; it being the necessary means of making him
unspeakably more happy than he could have been, had he
not suffered. For that which is the necessary means of so
much good, though in itself undesirable and evil, is, in this
connection, a real good.

This may serve to illustrate the case before us. Here, in-
deed, the person who suffers does not enjoy the good of which
his sufferings are the means, but the happy part of the com-
munity. Nevertheless, when we consider that they who are
miserable suffer justly, and this becomes the means of infi-
nitely greater good to the whole, we must be sensible that, as
in the case proposed, suffering is much preferable to no suffer-
ing, and, on the whole, becomes a great good ; it must be so
in the case under consideration. For the evil is, in itself, no
greater from those particular persons suffering, and not others;
and the good, of which those sufferings are the means, is as
great and desirable as if they who enjoy it had themselves been
the subjects of the sufferings, were this possible.

466 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

II. It may be queried, whether it be not undesirable, and
must not be considered as an uiihappiness, that all this good
cannot take place without any suHering. Would not this be
infinitely better and more agreeable, if it were possible ? And
surely this is possible with God. If it be not, must not this
be crossing and the source of uneasiness and regret to the in-
finitely good Being, and to all his benevolent friends ?

Ans 1. It is certain that God hath taken this method to
promote the highest good of the universe, by ordering things
so that a great degree of sin and suffering should exist in
order to it. Infinite benevolence seeks the greatest good of
the whole ; therefore, if this could be effected as well, and to
as great a degree, without any sin or suffering, God would
have prevented the existence of these ; consequently, all this
sin and misery do take place because they are necessary to the
greatest good of the whole, so that it could not be obtained in
any other way.

All must allow that God will answer some good end by all
the sin and misery in the world, which could not be so well
answered without them ; or confess that his government and
administrations are imperfect and unwise ; and if the evil that
has actually taken place is designed, and necessary to answer
the most important and best end, then it may be as necessary,
for the same reason, that it should continue forever, to answer
the same end to the highest degree ; and that it is so, and the
reason of it, has been shown above. This, therefore, being a
known fact, cannot be disputed ; and we may hence conclude
there is nothing undesirable and disagreeable in it ; yea, we
are certain there is not, if it be desirable that the greatest good
of the whole should take place.

2. Infinite power is not an ability to effect impossibles, or to
make contradictions consistent ; for not to be able to do this
is no defect of power, as these are not the objects of power any
more than sound is the object of sight; and there is nothing
disagreeable in this, but, on the contrary, it would be unde-
sirable there should be any such power, were it possible.

It is impossible that a creature should be made capable of
enjoying an infinite degree of happiness in a limited duration
— just as impossible as it is that he should be a God ; nor
can creatures be happy unless some method be taken, and
means used, to make them so. Should any one ask why
every creature is not made to enjoy as great a degree of hap-
piness as his Creator, and why there are not millions of crea-
tures more than there are, or ever will be, (for God cannot
create so many that this question may not be asked — "Why
did he not create more ?") and why they might not all be thus

RELATING TO ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 467

happy, without any way being taken, or means used, to make
them so, and whether it will not be eternally considered as an
unhappiness, and matter of grief and regret, that all this can-
not be, he may be answered, that all these are, in their own
nature, absolutely impossible, as they imply a contradiction,
and, therefore, not desirable, but the contrary; for what is
impossible, and implies a contradiction, is not desirable, and,
therefore, this can give no uneasiness to a perfect mind.

And is not this a sufficient and satisfactory answer to the
query proposed ? A Being of infinite power, wisdom, and
goodness can be under no restraint; and the highest possible
good of the universe will be effected by ways and means that
are most wise and best. This is all that a perfectly good
mind can wish and desire; and, therefore, there can be no
possible ground of the least uneasiness to such a mind, but
every thing is perfectly suited to give it all the enjoyment and
happiness that can be desired.

III. If it be granted that endless punishment were neces-
sary, and would answer all the good ends which have been
mentioned had there been no Mediator and Redeemer, yet,
since the Son of God has, in the human nature, suffered the
curse, even that which, considering his infinite greatness and
dignity, is equivalent to the eternal sufferings of men, — so
that God may be just, and maintain and honor his own char-
acter, law, and government, in pardoning and granting com-
plete salvation to sinners for Christ's sake, and in his suffer-
ings may be seen clearly displayed all those things that have
been mentioned as manifested in the endless punishment of
siniaers, — and since the merits of Christ are as sufficient for
the salvation of all, as of only a part of the human race. —
since all this is true, it is queried. Why is it necessary or
proper that any of mankind should suffer eternal punishment?
Are not all the ends of suffering answered in the sufferings of
Christ? What need, then, is there of endless punishment?

Answer. It is granted that the mediation and sufferings
of Christ have so far answered the law, and the end of the
punishment therein denounced against sin, that God may,
consistent with his character and law, pardon and save every
one of the human race who believes in Christ, being heartily
pleased with his mediatorial character and works, as by his
sufferings for sinners the same and as much regard and honor
is paid to the divine character, law, and government, as if
they had suffered forever; and hereby are manifested the infi-
nite evil of sin, and the infinite ill desert and misery of the
sinner, and the wonderful love and grace of God ; and, there-
fore, in this view and sense, what Christ hath done and suf-

468 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

fered for man is as sufficient for the salvation of any one as
of another, and for all as for part of the human race.

Nevertheless, this does not lay God vmder the least obliga-
tion actually to save all ; and it still remains for his infinite
wisdom and goodness to determine this : whether all shall
be saved, or only part of mankind ; and if but part, how great
a part, and what individuals shall be included in that number,
so as shall, in the best manner and highest degree, answer the
ends of redemption, and promote the greatest good of the
whole.

And though the sufferings of Christ do lay a sufficient
foundation for the salvation of sinners, and make a bright and
glorious display of those truths which have been mentioned
relating to the divine perfections, law, sin, etc., yet the eternal
sufferings of some of the human race may be necessary to
make and continue a manifestation of these things to the best
advantage, and so as to promote the greatest happiness of the
blessed ; yea, in all respects as necessary as if Christ had not
suffered ; necessary in order to complete, or fully accomplish,
the ends of Christ's suiierings ; so that redemption by Christ
would, without this, be very imperfect, as all the ends of
divine wisdom and goodness could not be answered if all
were saved. And that this is really so is abundantly evident
from what has been said, concerning the ends that will be
answered by eternal punishment, in the preceding section.

The sufferings of Christ are a peculiar and striking mani-
festation of the sacredness of the divine law, God's hatred of
sin, and the infinite evil and malignity of it — a manifestation
which could not have been so fully made, had not Christ suf-
fered as he did. Nevertheless, the eternal sufferings of sinners
are suited, in many respects, to instruct and affect creatures
as the sufferings of Christ alone could not; and the former
are necessary to be joined with the latter, that the display and
instruction may be most full and complete. The sufferings
of Christ were temporary, and soon over, and, though they
never will be forgotten, yet they cannot be so clearly in view
as the present, constant, endless sufferings of the wicked ; and
the latter will be the means of keeping up a more clear and
fresh view of the former than could otherwise be, and, at the
same time, will be a constant, eternal exhibition before their
eyes of the infinite odiousness and misery of the sinner when
sin has its natural and deserved course and issue, which is so
necessary in order to a proper, full, and most affecting view
of the power and worthiness of Christ, the efficacy of his
mediation, the greatness of the salvation by him, and his infi-
nite love and grace in dying to save sinners, which has been
considered above.

RELATING TO ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 469

It hence appears that the sufferings of Christ for sinners,
and the abundant sufficiency of his merit for their salvation,
render eternal punishment not the less necessary, but in all
respects more so, and unspeakably more important and use-
ful, as it is necessary to make this salvation most complete
and glorious, and answers more important ends than it could
had there been no salvation for sinners by a Mediator.

But this may be further illustrated by the following par-
ticulars : —

1. If all the human race were saved, it never could be seen,
as now it will be, how exceeding perverse and obstinate men
are in their sins. In the eternal destruction of men this will
be set in the most clear and convincing light. God is using
the greatest variety of means with men of different ages,
nations, and capacities, and in different and various circum-
stances, suited in the best manner to influence them, and
bring them to repentance, urging them by infinitely weighty
arguments and motives to embrace the offered Savior, (which,
by the way, could not be in any measure so strong and urgent,
were there no eternal destruction for the disobedient,) and yet,
in opposition to all these, they refuse the offered salvation,
abuse and trample upon divine love and mercy and the Savior
himself, and madly rush on to eternal perdition. This will
make a most bright and endless discovery of the infatuation,
madness and malignity of sin, and the obsti^iacy and vileness
of the sinner, which must have remained in a great measure
out of sight, and never could have been so fully known and
realized by the saved, were there no awful instances of this,
who shall suffer the consequences of it forever. If all did be-
lieve in Christ and accept of the offered salvation, it never
could have been so fully known that men were obstinate and
vile enough to slight this salvation and trample on Christ,
under the greatest light and advantages, and perseveringly
choose eternal destruction rather than submit to the Savior.

It is of the greatest importance that this should be seen
forever, that the redeemed may have a constant and increasing
sense of the nature of sin, and know how far they were from
salvation, notwithstanding all possible means and advantages,
and realize the infinite power and grace of Christ in their
recovery ; that they may give the glory to God which is due
to him, and enjoy redeeming love and grace in its full extent,
sw^eetness, and glory.

2. If all were saved, the real need and absolute necessity
of an atonement for sin in orderto the salvation of men would
not appear in so clear a light as it will do in the eternal pun-
ishment of the imj3enitent. If all were saved, they would be

VOL. 11. 40

470 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

in some degree sensible of the need of this atonement ; but it
would not appear so elear and certain that there is no other
possible way of salvation, and that all must have been miser-
able forever, had it not been for the atonement and redemption
of Christ, as it now will, when all that slight and reject this
atonement, through this life, actually perish forever, without
any possible remedy.

3. If all mankind were saved, the sovereignty of divine
gi-ace in the salvation of men would not be so manifest as it
now will be.

Indeed, grace or mere favor is, in its own nature, sovereign
grace ; that is, it is exercised towards those who have not the
least claim or desert of it. And the further a creature is from
any desert of the favor granted, and the more unworthy and
ill deserving he is, and the more he has done to provoke dis-
pleasure and wrath, the more sovereign is the grace ; and,
therefore, the more the creature's ill desert appears, the more
the favor granted appears to be mere sovereign grace, and the
gi-eater manifestation there is of the riches and glory of this.

But this will be made to appear in the strongest light to the
redeemed, when they behold those in everlasting misery, as
their just and deserved portion, who are no more ill deserving
than themselves, and know that mere sovereign grace hath
made the distinction, since, had it not been for this grace,
they themselves would infallibly have run on to destruction,
and been as sinful and miserable as those who are actually
lost, notwithstanding the offers of salvation made to them, and
the means and advantages they enjoyed. Nothing can be
better suited to keep this in the clearest view forever than this
actual distinction made by divine grace in saving some, while
others are given over to deserved everlasting destruction. And
without this, or were all saved, the manifestation of this would
have been comparatively dark, and very imperfect.

From this view of the matter, it appears easy to see how
important and necessary it is that all should not be saved, in
order that the Redeemer and redemption might appear in
their true greatness and splendor, and the highest manifesta-
tion of glorious, sovereign grace be made in the salvation of
sinners, and the greatest happiness of the saved promoted ;
though, at the same time, it is not pretended that any are able
to discern all the ends that divine wisdom and goodness will
answer by this dispensation.

IV. If it be granted that it is necessary, in order to render
the work of redemption most complete and glorious, and the
redeemed happy to the highest degree, that all should not be
saved, yet it is queried, why there should be so few saved,

RELATING TO ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 471

and almost all mankind lost, notwithstanding all that has been
done for the salvation of men. Surely it cannot be for the
greatest good of the whole to have the most of mankind de-
stroyed, and but few have the benefit of redemption.

Ans. 1. No man is in any measure able to determine what
number or what proportion of the whole must be saved or
lost, in order to answer the most important ends, the ends that
have been mentioned to be obtained by endless punishment,
and many more which are now out of our sight. If we knew
the exact proportion between the saved and the lost, and that
the former were few compared with the latter, this would be
no more a ground of objection against the doctrine of endless
punishment than if the proportion was directly the other way.
And to suppose that the less number of those that shall be
punished is so much the better, seems to be giving up the doc-
trine of endless punishment, and to suppose it would be, on the
whole, best to have none lost. Though we are utterly incom-
petent judges in this matter, infinite wisdom can determine it,
without a possibility of a mistake. God knows what propor-
tion of the human race, even the exact number, and what in-
dividuals may be saved, consistent with the greatest good of
the whole, and how many must be punished forever in order
to answer the best and most important ends. And all have
reason to acquiesce in his disposal, and to rejoice that it will
be determined by infinite wisdom and goodness. And all
will rejoice in this who are friends to righteousness, wisdom,
and benevolence ; that is, friends to God and his uncontrolla-
ble dominion. Man has no right or ability to judge what is
best in this case, or what will in fact be the issue, any further
than God hath revealed it in his Word.

Ans. 2. We have no reason to conclude from the Word of
God that but few, or a very small part of mankind, will be
saved ; but there is reason to believe that many more of the
human race will be happy than miserable.

It has indeed been believed by many, that the number of
the redeemed will be very small compared with those who
will perish, partly from several passages of Scripture, and
partly from what has taken place in the world hitherto ; as
the church of Christ has been comparatively very small, and
but few have appeared to walk in the narrow way which lead-
etli unto life. But when those Scriptures and this fact are
carefully examined and compared with other parts of Scrip-
ture, it will doubtless appear that no such thing can be in-
ferred, but the contrary.

Our Savior says, " Strait is the gate and narrow is the way
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." And,

473 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

" Many arc called, but few chosen." And he calls his disci-
ples a little flock. Christ in these words speaks of the then
present time, and of what took place at that time, and does
not say that but few of mankind, compared with the whole,
shall ever find the way to life, and be chosen to salvation, or
that his church shall always be a little flock; but he has said
the contrary. He represents his church by a " grain of mus-
tard seed which a man took and sowed in his field, which,
indeed, is the least of all seeds, but when it is grown, it is the
greatest among herbs, and becometh a great tree, so that the
birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof." And
he likens it " unto leaven which a woman took and hid in
three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." De-
noting that, though it was small in its beginning, it should in-
crease and become gi'eat, and fill the world. And the same
thing is represented in Daniel, by a stone cut out of the moun-
tain without hands, which became a great mountain and filled
the whole earth. And the same is expressed in the follow-
ing words : " And the kingdom and dominion, and the great-
iiess of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given
to the people of the saints of the Most High. The kingdoms
of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his
Christ." According to this, the time is coming when all na-
tions shall be the servants of Christ, and the world shall be
full of his people, agreeably to many other prophecies of the
same thing, too many to be recited here. " And it shall come
to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's
house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and
shall be exalted above the hills ; and all nations shall flow
unto it ; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the
Lord, as the waters cover the sea."

They who have attended well to the Bible must be sensible
that the time is yet to come in which salvation by Christ shall
take place, as it never has yet done. His church shall flourish
and fill the world, and Satan's kingdom be utterly destroyed
in the earth ; and this happy and glorious day of salvation
shall continue a thousand years. In this thousand years of
peace and prosperity, when the people shall be all rigiiteous,
mankind will naturally propagate and multiply as they never
yet have done, and fill the whole face of the earth, so that
there will be many thousand times more living in the world
at one time than there ever yet have been. It is easy to show
that, in such a state, many more people will exist in a thou-
sand years than have existed before, yea, many thousands to
one, supposing this thousand years shall be the seventh thou-
sand years of the world, which supposition is agreeable to

RELATING TO ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 473

Scripture. If the greater part that live in the preceding six
thousand years do perish, yet if all, or most, who shall exist
in the seventh' thousand years shall be saved, there will, on
the whole, be many more of mankind saved than lost ; yea, it
may be, many thousands to one. But as this does not so
immediately affect the subject we are considering, it is need-
less to enlarge upon it here.

The reader has now the doctrine of endless punishment
laid before him, as it is revealed and abundantly asserted in
the Word of God; and the justice of this punishment, and ne-
cessity for it, in order to answer the most important purposes,
to render the work of redemption most complete and glorious,
and promote the highest good and happiness of the universe,
so that it is a real good and necessary part of the most wise
and benevolent plan ; and, therefore, most pleasing to infinite
goodness, and best suited to excite the joy and praise of every
benevolent mind.*

* And in this lioht may be seen the absurdity of that enthusiastic harangue
of Mr. Jeremiah White, who lived in the last century, lately published in Bos-
ton, (see " Salvation for all Men," p. 1-4,) which may well be considered as
the very dregs of the enthusiasm and religious frenzy which took place, to so
great a degree, in his day. He was hiniseH so pleased and charmed with this
scheme of universal salvation, that in a conceit of his own superior benevolence
he caressed himself with fanatic complacence and joy, and then exclaims, " He
is not a Christian, he is not a man, he hath put off the tenderness and bowels
of a man, he hath lost humanity itself, he hath not so much charity as Dives
expressed in hell, that cannot cry out. This is good neics, if it be true ! "

As Mr. Wliite cannot now answer for himself, his voucher, who introduces
this as an instance of the author's ingenuity, piety, and benevolence, and all the
advocates for temporary future punishment, in opposition to endless, may be
desired to answer and clear up the following difficulties, which seem to attend
their scheme : —

If he who has any benevolence will be pleased with the news that there is no
such thing as endless punishment, will he not be glad to hear that there is no
future punishment at all? And will he not be sorry that there ever have been,
and still are, so much sin and misery in the world ? and must not tliis be matter
of grief to him to all eternity, whenever he thinks of it? And why must not
the infinitely benevolent Mind be in the same way affected with this to an in-
finitely greater degree ?

According to this, it would be much best and most pleasing to the benevo-
lent to have no such thing as sin or misery in the universe. "Why, then, is
there any such thing? How can it be accounted for, that they should take
place under the all-perfect government of an intinitely benevolent Being?

If it is said, these have taken place under God's government, when he was able
to have prevented their existence, in order to answer some good and important
ends which could not be accomplished without them, so that it is, on the whole,
best they should exist, as they have done, and will issue in the greatest general
good, it will be then asked, if such a degree of sin and misery as has taken
place, and will take place to the end of the world and after the day of judg-
ment, in a long, though temporary punishment, be necessary to promote the
highest general good, why may not endless punishment be as necessary, and
more so, to promote the highest possible general good ? Who is able to say,
■who dare say, it is not ? If any presume to do it, let them answer what has
been said above, to prove the contrary ; and, which is of more importance, let

40*

474 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

them sliow that it is not declared in sacred writ, or let them ansM^er it to their
Maker at the last day.

It is further and more particularly asked, why there will be any future pun-
ishment. What end will this great temporary evil answer ?

If it be answered, that this is necessary in order to reclaim and bring to re-
pentance those who in this life were obstinate and persevered in rebellion, it
is stiU asked, why God does not, by the poAver of his spirit and grace, bring aU
to repentance and c-onversion in this life r He does it in some instances, and
he is equally able to do it in every instance, and bring all to close with Christ
in this world ; why, then, does he not do it, and effectually prevent all that
dreadful scene of sin and misery which must take place in a long punishment ^
Such a punishment has no more tendency to bring them to repentance than
the means used with them in this world ; yea, it may bo made evident it hath
not so much, if any ; and it is certain no means will effect it, without divine
influence, and God must, by this, convert them, after all, and save them by the
washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. "Why, then, is
not this always done in this life, if done at all, and all future punishment
prevented ?

If it be said, this future, temporary punishment is necessary for God to show
his -wrath ag;unst sin, and his justice in punishing the sinner according to his
desert ; and as he can deserve only a temporary punishment, when he has
suffered that, he will be delivered. Mr. AVhite says something like this, when
he speaks of " all the methods which God uses in his holy and glorious wis-
dom and prudence, in giving way to the entrance of sin, and then inflaming the
anguish of it by the law, that he may thereby have occasion to glorify his
WTath against it, and his justice, and so make his way to the more glorious illus-
tration of his grace and love in the close." This excites the following obser-
vations and questions : —

1. If sin deserves an endless punishment, then in order to God's showing his
displeasure, so as "to glorify his wrath against it, atul his justice," he must in-
flict such a punishment. To inflict an infinitely less punishment than the sin-
ner deserves, will be so far from glorifying the wrath and justice of God, that it
wlU make a contrary apijearance, and look as if God hated sin infinitely less
than he does, and that sin does not deserve endless punishment, and that jus-
tice is satisfied with something infinitely short of it. How, then, can God
glorify his wrath against sin, and his justice, in punisliing it, unless he inflict
an endless punishment ?

K the subject of a king should blaspheme him, and seek to ruin his whole
kingdom, and the king should punish him only by laying a fine on him of one
penny, would not the language of tliis be, that he looked on his character and
kingdom to bo A\'orth no more than one penny, and that in this punishment was
a proper expression of his wrath against the criminal, and a glorious exercise of
justice, this being aU he deserved r Would this be glory, or disgrace ?

Let it be proved, then, that no sinner can deserve endless punishment, be-
fore any thing is said of God's glorifying his Avrath and justice by a temporary
punishment.

2. K sin deserves only a temporary punishment, then, when the sinner has
suffered this, even as much as he deserves, justice is fully satisfied, and he has
no more ill desert, and must, in justice, be delivered. How, then, does his
deliverance and salvation make a "more glorious illustration of God's grace and
love in the close " than if the creature had never sinned, and had not been
punished ? Yea, is there any grace and mercy manifested in this ? Surely, no.
For grace and mercy is favor showed to the ill deserving, and not doing what
justice re([uircs ; and if the sinner has suHcred all the punishment he deserved,
so that his guilt and ill desert is entirely done away, and he has no more of it
than Adam had when he was first created, what need has he of the atonement
of Christ and salvation by him, any more than Adam had before he sinned ?
What need then was there of Christ, in order to the salvation of <dl men, and
■what hand or glory will he have in the deliverance and salvation of those who
have suffered all they deserve for their sins ?

These questions and observations arise from its being allowed and said, in

RELATING TO ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 475

order to account for the sin and misery that have actually taken place, that
God could have prevented their existence, but did not, because they are neces-
sary to answer good and important ends. This is allowed by Mr. White, and
many others, who deny the endless duration of future punishment.

But there are others who take another method to account for the introduc-
tion of sin and consequent misery, and their continuance in the world ; and to
make this consistent with divine goodness, while they deny that endless pun-
ishment is consistent with it, they say, God could not prevent sin and conse-
quent misery, consistent with the moral agency and freedom of man ; and,
therefore, in consequence of creatures' being made and continued free agents,
sin was introduced ; and as the methods taken to reclaim men in this life are, in
many instances, ineffectual, they wUl be punished in the future state, till they
submit and obtain deliverance.

Tliis notion is so inconsistent %%'ith the Bible, and contrary to all reason, that
it is difficult to conceive how any man who has the use of these should em-
brace it, and rest satisfied. The Scriptures represent God as suprenre, and
infinitely above control, doing Avhat he pleases in heaven and on earth, and
having the hearts of men in his hands, directing and turning them as he pleases,
even turning thenr from sin to holiness, and working in them to A^-ill and to do,
etc. ; and that God does all this consistent with their freedom and accountable-
ness for all their moral exercises and conduct. And what reasonalile man would
choose to have a God who is at the control and beck of his creatures, not able to
give them their rights and maintain his own supremacy, so that he is obliged,
in a great degree, to give up his dominion into their hands, and suffer them to
introduce that which he would with all his heart prevent, were he able ?

But not to dwell on this, which is not directly to the present pui-pose, it is
now to be inquired, whether this sclieme is in any degree favorable to the doc-
trine of the salvation of all men.

If God could not prevent sin, consistently with the freedom of man, how can
he recover men from sin when they have once fallen under the dominion of it,
and not infringe on their freedom? If he could not keep sin out of the world,
what evidence is there that he can clear the world of it, and put an end to the
rebellion, after it has had such a mighty spread and continued so long ? Is it
not probable, yea, even certain, that it will continue forever, notwithstanding
any thing he can do r Therefore, if it be certain that God does all he can to
bring all men to holiness and happiness, what evidence is there that this v/ill
ever be eii'ected ? If all the means used with men in this world be not sufficient
to bring them to repentance, and it is supposed God uses the best means, and
takes the best and most likely methods, and does all he can to effect it, what
evidence is there that he will ever be able to recover all men from sin, i)y any
means wliatsoever ? Is it certain, is it probable, that any degree or length of
future pimishment will be sufficient to eftect this, since all other more hkely
means fail ? This cannot be. And if it was certain that future punishment
would bring all men to repentance, what security can there be that they will
not relapse into sin, and oblige their Maker to continue their punishment ? and
what end can there be of this, so long as God cannot prevent sin, consistent
with the freedom of his creatures ? There can be no possible security against
sin and punishment without end, on this plan, unless God should annihilate all
the moral agents he has made, and so put an eternal end to his moral govern-
ment. Is not this a j^oor, miserable foundation upon which to build an assur-
ance of the eternal happiness of all men ?

Let the advocates for the salvation of all men give a fair and satisfactory an-
swer to all these questions, and to what has been jjroduced against this doctrine
in the foregoing sheets, and remove all these difficulties from their scheme.
Gr, if they cannot do this, let them give up their dangcTous notion, and admit
the belief of endless punishment, and that scheme of divine truth, so consistent
v,Lth the Word of God, and so plainly and abundantly inculcated there, which
rettects such glory on the divine character, and gives a rational, satisfactory
account of the introduction of sin and misery, under the most ^vise and hapjjy
government of Jehovah, and the continuance of them forever for the greatest
good of the Avhole, and against which there can be no reasonable objection.

476 INFERENCES FROM THE DOCTRINE

SECTION VI.
Inferences from the Doctrine of Endless Punishment.

I. The doctrine of endless punishment being thus estab-
lished from the Holy Scriptures, and vindicated and supported
by reason, it follows that all those doctrines, and that experi-
mental or practical religion, which are inconsistent with this
doctrine, are false and delusive.

If we were able to take a thorough, comprehensive view of
the subject, and examine it without any prejudice and dark-
ness, it would doubtless be found that no false scheme of
religion, in doctrine or practice, can stand this test, and be
reconciled in all its parts to this doctrine, but that all such
schemes do clash with it, however ignorant of it they may be
who embrace them, and attempt to blend this doctrine with
those that do really oppose it. And it will appear that true
religion, including principles and practice, — the religion of
the Bible, and that only, — is, in every part, consistent with
God's punishing the wicked forever, so as to bear a friendly
aspect to, and truly approve it. By this test, then, every doc-
trine and all hearts may be tried.

Here many particular doctrines, and different schemes of
practical religion, might be brought into view, and examined
by this test ; but this will be omitted, and only one general
character of all false religion mentioned and tried by this
rule, that is, selfish religion, as opposed to all disinterested
public affection. It is easy to see that selfishness cannot be
reconciled to eternal punishment on those grounds, and for
the reasons, aside from which or were it not for them, it would
be undesirable and not reasonable, viz., the glory of God and
the greatest general good. As endless punishment is neces-
sary to promote this, God approves of it, and has ordained it;
but, in this view, it is wholly opposed to selfishness, for that
pays no regard to the honor of God, or the general good, but
seeks only a private interest; and, consequently, all selfish
religion does oppose endless punishment. And it hence ap-
pears that true religion consists in that benevolence, and that
public disinterested affection which is implied in it, vrhich
desires and seeks the glory of God, and the greatest jmblic or
general good, — so as to subordinate all to this, and be recon-
ciled to Ihat, and acquiesce in it, be it what it will, which is
best suited to answer this end, — and opposes every thing so
far as it a|)pears to be opposed to this ; and that every degree
of that selfishness which is opposed to such benevolence is
opposed to God, and all his institutions and ways.

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. , 477

II. It may be hence inferred that to believe and teach the
salvation of all men is very dangerous and hm'tful. This ap-
pears to be so, as it is contrary to the truth so clearly revealed
in the sacred oracles ; since every error, especially one so gross
and of such magnitude, must be dangerous, and of an evil
tendency.

They whose religious exercises, whose love to God, etc.,
have their foundation in a belief that there is no such thing
as endless punishment, and that all mankind shall be happy
forever, so that the belief of the contrary would put an end to
all their love and religion, are certainly in a very dangerous
way. All their religious affections, their love, hope, and joy,
will perish forever when they are made to know that the
wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment; and they
will be found enemies to the true God, and his wise adminis-
trations, and only fit to be cast into that everlasting fire. And
all those whose hope of future happiness is wholly founded
on a belief and confidence that none shall be miserable, are in
a most dangerous situation. Their trust and confidence will
perish ; their hope is as the spider's web, and shall be as the
giving up of the ghost. This delusion now shuts their ears,
and fortifies them against all warnings adapted to excite their
fears, and awaken them to fly from the wrath to come, and
has a direct and mighty tendency to sink them down into
carelessness and neglect of all religion, and to encourage them
in worldly and vicious gratifications and pursuits, while they
flatter themselves, and say, " We shall have peace, though we
walk in the imagination of our heart, and add drunkenness
to thirst."

It is so evident, from reason and observation, that this is
true of the doctrine that there is no punishment for the wicked
in the future state, that not only they who believe their pun-
ishment will be endless, but those who think it will be tem-
porary, though it may be long and dreadful, without hesitation
pronounce the former a licentious, dangerous doctrine ; * while
they who hold the latter, say this has no such bad tendency.

* It maj'-.' be added, that, on this prineiple, all oaths, or solemn appeals to
God for the truth of what men say, which are so necessary in civil government,
are perfectly useless ; for he who sweareth falsely has no judge or future
judgment to fear or regard, and will be as happy in the future state as he who
feareth a false oath. And no degree of unfaithfulness, deceit, and unrighteous-
ness, or indulgence of any lust whatever, will be the least disadvantage to a man
after he leaves the body. And no fear of any evil after death can take place,
to be tlie least restraint from ptitting an end to his own life, or the life of
others ; but the confident cxi)ectation of happiness in another world becomes a
strong inducement to put himself, and those nearly connected with him, out
of this world, especially when worldly circumstances and prospects are dark
and disagreeable, that he may free hunsclf and them from the evils of tliis life.

478 INFERENCES FROM THE DOCTRINE

But, if this subject be properly considered, it will doubtless
appear that the latter has the same, and an equally bad and
dangerous tendency with the former.

We find that when sinners are awakened to a sense of their
danger, and the evil case in which they are, so as to think in
earnest of reformation and embracing the' gospel, in order to
salvation, it is always under some conviction and sense of
endless misery as the certain consequence of persisting in their
evil ways. And if they can be made to believe there is no
such punishment, but that they shall certainly be happy forever,
whatever be their character and conduct in this world, this will
remove their great attention and pressing concern, and give
them ease while they go on in their sins. And every person
who has been in any degree properly attentive to his eternal
interest, and will consult his own feehngs, must own that it
is unspeakably more dreadful and alarming to think of being
lost and miserabje forever, and view himself in the utmost
danger of it, than to see himself in danger of only a tempo-
rary punishment. The awakened sinner, in fearful expecta-
tion of destruction as the consequence of the way he has
taken, will express the feelings of his mind in the following
language : " O, if the destruction which is like to be my por-
tion were not endless, it would be tolerable and light compared
with being miserable /oret;er .' The thought of this drinks up
my spirit, and draws over my soul a horrid gloom and sinking
despair, and fills it with anguish and torture which nothing
else could do. If I could be sure this punishment will ever
come to an end, and I be forever happy after all, this would
be better than ten thousand worlds to me, and turn all my
sorrow and distress into peace and joy." And let such a sin-
ner be persuaded that this is true, and his concern, that laid
him under great restraints before, will subside; and his strong
aversion to holiness, and powerful, pressing inclination to
indulge his darling lusts and live in sin, will hold him fast in
this course with a great degree of security and ease. And he
is never like to be alarmed again, or persuaded to alter his

Therefore, if it wero possible that this doctrine should be really believed and
spread, would it not sap the foundation of civil government, introduce the
greatest evils in human society by the prevalence of the unrestrained lusts of
men, put an end to all mutual confidence of men in each other, and promote
suicide and murders innumerable? According to this doctrine the greatest
enemy of God in the world has the staff in his own hands, and whenever the
indulgence of his lusts has rendered this life disagreeable, he may defy the
punishing hand of his Maker, and push himself into perfect and endless hap-
piness in a moment ! This is observed, not as an argument, or from the least
desire, that the civil power should be exerted to put a stop to this doctrine,
but to demonstrate that tenet to be a gross delusion which is pregnant with
Buch fatal evils to human society.

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 479

course, by all the terrors they can preach to him who tell
him he is no danger of endless misery, but, let him live as he
will, he must be eternally happy.*

If the sinner be told, and is made to believe, that though
he live and die in his evil courses, he will be punished in the
future state only till he is willing to repent ; this will be no
matter of terror to him, or have the least tendency to reform
him, but the contrary, to an amazing degree ; for he is dis-
posed to think himself not very guilty and ill deserving, and
that his lusts and vicious courses are in a great degree inno-
cent and harmless, and, therefore, that his punishment will not
be very great. Besides, he has so good an opinion of himself,
that he has not the least doubt but he shall be willing to re-
pent immediately, when the present objects of his lusts and
pursuits shall be at an end, and he can have no more pleasure
and happiness in the way of sin ; and, consequently, it is im-
possible to make him fear any length of punishment on this
plan, or even any at all, because he is confident he shall escape
it all by repentance and submission to God. Therefore, the
threatening of such a punishment will have no more influence
on the sinner, to awaken and reform him, than none at all,
while he is assured he shall have everlasting happiness, and
shall suffer no longer than he shall continue obstinate and
impenitent.

How many millions of sinners have there been who have
quieted their fears, and encouraged themselves to go on in
vicious courses, by presuming that in their last moments they
would repent and cry for mercy, if they did not do it before;
and that they should then find favor with God, when they
could enjoy the pleasures of sin no longer ? And if this pre-
sumption has given such encouragement to continue in sin,
when they had no security that they should have any oppor-
tunity to repent, or assurance that God would then regard
them if in their last moments they should cry to him for
mercy, how much more encouragement to licentiousness is
given to sinners by assuring them from the Word of God that
they shall be eternally happy, be they as vicious as they will
in this life, and that they shall not suffer a minute longer than

* It has been said, that a long future punishment, inchiding very great and
terrible sufferings, even till the sinner is brought to repentance, is sufRcient
effectually to restrain men from their -wicked courses, yea, more effectually
than endless punishment, because the latter is incredible, and ■\\-ill not, there-
fore, affect the mind. But is not this said in opposition to the highest reason
and all experience ? Whether endless punishment does " exceed all belief,"
let him judge who has perused the preceding inquiry. And it is easy to see
that the fear of a finite punishment must have unspeakably less influence on
the sinner than of an enclless one. if it -will have any at all in this case.

480 INFERENCES FROM THE DOCTRINE

they continue impenitent, and shall have as good and better
opportunity to repent and cry for mercy in the other world
than they have here, as they will not have the same tempting
objects and allurements to sin, nor can have any pleasure or
advantage by it, and it can never be too late to repent?

This being the case, it is no wonder it is confirmed by fact
and experience. Where is the person who has been awakened
and reformed from a course of sin by being told that if he did
not repent and reform in this life, though he must after all be
eternally happy, yet he should be punished in the other world
till he was willing to repent and be happy ? It is presumed
no such person is to be found, nor can the argurhent be given
up till some instances to the contrary are produced ; especially,
since there are so many instances on the other side to confirm
it. Who are the persons that are most pleased with the doc-
trine of universal salvation, and forwardest to embrace it ?
The most sober, virtuous, benevolent people, or they who are
at the greatest distance from all this ? And what improve-
ment is evidently made of it by multitudes ? Is it not to
flatter and confirm them in licentiousness ? Is it not pecu-
liarly suited to this corrupt age? And does it not promise to
promote, as far as it shall spread, a torrent of libertinism in
the practice of all manner of vice and wickedness ? Every
serious, attentive person will easily decide these questions.

How can that doctrine be agreeable to the gospel represent-
ed by Christ and the inspired writers, as not suited to please
wicked men, but to excite their displeasure and hatred, which
is so very agreeable to wicked men and infidels now; so that
they will rather renounce the Bible and turn Deists, than give
it up ? Yea, all open enemies to the sacred oracles, if they
believe a future state, are friends to the doctrine of universal
happiness.

Can that doctrine be agreeable to Christ, or displeasing to
the devil, which is so pleasing to wicked men in this world,
and has such manifest influence to flatter and confirm them
in their evil courses ?

III. In the light of eternal punishment we have a most
affecting sight of the awfully dangerous and extremely miser-
able and wretched state of all those who are in their impeni-
tence, going the broad way that leads to this destruction ; and
hence learn what tender concern and bowels of compassion
ought to be exercised towards them, and the reasonableness
of being ready and engaged to take all possible pains, and use
all proper means, that they may be plucked as brands from
everlasting burnings.

There are many instances of great temporary calamity and

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 481

wretchedness in this world, which render persons objects of
most sensible compassion. Such instances of misery often
moved the compassion of our benevolent Savior when he was
on the earth, and he wrought many miracles for their relief.
But this misery is nothing to that now in view. All the evil
that men ever did, or can suffer, in this world, bears no pro-
portion to the evil case of one sinner who is cast into hell,
from whence he cannot be delivered so long as God shall
exist. This evil, indeed, is not yet actually come upon them,
but they are in the utmost danger of it, and will soon have it
fixed upon them forever, unless, by some means, they can be
recovered from their present course. This case, then, above
all others, calls for the compassion of the benevolent, and is
most suited to raise it to the greatest height, and animate to
the most earnest and unwearied endeavors to relieve and save
them. The compassion of St. Paul was excited, by seeing
men in this case, which caused " great heaviness and continual
sorrow in his heart, " and engaged him to " warn every one
night and day with tears," and made him willing to do and
suffer any thing, " if by any means he might save some," and
led him even to wish himself accursed from Christ, if this
might effect the salvation of his brethren the Jews.

It is owing to unbelief, and great stupidity and senselessness
respecting eternal punishment, that they who are exposed to
it, so that nothing but the tender thread of life, liable to break
every minute, holds them up from this destruction, can make
themselves easy and feel so secure, and do not lament and
weep, and turn their laughter into mourning, and their joy
into heaviness, and fall into the greatest distress and horror :
and what but an awful degree of this same stupidity can be
the reason that the benevolent friends of mankind are not more
affected with the misery of the wicked, and so little moved
with compassion while they are daily surrounded by such in-
finitely miserable objects, and are so negligent of means that
might be used for their relief ?

Who can fully express the unreasonableness and folly of
exercising great concern and anxiety about temporal calami-
ties, and taking much pains to prevent their coming on near
relations and friends, or deliver them from those which are
upon them, while there is not the least concern nor any pains
taken to deliver them from infinitely greater evil, even eternal
destruction ?

Is there not a great degi'ee of practical denial of the doctrine

of eternal punishment among professing Christians, while they

feel and express no more tender concern and compassion for

sinners who are in such imminent danger of this punishment,

VOL. II. 41

482 INFERENCES FROM THE DOCTRINE

if it be a reality, and use no more means to reclaim and save
them? How ought they to put on bowels of mercies and
kindness towards them, and treat them with the greatest love,
tenderness and compassion, patience and long-suftering, while
they are taking the most likely methods for their help ? If
Christians were thoroughly attentive to this, and did express
their compassion for sinners in all proper ways, it would re-
move one argument many think they have that there is no such
punishment, viz., that Christians themselves do not appear
really to believe it, while they profess to do it ; and it would
tend to make eternal misery more of a reality to them, and to
gain their attention and affect their hearts.

How unbecoming the profession of Christians is it to be
unmoved and inactive in this case, especially to converse and
conduct so as tends to prevent the salvation of others, and de-
stroy them forever I Instead of being with Christ, and gather-
ing with him, th,ey are against him, and doing the work of the
great destroyer of souls ; and how guilty must the ministers
of the gospel and parents be, what an unbecoming and mon-
strously cruel part do they act, when, instead of faithfulness
and benevolence to the souls immediately under their care,
they speak and conduct in a manner which tends to their
eternal ruin, and so become their destroyers ! These not only
imitate the destroyer, but their sin in destroying souls forever
is, in many respects, much more aggravated than his.

IV. This subject will be closed with the following ad-
dress : —

First. To those who have been by some means led into a
disbelief of the doctrine of endless punishment, and those who
are in doubt about it, and do not yet determine whether there
will be any such punishment or not.

If any of either of these have read the foregoing sheets, and
shall be disposed still to read on, they are desired seriously to
consider whether the doctrine of eternal punishment is not as
clearly revealed and as well supported by Scripture and reason
as any truth whatsoever ; and what dangerous presumption it
is to reject it, until they can find a full and satisfactory answer
to the Scriptures and arguments which have been adduced in
favor of it; and such must be warned of the danger of reject-
ing this doctrine through prejudice, and a fond inclination and
desire that the contrary doctrine should be true. In this view,
they are entreated to consider the following things: —

1. The Scriptures present the truth there revealed as dis-
agreeable to wicked men ; and that, for this reason, they are
disposed to dislike and reject it. Our Savior says, " Every
one that doth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 483

lest his deeds should be reproved." And such are represented
as " saying to the seers, See not ; and to the prophets, Prophesy
not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy
deceits, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us."
The divine character is disagreeable to them ; therefore, when
the prophets prophesied falsely, the degenerate people loved to
have it is so, and greedily embraced the delusion.

You who are conscious you are yet in your sins — that your
hearts and practice are not conformable to the dictates of rea-
son and Word of God — ought not to conclude any doctrine
to be wrong because it is not agreeable to your way of think-
ing, and is displeasing to your inclinations and hearts. You
must be cautioned and warned of your danger in the case
before us. What if you should, through the sinful prejudice
and evil bias of your minds, form your hopes of eternal happi-
ness upon the fond conceit that none will be miserable forever,
and, when it shall be too late, find yourselves mistaken, and
be plunged into that very endless misery which you was per-
suaded had no existence, and perhaps even ridiculed those
who asserted it ! Take heed, lest the awful disappointment,
this infinite evil, come upon you !

2. The first lie that was told in this world was in the words
of Satan, the father of lies, to our mother Eve : " Ye shall not
surely die,^^ in order to induce her to rebel against God, and
ruin herself. And he has been propagating this lie and decep-
tion among mankind ever since, by which men have flattered
themselves that they should have peace, though they walked
after the evil inclinations of their own hearts, and it has proved
the ruin of multitudes. And have you not reason to fear, yea,
may you not be certain — when it is asserted that no man shall
perish forever for any sin he can commit in this life, though
he obstinately persist in it till death, but, notwithstanding all
possible rebellion, shall be happy forever — this is the same lie,
revived and propagated by Satan and those unhappy persons
who are taken in his snare ? It certainly looks just like it.
And are you willing to be taken in such a snare and perish

♦orever

3. The sacred oracles represent wicked men as inclined to
flatter themselves that evil will not come upon them, when they
are upon the brink of destruction. " The wicked hath said
in his heart, I shall not be removed ; for I shall never be in
adversity." (Ps. x. 6.) " Because ye have said. We have
made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agree-
ment, when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it
shaU not come unto us." (Isa. xxviii. 5.) " Lest there should
be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood . and \t

484 INFERENCES FROM THE DOCTRINE

come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse, that he
bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I
walk in the imagination of mine heart to add drunkenness to
thirst." (Deut. xxix. 18, 19.) " For when they shall say. Peace
and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, and
they shall not escape." (1 Thess. v. 3.) This is the natural
attendant of sin, thus to blind and delude the sinner, and lead
him to flatter himself that he shall escape the evil which is
hastening upon him. And if you begin to lose the fears of
future punishment which perhaps you once had, and to think
and grow confident that you shall have peace and eternal life,
though you walk after the imagination of your own heart, and
indulge every lust, have you not reason to think you are an
instance of this very self-flattery and delusion described in the
Scriptures now cited? If this be not the very thing, what
can it be ? Awake and tremble, O sinner, for, verily, thou art
the man !

4. The character of false prophets, in the Scripture, is, that
they flatter men in their sins, and prophesy smooth things,
promising peace and safety to men, when destruction is
coming upon them. And, on the contrary, the true prophets
declared there was no peace to the wicked, and denounced
-evil and certain destruction which was coming upon them
unless they repented. And this recommended the former to
the multitude, who caressed and spoke wefl of them ; and at
the same time rendered the latter disagreeable, and brought
upon them hatred and ill treatment.

This observation might be illustrated by referring to a great
number of particular passages of Scripture. The attentive
reader of the Bible must be sensible of this. Only the follow-
ing will be recited now : " Thus saith the Lord of hosts,
Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophecy
unto you ; they make you vain. They say still unto them
that despise me. The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace ;
and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagina-
tion of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you." (Jer.
xxiii. 16, 17.) Of false prophets it is said, " They have se-
duced my people, saying, Peace, and there was no peace."
(Eze. xiii. 10.) " With lies ye have strengthened the hands
of the wicked, that he should not turn from his wicked way,
by promising him /i/e." (Verse 22.)

Let those who are now addressed seriously consider whether
they who promise eternal happiness to you, whatever be your
character in this world, so that you cannot miss of it by any
course of sin whatever, do not take upon them the very char-
acter which the Bible gives of false prophets; and whether

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 485

they who, on the contrary, hold forth endless destruction as
the certain portion of the impenitent sinner, and those other
doctrines which are connected with this, and are so disagreea-
ble to wicked men in general, do not appear in the character
of true prophets and teachers ; and whether, by embracing
the former, and rejecting and hating the latter, you will not
act just as those deluded, wicked men did who were pleased
with the prophets who preached peace to them, and hated and
persecuted those of the contrary character.

Be entreated to think of this, as you value your own souls,
and would not be flattered to your eternal ruin. Think of it
with an unprejudiced, honest mind, until you are able to give
a rational, satisfactory answer; and is it possible it should be
in the negative ?

5. When all the evidence from Scripture, supported by
reason, which has been produced, together with the preceding
observations, are honestly considered and weighed, is it possi-
ble that any one should be able to stand forth and say, " I am
absolutely certain that all mankind will be eternally happy,
and that he stands on a safe and sure foundation who has no
other ground but this to build his assurance of everlasting life
upon " ? If you cannot do this, as you certainly cannot, un-
less your delusion be remarkably strong, but must own you
are far from being absolutely certain that all shall be happy,
then why will you adhere to this, and trust in such an un-
certainty for salvation, however probable you may think the
doctrine to be, and neglect the only way in which you may
be absolutely certain, and build on the most sure ground ?

God hath laid in Zion a sure foundation, a tried, precious,
corner stone, and whosoever believeth on him shall not be
ashamed of his hope, shall never be destroyed. Here is the
most perfect security, established by innumerable express
promises made by him who cannot lie. He who believeth on
Christ with that faith which implies love and obedience to
him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life. How unrea-
sonably do you act, of what folly and madness are you guilty,
if you neglect and refuse this great and sure salvation which
is offered to you ! and you may be absolutely sure you shall
have everlasting life, if you will accept of it ; and trust to that
which, at most, is no more than probable, and may fail you
after all. This is neglecting a certainty, for the sake of an
uncertainty at best, in an affair of the highest moment. Such
conduct would be thought madness in any temporal, worldly
matter : why then will you be guilty of it when your whole,
your eternal interest is depending? Indeed, there is no prob-
ability that such folly and infatuation will end well ; but a
41*

486 INFERENCES FROM THE DOCTRINE

certainty, that if you take this course, and neglect Christ and
the great salvation now, you cannot escape everlasting de-
struction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his
power. " Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest he tear
you in pieces, and there be none to deliver."

Secondly. This address turns to those who profess to be-
lieve the doctrine of endless punishment, and know they are
not Christians, who own themselves to be constantly exposed
to everlasting destruction, and that this must be their portion,
if they should die while in their present state ; and yet are in
a great measure secure and easy, while they are neglecting
the great salvation, and many of them go on in open and
unrestrained wickedness.

Dear, infatuated souls, how can you be insensible, if you
will think seriously a minute, that you are in a most danger-
ous, wretched case, which calls for the pity of all the benevo-
lent, and their earnest prayers and friendly endeavors for your
relief? And though all of this kind has hitherto had no ap-
parent success, yet the attempt must be repeated, and you are
to be reproved, rebuked, and exhorted, w^ith all tenderness,
long-suffering, and doctrine, or instruction, if, peradventure,
God will give you repentance, and you may recover yourselves
out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at
his will. Think not them your enemies who tell you the truth,
whatever disagreeable and painful feelings it may give you.

Be entreated, as you love your own souls, not to hearken
to the insinuations of those who would persuade you there is
no such dreadful evil as endless punishment to fear. There
are such, and many are greedily swallowing the bait, and
caught fast in the fatal snare, from which it is much to be
feared they will never be recovered. You are not out of dan-
ger. Take heed to yourselves, lest you should be induced to
believe this fatal lie by those who, with all their cunning craf-
tiness, lie in wait to deceive. For, while they promise you
peace, liberty, and eternal life, they themselves must perish
forever in their own delusion, unless they repent and believe
on Christ before they leave this world.

Attend to the evidence there is, from the Holy Scriptures,
of the certainty of endless punishment, and think of it till your
minds are established in the truth, and it becomes a reality to
you. Be persuaded to meditate much upon the dreadfulness
of this punishment. You may be sure you cannot imagine it
to be greater than it will be, or conceive of the thousandth
part of the dreadfulness of it. Think often, yea, constantly,
how dreadful it will be to find yourselves lost forever, plunged
into perfect, inexpressible misery, in absolute despair of deliv-

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 487

erance, or the least mitigation of punishment, to all eternity !
never, never to have another agreeable thought or sensation,
in the midst of the most disagreeable, horrid company, suffer-
ing the most keen distress and torture, which will be poured
in upon you from every quarter, while you know you have not
a friend in the universe to help or pity you ; under the awful
and most sensible frowns and curse of the infinitely terrible
Jehovah, who will live forever and ever to punish you ; your
thoughts swiftly and irresistibly running forward and fixing on
eternal, endless duration ; and the more you dwell on this, the
higher will your misery and anguish arise ; at the same time,
with the keenest remorse reflecting that you have brought
yourselves to this infinitely dreadful end by your own amaz-
ing folly, by constantly, through your whole life, rejecting the
offers of pardon and salvation kindly made to you, and urged
upon you by the infinitely benevolent Savior. Think of all
this, and much more, which, by seriously attending to the rep-
resentation given in Scripture of future punishment, will natu-
rally be suggested to your mind.

Do not forget a moment in what an infinitely dangerous
situation you are ; on the brink of the bottomless pit, where
are everlasting burnings, having nothing to secure you from
sinking down to hell, being held out of it only by the hand of
him whose goodness you are abusing, and whom you are con-
stantly provoking, in a manner dreadful to think of, though it
cannot be fully conceived, to let you sink forever ; and by this
be warned to fly from the wrath to come.

And remember, that the Lord Jesus Christ, the mighty,
glorious Redeemer, now invites you to look unto him, that
you may be saved from this infinitely dreadful, everlasting de-
struction, and you are called and commanded to repent and
come unto him, that you may have eternal life ; and it must,
therefore, be altogether your ovv^i inexcusable fault, if you
perish by refusing to obey his call; and your rejecting him,
and thus going to hell, will necessarily render your punish-
ment inexpressibly greater and more dreadful than it would
be if there had been no Savior, and you never had such an
ofTei-. Why, then, will you not now believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and be saved?

How shocking is the sight of all openly vicious persons!
The unrighteous and oppressor — the evil speaker and con-
tentious— the adulterer, fornicator, and all lewd, obscene per-
sons— the drunkard, and all liars, — these shall not inherit the
kingdom of God, but must have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone, unless they repent.

488 INFERENCES FROM THE DOCTRINE

And what will become of all those who refuse to pay any
regard to God, to religion, and divine institutions ; who
wholly neglect the Bible, disregard the Sabbath, and all the
ordinances of Christ; who restrain prayer, and will not call
upon God ? The Lord will come in a day when they look
not for him, and at an hour when they think not, and will cut
them asunder, and appoint them their portion with unbeliev-
ers, where shall be endless weeping, wailing, and gnashing
of teeth.

There are multitudes among us, and the number is increas-
ing, who not only take the sacred name of their Maker in
vain, but trifle and sport with that which is above all things
dreadful, eternal damnation. They will not only wish damna-
tion to others, but damn their own souls and bodies, or call
upon God to damn them, many hundreds of times in a day.
It is not probable any of these will read this ; but it is earnestly
to be desired, that, by some means, the reality and amazing
dreadfulness of damnation might so impress their minds as
effectually to prevent their ever uttering another profane curse,
and they be made sensible of their astonishing stupidity, im-
piety, and wickedness, in thus cursing themselves and others;
by which they treasure up wrath against the day of wrath,
and by every such curse add to their eternal misery, when
their cursing will become a reality, and pour into their own
bowels like water, and into their bones like oil, if their re-
pentance do not prevent.

There are others, who, for the sake of some sensual, mo-
mentary gi-atification, or the vain amusements and follies of
this life, are giving up their eternal happiness, and plunging
themselves into endless destruction. O, that they would at-
tend and hearken to the kind warning and advice given to
them by Christ! "If thy hand or foot ofllend thee, cut them
off;»or if thine eye offend thee, (i. e., cause thee to offend or
faff.) pluciv it out, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee
to enter into life halt or maimed, or with one eye, than having
two hands, or two feet, or two eyes, to be cast into hell, into
the fire that shaU never be quenched — where their worm dieth
not, and the fire is not quenched."

How many worldly-minded persons are there, who, for the
sake of the pursuit, or the possession and enjoyments of this
world, are every day seffing their souls, and giving them up
to be tormented forever! Let such consider what they are
doing, of what inexpressible folly and madness they are guilty,
by realizing what it is to be lost, to go aw^ay into everlasting
punishment; and let them attend to the awakening words of

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 489

Christ, " What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole
world and lose his own soul ? Or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul ? "

Others there are, who, having been restrained from the
gross open vices which they see practised by many, and being
insensible of the vile nature and ill desert of all sin, and igno-
rant of the wickedness of their own hearts, think they do not
deserve to be punished forever, and, therefore, are confident
they are in no danger of this dreadful evil ; and others depend
on their prayers and supposed good works, thinking them so
deserving as to be sufficient to secure them from future pun-
ishment. All these would be sensible of their mistake and
delusion, did they understand and believe what is said of
Christ; — " Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is
no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved ; " — or did they attend to the divine law, and let
that come to their consciences and hearts, in its true meaning
and strictness, cursing every one who continueth not in all
things written and required therein ; for by this their sins
which are now hid from them would revive, and all their vain
hopes forever die.

In sum, whatever be the different circumstances and con-
duct of men in this life, if they be not real Christians, they are
in danger of eternal fire ; and if they die in their present state
and character, will be punished with everlasting destruction
from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power.
For the Redeemer himself hath said, and it cannot be reversed,
but will be verified in all, " He that believeth [the gospel] and
is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned.''^ Amen.

"He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

SIN,.

THROUGH DIVINE INTERPOSITION,

AN ADYANTAGE TO THE UNIYEUSE,

AND VET

THIS NO EXCUSE FOR SIN, OR ENCOURAGEMENT TO IT,

ILLUSTKATED AND PROVED;

GOD'S VinSDOM AND HOLINESS IN THE TEKMISSION OF SIN, AND THAT

HIS WILL HEREIN IS THE SAME WITH HIS REVEALED WILL,

SHOWN AND CONFIRMED,

THREE SERMONS

FROM ROMANS iii. 5-8.

" With him is strength and wisdom : the deceived and

deceiver are his." — Job xii. 16.
" But God meant it unto good." — Gen. 1. 20.
" What shall we say then .' Shall we continue in sin,

that grace may abound ? God forbid." — Rom. vi. 1, 2.

PEEFACE

I QUITE agree with those who think ministers ought not to
bring into the pulpit dry speculations, or dark, abstruse, dis-
puted points, which have no tendency to make the heart
better and influence the practice, but shall be far from agree-
ing with any who may think the subject of the following ser-
mons to be such. If God has given us sufficient evidence to
determine that all the sin and misery in the universe is for the
general good of the whole, and shall answer some good end
that shall much more than counterbalance the evil, then,
doubtless, it is of importance that all should attend to the
evidence, and believe this truth.

It is, I conceive, evident beyond contradiction, that this
truth must be believed in order to a true and cheerful submis-
sion to God's will as it is manifested in what he does and
what he permits. For he who cheerfully submits to God's
will, submits to it as tvise and good, either seeing it to be so
in the instance his submission respects, or believing it im-
plicitly ; for it is not our duty, or indeed possible, for us to be
reconciled or submit to absolute evil, or evil as such. But if
the sin and misery which take place in the world are not for
the general good of the universe, then they are absolutely evil,
or evil in every view and sense ; and so God's will to permit
sin and misery is not wise and good, and, therefore, cannot be
submitted to. ^

VOL. II. 42

494 ' PREFACE.

That " there is no absolute evil in the universe " * is a maxim
on which is grounded all implicit submission to God's will, in
his providential directing and disposing all events, which we
are required to be ready on all occasions to exercise. So far,
therefore, as this truth is doubted, or out of view, so far there
can be no sincere, cheerful submission. Is it not then of great
importance that this truth should be maintained and held up
to view ? and that, especially, at a time when it seems to be
much out of sight to most, and begins to be even called in
question by many ?

The more a Christian's heart is filled with true benevolence,
the more ardently he wishes and seeks the good of the uni-
verse ; or, which is the same thing, the more conformed to
God he is in true holiness, the more averse he is to absolute
evil, and the further from a reconciliation to it; and nothing
would tend more to cross and distress him than that there
should be any such thing in the universe. And if he should
suppose that God had permitted that to take place which
was, on the whole, a disadvantage to the universe, he must
divest himself of his benevolence, before he could be reconciled
or submit to it. And it must, therefore, be peculiarly satisfy-
ing and pleasing to find the contrary revealed as a certain
truth in the Scripture. If Christians, therefore, tamely give
up this truth, where will they go for support and comfort in
dark and evil times ?

As, therefore, this truth is of such use and importance to
Christians, it was needful that the objections made against
it should be answered — especially that most common one^
found in the text. The commonness of this objection, and the
plausibleness with which it appears to many who do not at-
tend closely to this matter, was the inducement so particularly
to consider it, and show its groundlessness and absurdity,
which is done in the second sermon.

* " If the Author and Governor of all things be infinitely perfect, then
whatever is, is right, of all possible systems he hath chosen the best, and, con-
sequently, there is no absolute evil in the universe. This being the case, all the
seeming imperfections or evils in it are such only in a partial view ; and with
respect to the whole system, they are goods." — TurnbuU's Christian Philosophy*

PREFACE. 495

If we cannot reconcile God's permitting sin with his good-
ness, holiness, and his revealed will, then the permission of sin
is a dark and unaccountable affair to us indeed, and we can-
not be reconciled to it, or justify God herein. It becomes us
to justify and approve of all God's ways to men, — to see and
acknowledge his righteousness in all he does ; yea, it becomes
us to be well pleased with all God's ways, so far as they are
made known to us, for in this way alone shall we be able truly
to rejoice that the Lord reigns, and hath done whatsoever
pleased him.

They who cannot reconcile God's permission of sin to his
wisdom, holiness, and revealed will, can really understand
and be reconciled to few or none of God's ways to men ; for
almost all God's conduct towards men is built upon this, or
some way related to it, as all must be sensible on the least
reflection.

If, therefore, this attempt, imperfect as it is, shall afford any
light and help to any in these important points, the labor and
expense will be richly compensated.

Sheffield, June, 19, 1759.

THREE SERMONS.

SERMON L

Sin the Occasion of great Good.

But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall
we say ? Is God unrighteous who takcth vengeance ? (I speak as a man.)

God forbid ! For then how shall God judge the world ?

For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory,
why yet am I also judged as a sinner r

And not rather (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we
say,) let us do evil that good may come ? whose damnation is just.

KoMANS iii. 5-8.

In these words I shall take notice of two things, which are
to my present purpose, viz. : —

First. An objection against the reasonableness and justice
of God's charging that on men. as a crime, and punishing them
for that which answers some very good end, and is, in the
event, greatly to his glory. This we have in the 5th verse.
" But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of
God, what shall we say ? Is God unrighteous who taketh
vengeance ? " When the apostle says, / speak as a man, he
means, that in these words he states an objection that blind,
sinful men were ready to make.* And this objection is more
particularly stated in the seventh verse. " For if the truth of God
hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why yet
am I also judged as a sinner? " The question is, how God can
justly find fault with and punish that unrighteousness and
wickedness of men which is the occasion of the exercise and
manifestation of his righteousness, truth and holiness, by which
there is made a bright display of his glory. How can that
conduct of men, which answers such good purposes, be hated,
condemned, and punished by God? If sin is so much for

* "J speak as a man, i. e., I object this as the language of carnal hearts,
it is suggested like a man, a vain, foolish, proud creature." — Henry on the place.

" Here I represent the reasoning of an unbelieving Jew." — Dr. Taylor's
Paraphrase in loc,

42*

498 SIN THE OCCASION OF GREAT GOOD.

God's glory, then surely sin is, on the whole, a good, and con-
sequently the more sin there is the better. Why, then, does
God forbid it? Why is he angry with the sinner? And where
is the justice of punishing him for it? Does not this give full
license, yea, the greatest imaginable encouragement, to sin?
K such great good comes of sin, then let us do evil that good
may come.*

Secondly. The objection rejected as groundless, absurd,
and impious. (Verse 6.) God forbid! For then how shall
God judge the world ? As if the apostle had said, " Such a
suggestion is to be rejected with abhorrence, as absurd and
blasphemous as it is directly against God, the righteous Judge
of the world."

Some suppose that the whole of the eighth verse is an answer
to the foregoing objection, which the apostle gives in these
words, by showing where the objection would lead them, if
granted to be just, viz., that we ought to commit sin, because
God made it the occasion of good, and would some way turn
it all to his glory.f But I rather think, with Mr. Locke and
others,^ that these words, " and not rather — let us do evil
that good may come," are a continuation of the objection ; and
that the words, "as we be slanderously reported, and as some
affirm that we say," which are a parenthesis, together with
the last words, " whose damnation is just," contain the apos-
tle's answer. He rejects it as an unjust and groundless con-
sequence from the premises, which was the doctrine of the
apostle, viz., that sin was the occasion of God's glory, and so
of the greatest good ; and condemns those who made this
objection and practised upon it, by this short and severe sen-
tence, vjhose damnation is just.

But be this as it will, whether the objection is continued in
the eighth verse, or is the whole of it, the apostle's answer, the
passage taken together holds forth the following truth, which
I design to make the subject of my discourse from these
words, viz. : —

* " Carnal hearts might from hence take occasion to encourage themselves
in sin. He [the apostle] had said, that the universal guilt and corruption of
mankind gave occasion to the manifestation of God's righteousness in Jesus
Christ. Now it may be suggested, if all our sin be so far from overthrowing
God's honor that it doth commend it, and his ends are secured so that there is
no harm done, is it not unjust for God to punish our sin and unbelief so
severely ? " — Mr. Hennj in loc.

f Dr. Taylor paraphrases the words thus : " And why do you not draw this
into a general rule and maxim, that in all cases we ought to do wickedly, be-
cause God can one way or other turn it to his own glory ? An impious senti-
ment, which some charge upon me, etc." — See Dr. Taylors Paraphrase on Ro'
mans ; also Dr. Doddridije on this verse.

X Locke, Pool's ISytiopsis, and Henry in loc.

SIN THE OCCASION OF GREAT GOOD, 499

THOUGH SIN IS THE OCCASION OF GREAT GOOD, YET THIS AF-
FORDS NO EXCUSE FOR SIN, OR THE LEAST ENCOURAGEMENT
TO IT.*

In this doctrine two propositions are contained, one implied
and the other expressed, viz., —

I. Sin may be, and actually is, the occasion of great good,

II. This affords no excuse for sin, or encouragement to it.

I shall endeavor to prove and illustrate these propositions
in their order.

I. Sin may be, and actually is, the occasion of great good.

This is supposed in the passage of Scripture on which the
doctrine is grounded. The apostle does not deny, but im-
pUcitly grants, that men's unrighteousness commends the
righteousness of God ; that the truth of God does by men's
lies and wickedness abound to his glory, and so that evil or
sin is the occasion of good.

But we are not left to learn this truth from this passage
only. The Holy Bible abundantly reveals to us, not only that
sin may be the occasion of good, but that it actually is so, by
becoming the means of promoting the good of man in many
instances, and advancing the declarative glory of God.

The Bible is full of instances of this, a few of which I will
mention.

We have an instance in the sin of Joseph's brethren, in sell-
ing him into Egypt. It is expressly said (Gen. 1. 20) God
meant it unto good ; i. e., God intended good by their wicked-
ness. And God's end was abundantly answered. By this,
and what Joseph suflered in a state of bondage in conse-
quence of it, he was fitted for that honorable and useful station
God designed him for. This was the means of providing for
God's church and people, and saving them alive, as well as
preserving the kingdom of Egypt in the time of famine. This
sin of Joseph's brethren, therefore, was one means by which
God fulfilled his covenant promises to his people, and so was
the occasion of his truth's abounding to his glory. And this
was the means of God's name becoming great through the
land of Egypt, and was an introduction to all the mighty
works God did there, and in the wilderness, in the deliverance

* " I tliink this implies that there are certain rules which God has laid down
for us, disobedience to which, in any imaginable circumstances, is universally
a moral evil, even though the quantity of good arising from thence to our fel-
low-creatures should be greater than that arising from observing those rules.
For if this be not allowed, there can be no shadow of force in the aj^ostle's
conclusion." — Doddridge in loc.

500 SIN THE OCCASION OF GREAT GOOD.

of Israel from Egypt, and their return to the land of Canaan ;
and so was one necessary and important step towards all that
glory God obtained hereby, and all that good which his church
received. Thus this evil was the means of good, and the sin
of Joseph's brethren in selling him into bondage had a train
of good consequences attending it, and was the occasion of
more good than I have time now particularly to mention, yea,
more than can be easily reckoned up, or even conceived of.

We have another instance in the wickedness of Pharaoh,
King of Egypt. Pharaoh was an instance of remarkable wick-
edness. He cruelly oppressed the children of Israel, he bid
open defiance to Jehovah, and repeatedly refused to obey him
and regard his prophets and messengers, though they wrought
many miracles and wonders before his eyes, to convince him
that they were sent by the omnipotent Governor of the world.
Yea, though when in sore distress by the hand of God, that
was heavy upon him, he repeatedly confessed his sin and
promised reformation, if God would deliver him, yet he as
often hardened his heart, and broke all his promises. And
after the Israelites were gone out of Egypt, with a mighty
hand, not only by his leave, but by his urgent desire, he soon
hardens his heart, and pursues them, resolved to take revenge.
What an instance of cruelty, pride, obstinacy, daring presump-
tion and impiety was Pharaoh I Yet God made all his wick-
edness the occasion of good — good to his people, and the
glory of his great name. For this we have God's own express
declaration : " And in very deed, for this cause have I raised
thee up, for to show in thee my power, and that my name
may be declared throughout all the earth." (Ex. ix. 16.) This
was the end God had in raising up Pharaoh, in preserving
him, and suffering him to go on and grow thus great in wick-
edness, that, by destroying him at last, and delivering his
people from his oppressive hand, he might bestow the good
on his church he had in store for them, and fulfil his promises
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that in such a way as to
get to himself a great name through all the earth. And this
end was answered; God triumphed gloriously in the destruc-
tion of Pharaoh and his host, and in the salvation of his peo-
ple from their hand.

Again, the sin of the Jews and Gentiles in putting our Lord
Jesus Christ to death was the occasion of great good. The
death of Christ, considered in all its consequences, was one of
the most glorious events that ever hajjpened ; most necessary
for the good of men, and most for the glory of God. Now,
the death of Christ, so full of good to man, and so much to
the glory of God, was brought about by the wickedness of

SIN THE OCCASION OF GREAT GOOD. 501

man, yea, one of the greatest instances of wickedness that
ever was ; and not only so, but it could be brought about no
other way. If the Son of God must die, he must be put to
death by wicked men. Surely, no Christian who hopes for
salvation by the death of Christ, which was effected by the
wickedness of man, can doubt but that greatest sin has been
the occasion of the greatest good.

The last instance of this kind which I shall mention is the
unbelief and obstinacy of the Jews as a people and nation,
when the gospel was preached to them after the ascension of
Christ. This was the occasion of th^ calling of the Gentiles,
of their having the unsearchable riches of Christ preached to
them ; and so being ingrafted into the stock from which the
Jews were broken off by unbelief. St. Paul considers the
matter in this light, in the nineteenth chapter of his Epistle to
the Romans. He says, " Through their fall, salvation is come
to the Gentiles ; " that " the fall of them was the riches of the
world, and the diminishing of them was the riches of the
Gentiles." (Verses 11, 12.) He speaks of the Gentiles as
"having obtained mercy through their unbelief." (Verse 30.)
And, in this view of the case, cries out, in the thirty-third verse,
" O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge
of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways
past finding out I " Thus the sin and unbelief of the Jews
was the occasion of mercy and salvation to the Gentiles. We
Gentiles may now consider ourselves as reaping the benefit of
the unbelief and fall of the Jews, and this day are in posses-
sion of the good that is come to us by that means.

Thus we have considered some instances in which great
good has been brought about by the evil of sin, according to
the express declaration of the Holy Scripture. I might turn
you to many other instances of this kind, which I pass, as
these I have mentioned set this matter, I think, in a plain
and incontestable light.

And, since God has in some instances, yea, in so many,
overruled the sin of man, to bring about some great good, who
can say that he does not so with regard to every sin that men
commit ? Yea, have we not reason to think, and even be
sure, that this is actually the case ? May we not conclude,
may we not be confident, that all the sin which takes place
among men, from the fall of the first created pair to the end
of the world, shall, some way or other, be overruled by God
to answer some good end ? If God does it in one instance,
why may he not, yea, why will he not, in every instance ?
He who is infinite in wisdom and power can overrule all sin
for good, as well and as easy as any one sin. And our not

502 SIN THE OCCASION OF GREAT GOOD.

being able to see how he does it, or how it can be done, is
no objection at all. Surely, we do not think to limit infinite
wisdom and power by our own scanty conceptions. The
instances of this recorded in Scripture, which we have been
considering, are a specimen and pledge of what God can do,
and doubtless of what he actually does with respect to sin in
general, yea, every instance of it that takes place. These
instances on record are a proof that sin is not, in its own
nature, such a thing as that it cannot be improved by infinite
wisdom to bring about great good. And if it is not so in its
own nature, nothing cai3 make it so, we have reason to think.
And if God is wise and powerful enough, and so can make
sin in general, yea, every instance of it, answer some good
end, may we not suppose that he actually does it ? If God
does not want wisdom and power to do it, we cannot think
he will neglect it, or suffer sin to fail of answering a good
end, through want of care and attention to this matter. No,
surely ; it is not a matter of indifference with God whether sin
answers a good end, or a bad one, or none at all. To suppose
this would be to suppose the infinitely holy God perfectly
indifferent about good and evil, — yea, perfectly indifferent
about the most interesting and important affair in the uni-
verse, — which would be the most unworthy thought of God,
as well as the greatest absurdity.

But as it is of importance that we should all form our opin-
ion right in this matter, let us again turn to the Bible, and see
what further light we can get there on this point. And here
we may observe the following things : —

1. The Bible leads us to look upon the gospel, or the way
of salvation by Christ, as a method God has taken to bring
good out of the evil of sin in general. The gospel is founded
in the sinfulness of man, and takes all its glory from it ; and
sin is the occasion of all the good that comes to man, and all
the glory that comes to God by it. The great work of the
Savior of the world is to bring good out of evil; and I think the
Scripture leads us to consider the benefits of the gospel as a
greater good than would have been had there been no sin.
The Scriptures do not represent the work of redemption as what
God has wrought to mend and patch up, as well as he could,
a world that is spoiled and ruined by sin, as if there would
have been more good in the world, upon the whole, if there
had been no sin, and so no redemption by Christ. No; the
work of redemption is represented in Scripture as contrived
and laid out before the world was made, and as the most
glorious of all God's works — far more glorious than the work
of creation.

SIN THE OCCASION OF GREAT GOOD. 503

Jesus Christ is said to be ordained to the work of redemp-
tion before the foundation of the world. (1 Pet. i. 20.) And
the glorious way of salvation, which is called the wisdom of
God, is said to be ordained before the world. (1 Cor. ii. 7.)
Chrisfs church and people are said to be chosen in him before
the foundation of the ivorld. (Eph. i. 3, 4.) The great favor
that comes to believers by the gospel is said to be given to
them before the world beg-an. (1 Tim. i. 9.) Thus the Scrip-
ture leads us to consider the work of redemption as originally
designed by God, before he made the world, as his greatest
and most glorious work, in a view to which he made all things
at first. Therefore, all things are said to be made for Christ.
" For by him [i. e., Christ] were all things created that are in
heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible : all things
were created by him, and for him.^' (Col. i. 16.)

The new creation — i. e., the work of redemption — is said
to be far more glorious than the first creation. " For, behold,
I create new heavens, and a new earth ; and the former shall
not be remembered, nor come into mind." (Isa. Ixv. 17.) Now
the sin of man is the occasion of these new heavens and new
earth; for the glory of Christ and his works could not have
been, had not sin took place. Thus sin in general is the
occasion of all that good which is comprised in the work of
redemption, which, according to Scripture, so much exceeds
all the good which was in the first creation. The world, con-
sidered as fallen, or sinful, and redeemed by Christ, is better
and far more glorious than it was considered as without sin,
according to Scripture. Thvis we are taught that God's great-
est and most glorious work is to bring good out of evil — to
make sin in general, which is the greatest evil, the means of
the greatest good. I proceed to observe, —

2. The Scripture not only teaches us that good is brought
out of sin in general, by the work of redemption, but also that
God makes the sin and final obstinacy of those that perish
eternally the occasion of great good; — that God designs good
by this evil, and brings good out of it. This we are particu-
larly taught in Romans ix. 22. " What if God, willing to
show his wrath, and make his power known, endured with
much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruc-
tion?" Here we are taught that God's end in bearing with
sinners, and suffering them to go on in sin to destruction, is
the manifestation of his power and wrath, — i. e., his own
glory, — and that he makes their sin and ruin the occasion
and means of it, and so brings good out of this evil, even their
sinfulness and ruin. And, doubtless, the good obtained is
greater than the evil by which it is brought about; for we

504 SIN THE OCCASION OF GREAT GOOD.

cannot reconcile it to the wisdom of God that he should suffer
a greater evil for the sake of a less good. If God suffers sin-
ners to go on to destruction, that he might hereby show his
wrath, and make his power known, then it is not only certain
that God makes the sin and ruin of those that perish the
occasion and means of his own glory, but it is also certain that
he counts his glory so great a good as to overbalance all that
evil which he suffers to take place as a means of that good ;
so that, upon the whole, there is more good than if there had
been no evil. I say we are sure of this ; for to suppose the
contrary is to impeach God's wisdom. For to suffer a greater
evil for the sake of a less good is as if one should part with a
thousand pounds for the sake of ten, or as the means of pro-
curing one penny ; or, as if he should endure a million degrees
of pain for the sake of one degree of pleasure, which, upon the
whole, is worse than nothing at all, and is really preferring
evil to no evil, or a greater evil to a less ; which is the same
with choosing evil for evil's sake, and cannot be supposed of
the wise and holy God, without blasphemy.

Indeed, the instance of Pharaoh, which we have before con-
sidered, is a specimen of all obstinate, impenitent sinners. As
God raised him up, — i. e., suffered him to go on to such a
degree of wickedness, till he was ripe for destruction, — that
in him he might show his power, and cause his name to be
declared throughout all the earth, so he suffers all sinners that
finally perish to go on till they are fitted for destruction, that
he may glorify himself in them ; and it is from the instance of
Pharaoh, and what God says of him, which St. Paul mentions
in the seventeenth verse, that he is led to say what he does
of finally impenitent sinners in general in the text under
consideration.

He who can understand God's dealings with Pharaoh, and
is reconciled to his suffering him to go on to so great a degree
of wickedness that he might glorify himself in him, and can
see God's righteousness and wisdom in bringing this good
out of Pharaoh's wickedness, he will easily see how God
makes the sin of all that are finally impenitent a means of his
own glory, and suffers them to go on to destruction that he
may answer this end.

If any should say, " Though God glorified himself by the
great wickedness and obstinacy of Pharaoh, and does so by
the sin and destruction of all that perish, yet God would be
more glorified, and he would obtain a higher and better end,
if neither Pharaoh nor any sinner went on in wickedness to
final impenitence and destruction;" I say, if any should say
so, I think they would contradict the Scripture texts we are

SIN THE OCCASION OF GREAT GOOD. 505

considering, or at least deny God's wisdom in his conduct in
these instances. God says he suffered Pharaoh to go on to
the length he did in sin, until he was ripe for ruin, that he
might glorify himself thereby. Now, if he would have had
more glory, or as much, if Pharaoh had not gone on as he did,
then God did not take the best method and use the best
means to glorify himself by Pharaoh ; and, therefore, did not
act wisely in seeking to glorify himself by Pharaoh's obsti-
nacy and ruin ; for wisdom consists in choosing the best means
to answer the best end. This may be applied to finally im-
penitent sinners in general.

3. The Scripture teaches us that God makes all the sins of
men, from the beginning to the end of the world, to answer
some good end. • This we are particularly taught in the 76th
Psalm, 10th verse. " Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee ;
the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain."

By the wi'ath of man we are to understand the wickedness
of men in general, by which they violently oppose God and
all that is good. It is here said, that all this wrath shall praise
God, i. e., shall be to his honor and glory; so that that wrath,
that wickedness of man which would not answer this end,
God will effectually restrain, and not suffer to take place.
So that by this Scripture we are assured that God is glorified
by all the sin that is in the world ; God makes it all the occa-
sion of this good. And the reason why God lays the restraiiits
on men that he does, and so prevents there being more sin than
there is, is because more sin would not answer this end ; for
God will have nothing in his world but what he can bring
good out of, and turn to his own glory.

Another text which I think is full to this purpose, is that
noted one, " And it shall bruise thy head^'' (Gen. iii. 15,) i. e.,
the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head ; which
is as much as to say, that Christ shall utterly and completely
disappoint and defeat the devil in what he had done in intro-
ducing sin into the world. But this he would not do, if he
did not turn the sin which the devil had been the means of
bringing into the world into good, by making it the occasion
of more, or at least as much good, as there would have been
if there had been no sin. If there is one instance of sin which
is not turned to good, the devil is not herein disappointed and
defeated, but is gratified finally ; his end is answered, and it is
so far just as he would have it. So far he is not conquered
by Christ, but he gains his point and is conqueror himself If
the devil has in any degree marred and spoiled the world, and
made it upon the whole worse than it would have been if he
had not introduced sin into it, notwithstanding what Christ
VOL. II. 43

506 sijv THE OCCASION OP cri;at good.

has done to defeat him, then he has so far gained his point,
and succeeded in the thing he aimed at ; and, therefore, so far
he is not defeated, but conquers and reigns.

So that these words hold forth this truth in the strongest

light, viz., that all the sin in the world is, by Christ, made the

occasion of good ; yea, that Christ will make sin the occasion

»of so much good, that the world shall be at least as good a

|\world * as if sin had never been introduced ; so that Satan shall

" not gain his end in one point in the least degree, but shall be

wholly defeated.

This is the way in which Christ bruises the serpent's head,
viz., by bringing good out of evil ; and the more good he makes
sin the occasion of, the more effectually is Satan defeated, the
greater is Christ's conquest, and the more he triumphs over the
devil. If Christ is able to make sin the occasion of so much
good, as that God shall be more glorified and this be a much
better world than if sin had never come into it, this will be the
most deadly and dreadful bruise to Satan's head that can be
brought upon it. This will be an overthrow that the devil
dreads above all things. To see God greatly glorified, and the
world made much better by sin, by which Satan sought to dis-
honor God and spoil his world ; yea, to see sin made the means
of making God more glorious, and this a better world than
could have been if sin had not been introduced, so that sin
becomes the occasion of something directly opposite to that
which Satan aims at and seeks to accomplish, and which he
above all things hates and desires to destroy; for Satan, I say,
to see things turn out so, will be above all things crossing and
destructive to him, and must be the most eftectual, the greatest
and most glorious conquest over him that can be. This is to
bruise his head in the highest degree. There is nothing the
devil dreads so much as this ; and, therefore, to prevent things
coming to this pass, he has been exerting all his powers, and
making unwearied attempts, in all ages; and, therefore, we
may be sure Christ will accomplish this, if he can. He will
so bring things about that God shall be more glorified, and
this shall be, upon the whole, a much better world than if the
devil had never attempted to dethrone God and ruin man;
and will make sin, by which the devil sought to spoil this
world and rob God of his honor, the occasion and means of
bringing this about. I say, we may be sure Christ will do
this if he can, and that to a wonderful and even infinite degree ;
and surely no Christian can doubt of his power to do it. For

* Ey the world, is not meant this earth, or things in the present state only ;
but the ichok universe through all its duration.

SIN THE OCCASION OF GREAT GOOD. 507

this end he came into the world, and became the seed of the
woman ; for this he hung and died on the cross, by which he
spoiled principalities and powers, and triumphed over them.
By this he will effectually and gloriously destroy the works of
the devil, and put all his enemies under his i'eet.

Thus we see how the Scripture represents God as making
sin the occasion of good, even so as hereby to bring about
more good than would have been without it; and that every
instance of sin answers some good end, by the wise, over-
ruling hand of God. The matter seems to be abundantly
plain according to Scripture.

But there may be some yet stumbled at this, it being strange
and unaccountable to them that this should be, upon the
whole, a better world than it would have been had not sin and
misery entered into it; it being to them one of the greatest
paradoxes, that that which in itself is the greatest evil should
be productive of the greatest good, the occasion of so much
glory to God and good to the world.

But such, if any there are, are desired to consider the fol-
lowing things: —

1. Our not being able to see how this is, or can be done, is
no argument that God cannot do it. Surely, infinite power
and wisdom can do this, though infinitely beyond us. Doubt-
less God knows how to do this, " who disappointeth the de-
vices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their
enterprise ; who taketh the wise in their own craftiness, and
carrieth the counsel of the froward headlong." (Job v. 12, 13.)
This is the peculiar glory of God's wisdom, that it is able to
bring such good out of such evil.

2. Let such consider how shocking and dreadful the thought
must be, to suppose that God has permitted that to come into
the world which has in a measure spoiled it, so that he can by
no means remove the evil, recover the damage, and make his
world as good as it was before I How could God look on and
see this, and be unconcerned, and possess his infinite felicity ?
Surely this must grieve him to the heart, in a literal sense,
and make him heartily repent that he had made a world for
Satan to destroy — to destroy so that he never could perfectly
recover it I

Should some one of a nice and elegant taste build a state-
ly palace, and furnish it with every thing pleasant and delight-
ful, and when he had done, his enemy should come and deface
it, and throw it into the utmost confusion and deformity, and
place in the midst of it something exceeding ugly to the view,
and most offensive and loathsome to the smell, and he should
be unable to remove it, or so contrive to make it answer some

508 SIN THE OCCASION OF GREAT GOOD.

good end to himself as totally to disappoint his enemy, surely
this must be very grievous to him. Instead of beauty and
pleasure, he must endure the mortification of a most ugly
sight, and nauseous, abominable smell, while he has no way
to help himself. He would wish a thousand times he had
never struck a stroke to that building, but wish in vain. Now,
if we suppose God's world is, upon the whole, the worse for
sin, do w& not represent him to be in the case of such a one,
or, rather, infinitely worse ?

3. We would do well to consider whether if we do not
allow that every instance of sin is the occasion of some great
good to overbalance it, or whether by supposing that, on the
whole, the world is worse for sin, we do not really set some-
thing up above God, to rule with him, and even over him, in
some degree.

According to the Scripture representation of this matter,
■which we have been considering, God is supreme. He is in
the heavens, and hath done whatsoever pleased him. He
<ioth his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabit-
ants of the earth, and none can stay his hand. He has all
things in his hand, and orders all events in this world; and
lets nothing come into it, or take place there, but what is to
answer some good end, and serves to make the world better,
more perfect, and excellent than it would have been without it.

But if sin has, by coming into the world, marred and spoiled
it, so that it will eternally be a worse, or less perfect and ex-
cellent world than it would have been if sin had not entered
it, then, surely, sin did not come in by God's permission, but
it was thrust in by some one so powerful that God could not
prevent it, and, therefore, so far was, and continues to be,
above and superior to the Most High.

The devil designed to rob God of his honor, and spoil the
world he had made, by introducing sin into it, and so to out-
do God, and be above him in this instance; and, as it were,
take it out of God's hands, and reign in it himself. And so
far as God, upon the whole, loses any honor by what the devil
has done, — so far as this world is, upon the whole, worse, —
so far the devil has obtained his end, has outdone the Most
High, and reigns and triumphs, and will do so to all eternity.
Surely, none would knowingly represent God in such a dishon-
orable light, and ascribe such honor and power to the devil and
wicked men, but would much rather say. All honor and power
belong unto God, and rejoice that God is above men and
devils in the thing wherein they deal most proudly ; and herein
discovers himself to be greater than all others that would
desire to be gods.

SIN THE OCCASION OP GREAT GOOD. 509

Having thus endeavored to illustrate and confirm this propo-
sition, I shall now make some reflections on what has been
said, by way of inference.

1. This view of the matter helps us to a short, easy, and
satisfactory way of accounting, for God's suffering sin to come
into the world, and permitting it to prevail 'and abound as it
has done ; and, indeed, it cannot be accounted for in any
other way.

Some of the heathen, in order to account for sin's coming
into the world, have supposed it to be governed by two oppo-
site, independent principles or beings, a good one and an evil
one ; and that all sin and evil is from the evil being, which
the good being cannot prevent, and so has no hand even in
permitting sin.

And some who have the advantage of divine revelation
give but a very little better account of the matter, while they
suppose God could not* prevent sin taking place among his
creatures ; that God made a number of intelligent creatures
that he could not control and keep from sin, if he continued
them in being and free agents, and treated them according to
the nature and capacity of such. And so the world has been
in a great measure spoiled and ruined by sin, introduced by
the free agency of the creature, which could not be restrained
and controlled by God. But how this can be reconciled with
the Scripture, or the wisdom, supremacy, and infinite happi-
ness of God, I think they have never yet shown.

But if God saw that sin's entering into the world would be
the best means of answering the greatest and best ends —
would be the occasion of the greatest good — a means of the
world's becoming better, more excellent and glorious than
otherwise it would be, then it is easy to see why he should
determine to suffer it to take place, even though at the same
time he knew how to prevent it, and could easily have done
it. For the sake of the great good which God saw sin would
be the occasion of by his disposal, he was quite willing to
suffer it to take place among his creatures, and therefore per-
mitted it.

Objection. Is not this to make God do evil that good
come, which St. Paul greatly condemns in the text?

Answer. By no means. Surely God does not do evil in
permitting his creatures to sin, but, on the contrary, acts wise-
ly and holily herein. The creature does the evil, and not God.
The creature's aims and ends, in committing sin are wicked
and vile; but God's aims and designs, in permitting the crea-
ture thus to act, are wise and holy. Therefore, God does not
do evil that good may come, but all he does is good.
43*

510

SIN THE OCCASION OF GREAT GOOD.

Objection. But does not this represent God as willing and
choosing sin, and so taking pleasure in it ? To suppose which,
would be the highest blasphemy.

Answer. This does not represent God as taking pleasure in
sin, and willing and choosing it for its own sake, in itself con-
sidered ; but he is willing sin should take place, for the sake
of something else, viz., the great good that it will be the occa-
sion of producing. This is nothing contrary to God's hating
sin infinitely, considered as it is in itself, in its own nature, as
consisting in the disposition, views, and aims of the sinner; as
such, it is the abominable thing which God hates.

There seems to be no great difficulty in making this dis-
tinction. We are obliged to make the same, with regard to
natural evil, or pain and suffering. This is as truly, (though
not in the same sense and degree,) I say, as really contrary to
God's nature and will, in itself considered, as moral evil. Yet
God is so far reconciled to it, for the' sake of the good to be
obtained by it, that he is quite willing it should take place ;
yea, inflicts it in millions of instances, with his own hand.
Thus it pleased God to bruise his own Son, to put him to the
most amazing pain and torture; not because he delights in
pain and misery, in itself considered, but he chose thus to put
his Son to pain for the sake of the good to be answered there-
by. In this view of things, God was quite willing his Son
should suffer, and was pleased with it. Whereas, if there had
been no good to be answered thereby, it would have been in-
finitely contrary to God's nature and will that his Son should
be put to such extreme pain. Thus the permission of sin can
be accounted for, as easily as we account for the sufferings of
Christ, and in the same way, viz., that God chose they both
should take place, and, therefore, suffered them to take place,
for the sake of the great good they are the means of.

If any should say, " Seeing God chose that his own Son
should l)e put to the most extreme sufferings, and looked on
and was pleased with it; and seeing he will inflict such
amazing pain on the damned to all eternity, it seems that the
pain and misery of his creatures suits him, is agreeable to his
will, and he really takes pleasure and delight in it ; " I say, if
any one should argue in this form, he would talk as consist-
ently, and as much to the purpose, as he who says, " That,
seeing God chose to permit sin, therefore sin is agreeable to
his will, and he delights in it." Both may be easily answered
thus : God wills neither sin nor misery for their own sake,
they being, in themselves considered, abstracted from all con-
nections and consequences, most contrary to his nature and
will ; and was there no good end to be answered by sin or

SIN THE OCCASION OF GREAT GOOD. 511

misery, God would have forever kept them both out of his
world ; but since they became the occasion and means of so
much good, he suffers them both to take place.

If God had no good end to answer by the sin of man, he
would have taken effectual care to keep him from sin ; but as
he intended to make this evil the occasion of so much good,
he willingly suffered it to take place.*

2. This view of things affords matter of support and comfort
in the darkest times, when sin prevails and abounds most in
the world.

He who rules supreme in the heavens, and has all things,
even the heart of kings and all men, in his hand; who is the
Father of the creation, and has a heart full of benevolence to
the universe, and is, therefore, steadily and wisely seeking its
good by all he does and by all he permits, — He will bring good
out of all this evil; and, therefore, permits it, because it is the
best, the wisest way to accomplish his benevolent designs.
What reason, then, has the benevolent heart to sink and de-
spond, though sin abounds and threatens to bear all down
before it, and every thing is to his view in the utmost disorder
and confusion ? Let such confide in infinite wisdom and
goodness, and rejoice at rest. Let them cast all their care on
the Lord., and trust in him. Trust, I say, in the Lord., and he
will bring it to pass. All things thus under God's direction
and government are well ordered in the best manner, to an-
swer the best ends; and God will bring more good out of
those things which to us have the most dark and threatening
aspect than our hearts can easily devise or wish, though how,
and in what way, is to us perfectly inconceivable.

* God doubtless sought a gond in his determination to permit sin ; and if this
was not a good which he intended to make sin the occasion of, and which could
not be so well answered any other way, and for the sake of which he permitted
it, then he permitted it as being in itself a good, and so for its own sake. This
doctrine, therefore, that God permits sin for the sake of the good he will make
it the occasion of, is so far from representing God as taking pleasure in sin, and
willing and choo.sing it should take place for its own sake, that it is the only
trutli that can prevent his being so represented. If, therefore, one should say,
" the works of God are all very good" and another should object, " that if so,
then God is an civ'/ being," he would tallc with as much reason and propriety
as those who make the objection above.

"There is no inconsistence in supposing that God may hate a thing as it is in
itself, and considered simply as evil, and yet that it may be his will it should
come to pass, considering all circumstances. God does not will sin as sin, or
for the sake of any thing evil, though it be his pleasure so to order things that
he permitting, sin -ttill come to pass for the sake of the great good that by his
disposal shall be the consequence. His willing to order things -so that evil
should come to pass, for the sake of the contrary good, is no argument that he
does not hate evil, as evil ; and if so, then it is no reason why he may not rea-
sonably forbid evil as evil, and punish it as such." — President Edwards on
Freedom of Will, p. 262, etc.

512 SIN THE OCCASION OF GREAT GOOD.

They wlio have a sincere regard for God's honor, and a
tender concern for his church and interest in the world, need
some special support in dark and evil times ; when Satan and
wicked men prevail, and the world lies, as it were, in ruins,
and looks no more like God's world ; and the interest which
they have most at heart, and is in a sense their all, seems
to be almost given up and lost. I say, when things are in
such a situation, the hearts of God's people must sink and be
disconsolate, if they had no special and sure support. But
tliis they have in the truth before us. Though God is a God
that hideth himself, and his way is in the sea, his path in the
great waters, and his footsteps are not known ; though in this
respect they walk in darkness, and have no lig'ht; yet they may
trust in the name of the Lord, and stay themselves upon their

God; being assured that the lorath of man shall praise him;
and the remainder of ivj'aih he will restrain. Yea, they may,
even in such times, rejoice ; rejoice that the Lord reigneth,
who looks on, and suffers things to take the course they do,
because he intends to bring good out of all this evil. Let
Israel then rejoice in him that made him; let the children of

Zion he joy fid in their King. Amen.

SIN NOT TXiE LESS INEXCUSABLE, ETC. 513

SERMON 11.

Sill's being" the Occasion of great Good no Excuse for Sin, or
Encouragement to it.

But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall
■vve say ? Is God unrighteous who takcth vengeance ? (I speak as a man.)

God forbid ! For then how shall God judge the world ?

For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory,
why yet am I also judged as a sinner ?

And not rather (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we
say,) let us do evil that good may come ? whose damnation is just.

lloMANS iii. 5-8.

THOUGH SIN IS THE OCCASION OF GREAT GOOD, YET THIS
AFFORDS NO EXCUSE FOR SIN, OR THE LEAST ENCOURAGE-
MENT TO IT.

I. Sin may be, and actually is, the occasion of great good.

II. This ari'ords no excuse for sin, or encouragement to it.
In the preceding discourse, the first proposition was proved

and illustrated. The second now comes under our con-
sideration.

This proposition, I am sensible, is greatly opposed by many.
We often hear it said by one and another, " If sin is the occa-
sion of so much good ; if it is, on the whole, such an advan-
tage to the universe ; if God is hereby glorified, and the
world is, all things considered, better than if sin had never
entered into it ; then sin is no crime, and men have all imagin-
able encouragement to sin." It seems strange that such per-
sons can be ignorant that they are the very successors of those
who made the objection St. Paul is confronting in our text,
and are risen up in their stead, to oppose Christ and his apos-
tles. That they may be sensible of this, and that such lan-
guage, which militates so directly against all God's ways to a
sinful world, may be no more heard, and their mouths effectu-
ally stopped, is what I am now endeavoring.

I hope, therefore, I shall have the serious and close atten-
tion of all my hearers, while I endeavor to conlirm and illus-
trate this truth, and set it in as clear and striking a light as I
am able.

And I shall attempt this by calling in the united help both
of Scripture and reason.

I. Let it be observed, that the truth of this proposition
is clearly and abundantly taught in Scripture.

The Holy Bible, the best of books, the best and only infal-
lible guide to us fallen creatures, in this dark, sinful world, in

514

SIN NOT THE LESS INEXCUSABLE

these important matters, affords us sufficient light and help in
the point before us ; and therefore, in inquiring into it, I shall
endeavor to keep your eyes on this book, and build all my
arguments upon it. " To the law and to the testimony ; if
they speak not according to this word, it is because there is
no light in them." (Isa. viii. 20.)

The Scripture not only teaches us in general that sin is
most unreasonable, and altogether inexcusable ; most offen-
sive to God, and of most dangerous consequence ; pernicious
and destructive to those who commit it, — I say, it not only
teaches this, but also that those very instances of sin, which
have been the occasion of the greatest good, were, at the same
time, very offensive and provoking to God, and brought his
awful judgments upon those who were guilty of it, and in
many instances proved the means of their destruction.

What says the Scripture of the sin of Joseph's brethren ?
Though God meant it unto good, and* it was the occasion of
so much good, their own conscience, which was the candle of
the Lord, God's witness in their breasts, accused them of
guilt, and charged it home upon them, when they were in
distress. (Gen. xlii. 21, 22.) And even after they saw and
shared in some of the great good that came of this evil, they
do not excuse themselves for what they had done ; neither did
their father Jacob, to his dying day, excuse them. But the
guilt of this sin still lies on their consciences ; and they, by
the direction of Jacob their father, (which is as though God
had directed them,) go and confess their sin to Joseph, and
ask his forgiveness. (Gen. 1. 15-17.) And though Joseph
forgave them, so far as he had any concern with it, yet he
plainly intimates that they were very guilty in God's sight,
and must have pardon of him, or they would be undone.
" And Joseph said to his brethren. Fear not : for am I in the
place of God?" (See verses 19-21.) As if he had said,
" Fear no evil from me ; I shall not take vengeance on you,
for your injurious treatment of me ; I will not put myself in
God's place : vengeance belongeth unto God, and therefore I
will not avenge myself. But you had need to see to it that
your peace is made with God, or you may expect to feel his
vengeance."

We have another instance of this in Pharaoh. His sin, as
we have heard, was the occasion of great good. Yet his
conduct is represented as exceeding vile and criminal, most
offensive and provoking to God, and that for which he was at
last dread Cully destroyed.

And the Jews' putting our Lord Jesus Christ to death,
which was the occasion of such infinite good, is represented

BECAUSE AN OCCASION OF GOOD. 515

as the most horrid crime, infinitely provoking to God, and of
destructive consequence to them as a nation. Of Judas, who
had a great hand in this by betraying him unto them, our
Lord says, " It had been good for that man if he had not
been born." (Matt. xxvi. 24.) His own conscience soon felt
the weight of his crime ; and in the utmost horror he con-
fessed, he had sinned in betraying:; innocent blood; cast the
money he had received as the reward of his iniquity down in
the temple, and went away and hanged himself; and went
straight to hell, which the Scripture speaks of as " his own
place." (Acts i. 25.) And there he now is, weltering in that
burning lake, as a due reward for that horrid crime. It avails
him nothing to plead, "that thus it must be that the Scripture
might be fulfilled." It does not in the least extenuate his
crime, nor is it any relief to him, that the iimocent blood which
he betrayed washes away the sin of the world, and has be-
come the salvation of thousands. And the Jews as a nation,
by the hand they had in this, brought upon themselves the
high displeasure of Heaven, and most severe and awful judg-
ments, which I have not room here particularly to mention.

Thus we see that the sins of men, which, according to Scrip-
ture, God overrules for the greatest good, are at the same time
exceeding criminal, and very provoking to God, and greatly
expose men to God's wrath, and often bring it upon them.
From which it appears that, God being Judge, sin's becoming
the occasion of the greatest good does not at all extenuate or
lessen the crime, or render those that commit it the less
guilty, or afford any. excuse to them ; and, therefore, that there
is not from hence the least encouragement to sin. We here
see how God looks upon the matter, and how he will treat
men in such cases: and we are sure his judgment is accord-
ing to truth ; and, consequently, that the proposition we are
upon is true. Therefore they who think that if good comes
of sin, so far sin is excusable, and there is no harm or danger
in committing it, are under a great and sad delusion.

Bat, if it be needful, yet further light may be offered in this
matter from the Holy Scripture. This will appear, to all that
will observe, that it is the vileness and inexcusable criminal-
ness of sin, and the ill desert of the sinner, that is the very
occasion, in many instances, of its answering the good end it
does, according to the account the Bible gives of the matter;
so that, if the sin was in any degi-ee excusable, and did not
render the person that is guilty of it infinitely ill deserving,
and so justly expose him to the dreadful wrath of God, it
could not answer the good end it does. This is plain, because
the good end that sin answers, in many instances, is the

616 SIN NOT THE LESS INEXCUSABLE

display of God's glory, by his pouring out his wrath on the
sinner, and punishing hiui for it. We have an instance of
this in Pharaoh. One great and good end answered by his
sin was by God's taking occasion thereby to show his power,
and cause his name to be declared throughout all the earth,
by pouring out his wrath on Pharaoh for his sin ; and, there-
fore, if Pharaoh had not deserved this wrath for his sin, this
end could not have been answered by it. So we are told that
the great good that is answered by sinners' obstinacy and
final impenitence is by God's showing his wrath, and making
his power known, in punishing them eternally for their wick-
edness. " What if God, willing to show his wrath, and make
his power known." (Rom. ix. 22.) If sin was not inhnitely
criminal, and did not render those guilty of it infinitely ill
deserving, it would not fit them for that destruction in which
God shows his wrath, and makes his power known.

Surely, all will see how, in this case, the Scripture unites
the ill desert of the sinner and his destruction for sin with the
good end answered by it; — unites them, I say, so that they
cannot be separated; — so that to say sin's answering a good
end renders it excusable and harmless is expressly, in words,
to separate what God has joined together — yea, things which
are, in their own nature, inseparably united, so as necessarily
to imply each other. If God's glorifying himself by punish-
ing sin renders sin harmless, and not deserving of punishment,
then here is the greatest contradiction ; lor if sin deserves no
punishment, God cannot glorify himself in punishing it: so
that, according to this, by the good end's being answered, it
is, at the same time, by its being answered, absolutely de-
feated, and not answered.

Thus full of contradiction and absurdity is such a notion as
this, viz., that if sin is the occasion of good, it deserves no
punishment; and it is directly contrary to those Scriptures
which represent the ill desert of sin as essential, in order to
answer the good end it does, and teach that sin becomes the
occasion of good, in many instances, by its rendering men the
proper subjects of divine wrath, which it could not do if its
being the; occasion of good rendered it harmless, and men
excusable for committing it.

But, though the Scripture is thus clear and express in this
matter, yet there may be some who do not see into the reason
of it; they cannot see why sin's being the occasion of so
much good does not represent it as harmless, and afibrd en-
couragement to sin, that those good ends may be answered.
I shall, therefore, —

II. Give the reasons of it, and show why it is so, still direct-

BECAUSE AN OCCASION OF GOOD. 517

ing your eye to the Holy Scripture as our help and guide.
And here I ask your attention to the following particulars: —

1. The good ends answered by sin is no excuse for it, nor
does in the least extenuate its guilt, because sin is still the
same in its own nature as if it answered no good end. Sin,
as it consists in contradiction to truth and reason and the law
of God, is, in its own nature, most unreasonable, ugly, and
hateful, and, therefore, criminal and inexcusable; and the con-
sequences of it, whether good or bad, alter not the nature of
it. Though sin be the occasion of never so much good, yet
it is, in its own nature, a contradiction to truth and reason,
and, therefore, is, in itself, odious, vile, and criminal. Sin is,
therefore, considered in its own nature as consisting in the
unreasonable disposition, views, and aims of the sinner, infi-
nitely hateful to God, and he is at an infinite distance from
feeling any temptation or encouragement to it; and, therefore,
all the good God brings out of sin does not in the least abate
his hatred of it, or make him look upon it a whit the less
criminal, and, consequently, does not at all abate his anger at
the sinner, and disposition to punish for sin. And if men
looked upon things in this light, — as they do, so far as they
see the truth, — and had an answerable disposition of mind,
they would not hate sin the less because of the good that it is
the occasion of, or imagine themselves at all the more excusa-
ble therefor on this account. Moreover, —

2. It is not owing to any good tendency in sin, in itself
considered, that it becomes the occasion of good. As sin's
beinw made the occasion of ^ood does not chans^e the nature
of it, so neither does it alter its natural tendency. The natu-
ral tendency of sin is to the greatest evil ; it is big with infinite
mischief. Sin aims and tends to dishonor God, and dethrone
him — to fill the world with the utmost disorder, confusion,
and misery, yea, even to spoil and destroy the universe, so as
to make the whole, both Creator and creatures, infinitely
worse than nothing. Sin tends to make God infinitely dis-
honorable, and infinitely miserable, and would actually do so,
if God was not able to prevent it. And it tends to make the
creature eternally miserable ; and its tendency to this is so
great and strong, that this would be the infallible consequence
if God did not interpose and prevent.

Now God's overruling this which tends to so much evil,
which has an unalterable and almost infinite tendency to infi-
nite evil, does not make this tendency to evil a whit more
excusable, or the less vile and mischievous, as it is in itself;
and, therefore, in no degree removes the guilt and ill desert of
it. No thanks to sin that any good comes of it; this is no
VOL. II. 44

518 SIN NOT THE LESS INEXCUSABLE

argument in its favor, as it is not owing to its harmlessness or
good tendency in itself, but to the overruling hand of God,
who, by his infinite wisdom and unconquerable power, turns
that to good which in itself tends only to evil, and is full of
deadly poison.

If the conduct of a man towards his neighbor has a most
direct tendency in itself to hurt and undo him, though the
mischief is prevented by the overruling providence of God, or
the kind interposition of some wise and able friend, — yea, is,
by such interposition, turned into the greatest good to him, —
this does not render such conduct in any degree the more
harmless or excusable, or in the least lessen the guilt and ill
desert of it. This truth I suppose every one discerns who is
come to the years of discretion, it being a plain dictate of
common sense; and I see no difficulty in applying it to the
case before us. If the person's conduct tow^ards his neighbor,
so full of mischief, and tending directly to his ruin, looks not
the better in itself, and is not in the least more excusable for
its being overruled to the good of his neighbor, then, surely,
the good which God brings out of sin affords no excuse for
sin, which is, in its own nature and tendency, infinitely mis-
chievous, and full of deadly evil. I proceed to observe, —

3. As sin, in its own nature and tendency, is as odious, vile,
and mischievous as if no good came of it, so the disposition,
aim, and end of the sinner is as hateful and vile, as contrary
to God and all good, as if no good came of the sin he
commits.

As sin, in its own nature, tends to mischief, so the sinner,
who is the author of it, aims at that which is unreasonable,
mischievous, and destructive. If the sinner could have his
will, none of the good which God brings out of sin would
follow, but all the mischief imaginable. St. Paul tells us,
" The carnal mind is enmity against God." (Rom. viii. 7.)
The disposition of the sinner, the whole bent of his mind, is
in opposition to God and his glory, and all the good that
God is seeking. Now the disposition and aim of the sinner
is not the better because God prevents the mischief sought
taking place, and turns all into good ; but the sinner's dispo-
sition and end in what he does is as vile, inexcusable, and
deserving of God's wrath, as if no good had followed.

Thus, Joseph's brethren thought evil against their brother,
and were disposed to injure him. They cared not for his wel-
fare, but aimed to put him into a state of servitude and mise-
ry, and thus prevent his dreams coming to pass. Therefore,
their disposition and aim in what they did was most unrea-
sonable, and contrary to God's design, and so to all that good

BECAUSE AN OCCASION OF GOOD. 519

which their selling him was the means of. And now, who
can have a better thought of the conduct of Joseph's brethren,
or esteem their crime in selling him at all the less because of
the good which God brought out of it, so contrary to their
intentions?

We are not wont, in the least, to excuse men for their bad
designs, and their attempts to do mischief, because they are
not able to bring their designs to pass, and the mischief they
aim at and attempt to do, does not actually follow. Yea, if
their disposition and endeavor to do mischief is the occasion
of good, this does not excuse them in our view.

One Verenus gave his neighbor a dose of poison, with an
intent to take away his life, and thought he had effected
what he aimed at; but, contrary to his expectation and desire,
by means of the skilful application of an able physician, the
poisonous dose did him no hurt, but, on the contrary, became
the means of removing a dangerous disease he labored under,
and so of lengthening out his life many years. But no thanks
to Verenus for all this. Not one was found who excused
him on the account of the good his neighbor had received.
No; the whole neighborhood cried out of him as a guilty,
murderous wretch. And, verily, in this they spoke the com-
mon sense of all mankind ; i'or common sense teaches mail-
kind, in judging how far any one is criminal, not to determine
this so much by what is the consequence of what he has done,
but by the deed itself which he has done, and his aim and
design therein.*

4. Though every sin is made the occasion of great good,
yet this affords not the least encouragement to sin ; because
all do not share in this good, and no one that lives in allowed
sin has any evidence that it will be the occasion of good to
him, but has reason greatly to fear the contrary.

There are multitudes to whom sin is never the, occasion of
any good, but it proves to them an infinite evil, even their
eternal undoing. They are not the better for all the good
that God brings out of sin. They have no benefit of the good
which their own sins are the occasion of; but sin proves to

* And if sin is, in its own nature, as uglj' and hateful, and in its own natural
tendency as pernicious and destructive to the universe, and the disposition of
the sinner is as vile and criminal, as contrary to God and all good as if no good
came of it, then there is as much reason why it should be hated, detested, and
abhorred ; why we should bo ashamed of it, humbled for it, and renounce it
forever, as if God did not overrule it for good. And in this fiodlij sorrow essen-
tially consists. Let the Christian consult his own heart, and he will doubtless
find that it is in this view of sin he repents, and lies in the dust before God.

Therefore, whatever (jood comes of sin, it tends not in the least to prevent
godly sorrow, as some have imagined.

520 SIN NOT THE LESS INEXCUSABLE

them (what it is in itself, and in its natural tendency) infinite-
ly mischievous and destructive.

Thus it was to Pharaoh. His wickedness was the occasion
of great good, but he had none of the benefit of it. His sin
was as pernicious and destructive to him as if it had answered
no good end at all. This was the occasion of his dreadful
overthrow, and, no doubt, of his eternal perdition. This was
the case with Judas. He shared in none of the good his sin
was the occasion of, but perished in his wickedness. And
this is true of every finally impenitent sinner. They see not
when good comes, and have no part or lot in this matter ; but
by their sin become vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.

And no one that allows himself in sin has any evidence
that this will not be his case. Such have no reason to deter-
mine but that every sin they commit will cost them infinitely
dear, as they may suffer God's wrath for it to all eternity ; and
this they have all reason to fear and expect, as the way of
allowed sin is the way to destruction, as really so as if sin
never answered any good end; yea, they know not but the
next sin they commit will be their eternal undoing, as it may
provoke God to swear in his wrath that they shall never enter
into his rest — to give them up to inevitable ruin.
* Seeing, then, the way of sin is the way to destruction,
and none that allow themselves in sin have any evidence, or
any reason to expect, that sin will turn to their good, but have
the greatest reason to fear and expect the contrary, they have
no encouragement to sin because God does overrule all sin
so as to make it the occasion of good ; for what is this to them,
so long as, so far as appears, they are like to have no part nor
lot in it ? Yea, —

5. They are in the utmost danger of having sin become an
unspeakably greater evil to them than if God had not made it
the occasion of so much good.

What God has done to bring good out of the evil of sin,
makes sin vastly more dreadful to those that continue in it than
it would have been had not God done this. Their having the
offers of salvation by Christ in consequence of this, will render
their continuance in sin much more dreadful than otherwise it
would l)e. And the good that sin is the occasion of, by being
a means of God's glory and the advancement of the happi-
ness of the blessed, will greatly aggravate their misery who
continue in sin, and make it of vastly more awful consequence
to them than if none of this good had been brought out of sin.

This is evident; for the more God is glorified, the more his
perfections are discovered to intelligences, the more miserable
tlicy must be who are doomed to the eternal hatred and anger

BECAUSE AN OCCASION OF GOOD. 521

of this God, for the more they see of God the more dreadful
his ^\^^■ath will be to them ; and the more happiness the blessed
enjoy, the more sensible the damned will be of what they have
lost by sin, and consequently the more miserable.

Satan will, doubtless, be eternally more miserable than if
God had not taken occasion, by his introducing sin into the
world, to glorify himself, and make this a better world than it
was before. So all men that continue in sin to final impeni-
tence will be more miserable the more good their sin is made
the occasion of; so that this will be not only no good to
them, but an infinite evil.

Now, surely, that which makes the continuance in sin infi-
nitely more dreadful than otherwise it would have been, gives
it a more deadly sting, and so makes it more dangerous and
awful, can be no encouragement to continuance in sin ; but, on
the contrary, the greatest imaginable discouragement.

6. God's bringing the greatest good out of the evil of sin
gives no encouragement or license to sin, because the method
God has taken to do this is so contrived that, at the same
time it makes sin the occasion of good, it serves to show the
infinite hatefulness and ill desert of sin, and the awful conse-
quences of it to the impenitent f^ inner.

The greatest good that comes by sin is brought about by
the sufferings and death of Je?as Christ, the Son of God. In
this way the serpent's head is bruised, the works of the devil
are destroyed, man is saved, and God is glorified. The death
of Christ redeems the w^orld, and is the foundation of the new
creation, which so much exceeds the old, by which the world
is so much better and more glorious than it would have been
if sin had never entered. Now, by the sufferings and death
of Christ, God has discovered his hatred of sin, his inflexible
resolution to punish it, and the dreadfulness of his wrath, and
so the awful consequence of perishing in sin, and set them in
a most clear and striking light. God has showed his strict
and awful justice, his inflexible resolution to punish sin, so
ihat he will by no means clear the guilty, by punishing his
own Son, when he espoused the cause of sinners, and stood in
their place ; and in the sufferings of the Son of God is shown
the dreadfulness of God's wrath, and so the awful consequence
of continuing in sin ; " for if these things are done in the green
tree, what will be done in the dry?" Thus God has contrived
that the very method he has taken to bring infinite good out
of sin should be above any thing else a means of discovering
how infinitely hateful and criminal sin is, and how certain and
awful is the punishment of it ; and so exhibit the greatest dis-
couragement to sin, and the strongest motives to holiness.
44*

SIN NOT THE LESS INEXCUSABLE

God has given a more bright and affecting manifestation to
the world of his hatred of sin, of the infinite ill desert of it,
and how destructive to the impenitent sinner, in the death of
Christ, than could have been given in any other way. And
now, how can God's thus making sin the occasion of good be
any excuse for sin, or afford the least encouragement to it?
Surely, every considerate person must own, that God's thus
bringing good out of sin is so far from rendering sin excusable,
or affording any encouragement to it, that hereby he has ren-
dered sin most inexcusable, and done that which tends above
any thing else to deter men from it.

Mankind have now, as I may say, infinitely more to teach
them God's hatred of sin and the infinite punishment it de-
serves, the certainty of God's punishing it, and the dread-
fulness of his wrath, than they would have had, had he not
redeemed the world by Christ. And does this encourage men
in sin ? Surely, no. Nothing could have been better contrived
to make men stand in awe, and sin not. The grace of God
that brings salvation from sin, and makes sin the means of
infinite good by the death of Christ, is so far from giving the
least encouragement to sin, that it in the strongest manner
teaches men to deny all ungodliness and every worldly lust,
and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present
world. (Tit. ii. 12.)

7. The good that God brings out of sin can be no en-
couragement to commit sin, because as far as a man is inclined
to sinj so far his heart is opposite to that good which God
brings out of sin ; and on the other hand, as far as a person
delights in and has a heart to seek and promote that good
which God brings out of sin, so far he has a heart to hate and
forsake sin and practice holiness.

It is, therefore, one of the greatest contradictions to suppose
that the good which God brings out of sin should be an in-
ducement or encouragement to commit sin ; for this is for a
man to take encouragement to commit sin from holy views and
ends, or to love and choose sin out of love to holiness ; which
surely is the greatest absurdity and contradiction imaginable.
It is the same as to say, the more holy a man is, the more he
is inclined to sin; or, the more he is like God, the more he
resembles the devil!

The good that God brings out of sin suits and pleases his
'heart ; and, therefore, it is a good, agreeable to infinite holiness,
as what that acquiesces in and seeks ; and as far as men are
pleased with, value, and seek that good, so far they are con-
formed to infinite holiness, i. e., are themselves so far holy,
and, therefore, they so far hate sin and renounce it; so far they

BECAUSE AN OCCASION OF GOOD. 523

are dead to sin, sin is destroyed in them. Now, what a contra-
diction is it to say that that which destroys sin and roots it ont
of the heart, is at the same time a motive and encouragement
to sin ! So far as a man sincerely desires and seeks the good
which God brings out of sin, as what suits his heart, so far he
acts from right motive and a right end ; and, therefore, so far
is right, i. e,, in the exercise of holiness, and, consequently, so
far hates and renounces sin, yea, cannot sin. How, then, can
this promote sin, and be an encouragement to it ?

St. Paul argues in this manner, in answer to the same
question we are upon : " What shall we say, then ? Shall we
continue in sin, that grace may abound ? God forbid ! How
shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein ?" (Rom.
vi. 1, 2.) This is an absolute impossibility. So far as you
see and seek the glory of God in the exercise of his grace,
so far you are dead to sin ; sin is killed and destroyed in you;
for the nature and tendency of sin is to dishonor God, and
abuse and trample on his grace. How, then, can we that are
dead to sin, as we are, if we desire God's glory in the exercise
of his grace, live any longer therein ? This would be to seek
to destroy the very thing we are at the same time seeking to
promote ; which is the greatest contradiction. As well may
we talk of a dead man's performing the functions of life ; yea,
as well may the actions of life spring from death, as their
foundation and cause, and so a man live purely because he
is dead.

The carnal mind, the heart of the sinner, is enmity against
God ; and so is an enemy to the glory of God, and that hap-
piness which consists in holiness, which God makes sin the
occasion of. The heart of the sinner, I say, desires not this
good, but is an enemy to it ; and consequently the sinner
never does any thing with a true design and desire to promote
it. Therefore, though sin is the means of promoting this
good, yet this neither is nor can be any inducement to a man
to commit sin, unless a man can desire to promote that which
he hates, and is above all things averse to; and, out of a sin-
cere desire to promote it, does that which has a most direct
tendency to the contrary, and is>the most perfect exercise of
enmity against it.

Thus we see it is absolutely impossible, in the nature of
things, that a man should do evil that good may come ; or
commit sin, that he may promote that good which God makes
sin the occasion of. And therefore it is impossible, in the
nature of things, that the good which God brings out of sin
should be. any encouragement to sin. Because so far as any
one is a friend to that good, and desires and seeks it, so far he is

524 THE GOOD OCCASIONED BY SIN

an enemy to sin, and necessarily avoids it. And so far as he
is disposed to sin, and loves it, so far lie pays no regard to the
good God brings out of it, but is an enemy to it. If, there-
fore, any one pretends that he does evil that good may come
of it, that the good which God brings out of sin is a motive
and encouragement to him to commit sin, we are sure it is
only a pretence, and cannot be true; but he commits sin,
because he loves it, and seeks a good which is opposite to that
which God seeks in permitting sin.

Joseph's brethren, being enemies to the fulfilment of his
dreams, which God designed to bring about by means of their
selling him, could not be induced and encouraged to sell him
for a slave, from a view of answering this end. No, they
aimed at something directly contrary to this ; and if they had
pretended they sold him into slavery, out of a desire that his
dreams might be fulfilled, Joseph would have known it was
a piece of gross hypocrisy. For if they had desired his
dreams should come to pass, they would have loved him, and
been tender of him, and therefore would have had no heart
to exercise that cruelty towards him they were guilty of.

This may be further illustrated (if it is not plain enough
already) in the instance of Pharaoh. It was impossible that
he should do as he did, if he had desired and sought the good
God intended to answer by him. If he had desired that
God's name should be glorified, and his church and people be
safe and happy, he would not have refused to hearken to the
God of the Hebrews, nor trample on his authority, and bid
defiance to him as he did ; but would have cheerfully obeyed
all his commands. And he would not have oppressed Israel
as he did ; and therefore it was not possible he should commit
the sin he did, with a design and desire that this good might
come of it. No, he was an enemy to that good which God
designed; and therefore acted like an enemy, and committed
the great wickedness he did.

And this is the case with all that live in sin. They love
sin, and commit it, because they are enemies to the good
which God brings out of sin. Only make them friends to
that good, and their aims and designs conformable to God's,
and this will cure them of allowing themselves in sin, and
make thein renounce it forever. Therefore, I say, it is abso-
lutely impossible that a man should allow himself in sin,
that good may come of it; I mean the good that God
designs by sin. And therefore, whatever pretences any may
make to this, we may be sure it is not so.

Indeed, men aim at and seek good, in all the sin they com-
mit. Something, which appears to them to be good, which

NO EXCUSE TO THE SINNER. 525

they aim to obtain by sin, is always the motive and induce-
ment to sin. But this is always a good, which is not only
of a different kind from that which God seeks, but directly
contrary to it.

But here the following question may arise in the minds of
some, viz. : —

If God permits sin for the sake of the good he brings out
of it, and so aims at this good in permitting sin, why may
not men aim at the same good in committing sin, and so
sin for the same end for which God permits it? How can it
be impossible for a man to aim at the same thing in com-
mitting sin that God aims at in permitting it ?

Answer. That this cannot be, is owing to the nature of sin
itself. It is because sin is what it is, viz., an opposition to
God in his ways, his inclinations, ends, and designs. In this,
sin essentially consists ; even in the opposition of men's
hearts, in their inclinations and ends, to God's inclination
and designs. Therefore, when it is asked, why a man cannot
commit sin, for the same end for which God permits it? — it
is just the same as to ask, why a man may not have the
same end and design that God has, in that very act which
consists in opposing God's aims and designs ? That is, why
a man's aims and designs may not be the same with God's,
which at the same time are perfectly contrary thereto? — which
is no other than to ask, why the most perfect contradiction
may not be consistent?

The more men's inclinations, ends, and designs are conform-
able to God's, and the more they see what the inclination of
God's heart is, and understand his ends and designs, the more
they are pleased with them and A^ith all God's ways, and the
more they see God's wisdom in permitting sin ; and, therefore,
the more pleased they are with his permitting sin for the ends
he does. But this is so far from making them like sin, or love
it, and be well pleased with it, that the more they are pleased
with God's conduct in permitting sin, the more they hate sin,
the more contrary it is to their hearts. God is infinitely holy
in permitting sin ; and the more holy men are, and so, the
more they hate sin, the more well pleased they are with God's
permitting sin, and the more they fall in with his designs
herein.

St. Paul, now in heaven, approves of, and is pleased with
God's permitting sin, for the sake of the good he makes it the
occasion of, in a much higher degree than when on earth.
He is perfectly pleased with it now. And the more he is
pleased with it, and falls in with God's ends and designs

526 THE GOOD OCCASIONED BY SIN NO EXCUSE, ETC.

herein, the further he is from sinning, and the more impossi-
ble it is that he should be guilty of it.

Thus I have endeavored to lay before you, my hearers, the
evidence of the proposition I undertook to prove; and now
leave it with every one of you to judge for yourselves, whether
there is not evidence enough from Scripture and reason abun-
dantly to convince every honest, attentive mind, that sin's
being the occasion of the greatest good affords no excuse for
sin ; and whether it has not been now even demonstrated that
this can give no encouragement to sin.

I have dwelt the longer on this point, because I think it of
importance that it should be well understood. May the great
Head of the church grant that we all may be filled with the
knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understand-
ing ; that we may prove what is that good, and acceptable,
and perfect will of God ; and so have a heart to understand
and approve all God's ways. Amen.

god's holiness in the permission of sin. 527

SERMON III.

The Holiness and Wisdom of God in the Permission of Sin,
and his Will herein perfectly agreeable to his revealed
Will.

But if our unrighteousness coinmend the righteousness of God, what shall
we say r Is God unrighteous who takcth vengeance ? (I speak as a man.)

God forbid ! For then how shall God judge the world ?

For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory,
why yet am I also judged as a sinner ?

And not rather (as wc be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we
say) let us do evil that good may come ? whose damnation is just.

Romans iii. 5-8.

That sin is the occasion of great good, even so much that
there is more good in the universe than would have been had
there been no sin ; and that this being the case, affords no ex-
cuse for sin, or the least encouragement to it, are the truths
which have been considered, illustrated, and confirmed in the
foregoing discourses on these words. What now remains
is the '

IMPROVEMENT.

The view we have had of this subject opens the way to the
following remarks : —

I. God's holiness is exercised even in the permission of sin.
God's permitting sin was as high an exercise of holiness as
any we can think of. This remark is grounded on what has
been observed and proved, viz., that sin is the occasion of pro-
moting the greatest good of the universe.

The holiness of God primarily consists in love, or benevo-
lence to himself and to the creature, in the exercise of which,
he seeks his own glory and the happiness of the creature ; or,
in one word, he seeks the good of the universe, as compre-
hending both Creator and creatures. And this God aimed at
and sought in permitting sin, as much as in any act whatever,
and therefore this was an exercise of holiness, even to permit
sin ; for God permitted sin, because he saw that this was the
best way to promote this end, and accomplish the highest
good of the universe.

If this was not the case, if there is not, on the whole, more
good in the universe than there would have been if God had
not permitted sin to enter into the world, then it cannot be
shown how it is consistent with God's holiness to permit sin.
But if this is the case, as the Scripture represents it to be,

god's justice in the permission of sin.

then the permission of sin is not only consistent with God's
holiness, but God's not permitting it would be inconsistent
with holiness ; for, not to permit sin in this case, would be to
neglect and slight the greatest good, and to prefer it to a less,
which is inconsistent with true love to the universe. The
permission of sin, therefore, is so far from being inconsistent
with God's holiness, that his holiness influenced him to per-
mit sin, and herein is eminently exercised and gloriously
manifested.

Objection. But God could not permit sin out of love to
all; for sin certainly is not for the good of all, but proves the
eternal ruin of multitudes.

Answer. The greatest good of the whole may be incon-
sistent with the good of every individual. God seeks the
greatest good of the whole. This his holiness, his love to
himself and the creation, leads him to. It does not follow that
there is, on the whole, less good in the universe by means of
sin because some, yea, a great number, are eternally misera-
ble by it. Notwithstanding this, God may be more glorified,
yea, there may be more happiness among creatures than if sin
had never taken place; for, though sin is the means of the
eternal misery of many, yet it may be the means of increasing
the happiness of others to so great a degree as that, upon the
whole, there shall be more happiness than if there had been
no sin.*

Objection. But where is the justice of making a number
miserable in order to promote the good of others, even though
we grant there is, upon the whole, more good than if there
had been no sin ?

Answer. They who are made miserable by sin, are justly
miserable. Sin is their own fault, and for it they deserve eter-
nal destruction ; and, therefore, God does them no wrong in
casting them into hell ; they have but their desert. And the
good that sin is the means of to others does not alter the case
as to them, and make their misery unjust. We may apply
to this case the words of St. Paul, Rom. xi. 22. Here we may
behold the goodness and severity of God ; on them which
fall into destruction, severity ; but on them which are saved,
goodness. God exercises severity towards some, but it is a
just severity. It is as just as if no good came to others by
means of sin.

Let none, then, object against God's permitting sin, as if

* If this is a paradox to the reader, he may find this matter illustrated and
set in a clear and rational view by the He v. Mr. Bellamy, in his Sermons on the
Wisdom of God in the Permission of Sin. — See Bellamy's Works, vol. ii. p. 7.

god's justice in the permission op SiN. 529

it was inconsistent with his holiness, as if it made him the
author of sin, and represented him as delighting in sin, etc.
For it is most evident to those who will impartially consider
the matter, that God's holiness is as much exercised, and as
really appears in his permitting sin, as in any of his conduct
whatsoever.

If any should here say that I mistake the matter, that these
objections are not made against God's permitting sin ; this
is a fact that none can dispute, and all must gi-ant God may
permit sin and yet be holy. God had a right to permit sin,
as he was by no means obliged to withhold all his creatures
from sinning. I say, if any should talk in this form, I would
ask, what it is then that they object against, as inconsistent
with God's holiness ?

Do they object against God's permitting sin for the sake of
the good he saw he could make it the occasion of? Do they
think this inconsistent with God's holiness, that he should aim
at a good end in permitting sin ? Surely none can think so ;
for God's holiness in permitting sin consists in his aiming at,
and seeking good thereby. So that God's permitting sin for the
sake of the good that should come thereby is so far from being
inconsistent with his holiness, that it is the very thing in which
his holiness is exercised in permitting sin ; and if he could per-
mit sin, and aim at and seek no good thereby, there would be
no holiness in permitting sin ; yea, it would be inconsistent
with holiness.

To say that God's seeking good by the permission of sin is
inconsistent with his hohness, is the same as to say, that God's
exercising holiness is inconsistent with his holiness, and, there-
fore, in order to be holy, he must cease to exercise holiness ;
and if God's aiming at good ia permitting sin is not the thing
they object against, what is it then? Where is the difficulty?
What is there in God's permitting sin that should make him
the author of sin ?

Is God's determining to permit sin the thing that is incon-
sistent with holiness ? Are there any who allow that God may
permit sin, and be wise and holy in so doing, but at the same
time imagine his determining to permit sin is inconsistent with
his hohness, makes him the author of the sin he determines
to permit ?

One would think none could make a difficulty of this, and
think and talk in this form, if this did not seem to be actually
the case with some. They make great objections against
something, and represent it as a horrible doctrine, inconsistent
with God's holiness, making him the author of sin, and what
not ; and when the matter comes to be examined to the bottom,
VOL. II. 45

530 OF god's decreeing sin.

the thing they object against is, Clod's determining to permit
sin. They own God has actually permitted sin, but will not
believe God ever determined to permit it, because this reflects
on his moral character and makes him the author of sin.
- To remove this difficulty, therefore, I would -say a few
words : —

1. I would ask, whether any can possibly conceive of God's
permitting sin without determining to permit it? Surely God
determines to do all he does ; therefore, to say God did not
determine to permit sin, is the same as to say he did not per-
mit sin. If, then, God has permitted sin, he certainly deter-
mined to permit it.

2. If God had a right to permit sin, and is wise and holy in
so doing, then he had a right to determine to permit sin, and
is wise and holy in determining to permit it. If any piece
of conduct is, in itself, proper and wise, then determining to
conduct so cannot be wrong. Therefore, to say that God's
determining to permit sin is not wise and holy, is to say that
permitting sin is not wise and holy. For there can be no
harm in determining to do that, in doing which there is no
harm ; but on the contrary, a determination to do that which
is wise and holy is a wise and holy determination.

Some may, perhaps, think I have not touched the difficulty
there is in this matter yet. They believe God has permitted
sin for wise and good ends, and, therefore, that he determined
to permit it. But they say, some hold that God decreed to
permit sin ; and it is God's decree in this case which they
object against, as little better than blasphemy, as it seems to
make God the author of sin.

To this I would say, I am willing to leave the w^ord decree
out of the question, and not to insist upon it, or so much as
mention it, as it is a word that is become hateful and frightful
to many. They have, by some means or other, affixed such
horrible ideas to it, that it cannot be used without giving them
great disgust. I, indeed, suppose that to decree to permit sin,
and to determine to permit it, is precisely one and the same
thing, they being only two different words to denote one and
the same idea. However, I am willing to drop the word de-
cree, and have no contention about it. They who are recon-
ciled to God's permitting sin, and his doing it for wise and
good ends, and so believe that this is not inconsistent with his
holiness, but that the permission of sin is itself an exercise of
infinite holiness, they consent to all I am endeavoring to
make evident in this remark; and though they may be insen-
sible of it, they indeed consent to all that is imphed in the
doctrine of God's decreeing to permit sin ; and what then

NECESSITY NOT INCONSISTENT WITH LIBERTY. 531

is become of the frightful objection against the doctrine of
God's decrees, as if it made God the author of sin, which we
so often hear from great and small, learned and unlearned ?
I trust it cannot stand the test of Scripture and reason, but
being imjjartially examined, appears groundless and most
absurd ; which I humbly think is in some measure manifest
by what is said above.

* The truth is, all this noise is, at bottom, made against God's
permitting sin. By proving God's holiness in this, therefore,
the objection is wholly demolished.*

I think it of importance that all should be convinced of
this. If, therefore, what has been said affords any light and
evidence to this truth, the labor is not lost.

II. God's will in permitting sin is perfectly consistent with
his holy law which he hath given unto man, or his revealed
will.

Some have been unable to reconcile these together, and
make them consistent. But what has been said on this sub-
ject I think removes the difficulty, and helps us to see the
consistency and perfect agreement between these two.

The sum of what God requires of man in his law is love to

* I am aware it ynW be said, that " all this docs not vindicate the doctrine
of God's decrees ; for though one objection is given up, and it is granted that
this docs not make God the author of sin, yet it takes away all blame from man,
and makes it impossible that there should be anj' such thing as sin in the uni-
verse ; for God's decree takes away all liberty from man, and, therefore, he
cannot sin in what he does."

Answer. ^Yhat if God determined to make man free, and to permit him to
sin in the exercise of his freedom ; does this take away man's liberty ? Strange !
if God's decreeing to make man free, and to permit him to sin in the exercise
of this liberty, should take away all hberty ; as strange, at least, as if God's
determining to make man and give him existence should eternally deprive him
of being.

Ohjection. What God has decreed will certainly come to pass ; and, there-
fore, introduces a necessifij which is inconsistent with liberty, and so with virtue
or vice. When, therefore, you say, God decreed to permit man to sin in the
exercise of his liberty, you are guilty of a contradiction in terms, and suppose
that which is impossible, viz., that the certainty implied in God's decree is
consistent with liberty.

Answer. Please to mind that this objection is made as much against God's
foreknowledge as his decrees ; for foreknowledge supposes and implies the cer-
tainty of the actions foreknown as much as any decree can do. But how will
you prove that the certainty of future actions and events is inconsistent with
liberty ? on which the objection is wholly built. Prove this, and the Eible will
be overthrown at once, and the common sense of mankind will appear to be a
mere delusion. The Bible is, as it were, wholly planned on the supposition of
the certainty of all the future actions of men. It represents God as foreknow-
ing all things, and predicts millions of actions, and represents men as free in
those very actions that are pointed out beforehand ; and do mankind, in order
to determine whether a man is free in what he does, first inquire what degree
of certainty there was that he would act just as he has doner Surely, no.
This objection, therefore, is directly contrary to the Bible and all reason.

532 THE WISDOM OF GOD

God, and love to man ; (Matt, xxvii. 37-39 ;) which love is
principally exercised in desiring and seeking God's glory and
the good of man. But God, in permiting sin, desired and
sought his own glory and the good of man, and, therefore,
exercised the same disposition that his law requires of man,
and willed and chose the same thing which he requires man
to will and choose in his law; and, therefore, the more a man
obeys God's law, revealed in his word, the nearer conformed
he is to God's disposition and will which he exercised in the
permission of sin.

Now this being so, it is a conclusive argument that God's
will in permitting sin is the same, or perfectly consistent, with
his will revealed in his law ; for it is a maxim that never fails,
that, " if any two things agree with a third, they also agree
with one another." If, therefore, the holiness of man, which
is a conformity to God's law, is also a conformity to God's
disposition and will, exercised in permitting sin, then God's
disposition and will, in permitting sin, and his law, are con-
formable one to the other.

God's permission of sin was an act of benevolence to the
universe, in which he sought the good of being in general.
The sum of what God's law requires of man is benevolence
to being in general. Therefore, God's law is a true expression
of his disposition and will which he exercised in permitting
sin, and is, indeed, the very same will expressed and revealed,
requiring man to conform thereto. Or, thus : —

God seeks his own glory, and the good of the creature, in
permitting sin ; and so his permitting sin is an exercise of
holiness. But if God's disposition and will, exercised in the
permission of sin, is a holy disposition and will, then it must
be agreeable to his revealed will, for that is a holy will. God's
revealed will is but an expression of his holiness, and, there-
fore, it is but an expression of that holiness which he exercised
in permitting sin, which consisted in his disposition and will,
and, consequently, is perfectly agreeable to it.

I trust my hearers see the force of this argument which I
am endeavoring to state. The argument cannot be got rid
of, I think, but by denying that God seeks the general good
ol the universe in permitting sin, which I trust none will do
who believe the Bible, and have any right notions of the per-
fections of God.*

* And is not this sufficient forever to silence the common objection against
the doctrine of God's decrees, viz., that, according to this, God lias a secret
will -wliich is contrary to his revealed will? For, if God's jyermitUiKj sin is not
contrary to his revealed will, then his defc.rmininfj or decrecincj to permit it is not.

This objection against the doctrine of God's decrees has been urged by many

IN BRINGING GOOD OUT OF EVIL. 533

III. What cause have we to admire and adore the ivisdom
of God, which is so gloriously exercised and displayed in
making sin, which is the greatest evil, the occasion of the
greatest good, and in doing this exhibits the greatest imagi-
nable discouragement to sin, and the strongest motives to
holiness !

Well may we join with St. Paul, and cry out, " O the depth
of the riches both of the knowledge and wisdom of God ! "
Satan thought when he had seduced man he had gained his
point — had disappointed, and, as it were, outdone and over-
matched, the Almighty, and spoiled and robbed him of the
world he had made. How may we imagine the " old serpent"
swelled with pride, and vaunted himself on this occasion !
The good angels doubtless beheld what was done with a sort
of astonishment and surprise, and thought the world ruined
♦ and lost; and no creature could conceive how the mischief
could be retrieved, and all this evil turned into good. But
God looked on, and, as it were, said, —

" Satan thinks he has crossed and outdone me now, and
lots on an eternal triumph. But he shall be wholly disap-
pointed and defeated, and it shall appear in the end that he
has by this only been an instrument of promoting my great
and good designs. Sin, which, above all things, strikes at
my throne, aims to dishonor me, and in its own nature has a
direct tendency to spoil and ruin the works of my hands, and
which is, in itself, infinitely mischievous and hateful, — even
this greatest and most deadly evil I will make the special
means of my own exaltation and honor. From this I will
take occasion to fill the earth with my glory, and make it a
much better world than it was before ; and herein I will man-
ifest and display my infinite wisdom to be matter of enter-
tainment, wonder, and admiration to millions to all eternity."

And God, by thus exalting and glorifying himself, and hap-
pifying the redeemed, by means of sin, has, at the same time
condemned sin, shown his hatred of it, and revealed his wrath
against it, and set this in a far more convincing and striking
light than he would have done if he had not thus brought
good out of sin. This God has done by bringing all this
about by the sufferings and death of Christ. If the sinner had
been saved without any satisfaction made to divine justice,
and regard to the honor of God's law, which by sin was

noted writers -with, as much confidence, and show of boasted reason and argu-
ment, as any thing that has been advanced in opposition to the peculiar doc-
trines of Calvinism ; and perhaps all that has been said in opposition to these
doctrines will appear as weak and absurd, — as I trust this now does, — when-
ever the voice of Scripture and reason shall be suitably attended to.

45*

534 THE WISDOM OF GOD

violated, sin would not have been sufficiently condemned, but
the holy law of God would rather have been disgraced. In
this, therefore, there would have been no manifestation of
God's holiness and hatred of sin. But by saving sinners
through the sufferings and death of Christ, God's justice and
holiness shine brighter than if there had never been any sin,
or all sinners had been damned eternally; and God's hatred
of sin and love of righteousness are set in the most advan-
tageous light; and the evil nature of sin, and the infinitely
dreadful consequence of continuing in sin, appear in the clear-
est and most affecting view, tending above all things to make
men afraid of sin, and lead them to hate it and renounce it
forever.

The gospel is so calculated to discourage sin and promote
holiness, at the same time that it brings the greatest good
out of sin, that whoever understands it, and believes the truth .
of it, is thereby transformed into the holy image of God.
(2 Cor. iii. 18.) Thus the gospel is so far from encouraging
sin, that it is the great instrument in the hand of God of turn-
ing men from sin to holiness : yea, God hath so contrived
things in the gospel that it becomes the means of making
men much more holy than they would have been if they
never had sinned ; and it advances their happiness by discov-
ering God's holiness, and promoting theirs.

God has so contrived things that sin is not only the occa-
sion of displaying his holiness, but the occasion of more holi-
ness in the creature than if it had never taken place. How
is Satan disappointed and defeated herein ! while his sin, and
the sin which he introduced among mankind, is made the
means of a most bright display of God's holiness, and of fill-
ing heaven with more holiness, and so with more happiness,
to all eternity than otherwise there would have been.

How infinitely above all creatures in ivisdom does God
appear in this work ! This is, by way of eminency, " Ike ivis-
dom of God;' as St. Paul styles it. (1 Cor. i. 24.) Well may
we then rejoice and glory in this gospel, and say, with St.
Paul, " I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for therein
. is the righteousness of God revealed." And at the same time
the sinner is saved from sin by faith in Christ, "the wrath of
God is," in the clearest manner, "revealed from heaven against
all ungodhness and unrighteousness of men."

" Into these things the angels desire to look." And it is
here that they see and learn "the manifold wisdom of God.''
(Eph. iii. 10.)

Indeed, this is seen but in part now by angels and men.
The more bright display of it will be made at the consum-

IN BRINGING GOOD OUT OF EVIL. 535

mation of all things, when this work of God shall be brought
to perfection, and the good that shall be brought out of sin
shall be seen in all its fulness and glory. And as the Jews,
to whom the wickedness of Haman was the occasion of so
much good, had their sorrow turned into joy, and their mourn-
ing into a good day, and had many a day of feasting and joy
upon this occasion, so shall this be the occasion of joy among
millions, while they give all the praise and glory to the only
wise God, through .Jesus Christ, forever and ever.

I shall, in the next place, improve this subject in expostu-
lating a little with two sorts of persons.

I. With those who will not allow that God makes sin the
occasion of good, and that he did, therefore, permit sin that he
might bring good out of it, and say that such a doctrine gives
a full license, yea, the greatest encouragement, to sin. Such
persons, whenever they hear this doctrine taught, cry out of it
as tending to encourage sin. They say, " If this is true, then
the best way is for ail to sin as much as they can, that good
may come of it; for the more sin the better."

If such persons well considered what has been said on this
subject, I think they must be convinced of the gross and
dangerous mistake they have made ; and that this conviction
may be fastened on the mind of every such one, I would offer
the following things by way of expostulation : —

1. I entreat you to consider how contrary to all reason
this is.

It has been proved, I think, beyond all contradiction, that,
though sin is made the occasion of the greatest good, yea,
though all things considered, there is more good in the uni-
verse than if sin had not entered, yet this does not render sin
at all the less criminal, or afford any excuse to it ; but, on the
contrary, it appears undeniably evident that God has taken
such a method to bring good out of sin, that he has hereby
exhibited to all intelligences the greatest possible discourage-
ments to sin, and set it in a most odious and criminal light.
Yea, it is evident to a demonstration, that it is, in the nature
of things, absolutely impossible that any one should be in-
duced to sin by the good that God brings out of it. And will
you still go on to assert that God's bringing good out of sin
is an encouragement to it, and gives full liberty to all to go
on in sin ? If you do so, you must, so far as I can see, first
lay aside your own reason and conscience, and will hereby
prove that you are not to be reasoned with ; for it is in vain
to reason with men who will pay no regard to reason.

2. Consider how contrary this is to the Holy Scripture.
Nothing is clearer in the Bible, than that God brings good

536 TO DENY THAT GOD PERMITS SIN FOR GOOD ENDS

out of sin, and that God permits sin for the sake of the good
he makes it the occasion of. The Bible is built on this plan.
In this consists the glorious work of redemption, which is the
chief subject of the whole Bible. In this the wisdom and
glory of God appear and are displayed, and on this all our
well-grounded hopes are built. The great good we hope for,
is a good that is to be brought out of sin. And the Bible
teaches us, at the same time, how odious and criminal sin is,
and offers the greatest discouragements to sin and motives to
holiness. Our text is most directly against you. If you will
carefully read it over, you will find yourselves pointed out
and expressly condemned in it. I do not see how you can
well make a declaration more contrary to the Bible than this,
which is so often found in your mouths. And it is quite evi-
dent that you cannot really like such a book as the Bible is,
however you may pretend, or even yourselves think you do.

3. Such would do well to consider how very dishonorable
this is to God, yea, how directly they speak against him.

That sin is come into the world, and that the world is full
of it, they cannot deny. But they will not allow that God
permitted it ; but it came in contrary to his will and design,
as what he could not prevent. Or, if he did permit it, they
will not allow him to have any good end in permitting it;
but he permitted sin, he knew not why, or, rather, for some
bad end. For, at the same time, it would have been better if
he had not permitted it. And now he has permitted sin out
of no good end, or since sin has come into the world in spite
of him, as he could not prevent it, they will not allow him to
make the best of it, and bring good out of it ; because, if he
does so, he will excuse and justify the sinner, and give all
imaginable encouragement to sin, and make himself unrea-
sonable and unrighteous in forbidding and punishing it.

And now, what a deity, what a god is this! Surely this is
not the true God. How impotent and weak, how contempti-
ble, is such a god! How disappointed and unhappy, while
outdone, conquered, and triumphed over by his greatest enemy,
and he not able to help himself! If things were so, they would
be, so far, just as the devil would have them. He would be
glad to fill the world with sin in spite of God. He would
rejoice to have God's hands tied so that he could not prevent
sin. Or if he could prevent it, and so it must come in by his
permission, he would have God permit it without proposing
any good end in it, or without being able to answer any by
it. The devil would be glad to have it so that God could
not bring any good out of sin, without at the same time
encouraging sin and e-\cusing the sinner. Thus, this sets the

EXCEEDINGLY DISHONORABLE TO HIM. 537

devil np, as doing his will, at least on earth, and as having
power above the Almighty — power to fill the world with sin
and mischief, which God could not prevent ; or if he could,
now he has suffered it to take place, can by no means help
himself in the matter by making it answer some good end.

What mean and unworthy notions must such have of God!
They degrade him almost as low as the idols of the heathen,
which have eyes, but see not; hands, but handle not; feet,
but walk not. They represent him, either as not seeing the
bad consequences of sin, or unable to prevent them though
they were seen, or bring any good out of sin ; and so as hav-
ing, in a great degree, lost the world he had made.

God grant none of us may have such dishonorable thoughts
of him. No; '•'■ our God is in the heavens, — he hath done
whatsoever he pleased. He doth according to his will in the
army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and
none can stay his hand, or say unto him. What doest thou ?
And those that walk in pride he is able to abase.'' He was
infinitely able to keep sin out of the world he had made ; and
consequently he permitted it to take place, and that because
he saw it would be the occasion of the greatest good, an
advantage to the universe. And he is continually governing
the world, and ordering all events so as to answer the great
and good ends he proposed in the permission of sin, and will,
in the end, completely accomplish all the purposes and desires
of his heart. And at the same time he brings good out of
sin, he more clearly discovers his hatred of sin and its desert,
and exhibits greater discouragements to sin and stronger
motives to holiness than if no good had been brought out of
sin. The devil shall be utterly and perfectly defeated and
overthrown, with all finally impenitent sinners, and God shall
be glorified by all they have done, and elect angels and men
shall reap advantages from it to all eternity. That such a
God reigns, may well be matter of joy to all ; and let those
who think and speak against him repent and reform, and give
glory to God.

11. I would expostulate, in a word or two, with those who
make a handle of this doctrine, that sin answers some good
ends, to excuse and encourage themselves and others in sin.
They take it for granted that all sin answers some good end,
and profess to believe that this is a doctrine of the Bible ; and
often speak of this as a palliation and excuse for their sin, and
the sin of others, and as if this was an inducement to it. Now,
such are desired seriously to consider the following things: —

1. By drawing, and acting upon such a consequence, you
renounce the Bible. For, as has been shown, nothing can be

538 AN EXHORTATION TO LOOK INTO

more contrary to the Scripture than this. Now, by renouncing
the Bible, you renounce the doctrine from whence you pretend
to draw this consequence, and take encouragement to sin,
and so build upon nothing at last; for in your very building,
you pull down the foundation you pretend to build upon.
" The Bible," you say, " teaches that sin is made the occasion
of good." Very well, so it does. " Well, then," you say,
" this is a great encouragement to sin ; let us sin that good
may come." But this you know the Bible disallows of. And
if the Bible is not to be minded in this case, then it is not to
be depended upon when it reveals the doctrine from which
you draw this consequence and encourage yourself to sin.
Thus men must contradict themselves, as well as the Bible, in
order to make any such improvements of this doctrine.

2. You do not value and desire that good which God brings
out of sin, and therefore never felt any encouragement from
this to sin, as it has been proved that no man ever did, or pos-
sibly can do. As, therefore, you pretend to that which is im-
possible, it is nothing but pretence and hypocrisy in you.
You care nothing about God's glory, and tiie holiness and
happiness of the angels and saints ; you are after a good of
your own, which has no relation to this good. If you could
promote a million degrees of the good which God makes sin
the occasion of, by lifting up your finger, you would not do
it. Surely, then, this was never any encouragement to you
to sin.

3. They who thus abuse this doctrine are certainly in the
way to eternal destruction. And if you continue thus to
abuse this glorious truth of the gospel all your days, you will
fall under the condemnation denounced against such in the
text, and the justice of God will shine bright in your eternal
damnation. You will not see when good comes, or have any
part or lot in this matter, as your heart is not right with God,
but in direct opposition to him. You will be shut out in
darkness, where there is weeping, wailing, and gnashing of
teeth. But Christ's throne shall be guiltless, and established
in righteousness ; and on his seed shall be light, and peace,
and joy forever. God will be forever glorified, and answer his
own ends in your eternal damnation.

I conclude all with a word of exhortation.

I. Let all hence be exhorted to seek after the knowledge of
God's ways, and a heart to justify and approve of them.

1. Seek after the knowledge of God's ways.

It becomes us to cry after knowledge, and lift up our voice
for understanding ; to seek her as silver, and search for her as
for hid treasures, if by any means we may find the knowledge.

THE WAYS OP GOD, ETC. 539

of God. But how shall we find the knowledge of God?
Why, no other way but by searching into his works, as they
are held up to our view in creation, providence, and divine
revelation. It is by understanding God's ways that we come
to the knowledge of God. God discovers himself to creatures
only by his ways and works. These are the glass held forth
in the Bible, in which the glorious God is exhibited to crea-
tures. And it becomes us to search into them with diligence,
care, and painful study. " The works of God are gi'eat,
sought out of all them that have pleasure therein." They
are soiig-ht out with diligent application of mind and earnest
inquiry. He that is slothful, and inattentive to these matters,
he, I sa}^, is " the brutish man that knoweth not, and the fool
that doth not understand this."

It is to be lamented that so many are no more inquisitive
after the truth ; are even too lazy and careless to inquire and
examine for themselves, and so make no proficiency in Chris-
tian knowledge, but are quite ignorant, and groping in the
dark in the midst of the rich means of instruction we enjoy.
St. Paul speaks to Christians as under obligation to make
proficiency in knowledge, and blames them much that when
for the time they ought to be teachers of others, they had need
that one should teach them again the first principles of the
oracles of God, and exhorts them not to rest in the knowl-
edge of the first principles of Christianity, but to go on to
perfection. (Heb. v. 12; vi. 1.)

I know it is insisted on by many as a maxim of importance,
"that we content ourselves with the plain, indisputable things
of religion, and not meddle with dark, intricate, and disputa-
ble points."

But this is, I think, as much as to say, " Be sure to take no
pains to inquire into and understand what you know not
already, but be content to live and die in ignorance." For
what is there plain to a person which he does not already
know ? And what is there which is not dark and unintelli-
gible until by thought and application of mind it is under-
stood? And what peculiar doctrine of Christianity is there
that is not disputed, or looked upon as dark and intricate,
by some?

I have different, and, I trust, better advice to give you, my
hearers. Search the Scriptures daily, that you may knov/
whether these things are so. Strive to grow in knowledge,
that you may not be babes, but strong men, who, by reason
of use, have your judgment exercised to discern both good
and evil. And in order to this, prove, examine all t/ting's, and
hold fast that which is good.

540 A PERSUASIVE TO TRUST IN GOD THROUGH CHRIST.

The most of God's ways revealed to us in the Bible have
respect to sin, or do some way relate to it, (such as his per-
mitting it, punishing it, redeeming men from it, and bringing
good out of it.) II, therefore, we do not understand this, we
know but little of God and his ways. Let us, then, search the
Bible ; and, at the same time, constantly and earnestly cry to
the Father of lights, that he would teach us his ways, and
open our eyes to behold the wonderful things in his word.

Seek a heart to approve of all God's ways. This will lay
the best, and, indeed, the only foundation, of rightly knowing
God's ways. This is, in a true sense, to have an understand-
ing heart. In this true wisdom consists. Knowledge will be
easy to him who has this understanding, while the scorner
(whose heart opposes God's ways) seeketh wisdom and find-
eth not. (Pr. xiv. 6.) " The meek (who have a humble,
pliable, submissive heart) will God guide in judgment, and
the meek will he teach his way." (Ps. xxv. 9.) "Who is
wise, (truly holy,) and he shall understand these things?
prudent, and he shall know them ? For the ways of the Lord
are right, and the just shall walk in them ; but the transgress-
ors shall fall therein." (Hos. xiv. 9.) " None of the wicked
shall understand, but the wise shall understand." (Dan.xii. 10.)
He who has a heart to do God's will, he is most likely to
know of the doctrines he inquires into, whether they be of
God or not ; he cometh to the light. - But he whose heart
opposes God's ways hateth the light, and holds the truth in
unrighteousness, or turns aside to error and delusion, and em-
braces falsehood because he loves to have it so. How un-
happy is the man Vv^^ho has a lie in his right hand, and cannot
deliver his soul because his heart, his corrupt heart, has turned
him aside from the truth ! This, it is to be feared, is the sad
case of many at this day. They have no heart to love the
truth ; therefore God has left them to strong delusion — to be-
lieve a lie,

God's professing people of old said, his ways were not
equal. God's ways did not suit their hearts at all. And they
are as contrary to the unsanctified heart now as they were
then, and are doubtless as much opposed and murmured
against, though under a pretence that they are not God's
ways.

Let us, then, be greatly concerned to have our hearts right
with God. To this end, may God take away the heart of
stone and give us a heart of flesh, in which his laws are writ-
ten ; and by this direct our hearts into the love of God as he
is reveah^d in his word.

II. What has been said on this subject may be improved

LET ALL ENDEAVOR TO PROMOTE GOd's GLORY. 541

as a motive to all to give themselves up to God through Jesus
Christ; to trust in him for deliverance from all the evil of
sin, from sin itself, and from all the evil consequences of^it,
and that you may share in all that great good that God makes
sin the occasion of.

Thus to save and bless sinful man Christ came into the
world, suffered, and died ; and of this we now have the offer.
If you give yourselves up to Christ, you shall be completely
saved from all your sins. He will deliver you from the awful
wrath of God, and all the dreadful evils that are coming on
an ungodly world. He will wash you and make you clean.
He will deliver you from all sorrow, and wipe all tears from
your eyes. He will bestow all the blessings on you that you
can wish for. He will clothe you with glorious robes, with a
righteousness more beautiful and glorious than that of angels,
a righteousness which never would have been had not crea-
tures sinned. He will bring you to God, and introduce you
to a greater nearness to him, and a higher enjoyment of him,
than man would have been admitted to if he had never fallen.
He will cause you to sit down on his throne, and make you
to share in his honor, glory, and happiness. In sura, you shall
share in all the good that is brought out of sin, and be eternal
gainers by the sin and misery that has filled the world. O,
let no sinner disregard and slight these kind and advantageous
.offers; let him not neglect the glorious Saviour another day,
lest it should then be eternally too late, and he be infinitely
worse off than if he had never heard the joyful news now
proclaimed.

HI. Let all hence be excited to seek and endeavor to pro-
mote the same ends that God seeks and promotes by the per-
mission of sin. This is (as has been shown) the glory of God
and the good of the creature. This is to be holy, and so con-
formed to God and his law. God seeks these ends in the
exercise of his holiness, and we have no other way to seek
them but in holy exercises in keeping God's commands. All
that God has done in permitting sin and bringing good out
of it, all that he has revealed in his word, and all that he will
do to the end of the world, tends to excite to holiness. Let
us, then, seek to be holy as he is holy. God hates sin infi-
nitely, and is infinitely engaged to punish it, and woe to us
if we do not forsake it and turn to God now while his pa-
tience lasts ! for without holiness no man shall see the Lord.
May you all so know the Lord and be made partakers of his
holiness, as that your hearts may echo to the angelic doxology,
while they cry. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the
whole earth is full of his glory. Amen.
VOL. n. 46

APPENDIX,

When these sermons were first published, it v/as not thouglit that any of
the true friends of Jkhovah and his kingdom would be offended with the
doctrine, tliat things, even all the sin that has taken place in his dominions,
shall, on the whole, be no injury to his kingdom, but be overruled b}^ him for
the great advantage and glory of it forever ; yea, it was presumed that this
truth would be matter of great joy to all such, and tliat they would attend to
the abundant evidence which we have of it in the Word of God, v.'ith a
peculiar pleasure ; but, however unaccountable it may be, numbers of these
professed friends to God, his lienor, happiness, and kingdom, have appeared
greatly displeased with this doctrine, and have spoken much against these
sermons, chiefly because it was asserted and vindicated.

Mr. D. appears to be one of these, by what he published some j^ears ago
m his sermon on " The Inscrutability of divine Providence." There he has
the following words : " That sin has been of great advantage to the creation,
through divine interposition, some (of confused heads, but sufficiently opin-
ionated) have undertaken to show. But to prove that the happiness of the
creation would have been less, provided sin had never entered into the v.orld,
they must first be able to tell us what would in fact have been, had all reason-
able beings continued innocent — Avhich neither men nor angels can."

Every one, I suppose, v^ho has seen the title of tlie preceding sermons, will
be at no loss in determining v.ho the autiior had a particular reference to in
these words, though he has, I suppose, inadvertently made a material alter-
ation by using the word creation instead of imiverse, Avhich includes all
existence, created and uncreated. How far the words in the parenthesis
show the clearness of the author's head, and his great candor and humility,
the reader will judge. Be this as it may, I think I have good ground to say,
that if, instead of this parenthesis, he had showed wherein the confusion of
the head or the weakness of the arguments offered in support of this doctrine
was to be discovered, he would have given more satisfaction to all his ju-
dicious, candid readers. But this he has not essayed to do. Yea, so far
from this v.'as he, tliat he has asserted, over and over again, what is really
the same thing which ho so severely censures in the words just rjuoted.

He particularly considers the permission of sin as an important article in
which the divine providence is concerned, and allows that God did permit
sin when he might have prevented it ; and he says, " The plan of his adminis-
tration is uniform and fixed, in which the best adapted means are improved to
accomplish his general design, which is plainly benevolent. The general
view of his administration is, therefore, benevolent; his wisdom and power
are, therefore, employed in carrying on designs of the greatest good." If
God, in his providence, and, therefore, in the permission of sin, in every in-
stance of wliich his providence is concerned, is benevolent, and designs the
greatest good, then the permission of sin does promote this design, and an-

APPENDIX. 543

swer this end, and is necessary in order to the greatest good ; for it is im-
possible that God should design the greatest good, or any good at all, in
suffering that to take place in his providence which is of no advantage to the
universe; or, which is the same, if there is less good tlran there might. have
been, had not sin been permitted. If sin is not, by God's interposition, an
advantage to the universe, but God's kingdom, taken in its Avhole extent,
would have been much better, more happy, and glorious, if sin had not been
permitted, then there could be no benevolent design in permitting it; and
God is so far from carrying on designs of the greatest good in this, that less
good was preferred to a greater, which is really the same thing with pre-
ferring evil to good.

And tliis author not only asserts as above, but he very justly observes that
it is necessary we should believe tliat God is good in every instance of his
providence, in order to acquiesce in it and exercise proper and cheerful sub-
mission. His words are these : " As a foundation of a rational acquiescence
in the providence of God, we must lay this down as a principle, that we have
clear and abundant proof that he is good as well as wise." According to
this, we can have no reason to acquiesce in God's providence in permitting
sin, any further than we have " clear and abundant proof" that he is good in
permitting it. Cut if sin, every instance of it, does not, by God's direction and
overruling hand, answer some good end, but it would have been much better
on the whole if sin had not been permitted, then God exercises no goodness
in the permission of sin, and, consequently, there is no ground of acqui-
escence in God's providence respecting this very important and most inter-
esting affair, to which most instances of God's providence in this fallen world
have some respect.

Is it not a little unaccountable that this author should stigmatize his breth-
ren as " of confused heads and sufficiently opinionated," for asserting what
is fully implied in what he himself says, and Avhich is the only foundation,
.according to his own account, of all true submission to God's providence ?
It must be left with him to account for it and reconcile this palpable incon-
sistence, or, rather, retract which part of it he pleases.

Indeed, this doctrine that sin is, by God's interposition and overruling hand,
an advantage to the universe, must be received, unless we call in question
God's infinite wisdom, power, and goodness, or deny his universal providence,
which is really the same thing. This author says, that in order to prove this,
" they must first be able to tell us what would in fact have been, had all rea-
sonable beings continued innocent." How absurd is this ! How inconsistent
with the subject he is upon, (the inscrutability of divine Providence,) and with
most he says in other parts of his sermon ! Blessed be God ! we have a
more safe and short way to prove this. God is infinite in power, wisdom, and
goodness, and in the exercise of these perfections permits all the sin that
takes place in his dominions ; therefore, we are sure that all the sin which
takes place shall answer some wise and good end, and is, on the whole, such
an advantage to the universe, that there will be eternally more good than
could have been had there been no evil. We may be just as sure of this as
we are that God reigns infinitely blessed, omnipotent, infinitely wise and
good, and that tlie Bible is a revelation from him.*

* Archbishop Sharp has fully asserted this doctrine in his sermon from
Psalms xcvii. 1, preached before the king and queen, 1G93. That the reader
may see that this is no new doctrine, and that it was then supported by tlie
Bame good reasons by which it is now proved, I will transcribe part of a pai-a-
graph or two from him : —

"Hence it follows, that all events whatsoever, that ever did, or do, or shall
happen in the world, are really the best that could or can happen ; and if

544 APPENDIX.

The author of a late piece, entitled " An Examination of the late Rever-
end President Edwards's Inquiry on Freedom of Will," has a section " on
the supposed advantage of moral evil to the universe." (Part II. sec. v.
p. 72.) He appears sufficiently disposed to oppose and disgrace tliis doc-
trine ; but he has not offered any argument against it which docs in the
least confute what President Edwards published on that head, and is not fully
obviated and answered in the foregoing sermons, which I think every careful,
judicious reader will perceive. Why did he not particularly attend to Mr.
Edwards's arguments, and point out their fallacy and Aveakness, instead of
suggesting things in a loose, declamatory way, which have been thoroughly
confuted by writers on that subject? Had he looked their arguments fairly
in the face, and so much as attempted an answer, he would have been worthy
of some attention ; but in the room of this, he has most grossly misrepresented
Mr. Edwards in two instances in this short section, (as he has done in other
parts of his book,) which I think ought to be particularly noticed in justice to
the truth and to Mr. Edwards. This author here says, tliat Mr. Edwards
asserts that " moral evil is not of a bad, but good tendency, " (p. 72 ;) where-
as, Mr. Edwards has asserted no such thing, nor any thing like it. Mr.
Edwards's words, from which I suppose this author took occasion to make
the above assertion as a quotation from him, are these : " It is not of bad ten-
dency for the Supreme Being thus to order and pennit that moral evil to be
which it is best should come to pass. For that it is of a good tendency, is
the very thing supposed in the point now in question. Christ's crucifixion,
though a most horrid fact in them that perpetrated it, was of the most glori-
ous tendency, as permitted and ordered by God." (Inquiry into Freedom of
Will, p. 27G.) Who can help seeing that what Mr. Edwards says here is
consistent %vith the greatest bad tendency of moral evil, in itself considered ?
This tendency, however strong and malignant, is counteracted and over-
ruled by infinite power, wisdom, and goodness ; and thus considered in God's
hands, and permitted by him, it answers good ends. In a word, it is not the
tendency of sin, as such, that Mr. Edwards is here speaking of, but the ten-
dency of God's permitting it, and holding it in his hands, and overruling it to
answer his own Avise and good ends by it. How this author could make the
above assertion in the form of a quotation from Mr. Edwards is yet unac-
countable.

He also insinuates that Mr. Edwards, in his book which he has undertaken
to examine, holds, that " the happiness of the creature is the sole end of the
creation." (Pp. 78, 79.) Since there is not any thing like this in Mr. Ed-
things were ordered otherwise it would not be so well. A strange paradox,
you will say, this is ; that not only mischief and calamities that fall upon man-
kind, but even their faults and mismanagements, nay, their very sins and wick-
ednesses, should be for the best. But really so it is, and so it must be, if both
infinite Avisdom and goodness and poAver govern the world."

" Not but that a particular man's sins may be the occasion of his ruin, nay,
and certainly Avill be so, if he persists in them. But still, though every thing that
happens do not prove for the good of that particular person, or that particular
people that is immediately concerned in the event, yet it Avill certainly prove
for the general, universal good. So that, take the whole series of events to-
gether, that have or shall come to pass all the world over, avc may undoubtedly
affirm that all things have been as Avell managed as is possible they could be,
and Avill be so to the end of the Avorld. For, indeed, to suppose otherAvise, is
to say cither that infinite wisdom doth not act so Avisely as it might do, or
that perfect goodness might do more good than it docs do ; or, lasth-^, that
omnipotent poAver cannot do every thing that is possible. All which suppo-
sitions arc plainly absurd and contradictions." — Archbishop iSharp's Sermoiia,
vol. i. pp. 384, 385.

APPENDIX. 545

wards's whole book, and in his dissertation " Concerning the end for which
God created the World," published since his death, he has asserted and
labored to prove the contrary, is it not unaccountable that this author should
take it in his head to make such a representation ? I confess, when I read
this paragraph over, and observe what artful, studied method he has taken in
order to fasten such a sentiment on Mr. Edwards, and make President Clap
appear inconsistent with himself, I am persuaded every discerning reader,
of an honest mind, will conclude the author had good reason to conceal
his name.

The longer I live, and the more I attend to the Word of God and the
nature of true religion, the more I am confirmed in the belief of the truth and
importance of the principal subject of the foregoing sermons, viz., that sin
shall be the occasion of the greatest good ; that God's perfections shall be
manifested in an unspeakably more bright and glorious manner and degree ;
his kingdom shall be more glorious, and there shall be immensely more
holiness and happiness forever, than could have been if sin had not been per-
mitted ; and that every instance of it is so far under God's direction, that it is
overruled to answer some wise, good end, which could not have been so well
answered any other way, and the more convinced I am that this truth is suited
to support and comfort all the true friends and servants of Christ ; nor can I
conceive how there can be any ground of true support and consolation to
them who are displeased with this doctrine, and cannot but desire their eyes
may be opened to see that truth which has been the support and joy of God's
people in all ages, and in which great numbers, I trust, are now rejoicing on
earth and in heaven.

46*

A DIALOGUE

CONCERNINO THE

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS,

SHOWING IT TO BE THE

DUTY AND INTEREST OF THE AMERICAN COLONIES TO
EMANCIPATE ALL THE AFRICAN SLAVES.

ADDRESS TO THE OWNERS OF SUCH SLAVES.

DEDICATED TO

THE HONORABLE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS.

" Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause
of the poor and needy." — Pr. xxxi. 9.

" And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also
to them likewise." — Luke vi. 31

ADVERTISEMENT.

The first edition of the following Dialogue, ■written by Dr. Hopkins, was
published in 177G. The second edition was published by the New York
Manumission Society, established in New York, January, 1785, under the
presidency of Jolin Jay, then secretary of state for foreign affairs.

Extract from the Minutes of said Societt.

" Dec. 11, 1785. Resolved, That the Standing Committee take order for
printing two thousand copies of a pamphlet, entitled ' A Dialogue concerning
the Slavery of the Africans; showing it to be the Duty and Interest of the
American Colonies to emancipate all the African Slaves : Avith an Address
to the Owners of such Slaves. Dedicated to the Honorable Continental
Congress, and published at Norwich, 177(i.'

" Feb. 3, 178G. Resolved, That each of the members of Congress, and of
the senate and assembly of this state, be furnished with one of the pam-
phlets, entitled, ' A Dialogue on the Slavery of the Africans,' etc."

It may show something of the estimation in which Dr. Hopkins was held
as a writer, and his influence as a man, as also the views of distinguished
men of that day, to state further that the mayor of the city of New York,
Hon. James Duane, Hon. Robert R. Livingston, then chancellor of the state
of New York, and Hon. Alexander Hamilton, were active members of the
society which adopted and published this Dialogue ; and also that Alexander
Hamilton, secretary of the treasury, was, in 1790, elected president of the
society in the place of John Jay, who resigned on being appointed chief
justice of the United States.

It is supposed to be owing to the influence of this Dialogue, that, in May,
178G, a petition was submitted and adopted by the society, praying the legis-
lature of New York to prohibit the exportation of slaves. It commenced as
follows : " Your memorialists, being deeply affected by the situation of those
who, although /ree hy the laws of God, are held in slavery by the laws of this
state, view with pain and regret the additional miseries which these un-
happy people experience from the practice of exporting them like cattle to
the West Indies and the Southern States." This petition was drafted and
headed l)y the president, John Jay, and also signed by Robert R.Livingston,
chancellor, and Alexander Hamilton, and the clergy of the city of New
York.

THE HONORABLE MEMBERS OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS,

KErRESENTATlVES OF THE THIRTEEN UXITED AMERICAN COLONIES.*

Much-honored Gentlemen :

As God, the great Father of the universe, has made you the fathers of
these colonies, — and in answer to the prayers of his people given you coun-
sel, and that wisdom and integrity in the exertion of which you have been
such great and extensive blessings, and obtained the approbation and ap-
plause of your constituents and the respect and veneration of the nations in
whose sight you have acted in the important, noble struggle for liberty, —
we naturally look to you in behalf of more than half a million of persons in
these colonies, who are under such a degree of oppression and tyranny as to
be wholly deprived of all civil and personal liberty, to which they have as
good a right as any of their fellow-men, and are reduced to the most abject
state of bondage and slavery without any just cause.

We have particular encouragement thus to apply to you, since you have
had the honor and happiness of leadint; these colonies to resolve to stop the
slave trade, and to buy no more slaves imported from Africa. We have the
satisfaction of the best assurances that you have done this not merely from
political reasons, but from a conviction of the unrighteousness and cruelty of
that trade, and a regard to justice and benevolence, — deeply sensible of the
inconsistence of promoting the slavery of the Africans, at the same time we
are asserting our own civil liberty at the risk of our fortunes and lives. This
leaves in our minds no doubt of your being sensible of the equal unright-
eousness and oppression, as well as inconsistence with ourselves, in holding
so many hundreds of thousands of blacks in slavery, who have an equal right
to freedom with ourselves, while we are maintaining this struggle for our
own and our children's liberty ; and a hope and confidence that the cries and
tears of these oppressed will be regarded by you, and that your wisdom and

* The reader is desired to observe that the first edition of this Dialogue was
published early in the year 1776, before the declaration of our independence.

550

DEDICATION.

the great influonce you hav3 in these colonics M-ill be so properly and effec-
tually exerted as to bring about a total abolition of slavery, in such a manner
as shall greatly promote the happiness of those oppressed strangers and the
best interest of the public.

There are many difficulties and obstacles, we arc sensible, in the way of
this good work; but when the propriety, importance, and necessity of it
come into view, we think ourselves warranted to address you in the words
spoken to Ezra on an occasion not wholly dissimilar : " Arise, for this matter
belongeth unto you ; v/e also will be with you : be of good courage and do it."

The righteous and merciful Governor of the world has given the greatest
encouragement to go on, and thoroughly execute judgment, and deliver the
spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, both in his word, and in the won-
derful things he has done for us since we have begun to reform this public
iniquity. But, if we stop here, what will be the consequence ?

It is observable that when the Sv>iss were engaged in their struggle for
liberty, in which they so remarkably succeeded, they entered into the follow-
ing public resolve : " No Swiss shall take away any thing by violence from
another, neither in time of war nor peace." How reasonable and important
is it that we should at this time heartily enter into, and thoroughly execute,
such a resolution ! And that this implies the emancipation of all our African
slaves, surely none can doubt.

In this view the following Dialogue is humbly offered to your perusal,-
hoping that it may have your approbation and patronage.

May you judge the poor of the people, save the children of the needy,
relieve the oppressed, and deliver the spoiled out of the hands of tlie op-
pressor, and be the happy instruments of procuring and establishing universal
• liberty to white and black, to be transmitted down to the latest posterity.

With high esteem, and the most friendly sentunents.
We are, honorable gentlemen.

Your very humble servants,

THE EDITORS.

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS.

A DIALOGUE.

A. Sir, what do you think of the motiou made by some
among us to free all our African slaves? They say that our
holding these blacks in slavery as we do is an open violation
of the law of God, and is so great an instance of unrighteous-
ness and cruelty that we cannot expect deliverance ironi pres-
ent calamities, and success in our struggle for liberty in the
American colonies, until we repent, and make all the vestitu-
1lon in our power. For my part, I think they carry things
much too far on this head ; and if any thing might be done
for the freedom of our slaves, this is not a proper time to
attend to it while we are in such a state of war and distress,
and aftliirs of much greater importance demand all our atten-
tion, and the utmost exertion of the public.

B. Sir, I am glad you have introduced this subject, espe-
cially as you own a number of these slaves. I shall attend to
it with pleasure, and offer ray sentiiuents upon it freely, ex-
pecting you will as freely propose the objections you shall
have against any thing I shall advance. And I take leave
here to observe, that, if the slavery in which we hold the;
blacks is wrong, it is a very great and public sin, and, there- 1
fore, a sin vvhich God is now testifying against in the calam-'
ities he has brought upon us; consequently, must be reformed
before we can reasonably expect deliverance, or even sincerely
asic for it. It would be worse than madness, then, to put off
aUention to this matter, under the notion of attending to more
important affairs. This is acting like the mariner, who, when
his ship is filling with water, neglects to stop the leak, or ply
the pump, that he may mend his sails. There are, at the
lowest computation, 800,000 slaves in British America, in-
cluding the West India islands, and a greater part of these

552

SLAVERY OF THE AFUICANS.

are in the colonies on the continent; and if this is, in every
instance, wrong-, uin-ighteousness, and oppression, it must be
a very great and crying sin, there being nothing of the kind
equal to it on the face of the earlh. There are but few of
these slaves, indeed, in New England, compared with the vast
numbers in the islands and the southern colonies ; and they
are treated much better on the continent, and especially
among us, than they are in the West Indies. But, if it be
all wrong, and real oppression of the poor, helpless blacks, we,
by refusing to break this yoke and let these injured captives
go free, do practically justify and support this slavery in gen-
eral, and make ourselves, in a measure at least, answerable
for the whole ; and we have no way to exculpate ourselves
from the guilt of the whole, and bear proper testimony against
this great evil, but by freeing all our slaves. Surely, then, this
matter admits of no delay, but demands our lirst and most
serious attention and speedy reformation.

A. I acknowledge the slave trade, as it has been carried on
with the Africans, cannot be justified ; but I am not yet con-
vinced that it is wrong to keep those in perpetual bondage
who by this trade have been transported from Africa to us,
and are become our slaves. If I viewed this in the light you
do, I should agree with you that it is of the highest impor-
tance that they should all be made free without delay; as we
could not expect the favor of Heaven, or with any consistency
ask it, so long as they are held in bondage.

B. I am glad you have attended to the affair so much as
to be convinced of the unrighteousness of the slave trade.
Indeed, this conviction has been so spread of late that it has
reached almost all men on the continent, except some of those
who are too deeply interested in it to admit the light which
condemns it; and it has now but few advocates, I believe,
being generally condemned and exploded. And the mem-
bers of the continental congress have done themselves much
honor in advising the Ajuerican colonies to drop this trade
entirely, and resolvi!)g not to buy another slave that shall be
im])orte(l from Africa.

JBut I think it of importance that tJjis trade should not only
be condennied as wrong, but attentively considered in its real
nature, and all its shocking attendants and circumstances,
which will lead us to think of it with a detestation and horror
which this scene of inhiuuanity, oppression, and cruelty —
exceeding every thing of the kind that has ever been perpe-
trated by the sons of men — is suited to excite; and awaken
us to a ])ropcr indignation against the authors of this violence
and outrage done to theii' fellow-men, and to feelings of

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 553

humanity and pity towards our brethren who are the miser-
able sufferers. Therefore, though I am not able to paint this
horrid scene of barbarity and complicated iniquity to the life,
or even to tell the one half which may be told in the short
time allotted for this conversation, yet I will suggest a few
particulars, leaving you, if you please, to consult the authors
who have given a more particular description.

Most of the Africans are in a state of heathenism, and sunk
down into that ignorance and barbarity into which mankind
naturally fall when destitute of divine revelation. Their lands
are fertile, and produce all the necessaries of life. The in-
habitants are divided into many distinct nations, or clans,
and, of course, are frequently entering into quarrels and open
war with each other. The Europeans, English, French, and
Dutch have carried on a trade with them for above one hun-
dred years, and have taken advantage of their ignorance and
barbarity to persuade them to enter into the inhuman practice
of selling one another to the Europeans for the commodities
which they carry to them, most of which they stand in no real
need of, but might live as well or better without them, partic-
ularly spirituous liquors, which have been carried to them in
great quantities by the Americans. They, by this means,
have tempted and excited the poor blacks to make war upon (
one another in order to get captives, spreading distress, dev-
astation, and destruction over a vast country, by which many
millions have perished, and millions of others have been cap-
tivated and sold to the Europeans and Americans into a state
of slavery much worse than death. And the inhabitants of
the towns near the sea are taught to exert all the art and
power they have to entrap and decoy one another, that they
may make slaves of them, and sell them to us for rum ; by
which they intoxicate themselves, and become more brutish
and savage than otherwise they could be, so that there are
but few instances of sobriety, honesty, or even humanity, in
these towns on the sea to which the Europeans have access,
and they who live the farthest from these places are the least
vicious, and much more civil and humane.

They stand in no need of the rum that is carried there in
such quantities, by which so many thousands have been en-
slaved, and which has spread such infinite mischief among
them ; and I leave it with you to consider to what a dreadful
degree the Americans have, by this abominable practice,
brought the curse upon them pronounced by an inspired
prophet, and how very applicable it is to this case. " Woe
unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that puttest thy bot-
tle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest
VOL. n. 47

554 SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS.

look on their nakedness ! " (Hab. ii. 15.) And is not this curse
evidently come upon us in a dreadful degree, in such a way as
to paint itself out, so that he who runs may read it? We
have put the bottle to our neighbors' mouths, by carrying im-
mense quantities of rum to them, and enticed them to drink,
that we might take advantage of their weakness, and thereby
gratify our lusts. By this means multitudes of them have
been enslaved and carried to the West India islands, there to
be kept to hard labor, and treated ten thousand times worse
than dogs. In consequence of which, incredible quantities of
rum, and molasses which has been distilled into rum among
ourselves, have been imported, the most of which is consumed
in intemperance and drunkenness, in such a dreadful degree
as to exceed any thing of the kind in any part of the world ;
by which thousands, yea, millions, have ruined themselves,
body and soul, forever. Let any one consider this, and for-
bear to confess, if he can, that this woe has fallen heavily
upon us, and that in such a way and connection as to point
out the sinful cause.

But to return. This 'trade has been carried on for a century
and more, and for many years past above a hundred thousand
have been brought off the coast in a year, so that many, many
millions have been torn from their native country, their ac-
quaintance, relations and friends, and most of them put into a
state of slavery, both themselves and their children forever, if
they shall have any posterity, much worse than death. When
numbers of these wretched creatures are collected by the sav-
ages, they are brought into the public market to be sold, all
naked as they were born. The more than savage slave
merchant views them, and sends his surgeon more particularly
to examine them as to the soundness of their limbs, their age,
&c. All that are passed as fit for sale are branded with a hot
iron in some part of their body with the buyer's mark, and
then confined, crowded together in some close hold, till a
convenient time to put them on board a ship. When they are
brought on board, all are immediately put in irons, except
some of the women perhaps, and the small children, where
they are so crowded together in that hot climate, that com-
monly a considerable number die on their passage to the West
Indies, occasioned partly by their confinement, partly by the
grief and vexation of their minds from the treatment they
receive, and the situation in which they find themselves. And
a number commonly die after they arrive at the West Indies
in seasoning to the climate, so that, commonly, not above
seventy in a hundred survive their transportation ; by which
means about thirty thousand are murdered every year by this

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 555

slave trade, which amounts to three millions in a century.
When they are brought to the West Indies, they are again
exposed to market, as if they were so many beasts, and sold
to the highest bidder; where again they are separated accord-
ing to the humor of the traders, without any regard to their
friendships or relations, of husbands and wives, parents and
children, brothers and sisters, &c. ; being torn from each other,
without the least regard to any thing of this kind, and sent to
different places, without any prospect of seeing each other
again. They are then put under a taskmaster by the pur-
chasing planter, who appoints them their work and rules over
them with rigor and cruelty, following them with his cruel
whip, or appointing one to do it, if possible more cruel than
himself. The infirm and feeble, the females, and even those
who are pregnant, or have infants to take care of, must do
their task in the field equally with the rest ; or if they fall be-
hind, may be sure to feel the lash of their unmerciful driver.
Their allowance of food at the same time is very coarse and
scant, and must be cooked by themselves, if cooked at all,
when they want to be asleep. And often they have no food
but what they procure for themselves, by working on the Sab-
bath ; for that is the only time they have to themselves. And
to make any complaint or petition for relief will expose
them to some severe punishment, if not a cruel death. The
least real or supposable crimes in them are punished in the
most cruel manner. And they have no relief, there being no
appeal from their masters' sentence and will, who commonly
are more like savage beasts than rational, human creatures.
And to petition for liberty, though in the most humble and
modest terms, is as much as their lives are worth, as few
escape the most cruel death who presume to hint any thing of
this kind to their masters ; it being a maxim with those more
than cruel tyrants, that the only way to keep them under, and
prevent their thinking of the sweets of liberty, is to punish the
least intimation of it in the severest manner, as the most intol-
erable affront and insult on their masters. Their labor is so
hard, and their diet so scant and poor, and they are treated in
all respects with such oppression and cruelty, that they do not
increase by propagation in the islands, but constantly decrease,
so that every planter must every year purchase five at least to
every hundred he has on his plantation, in order to keep his
number from diminishing.

But it is in vain to attempt a full description of the oppres-
sion and cruel treatment these poor creatiires receive constantly
at the hands of their imperious, unmerciful, worse than Egyp-
tian taskmasters. Words cannot utter it. Volumes might

556 SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. '

be WTitten, and not give a detail of a thousandth part of the
shockingly cruel things they have suffered, and are constanly
suffering. Nor can they possibly be conceived of by any one
who has not been an eye witness. And how little a part does
he see ! They who are witnesses to any part of this horrid
scene of barbarous oppression cannot but feel the truth and
propriety of Solomon's words : " So I returned, and consid-
ered all the oppressions that are done under the sun ; and be-
hold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter;
and on the side of the oppressors there was power, but they
had no comforter. Wherefore I praised the dead which are
already dead more than the living which are yet alive." (Ec.
iv. 1, 2.) Solomon never saw any oppression like this,' unless he
looked forward to this very instance in the spirit of prophecy.

A. Sir, there is one important circumstance in favor of the
slave trade, or which will at least serve to counterbalance many
of the evils you mention, and that is, we bring these slaves
from a heathen land to places of gospel light, and so put them
under special advantages to be saved.

B. I know this has been mentioned by many in favor of
the slave trade ; but when examined, will turn greatly against
it. It can hardly be said with truth, that the West India
islands are places of gospel light. But if they were, are the
negroes in the least benefited by it? Have they any access to
the gospel ? Have they any instruction more than if they were
beasts ? So far from this, that their masters guard against
their having any instruction to their utmost ; and if any one
would attempt any such thing, it would be at the risk of his
life. And all the poor creatures learn of Christianity from
what they see in those who call themselves Christians, only
serves to prejudice them in the highest degree against the
Christian religion. For they not only see the abominably
wicked lives of most of those who are called Christians, but
are constantly oppressed by them, and receive as cruel treat-
ment from them as they could from the worst of beings. And
as to those who are brought to the continent, in the southern
colonies,* and even to New England, so little pains are taken
to instruct them, and there is so much to prejudice them
against Christianity, that it is a very great wonder and owing
to an extraordinary divine interposition, in which we may say

* It can be proved that, since the war begun, a proposal was made to send
some blacks who were qualified to teach Christianity into the southern colo-
nies to teach the blacks there, and attempt to Christianize them ; but the gen-
tlemen who were better acquainted with the disposition of slaveholders in
those parts discoura'^ed the dcsi^^n, and said the masters of the blacks in gen-
eral would not suffer any such thing.

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 457

God goes out of his common way, that any of them should
think favorably of Christianity and cordially embrace it. As
to the most of them, no wonder they are unteachable and get
no good by the gospel, but they have imbibed the deepest
prejudices against it from the treatment they receive from
professed Christians ; prejudices which most of them are by
their circumstances restrained from expressing, while they are
fixed in the strongest degree in their minds.

But if this was not the case, and all the slaves brought from
Africa were put under the best advantages to become Chris-
tians, and they were in circumstances that tended to give
them the most favorable idea of Christians and the religion
they profess,* and though all concerned in this trade, and in
slavery in general, should have this wholly in view, viz., their
becoming Christians, by which they should be eternally happy,
yet this would not justify the slave trade, or continuing them
in a state of slavery ; for, to take this method to Christianize
them would be a direct and gross violation of the laws of Christ.
He commands us to go and preach the gospel to all nations,
to carry the gospel to them, and not to go and with violence
bring them from their native country without saying a word
to them, or to the nations from whom they are taken, about
the gospel or any thing that relates to it.

If the Europeans and Americans had been as much en-
gaged to Christianize the Africans as they have been to
enslave them, and had been at half the cost and pains to in-
troduce the gospel among them that they have to captivate
and destroy them, we have all the reason in the world to con-
clude that extensive country, containing such a vast multitude
of inhabitants, would have been full of gospel light, and the
many nations there civilized and made happy, and a founda-
tion laid for the salvation of millions of millions, and the
ha]jpy instruments of it have been rewarded ten thousand
fold for all their labor and expense. But now, instead of this,
what has been done on that coast by those who pass among
the negroes for Christians,! has only served to produce and
spread the greatest and most deep-rooted prejudices against
the Christian religion, and bar the way to that which is above
all things desirable — their coming to the knowledge of the
truth, that they might be saved. So that, while by the murder-

* Which cannot be the case so long as they are held in a state of slavery, or
they are brought away from theu- native country in the manner they are ; so
that the supposition is inconsistent, and destroys itself.

t For they have no way to get an idea of a Christian but from the apppear-
ance and conduct of the Europeans or Americans, in the practice of all their
unrighteousness, cruelty, profaneness, and debauchery.

47*

558 SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS.

ing or enslaving millions of millions they have brought a curse
upon themselves and on all that partake with them, they have
injured in the highest degree innumerable nations, and done
what they could to prevent their salvation and to fasten them
down in ignorance and barbarity to the latest posterity. Who
can realize all this and not feel a mixture of grief, pity, indig-
nation, and horror, truly ineffable ? And must he not be filled
with zeal to do his utmost to put a speedy stop to this seven-
headed monster of iniquity, with all the horrid train of evils
with which it is attended ?

And can any one consider all these things, and yet pretend
to justify the slave trade, or the slavery of the Africans in
America ? Is it not impossible that a real Christian who has
attended to all this should have any hand in this trade ?
And it requires the utmost stretch of charity to suppose that
any one ever did or can buy or sell an African slave with a
sincere view to make a true Christian of him.*

* It has been often said in vindication of the slave trade, that the blacks are
BO cruel to each other that they would put their captives to death if the)' could
not sell them, so that they who buy them save their lives and do them the
greatest kindness. And, at the same time, this trade is of the greatest advan-
tage to the West India islands and the Southern States, and to all in connec-
tion with them, for white men cannot do the business which is done by the
blacks in tliose hot climates, so that, were not the blacks introduced and im-
proved, all this labor, and the produce of it, must cease.

Answeh. These suggestions may be a sufficient vindication of the slave trade
■with the interested and inattentive, but the impartial and judicious will see
with how little reason and truth they are urged, when they have attended to
the following observations : — n.

There is no evidence that those people did kill their captives, in general,
which they took in war, but the contrary is evident from the account given of
them by those Europeans who have travelled and lived longest among them.
They represent those nations which have not been corrupted by the whites to be,
in general, industrious, friendly, and hospitable, and, in a great measure, happy in
the enjoyment of society and the comforts of life. (See " A short Account of that
part of Africa inhabited by the Nv<jroes," printed at Philadelphia, 1762.) And there
is abundant evidence from history, and testimonies incontestable, that these na-
tions have been encouraged and induced to carry on most of their wars, for
more than a century past, by the Europeans and Americans, that they might
get captives to sell to traders in the souls and bodies of men ; and wliere this
trade has been the means of saving one life, it has destroyed millions. There-
fore, if professing Christians, instead of encouraging them in their cruelty, and
tempting them to destroy, captivate, and sell each other, had taken as much
pains to teach them humanity and benevolence as they have to reduce millions
to a state of slavery worse than death, they might have saved as many lives as
now they have been the means of destroying.

Besides, the cruelty of those savages to each other is no warrant to the
slave trader to buy those supposed victims, and put them into a state of slavery
which, by their own confession, is worse than death. Tliis, surely, is not an act
of mercy, bxit of cruelty. The voice of mercy and humanity is against selling
them as slaves. Who does not know that " one who was the means of pre-
serving a man's life, is not, therefore, entitled to make him a slave, and sell
him as he does a piece of goods " ?

As to other suggestions, viz., that the blacks are necessary to cultivate the

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 559

A. All this seems to be little to the purpose, since it was
granted, in the beginning of our conversation, that the slave
trade, as it has been carried on, is not to be justified. But
what is this to the question we proposed to consider, which
is, whether it be wrong to hold the blacks we have among us
in a state of slavery, or ought to set them free without delay.
To this you have said little or nothing as yet.

B. All I have said upon the slave trade to show the un-
righteousness, the cruelty, the murder, the opposition to Chris-
tianity and the spread of the gospel among the Africans, the
destruction of whole nations and myriads of souls which are
contained in this horrid practice, has been principally with a
view to a more clear and satisfactory determination of the
question before us, which you have now renewedly proposed,
for I think the following proposition may be advanced as un-

lands in those hot climates, since the whites are not able to labor there, it may
be observed, that there is not the least evidence of this, but much of the con-
trary. Whites are healthy, and do the labor in the East Indies which blacks do
in the "West, in the same climate, and that to much greater advantage, of which
authentic accounts have been published. The truth is, most of the whites
which are born in the Southern States, or the West Indies, are not educated to
labor, but great part of them in idleness and intemperance. The blacks are in-
troduced to do the work, and it is thought a disgrace for a white person to get
his living by labor. By this means, the whites in general are vicious, and all
imbibe such a haughty and tyrannical spirit by holding so many slaves, that
they are above labor, and many of them rather a plague than a blessing to all
about them. And whole families are ruined forever by means of this slavery.
Whereas, if African slaves had never been introduced, or this slavery were now
abolished, and every man had his farm or plantation, — no more than he could
cultivate to the best advantage by the help of his childreu and perhajis a few
hired men, — this would introduce industry, temperance, and economy, the
land would produce much more than it docs now, and the country be filled with
industrious, virtuous inhabitants, happy themselves, and blessings to all around
them, instead of the comparatively few families now, many of which are a bur-
den to the earth, and a disgrace to human nature. This brings the words of
Solomon fresh to mind : " There is a time when one man rulctli over another
to his own hurt." (Ec. viii. 9.)

We cannot hesitate to say, this sage observation is verified in the most
striking manner, and to the highest degree, in the slavery under consideration.
It is an unspeakable hurt to the piiblic, to the commonwealth. If it is incon-
sistent with repviblican principles, and tends to overthrow the liberties of those
states, and introduce monarchy and tyrannj^ to have such slavery tolerated
among us, and so many petty sovereigns and lords ruling over a number of vassals
with despotic sway, their children naturally imbibe those arbitrary principles
and grow up as unfit to be useful members of those free, republican states, as
do the children of the most haughty monarch on the globe. And those men
rule over themselves to their own hurt, and the hurt, the misery, and ruin of
their families, temporal and eternal. But if it should stiU be thought by any,
or it be in fact true, that those climates cannot be cultivated by whites, let it be
remembered that this is no justification of the horrid slave trade and slavery
now practised, but it is a good reason why the whites should abandon the
places where they cannot live unless it be on the blood of others as good as
themselves, and renounce the business which is carried on in the exercise of so
much unrighteousness and cruelty. If the blacks only can labor there, the
lauds are theirs by right, and they ought to be allowed to possess them as free-
men, and enjoy the fruit of their labor.

560 SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS.

deniable, viz., if tlie slave trade be unjustifiable and wrong,
then our holding the Africans and their children in bondage is
unjustifiable and wrong, and the latter is criminal in some
proportion to the inexpressible baseness and criminality of the
former. P^or, —

First. If they have been brought into a state of slavery by
unrighteousness and violence, they having never forfeited their
liberty or given any one a right to enslave and sell them, then
purchasing them of these piratical tyrants, and holding them
in the same state of bondage into which they, contrary to all
right, have brought them, is continuing the exercise of the
same unrighteousness and violence towards them. They have
yet as much a right to their liberty as ever they had, and to
demand it of him who holds them in bondage ; and he denies
them their right, which is of more worth to them than every
thing else they can have in the world, or all the riches the un-
just master does or can possess, and therefore injures them
in a very high degree every hour he refuses or neglects to set
them at liberty. Besides, —

Secondly. Holding these blacks in a state of slavery is a
practical justification of the slave trade, and so brings the guilt
of that on the head of him who so far partakes in this iniquity
as to hold one of these a slave who was unrighteously made
so by these sons of violence. The old adage, " the partaker is
as bad as the thief," carries such a plain truth in it that every
one must discern it, and it is certainly applicable to this case.

It is impossible to buy one of these blacks and detain him
a slave, without partaking with him who first reduced him to
this state and put it in his power thus to possess him, and
practically justifying him for so doing, so as to bring upon
himself the guilt of first enslaving him. It is not, therefore,
possible for any of our slavekeepers to justify themselves in
what they are doing, unless they can justify the slave trade.
If they fail here, they bring on themselves an awful degree of
the guilt of the whole.

Thirdly. By keeping these slaves, and buying and selling
them, they actually encourage and promote the slave trade ;
and therefore, in this view, keeping slaves and continuing to
buy and sell them is to bring on us the guilt of the slave trade,
which is hereby supported. For so long as slaves are bought
and possessed, and in demand, so long the African trade will
be sup])ortcd and encouraged.

A. But there is a stop put to the importation of slaves into
the American colonies, as they have resolved no more shall be
bought. This being the case, the keeping those we have
among us in slavery is no encouragement to the slave trade.

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 561

B. I grant, if this resolution should be perpetual, and extend
to the West Indies, it would discourage the slave trade so far
as the Americans are concerned in it, but it would be more
effectually discountenanced and condemned if slavery was
wholly abolished, and it cannot be consistently done without
this. For, if it be wrong to import and buy them now, it was
always wrong, and, therefore, they that are already slaves
among us are injured, and unjustly enslaved, and we have
made them our slaves without the least right, and ought to
retract it and repair the injury done to them, so far as is in
our power, by setting them free and compensating them other-
wise so far as we are able. There is, therefore, a palpable
inconsistency in resolving to import and buy no more slaves
and yet refusing to let those go out /ree which we have al-
ready enslaved, unless there be some insuperable impediment
in the way.

The whole I have said concerning the unlawfulness of
keeping the blacks in slavery, if the trade by which they are
become our slaves be unlawful, may be illustrated by the fol-
lowing example : —

A number of robbers invaded a certain province, and took
off most of their goods and effects, and carried them to a
neighboring province and sold them to the inhabitants, and
the robbers ftnding this encouragement, continued the prac-
tice for many years. At length the people of the injured prov-
ince applied to their neighbors, who had their goods of the
robbers, and were now in possession of them, and asked them
to restore what was taken from them by violence, and to which
they had a good and indisputable right, it being impossible
these robbers could give a right to what they had unjustly
taken from them ; but the people, in .whose possession the
stolen goods were found, utterly refused to deliver them up to
the injured people who demanded them. They told them
they had indeed been greatly injured, and they must condemn
the robbers as very injurious and cruel in what they had done,
but as they now had these goods in their own possession, they
intended to keep them, and looked on themselves under no
obligation to deliver them up, though they suffered so much
and would probably perish for want of them ; and they in-
tended still to buy all the robbers should bring to them.

To this the injured replied, "By partaking with these rob-
bers in receiving the goods at their hands, yoti practically
justify their conduct, and must share with them in their guilt.
For by this means you encourage them, and are determined
to go on to encourage them in this violence and rapine ; and
by condemning them, you equally condemn yourselves, and

562 SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS.

must remain under this condemnation till you restore the goods
we demand, and resolve never to purchase any thus taken
from us by violence."

Upon this they determined to purchase no more of them,
but refused to deliver up what they had already got in pos-
session. But the oppressed told them, they did right in re-
solving to injure them no more in that way ; but they were
now very inconsistent with themselves, for if it were wrong to
purchase any more, it was as wrong to withhold what they had
already gotten in possession ; and they had no other way to
justify themselves in detaining their goods, and to be consist-
ent, but by proceeding to take whatever those robbers should
bring to them in future, and justifying themselves in so doing
and the robbers in all their depredations.

A. This reasoning looks something plausible, I confess ; but
the Holy Scripture approves of making and keeping slaves,
and this surely is sufficient to keep us in countenance.

B. I hope you will not appeal to the Holy Scripture in
support of a practice which you and every one else must allow
to be so inexpressibly unjust, inhuman, and cruel, as is the
slave trade, and, consequently, so glaringly contrary to the
whole tenor of divine revelation ; and if the slave trade is
such a gross violation of every divine precept, it is impossible
to vindicate the slavery to which the Africans have been re-
duced by this trade from the Holy Scripture. Of this we
have such a certainty, a priori, that would be a horrid reproach
of divine revelation to pretend this practice can be supported
by that, or even to look into it with any hope or expectation
of finding any thing there in favor of it ; and if there be any
passages in the Bible which are capable of a construction in
favor of this practice,, we may be very certain it is a wrong
one. In a word, if any kind of slavery can be vindicated by
the Holy Scriptures, we are already sure our making and
holding the negroes our slaves, as we do, cannot be vindicated
by any thing we can find there, but is condemned by the whole
of divine revelation. However, I am willing to hear what you
can produce from Scripture in favor of any kind of slavery.

A. You know that a curse was pronounced on the posterity
of Ham for his wickedness, in the following words : " A ser-
vant of servants shall he be unto his brethren." He could not
be a servant unto his brethren unless they made him so, or at
least held him in servitude. The curse could not take place
unless they executed it, and they seem to be by God appointed
to do this; therefore, while we, the children of Japheth, are
making such abject slaves of the blacks, the children of Ham,
we are only executing the righteous curse denounced upon

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 563

them ; which is so far from being wrong in us, that it would
be a sin, even disobedience to the revealed will of God, to
refuse to make slaves of them, and attempt to set them at
liberty.

B. Do you think, my good sir, it was the duty of Pharaoh
to make the Israelites serve him and the Egyptians, and to
afflict them by ruling over them with rigor, and holding them
in hard and cruel bondage, because God had expressly fore-
told this, and said it should be done ? And was the Assyrian
king blameless while he executed the judgments which God
had threatened to inflict on his professing people ? Did God's
threatening them with those evils warrant this king to distress,
captivate, and destroy them as he did ? And will you say the
Jews did right in crucifying our Lord, because by this they
fulfilled the Scriptures, declaring that thus it must be ? Your
argument, if it is of any force, will assert and justify all this,
and, therefore, I hope will be renounced by you, and by all
who have the least regard for the Holy Scripture, with proper
abhorrence.

Bat, if this argument were not so fraught with absurdity
and impiety as it really is, and it were granted to be forcible
with respect to all upon whom the mentioned curse was
denounced, yet it would not justify our enslaving the Africans,
for they are not the posterity of Canaan, who was the only
son of Ham that w^as doomed to be a servant of servants.
The other sons of Ham and their posterity are no more
affected with this curse than the other sons of Noah and their
posterity. Therefore, this prediction is as much of a warrant
for the Africans' enslaving us, as it is for us to make slaves of
them. The truth is, it gives not the least shadow of a right
to any one of the children of Noah to make slaves of any of
their brethren.*

A. The people of Israel were allowed by God to buy and
make slaves from the nations that were round about them,
and the strangers that lived among them, — which could not
have been the case if this was wrong and unjust, — and why
have not we an equal right to do the same ?

B. And why have not we an equal right to invade any
nation and land, as they did the land of Canaan, and destroy

* If it should be asked, "Why should Canaan be singled out from the
other sons of Ham, and cursed for the sins of his father ? May we not con-
clude that the curse fell on all Ham's posterity, and that Canaan only is men-
tioned as including all the rest ? " — it must be answered, No, by no means; we
have no warrant to do this. The father sinned, and God might justly have
cursed all his posterity ; but, in his wisdom and sovereign goodness, he cursed
only one branch of the family ; and how effectually this has taken place the
Scripture informs us.

664 SLAVERY OF THE AFRICAN'S.

them all, men, women, and children, and beasts, without sav-
ing so much as one alive ? It was right for the Israelites to
do this, because they had a divine perniission and direction to
do it, as the God of Israel had a right to destroy the seven
nations of Canaan in what way he thought best, and to direct
whom he pleased to do it. And it v\a\s right for them to
make bond-servants of the nations round them, they having
an express permission to do it from him who has a right to
dispose of all men as he pleases. God saw fit, for wise rea-
sons, to allow the people of Israel thus to make and possess
slaves ; but is this any license to us to enslave any of our
fellow-men, any more than their being allowed to kill the
seven nations in Canaan is a warrant to us to kill any of our
fellow-men whom we please and are able to destroy, and take
possession of their estates ? This must be answered in the
negative by every one who will allow himself a moment's
reliection. God gave many directions and laws to the Jews
which had no respect to mankind in general ; and this under
consideration has all the marks of such a one. There is not
any thing in it, or relating to it, from whence can be deduced
the least evidence that it was designed to be a regulation for
all nations through every age of the world, but every thing to
the contrary. The, children of Israel were then distinguished
from all other nations on earth; they were God's peculiar
people, and favored on many accounts above others, and had
many things in their constitution and laws that were designed
to keep up their separation and distinction from other nations,
and to make the special favor of Heaven towards them more
apparent to all who had any knowledge of them; and this
law respecting bondage is suited to answer these ends. This
distinction is now at an end, and all nations are put upon a
level ; and Christ, who has taken down the wall of separation,
has taught us to look on all nations as our neighbors and
brethren, without any respect of persons, and to love all men
as ourselves, and to do to others as we would they should
treat us ; by which he has most effectually abolished this per-
mission given to the Jews, as well as many other institutions
which were peculiar to them.

Besides, that this permission was not designed for all na-
tions and ages will be very evident if we consider what such
a supposition implies ; for if this be so, then all other nations
had a right to make slaves of the Jews. The Egyptians had a
right to buy and sell them, and keep them all in bondage for-
ever, and the nations round about Canaan had a right to bring
them into bondage, as they sometimes did, and the Babylo-
nians and Romans had a good warrant to reduce them to a

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 565

state of captivity and servitude. And the Africans have a
good right to make slaves of us and our children ; the inhab-
itants of Great Britain may lawfully make slaves of all the
Americans, and transport us to England, and buy and sell us
in open market as they do their cattle and horses, and perpet-
uate our bondage to the latest generation ; and the Turks
have a good right to all the Christian slaves they have among
them, and to make as many more slaves of us and our chil-
dren as shall be in their power, and to hold them and their
children in bondage Xp the latest posterity. According to this,
every man has a warrant to make a bondslave of his neighbor
whenever it lies in his power, and no one has any right to his
own freedom any longer than he can keep himself out of the
power of others. For instance : if the blacks now among us
should, by some remarkable providence, have the power in
their hands to reduce us, they have a right to make us and
our children their slaves, and we should have no reason to
complain.

This would put mankind into such a state of perpetual war
and confusion, and is so contrary to our loving our neighbor
as ourselves, that he who has the least regard for his fellow-
men, or the divine law, must reject it, and the principle from
which it flows, with the greatest abhorrence. Let no Chris-
tian, then, plead this permission to the Jews, to make bond-
slaves of their neighbors, as a warrant to hold the slaves he
has made, and, consequently, for universal slavery.

A. But what w^ill you do with those passages in the New
Testament which are in favor of slavery, and suppose Chris-
tian masters to have Christian slaves, — and the masters are
so far from being directed to free them that it is supposed
they may hold them in bondage, — and their mutual duties in
this relation are inculcated ? Paul, the apostle, is so far from
being disposed to have servants made free, that he says, " Let
as many servants as are under the yoke count their own mas-
ters worthy of all honor." (1 Tim. vi. 1.) And in the follow-
ing words supposes that believing masters had servants, whom
he exhorts to serve such masters with the more cheerfulness,
out of respect to their Christian character.

B. Before I make a direct answer to this I beg leave to
remind you, that, whatever other kind of slavery these pas-
sages wiU vindicate, they certainly will not support the slave
trade, and that slavery of the negroes into which they have
been brought by this trade, which is manifestly unrighteous
from begiiming to end ; and, therefore, can be nothing to our
present purpose, viz., to justify Christian masters among us
in holding the blacks and their children in bondage.

VOL. II. 48

566 SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS.

I grant there are bondservants who are made so, and may
be held in this state, consistent with justice, humanity, and
benevolence. They are such, who have forfeited their liberty
to the community of which they are members, by some partic-
ular crimes, and by debt in some instances; and are for this
condemned to servitude for a longer or shorter time, and sold
by the civil magistrate. And persons may put themselves
into this state by their own voluntary act. There were doubt-
less such in the apostle's days ; and if master and servant, in
this case, were converted to Christianiiy, the servant would
still be under the yoke, and the apostle's exhortation highly
proper. Therefore if every master, when he embraced Chris-
tianity, was obliged to free all his servants who had not evi-
dently forfeited their liberty, and not one who refused to do
this was admitted into a Christian church, yet there might be
many masters and servants in the first Christian churches ;
and the passages of Scripture under consideration prove no
more than this, and therefore will not justify any master
holding one servant in bondage against his will, so much as
an hour, who has not evidently brought himself into this state
by his own crimes, and been adjudged to it, after proper trial,
by the civil magistrate. These Scriptures, therefore, are infi-
nitely far from justifying the slavery under consideration ; for
it cannot be made to appear that one in a thousand of these
slaves has done any thing to forfeit his own liberty. And if
there were any such, they have never been condemned to
slavery by any who are proper judges, or had any authority to
act in the atl'air. But if this were the case of any, they cer-
tainly could not forfeit the liberty of their cliildren, and cause
them to be born slaves.

But it may be further observed, that it might be difficult in
many cases at that day to determine what servants were justly
in a state of bondage, and who had a right to their liberty,
(which is not the case with respect to the slaves whose cause
I am now pleading.) And the apostles did not think it their
business to examine into every instance of slavery, and find
the original ground of it, in order to determine whether the
servant ought to be set free or not; and as it was taken for
granted by all, or most, that the slavery which then took place
was generally just, and if every one who embraced Christian-
ity and had slaves must undergo a strict examination, and be
obliged to dismiss his servants unless he could produce good
evidence that they had forfeited their liberty, this, as circum-
stances then were, would have greatly prejudiced the world
against the Christian religion and tended to retard its propa-
gation ; I say, considering all these things, the apostles might

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 567

be directed not to intermeddle in this affair so far as to inquire
into every instance of slavery, whether it was just or not ; but
to treat it as if it were so, unless there were jjarticular, positive
evidence of the contrary in any instances; only giving general
rules for the direction and conduct of niasicrs and servants,
which, if applied and put into practice, would not only render
this relation comfortable where it ought to subsist, but would
effect the liberty of all the servants who were evidently re-
duced to that state unjustly, and were suited to put an end to
slavery in general. Thus the apostle Paul, speaking to mas-
ters, says, " Masters, give unto your servants that which is just
and equal." (Col. iv. 1.) The master who conformed to this
rule must not only treat his servants with equity in all in-
stances, but must set at liberty all who were evidently unjustly
enslaved, and therefore had a right to their freedom. And if
any Christian master refused to do this, he would bring upon
him the censure of the church for disregarding this apostolic
rule. (2 Thess. iii. 6.) And the same apostle says to the ser-
vant, " If thou mayest be made free, use it rather." (1 Cor. vii.
21.) In these words it is declared that slavery is, in itself con-
sidered, undesirable, and a calamity in every instance of it,
and therefore that it ought to be avoided and abolished as far
as possible. And not only the servant is warranted and com-
manded to desire and seek to be made free, but the master is
also implicitly required to set him at liberty, if there be no
insuperable impediment in the way ; for if the servant ought
to desire and attempt to obtain his freedom, the master ought
to desire it also, and assist him to obtain it if it can be effect-
ed, and will do it if he loves his servant as himself; and the
church to which the servant belongs, and every member of it,
ought to do all in their power to procure the freedom of every
such servant ; for will any one say they ought not to do their
utmost in assisting their poor suffering brother to obtain his
liberty, which God has commanded him to desire and seek?
This apostolic command, therefore, being properly regarded,
would soon put an end to most instances of slavery in the
Christian church, if it did not wholly abolish it, especially at
this day, when many of the impediments in the way of freeing
slaves, which were in the apostles' days, are removed. And it
may be left to the consciences of all slaveholders among us,
whether, if it had been left to them, such a direction and com-
mand would ever have been given to any servant whatever, as
is here given by the apostle ; and whether, now it is given,
they approve of it and practice accordingly. So far from it,
that most of them, even professing Christians, hold their ser-
vants at such a distance, and treat them in such a manner^

568 ^ SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS.

that the poor servant dare not so much as treat with his mas-
ter about his freedom, and if he should say a word, is pretty
sure to receive nothing but angry frowns, if not blows. And
if any one undertakes to plead the cause of these oppressed
poor, whose right is turned aside in the gate and they have
no helper, he may expect to feel the resentment of almost
every keeper of slaves who knows him. And is there one
church now in this land who are ready to do what is in their
power to obtain the freedom of the slaves which belong to
them, or are willing calmly to consider and debate the ques-
tion among themselves, whether it be right to hold the negroes
in bondage? Where is the church that has done any thing of
this kind?* And how few churches are to be found that
would not be greatly disturbed and filled with resentment
if the question were seriously proposed and urged to be
considered ?

Let none who are conscious all this is true urge the apostle
Paul's authority in favor of the slave-keeping which is prac-
tised in British America,

But to return. The apostle seems to have conducted in this
case as he did in that of civil government. He considered this
as a divine institution, and pointed out the end and design of
it, and the duty of civil rulers and of the subject, without par-
ticularly applying it to the government Christians were then
under, so as expressly to justify or condemn the particular form
of government that then took place, or the conduct of those
who then had the civil authority in their hands, and that for
very obvious reasons, gi'ounded on the state and circumstances
of the church and of public affairs at that day. We may as
well infer from this that the civil governors of that day were
not unjust and tyrannical, which is most contrary to known
fact, as we can that the slavery which then took place was in
general just and right, from his pointing out the duties of
masters and servants without mentioning and condemning
any particular instances of unjust slavery.

A. You well observed that the apostles did not intermeddle
with the aflair of slavery so as to condemn masters for hold-
ing their slaves, or tell the servants their masters had no right
to keep them in bondage, but ought to free them. I wish all
were as wise and prudent now, especially ministers of the

♦ Since the first edition of this dialogue, a number of churches in New
England have purged themselves from this iniquity, and determined not to tol-
erate the holding of the Africans in slavery. If all the churches in these Unit-
ed States would come into the same measure, and imitate the Friends, called
Quakers, in this article, would they not act more like Christian churches than
they now do '

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 569

gospel ; but all are not so. Many make such a clamor about
holding our negroes in bondage, and some ministers have of
late said so much in public about freeing our slaves, and have
so inveighed against the African slave trade, and even keeping
our blacks in slavery, that many of the negroes are become
very uneasy, and are much more engaged to obtain their lib-
erty than they used to be.

I think if any thing be said on this subject it should be in
private ; and not a word of this kind should be lisped in the
hearing of our servants, much less ought ministers to say any
thing about it in public, lest the blacks should all take it into
their heads that they are treated hardly, and never be easy till
they are set at liberty.

B. It has been observed, there were reasons peculiar to the
state of things at that time, why the apostles should not be so
particular on this head ; which reasons do not take place now.
The slavery that now takes place is in a Christian land, and
without the express sanction of civil government ; and it is all
of the same kind and from one original, which is most notori-
ously unjust, and if it be unrighteous in one instance, it is so
in almost every instance; and the unrighteousness of it is
most apparent, and most masters have no color of claim to
hold their servants in bondage ; and this is become a general
and crying sin, for which we are under the awful frowns of
Heaven. These things, which make the case so different Irom
the slavery which took place in the apostles' days, may be a
good reason of a different conduct, and make it duty to oppose
and bear testimony, both in public and more privately, against
this evil practice, which is so evidently injurious to individuals,
and threatens our ruin as a people.

As to making servants uneasy, and desirous of liberty, I
would observe, that most of them do not want to be informed
that they are greatly injured and oppressed ; that they are re-
duced to a state of slavery without the least color of justice.
They have sense and discerning enough to be sensible of this,
without being told ; and they think much of it almost every
day, though they are obhged to keep it to themselves, having
none to pity them, or so much as hear their complaints. They
have a thousand times more discerning and sensibility in this
case than their masters, or most others ; and their aversion to
slavery, and desires of liberty, are inextinguishable. There-
fore, their hearing it asserted that they ought to be set at
liberty gives them no new light and conviction, except it be,
that he who asserts it has some discerning of what they have
long known and most sensibly felt, and has courage enough
to assert that in their favor which they have long felt the truth
48*

570 SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS.

of, but dared not so much as lisp it out. But if by this means
any of your servants should be more fully convinced of their
right to liberty, and the injustice done them in making them
slaves, will this be such a dreadful evil? Would you desire
they should be held in ignorance, that you may exercise your
tyranny without opposition or trouble from any quarter? As
reasonably might Pharaoh be angry, and complain of Moses
and Aaron for saying a w^ord to those whom he had reduced
to slavery about their cruel bondage and their obtaining their
liberty.

It has always been the way of tyrants to take great pains to
keep their vassals in ignorance, especially to hide from them
the tyranny and oppression of which they are the subjects;
and for this reason they are enemies to the liberty of the press,
and are greatly provoked when their conduct is set in a true
light before the public, and the unrighteousness they practise
properly exposed. The complaint we are now considering
seems to be of the same kind with this, and well becomes all
those petty tyrants who have slaves in their possession, which
they are conscious they cannot vindicate, but the unrighteous-
ness will be detected if free inquiry and freedom of speech can-
not be suppressed; and this complaint is of the same kind
with the conduct of the masters of slaves in the West Indies
in opposing their being taught any thing of Christianity, be-
cause they know every gleam of this light carries a discovery
of the unrighteousness of the treatment they receive.

The present situation of our public affairs and our struggle
for liberty, and the abundant conversation this occasions in
all companies, while the poor negroes look on and hear what
an aversion we have to slavery and how much liberty is prized,
they often hearing it declared publicly and in private, as the
voice of all, that slavery is more to be dreaded than death, and
we are resolved to live free or die, etc. ; this, I say, necessarily
leads them to attend to their own wretched situation more
than otherwise they could. They see themselves deprived of
all liberty and property, and their children after them, to the
latest posterity, subject to the will of those who appear to have
no feeling for their misery, and are guilty of many instances
•of hard-heartedness and cruelty towards them, wiiile they think
themselves very kind ; and therefore, to make the least com-
plaint, would be deemed the height of arrogance and abuse;
and oiten if they have a comparatively good master now, with
constant dread they see a young one growing up, who bids
fair to rule over them, or their children, with rigor.

They see the slavery the Americans dread as worse than
death is lighter than a feather compared to their heavy doom,

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 571

and maybe called liberty and happiness when contrasted with
the most abject slavery and unutterable wretchedness to which
they are subjected ; and in this dark and dreadful situation
they look round and find no help — no pity — no hope!
And when they observe all this cry and struggle for liberty for
ourselves and children, and see themselves and their children
wholly overlooked by lis, and behold the sons of liberty op-
pressing and tyrannizing over many thousands of poor blacks
who have as good a claim to liberty as themselves, they are
shocked with the glaring inconsistence, and wonder they them-
selves do not see it. You must not, therefore, lay it to the
few who are pleading the cause of these friendless, distressed
poor, that they are more uneasy than they used to be in a
sense of their wretched state and from a desire of liberty: there
is a more mighty and irresistible cause than this, viz., all that
passes before them in our public "struggle for liberty.

And why should the ministers of the gospel hold their
peace and not testify against this great and public iniquity,
which we have reason to think is one great cause of the pub-
lic calamities we are now under? How can they refuse to
plead the cause of these oppressed poor against the cruel
oppressor? They are commanded to lift up their voice, and
cry aloud, and show the people their sins. Have we not
reason to fear many of them have offended Heaven by their
silence, through fear of the masters, who stand ready to make
war against any one who attempts to deprive them of their
slaves, or because they themselves have slaves which they are
not willing to give up ?

Might they not fully expose this iniquity, and bear a con-
stant testimony against it, in such a manner as would have
no tendency to influence our servants to behave ill in any
respect, by giving them, at the same time, proper cautions
and directions ?

A. It is impossible to free all our negroes, especially at
once and in present circumstances, without injuring them, at
least many of them, and the public to a great degree. Why,
then, is this urged so vehemently now? I think this proceeds
from a zeal not according to knowledge.

B. If it be not a sin, an open, flagrant violation of all the rules
of justice and humanity, to hold these slaves in bondage, it is
indeed folly to put ourselves to any trouble and expense in
order to free them. But if the contrary be true, if it be a sin of
a crimson dye, which is most particular!)^ pointed out by the
public calamities which have come upon us, from which we
have no reason to expect deliverance till we put away the evil
of our doings, this reformation cannot be urged with too

572

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS.

much zeai, nor attempted too soon, whatever difficulties are in
the way. The more and greater these are, the more zealous
and active should we be in removing them. You had need
to take care, lest from selfish motives and a backwardness to
give up what you unrighteously retain, you are joining with
the slothful man to cry, " There is a lion in the way ! a lion
is in the streets!" (Pr. xxvi. 13,) while there is no insurmount-
able ditliculty but that which lies in your own heart.

No wonder there are many and great difficulties in reform-
ing an evil practice of this kind, which has got snch deep root
by length of time and is become so common. But it does not
yet appear that they cannot be removed by the united wis-
dom and strength of the American colonies, without any in-
jury to the slaves or disadvantage to the public. Yea, the
contrary is most certain, as the slaves cannot be put into a
more wretched situation, ourselves being judges, and the com-
miuiity cannot take a more likely step to escape ruin, and
obtain the smiles and protection of Heaven. This matter
ought, doubtless, to be attended to by the general assemblies,
and continental and provincial congresses ; and if they were
as much united and engaged in devising ways and means to set
at liberty these injured slaves as they are to defend themselves
from tyranny, it would soon be eflected. There were, without
doubt, many difficulties and impediments in the way of the
Jews liberating those of their brethren they had brought into
bondage in the days of Jeremiah. But when they were be-
sieged by the Chaldeans, and this their sin was laid before
them, and they were threatened with desolation if they did
not reform, they broke through every difficulty, and set their
servants at liberty.

And how great must have been the impediments, how
many the seeming unanswerable objections against reform-
ing that gross violation of the divine command in Ezra's time,
by their marrying strange wives, of which so many of the
Jews were guilty, and the hand of the princes and rulers
had been chief in this trespass! Yet the pious zeal of Ezra,
and those who joined with him, and their wisdom and inde-
fatigable efforts, conquered every obstacle and brought Ihem
to a thorough reformation. Would not the like zeal, wisdom,
and resolution, think you, soon produce a reformation of this
much greater abomination, by finding out an effectual method
to put away all our slaves ? Surely we have no reason to
conclude it cannot be done till we see a suitable zeal and
resolution among all orders of men, and answerable attempts
are thoroughly made.

Let this iniquity be viewed in its true magnitude, and in the

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 573

shocking light in which it has been set in this conversation ; let
the wretched case of the poor blacks be considered with proper
pity and benevolence, together with the probably dreadful con-
sequence to this land of retaining them in bondage, and all
objections against liberating them would vanish. The moun-
tains that are now raised up in the imagination of many
would become a plain, and every difficulty surmounted.

Pharaoh and the Egyptians could not bear to think of let-
ting the Hebrews go out free from the bondage to which they
had reduced them, and it may be presumed they had as many
weighty objections against it as can be thought of against free-
ing the slaves among us. Yet they were at length brought to
drop them all, and willing to send them out free, and to be
ready to part with any thing they had in order to promote it.*

If many thousands of our children were slaves in Algiers,
or any parts of the Turkish dominions, and there were but
few families in the American colonies that had not some
child or near relation in that sad state, without any hope of
freedom to them or their children unless there were some
very extraordinary exertion of the colonies to effect it, how
would the attention of all the country be turned to it! How
greatly should we be affected with it ! Would it not become
the chief topic of conversation ? Would any cost or labor be
spared, or any ditliculty or hazard be too great to go through,
in order to obtain their freedom ? If there were no greater
difficulties than there are in the case before us, yea, if they
were ten times greater, would they not be soon surmounted
as very inconsiderable ? I know you, sir, and every one else,
must answer in the affirmative without hesitation. And why
are we not as much aflected with the slavery of the many
thousands of blacks among ourselves whose miserable state
is before our eyes ? And why should we not be as much en-
gaged to relieve them ? The reason is obvious. It is because
they are negroes, and fit for nothing but slaves, and we have
been used to look on them in a mean, contemptible light, and
our education has tilled us with strong prejudices against
them, and led us to consider them, not as our brethren, or in
any degree on a level with us, but as quite another species of
animals, made only to serve us and our children, and as happy
in bondage as in any other state. This has banished all

* It may be well worthy our serious consideration, whether we have not
reason to I'oar the hand of God, which is now stretched out against us, will lie
upon us, and the strokes grow heavier, unless we reform this iniquity, so
clearly i)ointed out by the particular manner in which God is correcting us;
and whether we have any reason to hope or pray for deliverance till this refor-
mation takes place.

574

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS.

attention to the injustice that is done them, and any proper
sense of their misery or the exercise of benevolence towards
them.. If we could only divest ourselves of these strong preju-
dices which have insensibly fixed on our minds, and consider
them as by nature and by right on a level with our brethren
and children, and those of our neighbors, and that benevo-
lence which loves our neighbor as ourselves, and is agreeable
to truth and righteousness, we should begin to feel towards
them, in some measure at least, as we should towards our
children and neighbors in the case above supposed, and be as
much engaged for their relief.

If parents have a son pressed on board a king's ship, how
greatly are they affected with it ! They are filled with grief
and distress, and will cheerfully be at almost any cost and
pains to procure his liberty ; and we wonder not at it, but think
their exercises and engagedness for his deliverance very just,
and stand ready to condemn him who has no feeling for
them and their son, and is not ready to afford all the assist-
ance in his power in order to recover him. At the same time
we behold vast numbers of blacks among us, torn from their
native country and all their relations, not to serve on board
a man-of-war for a few years, but to be abject, despised slaves
for life, and their children after them, and yet have not the
least feelings for them or desire of their freedom. These
very parents, perhaps, have a number of negro slaves on whom
they have not the least pity, and stand ready highly to resent
it if any one espouses their cause so much as to propose they
should be set at liberty. What reason for this partiality ?
Ought this so to be ? An impartial person, who is not under
the prejudices of interest, education, and custom, is shocked
with it beyond all expression. The poor negroes have sense
enough to see and feel it, but have no friend to speak a word
for them, none to whom they may complain.

It has been observed, that if the general assemblies of
these American colonies would take this matter in hand in
earnest, with a concern and resolution answerable to its real
importance, and the whole community were properly disposed
and engaged, the freedom of the slaves among us might soon
be effected without injury to the Dublic or those who shall be
set at liberty, but greatly to the advantage of both. But if this
should be neglected, will it excuse individuals who have slaves
in their continuing to hold them in bondage ? I think not.
If you, sir, had as many children in slavery at Algiers as you
have African slaves in your house, would you take no pains
and devise no method to obtain their liberty till the public
should make some provision for the emancipation of all slaves

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 575

there ? If any opportunity should present to obtain their lib-
erty, would you not greedily embrace it, though at much
hazard and expense? And if their master should refuse to
let them go free till there was a general emancipation of the
Christian slaves in that country, would you justify him as
acting a proper, humane, and benevolent part? I trow not.
How then can you excuse yourself, and deliver your own
soul, while you have no compassion for these black children
in your house, and refuse to break the yoke, the galling yoke,
from off their necks, because your neighbors will not be so
just and humane to theirs ?

Some masters say they will give up their slaves if all mas-
ters will do the same, but seem to think they are excused
from setting theirs free so long as there is not a general man-
umission. What has just been observed is suited, I think, to
show the insufficiency of this excuse. Besides, if you desire
to have all our slaves freed, why do you not set an example
by liberating your own ? This might influence others to do
the same, and then you might with a good grace plead the
cause of these poor Africans; whereas, while you retain your
own slaves your mouth is stopped, and your example serves
to strengthen others, and keep them in countenance, while
they practise this abominable oppression.

A. My servants have cost me a great deal of money, and
it is not reasonable I should lose all that. If the public will
indemnify me and pay me what my servants are worth, I am
willing to free them, and none can reasonably desire to do it
on any other consideration.

B. If your neighbor buys a horse, or any beast, of a thief
who stole it from you, while he had no thought that it was
stolen, would you not think you had a right to demand your
horse of your neighbor, and pronounce him very unjust if he
should refuse to deliver him to you till he had received the
whole sum he had given for him ? And have not your ser-
vants as great a right to themselves, to their liberty, as you
have to your stolen horse? They have been stolen and sold,
and you have bought them, in your own wrong, when you
had much more reason to think they were stolen than he who
bought your horse had to mistrust he was trading with a
thief. Though your horse has passed through many hands,
and been sold ten times, you think you have a right to
demand and take him, in whose soever hand you find him,
without refunding a farthing of what he cost him ; and yet,
though your negroes can prove their right to themselves, and
constantly make a demand upon you to deliver them up, you
refuse till they pay the full price you gave for them, because

576 SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS.

the civil law will not oblige yon to do it, " Thou hypocrite!"
(Luke xiii. 15.)

Had you not been amazingly inconsiderate and stupid, you
would have concluded these men were stolen, and known that
no man had a right to sell them, or you to buy them. And
must they be forever deprived of their right, which is worth more
to them than all you possess, because you have been so foolish
and wicked as to buy them, and no one appears to prevent
your losing by the bargain? You would do well to consider
the awful denunciation by Jeremiah : " Woe unto him that
buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by
wrong ; that useth his neighbor's service without wages, and
giveth him not for his work I " He who refuses to free his
negroes, that he may save his money and lay it up for his
children, and retains his slaves for them to tyrannize over,
leaves them but a miserable inheritance — infinitely worse
than nothing.

Besides, if indifferent persons were to judge, it would doubt-
less be found that many of your servants, if not all, have much
more than earned what they cost you, — some of them double
and treble, yea, ten times as much, — and, in this view, you
ought to let them go out free, and not send them away empty,
but furnish them liberally out of your store, agreeably to the
divine command, they having a much better right to part of
your estate than your children, and, it may be, much more
likely to make a good improvement of it.

A. You speak of servants earning so much ; but, for my
part, I think not so much of this. Mine have never been
much profit to me, and most of them do not pay for their
victuals and clothes, but are constantly running in debt.

B. The master is not a proper judge in this case. How
common is it for men who hire others to complain that the
laborers do not earn the wages they give, and that they are
continually losing by all the labor they hire. And, if it were
wholly left to him who hires what wages he should give the
laborer, and he was accountable to none, how soon would his
hire be reduced to little or nothing. The lordly, selfish em-
ployer would soon find out that his 1-aborers hardly earned the
food he was obliged to find them. Let your uninterested,
judicious neighbors judge between you and your servants in
this matter, and we will give credit to their verdict. And
surely you have no reason to expect we will rely on yours, as
you seem not really to believe it yourself", since it looks like a
contradiction to your own declaration and practice ; for you
have been speaking of your servants as of as much worth to
you at least as their first cost, and represented it as giving

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 577

up your interest if you should free them without a compensa-
tion ; whereas, if what you now say be true, you will lose
nothing by freeing them immediately, but rather get rid of a
burden now on your hands. And if this be true, why do you
not free them without delay ? Your holding them in slavery
is a practical contradiction to what you have now suggested.
I grant, what is evident to all the discerning who attend to
it, that the introduction of such a number of slaves among us
is a public detriment — an injury to the commonwealth ; and,
therefore, in this view, the practice ought by all means to be
discouraged and abolished by our legislators. This, however,
is consistent with individuals getting estates by the labor
of their slaves ; and that they are, in fact, in many instances
very profitable to their owners, none can deny. And if this
was not so, I should be very certain of obtaining what I am
pleading for, even a general manumission.

A. You have repeatedly spoke of our slaves being hardly
treated and abused. There may, perhaps, be some instances
of this among us; but I believe they are generally treated
very well, and many of them much better than they deserve.
My servants, I am sure, have no reason to complain ; they
live as well as I do rnyself, and, in many respects, much better.

B. We will take it for granted, for once, that all you have
said is true, and that your slaves are treated as well as they can
be while they are held in a state of slavery. But will this atone
for your making them your slaves, and taking from them that
which is better to them than not only the best living, but all
the riches on earth, and is as much to be prized as life itself —
their libertij? As well, yea, with much more reason, may a
highway robber tell a gentleman, from whom he has taken all
his money, he has no reason to complain, since he had spared
his life which was at his mercy, nor had wounded him or
stripped him of his clothes, and go away pleased with the
thought that he had treated him with great kindness and
generosity.

If a ruffian should seize, ravish, and carry off a young virgin
from all her relations and friends into isome lonely cave in the
wilderness, and when he got full possession of her there should
treat her with great kindness, providing for her every neces-
sary and comfort she could have in that situation ; and when
he was told of his violence and cruelty, and urged to restore
her to her former liberty, he should refuse to release her, and,
to justify himself, allege his kind treatment of her, that she
had all the comforts of life, and lived better than himself, —
would not this be so far from justifying him in the sight of
the world, or being the least excuse for his barbarous treat-
voL. 11. 49

578

SLAVERY OF THK AFRICANS.

ment of her, that his ofTering it as such would be considered
as a striking evidence of his stupidity, and that he was an
unfeeling, inhuman wretch ? Whether such an instance is in
any measure applicable to the case before us, 1 leave you
to judge.

But I must now ask leave to take back what was just now
granted, and observe that you are not a proper judge of your
treatment of your slaves, and that you may think you treat
them very well, in some instances at least, if not in a constant
way; they justly think themselves used very hardly, being really
subjected to many hardships which you would very sensibly
feel and resent if you were in their place, or should see one of
your children a slave in Algiers treated so by his master.
There are but few masters of slaves, I believe, who do not use
them in a hard, unreasonable manner, in some instances at
least, and most do so in a constant Way ; so that an impartial,
attentive bystander will be shocked with it, while the master
is wholly insensible of any wrong. They who from us have
visited the West Indies, have beheld how servants are used by
their masters there with a degree of horror, and pronounced
them very unreasonable and barbarous ; while the master, and
perhaps his other domestics, have thought they were used well,
being accustomed to such usage and never once reflecting
that these blacks were in any sense on a level with themselves,
or that they have the least right to the treatment white people
may reasonably expect of one another, and being habituated
to view these slaves more beneath themselves than the very
beasts really are. And are we not most of us educated in
these prejudices, and led to view the slaves among us in such
a mean, despicable light, as not to be sensible of the abuses
they suffer, when if we or our children should receive such
treatment from any of our fellow-men it would appear terrible
in our sight ? The Turks are by education and custom taught
to view the Christian slaves among them so much beneath
themselves and in such an odious light, that while they are
treating our brethren and children, we being judges, in the
most unreasonable and cruel manner, they have not one
thought that they injure them in the least degree.

Are you sure your slaves have a sufficiency of good food in
season, and that they never want for comfortable clothing and
bedding ? Do you take great care to deal as well by them in
these things as you would wish others would treat your own
children were they slaves in a strange land? If your servants
complain, are you raady to attend to them ? Or do you in
such cases frown upon them, or do something worse, so as
to discourage their ever applying to you whatever they may

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS.

579

suffer, having learned that this would only be making bad
worse? Do you never fly into a passion and deal with them
in great anger, deciding matters respecting them, and threat-
ening them, and giving sentence concerning them, from which
they have no appeal, and perhaps proceed to correct them,
when to a calm bystander you appear more fit to be confined
in Bedlam than to have the sovereign, uncontrollable domin-
ion over your brethren as the sole lawgiver, judge, and exe-
cutioner ? Do not even your children domineer over your
slaves ? Must they not often be at the beck of an ungoverned,
peevish child in the family ; and if they do not run at his or
her call, and are not all submission and obedience, must they
not expect the frowns of their masters, if not the whip ?

If none of these things, my good sir, take place in your
family, have we not reason to think you almost a singular
instance? How common are things of this kind, or worse,
taking place between masters and their slaves ? In how few in-
stances, if in any, are slaves treated as the masters would wish
to have their own children treated in like circumstances ? How
few are fit to be masters ; to have the sovereign dominion over
a number of their fellow-men, being his property, and wholly
at his disposal, who must abide his sentence and orders, how-
ever unreasonable, without any possibility of relief?

A. I believe my slaves are so far from thinking themselves
abused, or being in the least uneasy in a state of slavery, that
they have no desire to be made free ; and if their freedom were
offered to them, they would refuse to accept it.

B. I must take leave to call this in question, sir; and I
think you believe it in contradiction to all reason and the
strongest feelings of human nature, till they have declared it
themselves, having had opportunity for due deliberation, and
being in circumstances to act freely, without the least con-
straint or fear.

There are many masters (if we believe what they say) who
please themselves with this fond opinion of their goodness to
their slaves, and their choice of a state of slavery in prefer-
ence to freedom, without the least foundation, and while the
contrary is known to be true by all who are acquainted with
their slaves. If they really beheve this, they by it only dis-
cover great insensibility and want of proper reflection. They
have not so much as put themselves in the place of their
slaves, so as properly and with due sensibility to consult what
would be their own feelings on such a supposition. Have they
themselves lost all desire of freedom ? Are they destitute of
all taste of the sweets of it, and have they no aversion to
slavery for themselves and children ? If they have these

580 SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS.

feelings, what reason have they to conclude their servants
have not ?

But it seems most of those masters do not fully believe what
they so often say on this head, for they have never made the
trial, nor can they be persuaded to do it. Let them offer free-
dom to their servants and give them opportunity to choose
for themselves without being under the most distant con-
straint; and if they then deliberately choose to continue their
slaves, the matter will be fairly decided, and they may con-
tinue to possess them with a good conscience.*

Slaves are generally under such disadvantages and re-
straints, that however much they desire liberty they dare not
so much as mention it to their masters ; and if their master
should order them into his presence and ask them whether
they had a desire to be made free, many would not dare to
declare their choice lest it should offend him, and instead of
obtaining their freedom bring themselves into a more evil
case than they were in before, as the children of Israel did by
desiring Pharaoh to free them.

In this case such precaution ought to be taken as to give
the slaves proper assurance that they may without any danger
to themselves declare their choice of freedom, and that it shall
be done to them according to their choice.

A. If slaves in general were made free, they would soon be
in a worse state than that in which they now are. Many of
them know not how to contrive for themselves so as to get a
living, but must soon be maintained by their former masters
or some others; and others would make themselves wretched,
and become a great trouble to their neighbors and an injury
to the public, by their unrestrained vices. This would doubt-
less be the case with most of mine were they set free, and
some of them are by no means able to maintain themselves.

B. I confess this objection, at first view, seems to have
some weight in it; but let us examine it, and see if it be
sufficient to hold so many thousands in slavery, and their
children after them, to the end of the world. Would you have
all the white people, who are given to hurtful vices or are un-
willing or unable to maintain themselves, made slaves, and
their children after them, and be bought and sold for life like
cattle in the market? Would you willingly give up your
own children to this, to be slaves forever to any one who should
be willing and able to purchase them, if they were as vicious
or hel[)less as you suppose many of the blacks would be if set

* But this will u;ivc them no rij^ht to make slaves of their children, even if
the parents themselves should exj)ressly eonsent to it ; for the parent can have
no right to sell the liberty of his children.

SliAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 581

at liberty ? I am sure you will not answer in the affirmative ;
and by answering in the negative, as I know you must, you
will entirely remove the reason you have now offered for hold-
ing the blacks in this slavery, till you can show why the latter
should be treated so very diffierently from the former, which I
am confident you will not attempt.

A state of slavery has a mighty tendency to sink and con-
tract the minds of men, and prevent their making improve-
ments in useful knowledge of every kind. It sinks the mind
down in darkness and despair ; it takes off encouragements to
activity and to make improvements, and naturally tends to
lead the enslaved to abandon themselves to a stupid careless-
ness and to vices of all kinds. No wonder then the blacks
among us are, many of them, so destitute of prudence and
sagacity to act for themselves, and some are given to vice. It
is rather a wonder there are so many instances of virtue, pru-
dence, knowledge, and industry among them. And shall we,
because we have reduced them to this abject, helpless, misera-
ble state by our oppression of them, make this an argument
for continuing them and their children in this wretched con-
dition ? God forbid I This ought rather to excite our pity, and
arouse us to take some effectual method without delay to
deliver them and their children from this most unhappy state.
If your own children were in this situation, would you offer
this as a good reason why they and their posterity should be
made slaves forever? Were some of your children unable to
provide for themselves through infirmity of body or want of
mental capacity, and others of them were very vicious, would
you have them sold into a state of slavery for this? or would
you make slaves of them yourself? Would you not be will-
ing to take the best care of them in your power, and give
them all possible encouragement to behave well, and direct
and assist them in proper methods to get a living? I know
you would. And why will you not go and do likewise to your
slaves ? Why will you not take oft" the galling yoke from their
necks, and restore them to that liberty to which they have as
good a claim as you yourself and your children, and which
has been violently taken from them and unjustly withheld by
you to this day ? If any of them are disposed to behave ill
and make a bad use of their freedom, let them have all the
motives to behave well that can be laid before them. Let
them be subject to the same restraints and laws with other
freemen, and have the same care taken of them by the public.
And be as ready to direct and assist those who want discretion
and assistance to get a living as if they were your own chil-
dren, and as willing to support the helpless, infirm, and aged.
49*

582

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS.

And give all proper encouragement and assistance to those
who have served you well, and are like to get a good living, if
not put under peculiar disadvantages, as freed negroes most
commonly are, by giving them reasonable wages for their
labor if they still continue with you, or liberally furnishing
them with what is necessary in order to their living comforta-
bly, and being in a way to provide for themselves. This was
the divine command to the people of Israel, and does it not
appear at least equally reasonable in the case before us?
When one of their brethren had served them the number of
years that were specified, they were commanded to let him go
out free ; and then the following injunction is added : " And
when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let
him go away empty ; thou shalt furnish him liberally out of
thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy wine press ; of
that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee, thou shalt
give unto him." (Deut. xv. 13, 14.)

If all who have slaves would act such a just, wise, and be-
nevolent part towards them, and treat them in any measure as
they would desire their own children and near relations should
be treated, our slaves might all be set free without any detri-
ment to themselves or the public, and their masters would be
so far from losing by it that they would be abundantly re-
warded for all their benevolence to these injured poor. And
if our legislators would lend their helping hand, and form
such laws and regulations as shall be properly suited to pro-
tect and assist those that are freed, and so as in the best man-
ner to deter and restrain them from vicious courses, and en-
courage their industry and good behavior, this would be an
additional security to the public against any imagined evil
consequence of a general manumission of our slaves, and but
a piece of justice to these poor, dependent creatures, whom we
have made so by our own unrighteousness and oppression.
This would encourage masters to free their slaves, and leave
the objection we are now considering without the least shadow
of foundation.

A. You are doubtless sensible, sir, that the legislatures in
these colonies are so far from giving this encouragement to
manumit our slaves, that the laws are rather a clog or hin-
derance to any thing of this kind, as they require the master to
give security for the maintenance of his slaves if they should
ever want any assistance, before he is allowed to make them
free.

B. I am sorry to say there is too much truth in this. I
hope our legislatures will soon attend with proper concern to
this affair, and in their justice, wisdom, and goodness, enter

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 583

upon measures which shall encourage and effect a general
emancipation of our slaves.

But if this should not be, I think it appears, from the course
of this conversation, that this will not excuse those who have
slaves from setting them at liberty, even though they should
be obliged to maintain them all their days. If any slave-
holder can lay his hand on his breast and sincerely say, if his
children were slaves at Algiers he would not desire their mas-
ter to free them unless he could do it without any risk of their
ever being a charge to him, then let him still hold his slaves
in bondage with a quiet conscience. Otherwise I see not how
he can do it.

A. If it were granted that our slaves ought to be freed, if
times and the public state of the American colonies would
admit, yet in our present peculiar, calamitous, distressing state,
it may be very imprudent and wrong and tend to great evil
to adopt this measure. Most of the slaves in populous sea-
port places have now little or no business to do, and are sup-
ported by their masters, while they earn little or nothing. And
if they should be dismissed by their masters, they could not
maintain themselves, and must suffer. And the attention and
exertion of the public is so necessarily turned to the defence of
ourselves, and this civil war introduces such calamity and con-
fusion, that it cannot be expected, yea, it is quite impossible
that there should be any proper care of the public, so as to
make the provision and regulations which would be absolutely
necessary in this case. Though I suggested this in the begin-
ning of our conversation, yet I think you have paid little or no
attention to it. I wish this might be well considered.

B. I think the facts you have now alleged as reasons
against freeing our slaves at present, will, if duly considered,
afford arguments for the very thing you are opposing. The
slaves who are become unprofitable to their masters by the
present calamitous state of our country, will be with the less
reluctance set at liberty, it is hoped ; and if no public provision
be made for them that they may be transported to Africa,
where they might probably live better than in any other coun-
try, or be removed into those .places in this land where they
may have profitable business and are wanted, now so many
are called from their farms to defend our country ; I say, if
this be not done, the masters, by freeing them, would lose
nothing by it, even though they continue to support them, till
some way shall be open for them to help themselves. I must
here again desire every owner of slaves to make their case his
own, and consider, if he or his children were unjustly in a state
of slavery, whether he should think such an objection against

584

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS.

their being set at liberty of any weight. Would he not rather
think it reasonable that the masters who had held them in
bondage against all right and reason would consider their
being, by an extraordinary providence, rendered unprofitable to
them, as an admonition to break off their sins by righteousness
and their iniquity by showing mercy to these poor, and that
it ought to be a greater satisfaction to them thus to do justice
without delay and relieve these oppressed poor, than to possess
all the riches, honors, and pleasures of this world ? And if
these masters should disregard such an admonition and nea:-
lect this opportunity to set them at liberty, putting it off to a
more convenient season, would it not be very grievous to him
and overwhelm him in despair of their ever doing it? Is it
not very certain that they who make this objection against
freeing their slaves without delay, would not free them if the
times should change and they again become profitable ? If
they must maintain them, can they not do it as well when
they are free as while they are slaves, and ought they not to
do it with much more satisfaction?

And as to the public, all necessary regulations and provision
might easily and very soon be made, even in our present dis-
tressing circumstances, effectually to emancipate all our slaves,
were the minds of men in general properly impressed with
their misery, and they sufficiently engaged to do justice and
show mercy.*

This objection might be urged with much greater show of
reason by the inhabitants of Jerusalem, against freeing their
servants when they were not only in a state of war, but shut
up, and closely besieged in that city; yet we find it was their
duty to free them immediately, as the only way to escape
threatened destruction ; and as soon as they had done this
they had respite, and would have obtained final deliverance

* God is so ordering it in his providence, that it seems absolutely necessary
something should speedily be done with respect to the slaves among us in
order to our safety and to prevent their turning against us in our present strug-
gle, in oixler to get their liberty. Our oppressors have planned to gain the
blacks, and induce them to take uj) arms against us, by promising them liberty
on this condition ; and this plan they xire prosecuting to the utmost of their
power, by which means they have persuaded numbers to join them ; and should
we attempt to restrain them by force and severity, keeping a strict guard over
them, and punishing them severely who shall be detected in attempting to join
our opposcrs, this will only be making bad worse, and serve to render our in-
consistence, oppression, and cruelty more criminal, perspicuous, and shocking,
and bring down the righteous vengeance of Heaven on our heads. The only
way pointed out to prevent this threatening evil, is to set the blacks at liberty
ourselves by some public acts and laws, and then give them proper encourage-
ment to labor, or take arms in the defence of the American cause, as they shall
choose. This would at once be doing them some degree of justice, and defeat-
ing our enemies in the scheme that they are prosecuting.

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 585

had they not returned to their old oppression and again brought
their freed servants into bondage.

This leads me to observe, that our distresses are come upon
us in such a way, and the occasion of the present war is such,
as in the most clear and striking manner to point out the sin
of holding our blacks in slavery, and admonish us to reform,
and render us shockingly inconsistent with ourselves, and
amazingly guilty if we refuse. God has raised up men to
attempt to deprive us of liberty, and the evil we are threatened
with is slavery. This, with our vigorous attempts to avoid it,
is the ground of all our distresses, and the general voice is,
" We will die in the attempt, rather than submit to slavery."
But are we at the same time making slaves of many thou-
sands of our brethren, who have as good a right to liberty as
ourselves, and to whom it is as sweet as it is to us, and the
contrary as dreadful ? Are we holding them in the most abject,
miserable state of slavery, without the least compassionate
feeling tov/ards them or their posterity, utterly refusing to
take off the oppressive, galling yoke? O, the shocking, the
intolerable inconsistence ! And this gross, barefaced incon-
sistence is an open, practical condemnation of holding these
our brethren in slavery ; and in these circumstances the crime
of persisting in it becomes unspeakably greater and more pro-
voking in God's sight, so that all the former unrighteousness
and cruelty exercised in this practice is innocence compared
with the awful guilt that is now contracted. And in allusion
to the words of our Savior, it may with great truth and pro-
priety be said, " If he had not thus come in his providence,
and spoken unto us, (comparatively speaking,) we had not had
sin in making bondslaves of our brethren ; but now, we have
no cloak for our sin."

And if we continue in this evil practice and refuse to let
the oppressed go free, under all this light and admonition
suited to convince and reform us, and while God is evidently
correcting us for it as well as for other sins, have we any rea-
son to expect deliverance from the calamities we are under?
May we not rather look for slavery and destruction like that
which came upon the obstinate, unreformed Jews? In this
light I think it ought to be considered by us ; and viewed
thus, it affords a most forcible, formidable argument not to
put off liberating our slaves to a more convenient time, but
to arise, all as one man, and do it with all our might, without
delay, since delaying in this case is awfully dangerous as well
as unspeakably criminal. This was hinted in the beginning
of our conversation, you may remember, and I am glad of an
opportunity to consider it more particularly.

586

SLAVERY OP THE AFRICANS.

A. You have repeatedly spoken of the attempt that is made
to oppress and enslave the American colonies, and the calami-
ties this has introduced, as a judgment which God has brought
upon us for enslaving the Africans, and say we have no reason
to expect deliverance, but still greater judgments, unless this
practice be reformed. But is not this supposition inconsistent
with the course of divine Providence since this war began?
Have we not been strengthened and succeeded in our oppo-
sition to the measures taken against us, even beyond our most
sanguine expectations ; and a series of events very extraordi-
nary and almost miraculous have taken place in our favor,
and so as remarkably to disappoint our opposers and baffle
them in all their plots and attempts against us ? How is this
consistent with the above supposition ? If these calamities
were brought on us for our sin in enslaving the Africans, and
an expression of God's displeasure with us on that account,
would he in such a signal manner appear on our side and
favor, protect, and prosper us, even so that those of our ene-
mies who are considerate and attentive have been obliged to
acknowledge God was for us ; I say, could this be, while we
persist in that practice so offensive to him ?

B. When I speak of our being under the divine judgments
for this sin of enslaving the Africans, I do not mean to exclude
other public crying sins found among us, such as impiety
and profaneness, formality and indifference, in the service and
cause of Christ and his religion, and the various ways of open
opposition to it — intemperance and prodigality, and other
instances of unrighteousness, etc., the fruits of a most crimi-
nal, contracted selfishness, which is the source of the high-
handed oppression we are considering. But that this is a sin
most particularly pointed out, and so contrary to our holy
religion in every view of it, and such an open violation of all
the laws of righteousness, humanity, and charity, and so con-
trary to our professions and exertions in the cause of liberty,
that we have no reason to expect, nor can sincerely ask deliv-
erance, so long as we continue in a disposition to hold fast
this iniquity. If we should be delivered while we continue in
this evil practice, and obstinately refuse thoroughly to execute
judgment between a man and his neighbor, but go on to op-
press the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, we should,
agreeably to the spirit of what you have just said, improve
such deliverance as God said the Jews would have done had
he delivered them while they refused to reform. " Will ye
steal, murder, etc., and come and stand before me in this
house, which is called by my name, and say, We are deliv-
ered to do all these abominations ? " (Jer. vii. 5-10.) Surely

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS. 587

this is not to be expected or desired. Even the prayer for such
deliverance must be an abomination to the Lord.

But your objection is worthy of a more particular answer.
It has been observed, that there has been a general resolution
to suppress the slave trade in these colonies, and to import no
more slaves from Africa. This is a remarkable instance of
our professed regard to justice, and a wise and notable step
towards a reformation of this evil, and, as has been observed,
a complete reformation will be the unavoidable consequence,
if we will be consistent with ourselves. For no reason can
be given for suppressing the slave trade which is not equally
a reason for freeing all those who have been reduced to a state
of slavery by that trade ; and that same regard to justice, hu-
manity, and mercy which will induce us to acquiesce in the
former, will certainly oblige us to practise the latter. Have
we not, therefore, reason to think that the righteous and in-
finitely merciful Governor of the world has been pleased to
testify his well-pleasedness with that regard to righteousness
and mercy which we professed and appeared to exercise in
refusing to import any more slaves, and which is an implicit
condemnation of all the slavery practised among us, by ap-
pearing on our side in the remarkable, extraordinary manner
you have mentioned, by which wonderful interposition in our
favor he has, at the same time, given us the greatest encour-
agement not to stop what we have begun, but to go on to a
thorough reformation, and act consistently with ourselves by
breaking every yoke and doing justice to all our oppressed
slaves, as well as to repent of and reform all our open, public
sins ? / So that God is hereby showing vis what he can do for
us, and how happy we may be under his protection, if we will
amend our ways and our doings, and loudly calling us to a
thorough reformation in this most kind and winning way.

But if we obstinately refuse to reform what we have im-
plicitly declared to be wrong, and engaged to put away the
holding the Africans in slavery, which is so particularly pointed
out by the evil with which we are threatened, and is such a
glaring contradiction to our professed aversion to slavery and
sti'uggle for civil liberty, and improve the favor God is showing
us as an argument in favor of this iniquity and encouragement
to persist in it, as you, sir, have just now done, have we not
the greatest reason to fear, yea, may we not with great cer-
tainty conclude, God will yet withdraw his kind protection
from us, and punish us yet seven times more ? This has been
God's usual way of dealing with his professing people ; and
who can say it is not most reasonable and wise ? He, then,

588 SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS.

acts the most friendly part to these colonies and to the mas-
ters of slaves, as well as to the slaves themselves, who does
his utmost to effect a general emancipation of the Africans
among us; and, in this view, I could wish the conversation
we have now had on this subject, if nothing better is like to be
done, were published and spread through all the colonies, and
had the attentive perusal of every American.

AN ADDRESS

TO THE OWNERS OF NEGRO SLAVES IN THE
AMERICAN COLONIES.

Gentlemen : Since it has been determined to publish the
preceding Dialogue, it was thought proper it should be at-
tended with a particular address to you, who are more imme-
diately interested in the slavery there considered. _

It would be injurious, it is confessed, to consider you as the
only persons guilty or concerned in this matter. The several
legislatures in these colonies, the magistrates, and the body of
the people, have doubtless been greatly guilty in approving
and encouraging, or at least conniving at, this practice ; — yea,
every one is in a measure guilty who has been inattentive to
this oppression, and unaffected with it, and neglected to bear
proper testimony against it. And it is granted the public
ought to go into some effectual measures to liberate all the
slaves, without laying an unreasonable burden on their mas-
ters ; but though this be not done, such neglect will not excuse
you in holding them in slavery, as it is in your power to set
them free, and your indispensable duty, and really your inter-
est, to do them this piece of justice, though others should
neglect to assist you as they ought.

It is hoped you will not be offended with the plainness of
speech used on this subject, and that though you should at
first think some of the epithets and expressions which are used
too severe, and find the subject itself disagreeable, this will not
prevent your attentively considering it, and weighing what is
offered with the utmost impartiality and readiness to receive
conviction, how much soever you may find yourselves con-
demned; for, if your practice is here set in a true light, — in
which it must appear to all impartial, judicious, good men,
and in which it will appear to all at the day of judgment, —
VOL. II. 50

590 AN ADDRESS TO

you must be sensible you cannot too soon admit the convic-
tion, and reform. And here it cannot be improper to remind
you of your liableness to strong prejudices, which tend to
prevent your seeing what in itself may be very plain. Our
divine Teacher says, '■'•Every one that doeth evil hateth the
light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be
reproved." If you are indeed doing evil, according to the
import of the preceding dialogue, these words of Christ are so
far applicable to you, and are suited to awaken your jealousy
of yourselves, and lead you to attend to the subject with great
concern, circumspection, and earnest prayer to the Father of
lights for that discerning and wisdom by which you may, in
the case depending, come to the knowledge of the truth. And
is it not worthy your serious consideration that they who are
not interested in this practice, and have no slaves, are gener-
ally, if not every one, fully convinced it is wrong? Are they
not, at least many of them, as capable of judging in this mat-
ter as you yourselves are ? and, therefore, more likely to judge
right than you, as they are uninterested and impartial ? The
conviction of the unjustifiableness of this practice has been
increasing and greatly spread of late, and many who have
had slaves have found themselves so unable to justify their
own conduct in holding them in bondage, as to be induced to
set them at liberty. May this conviction soon reach every
owner of slaves in North America.

To this end you are desired to consider what is more than
once urged in the dialogue, viz., —

The very inconsistent part you act while you are thus en-
slaving your fellow-men, and yet condemning and strenuously
opposing those who are attempting to bring you and your
children into a state of bondage much lighter than that in
which you keep your slaves, who yet have at least as good a
right to make slaves of you and your children as you have to
hold your brethren in this state of bondage. Men do not love
to be inconsistent with themselves ; and, therefore, this is so
evident and glaring, that, if you will only suffer yourselves
to reflect a moment, it must give you pain, from which you
can find no relief but by freeing your slaves, or relinquishing
the cause of public liberty, which you have thought so glo-
rious, and worthy to he pursued at the risk of your fortunes
and lives.

A general assembly of one of these colonies * have expressed

* Rhode Island. Thus is a preamble to a proposed act, "prohibiting the
importation of negroes into this colony, and asserting the rights of freedom of
all those hereafter born or manumitted within the same." It is observable, at
first view, that the reason given for this act is equally a reason for actually

THE OWNERS OF NEGRO SLAVES. 591

their conviction of this inconsistence, and given it as a reason
for freeing our slaves, in the following words : " Whereas the
inhabitants of America are generally engaged in the preserva-
tion of their own rights and liberties, among which that of
personal freedom must be considered a.-^5 the greatest, and as
those who are desirous of enjoying all the advantages of lib-
erty themselves should be willing to extend personal liberty to
others : therefore, be it enacted," etc.

Is it possible that any one should not feel the irresistible
force of this reason ? And who would be willing to practise
this glaring self-contradiction, rather than let his servants go
out free, even though he should hereby give up the greatest
part of his living, yea, every penny he has in the world ?
With what propriety will all such inconsistent oppressors be
addressed by Him before whom masters and their slaves will
shortly stand as their impartial Judge — "Out of thine own
mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant!"

Be intreated, also, seriously to consider how very offensive
to God unrighteousness and the oppression of the poor, the
stranger, and the fatherless is represented to be in the Holy
Scripture. This is often spoken of as the procuring cause of
the calamities that came on God's professing people of old,
and of their final ruin. It may suffice to quote a few passages
of this tenor, and refer you to places where others are to
be found. " O house of David, thus saith the Lord, Execute
judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out
of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and
burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your
doings." (Jer. xxi. 12.) " The people of the land have used
oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor
and needy ; yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
And I sought for a man among them that should make up
the hedge, but I found none. Therefore have I poured out
mine indignation upon them." (Eze. xxii. 29-31.) " Thus
saith the Lord, For three transgressions of Israel, and for four,

freeing all the negro slaves in the colony without delay. As Rhode Island has
been more deeply interested in the slave trade, and has enslaved more of the
poor Africans, than any other colony in New England, it has been to the honor
of that colony that they have lately made a law prohibiting the importation of
any more slaves. How becoming, honorable, and happy would it have been
had they acted up to the truth asserted in the preamble mentioned, and taken
the lead of all the united colonies in effectually providing for the freedom of
all their slaves !

Since the above was published, the general assembly of that State have
made a law by which all the blacks born in it after March, 1784, are made free.
And the masters who have slaves under forty years old are authorized to free
them, without being bound, or liable to maintain them, if afterwards they
should be unable to support themselves.

592 AN ADDRESS TO

1 will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they
sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes."
(Amos ii. 6.) " Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying,
Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassions
every man to his brother : and oppress not the widow, nor the
fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor ; and let none of you
imagine evil against his brother in your heart. But tiiey re-
fused to hearken ; yea, they made their hearts as an adamant
stone : therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts."
(Zech. vii. 9-13.) See to the same purpose Isa. iii. 14, 15 ;
X. 1-4. Jer. V. 27-29 ; vi. 6, 7 ; xxii. 13-17. Amos iv. 1, 2 ;
V. 11, 12; viii. 4-8.

Are not the African slaves among us the poor, the strangers,
the fatherless, who are oppressed and vexed, and sold for silver?
And will not God visit and punish such oppression? Are you
willing to be the instruments of bringing judgments and ruin
on this land, and on yourselves and families, rather than let
the oppressed go out free ?

On the contrary, mercy, deliverance, and prosperity were
often promised them, if they would leave oft' their oppressions
and do justice and show mercy in delivering the oppressed,
and showing kindness to the stranger and the poor. (Isa. i.
16-18.) " Cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek judgment,
relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the
widow. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white
as snow. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good
of the land." (Jer. vii. 1-7.) " Stand in the gate of the Lord's
house, and proclaim there this word and say. If ye thoroughly
amend your ways and your doings ; if ye thoroughly execute
judgment between a man and his neighbor; if you oppress not
the stranger, the fatherless and the widow, and shed not inno-
cent blood in this place ; then will I cause you to dwell in
the land I gave to your fathers, forever and ever." (Jer. xxii.
3-5.) " Thus saith the Lord, Execute judgment and righteous-
ness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor,
and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the father-
less, nor widow; for if ye do this thing indeed," etc. (Isa.
xxxiii. 15, 16 ; Iviii. 6, etc. Jer. v. 1.)

How can we attend to the voice of God in these sacred
writings, and not see that you are most clearly pointed out?
And will you be affronted, or even disregard us, while we
entreat a)id conjure you by all that is important and sacred,
so far to regard these threatenings and promises, and pursue
your own highest interest and that of the public, as to let your
oppressed slaves go out free ? Do not say, " This is too great
a sacrifice for us to make; who will indemnify us if we give
up our servants ? " The sovereign owner of all things has

THE OWNERS OF NEGRO SLAVES. 593

promised you indemnity, yea, infinitely more, deliverance from
the awful curse which comes upon the oppressor, and his pro-
tection and blessing. And here it may be proper to remind
you of the divine answer to the king of Judah, when being
ordered to dismiss the mercenaries he had procured to assist
him, he asked what he should do for the hundred talents which
this army had cost him ? " And the man of God answered,
The Lord is able to give thee much more than this."
(2 Chron. xxv. 6-9.)

Consider also how very inconsistent this injustice and op-
pression is with worshipping God through Christ, and attend-
ing on the institutions of religion, and how unacceptable and
abominable these must be while you neglect to let the oppressed
go free, and refuse to do justice and love mercy. The Bible
is full of declarations of this. (Isa. Iviii., and ch. i. v. 10-18.
Amos V. 21, 22.)

" To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the
Lord than sacrifice." Without the former, the latter is nothing
but gross hypocrisy and abomination to God ; for he " will
have mercy, and not sacrifice." He require!? no devotion or
attendance on any religious rite or institution which is incon-
sistent with mercy, or that is done without the love and exer-
cise of mercy ; but rejects all such prayers and service as most
dishonorable and abominable to him. And when we consider
that Christianity is the greatest instance and exhibition of
righteousness and mercy that was ever known or can be con-
ceived of, and the great Author of it is, in the most eminent
and glorious degree, the just God and the Savior, we shall not
wonder that no offering can be acceptable to him which is
without the exercise and practice of righteousness and mercy,
and that " he shall have judgment without mercy that hath
showed no mercy."

You who are professors of religion, and yet the owners of
slaves, are entreated well to consider how you must appear in
the sight of God, and of all who view your conduct in a true
light, while you attend your family and public devotions, and
sit down from time to time at the table of the Lord. If
your neighbor wrong you of a few shillings, you think him
utterly unfit to attend that sacred ordinance with you ; but
what is this to the wrong you are doing to your brethren,
whom you are holding in slavery ? Should a man at Algiers
have a number of your children his slaves, and should by some
means be converted and become a professor of Christianity,
would you not expect he would soon set your children at lib-
erty ? And if after you had particularly dealt with him about
it, and offered abundant light and matter of conviction (/ the
'50*

594 AN ADDRESS TO THE OWNERS OF NEGRO SLAVES.

oppression and cruelty of which he was guilty, he should be
deaf to all you could say, and resolve to hold them and their
children in slavery, what would you think of him when you
see him at his prayers, and attending at the Lord's supper?
Would you think he was more acceptable to God than if he
neglected these institutions, and yet had been so just and mer-
ciful as to set all his slaves at liberty ? Yea, would you scruple
to say his devotion and attendance on the holy supper were
hypocrisy and abomination ? If Nathan the prophet was
here, he would say, " Thou art the man." *

The Friends, who are commonly called Quakers, have been
for a number of years bearing testimony against this oppres-
sion as inconsistent with Christianity, and striving to. purge
themselves of this iniquity, rejecting those from fellowship
with them who will not free their slaves. They indeed do not
attend the Lord's supper, and it is granted they are herein
neglecting an important institution of Christ ; but ought it not
to alarm you to think that while you are condemning them
for this neglect, your attendance, in the omission of that
righteousness and mercy which they practise, is inexpressibly
more dishonorable and offensive to Christ than their neglect?
These things you ought first to have done, to let the oppressed
go free and break every yoke, and then not leave the other
undone.

May you all, in this day of your visitation, know and prac-
tise the things that belong to your peace, and the safety and
happiness of the united American colonies, by no longer op-
pressing these poor strangers wrongfully, and doing violence
to them ; but by executing judgment, relieve the oppressed,
and deliver the spoiled out of the hands of the oppressor.
May this counsel be acceptable unto you, and you break off
this your sin, and all your sins, by righteousness, and your
iniquities by showing mercy to these poor, that it may be a
lengthening of the tranquillity of yourselves, your families, and
of this now distressed land.

* It is granted this oppression has been practised in ignorance by many, if
not the most, who have been owners of slaves ; and though this has been a very
criminal ignorance, yet professors of religion and real Christians may have lived
in this sin through ignorance, consistent with sincerity, and so as to be accept-
able to God through Jesus Christ, in their devotions, etc. But though God has
in time past suffered us, ignorantly, to walk in this wicked way, he is NO-ff
using special means to open our eyes, and commands all every where to repent
of his iniquity. And they who persist in this sin in opposition to the clear
light and alarming admonitions which are now set before us, will greatly aggra-
vate their own guilt if they do not hereby give just reason to suspect the sin-
cerity of their profession. Some who are in the Scriptures declared to be good
men, lived in evil practices, consistent with sincerity in their attendance on
divine institutions ; in which practices no Christian can now live consistent
^ith his Christian character, because we enjoy much greater light than they
had, and these evil ways are more fully exposed and condemned

A DISCOURSE

UPON THE

SLAVE TRADE

SLAVERY OF THE AFRICANS

DELIVERED BEFORE THE

PROVIDENCE SOCIETY FOR ABOLISHING THE SLAVE TRADE, ETC.

AT THEIR ANNUAL MEETING, MAY 17, 1793.

TO

THE PROVIDENCE SOCIETY

ABOLISHING THE SLAVE TRADE, ETC.,

THE FOLLOWING

DISCOURSE

IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED

THE AUTHOR,

DISCOURSE

THE SLAVE TRADE, ETC

The members of this respectable society, by whom I have
been invited to deliver a discourse before them, at this their
annual meeting, on the slave trade, and the consequent slavery
of the Africans, and all those who are present on this occa-
sion will not expect that any thing new will be said on a
subject which has been so much canvassed of late, and on
which so many have written and so fully exposed the un-
paralleled unrighteousness, inhumanity, and cruelty, and the
odious and horrible attendants of it, by which great light has
been thrown upon it, and the attention of millions turned to
it, and they have been led to execrate it as a most shocking,
outrageous violation of all the rights of man. And there are
none, or very few now, except those whose minds are blinded,
and their hearts hardened by custom and their supposed in-
terest, who do not condemn it, as contrary to the true and best
interest of society, and, therefore, think all lawful endeavors
ought to be exerted to suppress and abolish it forever.

But as it is not easy fully to explore this business, and com-
prehend it in all its length and breadth, and realize all the
evils included in it, it is highly proper and important often to
renew our meditations upon it, and to take those methods
which are suited to impress our minds and the minds of oth-
ers more and more with the iniquity of this practice, viewed
in every different light, and in all the evil consequences of it.

In this view, and to promote such a design, the attention,
patience, and candor of this respectable audience are asked to
the following observations, which shall be introduced by some of
the last words of the benevolent Redeemer of man, — who came
not to destroy men's lives, but to save, — which he spake to his
disciples when he was about to leave the world and ascend to

598 A DISCOURSE UPON THE SLAVE TRADE, ETC.

heaven, — recorded by the evangelist Mark, 16th chapter and
15th verse of his gospel, —

" Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature."

This direction and command is an expression of the greatest
benevolence to man. When the Son of God had become in-
carnate and taken upon him the form of a servant, and was
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, in order to
make atonement for the sins of men, and bring in everlasting
righteousness that God might be just, and the justifier of him
that believeth in Jesus, and had risen from the dead, he ordered
that this good news should be published through the whole
world, and the offer of this salvation be made to all mankind,
of whatever nation or complexion, whether Jews or Gentiles,
the more civilized or barbarians, rich or poor, white or black ;
this being the only remedy for lost man, suited to recover him
from that state of darkness, sin, and misery in which the
world of mankind lay and must perish forever, were it not
for this salvation. " Neither is there salvation in any other ;
for there is none other name under heaven given among men,
whereby they can be saved."

And, as this is an infinitely kind and benevolent injunction,
it points out and commands a duty, an employment, which
must be most agreeable and pleasing to every benevolent
mind, whatever labor and expense it may require. And they
may reasonably think themselves highly favored and honored
to whom ability and opportunity are given to preach the gos-
pel, the unsearchable riches of Christ, to any of their fellow-
men ; or who are under advantage to promote this design, by
any exertion in their power.

As the gospel affords the only relief for fallen man, so it is
a sufficient and complete one, where the spirit of it is cor-
dially imbibed and it is properly improved for the purposes
\vhich it is suited to promote. It raises sinners from the
greatest moral depravity, guilt, and misery, to a state of light,
pardon, and peace, and brings them finally to the enjoyment
of complete and endless felicity.

This institution of Heaven, when properly attended to, un-
derstood, and cordially embraced, turns men from darkness to
marvellous light. If it finds them in a state of savage igno-
rance and barbarity it civilizes them, and forms them to be
intelligent and good members of society. It subdues the
selfishness, pride, and worldly-mindedness of men, and all their
inordinate lusts, and " teaches them to deny ungodliness and
worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in
this present world." It raises the mind to the sight and

A DISCOURSE UPON THE SLAVE TRADE, ETC. 599

contemplation of the most sublime, important, and entertain-
ing objects, and manifests those truths, and gives that light,
which are received with pleasing los'e and admiration ; which
make men truly wise, and animate them to the practice of
every personal, social, and religious duty. It forms men to
uprightness and the practice of righteousness, to universal
benevolence and goodness ; teaching them to love their neigh-
bor as themselves, and to do to other men as they would that
others should do unto them. So far as it spreads and has in-
fluence on the hearts and lives of men, it banishes the manifold
evils under which mankind have groaned in all ages, and intro-
duces peace, love, and harmony among men, and unites them
together into a happy society, in which every one puts on bowels
of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness and long-
suffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving each other in
love ; each one studying and exerting himself to do good to all
men, according to his ability and opportunity. At the same
time, it forms men to the most sincere, uniform, and rational
piety, in the exercise of love to God and the Redeemer, and
to all his friends and servants ; and they have joy and peace in
believing and serving Jesus Christ, and their hope of eternal
life in the kingdom of Christ is built and flourishes on the best
and most sure foundation.

This command of Christ, to preach the gospel to all the
nations in the world, respects not only the apostles and disci-
ples who then heard him speak, and the ministers of the
gospel in general who have since been, or are now, or shall be,
aj)pointed to that work, but is extended to all Christians, in
every age of the church, requiring them in all proper ways,
according to their ability, stations, and opportunities, to pro-
mote this benevolent design, and exert themselves for the fur-
therance of the gospel, that, if possible, all may hear and
share in the happy effects of it. They who are not called to
be. preachers of the gospel may, in many ways, assist those
who are sent forth to this work, and do much to forward the
propagation and spreading of Christianity; not only helping
by their prayers, but by liberal contributions of their substance,
and by many other labors and exertions. Every true disciple
of Christ who understands the gospel, and prizes it above
silver and gold, and whose heart is expanded with love to
Christ and benevolence to his lellow-men, must not only wish
and pray that all nations may enjoy the blessings of it, and
come to the knowledge of this saving truth, but considers it
as an unspeakable privilege to be in any way, and in the least
degree, an instrument of promoting this design, whatever la-
bor and expense it may require. And it is owing to the great

600 A DISCOURSE UPON THE SLAVE TRADE, ETC.

and inexcusable wickedness of men that the gospel did not
soon spread all over the world alter the resurrection and ascen-
sion of Christ, and was not embraced by all men from that
day down to this time ; which would have prevented the many
and dreadful evils which have reigned in the world in all this
period, and introduced a glorious scene and series of happy
events, which exceed our present conception. Therefore, it
can be attributed to nothing but the depravity of mankind
that the command of the Savior has not been obeyed, and all
men have not been made to share in the saving blessings of
the gospel, but that it has been, and still is, so unsuccessful in
the world.

Would we know the nature and excellence of Christianity,
and the happy tendency of it to promote the good of mankind,
both temporal and eternal, we must not expect to learn it from
the general appearance of it in what is called the Christian part
of the world, and the effect it now has on the greatest part of
those who enjoy the light of it; but we must look into our
Bibles, where it is properly and to the best advantage de-
scribed, and all the doctrines and precepts which it contains
are plainly written by the pen of inspiration ; and there we are
taught the effect it had on those who cordially embraced the
gospel in the days of the apostles, and to what an excellent
character it formed those who became true Christians ; and we
are informed by credible historians what a happy effect it had
in the world where it spread and was embraced for the first
two or three centuries after the ascension of Christ, until the
administration of it was perverted by wicked men, who, with
all their worldliness and pride, crept into the church, and per-
verted Christianity in its very nature and design, both in doc-
trine and practice, to accommodate it to their selfishness and
pride, and so as to answer their own worldly ends. And there
have been numbers who in all ages since, in the midst of the
general apostasy and corruption, have held fast the form of
sound doctrine contained in divine revelation, and in their
life and practice have been the humble, harmless followers of
Christ, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom they have shone as lights in the world, exhibit-
ing an amiable example of faith, patience, righteousness, and
benevolence, of which excellent character, we trust, there is a
number now in the Christian world, and among us.

Among many other evil things which have prevailed in this
apostate world are tyranny and slavery, introduced and prac-
tised by the lusts, the selfishness, pride, and avarice of men,
which have been the source of unspeakable unhappiness and
misery. The gospel is suited to root these evils out of the

A DISCOURSE UPON THE SLAVE TRADE, ETC. 601

world, and wholly abolish slavery ; and will have this effect
where it is fully and faithfully preached, and cordially received
and obeyed. For where this takes place, no one will forfeit
his liberty, and, therefore, must have a right to it ; and no man
will make a slave of another, were it in his power, who has not
forfeited his liberty by the sentence of proper judges; for in so
doing, he would act contrary to the precepts of Christianity.

The following precept of our Lord and Savior, " All things
whatsoever ye would that men should do unto yoju, do ye even
so to them," which is included in loving our neighbor as our-
selves, will set at liberty every slave who has not forfeited his
freedom, or to whom slavery can be considered as undesirable
and a calamity, whenever it is properly regarded and reduced
to practice.

Christianity being, in the nature and tendency of it, and the
particular precepts which it contains, thus opposed to slavery,
did gradually, even in its most corrupt state, root it out among
the nations in the Christian world, so that it was almost, if not
wholly, abolished for some centuries, until it took place again,
in a manner and degree which was never known before among
any nation or people since the world began, in the abominable-
slave trade Vv'ith the Africans, and their consequent slavery.
That this business, which is such a gross and open violation
not only of the genius and precepts of Christianity, but of the
rights and feelings of humanity, should be undertaken and
carried on by nations who call themselves Christians, and by
individuals who bear that name, is truly astonishing. It is
impossible fully to describe, or to have an adequate conception
of, the crimes which have been committed in this business, or
the evils which have attended it. If a man of observation, dis-
cernment, and humanity had attended this trade many years,
and spent the residue of his life in the West Indies, under the
best advantage to see the inhumanity and cruelty, and the
various crimes, which take place in the treatment of the slaves,
and the innumerable miseries which they suffer, he would,
after all, have but a very partial idea and conception of the
whole, and know but little, compared with all of this kind
which takes place. How low and faint, then, are our concep-
tions of this enormous evil! The great Omnipotent alone,
who will bring every work of man into judgment, with every
secret thing, has a full, clear, and perfect knowledge of the
whole of this great evil.

Suffice it now, in a few words, to say, that, by this trade in

the bodies and souls of men, millions have been violently torn

from their native country and from every thing dear to them ;

in the accomplishment of which, fire and sword, war and deso-

VOL. n. 51

602 A DISCOURSE UPON THK SLAVE TRADE, ETC.

lation,and slaughter of numbers exceeding our reckoning have
taken place through a vast extent of country, and multitudes
have been induced to betray, steal, and sell their countrymen
and neighbors. Many thousands of these, thus taken from their
country and all the enjoyments of life and liberty, and all their
dearest connections, have died on board the ships, in their
passage to the West Indies or to other countries, and the rest
have been sold, like brute beasts, into perpetual slavery, with
their posterity after them, where the most of them are treated
in a manner beyond description inhuman and cruel, by owners,
masters, and overseers, many, if not the most, of whom are
hardened against all the feelings of humanity towards their
slaves, and are themselves a nuisance and burden to the earth ;
so that the West India islands, in general, are become the
greatest resemblance of the infernal regions that can be found
in this world.

In this general, but very superficial and scanty view of the
slave trade and the slavery connected with it, who can forbear
pronouncing that they who have encouraged, prosecuted, or
supported this traffic in their fellow-men, — though some of
them may have done it in ignorance and unbelief, — have
really been the emissaries of Satan, and agents for him who
delights in the wickedness and misery of mankind? And
though they live in Christian lands, and call themselves
Christians, and whatever plausible pretences they may make,
they have all been really acting most contrary to the nature
and precepts of Christianity, and doing the works of the devil ;
and nothing can be more dishonorable to the gospel and the
Author of it than to attempt to reconcile this practice with
Christianity.

This, indeed, has been attempted by some ; and, among
other things, it has been pretended that this treatment of the
Africans was right and commendable, as it was the way to
Christianize them, by bringing them from a heathen to a
Christian land. But is this obedience to the command of the
Savior — "Go into aU the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature " ? Is it not directly contrary to this command ?
Does this direct men to go into heathen lands and take men
by force from their own country, and destroy a great part of
them, and reduce the rest to the most abject slavery, in order
to make Christians of them ? Does it not rather command
us to carry the gospel to them, and to take all proper pains, in
the most friendly manner, to instruct and persuade them to
embrace it, without any force or compulsion, that they may
be happy in their own land while they live, and be saved
from bin and misery forever ? Do the dealers in slaves make

A DISCOURSE UPON THE SLAVE TRADE, ETC. 603

any attempts to carry the gospel to Africa and propagate it
there ? Do they say a word to their slaves about the gospel, or
do any thing that tends to lead them to embrace it ? Has not
their whole conduct, in their treatment of the Africans, a direct
and strong tendency to the contrary ? The slave trade, in the
manner in which it has been carried on, tends to beget the
strongest prejudices against Christianity in the inhabitants of
the vast continent of Africa, and actually has done it in many
nations ; and nothing could have been done by those who
bear the name of Christians more effectually to prevent the
introduction of the gospel into that part of the world, and
more directly to counteract the command of Christ to preach
the gospel to them. And how do those who are brought from
that country, and put into a state of slavery, and treated as
the slaves generally are in the West Indies, naturally and un-
avoidably look upon these dealers in slaves, who are called
Christians ? Is it possible they should look upon them in a
better light than we do the savages, not to say the inhabitants
of the infernal regions ? What, then, must they think of
Christianity ? Is this the way to persuade them to be Chris-
tians ? What could be done more to prevent it ? Many mil-
lions of these poor creatures have doubtless lived and died
with the greatest aversion to Christianity, and even the
name of a Christian, from the treatment they have received
from those who have called themselves Christians. And if
any have embraced the gospel and become real Christians, in
circumstances tending so strongly to prejudice against it, this
must be ascribed to tlie extraordinary, wonderful, and no less
than miraculous interposition of divine power and grace ; and
no thanks are due to the dealers in slaves, whose whole con-
duct has been counteracted in these instances. And can it be
believed that these dealers in slaves have carried on this un-
christian, inhuman, and cruel business with a view to Chris-
tianize those whom they thus injure and oppress, or from any
motives of benevolence or humanity? This seems impossi-
ble. But if this were possible, the treatment of these slaves
demonstrates that no such motives exist while no proper
methods are taken to instruct them in Christianity ; and, in
most instances, there has been not only no care taken to in-
struct them, but constant care and exertions to prevent it,
added to the prejudices against Christianity which have been
mentioned. And there is no reason to consider those many
millions of slaves, who have been made so by this trade, as
under any better advantages for instruction, or to become
Christians, than if they had lived and died in their own coun-
try, a few instances only excepted. No ; this business has

604 A DISCOURSE UPON THE SLAVE TRADE, ETC.

been begun and carried on from that sordid selfishness and
avarice which fortify men's hearts against the truths and pre-
cepts of the gospel, and will lead them to do the work of the
evil one, in order to get money and promote what they con-
sider to be their worldly interest.

Had all those who have had a hand in this anti- Christian
business, by which so many millions of our fellow-men have
been murdered or treated as brutes, or both, been disposed to
take as much pains, and be at as great cost to send the gos-
pel to Africa and instruct and Christianize the many nations
in that part of the world, as they have taken and expended to
enslave and destroy them, and thus prejudice them against
Christianity, they would probably have been the means of
spreading the gospel over that vast continent, of civilizing
those barbarous nations, and of the salvation of millions, and
would have prevented the destruction and misery of which
they have been the occasion and instruments, and would have
had the reward of such a benevolent work, and escaped the
guilt which now lies upon them and the awful consequence.

This observation opens a scene to our view which is enough
to overwhelm the attentive, pious mind, and must, therefore,
be now only mentioned. A future judgment, an eternity to
come, will unfold the whole, of which we can now have but a
transient glimpse.

This enormous iniquity and wide-spreading evil — the slave
trade, with its consequences, which has been carried on and
advanced to such a degree for more than a century by kings
and their people in the Christian world — is an evidence, among
many others, and serves to confirm the opinion, that the sixth
vial, mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Revelation, has
been running during this time. It is there predicted, that un-
der this vial three unclean spirits, the spirits of devils, working
miracles or wonderful things, should go forth to the whole
world, to gather them together to the battle of that great day
of God Almighty.

The work of these spirits is to excite men, especially in the
Christian world, to extraordinary and wonderful degrees of
wickedness, by which they unite in arming themselves against
Heaven, and are prepared for the judgments which will follow.
Who can attend to the slave trade, in the manner in which it
has been prosecuted, with the extent and consequences of it,
and not be convinced that the hand and power of Satan has
been in an extraordinary degree exerted and manifested in it,
stirring men up to a kind and degree of wickedness and mis-
chief which was not known before?

And shall tliis shameful practice, this evil, which has got

A DISCOURSE UPON THE SLAVE TRADE, ETC. 605

such deep root, and is spread so far and wide, never have an
end ? Can no stop be put to those wicked men who are de-
vouring their fellow-men who are more righteous than they ?
Must this gross and open violation of the rights of man, of
the laws of God, and the benevolent religion of the Savior
continue forever? Shall the horrid scene of unrighteousness,
violence, cruelty, and misery, which has so long taken place in
the West Indies and Africa, never be abolished ?

Thanks be to God ! He has assured us that all these works
of the devil shall be destroyed, and that the time is hastening
on, when all the people shall be righteous and benevolent, and
there shall be none to destroy or hurt in all the earth ; and
what has taken place of late, gives reason of hope and confi-
dence that this sore evil will soon be made to cease. The
attention of thousands and millions has been awakened and
turned to this subject; much has been written upon it, and
light and conviction have had a rapid and extensive circula-
tion. Numerous societies have been voluntarily formed wholly
to abolish this evil ; and there is reason to conclude that this
light and conviction, and these exertions, wall continue and in-
crease till the slave traders shall be utterly destroyed.

But why is this work still opposed or neglected by any ?
Why are not the cries of the millions of Africans in bondage
heard by all ? Why do they make no more impression on
the public mind, and rouse all to feel for the wretchedness of
so great a part of their fellow-men, and to exertions for their
relief? Why is the British Parliament so slow to abolish the
slave trade, and no more influenced by the evidence laid before
them of the cruelties and murders which attend this traffic, and
of the moral and political evils produced by it, and by the re-
peated, earnest, and powerful applications made to them ?

And as to some of us Americans, what shall we say ? We
have reason to reflect with painful shame upon the hand we
have had in this iniquity, by which so many thousands of our
fellow-men, as good by nature as we are, have been destroyed,
or put into a state of the most abject slavery, in the West
Indies, or brought to this continent and sold like cattle, and,
in most instances, treated as if they were not men.

In the year 1774, when Britain appeared to threaten a war
with us, and was disposed to deny to us some part of the liberty
which we claimed, and we had a prospect of entering into a
bloody contest in defence of our own rights, the slave trade,
which had been practised by us, appeared so inconsistent with
our contending for our own liberty, that a Congress, which
then represented these now United States, made a solemn
resolution, in the name of all the people whom they repre-
51*

606 A DISCOURSE UPON THE SLAVE TRADE, ETC.

sented, in the following words : " We will neither import, nor
purchase any slaves imported, after the first day of December
next; after which time we will wholly discontinue the slave
trade, and will neither be concerned in it ourselves, nor will
we hire our vessels, or sell our commodities or manufactures,'
to those who are concerned in it." And all the people ap-
peared to acquiesce in this resolution, as reasonable, important,
and necessary, in order to act a consistent part while con-
tending for their own liberties, and to have any ground of hope
in the protection and smiles of a righteous God, and success
in the struggle into which we were entering. With this reso-
lution we entered the combat, and God appeared to be on our
side, and wrought wonders in our favor, disappointed those
who rose up against us, and established us a free and inde-
pendent nation.

After all this, could it have been expected, would it have
been believed, if predicted, that such a resolution, so reasona-
ble and important, on which the hope of success was in a great
measure grounded, and which was doubtless one means of it,
should be so far forgotten and counteracted that a conven-
tion, met to form a constitution, could not agree upon one,
unless it did secure the continuance of the importation of
slaves, for a number of years at least? — that the Congress of
the United States should so long neglect to suppress this
trade, so far as it is acknowledged they have authority to do
it, through the opposition made to such a measure by a small
minority? — that notwithstanding laws have been made by a
number of these states, prohibiting this trade in human flesh,
it is yet carried on openly, [liorresco referens^) especially in this
state, and yet the law be eluded, and cannot be executed ? —
that there are hundreds of thousands of slaves in these states,
and no effectual measures are taken, where the most of them
are, to give them a proper education and emancipate them,
as soon as it may be done consistent with their best good
and that of the public ?

When all this is taken into view by the truly pious, who
fear God and believe his word, is it to be wondered at that
their flesh trembleth for fear of the righteous judgiuents of
God? Are they to be condemned as superstitious entiiusi-
asts ? Have we not all reason to fear that the vengeance of
Heaven will fall upon us, as a people, in ways perhaps which
.are not now thought of, unless we repent and reform ?

But may we not hope for better things? — that this evil
practice will be better investigated, and soon utterly sup-
pressed ? — that benevolence and compassion towards the
miserable Africans will be so sensibly, and with such strength,

A DISCOURSE UPON THE SLAVE TRADE, ETC. 607

exercised towards them by the people in general, that all proper
measures will be taken to make them a free and happy peo-
ple ? And if it be necessary, in order to this, that they should
return to Africa, — the continent which seems to be best suited
to their constitution, — may we not wish and hope that such a
desire to compensate them, as far as we may, for the injuries
we have done them, and such a spirit of benevolence will be
excited, that we shall with cheerfulness contribute every thing
necessary to answer this end ?

We may hope that all this dark and dreadful scene will not
only have an end, but is designed by the Most High to be the
means of introducing the gospel among the nations in Africa ;
that those who have embraced the gospel while among us,
with all who have been, or may be, in some good measure
civilized and instructed, will, by our assistance, return to Africa,
and spread the light of the gospel in that now dark part of the
world, and propagate those arts, and that science, which shall
recover them from that ignorance and barbarity which now
prevail, to be a civilized, Christian, and ha|)py people, making
as great improvement in all useful knowledge, and in the
practice of righteousness, benevolence, and piety, as has yet
been done by any people on earth, and much greater. Thus
all this past and present evil which the Africans have suffered
by the slave trade, and the slavery to which so many of them
have been reduced, may be the occasion of an over-balancing
good; and it may hereafter appear, as it has in the case of
Joseph being sold a slave into Egypt, and the oppression and
slavery of the Israelites by the Egyptians, that though the
slave traders have really meant and done that which is evil,
yet God has designed it all for good, the good of which all
this evil shall be the occasion.

Ought not this prospect to animate us earnestly to pray for
such a happy event, and to exert ourselves to the utmost to
promote it? Can we be indifferent and negligent in this
matter, without slighting and disobeying the command of
Christ, to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature ? And will not such an attempt to send the gospel to
Africa, being willing to spare no expense or labor thus to
spread the knowledge of the Savior among the nations there,
be a proper expression of our love and regard to this benevo-
lent, important injunction ?

To this end, let us be firm, wise, and active in pursuing
every proper measure to abolish the slave trade and put an
end to the slavery of the Africans, which is so contrary to the
gospel, and has opposed and is now a hinderance to the propa-

608 A DISCOURSE UPON THE SLAVE TRADE, ETC.

gation of it in Africa, and is so injurious to the spiritual and
temporal interest of all who have any connection with it.

May none of this respectable society, from selfish and sinis-
ter views, or from fear of man, or partial favor and affection
to any, or from indolence and neglect, act a part inconsistent
with the benevolent design of it, or unworthy of a member of
it; but may every one, with the utmost care, circumspection,
fidelity, and fortitude, act a consistent part, and persevere in
constant endeavors to promote the important end of this in-
stitution, whatever may be the opposition from ignorant, inter-
ested men, knowing that he is engaged in the cause of God
and human nature.

Let us consult and determine what we may do in favor of
the blacks among us, especially those who are free, in protect-
ing them from oppression and injuries, by encouraging and
assisting them to industry and a prudent management of
their worldly affairs, attempting to reform the vicious, to in-
struct the ignorant, and promote morality, virtue, and religion
among them, and providing for the education of their children
in useful learning, that they may be raised to an acknowledged
equality with the white people, and some of them, of the most
promising abilities and piety, be fitted to preach the gospel to
their brethren in Africa, and that numbers may be the better
prepared to move to that region, and settle there, and set an
example of industry and wisdom in cultivating the land of
that fertile country, and of the practice of Christianity, which
w41l have the best tendency to civilize those now barbarous
nations, to spread the light of the gospel among them, and
persuade them to be Christians.

Is there not good reason to believe, that if this nation, the
inhabitants in the United States of America, both high and
low, rulers and ruled, had a proper view and sense of the un-
righteousness of the slave trade and the slavery of the Afri-
cans, and of the sore calamity and misery of millions of our
fellow-men in Africa, the West Indies, and on this continent,
as the effect of this iniquity, not only a stop would be put
to this trade, and aU the slaves among us be set free as fast
as possible, but such strong compassion would be excited
towards these injured, miserable men, and desire and zeal to
make all possible compensation to them, and render them
happy, that no exertions or expense would be thought too
much which would be required to transport those to Africa
who should be disposed to go and settle there, and to furnish
them with every thing necessary and convenient for their
being settled there in the best circumstances suited to promote

A DISCOURSE UPON THE SLAVE TRADE, ETC. 609

their temporal and eternal happiness, and of the nations on that
vast continent ? How happy, if we, as a people and nation,
should cheerfully unite in this from motives of justice and be-
nevolence, and a desire that the gospel may be preached to
every creature! How unhappy, if we should be forced to
part with the slaves in these states, and send them away, from
the motives of fear and distress which induced the Egyptians
to part with their dearest treasures in order to thrust out and
send the Israelites from them, whom they had injured and
abused! It is very possible that one of these may take
place.

If the former, and we should cheerfully agree to do this in-
jured people all the justice and show them all the kindness in
our power, we should not only take the most probable method
to avert the divine judgments and obtain the smiles of Heaven,
and take, perhaps, the best method in our reach to promote
the propagation of the gospel, but we, especially some of the
southern states in the Union, would be delivered from the sin
and calamity of the slavery which now takes place, which is
a great moral and political evil, however insensible they may
now be of it. And such a settlement in Africa, properly con-
ducted and supported, might be greatly beneficial to the com-
mercial interest both of this nation and of those in Africa,
and, in the end, produce a temporal good and prosperity,
which might, as far as is now practicable, atone for the evils
of the slave trade and slavery.

But, be this as it may, we may be assured that we are en-
gaged in a cause which will finally prosper. The slave trade,
and all slavery, shall be totally abolished, and the gospel
shall be preached to all nations; good shall be brought out of
all the evil which takes place, and all men shall be united into
one family and kingdom under Christ the Savior; and the
meek shall inherit the earth, and delight themselves in the
abundance of peace. In the prospect of this we may rejoice
in the midst of the darkness and evils which now surround us,
and think ourselves happy if we may be, in any way, the
active instruments of hastening on this desirable predicted
event. Amen.

APPENDIX.

The proposal of assisting the blacks among us to go and make a settle-
ment in Africa, which has been mentioned in the preceding discourse, I have
thought to be of such importance as to require a more particular explanation
to be laid before the public, with the reasons for it, for their consideration ;
hoping that, if it be generally approved, it will excite those united, generous
exertions which are necessary in order to effect it.

There are a considerable number of free blacks in New England and in
other parts of the United States, some of whom are industrious and of a
good moral character, and some of them appear to be truly pious, who are
desirous to remove to Africa and settle there. They who are religious
would be glad to unite as Christian brethren, and move to Africa, having one
instructor or more, and cultivate the land which they may obtain there, and
maintain the practice of Christianity in the sight of their now heathen breth-
ren, and endeavor to instruct and civilize them, and spread the knowledge
of the gospel among them.

In order to effect this in the best manner, a vessel must be procured, and
proper sailors provided to go to Africa, with a number of persons, both white
and black, perhaps, who shall be thought equal to the business, to search that
country, and find a place where a settlement may be made with the consent
of the inhabitants there ; the land being given by them, or purchased of them,
and so as best to answer the ends proposed. If such a place can be found,
as no doubt it may, they must return, and the blacks must be collected who
are willing to go and settle there, and form themselves into a civil society,
by agreeing in a constitution and a code of laws, by which they will be
regulated.

And they must be furnished with every thing necessary and proper to
transport and settle them there in a safe and comfortable manner ; with
shipping and provisions, till they can procure them in Africa by their own
labor; and with instruments and utensils necessary to cultivate the land,
build houses, etc., and have all the protection and assistance they will need,
while settling and when settled there. And, if necessary, a number of white
people must go with them ; one or more to superintend their affairs, and
others to survey and lay out their lands, build mills and houses, etc. But
these must not think of settling there for life ; and the blacks are to be left
to themselves when they shall be able to conduct their own affairs, and need
no further assistance, and be left a free, independent people.

This appears to be the best and only plan to put the blacks among us in
the most agreeable situation for themselves, and to render theui most useful
to their brethren in Africa, by civilizing them, and teaching them how to
cultivate their lands, and spreading the knowledge of the Christiiin religion
among them. The whites are so habituated, by education and cijstom, to
look upon and treat the blacks as an inferior class of beings, and they are
Bunk so low by their situation and the treatment they receive from us, that

APPENDIX. 611

they never can be raised to an equality Avith the whites, and enjoy all the
liberty and rig^hts to which they have a just claim ; or have all the encourage-
ments and motives to make hnprovements of every kind, which are desirable.
But if they were removed to Africa this evil would cease, and they would
enjoy all desirable equality and liberty, and live in a climate which is pecu-
liarly suited to their constitution. And tliey would be under advantages to
set an example of industry, and the best manner of cultivating the land, of
civil life, of morality and religion, which would tend to gain the attention of
the inhabitants of that country, and persuade them to receive instruction and
embrace the gospel.

These United States are able to be at the expense of prosecuting such a
plan, of Avhicli these hints are some of the outlines. And is not this the
best way that can be taken to compensate the blacks, both in America and
Africa, for the injuries they have received by the slave trade and slavery,
and that which righteousness and benevolence must dictate ? And even
selfishness will be pleased with such a plan as this, and excite to exertions to
carry it into effect, when tlie advantages of it to the public and to individuals
are well considered and realized. This will gradually draw oft' all the blacks
in New England, and even in the Middle and Southern States, as fast as they
can be set free, by which this nation will be delivered from that which, in
the view of every discerning man, is a great calamity, and inconsistent with
the good of society, and is now really a great injury to most of the white in-
habitants, especially in the Southern States.

And by the increase and flourishing of such a plantation of free people
m Africa, where all tlie tropical fruits and productions and the articles which
we fetch from the West Indies may be raised in great abundance, by proper
cultivation, and many other useful things procured, a commerce may take
place and be maintained between those settlements and the United States
of America, which will be of very great and increasing advantage to both.

And this will have the greatest tendency wholly to abolish the abominable
trade in human flesh, and will certainly effect it, if all other attempts prove
unsuccessful.

That such a plan is practicable, is evident from the experiment which has
lately been made in forming a settlement of blacks at Sierra Leone. Above
a thousand blacks were transported from Nova Scotia to that place last year,
who, by the assistance of a small number of whites and supplies from Eng-
land, have formed a town and plantation, which, by the latest accounts, is
now in a flourishing condition, the inhabitants living in peace and amity with
the neighboring nations, and with a promising prospect of being a great ad-
vantage to them, by teaching them to cultivate their lands and civilizing
them, and showing tlieni the advantages of peace and of industry, and trade
in the productions of their country, and spreading the knowledge of Chris-
tianity among them. This will gradually put an end to the slave trade and
to slavery in that part of the continent. And from this settlement there is a
rational prospect of a commerce in the productions of that climate witli
Britain, which will be so profitable as more than to compensate the latter for
all the expense of forming and carrying it on, and will be greatly advan-
tageous to both nations.

There is reason to believe that a settlement may be made by the blacks
now in the United States in some part of Africa, either on the River Sierra
Leone or in some other place, which will be as advantageous to those who
shall settle there and to the adjacent nations as this which has been men-
tioned, and with much less expense, and which will be a greater benefit to
this nation than that may be to Britain.

Are there not, then, motives sufficient to induce the legislature of this
nation to enter upon and prosecute this design, to fonn a plan and execute it,
as wisdom shall direct ? And is there not reason to think that it would meet

612

APPEiXDIX.

with general approbation ? But, if this cannot be, may not this be effected
by the societies in these states who are formed with a design to promote the
best good of the Africans ? Would not this be answering the end of their
institution in the best way that can be devised, and in imitation of that which
has been formed in Great Britain for the same purpose ?

Is there not reason to believe that, if such a plan was well digested and
properly laid before the public, and urged, with the reasons which offer, and
a company or committee formed to conduct the affair, tliere might be a sura'
collected sufficient to carry it into effect ?

The general court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts did, some time
ago, make a resolve to the following purpose : That when a place can be found
in Africa where the blacks in that state may settle to their advantage, they
would furnish them with shipping and provisions sufficient to transport tliem
there, and with arms sufficient to defend them, and farming utensils suf-
ficient to cultivate their lands. If all the states in the Union, or most of
them, would take the same measure, such a design might be soon and easily
carried into execution. Nothing appears to be wanting but a proper, most
reasonable zeal in so good a cause.

THE SLAVE TRADE AND SLAVERY.'

When the public or any part of the community are taking
those measures, or going into that practice, which may issue
in ruin, and most certainly will, unless reformed, he who fore-
sees the approaching evil cannot act a benevolent or faithful
part unless he gives warning of the danger, and does his
utmost to reform and save his fellow-citizens, even though he
should hereby incur the displeasure and resentment of a num-
ber of individuals. In this view, Crito asks the candid atten-
tion of the public to what he has to say on the following
interesting and important subject.

Some, perhaps, will not choose to read any further, but
drop this paper with a degree of uneasy disgust, when they
are told the subject to which their attention is asked is the
African slave trade, which has been practised, and in which
numbers in these United States are now actually engaged.
So much has been published within a few years past on this
subject, describing the fertile country of Africa, and the ease
and happiness which the natives of that land enjoy, and might
enjoy to a much greater degree, were it not for their own igno-
rance and folly, and the unhappy influence which the Europe-
ans and Americans have had among them, inducing them to
make war upon each other, and by various methods to capti-
vate and kidnap their brethren and neighbors, and sell them
into the most abject and perpetual slavery, — and at the same
time giving a well-authenticated history of this commerce in
the human species, pointing out the injustice, inhumanity, and
barbarous cruelty of this trade, from beginning to end, until the
poor Africans are fixed in a state of the most cruel bondage,
in which, without hope, they linger out a wretched life, and
then leave their posterity, if they are so unhappy as to have any,
in the same miserable state, — so much has been lately pub-
lished, I say, on these subjects, that it is needless particularly
to discuss them here. It is sufficient to refer the inquisitive to

* Originally published in the Providence Gazette and Country Journal. — Ed.

VOL. II. 52

614 THE SLAVE TRADE AND SLAVERY.

the iollowing books, viz., several Tracts, collected and pub-
lished by the late Anthony Benezet, of Philadelphia; " A Dia-
logue concerning the Slavery of the Africans," lately reprinted
at New York by order of the society there for promoting the
manumission of slaves, and protecting such of them as have
been, or may be, liberated ; and especially " An Essay on the
Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species, particularly
the Africans," by Thomas Clarkson, which was honored with
the first prize in the University of Cambridge for the year
1785. If the African slave trade, and the consequent slavery
of the negroes in the West Indies and in the United States of
America, be an open and gross violation of the rights of man-
kind, a most unrighteous, inhuman, and cruel practice, which
has been the occasion of the death of millions, and of violently
forcing millions of others from their dear, native country, and
their most tender and desirable connections, and of bringing
them to a land of slavery, where they have not a friend to
pity and relieve them, but are doomed to cruel bondage, with-
out hope of redress, till kind death shall release them, as is
represented, and seems to be abundantly proved, in the above-
mentioned publications and many others, a conviction of which
is fast spreading among all ranks of men in Europe and Amer-
ica, then the following terrible consequence, which may well
make all shudder and tremble who realize it, forces itself upon
us, viz., all who have had any hand in this iniquitous busi-
ness, whether more directly or indirectly, have used their in-
fluence to promote it, or have consented to it, or even connived
at it, and have not opposed it by all proper exertions of which
they have been capable, — all these are, in a greater or less
degree, chargeable with the injuries and miseries which mil-
lions have suffered, and are suffering, in consequence of this
trade, and are guilty of the blood of millions who have lost
their lives by this traffic of the human species. Not only the
merchants who have been engaged in this trade, and for the
sake of gain have sacrificed the liberty and happiness, yea, the
lives of millions of their fellow-men, and the captains and men
who have been tempted by the love of money to engage in
this cruel work, to buy, and sell, and butcher men, and the
slaveholders of every description, are guilty of shedding rivers
of blood, but all the legislatures who have authorized, encour-
aged, or even neglected to suppress it to the utmost of their
power, and all the individuals in private stations who have in
any way aided in this business, consented to it, or have not
opposed it to the utmost of their ability, have a share in this
guilt. It is, therefore, become a national sin, and a sin of the
first magnitude — a sin which righteous Heaven has never suf-

THE SLAVE TRADE AND SLAVERY. 615

fered to pass unpunished in this world. For the truth of this
assertion we may appeal to history, both sacred and profane.

We will leave the inhabitants of Britain and other European
nations who have been, and still are, engaged in the slave trade,
to answer for themselves, and consider tliis subject as it more
immediately concerns the United States of America.

Hundreds of thousands of slaves have been imported into
these states, many thousands are now in slavery here, and
many more thousands have been brought from Africa by the
inhabitants of these states, and sold in the West Indies, where
slavery is attended with cruelty and horror beyond descrip-
tion. And who can reckon up the numbers who have lost
their lives and been really nmrdered by this trade, or have a
full conception of the sufferings and distresses of body and
mind which have been the attendants and effects of it? All
this blood which has been shed constantly cries to Heaven ;
and all the bitter sighs, and groans, and tears of these injured,
distressed, helpless poor have entered into the ears of the Lord
of hosts, and are calling and waiting for the day of vengeance.
The inhabitants of Rhode Island, especially those of Newport,
have had by far the greater share in this traffic of all these
United States. This trade in the human species has been^
the first wheel of commerce in Newport, on which every other
movement in business has chiefly depended. That town has
been built up, and flourished in times past, at the expense of
the blood, the liberty, and happiness of the poor Africans ; and
the inhabitants have lived on this, and by it have gotten most
of their wealth and riches. If a bitter xvoe is pronounced on
" him who buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his
chambers by wrong," (Jer. xxii. 13,) " to him who buildeth a
town by blood, and establisheth a city by iniquity," (Hab. ii.
12,) " to the bloody city," (Ezek. xxiv. 6,) what a heavy, dread-
ful woe hangs over the heads of all those whose hands are
defiled by the blood of the Africans, especially the inhabitants
of that state, and of that town, who have had a distinguished
share in this unrighteous, bloody commerce !• All this and
more follows as a necessary consequence, which it is pre-
sumed none will dispute, on supposition the before-mentioned
publications give, in any measure, a just representation of the
slave trade and the consequent slavery of the Africans, and
unless thousands and millions of all ranks, and of the most
disinterested, and many of them men of the best, abilities and
character for knowledge, uprightness, and benevolence, and
who are under the greatest advantages to know the truth and
judge right of this matter, both in Europe and America, —
unless all those are grossly deluded.

616 THE SLAVE TRADE AND SLAVERY.

But if all these may be fairly confuted, and the African
slave trade, and the consequent treatment of those who are by
means of this reduced to slavery, can be justified, and shown
to be consistent with justice, humanity, and universal benevo-
lence, then the whole of this consequence will be obviated, and
all the supposed guilt of injuring our fellow-men in the high-
est degree, and of shedding rivers of innocent blood, will be
wiped away as a mere phantom, and vanish as the baseless
fabric of a night vision. It is earnestly to be desired, there-
fore, if this be possible, that some able, disinterested advocate
for the slave trade, if such a one can be found, would step
forth and do it. But if there be no such man, let the inter-
ested, and those who are in this traffic, and the slavery of the
Africans arise and show it to be just and benevolent, if they
can. We will promise you a candid and patient hearing, for
we desire to justify you if it were possible. If this can be
done to the satisfaction of all, it would remove from our
minds a set of painful feelings, which cannot be easily de-
scribed, and dissipate a gloom which now hangs heavy upon
us, in the view of the exceeding depravity, unrighteousness,
and cruelty of men who, for a little gain, will deluge millions
hi slavery and blood, with an unfeeling heart, and their eyes
fast shut against the glaring light which condemns their hor-
rid deeds, and in the painful prospect of the dreadful vengeance
of Heaven for such daring outrage against our fellow-men,
our brethren. But, until this be dojie, this business must be
unavoidably viewed in the most disagreeable, odious, horrible
light by us. And we must be suffered to consider, and lay
before the public, some of the great aggravations which attend
the continuation of this practice by us in these United States.
When the inhabitants of these states found themselves neces-
sarily involved in contentions with Britain in order to con-
tinue a free people, and had the distressing prospect of a
civil war, they, being assembled in Congress, in October,
1774, did agree and resolve, in the following words : " We
will neither import, nor purchase any slave imported, after the
first day of December next; after which time we will wholly
discontinue the slave trade, and will neither be concerned in
it ourselves, nor will we hire our vessels, nor sell our com-
modities or manufactures, to those who are concerned in it."
This reasonable, noble, and important resolution was approved
by the people in general, and they adhered to it through the
war, during which time there was much publicly said and
done which was at least an implicit and j)ractical declaration
of the unreasonableness and injustice of the slave trade and
of slavery in general. It was repeatedly declared in Congress,

THE SLAVE TRADE AND SLAVERY. 617

as the language and sentiment of all these states, and by other
public bodies of men, " that we hold these truths to be self-
evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed
with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, lib-
erty, and the pursuit of happiness." " That ail men are born
equally /Vefi and independent, and have certain natural, inher-
ent, and unalienable rights, among which are, the defending
and enjoying life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and pro-
tecting property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and
safety. By the immutable laws of nature, all men are entitled
to life and liberty," etc. The Africans, and the blacks in ser-
vitude among us, were really as much included in these asser-
tions as ourselves, and their right, unalienable right to liberty,
and to procure and possess property, is as much asserted as
ours, if they be men; and if we have not allowed them to en-
joy these unalienable rights, but violently deprived them of
liberty and property, and still taking as far as in our power all
liberty and property from the nations in Africa, we are guilty
of a ridiculous, wicked contradiction and inconsistence, and
practically authorize any nation or people, who have power to
do it, to make us their slaves. The whole of our war with
Britain was a contest {ox liberty, by which we, when brought to
the severest test, practically adhered to the above assertions,
so far as they concerned ourselves at least; and we declared in
words and actions that we chose rather to die than to be slaves,
or have our liberty and property taken from us. We viewed
the British in an odious and contemptible light, purely because
they were attempting to deprive us by violence in some meas-
ure of those our unalienable rights ; but if at the same time, or
since, we have taken or withheld these same rights from the
Africans or any of our fellow-men, we have justified the inhabit-
ants of Britain in all they have done against us, and declared
that all the blood which has been shed in consequence of our
opposition to them is chargeable on us. If we do not allow
this, and abide by the above declarations, we charge ourselves
with the guilt of all the blood which has been shed by means
of the slave trade, and of an unprovoked and most injurious
conduct in depriving innumerable Africans of their just, un-
alienable rights, in violently taking and withholding from them
all liberty and property, holding them as our own property,
and buying and selling them as we do our horses and cattle,
reducing them to the most vile, humiliating, and painful situ-
ation. This whole contest, it must be again observed, was
suited to bring and keep in our view, and impress on our
minds, a deep and lasting sense of the worth of liberty, and the
unrighteousness of taking it from any man, and, consequently,
52*

618

THE SLAVE TRADE AND SLAVERY.

of our unrighteousness and cruelty towards the Africans. If
it were known that the wise Governor of the world had deter-
mined to take some method to convince us of the injustice of
the slave trade and of the slavery of the Africans, and mani-
fest his displeasure with us for it, and use means suited to
reform us, could we conceive of any measures which might be
better suited to answer this end than those which have actu-
ally taken place in this war, considered in all the circumstances
of it? It would be thought impossible that every one who
then was, or had been, active in reducing the Africans to the
abject and suffering state in which they are in the West In-
dies, and even among us, should not reflect upon it with self-
condemnation, regret, and horror, had not experiment proved
the contrary. And while we execrated the British for taking
our men and ordering them to be transported to the East
Indies, and for crowding so many of our people into prisons
and prison ships, — where they died by thousands, without any
relief or pity from them, — was it possible for us not to reflect
upon our treatment of the Africans, in transporting so many
thousands of them from their native country to a land of sla-
very, while multitudes, being crowded and shackled in our ships,
have died on their passage, without one to help or pity them?
Could any avoid seeing the righteous hand of God stretched
out against us, and retaliating our unrighteous, cruel treat-
ment of them in a way suited to strike conviction into our
minds of our guilt, and of the righteous displeasure of Heaven
with us for these horrid deeds which had been done by us ?
Surely we had good reason to espouse the language of the
brethren of Joseph, in a similar case: "We are verily guilty
concerning our brethren the Africans, in that we saw the an-
guish of their souls under our cruel hands; and they besought
us, and cried for pity, but we would not hear; therefore is this
distress come upon usP Is it possible that the Americans
should, after all this, and in the face of this light and convic-
tion, and after they had obtained liberty and independence for
•themselves, continue to hold hundreds of thoiisands of their
fellow-men in the most abject slavery ? — and not only so, but,
notwithstanding their resolutions and declarations, renew and
carry on the slave trade, and from year to year convey thou-
sands of their fellow-men from their native country to a state
of most severe and perpetual bondage ? This would have been
thought impossible, was it not known to be true in fact; and
who can describe the aggravated guilt which the Americans
have brought upon themselves by this ? If this was a Heaven-
daring crime of Ihe first magnitude before the war with Brit-
ain, how much more criminal must we be now^ when, instead

THE SLAVE TRADE AND SLAVERY. 619

of regarding the admonitions of Heaven and the light and
conviction set before us, and repenting and reforming, we per-
sist in this cruel practice I What name shall be given to their
daring presumption and hardiness, who, from a thirst for gold,
have renewed this trade in slaves, in the bodies and souls of
men, and of those whom they employ in this inhuman, horrid
business ?

" Is there not some chosen curse,
Some hidden thunder in the stores of heaven,
lied with uncommon wrath, to blast these men," —

who owe their riches to such aggravated, detestable crimes,
now necessarily involved in carrying on this trade?

And is not Heaven frowning upon us noio ? We are as
yet disappointed in our expectations of peace, prosperity, and
happiness, in consequence of liberty and independence. In-
stead of rising to honor, dignity, and respect among the na-
tions, we have suddenly sunk into disgrace and contempt.
Our trade labors under great disadvantages, and is coming to
nothing. We have lost our money, having parted with the
greatest part of it, not to pay our debts, but for foreign lux-
uries or unnecessaries, and those things which might have
been manufactured among ourselves. Our public and private
debts are not paid, but are increasing. A spirit of discontent
and nmrmuring, and jealousy of our rulers, and complaining
of them, has spread among us, and in some places insurrec-
tions, and open, violent opposition to government, have taken
place, which have proceeded to plunder and shedding blood.
Divisions and contentions have taken place among ourselves,
and seem to be hastening to universal confusion and anarchy.
There is a general complaint of evil times; and where is the
family or man to be found which does not sensibly share in the
general calamity, and is not involved in some peculiar dilHculty ?
The British are so far from being at peace with us, that they
have done much to bring on the before-mentioned evils.
They are attempting to ruin our trade as much as is in their
power^and refuse to deliver up to us the western posts, which
we claim, and put on a hostile appearance, which may soon
issue in an open war. The Indians are making war upon us,
and kill and captivate the inhabitants of the western settle-
ments, and threaten to be yet a more dreadful scourge to us.
The Algerines, without any provocation, are captivating our
ships, and carry our men into slavery ; and we have no power
to redeem them, or to put a stop to their further depredations.
The State of Rhode Island, in particular, — which, as has been
shown, has had a distinguished hand in the slave trade, — is
fallen into a disagreeable and very calamitous situation.

620 THE SLAVE TRADE AND SLAVERY.

Great animosities and contentions with each other have arisen.
They are divided into parties, and biting and devouring one
another. Public injustice is estabUshed by law. They have
lost their credit abroad, and are become the subject of ridicule,
reproach, and contempt. Their trade and all business are dis-
couraged, and almost ruined; and Newport, the metropolis, is
fast going to poverty and inevitable ruin, unless some unfore-
seen event should take place to prevent it. Wherefore is all
this come ujion us so suddenly, and in such a remarkable and
unexpected manner? Is not the hand of God very visibly
stretched out against us ? And must there not some Achan
be found with us, which has provoked the Most High to bring
all this evil upon us, after he had wrought for us and delivered
us in such a remarkable manner, and which must be put away
before we can reasonably expect to prosper ? And is not the
renewal of the slave trade, and our continuing to hold so
many thousands of our fellow-men in slavery, one principal
ground of the divine displeasure ? Surely none can doubt of
this who view it in the light in which it has been represented
above. Other sins and follies have been the means of the
evils which are come upon us, such as idleness, intemperance,
luxury, and extravagance, in a variety of ways, a neglect to
encourage and carry on manufactories, and discourage the
importation of unnecessary foreign articles, and opposition to
the imposts proposed by Congress, etc. But may not thi.s
folly and infatuation itself be justly considered as a judgment
which has come upon us, as the just consequence of our per-
sisting in this aggravated, capital, and horrid crime? If this
trade and the slavery of the Africans can be vindicated, and
proved to be consistent with ourselves, just, and laudable, we
again declare we wish to see it done. But if this cannot be
done, — and we must be allowed at present to be confident it
cannot, — then there is no other hopeful way to escape yet
greater evils but by repentance and reformation. Of what
importance, then, is it that all ranks and orders of men
among us should turn their attention to this matter, and re-
pent, and do works meet for repentance, by reforming and
exerting themselves in their several places, and, according to
their advantages and abilities, entirely to suppress this evil
practice ! Is it not to be wished that the convention of
these states, now sitting at Philadelphia, may take this matter
into serious consideration, and at least keep it in view, while
they are forming a system of government, that the supreme
power of these states may be able efl'ectually to interpose in
this affair? If the above representation be in any way agree-
able to the truth, in vain are the wisest counsels and the

THE SLAVE TRADE AND SLAVERY. 621

utmost exertions to extricate ourselves from present evils, or
avoid greater, unless the slave trade, and all the attendants of
it, be condemned and suppressed. If we persist in thus trans-
gressing the laws of Heaven, and obstinately refuse to do
unto these our brethren as we would all men should do unto
us, we cannot prosper. It has been, with justice, publicly-
lamented that Congress has not power to redeem those of our
brethren who have fallen into the hands of the Algerines, and
are reduced to slavery by them, and as an intolerable evil to
have them neglected and left in wretched circumstances for so
long a time. But why do we "strain at a gnat, and swallow
a camel"? "Why should we be so stupid and partial as to
turn all our attention to ihe^e feiv sufferers, and wholly over-
look the sufferings of so many thousands among us, and of
the thousands who are brought from their dear native country
and all their relations, and fixed in perpetual slavery, by a set
of pirates and banditti from among ourselves, as hardened
against the groans and sufferings of their fellow-men, as un-
just and cruel, as the most abandoned among the Algerines?
In the name of reason and true benevolence, it is asUed why
the latter, which is before our eyes, and an evil incomparably
greater than the former, is wholly overlooked as not worthy
of any regard, and the former fixed upon as a most affecting,
intolerable instance of suffering, — which, at the same time,
may be considered as a small degree of retaliation for our en-
slaving the Africans, and is suited to remind us of it, and to
open our eyes to see, and make us feel our unrighteousness
and cruelty towards them, and our gross inconsistency and
self-contradiction in condemning these Algerines, the inhab-
itants of Africa, — and at the same time not condemning
ourselves, who are infinitely more criminal, but by our con-
duct are really justifying them ? Had we any supreme legis-
lature in these states, could they not easily restrain all the
subjects from being concerned in the slave trade? And
would they not bring the guilt of it on themselves should they
not do it? And why have not the several legislatures in
these United States done it? Why do they tolerate and
connive at it while it is carried on, at least in some states,
in their sight ? Is it because it is thought to be the most
profitable trade of any now carried on, and they are unwill-
ing to prevent the introduction of the money which is brought
into some of these states by this means ? Some have sus-
pected this to be the truth; but we will not admit it. Is it,
then, because they do not attend sufficiently to the matter,
and are not sensible of the unrighteousness and cruelty of the
trade ? or is it because they judge it not in their power, and that

622 THE SLAVE TRADE AND SLAVERY.

they have no right and authority to interpose in this affair ?
This has been asserted by some, whether with reason or not
it may be worth while seriously to consider. The Quakers,
who have done more than any others to acquit themselves of
the guilt of the slave trade, and have discovered more human-
ity and regard to the laws of Christ, in this instance, than any
other denomination of Christians, (to the praise of the former
and the shame of the latter it must be spoken,) they have,
among their many other exertions in opposition to this trade,
lately applied to the General Assembly of the State of Rhode
Island, praying them to devise some way to put a stop to the
slave trade which is carried on by a number of persons in that
state, which petition is now under consideration ; and it is
said they determine to petition all the legislatures in these
United States to do the same. It is hoped they will not re-
fuse to do any thing they have a right and power to do utterly
to abolish this iniquity in these states, but they should fasten
the guilt of it more than ever on themselves and on their con-
stituents. It is said by some that this trade does not properly
come under the cognizance of any legislature in these states,
as they cannot make laws to bind their subjects when out of
the limits of their jurisdiction, or punish them for what they
do in Africa or the West Indies, especially as the slave trade
is there tolerated and protected by law, custom, and general
consent. This, perhaps, is the only objection that has been, or
can be, offered against the legislatures of these states inter-
posing to suppress this trade. It therefore deserves a par-
ticular examination.

It is granted by all, that common pirates may be punished
by the laws of any state, when apprehended, wherever or in
whatever part of the world their crimes were committed. There
is good reason for this, it will be said, because these men are
guilty of intolerable crimes, which are reprobated by all nations,
and have really turned enemies to mankind, and, therefore,
ought to be punished wherever they can be apprehended. To
this it may be replied, that the slave trader who buys and sells
his fellow-men, by which traffic he is the means of the death
of many, and of reducing others to the most miserable bond-
age during life, is as really an enemy to mankind as the pirate,
and violates common law, which is, or ought to be, the law of
all nations, and is guilty of crimes of greater magnitude, exer-
cises more inhumanity and cruelty, sheds more blood, and
plunders more, and commits greater outrages against his fel-
low-men than most of those who are called pirates. In short,
if any men deserve the name of pirates, these ought to be con-
sidered in the first and highest class of them ; and if there be

THE SLAVE TRADE AND SLAVERY. 628

no law against this commerce of the human species in Africa,
or in Britain and in the West India islands, and this trade
is tolerated in all these places, and elsewhere, does this make
the practice less evil in itself, or more tolerable? Is this any
reason why it should be tolerated by the legislatures in Amer-
ica? If it was the custom of those who carry on the slave
trade to put to death one half of the men who sail in their
ships when they arrive at the coast of Africa, and sell the
other half of them, and this were tolerated there, and these
traders found means to entice great numbers of our men lo
sail with them to Africa every year, by which thousands of our
people were murdered or enslaved, would it be thought our
legislatures had no right to restrain them, and at least banish
every sea captain who was guilty of this, because the crmie is
not committed where they have jurisdiction, and where such
cruelty and murder are tolerated, and not considered as crimes ?
For, in such an instance, the crime would not consist in ship-
ping men on board their vessels, but in their treatment of
them after they arrived at Africa. Could there be found a man,
not interested in such a business, who would make this objec-
tion, or a legislature who would think it of the least weight?
Surely no. But it would be of as much weight in the case
proposed as in that under consideration. The Algerines have
taken a number of Americans, and sold them into slavery.
Have we not a right, ought we not, had we power, to oblige
them to deliver them up, and set them at liberty, and lay such
restraints upon them as to put it beyond their power to per-
petuate such crimes in future ? Would the plea of their being
out of the limits of our jurisdiction be a good reason to suffer
them to go on in their injuries without restraint? These
American states ought to vindicate the rights of mankind, and
promote their liberty and happiness, to the utmost of their
power. Every state ought to pity the ignorance, weakness,
and wickedness of the Africans, and afford them all the relief,
protection, and assistance in their power, and do their utmost
to restrain those of their subjects from hurting them who oth-
erwise would take advantage of their distance from us, and of
their ignorance and weakness. How, then, can they sit still,
and suffer their subjects to carry on this horrible commerce, big
with so much cruelty and murder, and be guiltless ? On the
whole, will it not appear to every impartial, benevolent man,
who well attends to the matter, that if our legislatures refuse
to interpose in this case, and will not at least outlaw those
who are concerned in this trade and persist in it, it must be
owing either to their not attending to and realizing the mag-

624 THE SLAVE TRADE AND SLAVERY.

nitude of the crime and the evil involved in this commerce,
or to some less excusable cause, if such there may be ?

But if the legislature should neglect to do any thing which
it is thought they might and ought to do, will this excuse the
people at large? Might they not, if they were alarmed an^
engaged as they ought to be, if the above representation be in
any measure just, do that which would eflectually suppress
among us this hideous, threatening evil? When our con-
tention with Britain was coming on, the man who openly
appeared active on their side was abandoned as unworthy the
rights and privileges of society, and in many instances his
neighbors withdrew all connection and commerce with him ;
and this was justified as a proper and important measure.
And are not these men, who are carrying on this trade and
enslaving and destroying their fellow-men, without any provo-
cation from them, and hereby bringing guilt on these states
and the awful judgment of Heaven, — are they not unworthy
the privileges of freemen ? Ought they not to be considered as
enemies to mankind, and murderers of their brethren for the
sake 6f gold, and real pests and plagues to society? And
would not treating them as such effectually reform them, or
banish them from among us ? It has been observed, that when
the war with Britain was coming on, we resolved not only
that we would wholly discontinue the slave trade ourselves,
but that ive would not " hire our vessels^ nor sell our commodities
or manufactures, to those loho are concerned in itP If this reso-
lution was reasonable and important then, it is as much, and
more so, now ; and this, fully put into practice, would put an
effectual stop to it.

Shall we not, then, by this neglect, bring the guilt of this
trade and the blood of the Africans on our own heads and on
our children ? And how dreadful will be the consequence,
who can tell? The warning is given, and that is all that can
be done by

CRITO.

October mh, 1787.

A DISCOURSE

CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP,

A3 IT SUBSISTS

BETWEEN CHRIST AND BELIEVERS

BETWEEN BELIEVERS THEMSELVES.

WRITTEN irr THE TEAR 1767, AlTD OBIGINALLT DIVIDED INTO SIX SEPARATE SERMON*.

VOL. II. 53

A DISCOURSE

CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP

This is my beloved, and this is my friend. — Cant. v. 16.

Friendship affords the highest and most sweet enjoyment
that is to be had in this hfe, or that rational creatures are ca-
pable of. Yea, it is in some sense the only source of real
enjoyment and happiness ; so that to be perfectly without
this, in every kind and degree of it, is to be wholly destitute
of all true enjoyment and comfort. This gives pleasure and
sweetness to all other enjoyments, and without this they all
fade, and become insipid and worthless ; yea, every thing will
be rather a burden, and worse than nothing; whereas this
will give a degree of enjoyment and pleasure when stripped
of every other good. So that he who is in circumstances to
exercise and enjoy friendship is in a degree happy, let his situ-
ation and condition otherwise be what it may ; and it is im-
possible he should be entirely miserable so long as he is within
reach of this sweet, this Heaven-born cordial.

It is probable that the most voluptuous sensualist that lives
would in a great measure lose his high relish for the pleasures
he is so eagerly pursuing, and all his sweets would be turned
into bitterness, if he should feel himself perfectly, and in every
sense, friendless ; for none can be found, however sunk and
sordid their minds have become by vice, who have no sort of
taste for friendship, though it may be, on the whole, a very cor-
rupt taste. To be sure, if any such may be found, they seem
to be sunk, in this respect, below the brutal creation ; for it is
observed that among them there is an appearance of love of
society, and at least a resemblance of love and friendship.

However lost to all true friendship mankind in general are,
yet a desire of the esteem and love of others is found in every
breast, and is as essential to man as a desire of happiness,
and, therefore, cannot be rooted out but by destroying his nat;
ural powers, by which he will cease to be man.

628 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

Hence it is that no inconsiderable part of the future misery
of the wicked will consist in feeling thennselves perfectly
friendless, and the objects of the hatred and contempt of all
intelligent existence in the universe, while they find themselves
in every respect in the most wretched, deplorable circum-
stances, and have a most keen aversion to being hated and
contemned, and a strong desire of the love and esteem of
others.

As real or disinterested benevolence is essential to true
friendship, we have reason to think there are but few in-
stances of it in this degenerate, selfish world ; and where it
does take place in any degree, it is in a very low and imper-
fect one; so that what many in all ages have been convinced
of and asserted from long experience may be relied upon as
a certain truth, that this is a friendless world. However, there
is a sort of friendship which is, at bottom, a merely selfish
thing, being founded only in self-love, or which is the result
of what may be called instinct, or natural affection, which is
very common, and in many instances rises very high, and
answers many valuable purposes to mankind in this present
state, it being many ways of great service to mankind, as it
prevents many evils that would otherwise take place, and pro-
motes the good of society, and often gives a degree of pleasure
and enjoyment. But, so far as true virtue or holiness takes
place, a foundation is laid for a different kind of friendship,
which is immensely higher, more noble and excellent, and
consists in exercises and enjoyments which surpass those of
ail other friendships more than the exercises and enjoyments
of improved reason excel those of a brute, or the brightness
of the meridian sun that of the meanest glowworm.

And God has, in his adorable wisdom and goodness, con-
trived and provided that this friendship should be exercised
and enjoyed in the highest perfection, being raised to the
greatest possible heights, and attended with the best and most
advantageous circumstances.

The Scripture leads us to conceive of the Deity as enjoying
infinitely the most exalted and glorious friendship and socie-
ty in himself, for which there is a foundation in the incom-
prehensible manner of his subsistence in the three persons of
the adorable Trinity. Here eternal love and friendship takes
place and flourishes to an infinite degree, in infinitely the
most perfect and glorious society, the Elohim, the Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost. And the society and friendship for
which men are formed by holiness — without which they
Cannot be perfectly happy — maybe considered as an imita-
tion and image of this, by which they are made in the like-

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 629

ness of God, and partake with him in the same kind of hapj3i-
ness which he enjoys to an infinite degree. And, in order
that men might partake with him in the exercise and enjoy-
ment of love and friendship to the highest degree and the
greatest advantage, God has not only laid a plan to promote
and effect the highest and most perfect love and friendship
towards each other in the most exalted and happy society
forever, but has so contrived that they shall be brought into
the nearest and most intimate union and friendly intercourse
with himself, by which they shall in some sense, yea, to a
great degree, be united to the eternal and most glorious
divine society, and partake of the same river of enjoyment
and pleasure which proceeds from the throne of God and the
Lamb, in a peculiar and eminent sense.

To effect this in the best manner and to the greatest ad-
vantage, the invisible God, who eternally dwelt in the high
and holy place, infinitely beyond the comprehension and reach
of a creature, must come down and make himself visible,
that he might be the head, the life, and soul of a visible and
most glorious society. This has been done in the incarnation
of the Son of God, by which the greatest purposes of God's
moral kingdom are answered in the highest possible degree,
and all happy intelligences, especially the redeemed from
among men, are brought into a near union with God, and are
under special advantages to receive communications from
him, and enjoy his love and friendship in a manner and de-
gree which could not have been in any other way. This is
the mutual love and friendship spoken of in the text, which
takes place between the" incarnate Son of God, the divine
Redeemer of lost men, and his church or spouse, or every one
of the redeemed.

He is in a peculiar and distinguished sense the friend of
the redeemed, and he is the beloved of their soul in a sense
and degree in which no other person is, or can be ; and hence
there is a mutual love and friendship between them, which is
beyond comparison the most intimate, intense, sweet, and ex-
alted of any thing of the kind between any other friends and
lovers, unspeakably surpassing all other friendships in nature
and degree, attended with the highest, most noble, transport-
ing, soul-ravishing enjoyment and delight that can possibly
exist or be conceived of.

This union of hearts, this mutual love and friendship be-
tween Christ the Redeemer and Savior and believers in him,
or the redeemed, is represented in Scripture by the inclination
and affection between the two sexes of which mankind con-
sist, under the influence of w^hich they mutually seek and
53*

630 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENLtSHIP.

come into a peculiar union and intimacy with each other, in
M^hich they may enjoy each other, and be happy in the exercise
of mutual love and friendship. It is represented by the sweet
love and afl'ection between the bridegroom and his bride, and
the mutual love and friendship and solemn engagements by
which the husband and his spouse are united and become one,
and are happy in each other ; and this similitude is, beyond
doubt, most wisely and properly chosen, by which to represent
this spiritual union and friendship, as it is, in many respects,
the most lively, striking einblem and image of it that can be
found in all nature ; and is especially calculated to give men
the best and most clear idea of it, and to give and keep up in
their minds a conviction and sense of the reality, nature, and
happiness of such a union, love, and friendship.

This seems to be the design of this Song from which the
words of the text are taken. It is, indeed, a love song, in
which the highest, most noble, pure, and honorable love and
friendship between Christ and his people are represented and
celebrated under the similitude of two lovers, whose hearts are
united in the strongest, purest, and sweetest love of esteem,
benevolence, and complacency, in the exercise of which they
desire and seek the enjoyment of each other in the nearest
union and greatest intimacy, in the near relation of husband
and spoiise. This is, therefore, called The Song" of Song's, i. e.,
the most excellent song, especially the best and most excellent
of all the songs of Solomon, which we are told were a thou-
sand and five, as the theme, the subject, and matter of it is by
far the most important, entertaining, excellent, and sublime ;
in order to which Solomon was divinely inspired.

As the virtuous, pious, and pure love between a man and
his spouse is, in many respects, the most lively and instructive
image of the union and love between Christ and his church,
God, in his wisdom and goodness, saw fit to give such a rep-
resentation of it in a divine song, as what was greatly needed,
and would be exceeding useful to his church and people ; and
though the carnal and inattentive, or those who are strangers
to this divine love and friendship, may call it all foolishness,
and in their boasted wisdom despise and ridicule it, or improve
it only to carnal, low, and obscene purposes, yet the children
of true wisdom will justify the wisdom of God herein, and
adore his goodness, while they find themselves instructed,
quickened, and edified hereby ; and every true, chaste virgin,
who is espoused to Christ as the best friend and spiritual
husband, will attend to it, and meditate upon it, with a pecu-
liar relish and sweet and holy delight, which unspeakably sur-
passes every thing the unholy soul can enjoy, or even imagine.

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 631

The words of the text are the conclusion to the answer to a
question put to the spouse, viz., What is thy beloved viore than
another beloved? She readily answers, by giving a particular
description of his charming beauties and superlative excellence,
by which he is distinguished from all others, the chief among
ten thousands; and then sums up all in one word, by saying.
He is altogether love!//. He has the highest beauty, excellence,
and perfection, and has nothing else. Having thus given his
character, she says, with reference to the question. This is my
beloved, and this is my friend. This is the person, this is
the character, with which I am so deeply in love ; I am not
ashamed to own him to be the beloved of my soul; and this
is my best i'riend, whose heart is set on me, and he loves me
as much as I can desire.

The mutual love and friendship between Christ and the
believer, you will observe, is expressed here. The true Chris-
tian has set his love on Christ; he is his beloved ; he has given
his heart to him, as to one who is the chief among ten thou-
sands, and altogether lovely ; and Christ loves him most ten-
derly, in the character of a true, faithful, and all-sufficient
friend and patron, and so returns love for love.

The words do then lead us to attend to Christ, as he is here
pointed out, in the character of the beloved friend of his peo-
ple, the redeemed from among men.

It may be said, in general, that Christ, the glorious head
and husband of his church, has every thing in him that can
possibly come into the character of the best friend, and that to
an inconceivable and infinite degree, and there is nothing be-
longs to him but what serves to complete and perfect this
character; yea, he is at an infinite distance from every thing
else ; and his relation to his people, and all his conduct to-
wards them, are such, and such are all the circumstances of
this friendship, as to conspire to make it the most sweet, rav-
ishing, noble, and exalted that in the nature of things can be,
and render him in the highest possible degree a desirable,
worthy, and excellent friend.

But, for the better illustration of this point, the following
particulars may be attended to: —

1. He is the most able friend, even an omnipotent and all-
sufficient one. He can do whatever he pleases. He has a
sufficiency of power and wisdom in all possible cases, and is
perfectly able to do for his friends, who love and triist in him,
whatever they need or can possibly want to have done. All
other friends are deficient in this respect : though they may
have some sufficiency and ability to do some things for us, yet
it is but infinitely little they can do, compared with what we

632 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

want to have done. We are infinitely needy, and must be
eternally most miserable and wretched, unless we have some
friend to help us who is fully able to go through with the
work, and do all we want to have done, even in the most
extreme, and, without such a friend, a desperate case. Now
Christ is such a friend. He is understanding and wise per-
fectly to know what our case is, and what we want, and what
is the wisest and best way to afford relief and supply all our
wants, and he has full power to do whatever his wisdom dic-
tates; and in this respect he is distinguished from all other
persons in the universe; none but he was able to befriend us
in the case in which we are. This will more fully appear be-
fore we have done.

2. He has the heart of a friend in all respects and to the
most perfect degree; or, he is willing and fully engaged to do
all he can do for his people — all they can possibly want to
have done in any case, and at any time. All other friends fail
here. Though they are able to do but little for their friends
comparatively, yet they have not goodness enough to do all
they can, in all cases and at all times. They have not the
heart of a friend to perfection, so are not friendly to the utmost
of their power at all times, but may be very unfriendly in some
instances ; therefore, cannot be relied upon without caution
and danger of being disappointed. But Christ has the heart
of a friend to infinite perfection, so that he can be relied upon
in all cases, without any limits or danger. His benevolence
to his people is without any bounds, and sufficient to sur-
mount the greatest difficulties in the way of their good, and
prompt him to do things infinitely great for them, and bestow
on them the best and the greatest good, however unworthy and
ill deserving they are, and however criminal and vile their con-
duct has been towards him, in the most aggravated and horrid
abuse of his goodness.

3. He is a friend on whom we are dependent, and to whom
we are indebted and beholden in the highest possible degree.
This gives great advantage to love and friendship, where the
friends and lovers are not equal, but one superior to the other,
and the others benefactor and savior to such a degree as to lay
his friend under the greatest obligations to love and gratitude;
and the greater this dependence is, and the more one friend
has received from, and is indebted to, anotlier in this way, the
more sweet and happy is the love and friendship between them.
It is, indeed, contrary to pride, and a heart that is not formed
for true friendship, to be thus united to such a superior as a
friend, and to be thus dependent upon, and wholly indebted
and beholden to, him for every thing. But it is not so, but

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 633

directly the coiitrary, with the truly humble sinner: that friend
will be most agreeable to such a one on whom he is most de-
pendent, and to whom he is in the highest degree obliged ;
and we cannot form an idea of any other two friends so hap-
py as these, when this is the case to the highest possible de-
gree, or conceive of any friendship so great, advantageous, and
sweet as this. It seems, indeed, to belong to the nature of
true creature friendship even to desire and delight in this
circumstance, viz., to be greatly indebted and beholden to the
friend we esteem and love ; the greater obligations we are
under to him, the better pleased we are, and the more sweet
is the love and friendship. This seems to be owing to two
things especially ; one is, that hereby we have a clear and
striking evidence of our i'riend's love to us, which must give
sweetness and enjoyment in proportion to our love to him.
The other is, that hereby we are led to feel and exercise a love
of gratitude, which is peculiarly sweet in proportion to the
love of esteem, benevolence, and complacency we have for
our friend. In this view, the more we are obliged the better,
and the greater satisfaction and sweetness we have in the
friendship. And, on the other hand, the more the other has
done for the obliged friend, and the greater benefactor he has
been to him, the higher enjoyment and happiness he has in
proportion to his benevolence and love to him.

Hence it is, that where persons have undertaken to repre-
sent the highest and most affecting instances of true love and
friendship, and the greatest degree of enjoyment and happi-
ness in such friendship, and exhibit this to the best advantage
in a feigned story or romance, they have formed a history of
some one of a high and excellent character, and of a generous,
benevolent spirit, setting his heart on one in a mean, low, and
miserable state and circumstances, to be his spouse. She is,
for instance, taken captive by her enemies, and reduced to the
greatest poverty and distress, and her life eminently exposed.
He, in order to redeem and deliver her, and procure her for his
bride and spouse, goes through a long series of self-denial and
sullerings, is at great expense, and does great exploits, and ex-
poses his life to an eminent degree, without which she must
have perished in the hands of her cruel foes. And thus he de-
livers' her by risking all that is dear to him in her behalf, and,
in a sense, giving his own life for her; so that she entirely
owes her life and all she has to him, and is under the greatest
imaginable obligations to him. In this way he procures her
for his spouse, and brings her into the nearest union to himself,
and a foundation is laid for the greatest hapj)iness in each
other, in the enjoyment of the most sweet love and friendship,

634 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

every way to an unspeakably greater degree than could have
been in different circumstances, or in any other way, in which
she would not have been so much dependent upon, and so
greatly obliged to, him.

This is but a faint shadow of the case before us with re-
spect to Christ, the friend and bridegroom of his church and
people. They are fallen into an infinitely calamitous and evil
state, — a state of complete, total, and eternal destruction, —
into the hands of the devil, their great and potent enemy, and
under the displeasure and curse of the God that made them,
being infinitely guilty and ill deserving, the prisoners of jus-
tice, bound over to suffer his eternal wrath, not being able or
disposed to help and deliver themselves in the least degree.
The Son of God was the only person in the universe that was
able to redeem and save them ; and he wasnot under the least
obligation to do it. But he voluntarily offered himself, and
undertook this most difficult, costly, and mighty work, and
that from pure love and benevolence to these lost and infinitely
miserable creatures, and a desire to procure and present to
himself a glorious church, a bride not having spot or wrinkle,
or any such thing, but perfectly beautiful and holy, and with'
out blemish, being brought into the nearest and everlasting
union and friendship with himself.

In order to this, he gave himself for them. Though he was
a person of infinite dignity, riches, and worth, he became poor,
and humbled himself so as to become a servant, and subjected
himself to the greatest ignominy and sufferings, even unto
death. He voluntarily put himself into the place and circum-
stances of his spouse ; and when her whole interest lay at
stake, and she was in a state of complete destruction, he took
the whole of her destruction and sufferings on himself, and went
through with the matter; he drank the whole of the bitter cup,
that she might escape ; he gave his life for her ransom, and spilt
his own blood in the most trying circumstances, that he might
completely redeem her from the jaws of the most dreadful and
eternal destruction, and deliver her from the hand and power
of all her enemies. He has survived the dreadful scene, hav-
ing completed the greatest and most difficult work that ever
was, or ever will, or can be undertaken, and yet lives to espouse
the cause of his people, and will not stop till he has com-
pleted the matter, and sanctified and cleansed every one of
them with the washing of water by the word, and brought
them into the most near and everlasting union and friend-
ship with himself, in the most perfect enjoyment of his love,
riches, honors, and happiness forever and ever.

Thus the redeemed have a friend, not only in himself most

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 635

excellent and worthy, and full of the greatest benevolence and
goodness, but one on whom they are in the highest degree
dependent, and to whom they are indebted and obliged in the
highest imaginable or even possible degree, in a manner which
is most pleasing to them, and serves to render him unspeak-
ably more excellent and worthy in their eyes, and give a sweet-
ness to their love and friendship which could tiot be known in
any other circumstances.

No other creatures in the universe have such a friend as this.
The angels have no such friend. When some of them fell
into sin and woe, they had no friend to redeem them ; and the
redeemed from among men have had infinitely more done for
them, and they are infinitely more dependent on the Son of
God for all good and happiness, and indebted and obliged to
him, than the angels are. They are the bride, the Lamb's
wife, who are by him redeemed out of great tribulation from
a state of infinite woe, in which they lay perfectly helpless,
that he might enjoy them forever in a peculiar union and
friendship, which exceeds every thing of this kind in all possible
degrees. These circumstances lay a foundation for a sweet-
ness and enjoyment immensely higher than could take place
in any other way. In a sense and acknowledgment of what
Christ has done for them, and their peculiar dependence upon,
and obligations to him, the redeemed will exercise a kind of
humble, sweet, and beautiful love towards their Friend and
Redeemer, which is peculiar to them, and never could have
had an existence in any other way but this ; and which will
be the eternal source of a most sweet and high enjoyment,
which no stranger, none but the beloved bride, not even the
angels, can intermeddle with or taste. In the exercise of this
peculiarly sweet love and friendship towards their infinitely dear
and glorious Friend and Redeemer, they will eternally sing a
new song, which none but the redeemed, the bride, the Lamb's
wife, can possibly sing or learn, to all eternity, — no, not even
the highest and best angel in heaven, saying, — " Worthy is the
Lamb to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength,
and honor, and glory ; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed
us to God by thy blood, and hast made us kings and priests
unto God." Well, then, may they now begin to say, with a
heartfelt sweetness and joy which is unspeakable and full of
glory, " This is my beloved, and this is my friend^

4. Jesus Christ is a friend who has exercised the highest
degrees of love, and has given the greatest possible testi-
monies of it.

In order to true friendship, there must be mutual love. This
is essential to the character of our friend, that he loves us ;

636 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

and he acts in this character, and maintains friendship, by
exercising love, and giving proper tokens and manifestations
of it, on all occasions. Solomon observes, that " a friend
loveth at all times." And he is the greatest friend whose love
is the strongest, and is exercised and manifested in the most
difficult and trying circumstances.

Now, Christ has distinguished himself from all others in this
respect, and has discovered himself to be infinitely the greatest
and best friend. This appears from what was said under the
last particular of what Christ has done and suffered for his
spouse ; for in all this he exercised and expressed his love, and
that in the most trying circumstances, and to the highest pos-
sible degree. One thing that recommends a friend, and adds
to his worth and excellence, and makes him dear to his be-
loved, is, that he is a tried friend ; he has persevered in his
friendship, and exercised and expressed his love, in the most
difficult case imaginable ; in doing which he has been at the
greatest pains and cost, while he had the greatest temptations
to give up his beloved. Jesus Christ is such a tried friend, and
that to the greatest possible degree.

" Greater love hath no man," says this greatest and chief of
all friends, " than this, that a man lay down his life for his
friends." But Christ's love and friendship has infinitely ex-
ceeded this. He has done and suffered more for his people than
merely dying for them, a thousand times over. He drank the
bitter cup for them, which was infinitely more than merely
dying a violent death. He was made a curse for them, and
suffered a sense of the wrath of God. This drank up his
spirits ; the foretaste of it threw him into the most amazing
agony ; and this made him cry out, in inexpressible and most
astonishing anguish, " My God, my God, why hast thou for-
saken me?" What is the most cruel death that ever martyr
suffered to this ? The martyrs have been able to rejoice in
the midst of all the keenest tortures enemies could inflict.
They have sung in the flames, and found it the most happy,
joyful hour they ever saw ; and so might Christ have done on
the cross, had he but their supports, and no more to suffer than
they. But what he suffered in his death was something infi-
nitely greater and more terrible. Under this infinite weight he
hung on the cross, and at last bowed his head and gave up
the ghost. This was dying in a sense and degree in which no
other person ever did. To die thus was infinitely more, and
greater, and more dreadful than the death of all the ten thou-
sand martyrs who have fallen a sacrifice to the cruelty of their
bloody persecutors. Yea, it was as great a thing and equiva-
lent to the eternal death and destruction which the redeemed

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 637

deserve and were exposed to, for he died in their stead; he
took their death and eternal destruction on himself. On him
it fell in its full weight, and he bore and went through it all.
He knew what it would cost him to espouse the cause of sin-
ners ; yet he voluntarily undertook, put himself in their circum-
stances, (sin only excepted,) and went through with it without
flinching in the least degree. Here is an instance of love and
friendship, to which there neither is, nor can be, any parallel
in the universe. This is the evidence and token of love which
Christ has given to his people, which is infinitely the greatest
that ever was, or can be.

Besides, the love of Christ to his people will appear yet
greater, if we consider their native character and disposition
towards him. He loved them, and died for them, when they
were not only mean, worthless, unworthy, and infinitely guilty,
but his enemies, disposed to hate, despise, and oppose him, in
his whole character and in all his ways, and even in his most
astonishing works of love and kindness to them. Herein he
has commended his love to us, in that, when we were his great
and inexcusable enemies, he died for us. It is a much higher
exercise of love, and a greater testimony of it, to love and die
for an enemy, a base, odious, injurious creature, than it would
be to do this for an excellent, benevolent, and much-esteemed
friend.

What higher evidence and testimony could Christ give of
his love of benevolence to those whom he redeems than this ?
and what higher act of love and friendship can there be?
Surely his love to his people cannot be doubted of. And if he
thus loved them when they were his vile enemies, he will con-
tinue to love them now they are reconciled, and have chosen
him for their best friend and patron ; and this is an exercise and
evidence of a strong and wonderful love, that will unspeakably
endear him to them, and add an inexpressible sweetness to
this friendship forever.

And, as the eftect and further evidence of this love, he gives
them his Holy Spirit to change their hearts, deliver them from
the dominion of sin and the slavery to Satan, in which they
naturally are, and implant lasting principles of holiness and
love to him, by which their hearts are purified, and unite them-
selves to him with the most perfect bond and union of love
and friendship. This is another pledge of his great, everlasting,
and unchangeable love to them ; and the saints in this world,
so far as they have the evidence that they are the subjects of
such a work of grace, may well rejoice, and with unspeakably
sweet delight give praise " unto Him that has loved them,
and washed them from their sins in his own blood." What
VOL. II. 54

638 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

wonderful, sovereign love and grace is this, which overtakes and
falls upon the guilty, sinful wretch, while in his full career to
hell, running on in the most daring, mad opposition to Christ,
and contempt of him, without the least disposition to hearken
to the voice of wisdom, and turn at his reproof! Every true
Christian ascribes all this to Christ, and is so aiiected with his
preventing, sovereign love and grace, herein exercised and man-
ifested, as to taste an unspeakable sweetness in it. With what
sweet delight does he often say, " If I have the least degree of
love to Christ, and a heart to know, submit to, and trust in
him, this is the effect of his eternal preventing, sovereign love
and grace, which alone has made the difference between me
and those who run on in their mad course to hell I Not unto
me, not unto me, but to thy wonderful, distinguishing love \
and grace, be all the glory I "

It may be also observed here, that Christ has given them
his Spirit, by which they are sealed to the day of redemption,
and as the pledge and earnest of their eternal inheritance, so a
pledge and token of his unchangeable, everlasting love to
them. He has, indeed, given himself and all things to them ;
he has made them heirs of the whole universe. He has made,
and is doing, all things for their sakes. He says to his church
of redeemed ones, " I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of
Israel, thy Savior; I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and
Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou
hast been honorable, and I have loved thee ; therefore will I
give men for thee, and people for thy life." (Isa. xliii. 3, 4.)
Surely Christ shows the greatest love imaginable to his peo-
ple, since he gives them ail he has to give, and withholds no
one good thing from them. Now, the more love he has to his
people, and the higher and more clear evidence he gives of it, so
much the more excellent and valuable friend he is to them ;
and their happiness in him as a friend will be in proportion to
this. How intinitely distinguished, in this respect, is Christ
from all other friends ! Well may the Christian say, " This is
iny beloved, and this is my friend^

5. Jesus Christ, the Christian's friend, is a person of infinite
dignity, worth, and excellence. He has all this to the highest
possible perfection and extent, so that no imagination can
possibly exceed it. This, his true dignity, worth, and excel-
lence, in himself considered, infinitely heightens his charac-
ter and worth as a friend, and lays a foundation for the most
sweet, exalted, and growing happiness in his love and friend-
ship to all eternity. He who has no true worth and excel-
lence cannot be justly valued and delighted in at all as a
friend, and there is no foundation for a happy friendship with

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 6o9

such a one. Worth and excellence, therefore, come into the
essence of the character of a friend ; and the more any one has
of this, the more is he to be prized as a friend, and tlie greater
happiness is to be enjoyed in his love and friendship. A
friend gives himself to his beloved ; so that the more dignity,
worth, and excellence he has, the more he gives to the person
he admits into union and friendship with him. Therefore,
the more worth and excellence any person has, the more we
naturally and justly prize his love and friendship, and the more
sweetness and pleasure we have in it. We prize and delight
in the love of another in proportion to our esteem of him, and
the sense we have of his true excellence, dignity, and worthi-
ness. How much better is it to us to be the objects of the
love of some dignified personage, who appears to us to have
all the excellence and attracting charms of human nature, and
to have him our friend, than to have the love and friendship of
one who is in our eyes absolutely worthless and contemptible!
I need not, therefore, yea, I cannot, say of how much advan-
tage the dignity and excellence of Christ is in this friendship,
in this view. The higher the Christian rises in his esteem of
Chrit^t, the more he sees of his dignity and excellence, the
more pleased and delighted he will necessarily be in being the
object of his embraces and love. Surely, then, he had rather,
in this view, be beloved by Christ than by all the world be-
sides ; and nothing can fill his breast with such overflowing
delight as to be able to say, " This is my beloved, and this is
my friend." And this lays a foundation for esteem and com-
placency, without which there can be no happy friendship ;
and the higher this rises, the more happiness and enjoyment
there is in a friend. Christ, in this respect, is distinguished
from all other persons in the universe as the best friend, in
union and love to whom there may be the highest happiness.
We are in ourselves so mean and low, and of such little worth,
that we cannot enjoy friendship to the best advantage with
those who are our equals. The more dignified and excellent
our friend is, and the more distinguished he is from us, and
the more above us in this respect, the more happy shall we
necessarily be in his love and friendship. In Christ, therefore,
believers have all that can be desired in a friend in this re-
spect. In him they have an inexhaustible fund for high and
growing enjoyment, and, in a sense of his dignity and excel-
lence, their ravished hearts will swell with ecstatic delight,
while they feel and say, " This is my beloved, and this is my
friend."

6. Jesus Christ is the most condescending, familiar friend.

Where there is a great imparity in two friends, the one very

640 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

high, honorable, and worthy, and the other mean and low, it is
inconsistent with the most sweet and happy friendship, unless
he who is dignified and exalted, and is every way so much
superior to the other, knows how, and is disposed, to exercise
condescension equal to his true dignity and worth, so as to
practise as great familiarity and intimacy with his friend who
is so much beneath him as if he were his equal. But where
this is the case, the great superiority of one to the other gives
a great advantage to the friendship, and renders it more sweet
and happy to the inferior, so that the more worthy and exalted
his friend is, the higher enjoyment he has in the friendship.
This imparity in station and dignity is commonly in the way
of the enjoyment of true friendship among men in this world,
because the great and exalted know not how to condescend
and stoop to the mean and low in a manner and degree that
is in such a case necessary, but are disposed to keep them-
selves at a distance.

But Christ is, in this respect, the most excellent friend ; for
his condescension and humility are equal to his high exaltation
and dignity, and he admits his friends, however mean, un-
worthy, and despicable they are in themselves, to as great
familiarity and intimacy as if he were but their equal ; so
that his superiority and dignity give great advantage to the
friendship in this respect.

And here it is of importance to observe, that his incarnation,
or union to the human nature, by which he is a real man, even
Immanuel, God with us, is of infinite advantage with respect
to this. God is infinitely the best friend ; but it is impossible
he should communicate himself to creatures, and become their
condescending, familiar friend in any other way so well, and
to so great advantage, as by uniting himself to their nature
so as to become one of them. In this view, as well as on
many other accounts, the incarnation of the Son of God is a
most wise and gracious contrivance, as it is adapted, in the
highest possible degree, to promote the happiness of creatures,
especially of the redeemed, in the love and enjoyment of God.
God hereby comes down to creatures in a way and manner
suited to their nature and capacity, and discovers and com-
municates himself to them to the greatest possible advantage;
and there is a foundation laid for that condescension to men,
and intimate love and friendly familiarity between Christ and
his people, which could not have been in any other way. The
most higli God is become a man, a most meek, humble, con-
descending man, able and disposed to take his people into the
most intimate union and familiarity, while this man has all
the dignity and honor of divinity. Thus the man Christ

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 641

Jesus will eternally be the medium of a kind and degree of
communication of the Deity to creatures, which could be in no
other way, and which is every way adapted to raise them up
and make them happy ; and the redeemed have a most con-
descending, intimate friend in the person of Christ, who is
both God and man, who cannot be equalled by any other
person in the universe, and in union and friendship with whom
they have the nighest enjoyment and happiness.

The condescension of Christ, as a most tender, intimate,
and familiar friend, is truly wonderful, and has not, nor ever
will have, any parallel in the universe. This he practised in a
manner and degree truly astonishing, towards his friends and
disciples, w*hen he was on earth. He condescended to their
weakness, and adapted himself in his instructions to their loW)
childish way of conceiving of things, and meekly bore with their
stupidity and unteachable perverseness. He dwelt with them
night and day, and admitted them to embrace and kiss him
from time to time. We may look on this as an image and
specimen of the condescension and familiarity with which he
treats his people at all times. Though he is now exalted in
the highest heavens, and has taken the throne of the universe,
and rules over all, angels and authorities and powers being
made subject unto him, yet this has not lifted him up in any
degree so as to dispose him to keep at a greater distance from
his people ; but he practises as much condescension towards
the meanest of them, and receives them to as great a nearness
and familiarity, as ever he did in his state of humiliation. His
condescension and goodness in this respect infinitely exceed
that of any other friend, and is equal to his exaltation, great-
ness, and dignity. In this he excels all other friends as much
as he does in honor and dignity.

No other friend is so easy of access as he. His friends are
welcome to him at all times; yea, he is always present with
them, so that they may converse with him whenever they
please, in the most intimate, familiar manner, without keeping
the least distance, and without any reserve. He is all atten-
tion to them whenever they turn their thoughts with their
hearts towards him ; and nothing can divert him from con-
versing with them, or interrupt the correspondence, but their
withdrawing themselves or turning away from him. He is
ready to meet them and attend upon them at what time and
place they please ; yea, he calls after them, and invites them to
look towards him, and speak to him. He says to each one of
his friends, " Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy
voice ; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely."
Behold, he stands at the door of every one, and knocks ; and
54*

642 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

whoever opens to him he comes in and sups with them, and
they with him.

And here it is worthy of special remark, that their mean-
ness, unworthiness, and past ill treatment of him is not in the
least in the way of this his condescending goodness and kind-
ness. He has no disposition to retaliate for their folly and
ingratitude, and keep them at a distance for ^his ; he is as
condescending and kind to the meanest and most unworthy
and guilty as to any whatsoever; and while he thus conde-
scends, and is good and kind to them, in the most liberal man-
ner, he does not upbraid them for their past follies, or because
they are so much beholden to him. He gives most bountifully,
and with the greatest liberality, and upbraideth not.

And he is not, nor ever will be, ashamed of any of his peo-
ple who have united themselves to him as their chosen friend,
however mean and despicable in themselves ; but he will ap-
pear as their friend at all times, and in the most public manner,
and own them to be his friends, and confess their names before
his Father and before his angels. Yea, he is so far from being
ashamed of them, that he looks on them as an honor to him.
They are unto him "a crown of glory and a royal diadem" in
the hand of this their condescending friend ; they are unto
him " for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory," as the bride
is the ornament and glory of her husband. Such a friend as
this has every true Christian, in which he is infinitely dis-
tinguished from all other friends ; who is most exactly suited
to the circumstances of the redeemed from among men, and to
raise their happiness in friendship with him to the highest key.
But I have yet many other things to say of this most excellent
and blessed Friend.

7. By all his condescension, love, and kindness towards
sinners, and entering into the nearest and dearest friendship
with them, he does not degrade himself in the least, nor lose
any degree of his true dignity, worth, and excellence, but has
greatly honored himself hereby.

This is a very important and essential article in this friend-
ship; for if this were not true, it would be a very unhappy
union, and no good could come of it, either to Christ or those
on whom he sets his love. If this were a dishonorable friend-
ship on Christ's part, he would by this lose his merit and
worthiness in the sight of the Father ; so could be of no avail
to recommend the sinner on whom he sets his love, of which
he stands in infinite need, and without which he cannot be
happy in the favor of God ; which will be more particularly
considered under the next head.

The Jews attempted to reproach our Lord, and cast an

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 643

odium upon him, by saying that he was a friend of publicans
and sinners. If he had been so in the sense they meant, it
would have been indeed a reproach and disgrace to him. If
he had been their friend in a sense which did imply the least
degree of love and approbation of their character as sinners,
and if he had espoused their cause in this view, and under
the least influence of this, he would so far degrade himself,
and render himself and his love worthless, odious, and despica-
ble, in the sight of all holy, worthy beings. This, therefore,
would have wholly spoilt his character as the almighty Friend
and Redeemer of sinners. But Jesus Christ is iutinitely far
from this. Though he is the friend of sinners, has espoused
their cause, and befriended them as no other person ever did
or could, yet he has not hereby appeared in the least degree
a friend to sin, but the contrary to an infinite degree. He has
befriended sinners consistent with the most perfect and even
infinite hatred of sin, and so of their character as sinners, and
so as to manifest his hatred and abhorrence of them to the
highest possible degree. In his highest act of love and friend-
ship to sinners, he did in the highest possible degree, and in
the most public, convincing, striking manner, justify the
divine character and law which the sinner had opposed and
contemned, and condemn the sinner. The highest angel in
heaven cannot conceive to this day, and never will to all eter-
nity, how Christ could have condemned sin more effectually,
and set the sinner in a worse and more odious light, and
showed his love of holiness and hatred of sin more fully,
than jie did when he died on the cross. In this he did in the
highest possible degree justify God in threatening and cursing
the sinner, and being disposed to punish him forever, while he
voluntarily took that ])unishment on himself, that the sinner
might escape.

In Christ, then, are united the greatest friend to God and
his law, and to the cause and interest of holiness, that ever
was known in the universe, and at the same time the greatest
friend of the sinner. These two seeming contraries are united
in the same person and character, and expressed in the most
perfect manner, and to the highest degree, in the same con-
duct. Therefore, when Christ stooped the lowest, and conde-
scended the most to befriend sinners, he did, in the highest
degree and most effectual manner, espouse the cause of God
in opposition to the sinner, and appeared in his greatest ex-
cellency, and was most worthy and meritorious in God's sight.
How these two could be united in the same person and the
same act, was far above the wisdom of angels ; and herein, in
a special manner, is Christ the wisdom of God.

644 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

Well may the Christian boast and say, " This is my friend,"
who is also the greatest friend to the supreme Lawgiver of the
universe, and has so become my friend, and stooped to espouse
my cause, and taken me into the nearest and dearest relation
to himself, as at the same time to maintain and express his
dignity, worthiness, and excellency, and merit infinitely in the
sight of the Father. This leads to another particular.

8. Christ improves all his worth and excellence in the be-
half and for the benefit of his people. It is all theirs, and im-
proved to their advantage, in the best manner and to the
highest degree ; so that it is in effect all given away to them,
being most effectually, and to the best purpose, placed to their
account.

Sinners want such a friend; and no other person could be-
friend them, to any purpose to himself or to them, but one
who is infinitely excellent and worthy. They being infinitely
hateful, guilty, and ill deserving in themselves, and having
nothing by which they can abate their ill desert and render
themselves a whit the more deserving and acceptable on its
own account, they must be eternally hated and cursed, unless
they have something to recommend them which is not in them-
selves, but in some other ; and this must be something infinite-
ly valuable and excellent, or it can in no measure or degree
countervail their odiousness and ill desert so as in the least to
recommend them to their offended Lawgiver and Sovereign.
And it will not become him to forgive them and show them
any favor, unless they have something to recommend them,
and repair the dishonor they have done him by violating his
law and despising his character and government. Therefore,
unless some one did espouse their cause and undertake for
them who has worthiness and merit enough to restore the
honor of God's broken law, and effectually recommend sinners
to their offended Sovereign by interposing his own worthiness
in their behalf, they must be the objects of his displeasure and
wrath forever, as what is most fit and right.

Now, Christ is the only person in the universe who was able
effectually to espouse their cause in this respect and act the
part of a friend to them. He has worthiness and merit enough
in the eyes of the offended Deity effectually to procure pardon
and favor for the sinner, if properly interposed in his behalf, so
that it might be lit to reckon it to his account. And this Christ
has done in the most fit and proper manner. He has put him-
self in the sinner's stead, has borne the curse he lay under, and
paid the greatest honors to the divine law and character, which
is so pleasing and acceptable to the Majesty of Heaven that
he is ready to pardon and bless any one who is a friend to

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 645

Christ, and trusts in his merit and worthiness alone to recom-
mend him.

Christ repeatedly spoke of this to his disciples in the most
express manner, and told them that their love and union of
heart to him did efl'ectually recommend them to the Father,
and interest them in his love and favor, to as great a degree as
they needed or could desire. His words are, " He that hath
my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth
me ; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father. If
any man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will
love him. For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have
loved me, and have believed that I came out from God."

We cannot reasonably suppose that Christ means to declare
in these words that their love and friendship to him did on its
own account, or because of the excellency and worth of it in
itself considered, recommend them to the Father, and procure
his love and favor to them, as a testimony of his well-pleased-
ness with their persons and love, considered as by themselves,
and separate from Christ. We cannot understand our Savior
thus in these words, for this would set them in direct contra-
diction to the whole New Testament, which teaches us that
sinners are pardoned, and received to the favor and love of the
Father, purely out of respect to Christ, to his righteousness
and worthiness, which alone recommends them to him, and
not any exercises and works of their own. But his meaning
must be, that the Father is so well pleased with him, and loves
him so well, considered in the capacity of Mediator and a Friend
of sinners, and his merit and worthiness in this character is so
great in his sight, that he is ready to be well pleased with and
love any sinner who unites himself to him in true love and
friendship, and trusts in him in this relation and character.
Such love and union to this friend is a sufRcient ground and
reason of the Father's loving him ; and so the Father loves
him because he loves and is united to his Son, who is infi-
nitely honorable and worthy in his sight, and is infinitely near
and dear to him ; and who has done and sufi'ered so much in
the behalf of the sinner, that his merit and worth might be
improved for his benefit, in which he has honored the Father,
and in the most excellent way and manner possible, and to the
greatest advantage, employed all the interest he has with the
Father to procure his love and favor to the sinner who is thus
united to him. The Father loves his Son so well, he is a per-
son of such infinite dignity and worthiness, and has exercised
such a high degree of virtue, and has honored him so much
in what he has done and suffered for sinners, improving all his
merit with the Father in their behalf, that nothing is wanting

646 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

but the sinner's loving him and trusting in him in this charac-
ter, so uniting himself to him as his true friend, in order to the
Father's loving him. The Father has such love to his Son,
and the Son stands in such a relation to sinners, that the sin-
ner who loves the Son is necessarily beloved by the Father,
purely from the love he has to his Son, however odious, vile,
and unworthy he is in himself; and thus the Father loves
them because they love his Son, and can do no otherwise,
unless he ceases to love his Son ; for the love he has to his
Son will necessarily operate so, and induce him to love those
who love his Son, and to whom the Son is a friend, and acts
as their friend before the Father, presenting his merit, and all
he has done and suffered for his honor, desiring that this may
be reckoned to them, and that they might have pardon and
favor on his account. For the Father to withhold his love and
favor from such is really to withhold his love and favor from
his Son ; and, therefore, if he love the latter, he will love the
former, and there is no other possible supposition in the reason
and nature of things.

And this view of the matter, by the way, may lead all the
attentive to see what is the true meaning and import of the
doctrine of the imputation of the merit and righteousness of
Christ, for the pardon and justification of the sinner who be-
lieves in and cleaves to him in the character of a Mediator, and
how reasonable it is, and agreeable to the nature of things.

If we have a friend who loves us, and there is a mutual
friendship between us and him who we know has great favor
and merit with one whom we have offended, and whose love
and favor we want, and who is very dear to him and greatly
beloved by him, we are naturally, and with the greatest reason,
ready to trust in such a friend to procure for us the favor we
want; and if the dignity and worthiness of our friend is suf-
ficient, and his merit with the person we have offended is so
great as to countervail our offence, and worthy of so great a
favor as we want, and we know he is engaged to make the
best use of his merit and worthiness in the eyes of that person
to procure of him this favor, having exerted himself in all pos-
sible ways in our behalf, and so as greatly to please and honor
him, — if we have such a friend, we may be sure of obtaining
the favor we want, however unworthy we are, and how much
soever we have offended this person, and though he has no
disposition to show us the least favor on our own account, but
considered as we are in ourselves, and unconnected with our
friend, is disposed to hate, condemn, and destroy us, and in
proportion to our love to our friend, and sense of his dignity
and worthiness, and of the high virtue and excellence of what

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 647

he had done in our behalf, shall we have confidence of obtain-
ing the favor we want, and with boldness approach the offended
person in his name.

If a subject has incurred the just displeasure of his prince,
and greatly wants his pardon and favor, how happy does he
count himself if he has some great personage, his friend, who
is near the prince and has great honor and favor with him !
especially if he knows this great and honorable personage is
ready to improve all the interest and influence he has with the
prince in his behalf, and for this end has been at vast pains
to make good the damage the prince had sustained by his
crime, and render it honorable for him to grant the pardon
and bestow the favor he wants. In such a case, we all know
the criminal cannot fail of obtaining the pardon and favor he
needs, if his friend at court has dignity, merit, and worthiness
enough in the eyes of the prince to be worthy of such a favor.
The prince's love to this personage will naturally and necessa-
rily flow out to Ihe person whose friend he is, and who l(5ves
him. And in this case we see the merit and wortiiincss of
this great and excellent personage is imputed or transferred to
the account of the unworthy criminal, to recommend him to
that favor, and procure it for him, of which he is most unworthy
in himself, and which it would have been utterly unfit and in-
decent for the prince to bestow upon him, had it not been for
this his connection with this worthy person.

This is, in some degree, a parallel to the case before us.
Jesus Christ, the Christian's friend, appears with such dignity
and honor in the court of heaven, and has done such astonish-
ingly great and wonderful exploits to secure the honor of the
Almighty Sovereign and Lawgiver of heaven and earth, and
render it consistent with his granting pardon and favor to sin-
ners, and has so pleased and honored the Father, and is so
dear and excellent in his eyes, that he is ready to love and
show favor to any sinner who loves this worthy personage,
and is a real and hearty friend to him, whose interest he
espouses before the Father, and interposes all his merit in his
behalf. This is quite sufficient to recommend the most guilty,
ill deserving wretch on earth to all the favor that Heaven can
bestow. He has no need to plead any th^ng but his relaiion
and union to the Son of God, as his true and hearty friend;
he wants nothing else to recommend him to the highest hon-
ors and happiness in God's kingdom forever. The Father of
the universe will love him with a dear and everlasting love,
and embrace him as his dear child, the friend of his well-
beloved, his dearest Son. And all the angels will love, serve,
and honor him forever, because he bears the character, and

648 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

stands in the relation, of a friend to the Son of God, and is
one whose interest he has espoused, and whose name he will
confess before the Father and before the angels.

Thus the Christian has a friend who is not only most wor-
thy and excellent in his eyes, with whom his heart is pleased
and charmed, but this excellence and worthiness is reckoned
to his account, and is become his righteousness, by which he
is recommended to pardon and favor with God ; so that the
supreme Majesty and Lawgiver of heaven and earth hereby
becomes his eternal Friend and Father. Therefore, the higher
sense the Christian has of Christ's excellency and worthiness,
and the more he loves him, the more confidence, assurance,
and joy will he naturally have in his merit and righteousness,
and say, " In the Lord Jesus Christ have I righteousness ; in
him shall I, with all the seed of Israel, be justified, and in him
only will I glory."

9. Christ is not only a friend who is full of good will and
benevolence to his people, but he highly esteems them, and
has great and most sweet complacency and delight in them.

This is abundantly represented in this Song. Christ often
calls his spouse, the church, his fair one ; and she is to him
the fairest among women. His language to his church and to
every true member of it is, " O my dove, let me see thy coun-
tenance, let me hear thy voice ; for sweet is thy voice, and thy
countenance is comely." " Behold I thou art fair, my love ;
behold ! thou art fair ; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks.
Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee. Thou
hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain
of thy neck. Hov/ much better is thy love than wine I and
the smell of thine ointments than all spices I How fair and
how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights! Since thou wast
precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have
loved thee."

There is something mysterious and wonderful in this —
that Christ should thus esteem and delight in those who are
in themselves, and in their natural state, so mean, despicable,
vile, and odious. But this comes to pass by his putting his
own beauty and excellence upon them, forming them after his
own likeness, and i-^ceiving them into the nearest relation to
himself, by which they become clothed with his righteousness
and worthiness, and partake of his honor and fulness; so that
in this near relation, and beautified and adorned with his own
beauty and holiness, they are honorable in his eyes, and he
takes great complacency and delight in them. And as he is
continually purifying and adorning them more and more, and
will go on to do it until not the least deformity, not so much

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 649

as spot or wrinkle, remains, and they are become most perfect
beauties, so his complacency and delight in them is increasing,
and is now greater in the view of what they shall soon be
brought to, even the most consummate beauty and glory, like
a king's daughter, all glorious within, and her clothing of
wrought gold ; and they shall shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father, the most beautiful, glorious bride of
the Lamb.

Now, this adds an unspeakable value and sweetness to this
friendship. In proportion as any one esteems, loves, and de-
lights in another, he naturally, and even necessarily, desires to
be the object of his esteem and complacency; and, conse-
quently, this gives him a sweet enjoyment and happiness, so
far as he has evidence that it takes place, and in a degree equal
to his view and sense of the worthiness and excellency of his
friend. How great, then, must be the happiness of the believer
in his friendship with Christ, from this circumstance I He has
the highest and growing esteem of his person and character,
and is more and more ravished with his superlative beauty and
excellence; and nothing can be more desirable and sweet to
him than to have the approbation and love of this glorious,
excellent personage, and nothing is wanting to complete his
happiness but to know that he is the object of the complacency
and sweet delight of his best-beloved and most-esteemed friend.
The thought of this is most transporting to his soul ; and the
more he is persuaded and assured of this in this world, the
more ineffable sweetness does he taste and enjoy in this friend-
ship. What, then, will be the happiness of this exalted friend-
ship, when the beloved saint shall be made to shine forth as
the sun in the most perfect beauty, and shall behold the dig-
nity, beauty, and excellence of his glorious Friend and Re-
deemer in the meridian brightness and splendor of his glory,
and his heart shall glow with the highest and most perfect love
of esteem and complacency towards him, while this his infi-
nitely glorious and excellent Friend returns love for love in the
most full and ample manner, and embraces him as his dearest
and best beloved, giving him the greatest possible assurance
that he takes unspeakable delight and satisfaction in him, and.
will do so to all eternity I This will raise the redeemed to
heights of happiness, and sweet, ecstatic delight, beyond all
conception, in the enjoyment of their exalted, most dear, and
best-beloved Friend, while they find themselves embraced by
him in the high exercises of sweet love and complacence, being
perfectly pleased and ravished with their love, and, in the high-
est and most exalted sense, " his left hand is under their head,
and his right hand doth embrace them." How will their hearts
VOL. II. 55

C30

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

swell with the thought, and be filled full, and even run over,
with ineffable delight and joy, while they think, and with the
greatest assurance say, " This is my beloved, and this is my
friend " !

And it is worthy of observation here, that their dependence
on Christ for all their worthiness, beauty, and excellence, as
they receive it all from him, by which they become the objects
of his esteem and complacency, — they being wholly without
any thing of this kind, and infini.tely to the contrary of it, as he
finds them, — this their dependence on him will greatly add to
the sweetness and enjoyment while they find themselves thus
esteemed and beloved by him ; for it is unspeakably more de-
sirable and sweet to become the objects of his love and com-
placency in this way than in any other.

The spouse who venerates, esteems, and loves her husband
far above all others is happy in his embraces, and the tokens
of his esteem, complacency, and delight in her, in proportion
to her sense of his dignity, worthiness, and excellence; and if
she has received all that which recommends her to him as the
object of his peculiar esteem and delight from him, or some
way by his means, this will greatly add to the sweetness of
her enjoyment, in a sense of his great condescension and good-
ness, and her peculiar obligations to him. This is a faint em-
blem of the case before us ; for these things take place in the
friendship we are considering to an immensely greater degree,
and in a far more exalted manner, than can be in any thing
temporal and earthly.

And, by the way, it may be here observed, that the redeemed
will have greatly the advantage of angels iii their friendship
with Christ in this particular. As Christ has been a greater
friend to the redeemed than to angels, — has exercised im-
mensely more benevolence and kindness, and done infinitely
more for them, and so laid them under infinitely greater obli-
gations to esteem, love, and honor him, — so he exercises a
greater love of esteem, complacency, and delight towards
them than the angels are the objects of, and that because he
puts a peculiar and distinguishing beauty and dignity on them,
of which the angels do not partake. As the king's bride, the
queen, however mean her state was before she married him, is
more honorable, and is much more the object of his esteem and
coinjjlacency, and he takes much more delight and satisfac-
tion in her than in any of the most dignified servants and
greatest nobles of his court, however great and honorable they
are in themselves, and she enjoys a peculiar sweetness in his
love, and a much higher pleasure and happiness than any of
them can do ; so the bride, the Lamb's wife, is more happy in

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 651

the embraces and jDeculiar love of her glorious Friend and
Husband, the King of the universe, and tastes more sweet-
ness in a sense of his distinguished affection to her than the
angels, those noble servants of the King of heaven, ever will
or can do. Christ will eternally exercise and manifest a pe-
culiar complacency and delight in them as their distinguished
Friend and Redeemer; and this will be the source of a pecu-
liar enjoyment and happiness, in which they will be distin-
guished from all other creatures in the love and embraces of
such a friend as no others ever had or ever will have.

10. Christ is as much the friend of every individual, and
the friendship between him and each one is as great, sweet,
and happy, and every way to as great advantage, as if he was
the friend of no other person ; yea, much more so.

Herein this friendship differs from, and has the advantage
of, all others. If the love and affection of other friends is
divided among a great number, and they have one common
friend in whose friendship they share, each one has a less
share than if he was the only beloved ; and if wc have one
friend whom we esteem and love much above all others, it
seems most agreeable at least to have a peculiar and distin-
guished share in his affection, and to have him a friend to us
in a sense and degree in which he is not to any other ; so that
a partner or rival in his affections and friendship is rather un-
desirable than pleasing, and tends to give an alloy to the
friendship rather than a sweetness. This is in a peculiar
manner so in love and friendship between the sexes. The
bride or spouse is jealous of any rival in the affection of her
husband ; she is contented with nothing short of having the
whole of his love and affection centring in her ; she naturally
monopolizes it to herself exclusively, and cannot bear to have
any one share with her in this friendship; and if this should
be the case, it will spoil the friendship for her, and the more
she loves him, the more unhappy and miserable she is.

And this, by the way, is a very strong and striking evidence,
among many others, that this Song, in which the text is
found, is not a common love song, as in this respect it is
formed on a plan contrary to the nature of common love and
friendship between the sexes, or the bride and her lover, and
which is only suited to the case before us. The beloved
spouse is in this Song represented not as a single person, but
as a company or society of persons united in seeking and
setting their affections on one person as their common friend
and lover. The spouse seeks company in her love to the
bridegroom, and endeavors to draw other women to join with
her in loving him, and speaks of others being united with her

652 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

in this with approbation and pleasure. " Therefore, the virgins
love thee. Draw me, we will run after thee ; we will be glad
and rejoice in thee; we will remember thy love more than
wine; the upright love thee." " Whither is thy beloved gone,
O thou fairest among women ? whither is thy beloved turned
aside? that we may seek him with thee. My beloved is gone
down into his garden," etc. " Thou that dwelleth in the gar-
dens, the companions hearken to thy voice." This is a very
unnatural representation for a woman to make with relation
to her beloved friend, with whom she is seeking a union and
friendship, in which a companion or rival would be most dis-
agreeable. But it is perfectly agreeable to the case before us ;
for the spouse of Christ is not a single person, but a company
or society united together in the same love and affection to
one common friend, lover, and husband; and every individual
believer or friend of Christ is so far from monopolizing his
love, and desiring to be the only object of it, that it is a great
addition to the sweetness and happiness of this friendship
that others join with him in the same love, and equally share
in the love and friendship of this glorious friend and bride-
groom. Each one enjoys as much of Christ's love, has as full
and large a share in his heart, and enjoys him every way as
much as if he had no other lover and friend in the universe ;
so that, however great the number is on whom Christ sets his
heart, this does not in any degree lessen the privilege and en-
joyment of any individual ; for he, their common friend, has
an inexhaustible, infinite fulness, and is just as much, and
all that, to each single one as if he was the only object of his
love. Therefore, the more love and benevolence the believer
has to Christ, and the higher the friendship rises, the more
pleased will he be to have him esteemed and beloved by
others, and the more happiness and joy will he have that
others share with him in the blessings of this friendship, in
proportion to his benevolence to them and delight in their
welfare, which will always keep pace with his love to Christ
and delight in him as the best and most glorious friend ; so
that every true friend of Christ is effectually formed and pre-
pared to enjoy a peculiar pleasure and happiness in a happy
and beautiful society, who are equally devoted to this same
friendship, and share equally with him in the sweet love and
affection of his dearest and most exalted friend. This leads
to another particular.

11. This friendship between Christ and the true Christian
lays the best Ibundation for union of heart, and sweet, exalted
friendship with others.

Christ is the grand medium of all union and friendship in

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 653

the universe. In this respect all things, both which arc in
heaven and which are on earth, are gathered together in one,
in Christ. Christ has reconciled the angels to men, and made
them, who otherwise must have been their eternal enemies,
great friends to them, and willing to devote themselves to the
most friendly offices and acts towards the heirs of salvation,
and spend their whole time and exert all their powers, in acts
of kindness, in the most benevolent, friendly manner, minister-
ing to them ; and angels and the redeemed from among men
shall finally be brought by Christ to dwell together forever,
united in the most friendly, loving society. And he has not
only reconciled God to men, and laid a foundation for their
reconciliation and union with him, but has opened a way, and
made full provision, for reconciling men one to another, and
uniting them in the most dear and happy union and friendship,
which in many respects surpasses all that there was any founda-
tion for in man's primitive state of innocency. Sin has broken
all bonds of true union and friendship among men, has set
them at variance one with another, and introduced a most un-
happy and horrible jar and discord; so that the true character of
man in his natural state is, " living in malice and envy, hateful,
and hating one another." Thus all true friendship has fled
from the earth upon the apostasy of man, and that which is
most directly contrary to this took place to a most awful de-
gree ; and man must have remained in this state of hatred and
enmity one with another forever, had not Jesus Christ under-
taken in his behalf. He has taken a most wise and effectual
method to bring them to a union, love, and friendship one
with another, at the same time that they are united to him
and become his friends — a union and friendship which is un-
speakably dear and sweet, and immensely surpasses all other
friendships, except that which is between Christ and them.
This friendship has its foundation in love to Christ, and union
of heart to him, and is not really any thing distinct and sepa-
rate from this. The believer's love to Christ, and love and
friendship to his fellow-saints, or all. that are united to Christ
in the same love and friendship, is really one and the same
undivided flame of love and affection, so that the same bond
of love which unites their hearts to Christ does also, at the
same time, unite them to each other; and the higher their love
and friendship to Christ rises, and the stronger the exercises
of it are, the more sweet and perfect is their love and friend-
ship one to another: and this, their love to each other, is really
love to Christ ; it is the same affection, exercised and expressed
in this way. This is represented in this light by Christ him-
self, when he tells us in what a light this matter will be set at
55*

654 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

the day of judgment. " And the King shall answer, and say
unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done
it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it
unto me." If the acts of love and kindness which Christians
do one towards another are really done to Christ, and are
acts of love to him, then the whole of the love and friendship
between them, of which these outward acts are the testimony
and fruit, is really the same thing with love to Christ. This
is the great and peculiar happiness of this Christian friendship,
and renders it a most refined, exalted, and even divine friend-
ship, and brings them into that sweet union and peculiar one-
ness for which their great Friend and Patron once prayed.
" Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word ; that they all may be one,
as thou. Father, art in me, and I in thee ; that they also may
be one in us."

The believer's love to Christ, in a sense of his superlative
beauty, excellence, and worthiness, naturally, and even neces-
sarily, leads him to love and delight in all those who are in any
degree conformed to him and bear his image and likeness ; for
this is not a different thing from loving Christ himself, as this
likeness or image of Christ is Christ himself formed and living
in them ; and this likeness to Christ will be more especially
lovely and charming to the friend of Christ if it consists sum-
marily in love to Christ, in i high esteem of him, and true
benevolence and affection to him, which is the case here; for
the more any one loves and esteems Christ, the more desirous
he will be that others shall love and esteem him, and the more
pleased and gratified he will be with the love and esteem which
others exercise towards him, and the more will he love and
esteem them, and be more benevolent towards them. He
whose heart is full of benevolence and good will to Christ
must be pleased with, and delight in, the friendly benevolence
of others to him, and this will also excite a peculiar benevo-
lence and good will to such.

Besides, in proportion to the love any one has to Christ, he
will have an affection for those who are beloved by Christ ; so
that Christ's love of benevolence and complacency to his peo-
ple has great influence in uniting them to one another in the
dearest love and affection. He who greatly loves a dear friend
will naturally love all that are friendly to him and all to whom
he is a i'riend. His being a friend to them will necessarily
recommend tliem to him, and render them the objects of his
complacency and benevolence. This takes place in the case
before us in the most happy manner, and to the highest
degree. In this view and to this purpose it is that Christ

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 655

proposes his own example of love to his disciples, as a motive
and inducement to them to love one another with that love and
friendship which is peculiar to Christians, as he knew it would
have the most powerful influence upon them. " This is my
commandment, that ye love one another as I have loved you."
No other society of friends have such a powerful motive to
love one another as this which Christ sets before his disciples.
He has loved them so as to give his life for them, and he has
made their interest his own to all intents and purposes, and
they are dear to him, and precious in his sight, answerable to
what he has done and suffered for them. If, therefore, they
love him, if he is honorable and precious in their sight, and
they are friends to his interest, they certainly will love those
who are so dear to him and have such an interest in his atl'ec-
tions. How greatly does this recommend Christians one to
another, and render them dear and precious in each other's
eyes, and promote a sweet and noble friendship, which is
known to no other person in the universe I

And it may be further observed, that this sweet, humble,
Christian love, which is the image of Christ's love and grace,
serves further to endear Christians to each other, and increase
and heighten their friendship to each other ; for there is a pecu-
liar and inexpressible sweetness and enjoyment in being be-
loved by those who are so amiable and honorable in our eyes,
and with such an ardent, humble, sweet, and pure atlection as
Christian love is. The Christian who has a sensible and most
pleasing idea of this love and affection cannot feel himself
embraced by others with this tender, beautiful, no!)le love and
friendship without an ineffable sensation, which fills his heart
with the most sweet delight and joy, and kindles a flame in
his soul of holy love and gratitude to them, in which he re-
turns love for love, and embraces them with the arms of the
most delightful, tender, and heart-melting friendship. Thus
the mutual love of Christians serves to sweeten and increase
their affection to each other, and blows the coals and kindles
up the tire of friendship to a more intense and vehement
flame. The more sensible any one is that he is the object of
the Christian love of another whom he esteems highly as an
amiable disciple of Christ, and the more evidences and tokens
he has of this love, the more will his heart be inflamed in love
to him, which again will increase and heighten the other's
love ; and thus, by the influence of their mutual love and
friendship, the sweet flame rises higher and higher, until they
are all melted and dissolved, and turned into a most pure,
active, perfect flame, like two brands on fire, which burn slow,
and give but a moderate heat when apart, but being put

656 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

together, by the mutual action and influence one on the other,
the heat increases into a burning flame, which soon sets them
ah on fire.

Again : their being united in the belief of the same sys-
tem of sweet, important truth, and engaged in the same com-
mon interest, and in the same pursuits, and having the same
views, designs, temper, and disposition, and being, as to sub-
stance, in the same state and circumstances, — in all these re-
spects, and many others, being alike, united and bearing a
resemblance to each other, like the children of one family,
united under one kind, wise friend and father, — Christians
being thus united, and bearing this likeness to each other in
so many respects, is many ways a great advantage to this
friendship, and greatly adds to its beauty and sweetness, and
serves to increase their love and the union of their hearts to
each other.

As this is such a pleasant, delightful, as well as noble, im-
portant theme, in which every Christian has so much concern
and experience, it is proper and pleasing to add a few words
more, and descend into some particulars.

This friendship which Christians have one with another, by
virtue of their union and friendship with Christ, the greatest and
best friend, and the fountain and source of all true friendship
among men, — this love and friendship has true humility as its
foundation and basis, and its peculiar beauty and glory. Pride
is most contrary to true friendship, and always interrupts and
spoils the exercises and enjoyments of it, so far as it takes place.
Every one's observation and experience will bear an incontes-
table testimony to this, and shows that true friendship is found
nowhere but among the meek and humble. Now, Christians,
by virtue of their love and union to Christ, and the friendship
with him which has been described, are become humble, meek,
and lowly, so are in a peculiar manner formed for true and
sweet friendship with each other — a friendship which far sur-
passes that of any other creatures in the universe. Their
native state and circutnstatices, sinful, lost enemies to God
and the Savior, infinitely miserable, guilty, odious, and ill de-
serving, lay a foundation for self-abasement and humility,
when truly discerned and understood, which cannot take place
to the same degree in any other circumstances. And their
absolute and exceeding dependence on Christ and his rich,
sovereign grace, for righteousness and strength, and every
good thing, serves to set them low, and abase them forever in
their own eyes. And the wonderlul, amazing humility of
Christ their beloved friend, which he exercised in his astonish-
ing stoop and low abasement for their sakes, by w^hich he in

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 657

a sense became the least in the kingdom of God, strikes their
minds with a peculiar energy, and conspires, with the above-
mentioned circumstances, to humble them and lay them very
low. The friends of Christ are, therefore, in this sense little
ones — little in their own sight, and in true humility : they have
taken Christ's yoke upon them, and have learnt of him, who
is, above ali others, meek and lowly of heart ; and as they have,
under the teachings of Christ, a clear and affecting view of
their own character as sinners, in all its meanness, contempti-
bleness, and odious deformity, which they cannot have of
others, their fellow- Christians, they naturally have a much
meaner thought of themselves than of others. Therefore,
in the exercise of this true friendship, they are not disposed
to exalt themselves, and be jealous of their own honor and
prerogatives, and be displeased because others do not love,
esteem, respect, and honor them so much as they desire, and
they think they ought to do. No, but directly the reverse of
this ; they are ready to think others, their Christian friends,
have too high an esteem of them, and a love and friendship for
them of which they are altogether unworthy. Thus Christians
are always disposed to abase and humble themselves, and, in
the exercise of this love and friendship, are preferring others,
and setting them above themselves ; and thus they are " kindly
affectioned one to another" in the strongest and sweetest
friendship, " with brotherly love, in honor preferring one an-
other." Nothing is done through strife or vainglory, but, in
lowliness of mind, each esteems others better than themselves ;
and, as the chosen, holy, beloved friends of Christ, they have
" put on bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind,
meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving
one another," even as Christ has loved and forgiven them.
As by pride and a haughty spirit cometh contention, so the
meekness and humility of mind which is essential to every
true lover of Christ prepares true Christians for a sw^eet, holy,
and intimate friendship one with another, which no other per-
sons are capable of, and in which there is a truly noble enjoy-
ment and pleasure, which the world can neither give nor take
away, and which cannot be told to him who has never tasted it.
Moreover, the uprightness and faithfulness of which every
one is possessed who is a friend to Christ, and which is pecu-
liar to them, adds a great degree of excellence and happiness
to Christian friendship, which can be enjoyed in no other
union and connection. Sincerity, truth, and faithfulness come
into the very essence of true I'riendship ; and the more there is
of these, the more safe and happy are persons ia their friendship.
When it may be said of any — what is said of the v/icked in

658 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

general, even all that are not friends to Christ — "that there
is no faithfulness in their mouth ; their inward part is very
wickedness ; their throat is an ojaen sepulchre ; they flatter
with their tongue," they are not capable of true friendship,
whatever may pass between them that may be called by that
name. They may have a sort of love and union to one an-
other, on some occasions and in certain cases, as a company
of pirates or banditti may have a sort of union and friendship,
grounded wholly upon self-love and interest. But this is a
very low, mean thing at best; it cannot give the enjoyments
of true friendship; and, such as it is, there can be no depend-
ence upon it that it will continue. It being built on no stable
principle, it shifts and changes, flourishes or dies, according to
external changes, and the shifting of humors, interests, and
circumstances. They may be great friends one day, and the
next be at swords' points, hating and opposing each other more
than any body else ; improving all their former intimacy, and
the confidence they had put in each other, as an advantage
put into their hands of betraying and injuring one another to
the utmost of their power. There are so many instances of
this every where among mankind, that every observing person
must have abundant evidence of the justice of this remark.

The true friends and disciples of Christ are of a different
character ; they are sincere, upright, true, and faithful. There-
fore, they are commonly characterized by this in Scripture, —
the upright, the just, the faithful, — by which they are distin-
guished from all others. They are of a sincere, upright, and
faithful spirit, which is peculiar to them. This, therefore, pre-
pares them for a union and friendship with each other which
can be found nowhere else. They may open their hearts and
divulge their secrets to each other without danger of being
betrayed, and trust and rely on one another with a great degree
of confidence and safety ; and there is a proper foundation for
a lasting and growing friendship, whatever changes there may
be in external circumstances. Thus they have the character
of Solomon's true friend, who " loveth at all times." They
love without dissimulation. In obeying the truth, through the
Spirit, their souls are purified unto unfeigned love of the breth-
ren, and they love one another with a pure heart, fervently.
He who is possessed of Christian sincerity, integrity, and faith-
fulness has a pleasing idea, of which they who are not of this
character have no true conception ; and his heart is united to,
and delights in, those who appear to be of this character, with
a peculiar love and affection ; and the love of such to each
other is not built on any worldly circumstances and connec-
tions, or self-interest. It is a more noble, exalted, sincere

/ A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 659

affection, and is built on more steady, lasting principles, of
which the poor, if they are the disciples of Christ, are as much
the objects as the rich, and it goes forth as freely and strongly
to those who are overlooked and despised by the men of the
world as to the great and honorable. How much has such a
friendship the advantage of all others I and how greatly happy
must such friends be in each other I Every thing that is called
love and friendship in this world is not worthy the name, when
compared with this.

And the friends of Christ, who are most acquainted with
each other, do naturally enter more and more into a near, inti-
mate, and tender friendship. As their acquaintance increases,
the higher does their love arise ; and their mutual kindness
and acts of love and helpfulness to another, and constant,
earnest prayers for each other, tend to keep up and increase
their friendship, and render it more and more perfect, sweet,
delightful, and profitable.

Thus, by virtue and in consequence of Christians' union to
Christ and friendship with him, a peculiar, dear love and
friendship takes place between them, which is the most sin-
cere, exalted, noble, and ravishingly sweet exercise and enjoy-
ment that can take place among creatures. Their souls are
united and knit together with the bands of the most pure,
strong, and lasting friendship, as the soul of Jonathan was to
David, when he loved him as his own soul ; and as the love
and friendship between them was, so is that between the friends
of Christ — even wonderful, passing the love of women. It is
unspeakably more pure, strong, fervent, sweet, noble, steady,
and durable than any affection and friendship which takes
place between the sexes, or any persons whatsoever, which is
founded only in instinct or the principles of nature.

This love and friendship is indeed very imperfect in this
state, through the great imperfection and deficiency of their
love to Christ and their holiness, and by reason of that igno-
rance of each other, which takes place in a great degree, which
prevents their certainly knowing wiio are true friends to Christ,
and who are not, and having a full and adequate idea of what
is truly excellent in them, and their having so much about
them which is contrary to true friendship, as is all their re-
maining corruption and sinfulness of heart ; and this friendship
is also imperfect in this state, and often, if not always, is the
occasion of some uneasiness and pain, in the midst of all the
sweets of it, by reason of external circumstances. They are
often banished from each others' presence, and obliged to live
at a distance, by which their acquaintance and intercourse is
in a great measure interrupted. But if this is not the case,

660 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIT.

and they have much opportunity to be together and have
friendly intercourse, they are liable to misunderstand each
other, and are often unable to communicate the sentiments
and friendly exercises of their souls to their friends so clearly
as would be necessary in order fnlly to gratify their love and
friendship. And, besides, Christian friends in this state are
liable to, and are actually the subjects of, many calamities
and distresses of body and mind. Now, the more love and
benevolence we have for our friends, the higher sympathy
shall we have with them under their troubles, and their burdens
and calamities will necessarily become ours in some measure ;
so that the higher degree of love and friendship we have for
them, the more shall we suffer with them when they are in
trouble. And though there is a pleasure even in this pain,
yet, according to the supposition, pain there is, and necessarily
will be, in such a situation.

This view of the matter shows us that perfect love and
friendship does not take place in this state, nor can it exist to
the best advantage, unless in a state of perfection.

However, even in this state of weakness and imperfection,
where there is so much remaining darkness and sin in the best
Christian, and there are so many disadvantages to friendship,
true Christian friendship is the most sweet, refined, noble en-
joyment that can be had in this life. It surpasses all other
friendships in this respect, more than the brightness of the
meridian sun exceeds the shining of the meanest glowworm.
They are by far the happiest persons on earth who, being
friends to Jesus Christ, are, by virtue of this, formed for true
love and friendship to each other, and are brought into a union
and oneness of heart and affection, by which they delight in,
embrace, and enjoy each other in the arms of the most pure
and ardent love. A society of such friends and lovers is the
most blessed society on earth, whatever their worldly circum-
stances are. All earthly good, all the riches, honors, and
pleasures of this world are not to be compared with this ; yea,
they are utterly to be despised and contemned in comparison
with this. And all other unions and friendships that take
place among men, which are not founded on love and friend-
ship to Christ, are insipid, mean, and worthless, compared
with this Christian friendship, which has infinitely the advan-
tage of them so many ways. This the Christless person may
disbelieve, and it may be impossible to convince him of it, as
he has really no true idea of the thing. But he who has tasted
the sweetness of this friendship is a witness of the refined,
superlative pleasures of it, and prefers it to all other friend-
ships, unspeakably more than he who is athirst prefers the

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 661

pure, living, crystal stream to a warm, dirty, putrid puddle.
Well may the words of the royal singer be applied to this
noble and happy union and friendship: "Behold, how good
and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity !
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down
upon the beard, even Aaron's beard ; that went down to the
skirts of his garments."

There has been comparatively little of this Christian friend-
ship, we have reason to believe, in the world hitherto ; but few
who have known the pleasures of this sacred union, and most
of those who have felt and exercised a degree of this divine
friendship, have had but a very imperfect and low degree of
it; so that it has never had advantage to appear in its true
beauty, and happy, glorious effects. This pure, soul-exalting,
and refreshing love to Christ, and union and friendship to each
other, has yet been a great stranger in this world ; but the
time is coming when the world shall be full of it ; when all
nations shall become the friends and servants of Christ, and
that in the exercise of a high degree of love to him. And
their love and friendship one to another will bear a proportion
to this. Each one will find himself surrounded with those
who give satisfying and abundant evidence of their love to
Christ, and beautiful, growing conformity to him, and of their
peculiar benevolence to, and delight in, all the disciples of him
whom they so ardently love, and will therefore see himself loved
and embraced by them with the tenderest and most pleasing
affection afid friendship. And how will his heart glow with
ardent love to, and sweet delight in them, while he associates
and converses with them with the most dear and unreserved
intimacy I Yea, their hearts will burn with the fire of this
sacred love and friendship, whenever they see, or even think
of, one another. Then every breast shall swell with a degree
of pleasure and joy which yet has been but little known; and
a happiness which has yet been hardly tasted in this world
shall spread itself like a mighty, pure river of delight over the
face of the earth. But this friendship will not come to its full
perfection and glory in this state. We cannot, therefore, have
the most profitable or even a just idea of it, unless we raise our
thoughts to that world and glorious kingdom into which all the
friends of Christ will be shortly gathered, and united in one most
amiable and happy society, in the presence of their common,
most kind, excellent, and exalted Friend, in the best circum-
stances, and every way under the highest possible advantages
to exercise and enjoy the sweetest and most perfect mutual
love and friendship with Christ and one another. All that
precedes this is very imperfect, and only preparatory and an
VOL. II. 56

662 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

introduction to this most perfect and happy union and friend-
ship, where the most pure and exalted love will be exercised
to the highest pitch, without any restraint, and so as to give
the highest possible enjoyments.

There their love to Christ will be perfect ; they will be all
turned into a pure and most vehement flame of love to him,
and his love will be shed abroad and poured out on them, as
most plentiful, refreshing floods of water upon the parched
ground, which they will drink in with the highest relish, and
most sacred, ravishing delight; and they will each one appear
in the perfect and most amiable image of Christ, perfectly ex-
cellent, beautiful, and lovely, and full of the most sweet and
lively affection to each other. The more they love Christ, and
the greater assurance and sense they have of his love to them,
the more love wuU they have to each other. They will have
the greatest esteem of, and complacency in, one another.
They will have as free intercourse and as great intimacy with
each other as they can desire ; there will be nothing to keep
them at the least distance. They will be perfectly acquainted
with each other, and have the most happy and easy way of
communicating their thoughts, and pouring out their whole
hearts and souls into each other's bosoms, and expressing their
love to, and delight in, each other. If the intimacy Christian
friends have with each other here is so pleasant, and it is so
sweet to be beloved by them, what will it be to be embraced
with such strong, constant love, and enjoy a familiarity and
intimacy, in which they will mingle souls, without any reserve
or restraint, and which will inconceivably exceed the greatest
intimacy and most tender embraces of the dearest friends in
this world ! How happy must they be whose love is made
perfect, and flows out to each other, without any restraint, in
a most rapid torrent, and is gratified every way to the highest
possible degree I And there will be nothing to cloy or abate
this love ; it will never fail or change, unless it be to grow
more ardent and strong. The longer they live together, and
the more they are acquainted with each other, the higher will
their love and friendship rise, and their benevolence to each
other will be pleased and gratified to the highest degree ; for
their friends, to whom they wish so well, are in the most happy
circumstances, are as happy as they can possibly wish and
desire; so that all their good will to each other will be exer-
cised and expressed in the greatest satisfaction and joy in their
happiness. And what kind offices, may we suppose, these
friends will be constantly doing for each other, by which they
will gratify and promote the happiness of one another!

And their acquaintance and special connections in this

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 663

world, and especially the good they have been the instruments
of doing to each other here, will greatly serve to increase and
sweeten their love and friendship in heaven. With what
unspeakable delight will these things be remembered and re-
counted to each other there! With what ineffable love and
gratitude will the converted and saved embrace those who
have been the happy instruments of this! while they, on the
other hand, shall be to such the occasion of their peculiar joy,
and their crown of rejoicing forever, and be embraced by them
with inexpressible tenderness, love, and delight. And O, how
will they that have been most intimately acquainted here, and
united in love, and have most abounded in acts of kindness
and friendship to each other, and have been greatly instru-
mental many w^ays of promoting the spiritual good and salva-
tion of each other, — how will such, however they may be parted
by death for a while, meet with peculiar and unspeakable joy
in that world, and love and embrace each other forever, in the
arms of the most tender, sweet, exalted, growing friendship !
In a word, there shall be no sinful mixtures in their love and
friendship, and no defects, as there always are here, but it will
be most pure and untainted. The more they love one another,
jiot the less, but the more, will they love Jesus, their common
friend ; there will be no need of caution and restraint — no
danger of running to excess. There will be the most perfect,
refined pleasure, without the least pain, which unavoidably
attends the most exalted friendship in this world. All the
tears their friendship has occasioned here shall be forever
wiped from their eyes. There shall be nothing but the most
perfect, sw^eet union and harmony ; nothing in the way of
their expressing their love, and enjoying each other, without
the least danger or fear of having it interrupted, or of their
being parted from the friendly embraces of each other, to all
eternity. What a world of love and friendship will this be!
Though all who enter into the school of Christ have some ex-
perience of the sweets and happiness of this friendship, yet how
low and childish are our thoughts and conceptions of this
matter! Surely eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of any of the saints, the things which
Christ has laid up for them that love him and have entered
into this divine friendship with him and with each other.

A little of this friendship in this world naturally, and even
necessarily, leads these Christian friends, while they feel the
imperfections, impediments, and interruptions of this love and
friendship here, to look forward to, and long for, that perfect
state where this divine affection shall be exercised and gratified
to the highest degree, and they shall eternally swim in a

664 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

boundless ocean of love. The more this friendship flourishes
in their breasts now, the more weaned are they from earth and
all its enjoyments, the more are their hearts fixed on heaven,
and the higher and stronger are their longings for the enjoy-
ment of the society and friendship of that world of love, and
the greater is their hope and assurance of enjoying it forever.

And who can be willing to live and die a stranger to this
Christian love and friendship, and so miss of that world of
happiness in which it shall issue, and where it shall flourish
forever ? Who can be content to give up his heart to that
love and those friendships only which are attended with cer-
tain disappointment, and only serve to perplex and torture the
mind, and will assuredly issue in darkness, horror, and eternal
hatred and discord ?

Blessed, unspeakably blessed, are they in whose hearts this
love and friendship is begun ; who, because they love Christ,
love his people also, and know that they love Christ, and have
passed from death to life, because they love the brethren.

Let us then love one another, not in word, neither in tongue
only, but in deed and in truth, that hereby we may know that
we are of the truth, and assure our hearts before God. For
this is his commandment, that we believe on the name of his
Son Jesus Christ, and love one another.

I proceed to mention other particulars relating to Jesus
Christ, considered in the character of the believer's friend, and
the distinguished privileges and happiness of this friendship.

12. Jesus Christ is an unchangeably faithful and everlast-
ing friend. Faithfulness is essential to the character of a
friend ; without this there can be no safety in intimacy with,
and confidence in him. Through unfaithfulness and incon-
stancy, professed friends often betray one another ; and many
friendships are very short lived, and dissolve and turn into
enmity and discord. But Christ is a most faithful, unchange-
able friend. He never will forsake those who give themselves
up to this friendship; but will do all for them, and be all to
them, that they trust in him for, or can expect from him, in
the character of a most able and kind friend; yea, he will
always outdo all their expectations and wishes. Moreover,
he will take effectual care to secure and perpetuate their love
and friendship to him ; so that the friendship on their parts
shall never cease after it is once begun. We have great need
of such a friend as this; yea, such a friend is absolutely neces-
sary for us in this state of weakness, darkness, and sin, and
where we are surrounded with innumerable, implacable ene-
mies to Christ and to us, who are potent and subtle, and
are contiimally doing their utmost to prevent, interrupt, and

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 665

destroy this friendship. If Christ was not security for us in
this respect, — if he was not able, and had not undertaken, to
prevent our falling away from this union and friendship, — alas !
how soon should we break our most solemn engagements and
vows, violate the most sacred obligations and ties of the dear-
est friendship, and turn enemies to the greatest and best
of friends ! There is no trust to be put in any man with re-
spect to this. But in him there is safety; he has engaged
that they who once choose him as their almighty and best
friend shall persevere in their love to him. And he is faithful
who has promised. With regard to this, the eternal God and
Redeemer is their refuge, and underneath every saint are the
everlasting arms of this almighty and most faithful Friend
and Savior. This is he who was Peter's friend, and prayed
that his faith and love might not fail in the sore trial and dan-
gerous conflict he had to go through. And it was wholly
owing to his care and faithfulness that Peter did not wholly
fall from his friendship to Christ; but his trial and fall were
the occasion of the increase of his love to his best, most faith-
ful, and dearest friend, so that it soon rose to such an ardent
llame that he was able with the greatest confidence to say,
"Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love
thee." Such a friend have all who love our Lord Jesus Christ
in sincerity ; for whom he once loves, he always loves to the
end. How safe and secure, then, do they feel themselves in
this love and friendship, that it shall certainly continue and
flourish to eternity, who are able to say, " This is my beloved,
and this is my friend " !

13. Christ is a most meek, tender, compassionate, forgiving
friend.

If he did not excel in these things to an infinite degree he
could not be our friend. We have injured him more than any
other person in the universe, and have done more to affront
him, and provoke him to anger, than ever was done to any
other. And even his friends have comparatively but a very
small degree of love and friendship to him ; it is a mere noth-
ing, compared to what they ought to have and he is most
worthy of. They are guilty of the most amazing stupidity
and base ingratitude, and in many ways and respects act a
most foolish, wicked, and unfriendly part towards him, by
which they are violating the most sacred laws of friendship
and the highest imaginable obligations. No friend but this
in the universe would bear such treatment, and yet continue
his love and friendship. And was he not meek, tender, com-
passionate, and long-suffering beyond any parallel, he would
so resent such treatment and horrid abuse of him as to with-
56*

666 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

draw his friendship, and renounce them forever. "But as a
tender father pitieth his children, so he pitieth his friends; he
is long-suftering, abundant in goodness and tender mercy, and
ready to forgive all their folly and wicked abuse of his love.
He will forgive them, not seven times only, but seventy times
seven ; yea, without any bounds or limits. His loving kind-
ness he will not utterly take from them, nor suffer his faithful-
ness to fail. We have a striking instance of this in his treat-
ment of his friends when he was on earth. They remained
in a great degree ignorant and unteachable under his constant
instructions. They were inattentive, stupid, perverse, and un-
believing in a manner and degree that was very criminal and
provoking. Yet he bore with them, and forgave them, and
continued his love and kindness to them. He continued to
treat them with the greatest tenderness and love. He con-
stantly attended to their interest, and labored for their good,
and his love and gentleness made theni great. In the last
hours of his life, when the dreadful scene of his sufferings for
his people was just before him, he, as a most tender friend,
accommodated himself to their weakness : he attended to
their case, their sorrow and trouble touched his heart, and he
pitied them, and set himself to instruct and comfort them in
the most kind and tender manner. Such an astonishingly
kind, tender, and forgiving friend had they. And with trans-
ports of joy may every one of his true disciples say, " This is
my beloved, and this is my friend."

14. Christ is the most wise, kind, and able physician, to
heal and cure all his friends of the disorders and diseases that
attend them. Such a friend they want, and no other could
answer the end of a friend to them but such a one. He finds
them in a most dreadful condition, even dead in trespasses and
sins. They are undone and slain, having died a most shock-
ingly dreadful and truly accursed death. Their souls are
bruised and mangled in the most horrible manner, and torn
all to pieces, as it were, limb from limb. And the devil,
who has had a great hand in the horrible slaughter, and has
the power of death, sits brooding over and watching his prey.
In this respect they may be compared to a dead corpse of one
who has been most cruelly broken on the rack — every joint
being dislocated, and each bone broken to pieces, and all the
flesh terribly bruised and torn from the bones and sinews. In
this state Christ finds them. He dispossesses the devil, and
breathes into them a degree of life and healing inffuence. He
finds them thus cast out as in the open field, and speaks the
sovereign, omnipotent word, and bids them live; and that
time is a time of love. The soul, in the exercise of this new

A BISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 667

life, cleaves to Christ as its healer and husband, and becomes
his in a covenant of love and friendshij3 which never can be
broken. Christ brings them into his house, and his banner
over them is love. He binds up their wounds, pouring in oil
and wine, and washes away their blood from them. And
now do they first begin to have a degree of sensibility, and to
feel their dreadful disorders, their wounds, bruises, and putre-
fying sores. They who are wholly dead in trespasses and sins,
and under the dominion of enmity against God and the Re-
deemer, are, in this respect, like the dead corpse ; whatever
dreadful wounds and disorders are upon them, they are quite
insensible of the matter. But as soon as a degi-ee of life and
restoration takes place, there is a proportionable degree of
sensibility ; they feel their disorders and wounds, and the need
they stand in of healing, and that they want a physician in-
finitely distinguished from any mere creature in wisdom,
power, and goodness, who has a remedy which no other has
or can have. They see Christ to be such a physician. They
immediately say, " There is balm in Gilead, there is a physi-
cian there, exactly suited to my case." And into his hand
they commit their disordered souls, despairing of a cure, un-
less wrought by his most skilful, tender hand. Christ, as their
most faithful and kind friend, undertakes for them. He faith-
fully and constantly attends to their case, searches every
wound to the bottom, and applies the best remedy, and that
in the wisest manner and in the best and most seasonable
time ; so that the cure in the end may be most complete and
perfect, not leaving spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, and
attended with the most advantageous consequences. And he
will never leave them till he has completed it. He could, in-
deed, cure them perfectly all at once, at a word's speaking, as
he did many bodily diseases when he was on earth, and not
go into such a long process and continued course of applica-
tions, under which the patient is often put to much pain, and
seems to himself to grow worse rather than better, and some-
times is ready to despair of a cure, and say, " All these things
are against me." But he takes the latter, and not the for-
mer method, because that, on the whole, it is far the wisest
and best; the cure is much more perfect and glorious in the
end, and attended with consequences unspeakably more hap-
py for the subjects of it. How happy, then, are the friends of
Christ in this respect! They are connected with, and united
to, a friend who is a most skilful and kind physician, and has
furnished himself with every remedy that is needed to heal
and cure them, under their singular, and otherwise desperate,
disorders. And he is infinitely engaged in the best manner

668 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

to effect the most complete, happy, and glorious cure, and that
without money and without price. He is the Lord, that bind-
eth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their
wound. O Christian, " This is thy beloved, and this is thy
friend."

15. Christ is a friend who is infinitely happy, is independent
and self-sufficient, and has the highest honors in the universe
put upon him.

This is an unspeakable advantage in this friendship, and
renders it immensely more sweet and happy to the friends of
Christ than it could otherwise be. If our friend is in a state
of calamity and suffering, in any respect and degree, or is ex-
posed to calamity and evil, it of course becomes our calamity,
and we necessarily share in the evil with him, in a degree pro-
portionable to our benevolence and friendship. This renders
friendship very unhappy in many instances in this world, be-
cause the beloved person is very unhappy. For true benevo-
lence to our friend is crossed by every degree of evil that he
suffers, and desires he may have all the honor and happiness
he is capable of; and, therefore, cannot be perfectly satisfied
and pleased with any thing short of this. And if our friend
is as much honored and as happy as we can imagine and
desire, this will give us an enjoyment, and render the friend-
ship sweet and happy, in proportion to the degree to which it
rises and is exercised. For, as we necessarily share in the
evil that our friend suffers, so we do in his happiness. There
is, therefore, the best foundafion laid for happiness in this
friendship that in the nature of things can be, whereby our
love and benevolence to Christ is gratified and pleased to the
highest possible degree.

Christ has, indeed, been subjected to a state of calamity
and sufi'ering; he has suft'ered disgrace and pain to the most
amazing degree, and that for his friends ; but he has, on the
whole, lost nothing by it. If he had, this would have been
an undesirable circumstance, which could not possibly be re-
moved, but must have been an alloy to this friendship, and a
source of uneasiness to the friends of Christ forever. For it
will necessarily give pain to any one who has entered into
true friendship with another, to have his friend a loser in any
respect, especially to have him in the least degree a loser on
his account. He cannot bear to think of being an injury or
disadvantage to his friend in any respect, and that, on the
whole, he should be a loser by him ; and it is as impossible to
reconcile true love and friendship to this as to unite the oppo-
site parts of a contradiction. But what Christ has suffered
for his people is, in this respect, no disadvantage to this friend-

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 669

ship ; for, as has been just now observed, he has, on the whole,
lost nothing by it, but has been an infinite gainer. His hu-
miliation and sufferings, even unto death, have been the occa-
sion of his greater hajjpiness and high exaltation. By this
means, and in this way, he has been anointed with the oil of
gladness above his fellows, and been made to drink of the
river of God's pleasures ; and this has been the occasion of
his being made King of Zion, and raised to the throne of the
universe, invested with all power in heaven and on earth, as
the sole Ruler in God's moral kingdom, and final Judge of all.
Because he thus humbled himself, and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross, therefore God hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every
name. He is richly rewarded, more than ten thousand fold,
for all he expended and suffered for the redemption of his
people; and their redemption and salvation is the occasion of
a high degree of happiness and honor, which he could have
obtained no other way.

This does not, indeed, lessen their obligations to him for
what he has done and suffered for them in the least imagina-
ble degree, for they are every way as great as if he had been
an infinite loser by the means. But this is suited to gratify and
please his benevolent friends to the highest degree, and acjd a
sweetness and joy to their friendship inexpressible. The lan-
guage of their friendly, benevolent hearts is, " Let him be most
blessed forever; let him be exalted in the glory of his salva-
tion, and have all the honors of the universe given to him."
And when they see him exalted, honored, and blessed, as heir
of the whole universe, and independent Lord and Possessor
of all things, and that this is.the consequence and reward of
what he has done for the redemption of sinners, with what
unbounded joy must their hearts expand, while, with the most
sweet, ineffable delight, they join their hearty amen, and say,
" Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, was dead and is alive,
and liveth forevermore, to receive power, and riches, and wis-
dom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. To
him be glory and dominion, forever and ever. Amen " I This
circumstance greatly adds to the happiness of this friendship,
and spreads ineffable sweetness through the soul of the true
Christian, when he is able to say, " This is my beloved, and
this is my friend."

16. All that Christ requires of his friends is, to act the part
of friends to him, and to maintain, cultivate, and improve this
friendship between him and them.

This greatly recommends him as a friAnd, and is a happy
circumstance of this friendship between him and his people.

670 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

His condescension, love, and goodness to his friends, and
the intimacy and unreserved familiarity to which he admits
them, have been already particularly considered. He does
not take state on himself so as in any degree to keep them
at a distance, nor does he impose heavy burdens on them,
and subject them to hard, slavish service, as the master
does his servants, in order to their enjoying his favor and
friendship. No ; he does not call them servants, nor in any
respect treat them as such ; but he calls them friends, and
treats them according to this most dear, soft, and tender name.
And all he expects and requires of them is, that they cleave to
him as their friend, and as becomes his true friends, and in all
respects act up to this most endeared and exalted character.
In this regard the law of Christ is nothing but a law of love and
friendship, as nothing else is required ; it is, therefore, called the
perfect law of liberty. All that Christ requires of his friends is,
that they return love for love ; that they receive and cleave to
him in all proper ways, as their almighty, infinitely excellent,
kind, bountiful, and benevolent friend ; that they constantly
look to him, and trust in him, as such, for all they want, rely-
ing wholly on his friendship and goodness, and being heartily
willing, with all thankfulness, delight, and joy, to be wholly
and infinitely indebted to him for all things, as being in them-
selves nothing but emptiness, insufficiency, wretchedness, guilt,
and deformity, heartily acquiescing in it that he should do the
office of such a friend to them ; that they heartily love, esteem,
honor, and rejoice in him, in this character, live a life of near-
ness and intimacy with him, and follow him wheresover he
goes, and do all those acts of love and kindness to him that
become his friends, and by which they may properly express
and discover their true and superlative love and friendship to
him. Thus he tells his disciples that he required nothing of
them but that in which they might express and evidence their
friendship to him. " Ye are my friends," says he, " if ye do
whatsoever I command you."

What a sweet and delightful work, then, are all the friends
of Christ called to I viz., to love the most excellent, worthy,
dear, and kind friend, and cultivate the greatest intimacy and
most sweet friendship with him. In one word, he only re-
quires them to be happy in him, in the nearest and highest
enjoyment of him as their friend, in the exercise and gratifica-
tion of an inclination and affection, which gives the most
ravishingly sweet and delightful enjoyment that in nature can
be. Hurely all the friends of Christ may say, from their own
experience, " His yoJie is easy, and his burden light. His
commandments are not grievous, but perfectly delightful; and

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 671

in keeping them there is a great reward. The ways of wisdom
are pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. We have re-
joiced in the way of thy testimonies as much as in all riches."
And now, O Christian, what does the Lord, thy all-sufficient
Friend and Redeemer, require of thee but to say, with joy un-
speakable and full of glory, " This is my beloved, and this is
my friend," and live answerable to such a high profession and
character ?

17. Another advantage and peculiar happiness of this friend-
ship is, that the friends of Christ have just as much evidence
that he is their friend as they have that they are friends to
him ; and this evidence rises, and is clear, in proportion to the
degree of exercise of love and friendship to him.

It has been observed, that it is essential to true love and
friendship for any one to desire to be the object of his love,
and to have him his friend on whom he has set his affections.
And the more sincere and strong our friendly affection and
love to another is, the more do we desire to be the objects of
his love and friendship, and the greater uneasiness and pain
will attend suspicions of his love to us. As it is the sweetest,
happiest thing in the world, even the highest enjoyment we
can imagine, to be beloved, especially by those for whom we
have a liigh esteem and a strong and most friendly aflection,
so, perhaps, nothing is more disagreeable, or will give a more
sensible, cutting pain, than to find ourselves neglected and
quite cast off" by such. And this is eminently true in the case
before us. True friendship to Christ does render it above all
things desirable, to hiin that exercises it, to be the object of
Christ's love and favor. And to be cast ofi' by him, and be
the object of his displeasure and wrath, is to such a one, above
any thing else, undesirable and dreadful. In this case, above
any other, " love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the
grave; the coals thereof are coals of fire, even a most ve-
hement flame."

This has often proved a great unhappiness in human love
and friendship, especially that which takes place between the
sexes. Many a one has been most cruelly tortured and un-
done by this. They have had a vehement affection and love
for another, while they have found themselves not beloved,
but slighted and despised : this has proved to them an insup-
portable burden, spread darkness over all things under the
sun, rendered them incapable of enjoying any thing, and made
them weary of their own life, and has often put an end to it
by a lingering, cruel death.

But the friends of Christ are, in this respect, most happy.
They can no further doubt of his love to tliem than they

672 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

question their own love and friendship to him. If they love him,
and are his true friends, he is certainly their friend. Yea, if
they love him in sincerity, though in never so imperfect and
low a degree, they are the objects of his love, and a friendship
is begun between Christ and them which will continue forever.
For this Christ has given his word to all his friends. He has
said, " I love them that love me ; and he that loveth me, I will
love him", and will manifest myself unto him. And him that
Cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out."

We want nothing, then, in order to be assured that Christ
loves us with a strong and everlasting love, and is our un-
changeable friend, but to know that we love him ; or, in other
words, we may be certain that Christ loves us, so faf as we
have good evidence that we sincerely desire and prize his love
and friendship; and our evidence of this will be in proportion
to the degree of our love to him, or the strength and constancy
of our affection and friendship. This is true in all instances
of love and affection to any friend ; the evidence that we do
love them, and are their friends, will be in proportion to the
degree and constancy of the exercise of our love and friend-
shi|> to them, and the expression of it in all proper ways. This
love always evidences itself, and is attended with a conscious-
ness that it does exist in our hearts, in proportion to the
strength and constancy of its exercise ; and we may love a
friend to such a degree as to remove all doubt, yea, render us
absolutely assured that we do love him.

So it is in this case ; if we doubt whether we are true friends
of Jesus Christ, it must be because we are not so, or are so in
a very weak and low degree, and with great inconstancy, and
there is much in our hearts and actions directly contrary to
love and friendship; and as this love rises, and becomes more
and more a constant, vigorous exercise and flame in the heart,
the Christian will have higher evidence and greater confidence
that he is a friend to Christ, and, consequently, that Christ is
his friend ; and nothing is wanting but a constant, vigorous
exercise of this love, in order to a constant consciousness and
prevailing assurance that this glorious Person is our beloved,
and, consequently, that he loves us, and is our friend.

Thus we see how happy this friendship is in this respect, by
which it is distinguished I'rom all other friendships whatsoever.
Full ]>rovision is made for the gratification of love to Christ in
all respects. In proportion as the Christian loves Christ, he
enjoys him, and his love and friendship is gratified and pleased
in a sense and evidence of Christ's love to him. So far as he
prizes Christ's love, and really desires to have him his friend,
from true lovo- to him, and has a sense and evidence that he

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 673

does love him, just so far he has a sense and evidence that
Christ actually is his friend and does love him ; so that this
desire is gratified and answered, and turned into a degree of
sweet enjoyment, in proportion to the strength and constancy
of it. When the Christian, therefore, can with confidence say,
" This is my beloved," he may with equal assurance add,
" This is my friend." For these God has joined together; and
nothing, neither angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor
things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor
any other creature, shall be ever able to separate them.

18. This friendship between Christ and the believer will
reconcile men to death, and support and comfort them under
the death of others, their Christian friends.

It tends to make death desirable and sweet. Friends have
been so united in this world, and had such a love for each
other, that if one must die, the other would choose to die with,
him ; and so the death of one has made death desirable to the
other. But the friendship of which I am speaking has a much
more powerful influence this way, in many respects. When
a friend to Christ, with his heart full of love to him, looks into
the grave, and considers that there his dearest Lord and Friend
once lay, this will sweeten the grave to him, and make the
thought of laying his head in the dust pleasant, and he will be
ready to say with one of his friends of old, " Let me die with
him." Besides, friendship to Christ reconciles to death, and
renders it desirable, and the thought of it sweet, as it is. the
only way to the full enjoyment of Christ, and a dwelling with
him in his holy and glorious kingdom. The friend of Christ
longs to be delivered from all contrariety to him, as what is
most odious, and the greatest burden, and to get rid of all
ignorance, and coldness, and indifference towards him, and be
turned into a perfect, pure flame of love to him ; to dwell in
his presence, and honor, praise, and serve him day and night;
and when he sees death to be the only way to this, he is not
only reconciled to it, but is ready to long for it; and when he
sees that his almighty Friend has conquered death, and taken
away the sting of it, with what courage and joy can he look it
in the face ! while with him who was one of Christ's great
friends on earth seventeen hundred years ago, and is now
with him in heaven, he desires to depart and be with Christ,
which to him is far the best of any thing he can conceive of
or wish for.

Again : this friendship with Christ gives the best support
under the death of dear Christian friends, and lays a founda-
tion even for comfort in it. Herein it has the advantage of
all other friendships. The more strongly they take place, the
VOL. II. 57

674 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

more is death dreaded ; because this puts an utter end to the
friendship, and cuts off all hopes of ever seeing and enjoying
one another again. It is in this view that St. Paul speaks of
the sorrow and mourning of those that were no Christians, on
the death of their dear friends, as those who have no hope.
They are left quite disconsolate on the death of their friends,
because they have no hope of ever seeing and enjoying them
again. But Christians have no reason to mourn so. They
may part with each other here with high hopes and full assur-
ance of meeting again in a short time, and enjoying each other,
to a much higher degree and in a better manner, than ever they
did before, in the presence of Christ, in his glorious kingdom.

When our dear Christian friends are torn from our fond
embraces, and we are deprived of their sweet company, and
know we shall see them no more on earth, the more we love
Christ, and the greater is our benevolence to them, the more
comfort and joy shall we have in the thought that they have
ceased from sin, yea, from all their labors and troubles, and
are gone to be with Christ, our great and common Friend, and
enjoy the benefits of this friendship to an immensely higher
degree than we can here ; that they will soon be restored to
us, with great advantage, and we shall see them in Christ's
kingdom, unspeakably more loving and lovely than they were
here ; and, in a much more noble and perfect friendship, shall
reap the happy consequence, and all the advantages of our
acquaintance and friendship here, and be forever with the
"Lord, our glorious Friend and Redeemer. Surely Christians
may well, under the loss of their dearest friends, comfort one
another with these words.

19, Christ will bring his friends to the nearest enjoyment
of himself, and communion with him, where they shall taste
the growing sweets of his love and friendship forever.

This is one peculiar excellency and privilege of this friend-
ship, and, what crowns all, that, with all its superior excellence
and sweetness, and with every other advantage and desirable
circumstance, it will never come to an end, but will continue,
flourish, and increase forever. The many and great disadvan-
tages and imperfections that attend it in this state shall soon
wholly cease, and every thing desirable, and that can possibly
advance it in any respect and degree, shall take place, and
that unspeakably beyond the highest flights of the warmest
and brightest imagination. This has been repeatedly brought
into view, and in several particulars that have been mentioned ;
but it is so important an article of this friendship, tnat it seems
to deserve our more particular attention.

This friendship is, in this world, very sweet, and exceeds all

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 675

others, both in its excellency and in the enjoyment it gives.
But this is but a low beginning of something immensely more
exalted and happy ; and it is only preparatory to that which
shall be most perfect and everlasting. This friendship is ex-
ceeding imperfect in this state, has many interruptions and
hinderances, and is attended with numerous inconveniences,
which often occasion great pain and distress, which is pecu-
liar to the friends of Christ, and is many times very keen, and
even overwhelming. Their remaining degrees of unfriend-
liness and opposition of heart to Chfl^t, their blindness,
stupidity, ingratitude, their great degree of alienation from
Christ, their unfruitfulness, and the ill returns they make
to him, and their want of a sense of his love and favor, are a
most heavy burden to them, under which they often go mourn-
ing all the day long. For these things their souls are bowed
down and greatly disquieted within them. And their love to
Christ, and concern for his interest in the world, is often the
occasion of great concern and trouble, while they live in such
a wicked world as this, in the midst of a crooked and perverse
generation, where there are so many enemies to Christ, and
his cause is in so many ways opposed and run down. These
things often cause them to hang their harps on the willows in
this strange land, and to sit down and weep when they remem-
ber Zion and the interest of their Friend and Redeemer; and
rivers of water run down their eyes, because men keep not his
law, but dishonor him. And the higher their love and friend-
ship to Christ rises, the more affecting and painful will these
things be to them — like the dear friends of Christ, the holy
women who followed him weeping when he went to the cross,
surrounded by an insulting crowd of cruel enemies. Their
love to Christ, their dearest friend, filled their hearts with the
keenest twinges of the most cutting pain, which, as a dread-
ful sword, pierced their souls through and through.

But it is wisely and kindly ordered that this friendship
should begin in such a state as this, and in these circum-
stances; and this will all turn to its great advantage in the
issue, and prepare the way for a higher enjoyment than if
they had never taken place. Christ, their great friend and
patron, superintends, and is in this way disciplining them, and
in the best manner training them up for the near enjoyment
of him in the most perfect state of friendship and happiness.
They are espoused to him, though they are in an enemy's
country ; and he is preparing them for the happy nuptials, when
they shall be brought into his presence and kind embraces,
never to part again. And all their pain and sorrow in this
world which they have suffered on his account, and all they

676 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

have done and suffered for him, shall, in the end, serve to in-
crease their enjoyment and happiness, and be richly rewarded
by him.

He has desired and prayed that they all may be where he
is, that they may behold his glory, and enjoy him to the best
advantage and in the highest degree ; and he will never rest
till he has brought them to this. He will bring them to share
in his own honors and happiness as fully as their enlarged
capacities will admit. He will seat them at his own right
hand ; yea, they shaft sit down with him on his throne, and
reign jointly with him, as the queen shares in the dignity and
honors of the prince her husband. They shall drink with him
of the river of his pleasures, and enjoy all that he has, even
the whole of his boundless riches and most extensive king-
dom. He will bring forth all his hidden treasures for them,
and open his heart to them in the fullest manner and with-
out any reserve. He will make them perfectly like himself,
and put his own beauty and glory upon them, and bring
them to a high and perfect relish for his beauty, and put them
in all respects, and every way, under the best advantage to
love and enjoy him forever. This shall perfect this friendship,
which will be increasing in unknown, inconceivable heights
forever and ever.

Thus they shall be satisfied, perfectly satisfied, and incon-
ceivably happy, when they shall awake in his likeness, and
stand complete before him, the beloved of their souls, in whose
presence is fulness of joy, and at whose right hand are pleas-
ures forevermore. Then it will be said concerning every one
of the true friends of Christ, " These are they which came out
of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they
before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his
temple ; and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among
them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the
Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them,
and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters ; and God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Then shall Christ
appear, in all his fulness and glory, as the head of his church,
and, in the highest and most emphatical sense, say, " I am
come into ray garden, my sister, my spouse. Eat, O friends,
drink, yea, drink abundantly." Then the angels will tune
their notes higher than ever, and say, with a voice like the
voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty thunderings,
" Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him, the glori-
ous Friend and Bridegroom of the redeemed ; for the mar-

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 677

riage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself
ready."

The friends of Christ now little think what they are coming
to, and what will be the issue of these exercises they now
have. They have already seen and enjoyed what others never
have, for Christ, in his superlative glory and excellence, has
been manifested unto them ; but they shall see greater things
than these. And the words which Christ spoke to one of his
disciples when he was on earth are applicable to all of them :
" What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know here-
after." " Beloved, now we are the sons of God, the friends
of Christ, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be ; but
we know that, wheu he shall appear, we shall be like him ; for
we shall see him as he is."

APPLICATION.

I. This subject, as it has been considered, affords great evi-
dence of the truth and divinity of Christianity, and of all the
great and leading doctrines, and at the same time shows how
the Christian, though not learned, or of great natural capacity,
is assured that it is a revelation from the only true God, and
will give eternal life and happiness to all who cordially em-
brace it.

If the gospel is formed and suited to give those who em-
brace it the highest and most defined and noble enjoyment,
which is the beginning of most complete and endless happi-
ness,— if, so far as it has its proper and genuine influence
on the hearts and lives of men, it spreads happiness through
society, and forms all to a happy union, by which they pro-
mote, enjoy, and rejoice in the welfare of each other, and
brings them into a friendship, which is in the nature of it per-
fect, having nothing undesirable, and nothing wanting to
render it the most excellent, noble, and durable love and friend-
ship that can be imagined, — then it must be divine, a revela-
tion from Heaven, the production of Infinite Wisdom and
Goodness. But that all this is true, has been made abundantly
evident, by the very imperfect representation in the preceding
discourses. And it is sufficiently supported by the Scripture
itself, by impartial reason, and by abundant experience.

This scheme of friendship and happiness for man never
would have been thought of by any one of the human race,
had it not been revealed from Heaven. Hence it is made
certain that no other scheme of religion but that revealed in
the Bible is true, or can make men happy by embracing it;
57*

67^ A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

and that all other methods to obtain happiness, of which there
are many devised by the wit and learning of the most saga-
cious among men, are mere delusions, and never will or can
obtain it. For when the world by their wisdom knew not
God, or the way to true happiness, it pleased God, by the
foolishness of preaching, to save and make completely and
eternally happy all them who believe.

But the unbeliever will say, " I do not pretend to understand
the Scriptures ; but I am certain that my reason and experi-
ence dictate that there is no happiness in attending to the
Bible, but very much the contrary. And the spread of
Christianity in the world has been far from making mankind
more happy than they were without it. It has been the occa-
sion of unspeakable calamity. And even professing Christians,
instead of being united by it in love and friendship, have been
the greatest enemies to each other, and destroyed one another
in the most cruel manner."

Answer. That such have received no happiness by the at-
tention they have paid to the Bible is not an argument of the
least weight that it is not to be found there. Men may come
to the Bible with a strong and prevailing disposition and taste
of mind or heart which does not relish that in which true hap-
piness consists, but is highly disgusted and displeased with it.
With this vitiated taste, they relish and seek after happiness
where it cannot be found, being wholly blind to these spiritual,
noble objects and truths, in the knowledge and enjoyment of
which there is the highest ha)^)iness. And such a wrong taste
and disposition tends to bias their understanding and reason,
so as to render it partial, and incline to speculative error. It
is, therefore, to impartial reason that we appeal.

This blindness, which consists in a wrong taste and dispo-
sition of mind, the Scripture speaks of as common to all men
in their natural state ; and when it so commonly takes place,
it is a confirmation of the truth of the Scripture. " The natu-
ral man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they
are foolishness unto him ; neither can he know them, because
they are spiritually discerned."

As to the effect which Christianity has had in the world, it
is acknowledged that, where it has been perverted and abused,
it has been the occasion of much evil. The best things are
capable of abuse, and of being made the occasion of great
misery. But this is no argument against their excellency, and
tendency to the greatest good, when improved according to
their nature. In order to be under advantages to determine
this question we must study the Bible, and learn what are the
■doctrines and precepts contained in it. Every one who, with

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP 679

impartiality and a right or good taste, does this, sees what
Christianity is, and knows that, in conformity to it, the greatest
peace, love, and friendship, and the most pure and noble hap-
piness, is to be enjoyed ; though an abuse of it may be at-
tended with the worst consequences.

This brings into view the other part of the inference we are
considering, viz., that the true Christian has a constant evi-
dence in his own mind that Christianity is from Heaven, and
will give complete and eternal life and happiness to all who
embrace it. They have found and tasted this happiness, con-
sisting in Christian friendship to Christ and to all who appear
to bear his image, and know that nothing is wanting in order
to their complete felicity forever but to have this friendship
perfected, and attended with every circumstance favorable
to it. They are sure this scheme is from Heaven, and has a
divine stamp upon it, as it is as much beyond man to form it
as to create the world. They may not be able to produce all
which is called the external evidence of the truth of Chris-
tianity, or to answer all the subtle cavils, and objections, and
witty scoffs of infidels, but are able to say, with the primitive
Christians, " We know that the Son of God has come, and
hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that
is true. This is the true God, and eternal life." And they
are witnesses to the truth declared by their beloved Lord and
Savior. " This is life eternal, that they might know thee the
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." They
have found the treasure hid in a field, the pearl of great price.
They have found all they want to make them eternally happy ;
and cheerfully forsake and give up every thing else, and re-
nounce all hopes or desires of any other happiness, for the
sake of these.

II. How happy are the true friends of Christ I They have
a degree of sweet enjoyment and happiness now, which stran-
gers intermeddle not with, in love and union of heart to Christ
and their fellow-saints. They taste the sweets of Christian
friendship, in comparison with which all other enjoyments are
low, insipid, and worthless. They see such superlative, ravish-
ing beauty and excellence in their most beloved friend, that
they are become insensible and dead to all those objects which
glitter in the eyes of the world and charm their hearts, by
which they are hurried on in the pursuit of them with the
greatest eagerness. They have a friend of such excellence
and worth, that it will take an eternity to tell what he is and
make a full display of his sufficiency and perfection. What
though their portion in this world is mean, and their lot hard ;
it is ordered by their kind, wise friend for their best good.

680 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

What though they may be overlooked, yea, despised, by men,
and are counted the ofTscouring of all things ; their names are
enrolled in the most honorable place in heaven ; they are en-
graven on the breast of Him who is at the head of the uni-
verse, who is their almighty and everlasting Friend, and will
confess their names before the congregated universe. Their
life is hid with Christ in God ; and when Christ, their friend,
who is their life, shall appear, then shall they also appear with
him in glory. Though they are inconceivably unworthy, guilty,
despicable, and ill deserving in themselves, yet their friend, to
whom they are united, has dignity and worthiness enough to
recornrnend to the highest honors and happiness. Because
they love him, and have united themselves to him, as their
friend and patron, the great Father of the universe loves them,
and is disposed to bestow on them all imaginable favors and
honors; and all the angels delight in them, and join to serve
and honor them. By virtue of their union to, and interest in,
this friend and patron, they are counted worthy of immensely
higher honors and happiness than their most perfect and
longest-continued holiness could have entitled them to. The
low, guilty, and wretched state into which they are fallen by
sin shall, on the whole, be no disadvantage to them, but in-
finitely to the contrary. All this evil shall be turned into the
greatest good to them. From this infinite depth of guilt and
woe, in which they are sunk infinitely below the reach of any
finite arm, they shall be raised to the top of the creation, and
be made the highest and happiest of all, next to the most
blessed and glorious personage to whom they are united and
bear the most near and honorable relation. With him they
shall dwell forever, and be admitted to as great intimacy and
familiarity as if he was their equal, and immensely more, even
as great as they can possibly desire — shall constantly have
all the tokens and expressions of his love they can wish for,
and enjoy a dear and sweet friendship with him, without in-
terruption, which shall exceed every thing of the kind beyond
conception, and will grow more and more sweet and trans-
porting through boundless duration, eternal ages. In that
world of love, where all shall swim in this river, this bound-
less ocean of sacred pleasure and delight, they shall have the
sweetest, the cream of all; as the first born, they shall inherit
a double portion forever. But I must stop ; the theme is
boundless.

Am I speaking to any of the friends of Jesus Christ, who love
him in sincerity, and, as chaste virgins, are espoused to him?
Hail, ye blessed of the Lord! Ye are greatly beloved by him,
and nothing shall be able to separate you from his love. All

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 681

things are working together for your good. Jesus, the beloved
of your souls, is at the head of the universe, and is the ap-
pointed Judge of all. Lift up your heads, and rejoice, for your
redemption draweth nigh. You shall soon see him at the
head of his most glorious kingdom, with all his enemies under
his feet. He will completely fulfil all the good pleasure of his
goodness towards you. All things are for your sakes, that his
abundant grace might, through the thanksgiving of many, re-
dound to the glory of God. Be entreated, then, not to faint, but
lift up the hands that hang down, and the feeble knees. Let
us not cease to pray for one another, and for all the saints,
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give unto us more of the spirit of wisdom and revelation
f in the knowledge of him, the eyes of our understanding being
enlightened, that we may know what is the hope of his calling,
and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance, which he
has provided for all the saints.

HI. But who are these most happy persons, the true friends
of Jesus Christ ? Many are doubtless deceiving themselves in
this important point. They are professing great love to Jesus
Christ, and are confident that he is their friend, while indeed
they know him not, and are real enemies to his true character,
and will be found at last the workers of iniquity, of whom he
will be ashamed, and reject them as those whom he never
knew. There may be others who, though they are his real
friends, are often calling their love and friendship to Christ in
question, and ready sometimes even to conclude against them-
selves. It may, therefore, be worth while to attend to this ques-
tion a little, to which the subject we are upon naturally leads us.

Doubtless many readers have had this serious and impor-
tant question in view through the whole of the preceding dis-
courses ; and while we have attended to the nature, peculiar
circumstances, and exercises of this friendship, much has been
said to give light in this matter, and assist persons in deter-
mining whether they are in any degree acquainted with this
divine friendship or not. But, for the further assistance of
those who are seriously inquiring whether they are true friends
to Christ or not, — that the truly sincere may be encouraged
and comforted, and the presumptuous self-deceiver may be
detected and convinced, — it may be worth while to attend to
the following particulars, which this subject naturally brings
into view : —

1. True friendship to Jesus Christ is not grounded on, and
does not originate from, a conviction and belief that he loves
them and is their friend.

This has been apparent in the whole description that has

082 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

been given of this love and friendship, and is most evident
from the reason and nature of things. Where one loves, and
is a friend to another only because he is persuaded that the
other loves him, there is no real benevolence, esteem, com-
placency, or true friendship in the case. It is nothing but
self-love, called out to exercise in this particular way, in which
there is not a spark of true friendship, but is a principle most
directly opposite to it of any in nature. The man is a friend
to himself, he is wholly bound up in his own private interest,
and values and seeks nothing else, and takes no complacency
and delight in any thing else, in no person or thing, any fur-
ther than in his viev^r it is friendly to him, or tends some way
to promote his interest, or that which he looks upon so. Such
a one continuing so is not capable of true friendship, to which |
disinterested benevolence is essential. This is so plain a
dictate of the common sense and feeling of mankind, that it
cannot be disputed. If the affection and friendship of any one
to us is evidently wholly grounded in the kindness he has re-
ceived from us and our friendship towards him, and all his
affection and regard is excited and kept up by this considera-
tion only, — so that if we should leave off to show kindness to
him, or he should suppose that we were not his friends, all his
affection and friendship would immediately cease, — if this was
evidently all the friendship he has for us, we cannot help look-
ing on such a one not to be our true friend. Such sort of
friendship as this may take place between persons who have
not the least degree of true benevolence, and who are real
enemies to each other's true character ; and all mankind have
joined to pronounce it a worthless thing, and not worthy the
name of true friendship; and it is as distant from true friend-
ship, and as worthless, when exercised towards Jesus Christ,
as if it was exercised towards us. Yet many are here de-
ceiving themselves, and offering that to Christ for his accept-
ance which, if we should offer to any of our fellow-men, they
would despise and abhor.

But the true friends of Christ have had their affection and
love to him excited, and they have commenced his true friends,
from a view of his true character exhibited in divine revela-
tion, entirely independent of the consideration of his loving
and being a friend to them. When his character was once
opened to their view, and they saw what manner of person he
was, they were pleased and charmed with him, and their hearts
became friendly to him in a moment. They did not, neither
could they, stay till they knew he was their friend and loved
them before they commenced his friends and gave their hearts
to him. No ; they could not but love him, whether he loved

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 683

them or no. That this is always true of the real friends of
Christ is evident to a demonstration, not only from what has
been just now observed of the nature of true friendship, there
being no other such, but that which is founded in a disinter-
ested love and affection, but from this plain and infallible
truth, viz., that we can have no evidence that Christ is our
friend and loves us until it is evident that we are his friends.
There is no other possible way for any person to know, or
have the least ground to think, that Christ is his friend, but by
first becoming a friend to him. If, therefore, he v^aits, and
neglects to become friendly to Christ, till he has some evidence
that Christ is more a friend to him than to every other person,
he never will be a friend to him. We are, therefore, certain,
that if there are any friends to Christ in this world, they be-
came so antecedent to any evidence which they had that Christ
was their friend and loved them ; for it is impossible they
should have any such evidence antecedent to their love to him,
and as the ground and spring of it; this evidence being always
consequent on our love to Christ, and never before it. Christ
says, " He that loveth me, I will love him ; or, I will love them
that love me." Here we see Christ's love and friendship is
grounded on a person's love to him, and is the consequence of
it; therefore, the latter cannot be the consequence of the for-
mer, and grounded on that ; and here Christ promises his love
and friendship to them who love him ; therefore, according to
this promise, our love to him is the only evidence that he is
our friend; and there is not one promise in the Bible of
Christ's special love and friendship to any one, unless he has
that character which implies true love to Christ; or, they who
are not the true friends to Christ have no promise made to
them of Christ's special love and favor; therefore, can have no
degree of evidence of it while they continue such. They,
therefore, who think they have had any token or evidence of
Christ's special love to them antecedent to their loving him,
or before they become his friends, are most certainly deluded ;
and they whose friendship to Christ is built on such a suppo-
sition, and has originated wholly from the belief that he was
their special friend, are founding all their friendship on a gross
delusion, and are indeed no true friends to Christ, and need
nothing but to see the truth, in order to know they are not;
and they who will not love Christ, and become friends to him,
till they first know, or believe on good evidence, that he is their
special friend, will never be his friends in this world ; therefore,
will certainly remain his enemies to all eternity.

The true friends of Christ love him for what he is in himself,
and all their friendship to him consists originally and funda-

684 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

mentally in this. He has worthiness and excellency, beauty
and charms enough in his person and character to win the
heart of any one who has the least degree of true discerning
and right taste and disposition. If persons have no degree
of such taste and discerning, all the possible manifestations
and testimonies of Christ's special love to them would not
beget the least spark of such a disposition, so would not pro-
duce the least degree of true friendship ; therefore, would do
no manner of good to such a one, but hurt, as it would be
the occasion of the exercise of the wickedness and lusts of his
heart, and leave him really a more confirmed enemy to Christ
than he was before. But if persons have any degree of right
taste and discerning implanted in their hearts, — which is al-
ways done in regeneration, — they will love and be charmed
with the beauty and excellence of Christ's character, and
commence his true friends immediately, before they know or
have the least evidence that he is their friend or has any
special love to them. And it is in consequence of their thus
loving and cleaving to him that he manifests himself to them
as their special Friend and Redeemer. And this manifesta-
tion is made by the medium of their love to him, which, as
has been before observed, is in all cases the only evidence that
any person can have that Christ is indeed his friend. Christ
himself has, on design, stated this matter as plain as words can
inake it. He says, " He that loveth me, I will love him, and
will manifest myself unto him."

It is granted that the manifestation and evidence of Christ's
special love to his true friends will greatly increase their love
to him ; and, therefore, in a sense and degree, they love him
because he first loved them ; or, his love to them, manifested
in the way just mentioned, does render him more dear to
them, and greatly increase and sweeten their love and friend-
ship for him. But if they had no antecedent love to him,
groimded upon what he is in himself, such manifestation
would not be the occasion of any true love, as has been
observed. When, therefore, a sense and manifestation of
Christ's love to them is said to be the occasion of their love to
him, it is supposed that they were already, and antecedent to
this, his true friends. The more true love and friendship we
have for any one, grounded on the true worth and excellence
of his character, the more pleasing will it be to us to be beloved
by him, and the more will it increase our love and friendship.

The view of this matter which we have now had is suf-^
ficient to demonstrate to every considerate, unprejudiced per-
son that those remarkable words of the apostle John, "We
love hira because he first loved us," cannot mean that our

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 685

love to Christ originates from a belief and sense of his love to
us, as the proper cause and reason of it, so that men never
love him in any other view, or on any other account, and our
love to him is in proportion to the evidence and manifestation
of his love to us ; so that when this evidence ceases, and we
call in question his love to us, our love to him ceases, and
again rises in proportion to our belief and assurance that he
is our friend. This is the meaning that many have put on
them and earnestly contended for. But what has been said
is suHicient to show that they herein contend for a love and
friendsliip to Christ which is not true friendship, but is per-
fectly selfish and mercenary, so cannot be that in which true
Christianity consists. The worst of men will love those that
love them, without any alteration in their moral character at
all. Such a love is no virtue, but rather a vice, as it is only
the exercise of their lusts. And these same men will love
Christ if they can be persuaded to believe that Christ loves
them, and yet be as destitute of true religion, and as vicious,
as ever. And whoever is a friend to Christ only in this view,
and on this account, has no true religion, and is, at bottom, a
real enemy to Christ. The meaning of these words, then,
" We love him because he first loved us," must be, that God's
love and benevolence to us is the ground and reason of our
ever being brought to love him, as we never should have been
brought to such a temper and disposition, but have continued
his enemies, had he not, from his eternal, electing love given
us a new heart, a heart to love him ; so that, in this sense, his
love to us, which is first, even from eternity, is the cause of
our love to him. This is a certain truth, and these words
are as well adapted to express it as any that can be thought
of. Our Savior, speaking of the same thing, viz., the love and
friendship between his disciples and himself, expresses it in
different words. He says to them, " Ye have not chosen me,
but I have chosen you ; " i. e., my previous choice of you to be
my disciples and friends has been the reason of your becoming
my friends and followers, as you never would have become
my friends had I not brought it about; so you now love me,
and are become my friends, because I first loved you, looked
you up, and called you by my influences and grace. What
the apostle plainly means to assert here is, that in the work
of redemption, in which a reconciliation is brought about be-
tween God and man, and a mutual love and friendship takes
place, God is the first mover, and not man. This is the theme
he is upon, as appears by the tenth verse : " Herein is love,
not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his
Son to be a propitiation for our sins." God is first in his
VOL. II. 58

686 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

love to man, by which he has provided a Mediator ; and then,
by his motion and influences, brings men to love him. And
thus we are brought into this friendship, and love God and
the Savior, not as first moving in the aflair ourselves, but be-
cause God first loved us. The devil knew that such a selfish
religion is not true religion, but is an argument that a man is
really a wicked man, and an enemy to God ; therefore he
said, in order to set Job in a bad light, and insinuate that the
character God gave of him, as an upright man, did not belong
to him, "Doth Job fear God for nought?" etc.; q. d., "Job
is wholly selfish and mercenary in what he does, and has no
true respect and love to God, nor is really his friend; for all
the love and service he renders to God is grounded on God's
love and kindness to him and the good he gets by it. There-
fore, only take away these tokens of love and goodness, and
his love will wholly cease, and he will turn an enemy to God."
And God implicitly grants that, if this was the case with Job,
he was not worthy the character he had given him ; therefore
proceeds to put this matter to the trial. Woe to the person
whose love and friendship to Christ is built on no better foun-
dation than this ! When the trial comes he will be found
w^anting, even just such a one as the devil would have him
be — a real and confirmed enemy to Jesus Christ.

Let every one, then, who is inquiring whether he is a true
friend to Christ or not, see to it that he does not deceive him-
self here, while all his love and afl'ection is only a selfish thing,
arising wholly from a thought and belief that Christ is his
friend, and not consisting in any true sense of his worthiness,
superlative excellence and beauty. The true friends to Christ
love and esteem him, are pleased with his person and charac-
ter, and are friendly and benevolent to him, rejoicing in his
honor and happiness, independent of his love to them ; and,
therefore, if he should cast them off" forever, and their character
continue the same, this would not destroy their love to him,
but they would, notwithstanding this, continue his hearty
friends, even under the highest tokens of his displeasure, could
he do this consistent with his true character.

2. The true friends of Christ are submissive and obedient
to him.

There is no true principle of obedience bvrt love; and just
so far as this takes place, there is a spirit of obedience. So
far as one is a true friend to another he is devoted to
his service, and is at his beck, especially if he is his supe-
rior and has a right to dictate and command. And with
what freedom and pleasure do we strive to serve and please
our dear friends I This is no task, but a privilege. What

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 687

influence, then, will true love and friendship to Christ have
in this respect ! With what sweet delight do they devote
themselves to him, looking on his service as the greatest
privilege and happiness that they can conceive of! They
lonij to be all submission and obedience to him, from a sense
of the sweetness and pleasure of it. As soon as they become
friends to him, they are reconciled to, and pleased with, all his
institutions, commands, and ways. They esteem all his pre-
cepts concerning all things to be perfectly right. They will
meditate on his precepts, and have respect to all his ways ;
yea, they will delight themselves in his statutes, and rejoice
in the way of his testimonies, more than in all riches. They
well understand the Psalmist when he says, " I opened my
mouth, and panted, for I longed for thy commandments."
They are not disposed to pick and choose for themselves, but
are ready to sign a blank, and say, " Lord, what wilt thou
have me to do ? " With this disposition they read God's
word, desiring to find what is that good, and perfect, and ac-
ceptable will of Christ. They are not offended at the cross,
or scared at the prospect of sufferings for their dear Lord and
Master, but are ready to look upon this as a great privilege
and happiness. All this is the natural, and even necessary,
attendant of true friendship to Christ. This our dear Lord
has expressed repeatedly in the strongest terms. His words
are, " He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it
is that loveth me. If a man love me, he will keep my words.
Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you."

There are many professed friends of Christ who are found
wanting, yea, essentially defective, when tried by this plain, in-
fallible rule, which is most insisted on of any in the Word of
God, as the best rule of trial. They have, it may be, at times,
had some uncommon motions and affections of soul, as they
fondly think, towards Christ; and in these they rest as a sure
evidence that they are become friends to him. But what is
the fruit in their life and conversation ? Why, it may be truly
said of them, they profess great love and friendship to Christ,
but in works they dishonor and deny him. They call him
Lord and Master, but do not the things that he says ; there-
fore, we may be sure they are not his friends ; that all their
affection, love, and joy, however high it rises, is of a spurious
kind, and has nothing of the nature of true love to Christ.

Look well to yourselves in this point, my friends. Flatter
not yourselves that you are friends to Christ, unless you are
wholly devoted to his service, and are, with great exactness
and conscientious care, labor, and watchfulness, attending upon
whatsoever he has commanded, and avoiding all that he has

688 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

forbidden, in thought, word, and deed ; at the same time not ,
counting this a task, but a privilege, from which you never
desire to be released.

3. If persons are the true friends of Christ, their obligations
to him appear exceeding great to them.

It is the nature of true friendship to operate thus. This,
above all things, tends to make persons sensible of the obliga-
tions they are under to their friend, and to be ready, and even
delight, to acknowledge them. The more we esteem and love
any one, the greater does his kindness to us appear, and the
more are we affected with it, and, consequently, the more sen-
sible shall we be of the obligations we are under to him, and
the more shall we be pleased and dehghted in being thus
obliged.

This takes place in the friendship we are now considering
to a degree beyond any parallel. No obligations in the uni-
verse are so great as those of Christ's friends and servants to
him. They are enhanced to an amazing degree, and become in-
finite every way. They are enough to fill the soul with wonder
and astonishment, and swallow up all thought. And his friends
are not without a sense of this. They feel themselves bound
to Christ by the strongest ties, which are beyond all expres-
sion. He has bought them by his own precious blood ; and
what obligations do they acknowledge themselves to be under,
to be wholly and forever devoted to him, with the utmost
strength of their hearts I

If you are the friends of Christ, this has been often a very
affecting theme to you. You have felt and acknowledged
your obligations to Christ with an ardor of soul inexpressible,
and with a great degree of sweetness and delight. And you
have said, many a time, "What shall I render to the* Lord
and Savior for all his benefits?" And you have found you
had no returns to make answerable to the immense obliga-
tions you are under to him. This leads to observe, —

4. The friends of Christ never think they have done enough
for him, but always, in their own view, come vastly short of
what they owe to him.

This is always the attendant of true friendship among men,
especially where one is a great friend to another who is much
his superior every way, and to whom he is under great and
peculiar obligations. He is not afraid of doing too much for
his friend ; but always comes short of what he would be glad
to do, being ready to purpose and do more than he does. And
he is not apt to magnify what he has done, and think he does
a great deal, as he does it with so much pleasure, and his ob-
ligations appear so great; but he is disposed to think it little,

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 689

or even nothing; and if his friend appears to take great notice
of it, he is ready to wonder at it, and think he greatly magni-
fies it. He thinks he is to blame that he has done no more,
and is uneasy with himself on this account, and wonders that
such notice should be taken of what he has done.

But, in the case before us, this takes place in a higher de-
gree than in any other ; as the Christian's friend is so much
more worthy and excellent than any other, and he is under so
much greater obligations to him, and his defects and short
comings are so much greater and more aggravated than in
any other case. All the Christian does, and renders to Christ,
sinks into nothing, in his view; and he looks upon it as amaz-
ing condescension in Christ to take any notice of it, or accept
it. He can heartily and feelingly espouse the language of a
certain great friend of Christ, who was once in our world, but
is now in heaven with him : " What I would, that I do not ;
and what I would not, that I do." I am infinitely in debt to
my glorious friend, but pay nothing. All the returns I make
to him are so little, and so much below the obligations I am
under, that they are altogether unworthy his notice. O, that
I could give away to him my whole self forever, in one pure,
constant, ardent flame of love ! And even this would be so
little, worthless a gift, that it is great grace and condescension
in him to accept it. If I was called to the greatest sufferings
in his cause, and to lay down my life for him, this I should
count the greatest privilege ; but how little would this be to-
wards paying the debt I owe ! how little, compared with what
hs has done for me I

There are many professed Christians who naturally think
they do a great deal for Christ, and that he is much in debt
to them for it; while they are really doing little, compared
with what many others do. And the very reason why they
have so high an opinion of what they do is, because they
count Christ's service hard, and, at bottom, have no true love
to him. But the true friends of Christ, from the great love
they have to him, are disposed to look upon all they can do
or suffer for him as little or nothing.

5. The friends of Christ are ready to espouse his cause at
all times, let it cost them what it will.

This is the nature of true friendship ; it will lead persons
always to appear on the side of their friend, to espouse his
cause, and promote his interest. Solomon observes, that a
friend loveth at all times. This is applicable to the case be-
fore us; a true friend of Christ loveth at all times, is ready to
stand up in his cause, and espouse his interest, let who will
oppose it. He is not ashamed of his friend, and will not
58*

690 - A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

account his name, estate, or his life dear to him, if he is called
to give any or all of them up, to testify his love to Christ.
He is tenderly affected and hurt when Christ is slighted and
dishonored, and will do all he can to wipe off the reproach.
And, if Christ must be dishonored and reproached, he is will-
ing to suffer reproach with him ; and desires not to fare better
in the world than Christ and his cause do.

6. The true friends of Christ desire and long to have others
become his friends.

Their benevolence to Christ and to their fellow-men will
both intluence to this. They want all should love and honor
Christ, out of love and benevolence to him ; and they ear-
nestly desire that others may enjoy the happiness of this friend-
ship, as friends to them. Under the influence of this, they are
praying for others, that they may be brought to know Christ,
and so become his real friends and servants ; and they are
taking all the proper ways they can think of to recommend
Christ to others, both in words and conduct, by holding forth
light, and matter of conviction of his worth and excellence.

7. The true friends to Christ know that they are naturally
enemies to him, and continue to have a great degree of oppo-
sition and enmity in their hearts to him even now.

There are many professed Christians who are insensible that
they are, or ever were, in any degree, real enemies to Christ.
They think mankind in general, and themselves in particular,
are much misrepresented and abused, if any one declares them
to be naturally enemies to Christ. This, we are obliged to
think, is owing to their not being real friends to Christ. If
they were, they could not be so insensible of that which op-
poses him. It is no wonder that he who is not a friend to
Christ should be blinded in this matter, and wholly overlook
his opposition and enmity to Christ; but that a true friend to
him should be thus blinded is perfectly unaccountable, and
even impossible. All sin is most direct opposition to Christ,
and enmity against him, whether it be in us or in others. But
the Christian world is fijll of sin, and all men are naturally
wholly given to it, and, therefore, really hate Christ; and even
his best friends in this world have a great degree of corrup-
tion, and many sinful exercises of heart; and all this is real
emnity to Christ, it being not the less so because they have
a degree of love to Christ. Therefore, it seems impossible that
a friend to Christ should be insensible of this.

When any one has no true love and friendship for another,
but greatly undervalues, dislikes, and hates him, and yet im-
agines he is his true friend, he must, of consequence, be in a
great degree stupid and blind to the slight and contempt that

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 691

is cast upon him, and will naturally think he is treated well
enough, and may look upon that as an act of respect to him
in which really a slight is put upon him, and is an act of en-
mity against his true character. But he who is a true friend
to another, and esteems, honors, and loves him to a great de-
gree for what he is in himself, and in a view of his true char-
acter, will be quick to discern and feel every slight that is put
upon him, and every thing that opposes his character. So it
is in this case ; the true friend of Christ knows the whole world
lies in wickedness, and that all men are naturally in arms
against Christ, and are proclaiming their enmity against him;
that he himself is naturally a rebel ^nd enemy to him ; and
that there is a great degree of the same thing in his heart now,
of which he shall never be wholly cured, till he is perfectly cured
of all sin. In this view, the friends of Christ loathe and abhor
themselves, humble themselves before him, and lie in the dust at
his feet, judging and condemning themselves, acknowledging
their own guilt and ill desert, and exceeding vileness and
odiousness, and feeling themselves wholly without the least
excuse. They know that the carnal mind, even every thing
that is in man naturally, is enmity against Christ, and that
the friendship of this world is enmity against him ; that they
are no further friends to Christ than they are new creatures,
having putotTthe old man with his lusts, and put on the new
man ; and, O, how do they long for deliverance from this body
of sin and death, to be perfectly like Christ, and turned into a
pure, holy flame of perfect love to him !

8. The true friends of Christ think much of him, and his
name is as ointment poured forth, having a sweetness and
fragrancy, which often tills their hearts with a holy warmth
and fervor, and sweet, heavenly delight.

Our dearest friends have always a place in our hearts ; we
are apt to have them much in our thoughts ; every thing about
us, and every occurrent, almost, will suggest the idea of them
to our minds, which we are apt to carry with us wherever
we go.

And surely there is something like this in the friendship we
are considering. No person has reason to think he is a friend
to Christ unless he thinks much of him, and the pleasing idea
he has formed of him is apt to be present and is familiar
to him.

The friend of Christ has really more concern with him than
with any other person in the universe, and more passes be-
tween him and Christ than between an}^ one else. To him
his heart naturally goes out, when alone, in exercises of love,
devotion, and prayer; and of hirn he thinks much, even in

692 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

company, for none can so divert him as to erase the sweet
idea of his best beloved from his mind; and whatever he does,
in word or deed, he does all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Christ is in
him the hope of glory, and the life he lives is a life of faith on
the Son of God.

9. The friends of Christ do trust in him wholly for right-
eousness and strength. They trust in his merit and worthi-
ness only to recommend them so as to find acceptance
with the Father of the universe, and to all that favor they
need. They know they have no worthiness of their own, but
infinitely the reverse of it ; that they are in themselves most
unworthy, odious, and ill deserving ; and they know that Christ
has merit and worthiness enough to recommend them, and
they see wherein it consists. Their knovcdedge of the true
character of Christ, and sense of his worthiness, excellency,
and amiableness, in which their love and friendship to him
consists, is a sufficient foundation for their trust in him to
recommend them to the offended Lawgiver. They see the
reason why he is so worthy and acceptable to the Father, and
do not wonder that he is ready to pardon and show the great-
est favors to those who are his friends, and for whom he has
undertaken as their friend and patron, interposing and em-
ploying his merit and worthiness in their behalf. They, there-
fore, see the safety there is in relying upon him for this,
however unworthy they are in themselves ; that they need
nothing but to be united to him, so that he shall be their
friend, and properly espouse their cause, in order to have all
the favor they want, and to be "accepted in the beloved."
And the higher their love and friendship to Christ arises, and
the greater sense they have of his excellency and worthiness,
the more strongly do they rely upon him for righteousness —
the more clearly do they see the propriety, wisdom, and glory
of this way of the sinners finding acceptance with God, and
with the more cheerfulness and delight do they trust in him,
"desiring to be found in him, not having their own righteous-
ness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith
of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." In
short, the more they love Christ, the more fully do they see
their destitution of all righteousness and worthiness of their
own, yea, the infinite distance they are from any such thing,
even their infinite vileness and ill desert; and the more clearly
do they behold the sufficiency of his worthiness to recommend
them, and the more pleased are they with being saved in this
way, as the wisest and most sweet and excellent of any they
can imagine.

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 693

If a person wants a favor of any one, which he has forfeited,
and of which he is utterly unworthy, having justly incurred his
highest displeasure, and there is another, a third person, whom
he highly esteems and loves, and knows he is most worthy and
acceptable in his eyes, whose favor he wants, he will naturally
desire that this his beloved friend should espouse his cause,
and interpose the influence and merit he' has with the offended
person, to procure his pardon and favor. And if he knows that
this his much-esteemed and most dear friend has actually un-
dertaken thus to mediate in the behalf of offenders, and in this
work has done much to please and honor the offended, injured
person, even enough more than to countervail the injury and
damage he had sustained, he will naturally rely wholly upon
his merit and worthiness with the offended person for that
acceptance and favor he wants. And his receiving it in this
channel, wholly by the interposition, merit, and worthiness of
his highly-esteemed and well-beloved friend, will render it
doubly sweet to him, at the same time that it will greatly
endear to him his very worthy friend. And hence we may ob-
ifcrve, that it is agreeable, not only to the practice of mankind,
in such cases, but to the reason and nature of things, that such
a friend should, by his merit with the offended person, procure
pardon and favor to the offender who applies to him and
trusts in him to do such a kind office for him ; and that it
may be reasonable and proper that such a favor should be
given him purely out of respect to the merit and worthiness
of his friend to whom he is united, and in whom he trusts foi
this, which it would not be proper and wise to grant in any
other way.

Thus the friend of Christ sees that " the Lord is well pleased
for his righteousness' sake," and says, with unspeakable satis-
faction and pleasure, " In the Lord have I righteousness ; "
yea, with immensely more pleasure than the angels have in
being accepted in their own righteousness. And the honor
and glory that the Mediator, their dearest friend, has, by thus
becoming Ihe righteousness of his people, and procuring par-
don and acceptance for them, is exceeding satisfactory and
pleasing to his friends. They are abased and humbled to the
lowest degree, and made to take their proper place, in a sense
of their own infinite unworthiness and guilt. Christ, their
friend, is exalted, as having merit and worthiness with God
sulffcient to cancel their guilt, and recommend them to the
greatest dignity and blessedness. And with this they are well
pleased, and rejoice to take their own place, sink down low at
the foot of Christ, and to exalt and honor their glorious Friend
and Redeemer. And in tliis way they, at the same time, exalt
and honor themselves in the highest degree.

694 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

They who are at heart in no degree friendly to Jesus Christ
never thus trust in him for righteousness, nor can they be
reconciled to this method of pardon and salvation. What-
ever profession they may make, and however orthodox they
are in speculation, they do not really understand this matter;
it is foolishness unto them, and their whole hearts do in all
their exercises most directly and strongly oppose it, and they
are, at bottom, seeking after righteousness, as it were, by the
works of the law. The friends of Christ trust wholly in him
also for strength, by which they may persevere in love and
friendship with him, being sensible that they have no suf-
ficiency of their own, and that there is not the least ground
of dependence on themselves. In this sense, they go through
this wilderness to the world above, leaning on their Beloved,
knowing that though of themselves they can do nothing, yet,
through Christ strengthening them, they can do all things.

IV. Let what has been said on this subject be improved to
recommend Jesus Christ to all as the best friend, and as a
motive to enter into friendship with him, and make him their
friend, without delay.

You have been attending to the unspeakable privileges and
blessedness of this friendship ; you have had enough laid be-
fore you abundantly to convince you that this is the most im-
portant and happiest friendship in the universe ; that they are
indeed blessed and made happy forever who are true friends
to Jesus Christ. They enjoy a much higher degree of happi-
ness in this world than any other persons ever did, or ever
can do.

And you are all now invited into this friendship who have
hitherto lived strangers to it ; you are none of you excluded,
but Christ is offered to you all in the character of an almighty
and most excellent friend, and nothing is wanting but the free
consent of your hearts to give yourselves up to him in this
character, become friends to him, cleave to him, and love him,
in order to his being your friend. • You cannot fail of having
him your friend but by rejecting the most kind offer he makes
to you. If, therefore, any under the gospel perish at last for
want of an all-sufficient Friend, who is able and ready to do all
for them they can want, even in the most extreme case, and is
infinitely the best, most sweet and excellent friend in the uni-
verse, it must be because they have persisted through their
whole life in refusing his kind offer to be their friend, and
pressing invitations, urged by the strongest motives imagina-
ble, to choose him as their friend.

All that has been said on this interesting, pleasing subject
conspires to show the folly and misery of such. But to all

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 695

this a few words more may be added, in an address to sucli
who have hitherto rejected this heavenly Friend.

Consider how happy they must be who have entered into
this friendship, who love, and are beloved by, such an infinitely
excellent and amiable friend. Much has been said in the
preceding discourses to set forth the happiness of such. But
the particular consideration which is suited to lead you to con-
ceive of this matter is the happiness of other friendships ; at
least, the happiness which men are eagerly seeking and pur-
suing in them.

The blooming, sprightly youth commonly sets out soon in
the eager pursuit of happiness in love and friendship. For this
he has the most keen taste, and can conceive of no higher
enjoyment than this. To love and be beloved by a friend
which he shall choose out from all the rest of mankind, and
prefer to all the rest — to enjoy such a friend in the most
agreeable circumstances is the height of all felicity, in his view.
And even the hope and prospect of it will give a degree of
high enjoyment, such as it is, and prompt him to go through
almost any dilficulty and hardship, in order to be united with,
and enjoy, such a friend.

Your observation and experience with respect to this may
serve to convince you of the exalted happiness of the friend-
ship I am inviting yon into. What are all the excellences
and charms, either of body or mind, of the most lovely per-
sons on earth, compared with those of Jesus Christ ? You
want nothing but a taste and relish for his beauties in order
to lower your relish for all mere human friendships, and to
make you long for real enjoyment in the most noble and sub-
stantial friendship ; and the highest enjoyment of earthly lovers
(to obtain which they would be willing to give away all the
riches of both the Indies) would appear to you to be mean
trash, a low, despicable, fading nothing. They who, in a high
taste for friendship, are purt^iing happiness in earthly loves,
are always disappointed in a greater or less degree. Either
they never get possession of the beloved object, or, if they do,
they find not those excellences they expected, having greatly
overrated them in their imaginations, or the enjoyment does
not answer their expectations, and the happiness they find is
short lived, and attended with many troubles and undesirable
things, and soon dies away. And often the short-lived com-
fort gives place to a keen and lasting misery, which leaves the
poor creature in absolute despair of that happiness which had
been expected and so eagerly sought after. But in the friend-
ship now proposed to you, your highest expectations shall be
immensely outdone. The enjoyment of your friend shall not

696 A DISCOURSE OS CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

fade, but increase. You will find liis beauty and excellency
greater than you conceived, and that the one half was not
told you. You shall exi?;t in the bloom and vigor of eternal
youth. Your taste for love and friendship shall not die, but
increase, and be a thousand times as high and keen as that
of the most j3assionate, doting, earthly lover; and this shall
be completely satisfied in the enjoyment of your beloved
under all imaginable advantages, and with every desirable cir-
cumstance, while his beauties shall sparkle in your eyes, and
more and more charm and fill you with unutterable transports
of the most solid and lasting joy, and he will give himself
wholly to you forever.

O, let them who have a high relish for earthly love and
friendshij) improve this to help their conceptions of the hap-
piness, of the love and friendship, now recommended ; and
let them hence be excited to seek after this enjoyment, by
choosing Jesus Christ as their friend I Let' them know that it
is only because their taste is vitiated and perverted that they
are not pursuing this love with as much eagerness and high
expectation as the fond youth is hurried on in earthly amours.

And let the youth, in particular, be invited into this friend-
ship. It is pity the morning of your days, the bloom and
vigor of life, should be spent in the eager pursuit of that
which will not profit, but end in disappointment and misery.
It is pity you should not give yourselves up to Jesus Christ,
the heavenly friend, in your early days, and let him have your
first love. He is calling upon you to give your hearts to him
in this noble and exalted friendship. You shall find all the
sweetness in this that you expect, and are pursuing elsewhere,
and ten thousand times more. And this shall sweeten all
other friendships to you that are worthy to be desired and
pursued. This will lay a foundation for a virtuous, noble
friendship with others, which shall grow more and more
refined and sweet, and shall end in something happy and
glorious, beyond all our present conceptions.

Again: consider the base ingratitude and wickedness there
is in slighting and rejecting the ofi'ers of this friendship with
Jesus Christ, and the dreadful consequence of it. If you do
not enjoy all the blessings of this friendship, it will be wholly
your own fault, and the consequence will be unutterable
misery. You must answer for the wickedness you are guilty
of in rejecting Christ, which is in proj)ortion to his greatness,
worthiness, and excellence, his kindness and love, and the hap-
piness you hereby refuse. You are spurning at, and tranijiling
upon, the most tender love of the most worthy and excellent
personage, who offers to receive you into the embraces of the

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 697

dearest love. And O, what will be the consequence of this ?
Why, Christ, the great and celebrated friend, who now offers
to take you into a dear and everlasting friendship, and become
your most loving friend forever, if you will consent to it, will
become your peculiar and greatest enemy ; yea, your impla-
cable enemy forever. He will hate you, and heap mischiefs
on your head, without the least degree of pity or regard to
your interest. He will cast you into outer darkness, and tread
you down in his wrath and trample you in his fury. His
hatred, wrath, and vengeance towards you will be great and
dreadful in proportion to his love and kindness to his friends.
And all his friends will most heartily join with him in this ;
and not one of them will exercise the least love and pity to-
wards you. All your friejidships you are entering into and
pursuing now will wholly cease soon, and turn into the most
tormenting hatred and enmity. The higher your love and
friendship with others rises, which is consistent with your
being enemies to Christ, and the more connections you have
witJi such, the greater enemies and plagues will you be to one
another forever. And the time will soon come when you
shall know you have not a friend in the universe, and that you
yourself know not, nor ever will know, what true friendship
means; being justly cursed, and given up to an unfriendly
heart, full of pride, hatred, envy, malice, revenge, cursing, and
bitterness, in consequence of your refusal to enter into a friend-
ship with Jesus Christ. Consider how hard and cutting it is
now to be hated and have the ill will of others, and find your-
self friendless when in calamity and distress, and you stand
in need of help ; and let this teach you a little what you must
feel if you ever cqme to the case just described. And as you
would avoid all this evil, of which we can have but a faint
idea now, be persuaded to attend to the most kind offer which
Christ makes to you. O, run^Jf// into his arms, which are now
stretched out to you, and he will embrace you forever. Are
you in the utmost danger of" sinking into hell ;.his almighty,
everlasting arms shall be underneath you, to hold you up, and
raise you to the highest heavens. Are you most miserable
and wretched ; run to Christ, and he will deliver you out of all
trouble, and effectually secure you from all evil ; yea, he will
turn evil into good, and bring the greatest good to you out
of the greatest calamity and evil. He is, in the most emi-
nent sense, the friend and brother who was born for adversity.
He is able and ready to help in the most adverse, evil case,
where no other friend can help and deliver. This is his pecu-
liar work, and which is his glory. He is anointed to preach
the gospel to the poor, to bind up the broken hearted, to preach
VOL. II. 59

698 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the
blind ; to set at liberty those that are bruised, to comfort all
that mourn, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of
joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness.

O, how much do you want such a friend as this I How
miserable must you be without him ! What a comfort will
such a friend be in the various calamities in this life! His
name is as a strong tower; the righteous, his true friends, run
into it, and are safe. How much will you want such a friend,
when you come to die! one who has conquered death, and
taken away his sting, and turned him into a friend to his
people ; and over such the second death shall have no power.
What have you tof)bject against entering into this friendship
without delay ? Have you any objections against Christ, as
not being such a one as you want and desire ? O, let not
one of you say so ! How shall we bear to have our dearest
and most excellent friend thus spoken against, and set at
nought! O ye friends of Christ, do not your hearts bleed
when your best-beloved friend is thus contemned and wound-
ed ? And do you not pity these poor, deluded creatures, who
are thus abusing the kindest friend of sinners, to their own
eternal ruin ? Surely this is the language of your hearts, O
sinners! You have a thousand objections against him. He
has, in your feyes, no form nor comeliness, no beauty, that
you should desire him ; therefore he is despised and rejected
by you.

Or do you object against yourselves, as too mean, guilty,
and unworthy to be received and loved by such a friend, so
that it would be presumption in you to think of entering into
such a near union and friendship with him? This objection
is altogether groundless ; was it not so, he never would have
admitted one of the fallen race into this happy, high, and
noble friendship ; for this objection, if it were one, lies with
infinite weight and strength against them all. Do you find
that Christ has any where made this objection against any,
in his word? Surely no; so far from this, that he has done
and said every thing he possibly could, to show that this is
not the least objection with him, and never did, nor ever will,
make it against the most vile, guilty wretch among mankind,
who is willing to be his friend, and chooses him for his Friend
and Redeemer. Your guilt, vileness, and misery will be many
ways an advantage to this peculiar friendship, as has been
shown ; and will be so far from being a dishonor to this glo-
rious Friend of sinners, though he take yovi into the nearest
and dearest relation and friendship with himself, that it will

A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP. 699

turn greatly to his honor and glory. Let this, then, rather be
an argument with you to give yourselves up to him without
delay, as your almighty, wonderful, excellent Friend.

V. Let the professed friends of Jesus Christ be hence led
seriously to consider their distinguishing privileges and high
and peculiar obligations.- Your profession and calling is a
holy, high, and heavenly one indeed. How amazingly dread-
ful to be found at last, after all your profession and hopes,
those to whom Christ will say, " I never knew you : depart
from me, ye workers of iniquity!" O, give all diligence to
make your calling and election sure ! Cleave to this infinitely
excellent and glorious Friend with your whole hearts, and in
all your ways. O, love him, and he will love you ; he will
manifest himself unto you, in all the wonders of his love and
grace ; he will come unto you, and take up his abode with
you. Shall the friends of Christ suffer themselves to get at a
distance from him, and let their hearts sink down into a great
degree of indifference and coldness towards him ? Shall they
cleave and bow down to some other friend which courts their
afTections ? Shall they turn away from him, and seek to make
friendship with this world, which is enmity against Christ ?
If there are any such, they may, with great propriety, be ad-
dressed in the words of Absalom to Hushai : "Is this thy
kindness to thy friend? Why wentest thou not with thy
friend ? " What fault have you found in him, that you treat
him so? Are you not, in a sense, betraying him into the
hands of his enemies ? Shall he be thus wounded in the
house of his professed friends ?

O, hearken to his sweet and charming voice, while he calls
to you in such melting language as this : " Look unto me, my
spouse, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leop-
ards. Return unto me, for I am married unto you. Hearken,
O daughter, and incline thine ear ; forget also thine own peo-
ple, and thy father's house ; so shall the King greatly desire thy
beauty ; for he is thy Lord, and worship thou him." O, if
you have a spark of true love and friendship for him, how can
you forbear saying, and resolving with your whole heart, " I will
go and return to my first husband, for then it was better with
me than now" ? Take with you these words, and turn to the
Lord, your Friend and Redeemer ; say unto him, " Take away
all our iniquity, and receive us graciously into thy favor and
the most kind embraces of thy love; so will we render thee
our whole souls in the most ardent love, gratitude, and praise."
He will then heal your backslidings, and love you freely.

Let the dear friends of Christ hold fast their profession
without wavering, and follow on to know the Lord. Cleave

700 A DISCOURSE ON CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP.

to him, let it cost you what it will ; and hold yourselves in
readiness to part with all, even your own lives, for him. If
ye suffer in his cause as his friends and followers, happy are
ye. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute
you, and say all manner of evil against you, falsely, for his
sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward
in heaven. If there be, therefore, any consolation in Christ,
if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any
bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like minded,
having the same love to Christ and to one another. If ye be
indeed risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Set your
affection on things above, not on things on the earth ; and
when Christ, the chief Shepherd and your Friend, shall appear,
you shall appear with him in glory ; and ye shall receive a
crowm of everlasting glory, and reign with him in his king-
dom forever. Amen.

THREE SERMONS:

THE

DECREES OF GOD

FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

59*

THREE sermons;

SEEMON I.

I know that, whatsoever God doth, it shall be forever ; nothing can be put to
it, nor any thing taken from it j and God doth it, that men should fear be-
fore him. — Ec. iii. 14.

We may be sure that the infinitely great, eternal, omni-
scient Being, who is the First and the Last, the Almighty,
does nothing for an end, or with a view to accomplish any
design, which is temporary and shall wholly cease and come
to nothing, so that every thing which remains shall, in all re-
spects, be just as it would have been had he not done it. For
this would be infinitely unworthy of such a Being, infinitely
beneath him, and unbecoming his character; it would be really
more unbecoming and trifling than for a man to do all he
does through life for no end at all, were this possible, or for the
greatest monarch on earth to spend his life in action for no higher
and more important ends than those which children have in
what they do. That which ceases to exist in all its effects and
consequences, so that the universe is in no respect better or
otherwise than if it had not been, is of infinitely less worth
and importance than that of which the consequence and good
effect, or the end of which, is without end, or forever. There-
fore, the infinitely great, wise, and good Being will do noth-
ing but that which shall answer an end which never shall
cease, so that the consequence and good effect of it shall
exist forever.

K this visible world were to cease to exist, and every effect
and consequence of its having existed were to cease forever, —
so that no end were to be answered by it but what took place
during the existence of it, and no existence, or circumstance
of existence, should be in any respect otherwise than if it had
not existed, — it would have been created and preserved during

* "Written in the year 1789.

704 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

the existence of it, in a great measure, if not altogether, in
vain. It is certain no end would be answered worthy of the
infinite Creator. There would really nothing be gained by
such a work ; all would be lost. Therefore, we may be sure
that none of the works of God are of this kind, but every thing
that he does will, in the effect and consequence of it, exist
forever, or the end to be answered by it will never cease.

The natural world which we behold, with all the works of
man in it, is to come to an end — at least as to the form in
which it now exists — when the end of the existence of it is an-
swered, but that end which was designed to be accomplished
by the creation and continuation of the existence of it will
remain forever. The natural world, the sun, moon, and stars,
with this earth, and all the creatures and things contained in
them which are not capable of moral agency and moral gov-
ernment— the natural world was created, and is upheld, for
the sake of the moral world, and those creatures which are
capable of moral government and of conformity to God in
moral exercises, as a house is built, not for its own sake, but
for the sake of those who are to live in it ; and when this
world, having answered the end with respect to the moral
world for which it was made and preserved, shall be burnt up,
the moral world, and all moral agents, will continue forever,
with all the effects and consequences of the natural world,
respecting the moral world, which were designed to be pro-
duced by creation and providence.

Hence it is demonstrably certain that moral agents, at least
some of them, (and if some, why not all?) will exist without
end; for they cannot answer the end of their existence, and
the end of all those works of God which he has done for their
sake, if they should cease to exist ; they must, therefore, exist
forever.

It will appear evident and certain, no doubt, if duly con-
sidered, that moral government cannot be perfectly or properly
exercised unless it be endless, and, consequently, unless moral
agents, the only subjects of this government, continue to exist
forever. This is evident from the text we are considering and
what has been observed upon it. But the evidence of this
arises from another view of this point. Moral government
cannot be exercised without a law pointing out and requiring
the duty of moral agents, and fixing the penalty of disobedi-
ence, and maintaining and executing this law, agreeably to the
requirements and sanctions of it. The punishment which a
transgression of the divine law deserves is endless evil or suf-
fering ; and, therefore, this must be the penalty of the law of
God, and must be executed on the transgressor, unless some-

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 705

thing can take place to answer the same end ; therefore, he
upon whom this penalty is executed must exist forever, in
order to sutfer the penalty of the law ; and although it be not
essential to the law of God that there should be an express
promise of endless life to the obedient, yet the threatening of
evil to the transgressor seems to imply favor to the obedient,
and is inconsistent with putting an end to their existence, and
depriving them of endless happiness, which in their view, and
in reality, would be an infinite negative evil ; and, therefore,
must be inconsistent with the wisdom and goodness of God,
yea, with his distributive justice, for they deserve no evil, so
long as they continue obedient. Therefore, nothing but trans-
gression can put an end to the existence and happiness of a
moral agent; it hence follows, that they who persevere in
obedience must exist happy forever, and they who transgress
must suffer evil without end ; consequently, every moral agent
must exist forever, in order to the proper and full exercise of
moral government. Therefore, whatever God does respecting
moral agents (and he has respect to these in all he does) ia
this sense shall be forever ; he has a view to an endless dura-
tion, and aims at an end which never shall cease, but must
exist forever.

It has been observed, that the moral world is the end of all
God's works, and that the subjects of moral government must
exist forever; and that, in this sense, all that God does shall
be forever. But the subjects of moral government, and all the
events that immediately relate to them, do not comprehend all
the moral world ; God himself must be considered as included
in this everlasting, moral kingdom, as the supreme Head and
eternal King of it ; and he, being infinitely greater, more im-
portant, and worthy of regard than any or all creatures, must,
therefore, be the end of all that is done ; that is, he must make
himself the highest and last end, and do all for himself, as the
Scripture asserts : " The Lord hath made all things for him-
self." The exercise, manifestation, and display of his own
perfections and glory must be the supreme end of all the
works of God, which necessarily includes the greatest possible
happiness of the obedient subjects of his moral kingdom,
which, therefore, must be forever, or without end ; for a tem-
porary display of the divine glory, and the temporary hap-
piness and glory of the moral kingdom of God, would be
infinitely less than an eternal and increasing duration of these,
and nothing in comparison with this. In this view, we see
how^ whatsoever God doth is forever. His design in all he
does is his own glory in his everlasting kingdom. This is his
end, and the issue of all is this, which shall have no end. The

706 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

kingdom of God is an everlasting kingdom, and of his domin-
ion and glory there will be no end, which is abundantly
asserted in Scripture, we all know; and this kingdom, glory,
and dominion is the end of all God's works. Therefore, every
thing he doth shall be forever; it hath no end in his design,
and in the effect and consequence. Nothing can be more
certain than this.

2. It is asserted ,in these words that God has fixed a plan
of operation, including all his works, all he doth or will do in
time and to eternity, and that he is executing this plan or
design in all he dotii ; all his works having reference to this,
and being included in it. This is implied in the former par-
ticular. For if in all God doth he hath respect to that which
is endless, he must have formed a design and fixed a plan of
operation which is endless, including all he will do, and all
events, to eternity. This the Scripture abundantly asserts.
" He worketh all things according to the counsel of his own
will. The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, and the
thoughts of his heart to all generations." (Ps. xxxiii. 11.) " He
is in one mind, and who can turn him ? And what his soul
desireth, even that he doth." (Job xxiii. 13.) " Known unto
God are all his works from the beginning of the world." (Acts
XV. 18.) And, if we attend to the point, we cannot but know
that it must be so, it being impossible that it should be other-
wise ; for, to suppose the contrary, is to suppose God is change-
able, which is inconsistent with infinite perfection, and with
his being infallible, and to be trusted in all cases. Indeed, if
there were not a Being who is unchangeable, there would be
no God. Besides, if God be infinite in power, knowledge,
wisdom, and goodness, which he certainly is, then he is able,
and could not but fix upon a plan of operation, including all
he would do, all his works of creation and providence, without
end, or forever. He could not but propose an end of all his
works, and lay the wisest plan to accomplish that end. Not
to do this must manifest want of wisdom or of ability, and,
therefore, would be inconsistent with infinite power and wis-
dom. It is impossible he should not know what is wisest and
best to be done in every instance to eternity ; he is able to do
it, for nothing can be in the way to prevent his doing it ; and
it is equally impossible he should be infinitely wise and good,
and not fix upon, and execute, the wisest and best plan of oper-
ation. Nothing can be more evident and certain than this.
Well may we join with Solomon, and say, " We know that,
whatsoever God doth, it shall be forever." He has proposed
infinitely the best possible end, which cannot be accomplished
in time, but by an everlasting series of works ; he has fixed

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 707

upon the wisest plan to answer this end, and all he doth has
reference to this end ; and the effect and consequence of all
his works, for the sake of which they are done, will remain
forever.

Let us now proceed to consider the following words:
" Nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it."
These are part of the same sentence, and have respect to the
foregoing, and assert that nothing can be put or added to
what God doth, or taken from it. In these words, the follow-
ing particulars are expressed or implied, which also imply
each other : —

1. These words contain a more strong and express declara-
tion than the foregoing : that the divine plan of his endless
operations, including every thing which he doth, and will do,
to eternity, is unalterably fixed, so that it is impossible that
any change or alteration should be made in any respect, or in
the least degree. His designs are fixed from eternity. He
has determined what he will do, and what he will not do, in
every instance, greater or less. And his plan admits of no
alteration ; nothing can be added to it, or taken from it. It
has been observed that this is abundantly asserted in Scrip-
ture, and that reason teaches it must be so ; and that to deny
this, or even doubt it, is to deny or doubt of the existence of
a God, supreme, omnipotent, infinitely intelligent, wise, and
good.

2. These words imply that all things, and every event, from
the greatest to the least, from the first to the last, are included
in the divine plan, and are unalterably fixed by the counsel and
decree of God. This must be so, unless creatures and things
may exist, and events may take place, independent of God,
and with which his pov/er and operation has no concern, with-
out the least dependence on his determination and will, and,
it may be, contrary to it, which no rational man can admit,
as it is absolutely impossible.

If all the works of God are known to him, — which they
could not be, unless he had determined and fixed what he will
do, — then every thing, every event which shall take place or
exist, must be known, and consequently certain, and made so
by the divine decree determining what he would do. If any
one event, even the least that can take place, were not fixed, but
uncertain whether it will take place or not, then what God will
do, so far as his works respect that event, must be uncertain,
and cannot be known or fixed. Therefore, God, by determin-
ing his own works, equally determined and fixed what every
creature should be and do, as the latter is necessarily included
in the former. The divine will and operation has respect to,

708 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

and concern with, every thing, every event, even the least that
takes place ; and it comes to pass and actually exists by some
act of his, without which it could not take place, whether it be
in the natural or moral world. The existence, the time and
circumstances of the existence, of every bird, even the least,
and the time and means of its beginning and ceasing to exist,
are all fixed by what God does. Every hair of our heads,
and of every head and creature that ever did or shall exist, is
made by God. He numbers them all, and orders every cir-
cumstance, the growth, length, bigness, use, decay, and loss
or disposal of each one. Every tree on the earth, every plant,
leaf, and spire of grass he produces by his power, energy, and
care. He causes every drop of rain or hail, and every flake
of snow that falls, and determines the bigness, the shape, and
time of the falling of each one. All these are the work of
God, as are innumerable others, whether greater or less.
These, therefore, must be all fixed from eternity by him who
worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will.

And it is equally certain that every event, and all that
comes to pass in the moral world, depend upon the will and
determination of God, and could not exist if he determined
and did nothing concerning it. Every action of moral agents,
and every perception, motion, and every thought which takes
place in their hearts or minds, is comprehended in what God
doth, and is effected by his power and operation. " The heart
of the king,'' and consequently of all men, "is in the hand of
the Lord, as the rivers of water; he turneth it whithersoever
he wilk" Every thing in the moral world, even the least mo-
tion and thought of the heart, is of unspeakably more impor-
tance than the events in the natural world, and are as much
dependent on the will and operation of God, and, therefore,
must be as much fixed and certain. And this is necessarily
implied in God's determining and fixing what he will do, so
that there can be no alteration of his plan of operation ; noth-
ing put to it, or taken from it, for it comprehends all things,
and all events, great and small, which shall take place and
exist from the beginning of time to eternity.

Thus certain is it from this text, as well as from innumer-
able other passages of Scripture, and from the reason and
nature of things, that God has, by determining what he would
do, necessarily "foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.'"

3. These words assert that the divine plan of operation,
which is endless, and includes all things and every event that
ever did or shall take place, is the wisest and best that can be ;
so that to make any alteration in it in any respect or the least
degree, to take any thing from it, or add any thing to it, which

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 709

is not included in it, would render it less perfect, wise, and
good. In this respect, "nothing can be put to it, nor any-
thing taken from it," without hurting or marring it, and ren-
dering it less perfect, wise, and good ; therefore, it is impossible
there should be the least alteration, in any thing or circum-
stance, so long as God is omnipotent, infinitely wise and good.
"His work is perfect;" which includes the whole created
universe, with every thing, from the greatest to the least, and
all events, and circumstances of events, even the most minute
and inconsiderable, which take place in time and eternity.
It is impossible it should be otherwise, if God be omnipotent,
infinitely wise and good. The work of such a Being must
be, like himself, absolutely perfect. He must know what was
the most wise and best plan, and, therefore, the most desirable.
He was able to form and execute such a plan, and his wisdom
and goodness must be pleased with it ; which will answer the
best end, and includes all possible good, and excludes every
thing which would render it less perfect, and is, on the whole,
undesirable. Of this we may be as certain as we can be that
there is a God, who is supreme, omnipotent, infinitely wise
and good, who hath done, and will do, what he pleases, in
heaven and on earth, and in all the created universe, and
that forever.

Thus we find Solomon asserting, in the words under con-
sideration, what he kneio to be an important and most evident
and certain truth, viz., that God's plan of operation is endless,
is unalterably fixed, and comprehends all things and all events
which ever exist or take place, and that this divine plan, in-
cluding all the created universe, and every event and circum-
stance which will take place to eternity, is most wise and
good, being absolutely perfect ; so that nothing can be put to
it, nor any thing taken from it, without making it less perfect
and good. This truth is abundantly asserted in divine revela-
tion, and is evident to a demonstration, from the reason and
nature of things. And to deny or doubt of it is, in effect, to
deny or doubt of the being of a God, who is supreme, infin-
itely wise and good. This truth is concisely, though fully^
expressed by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster, in
their Shorter Catechism, in the following words : " The decrees
of God are his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of
his own will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained
whatsoever comes to pass. And he executeth his decrees in the
works of creation and providence. His works of providence
are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and govern-
ing all his creatures, and all their actions.^''

This is a doctrine of divine revelation, and most agreeable
VOL. II. 60

710 THE DECRKES OF GOD THE FOUXDATION OF PIETY.

to reason, to wisdom, and benevolence ; and they who exer-
cise these in any good degree must be pleased with it. For,
according to this, nothing does or can take place but that
which is wisest and best, and necessary for the greatest gen-
eral good ; every thing and every event, the greatest and the
least, being under the direction of infinite wisdom, rectitude
and benevolence, and ordained and fixed by these. To have
such a plan, which includes all the works of God, and every
event, motion, and action in the creation, in time and to eter-
nity, formed by infinite wisdom and goodness, exactly suited
to accomplish the best end, including all possible good, and
excluding every thing which, on the whole, is undesirable, —
to have such a plan, unalterably fixed forever, so that nothing
can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it, must be most
agreeable to the upright, wise, and good; and that person
who under stamlingly opposes it, and whose heart is displeased
with it, must be wholly destitute of all these.

This is suited to please the truly pious mind, to support
and comfort such a one, and to excite all those affections
and exercises in which true, genuine piety consists. And all
the truths and facts included in this divine, unalterable plan
are adapted to promote and effect the most perfect virtue,
piety, and holiness ; and were not this a truth, there could not
be any such thing as piety or true religion among creatures.

l^iis leads to consider and explain the concluding words in
the text, in which this is asserted; "And God doth it, that
men should fear before him."

By the fear of God, fearing him, or fearing before him,
which is the same, is meant the exercise of that true piety
and religion which is peculiar to good men, and distinguishes
them from the wicked. In this sense the phrase is used in
numerous places both in the Old Testament and the New, of
which every one must be sensible who reads the Bible with
attention and care. It is needless, therefore, to mention pas-
sages to prove it ; I shall, however, cite one^ which is in this
book : " Surely I know that it shall be well with them that
fear God, lohich fear before him ; but it shall not be well
with the wicked, because he feareth not before GodP (Ec.
viii. 12, 13.)

" God doth it, that men may fear before him ; " that is, he
has formed this wise and perfect plan of operation, which is
unalterable, as the proper and only foundation of the exercise
of piety and holiness by creatures ; and every thing God does
in executing this plan is suited to excite and promote this,
and bring it to the greater perfection, which is included in his
endless design ; and holiness shall be exercised in the most

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETV. 711

perfect manner and degree, and flourish under the best ad-
vantages, in his kingdom, /orerer. This is God's everlasting
end, for which he does and orders every thing and event in
the universe, viz., his own glory, manifested and displayed in
the everlasting holiness and iiappiness of creatures, in his
eternal kingdom. And the existence and knowledge of such
a fixed and endless plan of divine operation is the only proper
foundation for the exercise of true piety ; it is suited to excite
the exercise of holiness in creatures ; and there cannot be any
true piety which is exercised and practised in opposition to
this truth, but all true religion is in perfect conformity with it.

This I shall endeavor to illustrate and prove by considering
what true piety is, by mentioning the several branches of it
in which it is exercised, and, at the same time, showing that
these exercises of piety are consistent with this truth, and
naturally flow from it, as the proper foundation of them.

1. Love to God is necessarily included in true piety ; so
that, where there is no degree of this, there is no real religion.
Indeed, this comprehends all the exercises of piety, and is the
sum and whole of it, as every exercise of piety, called by dif-
ferent names, and differing in some respects, are only different
modifications of this same affection of love. Therefore, love
to God is required, as comprehending every exercise of true
piety. " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the
first and great couimandment." That is all the affection that
is required, as it immediately respects God, and, therefore, in-
cludes the whole of true piety. This love consists in benevo-
lence or friendly affection towards God, complacency and
delight in him, and gratitude to him. Benevolence regards
him as at the head of the universe, infinitely great, omnipo-
tent, and supreme ; all the creation being as nothing, compared
with him, and absolutely in his hands, and at his control,
made and used for him ; he being the only necessary and all-
important Being, his interest, honor, and glory being the su-
preme end of all, while he is capable of infinite felicity, and
actually possesses it, being unchangeable in his being, per-
fections, designs, and happiness, infinitely wise, righteous, and
good, — I say, benevolence regards God as such a Being; and
is gratified and pleased in the highest degree in such a char-
acter ; and the language of the benevolent heart is, " Let God
reign forever, in unchangeable felicity and glory ; let him be
glorified by all things, and his praise be without end ; let his
counsel stand forever, and let it be impossible' that any thing
should exist or take place but what he orders, and says. Let
it be. Be thou exalted, O Lord, above the heavens, and thy

712 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

glory above all the earth. Let his infinitely wise, righteous,
and benevolent will be done in heaven and earth, and through
all his dominions, forever and ever. Amen."

Is it not easy to see, must it not appear with irresistible
evidence to all who will calmly attend, that every benevolent
friend to God must be pleased that he has laid and fixed an
unalterable plan, such as best pleased him, comprehending
every thing and all events that are desirable and necessary to
answer the best purpose, to eternity, he being, in this, inde-
pendent and infinitely above the control of creatures ; so that
it is impossible that it should not take place in every particu-
lar and most minute circumstance, just as he has determined
from eternity, without a possibility of his being crossed or dis-
appointed in any instance ? And is not all this comprehended
in the pious, benevolent boast and exultation of the Psalmist :
" But our God is in the heavens; he hath done whatsoever he
pleased. For I know that the Lord is great, and that our
Lord is above all gods. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that
did he in heaven and in earth, in the seas, and in all deep
places"? Such a Being, prosecuting, without a possibility of
any mistake or hinderance, such a grand, comprehensive, eter-
nal plan, formed and fixed by infinite wisdom and benevolence,
must be the highest possible object of the benevolence of man,
and is most perfectly, and to the highest degree, suited to please
and gratify such an affection, on which it may expatiate with the
highest pleasure, and without limitation as to the object, and
with increasing strength forever.

But if there be no such supreme, independent Being, who is
able to propose and effect the greatest possible good, and is
infinitely engaged to do it, and has laid an unalterable plan,
including every thing that is wise and good, and nothing but
what is most agreeable to infinite benevolence, the whole being
considered together, but many events have already taken place,
the existence of which are disagreeable to infinite wisdom and
benevolence, all things considered, which are not included in
the most wise and benevolent plan, but have taken place in-
dependent of God, and exist contrary to his will that they
should exist, and so that God will not be so much glorified
nor so happy as he would have been had they not taken j>lace,
and there would be much less good in the universe forever than
there might have been had they been prevented, — then there is
no God to be loved, and be the object of benevolent, friendly
affection, wliicli, shall be completely pleased and satisfied in
liim. For he must be either impotent and dependent, and
unable to effect that which is most agreeable to wisdom and
goodness, and, therefore, is disappointed and crossed, if he be

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 713

wise and good ; or he has no wisdom or goodness, though he
is omnipotent, and so has suffered that to take jjlace which
was not best on the whole that it should exist, and is contrary
to benevolence and wisdom, when he was able to prevent it if
he pleased. If the latter were true, all must acknowledge he
could not be the object of love, of benevolent, friendly affection.
And if the former, and not the latter, were true, all must be
sensible that he cpuld not be an object with which benevolent
affection can be pleased and satisfied; but if it were exercised
towards him, it must be in pity and grief for him, and inex-
tinguishable sorrow, that he was not able to lay and prosecute
the best plan without interruption, but is dependent, disap-
pointed, and crossed, and most unhappy, and must be so for-
ever. The benevolent friends to such a Being, and to benevo-
lence, must be crossed and miserable, in proportion to the
degree of their benevolence, while the enemies to such a Being,
were it possible there could be such a one, (which, blessed be
God ! it is not,) would be gratified, and triumph ; and as such a
Being must be infinitely less important and glorious, he must
be an infinitely less worthy object of benevolence than he
whom 'the truth we are vindicating describes.

And surely every one who attends properly must see that,
on this last supposition, such a Being could not be the object
of the complacency and delight of a benevolent heart. This
is clear from what has been said respecting benevolence, for
pious, holy complacency and delight in an object or character
is nothing different from the satisfaction and pleasure which
benevolence has in that being or character. Therefore, if there
be any thing in a being contrary and displeasing to benevo-
lence, and opposed to what that seeks, it must be equally
opposed to complacency and delight, and contrary to it. To
suppose the contrary is a flat contradiction.

It is equally apparent that the God who is exhibited in our
text, as it has been now understood and explained, must be
the first and highest object of complacential love, as it has been
shown that he is suited to gratify and please benevolence to
the highest degree ; for the pleasure which the benevolent
heart takes in any object is the same with complacence and
delight in that object, as has been just now observed. There-
fore, that being or character with which the benevolent heart is
most pleased and gratified is the supreme object of compla-
cential love.

The benevolent heart must be pleased with unbounded, in-
finite benevolence, clothed with omnipotence, fixing and exe-
cuting an endless plan, including the highest possible good, in
which God will be glorified in the highest degree, and his ser-
60*

714 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

vants and kingdom most happy and glorious forever, and which
admits no evil but that which is necessary to answer the best
end, and promote the greatest good, and render the system,
the universal plan, infinitely better, more wise and beautiful,
than it could be, were the evil excluded. Such a Being, of
unchangeable perfection, infinite benevolence, wisdom, recti-
tude, truth, and faithfulness, must be embraced by the benev-
olent heart with the warmest and most strong affection ; he
must be chosen as the supreme good, as the object of the
highest complacence and delight. God is exhibited to such a
mind as such a Being, and in this amiable light, in forming
and executing sMch a plan, comprehending all possible good,
and including every thing that exists, and every event that
shall take place to eternity ; being exactly suited, in every re-
spect, to manifest and display the divine perfection and glory,
in the felicity and glory of his eternal kingdom, and which
could not be altered in the least degree, without rendering it
less perfect and good. On this Being, and on such a system,
including all things that exist, or shall take place — on this
absolutely and infinitely perfect Being, and his all-perfect work,
the pious mind will dwell with increasing satisfaction and ever
fresh delight forever and ever. But were there no unchangeable
God, absolutely independent and sovereign, and doing what-
soever he pleases, forming and executing the wisest and best
plan of operation to eternity, and including and fixing every
event, there would be no such object of supreme affection and
delight to the pious, benevolent mind, to be embraced with
unreserved love, and unlimited or unalloyed satisfaction and
pleasure. Yea, were this God and his plan of operation capa-
ble of any possible alteration or change, to eternity, it would
give pain to the benevolent heart, and be an eternal impedi-
ment to perfect love and happiness.

The person whose heart is wholly selfish, and knows not
what disinterested love means, and whose mind is, conse-
quently, contracted down to his own little self, and fixed on
his own personal concerns, does not extend his thoughts and
affections to those grand objects, the glory of God and the
greatest general good of the universe. He really loves nothing
but himself, and he cannot be pleased with a God on whom
he is wholly dependent, unless he knows, or thinks he knows,
that he is wholly devoted to his interest, and will accomplish
all his selfish desires and wishes. He must be displeased with,
he must hate, a God who is of one mind, and cannot be turned
by him; who has fixed his plan of working, including every thing
that takes place ; and who is unchangeably seeking the great-
est general good of the universe, however inconsistent this may

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 715

be with his particular interest and happiness ; and who will
not regard that, but give it up, whenever the greatest public
good requires it ; being determined, without a possibility of
change, to punish forever every persevering enemy to his char-
acter and government. Such a creature cannot love any God,
unless he will conform to his will, and is, in some measure, at
least, dependent on him, and waits on him to know what he
will choose and do, independent of God, before he can deter-
mine any thing respecting him ; so that he himself shall inde-
pendently turn the scale in every thing that concerns himself;
and God must attend him as his tool or servant, to consult his
interest and answer his ends. The language of his heart is,
" I would not have a God absolutely independent, and un-
changeable in his designs and decrees respecting me and my
interest. What is the glory of God and the general good to
me, if my own personal interest and happiness be not regarded
and included — if my selfish inclination and will be not grati-
fied, but crossed? I cannot love such a God." Directly the
reverse of this is the feeling and language of the benevolent
heart, which has been represented above.

I proceed to consider love as it is exercised and expressed
in gratitude ; and to show that the God of the Bible, who
worketh all things after the counsel of his will, and is executing
a plan in the most wise manner, suited to answer the best end,
and which comprehends all his works, and every event through
endless duration, — that this God is the proper, infinite object of
the pious, everlasting gratitude of a benevolent heart. Benev-
olence or goodness, exercised and expressed, is the only object
of true, pious gratitude, and, therefore, it is found nowhere but
in a benevoleni heart, or, which is the same, in those who are
friends to disinterested benevolence. The love of gratitude is
essential to disinterested benevolence of a creature, as it is in-
cluded in the very nature of it, as is the love of complacence,
as has been shown. Wherever the benevolent mind sees the
exercise of benevolence by any being, he is not merely pleased
with it, but exercises gratitude towards that being, and that
whether he himself be the object of that benevolence or any
other being in the universe. For the benevolent man is a friend
to universal being, capable of good ; he wishes well to all ;
therefore, he who regards the good of being in general, and
promotes the general good, or expresses his benevolence by
doing good to any particular being, is the proper object of grate-
ful love, and such benevolence is suited to excite it, and certainly
will do it in every benevolent heart. It hence appears, that as
the truth in our text is suited to excite the love of benevolence
and complacency to .the highest degree, as has been shown, it

716 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

will also excite true gratitude, and tliat every thing contrary
to this truth is opposed to the pious love of gratitude.

When the benevolent mind sees Infinite Benevolence de-
signing and efiecting the greatest possible good to being in
general, and promoting the greatest happiness of the whole,
who " is good unto all, and his tender mercies are over all his
works," and beholds him decreeing, and doing, and causing to
be done, every thing that is necessary to answer and effectu-
ally secure this end, this eternal purpose, he finds unbounded
scope for the highest and most sweet gratitude to this infinitely
good Being, who is glorifying himself to the highest degree,
and producing the greatest possible happiness in the created
universe forever. He gives thanks to God for his infinife
goodness manifested in his works, and in his revealed design
and fixed plan, including his own glory and the highest good
of the created universe. His mind is enraptured in gratitude
to God for his regard and benevolence to the sum of all being,
Himself, the First and the Last, the Almighty, in that be has
made all things for himself, for his own glory, and is unalter-
ably determined, and infinitely engaged, to glorify himself by
all his works, and by all creatures, and, in conjunction with this,
to effect the greatest possible happiness of the creation. This
manifestation of the divine holiness and infinite benevolence
is the greatest, the supreme object of the gratitude and thank-
fulness of the pious, benevolent heart.

And when the pious, good man attends to the infinitely
guilty and wretched state into which mankind have fallen,
and how exceedingly odious and vile they are, being total and
obstinate enemies to God, his law, and government, and vio-
lently opposed to all his benevolent designs, and beholds God
so loving the world as to give his only-begotten Son to save
them, that whoever believes on him should not perish, but
have everlasting life, and that a most glorious, happy, and
eternal kingdom shall be raised out of the ruins of an apostate
world, to the glory of divine grace ; and that the greatest good
shall be brought out of all the evil that has been or will exist
to all eternity, so that the issue shall be infinitely better than
if there were no evil ; and that this is all included in the eter-
nal plan which was fixed by Infinite Wisdom and Goodness, —
when aU tiiis comes into view, it will excite the most sincere
and strong exercises of grateful love, which will continue and
increase ibrever.

And when the pious man attends to the goodness of God
to him in particular, and is sensible that it is the effect of
God's eternal counsel and his benevolent design of good to
him, and that it flows from him on whom he is absolutely

. THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 717

dependent, who orders all things, so that his hand is to be seen
in every event that takes place, — all this is peculiarly adapted
to excite his grateful love, while he says, " Not unto me, but
unto thy name, be all the praise and glory." And what a
foundation is here laid for holy, increasing gratitude forever!

Gratitude to God consists in a true sense and pleasing ap-
probation of the goodness of God to universal being and to
ourselves, and in making all the acknowledgments and returns
of which we are capable, in loving and giving ourselves away
to him, to be used for his service, glory, and praise forever.

The man who has no disinterested benevolence, but is
wholly selfish, is not capable of the least degree of this true
gratitude. He can love those who love him, but this is noth-
ing but self-love, at bottom; for, by the supposition, he seeks
himself, and is devoted to none but himself, in all his exercises,
and is not pleased with benevolence for its own sake, or any
further than he may reap some personal benefit by it, to
gratify his self-love. He is displeased with that goodness
which passes by him and does good to others, or seeks and
promotes the general good.

718 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

SERMON II.

I know that, whatsoever God doth, it shall be forever ; nothing can be put
to it, nor any thing taken from it ; and God doth, it that men should fear before
him. — Ec. iii. 14.

These words have been explained in the foregoing discourse,
and the truths contained in them have been found to be the
following: that God hath, in his wisdom and goodness, by
his unchangeable decree, foreordained whatsoever comes to
pass ; that this truth, considered in its extent and conse-
quences, is the only proper and sufficient foundation of the
true piety of men.

The last-mentioned truth is now under consideration, and
has been in part illustrated and proved, by instancing in true
love to God. We now proceed to consider other branches of
piety which are included in love and grow out of this root
or stock, and may be considered as different modifications of
this same love, and to show that God, viewed as described
in the text, is the only proper object of them.

2. The fear of God is an exercise of piety. This is put in
our text, and in many other places in holy writ, for the
whole of true piety, as has been observed. The reason of this
doubtless is, because it is in a peculiar manner suited to ex-
press the pious exercises of a fallen creature, infinitely vile and
guilty, and justly exposed to eternal destruction, into which
he will infallibly fall, unless he be rescued by sovereign grace,
who, with humility and self-diffidence, knowing that he is
wholly lost in himself, trusts wholly in Christ, the only Savior
of sinners, whom he has offended, and is constantly offending,
yet trusts in him alone, even in his infinite power and sover-
eign goodness, for pardon, righteousness, holiness, strength,
and redemption. And thus it is peculiarly adapted to express
the mode or manner of the pious, religious exercises of sinners
who believe in Christ and are friends to God and the Re-
deemer, or the holiness of repenting, believing sinners, that is,
real Christians.

It is plain, at the first view, that the God who is represented
in our text, in his absolute independence, decrees and works,
as it has been explained, is suited to lead men to fear before
him, according to this general, comprehensive sense of fear,
including the whole of piety ; and that all those doctrines
which are opposed to this have a contrary tendency, and are
not consistent with the fear of God, in this sense of it. But
it may, perhaps, give some further light on this subject, by

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 719

more particularly considering the fear of God in a more re-
strained sense, and as a branch of true love or piety.

It is of importance to observe here, that fear is used in dif-
ferent and opposite senses in the Bible, because there are two
sorts of fear: one, that which implies holy love, and is essen-
tial to true piety ; the other is opposed to love, and is, there-
fore, the fear of those who are not friends to God, but enemies.
This latter is intended by fear in the following passages :
" There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear,
because fear hath torment : he that feareth is not made perfect
in love." (1 John iv. 18.) " For God hath not given us the
spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
(2 Tim. i. 7.) " For ye have not received the spirit of bond-
age again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption,
whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Rom. viii. 15.)

These difterent kinds of fear may be in some measure illus-
trated by the following instance : An excellent father has a
son and a servant, both of whom have been guilty of injuring
him, and have fallen under his just displeasure. The son
heartily repents, and loves his father, and is restored to his
favor. But he keeps constantly in view the evil which he
justly deserves, and which his father is able to inflict ; he feels
that he depends entirely upon his father's goodness for an
escape from that evil, and thdt he stands in need of his con-
stant aid and assistance to preserve him from offending again
and from that evil which he dreads so much. Both his father's
displeasure and the evil consequence are dreadful to him. He
knows his father is able to punish in the most dreadful man-
ner; he sees some of the family sufl'ering the punishment
every day, and others going in the way which will bring it
upon them, unless they repent and reform in season, and has
feelings answerable to what he sees. He knows he deserves
to be thus punished as much as the worst of them, and de-
pends entirely upon his father's goodness to prevent it. He
loves his father with all his heart, he approves of his conduct,
and knows he does every thing right. He loves to have him
supreme and independent in the family, and to have him order
every thing, and to see his will done in all cases ; he loves to
be absolutely dependent upon him, and to have all the family
so; and, in the exercise of this love, and in the views now
mentioned, he humbles himself before his father, and fears and
trembles before him.

The servant who has offended his master fears the rod ; he
dreads the punishment which is threatened, and knows he can
inflict it; but he has no love to the father, his master; he
wishes to be out of the family, and not dependent on him in

720 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

any degree. He tries to pacify and please his master in his
outward conduct, from the love of himself, because he fears
the rod, and wishes to escape punishment. Thus he lives in
continual slavish fear of his master, which disinterested love
to him would cast out.

Every one must see the difference between the filial fear
of the son, who loves his father, and the servile fear of the
servant, who loves himself only, and the opposition of one to
the other. And surely the ditTerence and opposition betw^een
the godly fear of those who love God with disinterested be-
nevolence, and the servile fear of those who do not love him,
but are enemies to him, is much greater, and far more evident
and striking.

Here it may be observed, that this servile fear^ by which
men are restrained from a careless, bold practice of open sin,
and their attention to a future state, and pressing concern to
escape hell and obtain salvation, is excited and kept up, this
servile fear is necessarily awakened, and fills the soul with
painful concern, when sinners are convinced of the truth of
the doctrine in our text, and are made in some measure to
feel it to be true. So long as God, in his greatness, omni-
presence, and terrible majesty, is not in their view, and they
do not feel or see their absolute dependence upon him for all
good, and even to escape hell and obtain heaven, but feel as
if they had their life in their own hands, in this respect they
will not be afraid of God, but live in ease and security. But
when they come to feel that they are in the hands of God,
and that he will destroy or save them, as he pleases, they
being absolutely dependent on him, they will begin to fear
and stand in awe of him. And the more fully convinced they
are of the truth contained in our text, the greater will be their
fear and terror respecting their state and situation. This
every one can witness who has been an observer of others in
these matters, or has attended to his own feelings. And it
may be asked. Where has any person been found, who has
disbelieved the doctrine of God's decrees, of his foreordaining
whatsoever comes to pass, who has been under any soul-
distressing fear of God, or of eternal destruction ?

But pious, godly fear implies love to God, in a view of his
infinite greatness and importance, and a sense of his infinitely
beautiful and glorious character, unchangeably wise, good,
upright, just, true, and faithful, having decreed whatsoever
comes to pass, and executing his decrees in creating, preserv-
ing, and governing all his creatures and all their actions, for
his own glory, and the greatest good of the universe ; or,
which is the same, the greatest happiness and glory of his

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 721

eternal kingdom. And this God, who is the supreme object
of love, is also the object of pious reverence and fear, as neces-
sarily implied in true love. Thus pious love and fear imply
and involve each other, and are really but one and the same
afl'ection, which this grand and glorious object is suited to ex-
cite. This fear of God implies a view and sense of his great-
ness and unlimited power, of his unchangeable designs, and
our absolute and constant dependence on him, on his will, in
every respect, for existence and every motion, and all good,
he being our potter, and we the clay in his hand, living, moving,
and moved, and having our being in him. It also implies a
view and sense of our own infinite vileness and ill desert, and
of the infinite evil which God is able to inflict, and may justly
bring upon us; and that his almighty power and sovereign
grace alone can prevent our being destroyed forever, into which
destruction many have fallen, and are falling continually ; and
that we depend wholly on him, even his sovereign, forfeited
mercy, to prevent our going to eternal ruin, and on his con-
stant' energy and grace, to cause us to cleave to him and go
in the way to heaven, we being nothing but insufficiency and
vanity before the infinite, all-sufficient Being ; and in this
view exercising self-diffidence, humility, and trust, and depend-
ence in God, dreading his displeasure above all things, and
submitting to him, with a disposition and desire to obey him
in all things, forever. All this is implied in the true fear of
God. But it may be expressed in fewer words, and perhaps
more clearly to some minds, thus : To fear God is to be prop-
erly affected with his infinite greatness and terrible majesty,
threatening and punishing his implacable enemies with ever-
lasting destruction ; to feel ourselves and all the creation as
nothing before him, and wholly dependent upon him ; to be
suitably affected with our own guilt and vileness, and our
absolute dependence on his sovereign, undeserved mercy for
pardon, and the renovation of our minds to holy exercises.

The whole of this is expressed or implied in the following
passages of Scripture : " Fear him who, after he hath killed,
hath power to cast into hell ; yea, I say unto you, fear him."
(Luke xii. 5.) All will grant that Christ here enjoins religious,
pious fear of God upon all who love him. And God is rep-
resented in his terrible majesty as the object of this fear, they
being wholly in his hands, and dependent upon him, who is
able, and may justly, if he pleases, cast them into hell, and
make them miserable forever. Upon this two things may
be observed : —

1. That it is here supposed that God does cast some into
hell, and inflict eternal evil upon them. For if this could not

VOL. II. 61

722 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

be done consistent with his character and perfections, or with
his known design, merely his having power to do that which
it is known he never will do, and cannot do, consistent with
his moral perfection, does not render him more an object of
religious fear than if he had no such power ; and it would be
only an empty bugbear and scarecrow, set up to excite fear
without any reason, which cannot be supposed. If no such
evil as that of being cast into hell had existence, or ever will
be inflicted, in any instance, then it could not be reasonably
proposed as an object of fear.

2. If this evil of being cast into hell be a reality, God hav-
ing power to do it, and actually doing it, whenever and in
whatever instances he pleases, — that is, when it is necessary for
his glory and the greatest good of the whole, — this represents
God as an object of religious fear to those who feel them-
selves in his hands and deserving of this evil, even when
they consider themselves as secured from suffering it, by a
divine promise through a Mediator. For still eternal torment
in hell is a reality, and they deserve it as much as those who
are actually cast into it, and are constantly dependent on
God's sovereign will to be saved from it ; and their escape
from hell, and full, absolute, and unconditional security that
they shall not perish, cannot be said to be perfect and com-
pleted so long as they are on this side of heaven, in a state
of probation, and until they are actually admitted there.
Besides, while they, in the exercise of benevolence, behold
their fellow-Christians by profession, and their fellow-men,
among whom they live, and are uncertain that they will all
escape hell, and see them in the hands of God, who casts
them into hell, or saves them from this infinitely dreadful
evil, as he pleases, they must have a sensation and exercises
independent of their own personal concerns, and however
secure they may consider themselves, which is properly called
the fear of the Lord and of the glory of his majesty. This
is, therefore, enjoined upon all the people of God, as included
in their pious obedience to him. " If thou wilt not observe to
do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that
thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, the Lord
THY God, then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful,"
&c. (Deut. xxviii. 58.)

And an aflection of this same nature and kind will be exer-
cised by the inhabitants of heaven forever, as necessarily
included in love to God, in a view of his glorious, fearful, sov-
ereign power and majesty, and of themselves and all creatures,
as being infinitely below him, and as nothing in comparison
with him, and wholly dependent upon him for existence, every

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATIOxV OF PIETY. 723

motion of their hearts, and all good, and in a clear view of
his terrible wrath against sinners, and the dreadful jjunish-
ment inflicted upon them. This is represented in the fifteenth
chapter of the Revelation. John saw seven angels, having the
seven last plagues, for in them is filled up the wrath of God;
and at the same time he observed the inhabitants of heaven
looking on, singing and saying, " Great and marvellous are
thy works. Lord God Ahnighty ; just and true are thy ways,
thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and
glorify thy name ? For thou only art holy ; for thy judgments
are made manifest." I proceed to mention another passage
of Scripture. " Work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling ; for it is God which worketh in you both to will
and to do of his good pleasure." (Phil. ii. 12, 13.) Here fear
and trembling must mean such exercises of mind as are suit-
able to their dependence on God and his operating energy for
all things, even every motion of their hearts, of will and choice ;
for this their dependence on God is given as a reason why
they should go on in a Christian course with fear and trem-
bling; for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to
do of his good pleasure. They were hanging over hell, and
must drop into it, unless supported and rescued by the omnip-
otent arm of God working in them, and forming them both to
will and to do that which was necessary in order to escape
hell and obtain heaven, in which God was infinitely above all
control, and acted of his own good pleasure, after the counsel
of his own will. Here the same idea is held up, and the same
truth expressed, with that in our text, as the foundation and
reason of man's fearing before God, and working out his sal-
vation with fear and trembling, viz., their absolute dependence
on God in all things, even for every thought and motion of
heart, which he efiectually causes to exist by his invisible,
secret, almighty energy, according to his own pleasure, which
must be unchangeable, and according to his eternal purpose,
including all he would do to eternity in producing every thing,
and ordering every event; so that there is but one endless
chain of events, made up of innumerable links, of which the
least existence, event, and motion, and every circumstance,
the most minute, is a necessary part, as well as the greatest,
the whole being formed by the wise counsel and will of God,
and entirely dependent upon him, and executed by him, and
which cannot admit the least possible change or alteration, it
being as firmly established and fixed as the existence and
throne of the Almighty.

I conclude this head with observing, that it is beyond all
controversy certain that the fear of God, as it has been

724 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

explained, supposes our dependence on him, viewing him as
what he is, and ourselves as what we are ; and that the more
absolute, perfect, and universal this dependence is, the greater
foundation there is for this fear, and this affection will be
strong and constant in proportion to the view and sense we
have of this dependence. Therefore, the doctrine contained
in our text lays the best and most perfect foundation for the
exercise of the fear of God, and is every way suited to pro-
mote it ; and every opinion and sentiment which contradicts
this, and represents man as in any degree self-sufficient, and
independent in any respect, is contrary to the true fear of God,
and tends to prevent or destroy it.

3. An entire, unreserved trust in God is an exercise of true
piety, and essential to it. The only foundation for this is his
all-sufficiency, his being unchangeable in his goodness, truth,
and faithfulness, and omnipotent, supreme, or doing every thing
as he pleases, and guiding all things by his constant, universal
agency, so as to answer the most wise and best end. Every
thing contrary to such a character is inconsistent with his
being an object of unreserved trust and confidence to the
pious mind. If God were not unchangeable in his attri-
butes and designs ; and had he not all creatures and things
under his direction and control ; and could there be one motion
or action in the universe independent of his direction, agency,
and will; and did he not know what is the best end, and what
are the wisest and best means, to accomplish it ; and was he
not unchangeably determined what he would do in the exercise
of infinite wisdom and goodness, — the benevolent, pious mind
would have no foundation of unreserved trust and confidence.

But our God is not so. " He is the Rock, his work is per-
fect ; for all his ways are judgment ; a God of truth and with-
out iniquity, just and right is he." The pious mind, feeling his
absolute, entire dependence, and the universal dependence of
all things, on this God, whom he loves with all his heart, puts
his whole trust in him, and relies upon him with the most un-
reserved confidence and the greatest satisfaction and pleasure.
"He beholds the hand of God conducting all the hidden
springs and movements of the universe, and with a secret, but
unerring operation, directing every event,"* so as to promote
and effect the greatest possible good, his own glory and the
greatest happiness of his kingdom, and of all who trust in
him, and with pleasure places the greatest and most unre-
served confidence in him, and casts all his care upon him.
" He rests in the Lord, and waits patiently for him."

* Dr. Blair'3 Sermons, vol. i. p. 46.

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 725

Thus the pious, benevolent man trusts in God to glorify
himself by all things and all events that take place, however
dark and of a contrary tendency they may appear to him to
be ; and he implicitly, without seeing how it may be done, re-
lies upon him to bring good, unspeakable good, out of all evil ;
so that no event shall take place that shall not be best, on the
whole, and all shall issue to the greatest advantage to his ser-
vants and his eternal kingdom ; and he places his hope and
trust wholly in this God for all he desires and wants for him-
self personally and for his fellow-creatures, for body or soul, in
time and to eternity ; and the language of his heart is that of
David, "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expec-
tation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation : he
is my defence ; I shall not be moved. In God is my salva-
tion and my glory : the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is
in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your
heart before him : God is a refuge for us." (Ps. Ixii. 5.)

In short, this doctrine, inculcated in our text and taught
through the whole Bible, being understandingly and cordially
received, will pull down and destroy that self-confidence and
self-dependence which is natural to man, and with which self-
love inspires him : it is levelled directly against the selfishness
and pride of man, and suited to cast down every high thing in
his heart which exalts itself against the knowledge of God ;
to exalt God and humble man, and form him to cleave to God
and the Redeemer, in a humble trust and dependence on him
alone. No wonder, then, that this doctrine is so disagreeable
to those whose selfishness and pride have never been sub-
dued, and has been so much opposed in this sinful world.

4. An entire, unconditional resignation to the will of God,
and pleasing acquiescence in it, is an essential part of true
piety. In order to this, the will of God must be considered as
unchangeably wise and good, and as wisely ordering and
guiding all events to answer a good end, and ordering all evil
as the necessary occasion and means of the greatest good.
God cannot be omnipotent, infinitely wise and good, unless he
has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass ; and, therefore, on
any other supposition there would be no foundation or reason
for an implicit, unreserved resignation to his will. The pious,
benevolent mind cannot acquiesce in any thing or event which
is not wise and good; it cannot be reconciled to evil, consid-
ered in itself only as evil ; but, in order to be pleased with its
taking place, it must be considered in its connection with the
good of which it is the occasion. Therefore, true resignation
to the will of God does suppose him to guide all the move-
ments in the universe, and order all events in infinite wisdom
61 *

726 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

and goodness. In this view, and certain of this, the language
of the pious, benevolent heart is, " Thy will be done," with-
out making any exception or condition. Whatever evil takes
place respecting himself or others, he is ready to espouse the
language of pious Eli : " It is the Lord ; let him do what seem-
eth good unto him." He with pleasure exerciseth an unre-
served submission and resignation to the all-wise and infinitely
good Being.

5. Repentance towards God, and humbling ourselves in his
sight for our sins, is included in the exercise of Christian piety.
This consists in a sense and acknowledgment of the evil of
sin, of its ill desert, feeling ourselves wholly blamable and
answerable for it, abhorring it, and condemning ourselves for
it, renouncing it, and turning from it; in which the sinner
justifies God, and approves of his law, and condemns and
takes shame to himself. This always takes place and is exer-
cised in the view of those truths which' are at least implied in
the doctrine which we are considering; and it is impossible
the heart should repent while it opposes this doctrine and
those truths which are contained in it. This can be done only
by an impenitent, selfish, proud heart, which does always
oppose and hate this doctrine, though the understanding and
judgment may be convinced that it is true.

The doctrine of the decrees of God, foreordaining whatso-
ever comes to pass for his- own glory and the greatest general
good, necessarily includes his hatred of sin and the evil and
criminal nature of it, as it opposes the glory of God and the
general good ; and the sinner, who is guilty of it, does herein
express his enmity against God and the good which is the
object of his decrees ; and were the natural tendency and con-
sequence of sin to take place, without being counteracted and
overruled to answer an end which sin and the sinner oppose,
God's end in his decrees would be frustrated, he would be dis-
honored, and good be destroyed by unlimited evil.

The sinner is as blamable and criminal as if his sin was
not overruled for good, for the nature of it is just as bad and
unreasonable as if no good came of it, and sin is as great a
crime as it would be were there no divine decrees, and in some
respects greater, for the sinner acts as freely as he could were
there no decrees; he has all the freedom that is, in the nature
of things, possible ; he acts voluntarily, and he opjioscs the
wise, holy, and benevolent decress of God, and that infinitely
wise, beautiful, and benevolent plan which he has laid\ind is
executing, even in that very sin and rebellion by which he is
accomplishing it. When the sinner's eyes are opened to see
all this, he sees the evil of sin, as it is opposed to this infinitely

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 727

great and glorious God, to all his wise and benevolent purposes
and decrees, and to that wise, glorious, and all-comprehending
plan of his operations. He sees this, and adores, and his heart
breaks and melts in contrition and self-condemnation, hum-
bling himself in the sight of this God. But the impenitent sin-
ner is irreconcilable, and at enmity with such a God, and, in
the pride and impiety of his heart, "replies against God," and
says, "Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted
his will ? "

6. Religious joy in God and his government and kingdom
is a branch of true piety. This is inculcated abundantly in
the Holy Scripture, and Christians are commanded to " rejoice
always in the Lord." And we have many examples of the
religious joy of pious persons. The fruit of the Spirit is joy.
Believers rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, and
this joy no man can take from them. This is the joy of the
benevolent heart, in the exercise of that love to God which has
been described above, beholding him infinitely great and most
blessed forever, having an uncontrollable dominion over all,
decreeing and fixing from eternity every thing, and all events,
in the wisest and best manner, to promote and effect the most
desirable and important end, and the greatest possible good
of the whole. With this the benevolent mind is supported
and pleased, in all the darkness, sin, and evil which take place
in this world, and in the view of what will exist forever in the
world to come, knowing that God has ordered it all for the
sake of the good which he will bring out of it ; that the wrath
of man shall praise him, and the remainder of wrath, which
would not answer this or any good end, he will effectually re-
strain and prevent. In this view he has solid, lasting support,
comfort, and joy, and says, " The Lord reigneth let the earth
rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous."

And as this truth, taken in the full latitude of it, is suited to
support, comfort, and rejoice the heart of the pious friends of
God, in whatever situation they may be, and whatever may
be the appearance of things around them, so it is the only
truth which can support them. If they give up or let go their
hold of this strong foundation and prop, they must sink into
gloom, sorrow, and despair. If they have no certainty that
God cannot be disappointed in his counsel and designs, and
that he has fixed the best plan, including all events, which
cannot be altered for the better, — if they know not but things
may take place which are not, on the whole, best, but God
might have been more glorified, and his people more happy,
had they not come to pass, — and did they believe this to be
the case, they must sink into darkness, grief, and sorrow, v/hich

728 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

no consideration could remove, but must abide on their minds
forever.

And when they behold the sin and universal ajDostasy of
mankind, and the infinitely dreadful evils that are the attend-
ants and consequence of this, and know that this was not
accidental, or aside from the divine plan, but has been ordered
and determined by God, that the way might be opened for
redemption by the Son of God, — the most glorious work of
God, by which he is glorified, the Redeemer exalted and hon-
ored, forever, and the redeemed made most happy in the
eternal kingdom of God, in which they hope also to share, and
berhold and love, and serve and praise, this God without end,
— their benevolent joy rises still higher. And the more they
contemplate this divine contrivance and plan, with all its
appendages, and discern the manifold wisdom and boundless
goodness of it, the more does their joy increase, and they are
ready to exclaim, with St. Paul, " O the depth of the riches
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearch-
able are his judgments, and his ways past finding out ! For
who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his
counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be
recompensed unto him again ? For of him, and through him,
and to him are all things ; to whom be glory forever. Amen."

The selfish man may have a great degree of religious joy,
but it is entirely of a ditferent nature and kind from the joy
of the truly pious and benevolent ; and there is no true piety
in it, because there is no true respect to God in it, no disin-
terested regard to his glory, and the public, general good, or
the good of others. It is the joy of the hypocrite, of the false-
hearted man, who regards and seeks himself only, his own
supposed private, personal good. If he thinks God loves him
and intends to make him happy forever, this gives him great
joy, while his mind is contracted down to his little self, and
"ne has no disinterested pleasure and joy in beholding God, in
Ills glorious character and unlimited dominion, and infinite,
independent felicity, doing whatsoever he pleases, ordering all
events for his own glory and the general good ; nor is he will-
ing to be so dependent on God, and so wholly indebted to
him for all good, as is implied in his foreordaining whatsoever
comes to pass. " A brutish man knoweth not, neither doth a
fool understand this." (Ps. xcii. 4-6.) But the language of
the pious friend of God is, " Thou, Lord, hast made me glad
through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
O Lord, how great are thy works ! and thy thoughts are very
deep. The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, and the
thoughts of his heart to all generations." (Ps. xxxiii. 11.)

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 729

" My soul shall make her boast in the Lord : the humble shall
hear thereof, and be glad. O, magnify the Lord with me, and
let us exalt his name together." (Ps. xxxiv. 2, 3.)

7. Devotion, which consists in the worship of God, in ado-
ration, confession, profession, self-dedication, petition, thanks-
giving and praise, is a great and important branch of piety.
I shall consider each of these parts of devotion now mentioned,
and show that the doctrine which has been deduced from our
text, and explained, is so far from being inconsistent with
these, that it is suited to excite and promote them, and the
only proper foundation of them.

Adoration consists in recollecting and attending to, and
with profound awe and religious fear revering, the infinitely
excellent and glorious perfections and character of the most
high God, manifested in his wonderful works, and most wise
and universal government, in a solemn address to him.

Now, no arguments are needed to prove that a Being of
infinite greatness, power, rectitude, wisdom, and goodness,
who is above all control, doing what he pleases, and ordering
and directing every thing by his counsel and decree, with irre-
sistible energy, to answer the best end, — that such a Being
is the only proper object of this adoration, and that the more
clear conviction and greatiCr impression and sense any one has
of such a Being and character, the stronger and more fervent
will the exercises of his heart be in humble adoration ; and
this is the only object that is suited to continue and increase
it forever. And the thought that God might be changeable
in his designs, and had not decreed whatsoever comes to pass,
but that many things do take place contrary to his will, and
so as to render his plan of operation less perfect than other-
wise it would have been, must tend greatly to damp, if not
wholly destroy, the most devout and rational adoration, and
is inconsistent with the complete enjoyment and happiness
of the devout mind.

Confession of sin, unworthiness, wretchedness, absolute
dependence on God and his sovereign grace, etc., is essential
to the devotion of a sinner; a conviction and feeling sense of
all this is implied in all his pious exercises, and intermixed
with them.

All this is implied in repentance, which has been considered;
and it has been shown that the truth under consideration is
suited to promote this. The more clear view the sinner has
of the excellency of the divine character, of the absolute, in-
dependent supremacy of God, of his infinite wisdom, recti-
tude, and goodness, and his entire dependence on the power
and operation of God, the greater sense he must have of his

730 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

obligation to love and obey him, and consequently of his
own guilt, vileness, and ill desert as a sinner and rebel against
this God, and feel himself utterly lost and undone ; and,
therefore, the more freely and fully will he confess all this.
Profession, self-dedication to God, thanksgiving and praise, in
which the devout worshipjjer of God expresses before him his
love to him, and all the friendly, pious feelings of his heart ;
devotes himself to God, willing to serve him, to be, do, and
suffer whatever God pleases and requires, and to be used by
him to answer his wise purposes ; acknowledging the good-
ness of God, admiring and praising him {os what he is, and
for what he does, — all this is grounded on the infinite perfec-
tion and glory of the Deity, who is " over all, God blessed
forever," supreme, independent, " wonderful in counsel, and
excellent in working;" w^hose energy guides every motion
and event in the universe, according to the counsel of his own
will. A being who is not supreme, not so powerful, wuse,
and good as necessarily to foreordain whatsoever comes to
pass, could not be the proper object of these devout exercises
of the pious heart.

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 731

SERMON III.

I know that, whatsoever God doth, it shall be forever ; nothing can be put to
it, nor any thing taken from it ; and God doth it, that men should fear be-
fore him. — Ec. iii. 14.

In the preceding discourse, the exercise of piety has been
considered in a number of particulars. The last mentioned
was devotion, and several things included in this have been
considered. Another branch of devotion now requires our
attention.

Petition is that part of devotion in which we, in our address
to God, express our desires, or ask him to do or grant that
which to us appears good and desirable. This requires a
more particular consideration, as some have thought it not
consistent with the doctrine of God's decrees, foreordaining
whatsoever comes to pass ; because, according to this, every
thing is fixed, and cannot be altered. It has been said there
cannot be any reason or motive to pray, or make any petition,
to an unchangeable God, whose design cannot be altered,
and who has fixed all events, without a possibility of any
change.

Before any attempt is made to remove this objection and
supposed difficulty, it must be observed, that it equally lies
against the foreknowledge of God, For if God certainly
foreknows every thing that will take place, then every event
is fixed and certain, otherwise it could not be foreknown.
" Known unto God are all his works from the beafinning of
the world." He has determined, and passed an unchangeable
decree, with respect to all he will do to eternity. Upon the
plan of the objection under consideration, it may be asked,
What reason or motive can any one have to ask God to do
any thing for him, or any one else, since he infallibly knows
from the beginning what he will do, and, therefore, it is unal-
terably fixed ? Therefore, if it be reasonable to pray to an
omniscient God, it is equally reasonable to pray to an un-
changeable God ; for the former necessarily implies the latter.
But, in order to show that the objection is without foun-
dation, the following things must be observed: —

1. If God were not omniscient and unchangeable, and had
not foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, he would not be
the proper object of worship, and there would be no founda-
tion, reason, or encouragement to make any petition to him.

This, it is presumed, will be evident to any one who will
well consider the following observations: —

732 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

First. If there were no unchangeable, omniscient Being,
there would be no God, no proper object of worship. A being
who is capable of change is necessarily imperfect, and may
change from bad to worse, and even cease to exist, and, there-
fore, could not be trusted. If we could know that such a
being has existed, and that he was once wise and good and
powerful, we could have no evidence that he would continue
to be wise or good, or that he is so now, or that he is now dis-
posed to pay any regard to our petitions, or is either willing
or able to grant them, or even that he has any existence.
What reason of encouragement, then, can there be to pray to
a changeable being ? Surely none at all. Therefore, if there
be no reason to pray to an unchangeable God, there can be
no reason to pray at all.

Second. If God be infinitely wise and good, and omnip-
otent, supreme, and independent, then he certainly is un-
changeable, and has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.
This has been proved above, or, rather, is self-evident. But
if he be not infinitely wise and good, etc., then he cannot be
trusted; he cannot be the object of that trust and confidence
which is implied, and even expressed, in praying to him.

Third. The truly pious, benevolent, devout man would
not desire, or even dare, to pray to God for any thing, if he
were changeable and disposed to alter his purpose and plan, in
order to grant his petitions. Therefore, he never does pray to
any but an unchangeable God, whose counsel stands forever,
and the thoughts of his heart to all generations. He is sensi-
ble that he is a very imperfect creature; that his heart, his
will, is awfully depraved and sinful ; that he knows not what
is wisest and best to be done in any one instance ; what is
best for him, for mankind in general, for the world, or for the
universe; what is most for the glory of God and the greatest
general good ; and that it would be infinitely undesirable and
dreadful to have his own will regarded so as to govern in de-
termining what shall be done for him or any other being, or
what shall take place. If it could be left to him to determine
in the least instance, he would not dare to do it, but would
refer it back to God, and say, " Not my will, but thine, be
done." But he could not do this unless he were certain that
the will of God was unchangeably wise and good, and that
he had decreed to do what was most for his own glory, and the
greatest good of the whole, at the same time infallibly know-
ing what must take place, in every instance, in order to answer
this end, and, consequently, must have fixed upon the most
wise and best plan, foreordaining whatsoever comes to pass.
Therefore, whatever be his petitions for himself or for others,

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 733

he offers them to God, and asks, on this condition, always
either expressed or implied, " If it be agreeable to thy will ; " for
otherwise he would not have his petitions granted, if it were
possible. And he who asks any thing of God without making
this condition, but sets up his own will, and desires to have it
gratified, whether it be for the glory of God and the greatest
good of his kingdom, or not, and would, were it in his power,
compel his Maker to grant his petition, and bow the will of
God to his own will, — he who prays to God with such a dis-
position is an impious enemy to God, exercises no true de-
votion, and cannot be heard ; and it is desirable to all the
iViends of God that he should be rejected. Resignation to the
will of God always supposes his will is unchangeably fixed
and established ; which it could not be, unless he has fore-
ordained whatsoever comes to pass.

Thus it appears that if God were changeable, and had not
foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, there would be no
foundation for religious worship, or reason for praying to him ;
or that there can be no reason or encouragement for prayer
and petition to any but an unchangeable God. I proceed to
observe, —

2. There is good reason, and all desirable and possible en-
couragement, to pray to an unchangeable God, who has, from
eternity, determined what he will do in every instance, and
has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass. This will doubt-
less be evident to him who will duly consider the following
particulars : —

First. Prayer is as proper, important, and necessary, in or-
der to obtain favor from an unchangeable God, as it could be
were he changeable and had not ordained forever any thing.

Means are as necessary in order to obtain the end as if
nothing were fixed and certain. Though it was decreed that
Paul and ail the men in the ship should get safe to land when
they were in a storm at sea, yet this must be accomplished by
means, and, unless the sailors had assisted in managing the
ship, this event could not take place, and they could not be
saved. Prayer is a means of obtaining what God has deter-
mined to grant ; for he has determined to give it in answer to
prayer, and no other way. " Ask, and ye shall receive," says
our Savior. When God had promised to do many and great
things for Israel, he adds, " Thus saith the Lord God, I will
yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for
them." (Ezek. xxxvi. 37.) The granting of favors which God
had determined to bestow were as much suspended, on their
asking for them, as if there had been nothing determined and
fixed about it. There is as much regard had to prayer in
VOL. II. 62

734 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

granting favors, and the prayer is hoard, and God gives them,
as really and as much in answer to it as if there were nothing
determined and foreordained respecting them ; for the decree
includes and fixes the means as much as the end — the method
and way by which events are to take place, as much as those
events themselves. The one depends on the other as much
as if there were no decree and nothing fixed ; yea, much
more, for the decree fixes the dependence and connection
between the means and the end ; whereas, if there were no
decree, and nothing fixed, there would be no established con-
nection, but all would be uncertain, and there would be no
reason or encouragement to use means, or do any thing to
obtain an end.

Surely, then, there is as much reason and encouragement
to pray to an unchangeable God, and this is as important and
necessary, as if there were nothing fixed by the divine decrees,
and much more ; yea, the unchangeable purposes of God are
the necessary, and only proper ground and reason of prayer.

Second. Though prayer is not designed to make any change
in God, or alter his purpose, — which is impossible, — yet it
is suited and designed to have an effect on the petitioner, and
prepare him to receive that for which he prays. And this is
a good reason why he should pray. It tends to make the
petitioner feel more and more sensibly his wants, and those
of others for whom he prays, and the miserable state in which
he and they are ; for in prayer these are called up to view, and
dwelt upon ; and prayer tends to give a sense of the worth
and importance of the favors asked. It is also suited to make
persons feel, more and more, their own helplessness and entire
dependence on God for the favors for which they petition, of
which their praying is an acknowledgment; and, therefore,
tends to enhance them in the eyes of the petitioner when
given in answer to prayer, and to make him more sensible of
the free sovereign goodness of God in granting them.* In
sum, this is suited to keep the existence and character of God

* A kind and M'ise father, who designs to give his child some particular
favor, will bring the child to ask for it before he bestows it, and Avill suspend
the gift upon this condition, for the benefit of the child, that Avhat he grants
may be a real advantage to him, and a greater than if it were given before the
child was better prepared to receive it, by earnestly and humbly asking for it ;
and that the father may hereby receive a proper acknowledgment from the
child, and be treated in a becoming manner. And, in tliis case, the petition of
the child is as really regarded, heard, and granted, and the child's apjilication
and prayer to the father is as much a means of obtaining the favor, and as
proper, important, and necessary, as if the father liad not previously deter-
mined the whole affair. And when the children of such a father know that
this is his way of bestowing favors on them, they will have as proper motives
and as much encouragement to ask for all they want as if he had not deter-
mined "what he would do antecedent to their asking him ; yea, much more.

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 735

ill view, and impress a sense of religious truths in general on
the mind, and to form the mind to universal obedience and a
conscientious watchfulness and circumspection in all religious
exercises.

Third. It is reasonable, and highly proper and important,
and for the honor of God, that the friends of God should ex-
press and acknowledge their entire dependence on him, and
trust in him for all they want for themselves and others, and
their belief in the power, wisdom, and goodness of God; and
all this is acknowledged, expressly or implicitly, in prayer to
God. It is also reasonable and proper that they should ex-
press their desire of those things which are needed by them-
selves or others, and which God alone can give or accomplish ;
and such desires are expressed in the best way and manner by
petitioning for them. And in asking for blessings on others,
and praying for their enemies, they express their disinterested
benevolence, which is an advantage to themselves, and pleas-
ing to God, even though their petitions should have no influ-
ence in procuring the favors which they ask; and in praying
that God would honor himself, and advance his own kingdom,
and accomplish all the great and glorious things which he has
promised to do for his own honor and the good of his people,
they do not express any doubts of his fulfilling his promises,
but are certain he will grant their petitions ; but they hereby
express their acquiescence in these things, and their earnest
desire that they may be accomplished ; and also profess and
express their love to God, and friendship to his people and
kingdom, and do that which the feelings of a pious, benevo-
lent heart will naturally, and even necessarily, prompt them
to do.

We have many examples of such petitions and prayers for
those things and events which the petitioners, antecedent to
their prayers, knew would certainly be accomplished. We
have a decisive and remarkable instance of this in David, the
King of Israel, in the following words : " And now, O Lord
God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant,
and concerning his house, establish it forever, and do as thou
hast said. And let thy name be magnified forever, saying,
The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel : and let the house
of thy servant David be established before thee. For thou, O
Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant,
saying, I will build thee an house : therefore hath thy servant
found in his heart to pray this prayer before thee. And now,
O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and
thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant. There-
fore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant,

736 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

that it may continue forever before thee; for thou, O Lord
God, hast spoken it : and with thy blessing let the house of
thy servant be blessed forever." (2 Sam. vii. 25-29.) Here
David not only prays God to do that which at the same time
he knew and acknowledges God had promised to do, — and,
therefore, it was established as firm as the throne of the Al-
mighty, and decreed that it should take place, — but he says
that this promise of God, making it certain, was the reason,
motive, and encouragement to him to make this prayer:
" Thou, O Lord, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will
build thee an house. And now, O Lord God, thou art that
God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this
goodness unto thy servant: therefore hath thy servant found
in his heart to pray this prayer before thee." We hence are
warranted to assert that it is reasonable and proper to pray for
that which God has promised, and that the certainty that it
will be accomplished is a motive and encouragement to pray
for it. How greatly, then, do they err who think that, if every
event is made certain by God's decree, there is no reason or
encouragement to pray for any thing I

Our Savior, in the pattern of prayer which he has dictated,
directs men to pray that God would bring to pass those events
which were already fixed and decreed, and, therefore, must in-
fallibly take place. " Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed
be thy name ; thy kingdom come, thy will be done," etc.

Christ himself, in the seventeenth chapter of John, prays for
those whom the Father had given to him, that he would keep
them through his own name, and that they might be one, as
the Father and Son were one ; might be kept from the evil in
the world, and be sanctified through the truth ; that they might
be with him in heaven forever, and behold his glory. At the
same time he knew that all this was made certain to them;
for he had before said, that all that were given to him should
come to him, and he would raise them up at the last day;
that he would give unto them eternal life, and not one of them
should perish, as none should be able to pluck them out of his
hands, or his Father's. He prays, " Father, glorify thy name ;"
not because this event was uncertain, but to express his ear-
nest desire of that which he knew was decreed, and could not
but take |)lace, and his willingness to give up every thing,
even his own life, to promote this. Again, Christ prays in the
following words : " And now, O Father, glorify thou me with
thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before
the world was." The event for which Christ prays in these
words was decreed from eternity, and the decree had been long
before published, in the second and one hundred and tenth

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 737

Psalms. " I will declare the decree : the Lord hath said unto
me, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me,
and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the
uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Sit thou at my
right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." And
he had declared the certainty of that for which he here prays,
since his incarnation. He had said, that all power in heaven
and earth was given unto him ; that " the Father had com-
mitted all judgment unto the Son ; that all men should honor
the Son, even as they honor the Father." St. Paul, when
speaking of God, often introduces the following words : " To
whom be glory forever. Amen ; " which is not to be considered
as a mere doxology, by which glory is ascribed to God, but it
is rather a wish or desire that God may be glorified forever;
and the Amen corroborates it: as if he had said, "Let it be
so; this is the most ardent desire of my soul, including the
sum of all my petitions." Here, then, the apostle utters a
desire and petition for that which he knew was decreed and
would take place.

The last words of Christ to his church are, " Surely I come
quickly." Upon which promise the following petition of the
church, and of every friend of his, is presented to him : " Amen,
even so, come, Lord Jesus." Here is a petition, in which all
Christians join, praying Christ to do what he has promised,
and which, therefore, was as certain as a declared decree could
possibly make it; and the petition is grounded on this promise
and decree published by Christ, in which the petitioners ex-
press their hearty approbation of the coming of Christ, and
earnest desire of this important and happy event; and if it be
reasonable thus to pray for an event which is fixed and made
certain by an unchangeable decree, and cannot be altered, as
in the instance before us, then it is reasonable and proper to
pray for any thing or any event which appears to us desirable
and important, though we know God is unchangeable, and
that all things and every event are fixed by an unalterable
decree.

The apostle John says, " And this is the confidence that we
have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will,
he heareth us. And if we know that he heareth us, whatso-
ever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we
desired of him." (1 John v. 14, 15.) To ask for any thing
according to his will, is to ask for those things which it is
agreeable to his will to grant; and this is to be known only
by what he has revealed. When we ask him to do what he
has declared he will do, then we know we ask for that which
is according to his will, and, consequently, that we have our
62*

738 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

petitions. But it will be asked, "What are these things ? I
answer, that God will glorify himself in all things, and make
the brightest display of his perfections and character forever;
that he will promote and effect the greatest possible good
of the universe ; that he will make his church and kingdom
perfectly happy and glorious forever; that he will accomplish
all his designs and predictions, and fulfil all his promises, to his
church and people, and cause all things to work for the good
of those who love him, and give his Holy Spirit to all who
ask him. These, I think, must be the things we ask, when
we know that we pray for any thing according to the will of
God, and consequently know that he heareth us, and that we
have the petitions that we desired of him. But in all these
instances we ask for that which God has said he will do, that
is, has decreed that he will do them. And, as it has been said
before, if a decree in these instances does not render it un-
reasonable or improper to pray for their accomplishment,
then, if God has decreed whatsoever comes to pass, this is not
in the least inconsistent with our praying for whatever appears
to us desirable and good, and may not be contrary to the will
of God to grant. But here it must be observed, that when
we ask for any particular things or events which, though it may
not be contrary to the will of God to grant, yet he has in no way
revealed that it is his will to grant our petitions, — when we ask
for any such thing, we must do it with an express or implicit
reserve — if it be according to the will of God. Otherwise,
or if it be not according to his will, we must withdraw our
petition, and not desire to have it granted. Resignation to
the will of God, whatever it may be, in all such instances, is
essential to the pious petitions of a benevolent friend of God.
And by thus referring to the will of.God, and resigning to that,
desiring it may be done in all cases, whatever petitions w^e
may make, we do refer to the decrees of God, by which he
has determined what he will do in every particular instance ;
for his will and his decrees are in this case one and the same,
being fixed and unchangeable.

Fourth. It is not only proper and important that the wor-
shippers of God should express their desires of those things
which they want, in praying for them, but were this not true,
and were not asking for them the means and way of obtaining
them, yet the pious friends of God would esteem it a privi-
lege and enjoyment to be allowed and invited, " by prayer
and supplication, with thanksgiving, to make known their
requests unto him." To them prayer is not a task from which
they would be glad to be excused, but they practise it with
pleasure. They have great support, enjoyment, and happiness

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 739

in casting their cares upon God, and expressing the desires of
their hearts to him. While others restrain prayer before God,
and say, " What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
and what profit should we have if we pray unto him ? " the
benevolent friend of God would pray, were it only for the en-
joyment which he has in the exercise, and says in his heart,
" I will call upon God as long as I live." And though he is
certain that God is unchangeable, and that nothing is done
or will come to pass which is not foreordained by him, this
does not tend to prevent, or in the least abate, the pleasure and
enjoyment he has in making known his requests to God, or
his desire constantly to practise it; but this truth gives him
support and consolation, and increases his delight in calling
upon God, and renders it more desirable and pleasant unto
him ; yea, were not this a truth, he could not find any reason
for making his requests known to him, or any delight in doing
it, and would not have any encouragement, or even dare, to
ask for any thing, as has been observed and shown.

And now this matter is to be left to the judgment of every
one who will attend to it. It is hoped that it appears evident
beyond all dispute, from the light in which this subject has
been now set, that the doctrine of God'.- decreeing whatsoever
comes to pass is not only consistent wiih all the exercises of
true piety, but is the proper foundation for this, and is suited
to excite and promote these exercises ; and that there can be
no real piety which is not consistent with this truth.

IMPROVEMENT OF THE SUBJECT.

I. It appears, from what has been said on this subject, that
they who are in their hearts opposed to this doctrine of the
decrees of God are strangers to true piety, and do not fear be-
fore God. Though they may have exercises which they call and
think to be piety and real religion, and it may have an appear-
ance of it to others, yet it has nothing of the real nature of
true piety, but is enmity and opposition to the true God.
They may think they love God, and are speaking for him, and
to his honor, and in favor of religion, while they are strenu-
ously opposing this doctrine, as dishonorable to God, and de-
structive to all virtue and true religion; but they are deceived,
and are really opposing and dishonoring the true God, and de-
nyhig and renouncing that truth which is the only foundation
of true piety.

This will, without doubt, be thought very uncharitable by
many, as it condemns a great part of professing Christians,

740 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

as destitute of true piety, and not real Christians. But is it
the office of charity to give up the truth because it condemns
ourselves or our fellow-men ? Is it uncharitable to think
and speak according to the truth, and to censure those who
are censured by the God of truth ? True charity, or love,
"rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the tridhP If the
subject we have been considering has been justly represented,
and the truth established by undeniable evidence, then this
inference that has now been made follows with the greatest
certainty, and must be admitted, however many are censured
and condemned by it, and be they who they may.

It is to be carefully observed, that the inference is, "who-
soever in their hearts, and in the exercise of what they call
piety, oppose this doctrine of God's foreordaining whatsoever
comes to pass, have no real religion." Persons may, through
the prejudices of education, or some other way, be led to mis-
understand this doctrine, and have very wrong conceptions of
it, and imbibe prejudices against it, in their speculations, and
yet the exercise of their hearts be in some measure agreeable
to it, in the practice of real piety. Their piety may not pre-
vent or remove all their wrong and mistaken speculations and
conceptions on this point. But if their hearts oppose this
truth, — which is the foundation of all true piety, — their hearts
are not right with God, but they must be enemies to him, and
in the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity, whatever spe-
cious pretences they may make of love to God and of devotion.

On the other hand, persons may be right in their specula-
tions on t^iis point, and be fully convinced of the truth of this
doctrine, — yea, be very zealous in arguing for it, and vindi-
cating it against opposers, — and yet never heartily submit to
it, but really oppose it in their hearts, and be wholly strangers
to every exercise of true piety.

On the whole, he who cordially submits to this doctrine, and
has exercises of heart answerable to it, is a pious man, and
fears before God, whatever his speculations may be. And he
whose heart opposes this doctrine in the whole tenor of his
exercises is a stranger to true piety, though he may be ortho-
dox in his speculative opinion. It is desirable, however, that
every man's judgment and speculations should be according
to the truth ; and it cannot be easily accounted for that a per-
son whose heart is truly ])ious and benevolent should continue
to disbelieve and reject this doctrine, when under all proper
and desirable advantages to get light and instruction ; to have
all his false conceptions of it removed ; to know what it is ;
what is, and what is not, im])lied in it; atid to learn the foun-
dation and reason of it, and how expressly and abundantly,

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY". 741

and in a variety of way^, it is taught and inculcated in the
Holy Scriptures.

And if a person under all these advantages and instructions
perseveres in renouncing and opposing this doctrine, as very
disagreeable, and overthrowing all religion, with an obstinacy
and zeal which appear to proceed from the disposition and
feelings of the heart, we have reason to fear, yea, to determine,
that the heart is not right with God, and that such opposition
flows from this root of bitterness.

That the unrenewed, selfish, impenitent man should dislike
and oppose this doctrine, can be easily accounted for. For it
appears, from what has been said on this subject, that it must
be, of all things, most disagreeable to him, and that to which
one of such a disposition and character can never submit.
But that he who is born of God, and has a humble, benevolent
heart, and loves and fears God, and delights in the Bible, medi-
tating therein day and night, is pleased to have God exalted
as a glorious, omnipotent, unchangeable, infinitely wise and
good sovereign of the universe, and to have proud man hum-
bled and abased before him, — that such a one should not
believe that God has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass,
but oppose and be displeased with such a doctrine, is quite
unaccountable.

II. This subject teaches us the reason and importance of
making the glory of God our supreme end in all we do.

1. Because this is the highest, best, and most important
end that can be proposed and pursued, and, therefore, most
agreeable to wisdom and benevolence.

2. Because God himself makes this his end in all his works.
This is asserted in the truth which is established in the fore-
going discourse, viz., that God hath, for his own glory, foreor-
dained whatsoever comes to pass ; and it has been shown that
this must be the supreme end of the infinitely wise and benev-
olent Being in alL he does, and that this is necessarily included
in the assertion in our text, "that whatsoever God doth, it
shall be forever." It is certainly reasonable that we should
pursue the same end that God does in his works, and herein
imitate him as his children. If it be wise and benevolent in
God to lay a plan and pursue it to glorify himself, to make
the brightest display of his own perfections, wisdom and be-
nevolence will lead us to do all for the same end.

3. Because the glory of God, the greatest manifestation and
display of the divine character and perfections, includes the
greatest possible good of the created universe ; for in producing
and effecting this, the omnipotence, infinite wisdom and good-
ness of God are acted out and manifested to the greatest

742 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

advantage to be seen by creatures. The glory of God and
the greatest happiness of the creation, therefore, cannot be
separated, as two distinct and different ends, since the one
necessarily implies and involves the other. The highest hap-
piness of a creature consists in tiie knowledge and enjoyment
of God, in beholding, loving, and glorifying him ; and, there-
fore, the more his perfections are manifested to the creation,
the more happy will creatures be ; and the greater the happi-
ness and glory of the creation is, the more is God glorified, the
greater is the display of his power, wisdom, and goodness.
Does is not hence follow, that the glory of God implies all
possible good, and, therefore, is to be sought as the supreme
end ? How reasonable and important then is it, that we should
with zeal and fervor of mind constantly aim at this end, in
obedience to the apostolic injunction, " Whether, therefore,
ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of
God " !

4. Because he who makes the glory of God his supreme
end, and consequently seeks the greatest good and happiness
of the creation, in the kingdom of God, is necessarily happy
himself. His benevolence, by which he makes this grand ob-
ject his supreme end, and places his happiness in the glory of
God and the greatest general good, will necessarily render him
happy in seeing this end completely accomplished, as it will
be to the utmost of his wishes, and far beyond his present con-
ceptions. He must necessarily share in all this good, when
it takes place, because, by the supposition, this is his chosen
good; and while he seeks this as the grand object of his de-
sire and happiness, and is at the same time assured that it
shall be accomplished, he has a great degree of enjoyment.
He, in a measure, enjoys the good he seeks, in the assured
prospect that it will take place. Thus universal, disinterested
benevolence, which seeks the glory of God and the general
good, is the only aflfection which can interest us in that good
which will take place to the highest degree, and give us our
full share in it ; whereas, the contrary affection, self-love, neces-
sarily excludes from all true happiness, because the selfish
person places not his happiness in the glory of God and the
public good, the happiness and glory of his kingdom, but in his
own exaltation, and private, personal good. He is, of course,
an enemy to the only true good and happiness, and, so far as
that takes place, he is necessarily excluded and unhappy.

He, therefore, who, in this sense, denies himself, gives up all
that separate, personal, private interest which self-love seeks,
and, in this sense, loses his own life, shall find or save his
life ; that is, shall be truly and eternally happy in the exercibe

THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY. 743

of disinterested affection to God and the members of his king-
dom, which necessarily puts him in possession of the public
good and happiness, and gives him his share in this social
felicity, as one of the members of the society. But he who
saves his life — that is, who, having no public, disinterested
affection, seeks himself only, and is pursuing and seeking to
save to himself a separate, private interest, for the sake of which
he is ready to sacrifice and oppose the glory of God and the
general good — shall lose his life; that is, shall lose or miss of
all happiness, and must necessarily be miserable.

Thus we see in what respects, and for what reasons, it is
our indispensable duty, and of the highest importance to us,
to make the glory of God our supreme end in all we do ; and,
by what has been observed, we may learn what is implied in
this. It is to set this above every thing else ; to aim at and
pursue nothing but this, and what is implied in it; to subordi-
nate every thing with which we are concerned to the glory of
God ; to give up and devote ourselves, with all we have and
are, to answer this end, without making any reserve, freely
renouncing all supposable or possible interest or good for our-
selves or others which is inconsistent with the glory of God,
or which will not conduce to it and promote it.

III. They who desire to know their own character and the
nature of their religious exercises, whether they bear the stamp
of true piety, may examine and try themselves, by what has been
exhibited on this subject, whether the God which is revealed
in the Bible, unchangeable in his being, perfections, designs,
decrees, and works, is the chosen and delightful object of their
religious affections; of their love, fear, hope, and trust ;- of their
gratitude and joy ; of their adoration and praise, to whom they
make confession, and pray with perseverance and pleasure ;
and whether they are conscious that a God, who has not fore-
ordained whatsoever comes to pass, could not be the object
of these their pious affections.

As to those who dislike and oppose this doctrine, and say
they cannot love and worship such a God, and yet think
themselves truly pious and in the way to heaven, and that
they are serving and honoring God in their opposition to this
doctrine, we will leave them to the day which shall try every
man's work, of what sort it is; at the same time being certain,
that if their hearts and all the exercises of them do oppose and
reject the God who has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass,
and they live and die with such hearts, they will be found to
be workers of iniquity, and ranked with them who " know not
God, and obey not tlie gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."

IV. Let all who believe this doctrine be concerned to live

744 THE DECREES OF GOD THE FOUNDATION OF PIETY.

answerable to it, and constantly fear before this God, and live
in the exercise and practice of every branch of true godliness;
and not, as many do, hold the truth in unrighteousness, and
pervert it to bad purposes.

The Christian has learnt to unite a conviction and sense of
entire dependence on God, who orders and works all things
according to his unchangeable decree, for every motion and
right exercise of heart, with zeal and activity in religion, work-
ing out his own salvation with fear and trembling, with self-
diffidence, and a sense of his own insufficiency for any good
thing, and a humble dependence on God for grace to do his
duty, because he knows that God worketh in him both to will
and to do of his own good pleasure, (Phil. ii. 12, 13;) and
the stronger and more steady conviction he has that God over-
rules and orders all things for his own glory and the greatest
good of the whole, even all the sin and rebellion of men, the
more unreasonable and criminal does sin appear to him, as it
is, in its nature and tendency, direct opposition to this event;
and, therefore, the more does he loathe, abhor, and condemn
himself for his sins, and acknowledge his desert of eternal de-
struction, knowing that God's foreordaining whatsoever comes
to pass leaves the sinner as free a moral agent, and as inex-
cusable and criminal, as if there were no decree in the case.

Blessed are they who understand these things, and know
the only true God, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent
in working, and Jesus Christ, whom he has sent, who exer-
ciseth loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the
earth.

MISCELLANIES.

The following articles were not received in season to be inserted in their
appropriate places, and are therefore placed here.

ON THE SLAVE TRADE.*

Mr. Editor : It is thought the following hints are, at
this time, worthy of the particular attention of the citizens
of this state, and especially of our honorable legislators.
You are, therefore, desired to insert them in your Mercury,
devoted to the good of the public.

It is well known that, at the last session of the general
assembly of this state, it was considered and debated, whether
a law should be made to prohibit the slave trade to the inhab-
itants of this state, and that the motion was negatived by a
considerable majority. It is presumed, not because the slave
trade is thought justifiable, or, on the whole, advantageous to
the state, but for the following reasons, which were urged : —

I. It was said, that as the slaves were taken from the coast
of Africa, not in the jurisdiction of this state, and might be
carried to places equally out of the limits of our legislature,
there could be no right or authority in this state to make such
a law ; and, therefore, to attempt to do it would be equally
unreasonable and ridiculous.

This argument seems to be wholly founded on the suppo-
sition that the slave trade is, in itself, no moral evil, but law-
ful ; for, it is presumed, none will dispute the right, propriety,
and importance of prohibiting the inhabitants of this state
committing violent depredation and murder on their fellow-
men, in any part of the world. All will allow that the legis-

* From the Newport Mercury of May 1, 1784.

VOL. II. 63

746 ON THE SLAVE TRADE,

lators of any state have right to make laws to restrain their
subjects from the practice of piracy, in any place whatever,
and to punish men, when convicted of this crime, though
committed in places, in other respects, out of their jurisdic-
tion. But it is to be hoped there are but few, very few, cit-
izens in this state who noiv think the slave trade is, in itself,
innocent and lawful. Are not all who have acquainted them-
selves with the nature, circumstances, and manner of this
trade, and are willing to consider it impartially, fully con-
vinced that it is one of the most flagrant instances of open
violation of all the rights of mankind — of inhumanity, cru-
elty, and murder — that have ever been perpetrated by any
civilized nation ? It would fill volumes fully to display the
unrighteousness, the horrible cruelty, and bloodshed which
have been the attendants and consequences of this inhuman
traffic, by which millions of our fellow-men have been, con-
trary to all right, and in the most cruel manner, forced from
their native country and all dear connections, and sold into
most ignominious, abject slavery, there to wear out a wretched
life, and leave their children in the same miserable state. And
many thousands of them have been murdered by the barbarous
treatment of them on board the^hips, or after they have been
sold. This, therefore, will not be attempted here; but the
reader is referred to what has been written on the subject in
a number of late publications.

It is well known that the inhabitants of this state have had
a greater hand in the slave trade than any other on this con-
tinent, and, therefore, must have incurred the greatest share
of the guilt. And what can we do less than say, " We ivill do
so no more" ? Is not this the only hopeful way to escape the
vengeance that now hangs over our heads? This trade has
been carried on many years by the connivance, at least, if not
the encouragement, of the legislature. How proper, how im-
portant is it, then, that they should now arise and bear testi-
mony against it, and do all in their power to abolish it forever
— that they should be the first in setting the good example,
and show their approbation of the wise and noble resolution
of congress in the beginning of our struggle for liberty! To
sit still noiOi and be silent, is to neglect the best opportunity
to wash our hands, as far as possible, from the blood that oth-
erwise must be found in them, and prevent impending wrath
bursting on our heads.

Let us, then, with one voice, say to our fathers who shall
convene in the next general assembly, " Arise, for this work
belongeth unto you. We will be with you. Deal coura-
geously, and do it, and the Lord shafi be with the good."

ON THE SLAVE TRADE. 747

11. It was urged, that it is improper for this state to take up
the matter, and prohibit the slave trade, since it has been laid
before congress by a petition from the general meeting of
Friends in Philadelphia, desiring that, in their wisdom, they
would enter upon some measures to put a stop to it; and
that honorable body have it now under their consideration.

This appears so far from an objection, that it is rather a
strong argument for making such a law without delay. For
this is so far from dictating to congress, or taking it out of
their hands, that it would be the most express and proper ap-
probation of their resolve just mentioned, and will tend to
strengthen their hands in so good a work, if they be disposed
to do all they can to prevent the revival of that pernicious
trade, of which we must not entertain the least doubt.

The legislature are to be honored and applauded for the
measure they have taken gradually to abolish slavery in this
state. There have been strong objections, however, against
the law lately made for that end, particularly that clause of
it which obliges the towns, where the blacks who are to be
free shall be born, to be at the charge of their education till
they be of age, or can maintain themselves. It is said, this
lays an unreasonable burden on the few towns where most
of the slaves are, while the greater part of the state will be at
little or no charge ; whereas it ought to be laid equally on the
whole state, as it is by the connivance or neglect of the state
that the slavery of the Africans has been introduced and con-
tinued among us.

If this objection be well founded, the honorable general as-
sembly may, and doubtless will, make such amendment in
that particular as wholly to remove the complaint. But let it
be remembered, that since this evil practice has been so long
continued, and got such deep root among us, it cannot be
expected it may be eradicated and abolished without great
difficulty, and so that no one shall suffer by it more than an-
other. And as it is so important and necessary — in order to
do justice to the injured Africans, and promote the public
good, and our acting a consistent part, who have been such
mighty advocates for our own liberty — that liberty should be
restored to them, ought we to think much of a little expense,
or of doing more than we think is our equal part, in order to
answer such important ends? Besides, it will be said, with
some appearance of justice, at least, that the towns where
there are the most slaves ought to be at most of the expense
necessary for the removal of this evil, as they have the greatest
share of guilt, and have had the most advantage by it, if slavery
be, indeed, any advantage ; but if it be not, let the masters free

748 LETTER TO DR. RYLAND. "*

all their slaves who are so young as to have children, and save
both the state and the town from the expense of educating
their children. For, if all such were freed immediately, it is
presumed there are not two in a hundred who would not main-
tain themselves and their children, and educate them as well,
at least, as white children in general are educated, might they
have an equal chance with the whites to get a living.

This suggests a proposal which has been made, and may
not be unworthy of consideration. Why need the towns be
at any expense to educate these freed children of slaves ? Why
ought not this to be laid on the slaveholders themselves? They
can educate them with little expense, and be paid by their la-
bor, before they be of age. But, if the children do not repay
them, they will be more than paid by the profit of their parents'
labor. What right have these masters to make their slaves
wear out the prime of life in their service, and turn their chil-
dren on the public for maintenance? If they do not choose
to maintain and educate their children, let them free their
slaves, that they may support themselves and their children,
and be no charge to the masters or the public.

Moreover, if the law obliged the masters to educate the
children of their slaves, another objection made against it, as
it now stands, would be obviated, viz., that it is rather an
encouragement to masters to hold their servants in slavery, as
they are freed from the expense and trouble of educating their
children ; whereas, if they were obliged to support and educate
them, this would be a motive with many to free their servants,
and so promote the professed design of the law — the freedom
of slaves.

LETTER TO DR. RYLAND,

Of Northampton^ England, on the Controversy between Dr.
Hopkins and Rev. Abraham Booth.

Newport, November 24, 1797.

Rev. and dear Sir: I thank you for your kind commu-
nication, (without date,) accompanied with two parcels, con-
taining Mr. Scott's " Warrant and Nature of Faith in Christ,"
together with four pamphlets, of the chief of which you are the
author ; and Mr. Booth's " Reign of Grace," which came to
hand on the 1st instant.

I had before seen all the pamphlets you have sent to me,
except your sermons to your congregation at Northampton,

LETTER TO DR. RYLAND. 749

on your leaving them, and have been much gratified and
pleased with them. Mr. Hall was an amiable, excellent man.
I read your discourse at the ordination of Mr. Fawkner, to my
church, which was highly approved by them. I have for a
number of years been acquainted with your character and
writings ; and you have had my affectionate esteem and good
will. Messrs. Fuller, Sutclif, and Pearce, of Birmingham, have
also much of my esteem and love.

I have been surprised, and not a little grieved, to find that
Mr. Booth's " Glad Tidings " has been reviewed and highly
approved and recommended in the Evangelical, Missionary,
and Gospel Magazines ; and in the latter (I think, for I have them
not by me now) a passage is selected from him, as very excel-
lent, which appeared to me to be senseless, evasive, and contra-
dictory. I presumed you could not approve of that bool^ and
was confirmed in my opinion by a piece inserted in the Evan-
gelical Magazine, of which I concluded you was the author,
which evidently had reference to Mr. Booth's publication, and
was calculated to sap the whole foundation of it. As it is not
by me now, I cannot refer to the number nor the signature.

You did not think proper to mention Mr. Booth's book;
and I perceive he is so popular a writer that it is thought not
best expressly to oppose him. When Mr. Scott wrote, he, as
Mr. B. observes, tacitly directed it against various things in his
" Glad Tidings ; " not thinking it best, openly and expressly, to
mention and oppose him and his book. I think we should not
be so cautious in America.

Let the goodness of Mr. Booth's heart and life, and his
abilities, be what they may, his theory of Christianity and
religious exercises is wholly selfish; which is as opposite to
true religion as darkness is to light, as sin to holiness. lu
support of this selfish religion he has written his " Glad
Tidings." Is he not therefore to be blamed ? And ought he
not to be withstood to the face ? Besides, it may be asked,
Can the utmost Christian candor and charity reconcile with
Christian uprightness and benevolence an attempt to expose
and condemn an author, as perverting the gospel, by artfully
transcribing here and there a sentence of his, while he wholly
overlooks the arguments which the author thought sufficient
to support his assertions ?

It appears he was on the same selfish, inconsistent plan
when he wrote his " Reign of Grace." He says nothing in the
whole treatise, that I have observed, inconsistent with a wholly
selfish religion, and repeatedly asserted that which necessarily
implies it. He says, (p. 248,) " It is self-evident that the rigor
of the sanctions of the law of God can never be loved by a
63*

750 LETTER TO DR. RYLAND.

person obnoxious to its condemning power, etc. Fallen man,
therefore, cannot love God, but as he is revealed in a Media-
tor," etc. See, to the same purpose, pp. 268, 270. It is re-
markable that Mr. B. should repeatedly assert in his " Glad
Tidings," that if a sinner were made in the least degree holy,
a friend to God and his law, previous to his pardon and justi-
fication, he would stand in no need of free pardon and justifi-
cation by the righteousness of Christ alone, for he has some-
thing of his own to recommend him to the favor of God ; and
on this ground onlij, condemn the author he mentions as per-
verting the gospel, because he asserted that sinners must ap-
prove of the law of God, etc., antecedent to their believing in
Christ ; and at the same time wholly neglect the reasons which
that author gave, that the sinner, though renewed to holiness,
coLilt? not by this be recommended to the favor of God, but
stood in as much need of free pardon wholly on account of
the atonement of Christ, as he would do were he not thus
renewed. It is remarkable, I say, that he should say and do
all this, when he had, in his " Reign of Grace," asserted the
contrary, over and over again, viz., that no degree of holiness
of the sinner can avail in the least degree for his pardon and
justification. See pp. 96, 175, 176, 178, 183, 188, 189, 190,
191, 202, 226, 276, 277, 278, 347, 374, 375. Had he recol-
lected this, and believed, when he wrote his " Glad Tidings,"
he vv^ould not have censured the author he mentions, as he
has done, without knowing that he really censured himself, at
least, as much.

He grants and asserts, that all men who are not justified
by the righteousness of Christ are guilty, unrighteous, ivicked,
and accursed, (pp. 175, 176, 178.) And why may not sin-
ners in this state, and of this character, be properly denomi-
nated ungodli/, though regenerate ? If so, the word on which
he so much relies is given up, and Mr. Scott and others are
to be justified in their interpretation of Rom. iv. 5, 6.

Mr. B. asserts, that previous to pardon and justification, a
sinner must become poor in spirit, and approve of the gospel,
(pp. 8, 66, 94, 100 ;) must be sensible he deserves damnation,
(p. 103;) must believe, trust in Christ, and receive him, and
the blessings of the gospel ; must look to Christ for salvation,
etc. (pp. 132, 137, 143, 144, 157, 214, 215, 252, 329, 336, 339,
353, 354.) And yet he constantly insists upon it that no terms
or conditions are proposed as necessary to take place antece-
dent to the sinner's justification ; and that the sinner, previous
to his justification, and until he is justified, is under the power
of pride and enmity against God, and is actuated by the tem-
per, and bears the very image, of the devil, (p. 190.) Is it
possible to reconcile these glaring inconsistencies ?

LETTER TO DR. RYLAND.

751

What Mr. B. says, (p. 108,) I think, if it has any meaning,
asserts that sanctification is not that by which Christians ob-
tain evidence of their justification, and is as absurd as any
position of , or of any Antinomian.

What is said of the thief on the cross, (pp. 135, 136,)
though taken alone it be true, yet viewed in connection with,
his scheme, appears to me to be a loose, unmeaning, self-
contradictory liarangue.

Mr. Booth's assertions (pp. 171, 172) are inconsistent with
an unholy, unregenerate sinner's believing the gospel, and with
desiring and receiving the blessings of it; for how can that be
the object of faith which is not seen or willingly received, which
is not desired or relished ? But I am tired of attending to the
inconsistencies and absurdities of this author. And perhaps I
have said too much. Let them who do not see the errors and
inconsistence avail themselves of the advantage of all the good
things to be found in his " Reign of Grace."

I have read Mr. Scott, and thjnk him orthodox, so far as
he goes, in his notion of the warrant and nature of faith in
Christ. But he says some things which seem to be a little
inconsistent, or at least want to be more fully explained.
Perhaps Mr. B. will take no public notice of him, since he has
opposed him so tacitly^ without mentioning his name, or ex-
pressly quoting him. I believe it will be wise in Mr. B. to be
silent.

I am not satisfied that Mr. Scott clearly distinguishes
between selfish affections and disinterested exercises of reli-
gion, and think there is reason to believe he does not, both from
his making no remarks on this head upon what Mr. B. advances
in his " Glad Tidings," and especially from what he says re-
specting American divines : " That sometimes they seem to
intimate that an almost total disregard to our own happiness
is essential to true grace. They do not clearly distinguish that
wise and holy self-love, vv^hich God originally planted in our
nature, from that carnal, apostate, and foolish self-love, which
is the consequence of the fall." (pp. 3, 4.) If by holy self-love
he means any thing distinct from disinterested benevolence, and
which is not necessarily included in it, as it seems he does, he
must mean that which is in the nature of it sin ; and conse-
quently does not properly distinguish selfish religion from that
which consists in disinterested afiection, or between true and false
religion. It is presumed that his neglect to make proper dis-
tinctions on this head has led him to censure some American
divines as "making many unscriptural distinctions, and ad-
vancing positions which obscure the glory of the gospel." Of
this, however, we and the public might have been better able

752 LETTERS TO DR. RYLAND.

to juugc, had he condescended to tell what were those mis-
c-hievous positions and distinctions. In the mean time, it is
thought that his publicly naming a particular minister as
guilty of all this, without informing him or the public what his
crime is, by particularly stating the positions and distinctions
he has advanced, is rather magisterial, ungenerous, and inju-
rious. But we must allow good English divines to have a
spice of what we, on this side of the water, call British
pride.

He cannot reasonably impute the question which he men-
tions, with a degree of horror, as found in the Theological
Magazine, to Hopkins, or to any American divine. But if he
could, what harm is there in asking the question ? He has
not told us. Had he looked into the next number of that
Magazine, he would have seen the question answered, and
might have informed the public whether it be answered right
or wrong. My system has been more generally read and
approved in America than was expected ; and but little public
opposition has been made to it.

You have my hearty wishes and prayers, dear sir, that you
may be greatly blessed and useful in the important station in
which you are placed, and be enabled to maintain and propa-
gate the truths of Cliristianity, in the midst of the opposition
with which yo\i may be surrounded.

I shall be gratified by your writing me, whenever your
more important business shall permit.

I am, with much esteem and cordial affection, your much
obliged friend and servant,

S. HOPKINS.

Rev. Dr. Ryland.

LETTER TO DR. RYLAND,

Of Northampton, England, in Reply to Dr. RylaruVs T/ieo-
Mg-ical Queries, and sent Seventeen Days before Dr. Hop-
kins's Death.

Newport, September, 1803.
Dear Sir: Last May I received yours of February 21st.,
with a MS. copy of Mr. Marsham's journal, and a number
of valuable pam|)hlets, for which I am much obliged to you ;
particularly for plainly stating some difficulties and objections
in your mind respecting several doctrines advanced on this
side the water.

LETTER TO DR. RYLAND.

753

When your letier came to hand, I was not able- to write
or read, being brought very low by sickness, from which I did
not recover for a considerable time. In the mean time, I
received a letter from Mr. Fuller in answer to my objections
which you sent to him, as made by me, to a position of his in
his Bedford sermon, in my letter to you; to which I have re-
plied, and enclose it to you unsealed ; which, when you have
read, you will please to seal and send to him.

You object to what I and my brethren in America hold with
respect to the operation of the law on the renewed mind and
the exercises respecting it, antecedent to a particular attention
to the gospel, and understanding and embracing it; at least,
of hoping to be saved by it, since they, antecedent to regen-
eration, and when regenerated, have had as much opportu-
nity to think of and understand the gospel as the law. What
of our writings you refer to, I cannot say, so cannot undertake
a particular vindication of any of them, but take leave to make
the following observations on the subject : —

The law of God must be understood, and approved or loved
as perfectly right, good, and excellent, before the gospel can be
embraced, liked, or even understood. There must be such an
operation of the law on the renevv'ed mind as to slay the per-
son, or cause him, in some sense, to die the death which it
denounces, before he can have any sensible relief from the
gospel, or understand it. And how long the regenerate per-
son shall continue in this hopeless state, under the operation
of the law, till it shall have done its proper and necessary
work, and before the gospel is particularly attended to and
embraced, none can tell. In some, the whole may take place
in a minute, or less, so that the person may not make any dis-
tinction, or perceive which is first or last; but, if really con-
nected, the operation of law must be first, whether perceived
or not, and that connection may be more evident and satisfac-
tory when the work of the law appears to be most sensible,
and distinct, and thorough. And, that it may be so, the re-
newed person maybe held some time — an hour, a day, or
longer — in attention to his state, according to law, and his
mind be so intent upon the glory of God, and his law, as to
admit of no particular view or thought of the gospel. And
this may be wisely an 1 kindly ordered by God, and the re-
newed mind be holden from attending to the gospel, till the
law has effectually, and in the best manner, wrought death in
him. And God, who has the total and most perfect govern-
ment of the mind, and of every thought, orders the length of
time the renewed mind shall continue wholly attentive to this
glorious law, and what it implies, without particular attention

754

LETTER TO DR. RYLAND.

to the gospel, neither believing nor disbeliving it, and the suc-
cession of ideas and impressions on the mind, according to
the particular disposition or circumstances of the person, and
so as to answer the wisest and best ends.

The mind of man is not omniscient, and cannot attend to
all things at one and the same time, or to two different and
opposite objects with equal clearness, and be as much im-
pressed by the one as by the other, at the same instant; it
is under the direction and control of God. And as the nature
and character of God, his law, and sin, or a person's own
character in the light of these, must be first understood, and
the mind must be thoroughly impressed with them, and con-
sent to them as true, right, and important to be known, before,
and in order to the gospel being understood and approved, the
ideas and knowledge of the former must first be entertained
by, and impressed on, the renewed mind, so as to bring it to
a hearty submission, approbation, and compliance with them,
before the latter can be received or understood. And as to the
length of time and degree of this impression and work of the
law upon the mind, before the gospel comes into view, it is
wholly determined by God, so as to answer the best ends, and
with a difference and variety on different minds, and in vari-
ous circumstances, by us utterly indescribable.

That such a work of the law as has been described, or some-
thing of the same nature, must take place in the renewed mind
antecedent to understanding and embracing the gospel, not
only appears necessary from the reason and nature of things,
but is evident and certain from divine revelation. The apostle
Paul gives a particular account of the operation of the law on
his mind antecedent to his receiving relief by the gospel. " I
was alive without the law once; but when the commandment
came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment which
was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." The law did
not come to him until his mind was renewed ; for it could not
have the operation here described on an unrenewed, impeni-
tent heart. He goes on to describe his case and his feelings.
The law cursed all who were not, and had not been always,
perfectly holy; he therefore, being carnal, or sinful, was sold
under sin, unto death, the curse of the law. He consented to
the law, that it was good, and delighted in it, after the inward
man, and wished to obey it; but the evil inclination which
was in him was leading him captive unto sin and death. In
all this, Christ and the gospel are kept out of sight. He there-
fore cries out, " O wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver
me from the body of this death?" After this, Jesus Christ is
introduced as affording complete relief. All previous to this

LETTER TO DR. RYLAND.

755

may take place in the renewed mind, before tliere is any par-
ticular discovery of Christ and the gospel, though much of it
may be understood as expressing the character and exercises
of a believer all his days. As the eyes of the two disciples
going to Emmaus were for wise reasons holden, that they
should not know Jesus when he joined them on the road, so
for wise and more important reasons it may be ordered that
the mind of the renewed sinner shall be so attentive to the
law, and his case and circumstances, as being under the curse
of it, and the eyes of his mind holden so as not to attend to,
or think of, the gospel for a time, just so long as God pleases,
to answer the best ends — one of which may be more effect-
ually to subdue and mortify the selfishness of the heart in a
view and approbation of the holy, just, good, and glorious law
of God which condemns him to eternal death, and to form his
heart to that disinterested benevolence, in the exercise of which
alone he will be prepared to understand the glory of the gos-
pel, and cordially embrace it.

And here it may not be improper to inquire, whether sub-
mitting to the death, or dying the death, which the law pro-
nounces, and which is contained in the curse of it, so as to
consent, and delight in it as holy, just, and good, does not
imply a willingness to suffer the curse of it, rather than to
have God and his law dishonored by his escape from this
punishment. Be this as it may, we learn with certainty from
this passage that, first, Paul was converted by the law first com-
ing to his renewed mind, prepared to receive it, by which his
sin revived, and he found himself dead according to the sen-
tence of the law, before he found relief by the gospel. And
that the law must thus first come, before the grace of the gos-
pel can give true relief, seems to be asserted when it is said,
" The law was given by Moses ; but grace and truth came by
Jesus Christ." The Mosaic dispensation was designed to ex-
hibit the law. This was foremost and most visible, and the
grace of the gospel was revealed in a more dark and hidden
manner, under types and shadows. The ten commandments
were revealed in the form of law, and contained the whole of
it. And the curses of this law all Israel were ordered to cause
to be read before them as soon as they got into the land of
Canaan, and to pronounce and declare their hearty consent to
them. They were ordered to say, " Cursed be he that con-
firmeth not all the words of the law to do them. And all the
people shall say. Amen." This was done before any blessing
was brought into view, or mentioned ; bv which the whole con-
gregation of Israel declared their hearty consent to the curse
of the law, while it cursed them all, as they were all sinners.

756 LETTER TO DR. RYLAND.

As to the question, whether men ought or can be willing to
be damned, if this be necessary for the glory of God and the
greatest general good, I refer you to iny letter to Mr. Fuller
on that subject, and to a MS. Dialogue between a Calvinist
and an anti-Calvinist, which I propose to get transcribed and
send to you with this ; in which you will see a solution of
the following words in your letter : " It seems strange that a
man should, from love to God, be willing forever to hate God,
and blaspheme him."

Before this point- is dismissed, I shall make some remarks
on your following words : " What call have they to be willing
to be damned, when God assures them that Christ is able and
willing to save them, and can be glorified more in their sal-
vation than in their damnation?" God does not assure any
one of this but them who are sure that they do embrace the
gospel, and are true Christians. They who are not assured
of this cannot know that Christ is willing to save them, or
that he can be more glorified in their salvation than in their
damnation; and of the latter you appear to be speaking, by
what goes before. If such can be sure of all this, they must
be equally sure that all mankind will be saved ; for Christ will
in every instance do that which is more for his glory than the
contrary ; and we are most sure that he will save every one
whose salvation will be more for his glory than his damnation.
I know you arc opposed to the doctrine of universal salvation ;
perhaps I misunderstood your words, and they may be taken
in another sense.

I come no\r to that which is to you the most puzzling point
— the divine agency in respect to sin. You think we spend
too much time, and take more pains, in explaining and vindi-
cating the divine agency in the existence of moral evil than
in proving that God is the Author of all moral good. Perhaps
this is not strictly true. I appeal to my system, where, per-
haps, I have said as much on this point as any writer, in the
chapter on the Divine Decrees, yet not exclusive of any other
important doctrine. ' It is of importance that the divine char-
acter should be vindicated in the existence of .sin under his
government, as well as in other events. And is it not proved
to every candid mind that the divine will and agency is as
necessary for the existence of moral evil as of any other event,
,and that it is abundantly asserted in Scripture; and that they
who attempt to account for the existence of sin in any other
way will find it is attended with as many difficulties and great
absurdities? — that the divine character may be vindicated,
and his holiness and infinite benevolence or goodness is not
sulUed in the least, but gloriously manifested and displayed,

LETTER TO DR. RYLAND. 757

and sin as. criminal, and the sinner as blamable, as if God
had no will or agency respecting the existence of it? You
say, the evil consequence which men will draw from this doc-
trine, to their own hurt, will be fixed on their minds so as not
to be removed by any thing we can say; therefore it were
better not to mention it. May not this be as truly said of
many, if not all the most important doctrines of divine revela-
tion ? and the mouths of objectors cannot be stopped. The
same consequences which you have mentioned, and worse,
have been, and now are, drawn by millions from the doctrine
of predestination, of the decrees of God, particular election,
etc. ; yet you believe and preach up, and labor abundantly to
explain and vindicate them, let who will violently oppose and
abuse them by drawing the worst and most destructive and
blasphemous consequences from them.

You want to know how we would obviate the consequences
which the Hindoos in India infer from this doctrine, that God
is the Author of all sin. We answer, we do not know the par-
ticulars of their doctrine, and that it is the same with ours, but
presume it is quite ditferent and absurd. But if it be the same
which we hold, we have already shown, and abundantly proved,
that the inferences which they or any one else make are
wholly groundless and unreasonable. Witness President Ed-
wards on Freedom of Will, Dr. West on Moral Agency, and
the chapter on the Divine Decrees, before mentioned.

But you wish us to make the matter so clear as to be easily
understood by the most unenlightened mind, and made obvious
to every Sooder and Hindoo in India. You have set us a hard
task indeed, but we take leave to set you another, which when
you have performed, we promise to do ours. The inferences
from the doctrine of the decrees of God, and many other doc-
trines which you hold and preach, which have been and are
now made by the millions of British Hindoos and Sooders,
from the highest lords, bishops, doctors of divinity, and the
clergy, down to the lowest and most ignorant peasant, are
wrong and absurd, and the inferences you make from these doc-
trines are right, and agreeable to Scripture. Now, if you will
make the matter so clear and plain as to be easily under-
stood, not only by the learned, judicious, and attentive, but the
most unenlightened mind, and to become obvious and plain
to the lowest and most stupid and ignorant person in Britain,*
then we shall think it an easy matter to perform what you
request.

I can give no information concerning the MSS. of President
Edwards, which were in the hands of Dr. Edwards when he
died. I had not seen him for a number of years before his
VOL. II. 64

758

SAVING FAITH.

death, and fear they have fallen into hands who will let them
sink into oblivion.

I have just entered on the eighty-third year of my age, and
do not expect to preach or live much longer. Wish you may live
many years, and do much good in the cause of Christ. Hope
after that to meet you where Christ will abundantly reward
his faithful servants.

I remain your assured friend and fellow-servant in the
gospel,

S. HOPKINS.

Rev. Dr. Ryland.

P. S. December 3. — Since the above was written, Dr.
Hopkins has been very sick, so as life was despaired of; is
now recovering, but unable to write or to read a word. He
has had the above transcribed, and desires me to add, that he
wishes the Rev. Dr. Ryland, Rev. Mr. Fuller, and Sutclif would
consult together, and write and send the result. And, if they
have no objection, perhaps the correspondence may be printed.
Dr. Hopkins recommends Dr. Hart, of Preston, and Dr. Strong,
of Hartford, as correspondents with whom you will be pleased.
With very great respect, I am, reverend sir,

Your friend and servant,

ELIZABETH HOPKINS.
Rev. Dr. Ryland.

SAVING FAITH.

[The following is one of the letters referred to in the Memoir, p. 222, etc.,
vphich were addressed by Dr. Hopkins to one of his English friends. It is
one of the many proofs that Hopkins did a great work in enlightening the
minds of men on the subject of saving faith.]

Rev. and dear Sir: I have lately been reading Hervey's
Dialogues and Letters, which I some time ago heard you
speak favorably of. I have been entertained and well pleased
with the performance. The dbctrines of man's depravity, and
'the sinner's jvistitlcation by the imputed righteousness of
Christ, are, I think, set in a strong and convincing light. The
ingenious author has a peculiar talent at expressing his senti-
ments in elegant and charming language, suited — so far as I
can judge — to the taste of this polite age; and the lively
and entertaining descriptions of nature interspersed will, I hope,

SAVING FAITH.

759

draw on many to read, who otherwise never might have taken
the pains to inquire into these important articles of the Chris-
tian faith ; and it is a pleasing circumstance to me that a
clergyman of the church of England should be willing and
able 'so well to defend those doctrines, which, though fully and
clearly expressed in the articles of that church, and solemnly
subscribed by all its clergy, are rejected by almost all the
clergy and laity of that« communion in this land, and if not
disowned, yet neglected by the writers of that denomination at
home. And, indeed, for some reason or other, these doctrines,
zealously professed in former ages, and the truth of them sealed
by the blood of thousands, have, at this day, but very few able
advocates publicly to espouse their cause, while their adver-
saries are triumphing as having demonstrated them to be most
absurd and blasphemous.

Is it not a pity that Mr. Hervey so peremptorily declines
this noble and important combat for the future? When
strength and skill are so much wanted, is it not to be lament-
ed that so able a combatant should leave the field ? Where
shall we find a man to supply his place? Must we not hope
and pray that, if Mr. Hervey's resolution has been too sudden,
the great Head of the Church will lead him as resolutely to
reverse it? And as his declining state of health is mentioned
as the principal reason for his withdrawing his pen from the
further public defence of these precious and important doc-
trines, you will, I trust, join with me in praying for his restora-
tion to health, and the lengthening out of his precious life.
And I have at present something further to wish to pray for;
even that, wherein Mr. Hervey and your friend are not of the
same mind, God would reveal even this unto us. (Phil. iii. 15.)
For I am not so happy as to agree with him in every article ;
yea, I must beg leave, till I can have further light, to dissent
from him in a very important one. I cannot approve of his
definition of faith, and of much that he says in illustrating
and proving it to be proper and genuine. If I had opportunity
of representing the difficulties in my mind against that par-
ticular, to the author, who appears to be possessed of such an
uncommon state of sagacity, meekness, candor, and love of
the truth, I should hope to give or receive that light which
might be satisfactory. But as this privilege is denied to an
obscure American, I have presumed to reply to you, reverend
sir, and with leave to represent my difficulties and offer my
objections to ijou^ desiring, that if you find that I misunder-
stand this ingenious and justly-esteemed author, or that my
objections have no weight, you would be so good as to show
me wherein my mistake lies.

reo

SAVING FAITH.

Mr. Hervey's definition of faith you will find in his third
volume, Letter 10, p. 217, and it is repeated in Dialogue 16,
and is as follows : " Faith is a real persuasion that the blessed
Jesus has shed his blood for me, and fulfilled all righteousness
in my stead ; that, through this great atonement and meritori-
ous obedience, he has purchased, even for my sinful soul,
reconciliation with God, sanctifying grace, and every spiritual
blessing." ^

I have the following objections in my mind against this
definition of faith : —

I. I do not see what ground or foundation there is for such
a faith in divine revelation. I do not find it any where re-
vealed in the Bible that Christ died for me, etc. I find no such
declaration or proposition there ; and, therefore, I do not see
what ground I have to believe this proposition from any thing
revealed in the Bible. The gospel declares that Christ died
to save sinners ; that all that accept of him and rely upon him
for salvation are interested in all the benefits of his death.
This, therefore, I have reason to believe ; but how shall I be-
lieve that I have an interest in his death, that my sins are
pardoned, etc., unless I am conscious that I comply with the
condition on which all this is offered and promised in the
gospel? The invitations and promises of the gospel are a
sufficient ground for my believing that Christ is an all-
sufficient Savior; that he, with all his benefits, is freely offered
to every sinner that will accept of him and trust in him ; that,
therefore, I am invited to come to him, and trust in him for
salvation ; that the invitation is made to me, and the promises
are all mine, if I do comply with the invitation. But if I do
not, none of the promises belong to me, and I have no interest
in the saving benefits of Christ. Therefore, while I do not
accept of, or comply with, the invitation, I have no ground to
believe that any of the promises and benefits of the gospel are
mine, or belong to me ; but on the contrary, I have reason to
believe and be assured that eternal life does not belong to me,
but that I am pointed out as one on v^hom the wrath of God
abideth. I can, therefore, have no further reason to believe
that Christ died for me, that my sins are pardoned, etc., than
I have evidence that I am willing to receive these blessings as
they are otlered ; for it is by my thus receiving them that
they become mine. If, therefore, I believe they are mine, ww-
conditiutia///j, my faith (if it can be called such) is wholly with-
out any foundation from divine revelation ; yea, is contrary to
the express declaration of Scripture, and must be, therefore, a
mere delusion.

This objection is made by Theron, p. 279 ; but I conceive it

SAVING FAITH.

761

is by no means taken off by what Aspasio says in answer to
it, viz., that, though salvation by Christ is not promised to
any one of us, and made ours by name, yet our character
being pointed out, and it being declared that Christ came to
save such, we have as much warrant to believe this salvation
ours as if we were named.

If it was declared in the gospel that Christ came into the
world to save sinners, so as all of this character are actually in
a state of salvation, are actually pardoned, etc., then nothing
further would be wanting but knowing that this character
belongs to us, in order to our having sutTicient ground of be-
lieving and being assured that Christ died for us, etc. Then
sinners, wherever the gospel comes, might be assured that
they were in a state of salvation, and might be called upon to
believe that they were so. But then, by the way, this could
not be called justifying, saving faith, because it is supposed
that they are justified and in a state of salvation previous to
their believing themselves to be so, otherwise they would have
no reason to believe so. But this will be considered by and
by. If it should be said that they are not in a state of salva-
tion previous to their believing they are so, but Christ becomes
their Savior by their believing that he is so, I think this is as
much as to say that Christ becomes our Savior by our believ-
ing a falsehood ; for whatever is necessary in order to Christ's
being my Savior, must first take place before he can be so; and
his being mi/ Savior depends upon and comes in as a conse-
quence of that, and follows it in order of nature and time.
Therefore, according to this supposition, he is not mine until
I have believed he is so, but he becomes mine in consequence
of, and so after my believing he is mine already ; which propo-
sition is, by the supposition, false.

For example, if a rich man had, upon his decease, willed a
hundred pounds to each poor man in a parish, so that every one
of them that believed himself to have a title to it should actually
share in the legacy, w^hile those that did not believe it to be
theirs should never have any share in it, or be the better for it,
in this case, in order to have a title to this legacy, each poor
man must believe a proposition to be true which is not true-
that, by his believing it while it is false, it may be afterwards
true. This, absurd and contradictory in all cases, is, " Crede
quod habes, et habes." Whatever is offered on such a con-
dition, is offered on an impossible one ; I mean a condition
which cannot possibly be complied with, unless a person is
under such a delusion as to believe that to be true which is
absolutely false, and is supposed to be so in the proposal. It
hence follows, that, if any thing whatsoever is offered upon
64*

m

SAVING FAITH.

&uch a condition, though a person may be so deceived as to
comply with it, and really believe it belongs to him before it
does, yet the belief cannot be attended with any degree of
assurance, unless a man can be assured that a proposition is
true at the same time that it is not so. (See III.) But this
I suppose none will believe to be the case ; for then every
sinner would, no doubt, be saved. Christ came into the world
to save sinners ; to sinners this salvation is brought and offered,
and every sinner is promised a share in it, if he will accept of
it as it is offered. But this surely gives the sinner no title to,
ho share in it, until he accepts of it. Therefore he cannot truly
say, " This salvation is mine," until he has heartily accepted
of it, or is willing to have it on the terms on which it is offered ;
and has no further ground to believe it belongs to him than
he has evidence that he heartily accepts of it. By finding
myself to be a sinner, I may be assured that salvation by
Christ is freely offered to me ; that I am invited to come to
Christ, to take it and live forever. But as many sinners to
whom this salvation is offered have no share in it, and
iiever will have, I can from hence have no ground to believe
that it belongs to me. I must first have evidence that I ac-
cept of it, before I can have any ground to believe that I have
"any interest in it. I think, therefore, Theroii's objection stands
good yet, and shows that the preceding similitude is not to
Aspasio^s purpose. I find nothing in the Bible that gives sin-
ners in general any assurance or any reason to believe that their
sins are forgiven ; and, therefore, no sinner has any reason to
believe this privilege belongs to him, unless he finds something
peculiar in his own character by which he is distinguished
from sinners in general, and to which the promise of forgive-
ness of sin is made ; which, surely, is nothing less than a
willingness to receive this at the hands of Christ as it is offered.
And if this is really his character, salvation belongs to him,
and his sins are pardoned, whether he believes this to be his
happy case or not. Hence I conclude that such a persuasion
cannot be saving faith, as it cannot be built upon any divine
promise or declaration.

Perhaps it will be said that a willingness to receive offered
mercy, or a hearty acceptance of it, as it is offered, is implied
in a person's believing or being persuaded that Christ died for
him, that his sins are forgiven, etc.

II. It seems to me that this definition of saving faith implies
a contradiction, or supposes that, in order to a person's being
entitled to salvation, he must believe or be persuaded of the
truth of a proposition which at the same time is supposed to
be false. Saving faith, I suppose all will grant, is that by which

SAVING FAITH. 763

/

men are entitled to salvation. By this, sinners pass from death
to life, and are entitled to all the blessings of the covenant of
grace. The sinner has no interest in Christ's righteousness be-
fore he believes. With the heart he believetli unto rig^hteousness.
(Rom. x. 10.) Now, if this faith is a persuasion that Christ
died for me, that thereby reconciliation with God is granted
for my sinful soul, etc., I think it must be a real persuasion of
the truth of a proposition which at the same time is supposed
to be, and really must be, absolutely false.

III. If the former objections were not in the way of my ap-
proving of this definition of faith, there is yet another difficulty
in my mind.

I think, according to this definition, faith is not a holy act or
exercise, nor does it imply any holy or virtuous exercise of heart
at all. Neither can I see that holiness is the necessary or nat-
ural attendant or consequence of such a faith.

I do not see that the persuasion of the truth of this proposi-
tion, that Jesus Christ died for me, etc., implies any gracious
or holy exercise of heart. The most unholy man may give as
strong ati assent to, and be as confident of, the truth of this
proposition, as if he was never so holy. There is, I think, noth-
ing in this proposition contrary to the taste and inclination of
an unholy heart; and the firm belief of it appears to me no
more difficult to a man wholly under the power of sin, than to
the most holy man. It was equally true concerning both.
IMatter of fact, I think, renders this indisputable. What mul-
titudes of evidently unholy persons in the Christian world,
who are confident beyond all doubt that Christ is their Savior I
Such a persuasion is alike common to the holy and unholy.

Now it appears to me unreasonable to suppose that that
should be made a condition on which all the benefits of the
covenant of grace are suspended, and should give a title to
eternal life, which is neither in itself a holy exercise, nor im-
plies any thing truly virtuous or holy. It would hence follow,
I think, that justifying, saving faith is no more out of the reach
of a person wholly under the power of sin, or no more above
his present moral power, than any act of sin whatsoever, which
is contrary to what Mr. Hervey supposes, and contrary to many
express declarations of Scripture. Moreover, if this is true of
saving faith, I do not see how it can be said to be a principle
of holiness, or to purify the heart; (Acts xv. 9;) to be necessa-
rily attended with or evidenced by good works, which is abun-
dantly asserted in Scripture, and much insisted on by Mr. Her-
vey. I do not remember that he any where says that saving
faith is itself a holy act or exercise. He says, indeed, pp. 171,
172, " Wherever He (the Almighty) works this true faith, He

764 SAVING FAITH.

plants the seed of universal holiness, and provides for the pro-
pagation of every virtue. This persuasion of the divine
GOOD WILL overcomes our natural reluctance, and excites a
present desire to please our most merciful Father. This ex-
perience of the abundant grace of Christ attracts and assimi-
lates the soul, turning it into an amiable likeness, as the wax
is turned to the imprinted seal." In these words, he asserts
that the sanctifying influences of God's Spirit do accompany
faith, and that this persuasion effectually turns the heart from
sin to God, but not that the persuasion or belief itself is a holy
act. Neither does he, I think, prove that this faith is never
found where the seed of universal holiness is not implanted,
and that this persuasion effectually overcomes the native op-
position of heart to holiness ; and I am not yet convinced that
this is in fact the case. I believe that such a persuasion of
God's good will often is found with those who have not the
seed of true holiness in their hearts; and that, in many in-
stances, it does not excite the least sincere desire to please God,
proves the occasion of making persons easy in sin, and strength-
ening and confirming them in disobedience. For confirmation
of this, I again appeal to matter of fact. Mr. Hervey says a
great deal to show what influence Ids faith, or a persuasion of
the divine good will, will certainly have eflectually to produce
a holy life. But, after all, I am not convinced that \h.\i^ persua-
sion does not, in many instances, harden and embolden men in
sin. The faith of Abraham and of St. Paul produced a holy
obedience ; but perhaps their faith was not the same with that
defined by Mr. Hervey.

If I were to prove that the doctrine of justification by faith
only was not a licentious doctrine, but that believers always
lived a holy life, and that this was implied in this doctrine, I
would endeavor to show that justifying faith is itself a holy act
or exercise; that it implies and springs from that in the heart
which, being confirmed, is the principal spring or seed of uni-
versal holiness; that, therefore, a holy temper or bent of mind,
or a disposition and love to all branches of holiness and obedi-
ence, was always strong and prevalent in proportion to the
strength of the exercise of faith. But in order to prove this, I
imagine my definition of faith must not be the same with that
I am objecting against.

IV. If this be justifying faith, I see no way to distinguish
it from that faith or persuasion of the same thing which is not
saving faith. None will deny, I suppose, that a person may
believe or be strongly persuaded that liis sins are forgiven, etc.,
when this is not the case. (Though I suspect that they who
give that definition of faith that I am objecting against do, by

SAVING FAITH. 765

granting this, contradict themselves.) Mr. Hervey supposes
that this persuasion or assurance may be a delusion, (p. 312.)
He there says, the love of our brethren " may very justly be
admitted as an evidence that our faith is real and our assurance
no delusion." Now, I say, I see not how the delusive persua-
sion shall be distinguished from that which is saving, inasmuch
as this definition includes a false, delusive faith, as well as a
saving faith. If it be said that there is this difference, viz., a
delusive persuasion or assurance is not accompanied with, and
does not produce, good works, whereas a saving faith is never
without good works, this will not at all remove my difficulty;
for upon this supposition, the false, delusive faith is as much
included in the definition of savino^ laith as saving faith itself.
Therefore it is not a definition of saving faith, as it is not here-
by distinguished from faith that is not saving, and is as much
a definition of that as of saving faith.

Further, when it is said that saving faith is accompanied
with good works, but that which is not saving is without works,
this does not seem to point out any intrinsic difference between
these two sorts of faith ; but they seem to be supposed to be
alike in all other respects but this, viz., that one is without
works, being alone ; the other is accompanied with good works.
If it be said, that the one being accom[)anied with good works
as its genuine attendant and fruit, and the other not, implies
and points out an intrinsic difference between these two sorts
of faith, I would observe that this is, at most, only to assert
that there is an intrinsic difference, which is the occasion or
cause of a different production or effect, but does by no means
point out this intrinsic difi'erence, and show wherein it consists.
J. am not yet informed what there is in saving faith which is
the proper spring or cause of good works, by which it is in it-
self essentially different from a false faith. Now, I think no
definition of saving faith is just and good, but that which ex-
presses the essential difference between that and every kind of
faith that is not saving; inasmuch as it is no more a definition
of saving faith than of faith that is not saving.

V. Experience and observation have served to strengthen me
in my objections against this definition of saving faith, as it
has convinced me of the bad tendency of such a notion of
faith, and the sad consequence, in many instances, of persons
depending upon such a persuasion or assurance bij the direct
act of faith, as Mr. Hervey calls it.

You are, no doubt, sensible, sir, that many of those who
passed for converted, and thought themselves so, in the time
of the outpouring of the Spirit of God on New England some
years ago, have so behaved since as to give good reason to

766

SAVING FAITH.

conclude that their faith is not saving; and, if my observation
is right, those persons whose first and direct act of faith was
a persuasion or assurance that Christ died for them, loved
them, etc., are most generally the persons whose faith proves
vain, being alone.

Most of our enthusiasts, and those that have brought re-
proach on the work of God, are, I think, of this stamp. They
are confidently persuaded and assured that Christ died for
them, and their first faith was grounded upon some revelation
made to them (which I think they never had from God's
word) that Christ loved them, and their sins were forgiven, or
the like. This persuasion (which they were more probably led
into by the devil than the Holy Spirit of God, as it is a per-
suasion of that which I think cannot be true) is like to be the
ruin of thousands ; whereas those who show most of a Chris-
tian temper, and behave most to the honor of Christ and his
religion, being inquired of, will tell you that they had such a
view of the all-sufliciency of Christ, and his readiness to save
sinners that come to him, and they had such a sense of his
excellency and beauty, and the suitableness and glory of the
way of salvation by him, that they could not but admire
Christ and place an unreserved trust in him ; that in this way
their hearts were quieted, and they enjoyed inward peace and
satisfaction ; while they came to no persuasion that Christ
and his salvation were theirs, and had not the least thought at
the time about this, that they are conscious of, though per-
haps it was not long before they began to entertain a hope
that they had believed on Christ, and so were interested in his
salvation. For my part, when I have such an account of a
person of his conversion, I have a more comfortable persuasion
that he is a true believer in Christ than I have of those who
tell me that the first discovery they had of Christ was, that he
was their Savior, that it was revealed to them that Christ died
for them, that he loved them, and had loved them, etc. ; from
which they were persuaded and assured that they were in a
state of salvation, and have great joy and transports in this
way of believing. I say, I like the faith of the former better
than the latter, and that not only for the reason given before,
(which, I think, shows that the faith of the latter is certainly a
delusion,) but because, from my acquaintance with persons
and their souls' concerns, I find that those who have the latter
generally discover a temper and go into a conduct very unbe-
coming the gospel, which, I think, is not so common with the
former.

I would not be understood to suppose that a persuasion
that Christ is their Savior does in no instance attend the first

SAVING FAITH.

767

act of faith, (though I do not think this is generally the case.)
No doubt that a person's ^rs^ hearty acceptance of Christ and
reliance upon- him for salvation may be attended with a con-
sciousness, a persuasion, yea, an assurance that he does now
accept of him and trust in him, and, consequently, he is as-
sured that Christ is his Savior. But then I should not call
this persuasion any part of his saving faith. And when this
is not the case, this persuasion or belief generally takes place
not long after the soul's having closed with Christ, and in
many instances, no doubt, answers to what may properly be
called an assurance.

I have carefully considered all the texts of Scripture which
Mr. Hervey alleges in justification of his definition of faith ;
and they appear to me either only to show that the blessings
of the gospel are offered freely to those that will accept of
them, or to prove that a persuasion or assurance of their title
to them is attainable by good men ; except Heb. xi. 1, p. 285,
which I think not at all to his purpose, unless it was first
proved that it is revealed in the Bible that the sinner has a
title to gospel blessings previous to his faith. If this was
the case, Mr. Hervey's faith might realize to the sinner's mind
what was in divine revelation a real, substantial truth ; but if
no such thing is revealed in thc.Bible, but the contrary, (which
I am yet persuaded is the truth,) no true faith can make this
real. Things must have a substance, and be realities, in order
to their being realized to the mind by faith. This notion of
faith was embraced by many of the reformers, I am sensible,
and by some eminent godly men since; but as they mi^ht err,
and no doubt did so in many instances, their authority affords
no matter of conviction. I have no evidence that this notion
of theirs about faith did in any degree promote their usefulness.

These, reverend sir, are my most material objections against
Mr. Hervey's definition of faith. But it may be that I misun-
derstood Mr. Hervey's definition, and I would be the less con-
fident I do not, because in some passages he seems to set this
point in a different light, (p. 239, middle.) He says, " Nothing
is required in order to our participation of Christ and his bene-
fits but a conviction of our need, a sense of their worth, and a
U'illingmess to receive them in the appointed waijr I take this
to be saving faith, and I should think Mr. Hervey meant to
describe saving faith here, as he speaks of this as the only
condition or thing required in order to the sinner's partaking
of Christ and his benefits ; but I find nothing of a persuasion
that Christ is our Savior, or that he shed his blood for us, in
this passage, nor any thing that implies this. I suppose a
person may be willing to receive Christ and his benefits in the

768

SAVING FAITH.

appointed way, and yet not be persuaded that Christ and his
benefits are Ids ; yea, that this persuasion is so far from bein^
implied in this acceptance, that the former cannot take place
but in consequence of the latter, as I have before oideavored
to show.

Again, p. 247, he says, " Ilis (the sinner's) part is to accept
the blessings fully purchased by the Savior and freely offered
to, the sinner." On page 282, showing it is the sum of the
gospel to be preached by Christ's ministers to all nations, he
says they are to publisli, "that all unhappy sinners .... may
come to Christ, and rely on Christ; may, in this manner, obtain
pardon, righteousness, and all the privileges of children." In
each of these passages, I suppose Mr. Hervey means to speak
of saving faith, and I can find no fault with his description, as
I belive it to be perfectly scriptural; but that coming to Christ,
and relying on Christ, implies a persuasion that my sins are
pardoned, or that such a persuasion implies coming to Cin-ist,
or is any thing akin to it, I see not the least evidence.

I like Mr. Hervey's representation of the act by which Christ
becomes our security, (pp. 300, 301.) And when I read that
passage over, it seems to me to be in some measure inconsist-
ent with what I have been objecting against. Speaking of
Christ's being in Scripture represented by a place of refuge,
etc., he says, " If this is a proper emblem of Christ, to what
shall we liken faith? To a persuasion that the shelter of the
summer-house is free for our use ? That we are welcome to
avail ourselves of the commodious retreat ? Would this de-
fend us from the inclemencies of the weather? Would this
bare persuasion, unless reduced to practice, be any manner of
shelter to our persons ? No, surely. We must actuaUy J]y to
the shelter, and we must actually apply to the Savior; other-
wise I see not what comfort or benefit can be derived from
either.

Here Mr. Hervey professedly points out a saving faith, in dis-
tinction from, and opposition to, that which is not so, in which
he appears to me as much to oppose what he elsewhere calls
saving faith as any other faith whatsoever. May not his defi-
nition be put to the question in the same manner, and fall un-
der the same condemnation? His faith is a hare persuasion;
and will my being persuaded that Christ is my shelter be any
security to me, unless I actually betake myself to him? AVill
my bare persuasion that Christ died for me render him of any
service to me, unless I actually apply to him by a hearty ac-
ceptance of him, and trust in him ?

Page 253. Thcron is without any persuasion that he has any
title to Christ's righteousness ; yet, upon his professing to beg

SAVING FAITH. , 769

and pray for this blessing-, Aspasio assures him that he has a
title to this blessing. So (pp. 254, 274, 275) Aspasio pro-
nounces Theron entitled to the blessing of the gospel upon his
thirsting' for them, while Theron himself is wholly without any
persuasion or even suspicion of his own interest in these bless-
ings ; hence I conclude that Aspasio either supposes that sin-
ners may have a title to the righteousness of Christ upon a
condition lower than believing- in him, viz., their living- and
thirsting for this blessing, or he supposes a person may believe
with a saving faith, and yet be without any real persuasion
that this blessing belongs to him.

That Aspasio supposed the former, one would be apt to sus-
pect, from Theron^s being, after all this, spoken of as an unbe-
liever, (p. 276.) That he should suppose the latter, seems more
agreeable to what is said, (p. 290,) where Aspasio allows Palce-
mon^s faith to be sound and genuine, though it includes no per-
suasion of a title to gospel blessings ; though, I confess, I see
not how his granting this is consistent with his not giving up
his own definition as not comprehending all sound, genuine^
saving faith, but only pointing out a merely generous and tri-
umphant faith.

These and some other passages may, perhaps, give no suf-
ficient ground to suspect that I have in some measure misun-
derstood Mr. Hervey. However, I refer the whole matter to
you, reverend sir; and if you find my objections are frivolous,
or that they do not properly lie against Mr. Hervey's faith,
please to show me my mistake, and add to the obligations by
which I am your friend and servant, etc.

P. S. That great, learned, and accurate Dutch divine. Van
Mastricht, whose body of divinity perhaps excels all others that
have yet been written, and is, in my opinion, richly worth the
repeated perusal of every one who would be a divine, argues
against the notion of faith which I have been objecting to, in
such a nervous and concise manner, that I presume to throw
a short transcription from him into a postscript, notwithstand-
ing I have, I fear, trespassed on your patience in my long
letter.

" Queritur, 4. An applicatio seu persuasio peculiaris, qua
quis certus est, Christum esse suum Mediatorem, sit ipsa es-
sentia fidei salvificEB ? This question he answers in the nega-
tive, and gives these reasons for it: —

" 1st. Quia persuasio ista particularis, nullam in Scripturis
habet, justificationis, aut salutis promissionem. NuUibi enim,
vel verbis dicitur, vel re ; quicunque fuerit persuasus, Christum
esse suum Servatorem, sibi remissa esse peccata sua; ille jus-
tificatus est, aut justificabitur, etc.
VOL. II. 65

770 SAVING FAITH.

" 2d. Quia non potest obtinere, hujusmodi peculiaris persua-
sio, nisi, prmsupposito actu fidei salvifico, ex quo inferas et
colligas, Ciiristum tuum esse Servatorem, tibi remissa esse pec-
cata tua.

" 3d. Quia assensus ille applicationis, si modo fides divina
velit esse, verbum Dei dicentis, pro objecto requirit; ubi enim
Deus non loquitur; ibi ego etiam non possum credere; jam
autem, Deus nullibi dicit; tuus, Petre aut Paule, Christus est
Servator, pro te mortuus est, tibi remissa sunt, tua peccata.

"4th. Quia hac ratione, vel Christus, pro reprobis etiam,
erit mortuus ; vel, credendum nonnullis fide divina, quod est
falsum. Ratio est, quoniam omnes et singuli, quibus annun-
ciatur Christus, inter quos, plurimi sunt reprobi, tenentur cre-
dere in Christum.

" 5th. Quia persuasio ilia particularis, saltern quoad essen-
tiam actus, irregenitis et hypocritis inesse potest."*

* See lib. ii. cap. i., pp. 56, 57, § xxv.

END OP VOLUME II.

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DATE DUE

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GAYLORD

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