Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

the principal concern. Our inquiries would not be, Who will shew us any temporal good? What shall we eat, or what shall we drink? But, What shall we do to be saved? How shall we escape the wrath to come? Let us then endeavour to impress our hearts with invisible things, and for that purpose consider, that,

We shall, ere long, be ingulfed in this awful eternity, whether we think of it or not. A few days or years will launch us there; and O, the surprising scenes that will then open to us !—

Without deep impressions of eternity on our hearts, and frequent thoughtfulness about it, we cannot be prepared for it.

And if we are not prepared for it, O, how inconceivably miserable our case! But if prepared, how inconceivably happy!

Look not then at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal: but the things which are not seen are eternal.

SERMON 12.

THE SACRED IMPORT OF THE CHRISTIAN NAME.

Acrs XI. 26. The Disciples were called Christians first at Antioch,

MERE names are empty sounds, and but of little consequence: and yet it must be owned there are names of honour and signifi. cancy; and, when they are attended with the things signified by them, they are of great and sacred importance.

Such is the Christian name; a name about seventeen hundred years old. And now, when the name is almost lost in party-distinctions, and the thing is almost lost in ignorance, error, vice, hypocrisy, and formality, it may be worth our while to consider the original import of that sacred name, as a proper expedient to recover both name and thing.

The name of Christian was not the first by which the followers of Christ were distinguished. Their enemies called them Galileans, Nazarenes, and other names of contempt and amongst themselves they were called Saints, from their holiness; Disciples, from their learning their religion from Christ as their teacher; Believers, from their believing in him as the Messiah; and *31

VOL. I.

Brethren, from their mutual love and their relation to God and each other. But after some time they were distinguished by the name of Christians. This they first received in Antioch, an heathen city, a city infamous for all manner of vice and debauchery : a city that had its name from Antiochus Epiphanes, the bitterest enemy the church of the Jews ever had. A city very rich and powerful, from whence the christian name would have an extensive circulation; but it is long since laid in ruins, unprotected by that sacred name in such a city was Christ pleased to confer his name upon his followers and you cannot but see that the very choice of the place discovers his wisdom, grace, and justice.

The original word, which is here rendered called, seems to intimate, that they were called christians by divine appointment, for it generally signifies an oracular nomination, or a declaration from God; and to this purpose it is generally translated.* Hence it follows that the very name christian, as well as the thing, was of a divine original; assumed not by a private agreement of the disciples among themselves, but by the appointment of God. And in this view it is a remarkable accomplishment of an old prophecy of Isaiah, chap. lxii. 2. The Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory, name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. So Isaiah Ixv. 15. The Lord shall call his servants by another name.

and thou shall be called by a new

This name was at first confined to few; but it soon had a surprisingly extensive propagation thro' the world. In many countries, indeed it was lost, and miserably exchanged for that of Heathen, Mahometan, or Musselman. Yet the European nations still retain the honour of wearing it. A few scattered christians are also still to be found here and there in Asia and Africa, though crushed under the oppressions of Mahometans and Pagans. This name has likewise crossed the wide ocean to the wilderness of

It is this word that is used, Matt. ii. 12. Kai xhuat.Devres, being warned of God, and the like in Matt. ii. 22. So in Rom. xi. 4. xpyμxtioμos, is rendered the answer of God. Rom. vii. 3. xpnualion, she shall be called, (viz. by the divine law) an adultress. Luke ii. 26, xenfatiofov, it was revealed to him by the Holy Ghost. Acts x. 22. Expnuntide, was warned from God. Heb. viii. 5. K≤xpnμati5ai Maons, Moses was admonished of God. Heb. xi. 7. Noah being warned of God, xpnuaridus, Heb. xii. 25. If they escaped not, who refused Him that spake on earth; viz. by divine inspiration; pypal:Covra iπi rus. These are all the places perhaps in which the word is used in the New Testament; and in all these it seems to mean a revelation from God, or something oracular. And this is a strong presumption that the word is to be so understood in the text.

But

America, and is worn by the sundry European colonies on this continent. We, in particular, call ourselves christians, and should take it ill to be denied the honour of that distinction. do we not know the meaning and sacred import of that name? Do we not know what it is to be christians indeed? That is, to be in reality what we are in name: certainly it is time for us to consider the matter; and it is my present design that we should do so.

Now we may consider this name in various views; particularly as a name of distinction from the rest of the world, who know not the Lord Jesus, or reject him as an impostor;-as a patronymic name, pointing out the Father and Founder of our holy religion and the christian church ;—as a badge of our relation to Christ as his servants, his children, his bride ;—as intimat> ing our unction by the holy Spirit, or our being the subjects of his influences; as Christ was anointed by the holy Spirit, or replenished with his gifts above measure (for you are to observe that anointed is the English of the Greek name Christ and of the Hebrew, Messiah*) and as a name of appropriation, signifying that we are the property of Christ, and his peculiar people. Each of these particulars might be profitably illustrated. But my present design confines me to consider the christian name only in two views; namely, as a catholic name, intended to bury all party denominations; and as a name of obligation upon all that wear it to be christians indeed, or to form their temper and practice upon the sacred model of christianity.

I. Let us consider the christian name as a catholic name, intended to bury all party denominations.

The name Gentile was odious to the Jews, and the name Jew was odious to the Gentiles. The name christian swallows up both in one common and agreeable appellation. He that hath taken down the partition-wall, has taken away partition names, and united all his followers in his own name, as a common denomination. For now, says Paul, there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free; but Christ is all and in all. Col. iii. 11. And ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal, iii. 28. According to a prophecy of Zechariah,

* Psalm cv. 15. Touch not my Christs; that is, my anointed people. So the seventy.

† See a fine illustration of them in Dr. Grosvenor's excellent essay on the christian name; from whom I am not ashamed to borrow several amiable sentiments.

The Lord shall be king over all the earth; and in that day there shall be one Lord, and his name one. Zech. xiv. 9.

It is but a due honour to Jesus Christ, the founder of christianity, that all who profess his religion should wear his name ; and they pay an extravagant and even idolatrous compliment to his subordinate officers and ministers, when they take their denomination from them. Had this humour prevailed in the primitive church, instead of the common name christians, there would have been as many party-names as there were apostles or eminent ministers. There would have been Paulites from Paul; Peterites from Peter; Johnites from John; Barnabites from Barnabas, &c. Paul took pains to crush the first risings of this party spirit in those churches which he planted; particularly in Corinth, where it most prevailed. While they were saying, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ, he puts this pungent question to them: "Is Christ dividéd? Are his servants the ringleaders of so many parties? Was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in or into the name of Paul, that ye should be so fond to take your name from him? He counted it a happiness that providence had directed him to such a conduct as gave no umbrage of encouragement to such a humour. I thank God, says he, that I baptized none of you, but Chrispus and Gaius: lest any should take occasion to say, I baptized into my own name, and was gathering a party for myself. 1 Cor. i. 12-15..

7

But alas! how little has this convictive reasoning of the apostle been regarded in the future ages of the church? What an endless variety of denominations taken from some men of char acter, or from some little peculiarities, has prevailed in the christian world, and crumbled it to pieces, while the christian name is hardly regarded? Not to take notice of Jesuits, Jansenits, Dominicans, Franciscans, and other denominations and orders in the popish church, where, having corrupted the thing, they act very consistently to lay aside the name, what party names have been adopted by the protestant churches, whose religion is substantially the same common christianity, and who agree in much more important articles than in those they differ; and who therefore might peaceably unite under the common name of Christians? We have Lutherans, Calvinists, Arminians, Zuinglians, Churchmen, Presbyterians, Independents, Baptists, and a long list of names which I cannot now enumerate. To be a christian

is not enough now-a-days, but a man must also be something more and better; that is, he must be a strenuous bigot to this or that particular church. But where is the reason or propriety of this? I may indeed believe the same things which Luther or Calvin believed: but I do not believe them on the authority of Luther or Calvin, but upon the sole authority of Jesus Christ, and therefore I should not call myself by their name, as one of their disciples, but by the name of Christ, whom alone I acknowledge as the Author of my religion, and my only master and Lord. If I learn my religion from one of these great men, it is indeed proper I should assume their name. If I learn it from a parliament or convocation, and make their acts and canons the rule and ground of my faith, then it is enough for me to be of the established religion, be that what it will: I may with propriety be called a mere conformist; that is my highest character: but I cannot be properly called a christian: for a christian learns his religion, not from acts of parliament or from the determinations of councils, but from Jesus Christ and his gospel.

To guard against mistakes on this head, I would observe that every man has a natural and legal right to judge and choose for himself in matters of religion; and that is a mean supple soul indeed, and utterly careless about all religion, that makes a compliment of this right to any man, or body of men upon earth, whether pope, king, parliament, convocation, or synod. In the exercise of this right, and searching for himself, he will find that he agrees more fully in lesser as well as more important articles with some particular church than others; and thereupon it is his duty to join in stated communion with that church; and he may, if he pleases, assume the name which that church wears, by way of distinction from others; this is not what I condemn. But for me to glory in the denomination of any particular church as my highest character; to lay more stress upon the name of a presbyterian or a churchman, than on the sacred name of christian; to make a punctilious agreement with my sentiments in the little peculiarities of a party the test of all religion; to make it the object of my zeal to gain proselytes to some other than the christian name; to connive at the faults of those of my own party, and to be blind to the good qualities of others, or invidiously to misrepresent or diminish them; these are the things which deserve universal condemnation from God and man; these proceed from a spirit of bigotry and faction, directly opposite to the

« AnteriorContinuar »