From the Scriptures. "Now unto GOD and our faTHIR, be glory for ever and ever." Phil. iv. 20. "Now unto the king eternal, immortal, and invisible, the only wise GOD, be honour and glory, for ever and ever.” 1 Tim. i. 17; see also Matt. vi. 13; Luke ii. 14; Rom. i. 25; xi. 33, 36; xvi. 25, 27; 2 Cor. xi. 31; Eph. iii. 20, 21; 1 Tim. vi. 14, 15, 16; 1 Pet. v. 10, 11; Jude 24, 25; Rev. iv. 8, 11; vii. 11, 12†. "In that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the FATHER in my name, н will give it you." John xvi. 23; see also ch. xiv. 13, 14; xv. 16. From the Common Prayer, &:. "O holy, blessed, and glorious trinity, three persons and one God, have mercy upon us miserable sinners." "Whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood.” "By the mystery of thy holy incarnation; by thy holy nativity and circumcision; by thy bap tism, fasting, and temptation; by thy agony and bloody sweat; by thy cross and passion; by thy precious death and burial; by thy glorious resurrection and ascension, and by the coming of the Holy Ghost. "Son of God, we beseech thee to hear us." "O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. O Christ, hear us. • Paul says to Timothy, 1 Tim. i. 12. "I thank Jesus Christ our Lord." But we may express our thankfulness towards any absent friend and benefactor, without directly addressing, much more without worshipping that friend. †There are in scripture a few ascriptions of praise and glory to the Lord Jesus, 2 Pet. iii. 18; Rev. i. 5, 6; v. 9, 11, 12, 13; vii. 9, 10; but not one, as if he was the great God. Indeed, they are not addressed to him, as if he was supposed to be present, except in Revelation v. and vii. where he is represented as being actually before the angels who address him. It should also be observed, that he is there addressed as the Lamb that was slain, as a creature capable of dying, which can never be said of the eternal, unchangeable Jehovah. They address him, as a being entirely distinct from God: "Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood," ch. v. 9. If he be joined with God in this act of praise, it is no more than David was. "All the congregation bowed down their heads, and wor shipped the Lord and the king." 1 Chron. xxix. 20. From the Scriptures. "Grace be to you, and peace from GOD our FATHER, and the Lord Jesus Christ." Rom. i. 7. "Grace, mercy, and peace, from GOD our FATHER, and Jesus Christ our Lord." 1 Tim. i. 2. "Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from GOD the TATHER, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the FATHER, in truth and love." 2 John 3. "Grace be unto you, and peace, from HIM who is, and who was, and who is to come; and from the seven spirits who are before the throne, and from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten from the dead, and the prince of the kings of the eartht." Rev. i. 4, 5; see also Rom. xvi. 20, 24; 1 Cor. i. 3; 2 Cor. i. 2; xiii. 14; Gal. i. 3; vi. 18; Eph. i. 2; vi. 23, 24; Phil. i. 2; iv. 23; Col. i. 2; iv. 18; 1 Thess. i. 1; iii. 11, 12 ; v. 23, 28; 2 Thess. i. 2; ii. 16, 17; From the Common Prayer, &c. Lord have mercy upon us. Christ have mercy upon us. Lord have mercy upon us. From our enemies defend us, O Christ. O Son of David, have mercy upon us. Graciously hear us, O Christ. Christ." Litany. "For thou only art holy, thou only art the Lord, thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father." Communion service. "Now unto the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, and our God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, be honour and glory, dominion and praise, henceforth and for ever. Amen." Henry on Prayer. through Jesus Christ • This expression shows, that this, and the three preceding passages, should be considered only as pious wishes, and not as prayers; for surely the writer would not pray to the seven spirits. † In Rom. ix. 5. Paul says, "whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came; who is over all, God blessed for ever." The same sentiment is expressed in such passages as the following:""* All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Matt. xxviii. 18. "God hath highly exalted him," &c. Phil. ii. 9. 11. He is the head of the body the church: who is the beginning, the first born from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell." Col. i. 18, 19. “ Angels, and authorities, THE doctrine of original sin assumes as its fundamental principle, the total and universal depravity of human nature. The Assembly's Catechism affirms, "That the sinfulness of that estate into and powers, being made subject unto him." 1 Pet. iii. 22; see also, John xvii. 2; 1 Cor. xv. 24–28; Eph. i. 20—Heb. i. 9. It must always be remembered, that "the head of Christ is GOD. 1 Cor. xi. 3. which man fell, consisteth in the guilt of Adam's first sin, the want of that righteousness wherein he was created, and the corruption of his nature, whereby he is utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all that is spiritually good, and wholly inclined to evil, and that continually ;" and that "this brought upon mankind the displeasure and curse of God, and made them justly liable to all punishments in this world and that which is to come." That human nature is perfect, no man in his senses will assert. It is certain, that "there is not a just man upon earth, that liveth and sinneth not." "If we should say we have no sin, we should deceive ourselves, and the truth would not be in us.” From whatever cause it originally sprung, it is but too apparent, that there is in mankind a prevailing disposition to deviate from that law of their Maker, a sense of which he hath either implanted in their nature, or given them by particular revelation; and at some periods, this defection hath been almost universal. Indeed, from the very nature of the discoveries he hath made to us of himself, we cannot but draw the conclusion, that we are creatures who stand in need of his mercy, and have reason to fear his displeasure; nor can any of us be so little acquainted with his own heart, as not to know, that in many things he offends and comes short of the glory of God, of the requirements of his perfect law. But can it be said, with literal truth, that we are utterly indisposed, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, and that continually?" Is there no difference in the natural dispositions of men? Are virtue and righteousness wholly stran. gers in the earth? Were it so, what idea has ever been formed of the infernal regions which this world would not realize? But it is not the fact. There are such things as love to God, and love to man. Honour, honesty, social and personal virtúes have a real existence among us; otherwise all the ties that bind us together, would be totally dissolved, or, to speak more properly, never could have subsisted. To what purpose would be all the ordinances of religion and means of improvement? The gospel itself is a mockery, if it enjoins us to labour after that which we can never attain, or which, if attained, is of no value, for we know it is of the essence of the evangelical doctrine (as it is called), to vilify and degrade ourselves, and to speak of all righteousness of our own in the most contemptuous and even disgusting terms. But no method more direct can be taken to make mankind really as bad as this system supposes them, than to entertain such mean ideas of ourselves and others; for, certainly, we are very unlikely to feel any inclination to acquire that of which we previously think ourselves incapable. If it be said," Is not the law of God perfect? If it be a law, must it not be obeyed? And if it be not obeyed, must not the failure be punishable?” It is answered,―The law of God is indeed perfect, otherwise it would not be his law who is all perfection. But the point to be considered is, whether its subjects are capable of perfect conformity to it. |