Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

SECT. II.

There must be a discovery of the infinite glory of God.

[ocr errors]

N the fecond place, As there must be a discovery of the real nature, fo alfo of the infinite glory of God. He must not only be feen to be juft fuch a being as he really is, but there must be a fenfe of the infinite worth, beauty, and perfection of his character. These two things, though intimately connected, are yet so diftinct from one another, as to deferve to be feparately confidered. The firft is neceffary, but it is not. fufficient alone, or by itself. There can be no true religion, unless there be a difcovery of the real nature of God. But though there be a knowledge of what God is, unless there be also a discovery of the excellence and glory of this nature, he can never be the object of esteem and love. It is one thing to know, and another to approve and, whilft this laft is not the cafe, whatever we may know or affirm, or be perfuaded of, with relation to the Supreme Being, we do not know him. • to be God, nor can poffibly glorify him as God. This momentous truth we may furely comprehend, by what is analogous to it in our experience, between created natures. Speculative knowledge and love are by no means infeparable. Men may truly know many things which they fincerely hate; they may hate them even because they know them: and when this is the cafe, the more they know them they will hate them with the greater virulence and rancor. This not only may, but always must take place, when natures are oppofite one to another, the one finful, for example, and the other holy. The more they are known, the more is their mutual hatred ftirred up, and their perfect oppofition to each other becomes, if not more violent, at leaft more fenfible.

We have little reason to doubt, that the fallen angels, those apoftate fpirits, have a great degree of fpeculative knowledge. I would not, indeed, take upon me to affirm that they are free from error and miftake of every kind, yet it seems highly probable that they have a clear, though, at the fame time, a terrible apprehenfion of "what God

is; for they have not the fame opportunities, or the fame means of deceiving themselves, that we have in the prefent ftate. But do they love him, or fee his excellence and glory? Very far from it. They believe and tremble; they know God, and blafpheme. The more they know of him, the more they hate him; that is to fay, their inward, native, habitual hatred is the more ftrongly excited, and the more fenfibly felt.

The cafe is much the fame with fome finners, when firft awakened, and it continues to be the fame fo long as they are kept in bondage and terror. They have an awful view of the holinefs of God's nature, of the ftrictnefs of his law, and the greatness of his power. This is directly levelled againft their own corrupt inclinations, and carries nothing with it but a sentence of condemnation against them: "Curfed is every one that continueth not "in all things which are written in the book of the law, "to do them."* This brings forth their enmity, which before perhaps lay hid. It is remarkable that fome per⚫ fons of loose and diforderly lives, will fometimes maintain, at stated feafons, a profeflion of piety. So long as they can keep their confciences ftill and quiet by general indiftinct notions of God, as very eafy and gentle, no way inclined to punish, they think of him without averfion, nay, will go through fome outward forms with apparent fatisfaction and delight. Their notion of divine mercy is not a readiness to pardon the greatest finner on repentance, but a difpofition to indulge the finner, and wink at his continuance in tranfgreflion. No fooner are fuch perfons brought to a discovery of the real character of a holy God, than their thoughts of him are entirely changed. They have gloomy views of his nature, and harsh thoughts of his providence; they fret at the strictnefs of his law, and, as far as they dare, complain of the tyranny of his government. Their fentiments are the fame with thofe expreffed by the men of Bethfhemefh: "Who is able to ftand before this holy Lord God, and to "whom fhall he go up from us."t

[blocks in formation]

I cannot help obferving, that here we are, if I may fpeak fo, at the very fountain-head of error. What is it elfe that makes many frame to themselves new and flattering schemes of religion, that makes them imagine a God fo extremely different from that holy Being he is reprefented in his own word? When men will not conform their practice to the principles of pure and undefiled religion, they scarce ever fail to endeavor to accommodate religion to their own practice. Are there not many who cannot endure the reprefentation of God as holy and jealous, which is given us in fcripture? With what violence do they oppose themselves to it by carnal reasonings, and give it the most odious and abominable names? The reafon is plain. Such a view of God fets the oppofition of their own hearts to him in the ftrongeft light. Two things oppofite in their nature cannot be approved at once, and, therefore, the confequence is, God or themselves must be held in abhorrence. But we have reason to blefs God, that their refiftance to the truth is only a new evidence and illustration of it, fhewing that "the carnal mind "is enmity against God; for it is not fubject to the law "of God, neither indeed can be."* And as this enmity to God discovers itself in oppofition to his truth on earth, it will become much more violent, when further resistance is impoffible. When an unregenerate finner enters upon a world of spirits, where he has a much clearer fight and greater fenfe of what God is, his inherent enmity works to perfection, and he blafphemes like thofe devils with whom he muft forever dwell.

From all this it will evidently appear, that there must be a discovery of the glory and beauty of the divine nature, an entire approbation of every thing in God, as perfectly right and abfolutely faultlefs. It is felf-evident, that without this, there cannot be a fupreme love to God, in which true religion properly confifts; no man can love that which doth not appear to be lovely. But I further add, that this is abfolutely neceffary to the very beginning of the change, or the foundation on which it is built. It

*Rom. viii. 7.

is neceffary, in order to any genuine, falutary convictions of fin. What is it elfe but a difcovery of the fpotlefs holinefs, the perfect excellence, and infinite amiableness of the divine nature, that humbles a finner under a fenfe of his breaches of the divine law? Without this, there may be a fenfe of weakness and fubjection, but never a fenfe of duty and obligation. Without this there may be a fear of wrath, but there cannot be a hatred of fin.

This feems directly to lead to the next great ftep in a faving change, viz. a conviction of fin and mifery. But before we proceed to point out the progress of conviction, it will not be improper to take notice of a few truths which refult from what hath been already faid. This is the more necessary, that erroneous or defective views of religion are commonly occafioned by fome miftake in the foundation.

1. The neceffity of regeneration itself appears with peculiar force, from what hath been faid on this part of the fubject. There must be a real inward change of heart, before there can be any true religion. If the moral excellence of the divine nature must be discovered, if God must be seen as glorious in his holiness, the heart and temper must be changed as well as the life. Nothing is more plain from the holy fcriptures, than that "the natu"ral man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God;" and it is equally plain from experience and the nature of the thing. While men continue in the love of fin, it is impoffible that they should fee the beauty of infinite holinefs. So long as they love fin, they muft hate holiness, which is its oppofite, and not lefs contrary to it than light is to darkness. Therefore, all reftraint upon our outward conversation, all zeal and diligence in expenfive rites and ceremonies; all duties of whatever kind that arife from fear, or other external motives, are of no confequence, till the temper and inclination of the heart is entirely renewed.

2. From what hath been faid, we may plainly perceive, that regeneration from firft to laft must be afcribed to the agency of the Holy Ghoft. It must be the effect of divine grace, and the work of fovereign power. Let not

any creature be unwilling to ftand indebted for his new creation to the Author of his first being; "for of him, and

through him, and to him, are all things."* While man is in his natural state, he is an enemy to God in his mind by wicked works. The difcoveries that are made to him of the real nature of God in his works and in his word, while he continues in this difpofition, are not amiable but hateful. Nay, he is fo far from loving him as his father, that he fears him as his enemy. This fear will discover itself one of these two ways. Sometimes it will make the finner fly from God, caft inftruction behind his back, and increafe unto more ungodlinefs, till natural confcience is feared and infenfible. How many there are of this kind, whom one crime only precipitates into another, experience is a melancholy proof. It is worth while at the fame time to observe what intimations are given us in fcripture, that this is the first and natural effect of fin upon all, to drive them at a further diftance from God. Two inftances of this have been given above. Our first parents no fooner finned, than they fled and hid themfelves when they heard God's voice in the garden, as impatient of his approach. A fimilar reflection we fee in the apostle Peter, on being witness to an extraordinary effect of his Saviour's divine power: "And when Simon "Peter faw it, he fell down at Jefus' knees, faying, De"part from me, for I am a finful man, O Lord." another inftance of the fame kind. "And the whole "multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about, "befought him to depart from them, for they were taken "with great fear."‡

See

Another common effect of this natural fear, in fome refpects contrary to the former, is to difpofe men to perform fome conftrained and hypocritical services, in order to avoid punishment. This is defcribed in the temper and conduct of the children of Ifrael, as reprefented by the Pfalmift; "When he flew them, then they fought him; "they returned, and enquired early after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high

[ocr errors]

* Rom. xi. 36. † Luke v. 8.

Luke viii. 37.

« AnteriorContinuar »