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the defires of all his faints; and they being intimately united to the one only living and true God, muft of confequence be united to one another. This is the tenor of their Saviour's interceffory prayer: "That they all may "be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee; that they alfo may be one in us: that the world may believe "that thou haft fent me. And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them: that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may "know that thou haft fent me, and haft loved them as "thou haft loved me."*

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CONCLUSION.

SHALL now clofe this difcourfe with fome practical improvement of these important truths.

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flections have, indeed, already been interwoven with the particular branches of the fubject, and the light which they throw on other parts of religion pointed out. I fhall, therefore, at this time, only make a few observations upon the whole, and proceed to a serious address to all my readers on this moft interefting fubject. And,

ift, From the various truths above established, and the order in which they have been opened, we may fee the indiffoluble connexion between falvation by the grace of God, and holinefs in heart and converfation. We may fee their equal importance and their influence upon one another. There are many who attempt to divide those things which God hath infeparably joined. Many infist only on the duties of the law of God and our natural obligations to obedience; and are hardly brought to any mention of the rightcoufnefs of Chrift, as the ground of a finner's acceptance before God. Nay, fome fcruple not to affirm that the doctrine of juftification by free grace, or

* John xvii. 21, 22, 23.

fatisfied with his own portion, hath no occafion to envy others, either what they poffefs or profecute. In what a contemptible light does he look upon the honors, riches! and pleasures, about which there is fo violent a ftruggle among worldly men? It is impoffible, therefore, that he fhould hate thofe who do not interfere with him, though in many cafes he is difpofed heartily to pity their folly and delufion.

Nay, the matter does not even reft here, for the Chriftian is laid under the most exprefs command to "love his" perfonal" enemies, to blefs them that curfe him, to pray "for them who despitefully use him and perfecute him." This is the glory of the gospel, which gives the doctrine of Chrift a luftre far fuperior to the most admired fystems of human virtue. And however hard a saying it may appear at first view, when we confider the character and hopes of a penitent finner, and the example of his expiring Saviour, it hath nothing ftrange or incredible in it at all: That he, who expects, from the free grace of God, pardon for his innumerable and aggravated offences, should be ready to forgive the far flighter trefpaffes of his brethren against himself. Or rather, that he fhould take the highest pleasure, and think it his honor to do fo, when he remembers his Redeemer's dying words, "Father, forgive them, "for they know not what they do.”

As to good men, there is no manner of difficulty: they are united together by the tendereft and the ftrongest ties, and love one another with a pure heart fervently. It was no wonder, that when Chriftianity was in a perfecuted ftate, the heathens fhould make the reniark, "Behold how "these Chriftians love one another!" They had a com mon character, a common Saviour, common fufferings, and common hopes. And muft it not be the fame still? for "all that will live godly in Chrift Jefus muft fuffer per"fecution." If they are not perfecuted with the fwords, they fhall be perfecuted with the tongues of men. They have the ftrongeft motives to love one another, and nothing to divide them, for there can be no rivalfhip or jea loufy between thofe who poffefs or court the "true rich"es." There is enough in an all-fufficient God to fatisfy

ternal work of the Spirit of God teftifying of him; and there is no effectual principle of new obedience, but faith which worketh by love.

2. What has been faid above, will ferve to explain fome controversies with which the truths of the gospel have been often darkened and perplexed; particularly thofe relating to the priority, or right of precedency, fo to fpeak, between faith and repentance. Some make repentance, that is, as they explain it, forrow for fin, ferious refolutions of forfaking it, and begun reformation, the joint grounds of our acceptance, with the merit of a Saviour. Thefe, with great plaufibility, flate the matter thus: That our fincerity is accepted through the fatisfaction of Chrift, instead of that perfect obedience to which we cannot now attain; and, when taken in a certain light, this affertion is undoubtedly true. Others, difcerning the falfhood that may lurk under this reprefentation, and fearing the confequences of every self-righteous plan, are tempted to go to the oppofite extreme. That they might fhew falvation to be wholly of grace, fome have even prefumed to use this harfh and unfcriptural expreffion, that it is not neceffary to forfake fin in order to come to Chrift. I could fhew a fenfe in which this alfo is true, even as it is not necessary to for fake your disease, in order to apply to the phyfician. But if it is not neceffary to forfake it, I am fure it is neceflary, in both cafes, to hate it, and defire deliverance from it.

This difficulty will be easily folved from what has been faid in the preceding parts of this treatife, and we may learn to preferve the truth, without expofing it to the scorn or refentiment of its enemies. The reader may observe, then, that none can fee the form or comelinefs of a Saviour standing in the room of finners, and purchasing forgiveness from a holy God, till the glory of this God is difcovered, till the guilt of fin lays hold of the confcience, and its power is both felt and lamented. This may, perhaps be called repentance, and I believe it is called fo fometimes in the holy fcriptures, particularly in the following paffage : Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your fins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing fhall

"come from the prefence of the Lord."* But the finner does not fo properly forfake fin in order to come to Chrifi, as he flies to him for deliverance from its condemning guilt and enflaving power. He is fo far from coming to God with a gift in his hand, even of his own prayers and penitential tears, that his convictions continue to follow him, if I may speak fo, through every lurking place, till he is entirely fubjected, till he is ftript naked and bare, and deprived of every fhadow of excufe. Then it is that fal vation through a defpifed crucified Saviour becomes unfpeakably amiable in all it parts, fin becomes more perfectly hateful, and an affured profpect is obtained of its im mediate mortification, and, in due time, of its entire and complete deftruction. Thus faith and repentance are involved in one another, they produce, and are produced by one another. They may be treated of diftinctly, but they cannot exift feparately. So that whenever any of them is found alone, or ftands independent of the other, that very thing is a fufficient evidence that it is falfe and fpurious.

3. From what has been faid on this fubject, we may be enabled to judge what are the fundamental and effential doctrines of the gospel, to which all others are but fubordinate and fubfervient. Regeneration, or the New Birth, we are warranted to fay, after the example of our Saviour, is abfolutely neceffary to falvation: "Except a man be "born again, he cannot fee the kingdom of God." If any man, therefore, depart from this truth, he makes fhipwreck of the faith, and will at laft be found to fight against God. It is alfo plain, that the reconciliation of a finner to God must be through the blood of the atonement: "For other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, "which is Jefus Chrift." If any man hold by, and build upon, this great foundation, he fhall be finally ac cepted, though many things may be found in him juftly blame-worthy. Nor is it eafy, indeed, to fay what degree of error and mifapprehenfion concerning thefe truths themselves, may be confiftent with abiding by the fub

* A&ts iii. 19. t1 Cor. ii. 11.

ftance. But certainly all who directly and openly oppose them, may be faid "to bring in damnable herefies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and to bring upon "themfelves fwift deftruction."*

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This may teach us, what judgment Chriflians ought to form of the many parties and factions which divide the vifible church. There may be finaller differences, which keep them afunder on earth, while, in faith and in love to an unfeen Saviour, they are perfectly united. We are told that God fhall gather his elect from the four winds, and that "many fhall come from the eaft and weft, and "fhall fit down with Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob, in “the kingdom of heaven." I always think with much pleasure on the perfect union of this great and general af, fembly of the church of the first born. Then, all other diftinctions, all other defignations, fhall be abolished, and those shall make one pure and unmixed fociety, who have received" a white ftone and a new name," and "whole "names are written in the Lamb's book of life." The profpect of this fhould keep us from immoderate refent. ment, at prefent, against any of whom we have reafon to think that they hold the foundation, are acquainted with real and practical religion, or have had experience of a faving change.

No man, indeed, can deny it to be juft, that every one fhould endeavor to fupport that plan of the difcipline and government of the church of Chrift, and even the minute!t parts of it, which appear to him to be founded upon the word of God. But ftill found doctrine is more to be efteemed than any form. Still we ought to confider the excellence of every particular form, as confifting in its fitnefs to promote or preferve the knowledge of the truth, and to carry on a work of illumination, conviction, and conver. fion, to the faving of the foul. Would any Chriftian fhew that he is of a truly catholic difpofition, let him difcover a greater attachment to thofe even of different denominati ons, who seem to bear the image of God, than to profane perfons, be their apparent or pretended principles what

VOL. I.

* 2 Pet. ii. l.

t Matt. viii. 11.

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