BX
9943
.Al
1841



HARVARD DIVINITY SCHOOL
ANDOVER-HARVARD THEOLOGICAL
LIBRARY
From the collection
of the
UNIVERSALIST HISTORICAL
SOCIETY














Universalist the top rimerica,
32.o Ani v THE %, Niwyork, isst,
OCCASIONAL SERMON,
DELIVERED BEFORE THE
UNIVERSALIST GENERAL CONVENTION,
At its Session in the City of New-York, Sept, 1811 ;
TOGETHER WITH
THIRTEEN OTHER SERMONS,
Delivered on the same occasion.
NEW-YORK:
P. PRICE, 130 FULTON STREET.
1841.


BX .
9943
AL
U5
1841
copil
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1841,
BY P: PRICE,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District
of New York.
*** Sementing
on the
STEREOTYPED BY J. S. REDFIELD,
13 Chambers Street, New York.
w
ay


NOTE TO THE READER.
In giving the following Sermons to the public—as
“ Convention Sermons,"—it may be inferred by the
general reader that they were prepared and arranged
expressly for the occasion. It is, therefore, due the
authors to say, that, with the exception of the Oc-
casional, no previous arrangements are made for the
Discourses to be delivered during the session of the
Convention. The whole direction is left to a com-
mittee, usually designated at the opening of the
session ; and they make all arrangements, select
speakers, &c. Consequently, those called upon to
officiate, must go before their audiences with such
preparation as they may happen to possess ; or at
best, with but few hours' additional preparation.
We cannot but express the hope, in this connex-
ion, though it may possibly be deemed out of place,
that this evil (for evil, or difficulty, we regard it)
will be eventually removed—that the Council of the
General Convention will sooner or later take the
matter into its own hands, and not only select all
the preachers for its succeeding annual session, but
allot each one some specific subject to discourse
upon. In this way, time may not only be allowed
the preachers to prepare themselves, but we shall
obtain a series of discourses on important and useful


NOTE TO THE READER.
subjects, and which may be made highly servicea-
ble in advancing the cause which we profess to
revere and honor.
As a farther apology, for this volume, it is proper
to state, that the plan of collecting the Sermons into
a book, was not suggested till several of the preach-
ers had left the city. Most of the discourses, also,
were mainly extemporaneous, and have been written
out since, from memory, after two or three weeks de-
lay, and in considerable haste. Time has likewise
been consumed in communicating with the authors,
and the subsequent hurry in crowding the work
through the press, has left no opportunity for them
to examine proof-sheets. Errors, consequently, may
have occurred. If so, let them be regarded, under
the circumstances, with a lenient eye.
With every needed allowance, however, it is be-
lieved this little volume will be found highly inter-
esting and valuable ; and, in the confident hope that
it will accomplish much good, it is sent forth on its
errand of love.
THE PUBLISHER.
New YORK, Nov. 1841.


CONTENTS.
Page.
OCCASIONAL SERMON,
Delivered before the Convention, in the Elizabeth Street Church,
Wednesday morning, Sept. 15, 1841, by T. J. Sawyer, New York...
II.
THE WISDOM OF GOD MANIFESTED IN HIS WORKS.
A Sermon delivered in the Orchard Street Church, Tuesday evening,
Sept. 14, 1841, by A. A. Miner, Methuen, Mass......
47
III,
BROTHERLY LOVE,
A Sermon delivered in the Elizabeth Street Church, Tuesday evea
ning, Sept. 14, 1841, by Asher Moore, Philadelphia................
67
IV.
MAN AN ACTIVE BEING.
A Sermon delivered in the Orchard Street Church, Wednesday after
noon, Sept. 15, 1841, by Hosea Ballou, 2d, Medford, Mass......... 82.
V.
THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION.
A Sermon delivered in the Orchard Street Church, Wednesday eve-
ning, Sept. 15, 1841, by Hosea Ballou, Boston, Mass...............
96
VI.
FAITH AND WORKS.
A Sermon delivered in the Elizabeth Street Church, Wednesday eve-
ning, Sept. 15, 1841, by Sebastian Streeter, Boston, Mass.......... 113


• CONTENTS.
VII.
Page.
THE TRUE GROUNDS OF CHRISTIAN REJOICING.
A Sermon delivered in the Bleecker Street Church, Wednesday eve-
ning, Sept. 15, 1841, by Merritt Sanford, Middletown, Conn........ 131
VIII.
THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
A Sermon dolivered in the Houston Street Church, Wednesday eve-
ning, Sept. 15, 1841, by John M. Austin, Danvers, Mass........... 145
IX.
CHRISTIAN AND PROTESTANT FREEDOM.
A Sermon delivered in the Bleecker Street Church, Thursday morn-
ing, Sept. 16, 1841, by E. H. Chapin, Charlestown, Mass.......... 162
x.
THE GOSPEL, THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION
A Sermon delivered in the Orchard Street Church, Thursday after-
noon, Sept. 16, 1841 (at the close of which about 500 individuals
participated in the Communion Services), by O. A. Skinner, Boston,
........ 184
XI.
Mass....
CHARACTER OF THE RELIGION OF JESUS.
A Sermon delivered in the Elizabeth Street Church, Thursday eve-
ning, Sept. 16, 1841, by T. J. Greenwood, Marlboro', Mass........ 207
XII.
ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE SAVIOR'S MISSION.
A Sermon delivered in the Bleecker Street Church, Thursday eve-
ning, Sept. 16, 1841, by S. R. Smith, Albany, N. Y............... 223
XIII.
OBJECT AND CHARACTER OF TRUE RELIGIOUS WORSHIP.
A Sermon delivered in the Houston Street Church, Thursday eve-
ning, Sept. 16, 1841, by H. G. Smith, Berlin, Conn................ 246
XIV.
THE EVIDENCE OF A TRUE FAITH.
A Sermon delivered in the Houston Street Church, Tuesday evening,
Sept. 14, 1841, by W. S. Balch, then of Providence; R. I., now
ot New York... .. ... ..... ........................ .. 237


CONVENTION SERMONS.
OCCASIONAL SERMON,
BEFORE THE GENERAL CONVENTION OF UNIVERSALISTS, AT
ITS SESSION IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK,
SEPTEMBER 15, 1841.
BY REV. T. J. SAWYER.
“Say not ye, there are yet four months and then cometh the
harvest. Behold I say unto you, Lift up your eyes and look on the
fields, for they are white already to the harvest."-John iv. 35.
What is the cause in which we are engaged ?
What is the position it now occupies? What are
the prospects that lie open before it? What is the
ministry it is destined to perform ? And, finally,
What are the duties it requires at our hands?
I know not, my brethren, that I can better fulfil the
duty assigned me on the present occasion, than by
calling your attention to these several questions, and
endeavoring, as well as I may, to answer them. The
field which they open before us is obviously one of
great extent, and even a brief discussion of the sev-
eral topics it presents will necessarily occupy con-
siderable time ; but as I deem it a subject of no in-
considerable importance to Universalists, I indulge
the hope that my auditors may be so far interested
in its consideration as to relieve me from the fear of
soon wearying their patience, while I attempt to un-
fold it,
Were we to listen to the representations of our
opposers, we should be led to think that the cause in


OCCASIONAL SERMON.
which we are engaged is one full-fraught with mis-
chief; that it is opening wide the flood-gates of
licentiousness, paving a highway for vice and crime,
and, if successful, will “convert our world into a
hell,” and end only by working out the certain and
hopeless ruin of millions and millions of our race !
But we, my brethren, do not so apprehend it. On
the contrary, in the light of Scripture, according to
the dictates of sober reason, and under all the lessons
of experience, we cannot but regard it as the cause
of truth, of humanity, and of God,-a cause whose
spirit is that of divine benevolence, breathing uni-
versal good-will, and is inwoven with the best and
holiest aspirations of many a heart that knows not
whence those aspirations come, nor whither they
tend.
The cause in which we are engaged is an open
and manifest one, that shrinks not from observation
or scrutiny, and may therefore be easily defined. It
is the cause of universal goodness and grace. It
combines two considerations which must ever be of
the highest importance to rational and moral beings :
I mean the glory of God, and the happiness of man-
kind. We name it after no man; we designate it
by no appellation drawn from outward or trifling
circumstances. We give it a title indicative of its
broad and comprehensive character. We call it.
UNIVERSALISM. It stands opposed to all partial and
narrow-minded schemes; it lifts itself up above all
low and grovelling systems, and comprehends the
whole vast plan of the divine goodness and grace,
from the moment of creation, when the morning-stars
sang together, to the grand consummation of Heav-
en's purposes in relation to man, when all moral bea
ings shall be brought into willing subjection to the
gentle reign of Jesus Christ, and “God shall be all


OCCASIONAL SERMON.
in all.” We call it Universalism, because it rests
upon, and teaches the universal benevolence of God;
because it inculcates the great truth that the Mission
of the Savior was designed by the Father for a uni-
versal purpose, viz., that he might be the Savior of
the world, and, finally, because it proclaims, as the
result of the divine government and grace, the uni-
versal holiness and happiness of the family of man.
We differ,—and we would by no means conceal
the fact, we differ widely from most of the Christian
sects by which we are surrounded, and on grounds,
too, which we cannot but regard as fundamental in
the system of revealed truth. I allude to our views
of the moral character of God. We hold it to be
one of the highest-perhaps it is also one of the
most difficult-duties of the Christian, to sanctify
the Lord God in his heart; that is, to think worthily
of that great and good Being, in whom we live and
move, and from whom we receive our every bles-
sing. We should strive to form just and noble con-
ceptions of him; to entertain lofty and comprehensive
views of his perfections and character; and to as-
cribe to him no purpose or mode of working which
casts dishonor upon his holy name.
The world seems to fear thinking too well of God.
We believe the danger is far greater of thinking
meanly of him. We see in all ages how prone men
are to bring down the Deity to a level with their own
moral character, and not unfrequently to degrade him
even below themselves. It is the spirit of Christian-
ity to reverse this unhallowing process, by lifting
man up, and conforming him to the moral excellence
of the Godhead. It was observed with too much
truth, by Dr. Adam Clarke, that “the system of hu-
manizing God, and making him, by our unjust con-
ceptions of him, to act as ourselves would in certain


10
OCCASIONAL SERMON.
circumstances, has been the bane both of religion
and piety; and on this ground,” says he, " infidels
have laughed us to scorn."
Now we regard it as one of the chief excellences,
nay, as the ground of all the excellences, of our
faith, that it represents God as worthy at once of our
highest love, and our profoundest reverence. We
believe him to be possessed of all moral perfection.
We believe him to be infinitely holy, just, and good;
that in the depths and essence of his very being he
is love, from whose inexhaustible fountains come
forth all the divine purposes in reference to his whole
intelligent and moral creation. We believe that he
regards every human soul with an affection so pure
and true, that no transgressions can destroy it, no
waywardness or perversity can alienate it, no ingrate
itude or forgetfulness can cool it. We believe that
while his infinite holiness forbids that he should ever
look upon sịn with the least approbation or allowance,
he still loves the sinner: and that while his perfect
justice requires him to “bring every work into judg,
ment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or
whether it be evil,” and to "render to every man
according to his deeds," it is still the glory of his
character to remember mercy; and though he visits
man's transgressions with the rod and his iniquities
with stripes, nevertheless his loving-kindness he does
not utterly take from him, nor suffer his faithfulness
to fail.
In short, we believe what our Savior so clearly
and frequently taught, that God is a Father, and that
his government is parental in its principles, its spirit,
and its end. Amid all the multiplied evils of this
world, we believe none is so great as to bid defiance
to the wonder-working power and love of God; and
perhaps we should not go too far to say there is


OCCASIONAL SERMON.
11
-
none which the divine wisdom and grace will not
make the occasion for their own manifestation and
glory. Where sin abounded grace did much more
abound. We believe, therefore, that with God
there is no unconditional toleration of evil in the
universe, and that in the economy of his grace will
be found the most ample and efficient means for its
counteraction and ultimate destruction.
We confess that these rational and cheering views
of God and his government are to us unspeakably
dear. They seem to us essential to an enlightened
and cordial piety. They constitute, in our opinion,
the only ground of an elevated, pure, and truly Chris-
tian morality. We cannot, therefore, but cling to
them as to the glory of the gospel; at least as one
of its most amiable features, and replete with divine
consolation. And we feel bound by every consider-
ation of love, of gratitude, of veneration, to proclaim
and defend them. We see traces of the divine
goodness everywhere around us. It seems to us to
sparkle in the stars of heaven, to bloom in the flow-
ers of earth, to spread beauty like a garment over
the whole face of creation, and to scatter the mani-
fold blessings which bestrew the pathway of all life.
It shines in the sun that rises alike upon the evil
and the good; it falls in the shower that equally de-
scends upon the just and the unjust. But most
clearly and fully do we behold it in the face of Jesus
Christ. We see its mild and gentle reflections in his
pure and benevolent life; we hear its voice in the
words of truth and love that came forth from his lips ;
but most of all does it speak to our hearts in mov-
ing accents from Calvary, where it triumphed over
all the agonies of the cross and all the malice of men.
It is written out in letters of light in the volume of
inspiration, and we feel that we cannot, dare not,
ro
ra


12
OCCASIONAL SERMON.
doubt that God is indeed good unto all, that he loves
his enemies, and is kind even to the unthankful and
the evil.
In promulgating these views, it is needless for me
to say how much opposition and obloquy we have
been and are still doomed to encounter. For although
all professed Christians acknowledge in words that
the goodness of God is infinite, it requires no great
discrimination to perceive that most of them deny it
in fact. We need only glance at the popular sys-
tems of faith in order to see that they limit this di-
vine attribute, circumscribe its sphere of operation,
subject it to the conditions of time and place, and
thus narrow it down and suit it to their own preju-
dices and passions.
Some of these creeds boldly maintain, for instance,
that God created a large part of the human race on
purpose to make them the subjects of his endless
wrath and curse! And they all involve the fearful
idea that he brought millions and millions of our fela
low-beings, perhaps ourselves, into existence with
the infallible foreknowledge that that existence will
be one of measureless and unmitigated wo! Need
I ask what notions of divine goodness can consist
with such representations as these ? Clothe malig-
nity itself with the attribute of omnipotence, and
what worse could it do?
But this is not all. It is a common doctrine of
those who claim the honor of orthodoxy, that all men
are born with moral powers so corrupted as to be
opposed to all good and inclined to all evil, and that
continually, and that they are therefore morally in-
capable of thinking a good thought, or doing a good
action. And yet while man is lying in this deplor-
ably helpless condition, they teach that God requires
of him a pure, spiritual, and perfect obedience to


14
OCCASIONAL SERMON.
ask, can be greater than that which changes the
light of God into darkness, denies his paternity, and
makes all the exhibitions of his goodness an illu-
sion and solemn mockery.
I need not say that these two views can never coa-
lesce, never be harmonized. If what the Scriptures
teach be true, that God is good, universally, infinitely,
changelessly good ; that he is the Father of the
spirits of all flesh; that we are all his offspring ; that
he is love, and love worketh no ill to its objects;
and that of his infinite love Jesus Christ was sent
forth from the bosom of the Father, with all power
in heaven and earth, to work out man's salvation,
if all this be true as the Scriptures plainly teach,
then it seems to us to follow, that God can neither
purpose nor do much that human creeds ascribe to
him. If, on the contrary, he be not all this, if he
is such a being as confessions of human origin rep-
resent him, then we have read the volume both of
his works and his word wrongly; then indeed are we
blind, and misguided; then is man miserable be-
yond expression, and may give himself over to de-
spair. But it is not, my brethren, it cannot be so.
"God is light and in him is no darkness at all.” He
is love without hatred, goodness without malice, jus-
tice without cruelty or revenge ; and the measures
of his beneficence already communicated to our race,
should be gratefully acknowledged as the pledge and
foretaste of the boundless store reserved to show
forth his goodness in the future. We can believe
anything of God, rather than that he will choose evil
and perpetuate it in his empire for ever, or that his
plan of goodness shall end in defeat. We cannot
ascribe to our Father in heaven the base passions of
fallen and sinful man. This would be to dishonor
rather than to glorify him. We know that he who


OCCASIONAL SERMON.
15
commands us to love our enemies cannot hate his.
We know that he who enjoins it upon weak man to
put away all bitterness and wrath and anger, with all
malice, cannot indulge these dark passions himself.
Nor can he who requires us to overcome evil with
good, attempt to rectify the evils of time by the tor-
ments of an eternity.
I have now pointed out what I conceive to be the
prominent feature of our cause, the characteristic
that distinguishes it from all other causes around
us. It is true our system of faith differs from most
others in many other particulars ; but they are gen-
erally more or less intimately connected with the
great doctrine of the divine goodness, and cannot be
separated from it. These minor differences I shall
not stop to specify, nor is it necessary. The grand
excellence, or the grand error, of our faith is be-
lieved by us and our opposers to be the doctrine that
God is good ; or in the language of that excellent
man, Williain Law, that “ God from eternity to eter-
nity is mere unchangeable and ever-overflowing
love ;" and that his whole economy of providence
and grace is benevolent, not only to the whole, but
to every individual part, and all tending wisely and
certainly to the chief end of man, which is "to glo-
rify God, and enjoy him for ever."
Having thus glanced at the cause in which we
are engaged, and contemplated its principal and dis-
tinctive feature, I shall now pass to consider the
position which it is at the present time occupying
in the world. :
It admits of no doubt, so apparent is the fact, that
the cause of universal goodness and grace is now
far more prosperous than it has been in any period
for centuries past. It is more widely diffused, and
more ardently and successfully, if not more ably ad-.


16
OCCASIONAL SERMON.
vocated; it holds a more conspicuous place in the
church, and is commanding a greater degree of at-
tention, than it has in many a bygone age. In some
respects its position is new and more favorable for
exerting an influence, securing respect and making
progress.
That the great truth, which we maintain, in rela-
tion to the divine character and the end of the divine
government, was taught by our Lord and his apos-
tles, is capable, we think, of conclusive proof. That
all the early Christians fully understood and appre-
ciated it, may, I suspect, admit of much doubt. This
will at least appear probable when we reflect how
slow even the apostles themselves were to compre-
hend the spirituality and all-embracing design of the
gospel. With the crude and grovelling views that,
we know, existed in many a mind in the apostolic
churches, with the avowed anxiety on the part of
the apostles to perfect that which was lacking in
their faith, we have much reason to conclude that
there were many who had not attained to clear con-
ceptions of God, or to comprehensive notions of his .
government and purposes. Indeed I cannot think
that the intellectual and moral development of that
age was generally high enough to justify an expect-
ation on our part, that all the disciples were cordial
and intelligent believers in the universality of the
divine grace and salvation. It is enough for us
that Christ and his apostles clearly taught it.
In the writings of the fathers called apostolic,
from the circumstance that they succeeded the apos-
tles, but who were all illiterate and ignorant men,
we find their views undeveloped with respect to the
ultimate condition of the wicked. But as early as
the year of Christ 150 we meet with distinct traces
of the doctrine of universal salvation. In several


18
OCCASIONAL SERMON.
seemed to revel in universal destruction--gathered
like a thunder-cloud around the Roman Empire.
The hoofs of Attila's war-horse were heard clat-
tering through all the south of Europe, and behind
them rushed on the myriads of his barbarous Huns.
The sun of civilization, of philosophy, of moral
culture, was going down, and the night of the dark
ages was about to set in. The church wrapped
herself in the folds of her drapery, and amidst im-
posing forms and ceremonies sat down till the storm
was overpast and a brighter morning should dawnl
on the cross.
It is instructive to observe how Universalism
waned after the close of the fourth century, and
seems soon to have become extinct throughout
nearly all Christendom. The peculiar spirit of
Christianity, the spirit of gentleness and love, van-
ished away, and all that remained of our holy reli-
gion was the shell, the form, was what was im-
bodied in sensible rites, well calculated, and wise.
ly designed I doubt not, by a beneficent Heaven, to
preserve its being in the earth. But in the spirit of
the dark ages Universalism found no sympathy, no
aliment. The ignorance, the cruelty, the superstition
of that period of the world's history, proved uncon-
genial to so high and pure a faith. The dogma of
endless torments, on the contrary, then held its car-
nival. Never before had it enjoyed such an authority,
and never will it again unless the dark ages return
once more. During the long lapse of eight or ten
centuries, I know of but two or three names that
can be enrolled among the friends of Universalism,
and these seem to have been born before the world
was prepared either to receive or appreciate them.
The human mind seemed incapable of rising to the
conception of a grace broad enough for the salvation


20
OCCASIONAL SERMON.
judgments of others; while denying the authority
of the Pope and the Church over them, they perse-
cuted to the death those who differed from them-
selves. They began the Reformation but they did
not know how to finish it; and hence it happens that
our cause has been struggling on through good re-
port and evil report from that day to this. It has
gone wherever the Reformation has gone, and wher-
ever there has been the most intelligence, the most
earnest striving after truth, the most intellectual free-
dom, there has then been the most Universalism.
For confirmation of this remark, look at Germany,
the cradle of the Reformation, where Universalism
is generally adopted by the learned of both the
Evangelical and Rationalist parties, and where as in
the ancient Church it makes no one a heretic. Look
at England, in whose establishment it has by a wise
policy been tolerated from the time of Elizabeth, and
where, it is said, on the authority of the Bishop of
Exeter, to be now widely entertained. And not in
the established Church alone, but in many of the dis-
senting communions, it extensively prevails. Look,
too, at France, among whose protestant population
it finds an asylum and exerts no inconsiderable
power.
But turn with me, my brethren, to our own country.
It was not the Puritans who brought the principles
of religious freedom to our shores. They brought
a spirit of intolerance, of persecution. For no soon-
er were those adventurers, so long and deeply per-
secuted, come in possession of power, than they be-
gan to persecute all who chanced to differ from
themselves. They disfranchised all: who did not
belong to the church; they whipped the Baptists and
banished the Quakers. They were the true dis-


OCCASIONAL SERMON.
21
ciples of their great teacher Calvin. They loved to
rule, but not to be ruled.
It is instructive to observe that while Massachu-
setts under a Puritan, and Virginia under an Episco-
palian, government, were grossly intolerant and per-
secuting in the early ages of these colonies, Mary-
land, governed by Catholics, exhibited the most
noble example of political wisdom and religious
toleration. Pennsylvania, also, under the guidance
of the Quakers, manifested a very tender regard for
the rights of conscience. It is to the influence of
these two colonies, connected with the fact that
such a variety of religious faiths were established
along the Atlantic shores, that we are to ascribe the
religious liberty enjoyed here before the Revolution.
Nor was it less a matter of necessity, than of far-
reaching policy and sound principle, that freedom
of thought and speech were secured in the Constitu-
tion of the United States.
I cannot but admire the wisdom of Divine Provi-
dence in directing Murray with the lamp of truth,
to our shores at the precise juncture it did. The
year of 1770 was the eve of a great political revo-
lution. That year the first American blood was shed
by the British soldiery. The spirit of freedom was
awakening from the north to the south, and the bands
of fellowship and brotherhood were being knit more
closely between the several colonies. The diversi-
ties of religious opinion were forgotten, or less re-
garded, in the growing necessity for political union,
and in a growing love of liberty. It was a time for
the spirit of general toleration to be cultivated and
prosper.
At the same time the universal prevalence of
church, orthodoxy prevented Murray from being lost
in the bosom of any existing sect. A new truth, oi


22
OCCASIONAL SERMON.
rather an old truth restored, was to now take its
place in the religious world, and a place so promi-
nent that all eyes could behold it ; that it could make
itself intelligible to all minds that would consider,
and to all hearts that would listen to its voice.
The public mind had been prepared, too, in some
degree at least, for this new doctrine. It did not,
therefore, come to a barren desert. In this new
world, religion had always been an important ele-
ment of its culture, and in many a soul of that early
day, both the intellectual and moral nature were so
far developed as to fit it for the reception of a better
faith. Nay, in many a soul these better views of
God and his government were already slumbering,
or half-revealing themselves, “ felt, but not ex-
pressed," or like the visions of beauty sometimes
caught in our dreams, were floating indistinctly, but
with a spiritual peace about the sanctuary of the
heart. To these mysterious anticipations, so pure
and hallowing, the excellent Potter of Good Luck,
was no stranger, and with him were sympathizing hun-
dreds, unknowing and unknown, scattered through-
out the whole country. They only needed the elo-
quent voice of that herald of salvation to awake
them to the full consciousness of their inward faith
and trust.
It is now 71 years since Murray was cast upon
the shores of New Jersey. From that day to this,
our cause has been constantly progressing, and year
after year has added to its growth, till now it stands
the FOURTH denomination, probably, in point of
numbers and religious and social influence in the
United States. But rapid as has been its course, it
has still been doomed to battle its way amid diffi-
culties and dangers, and gained its present elevation
in spite of the combined resistance, and steady and


OCCASIONAL SERMON.
23
not always Christian opposition of most other sects.
We owe everything, my brethren, to God and a
good cause, and little to the moderation, the sympa-
thy, or even the kindness of our opposers. They
have met us at every pass, they have disputed every
inch of ground, and yet the tide has rolled on, and
discomfiture and defeat have attended them on every
well-tried field. I say this not in the spirit of vain-
glorying, but with humble gratitude to God, and a
manly confidence in the truth of our holy cause.
But in estimating the condition of Universalism
in our country at the present time, we must not con-
fine our attention and remarks exclusively to our own
denomination. It is well known that Universalism
is entertained by several sects beside ourselves.
The Unitarians, it is said, generally believe in the
ultimate salvation of all men. Several German
sects, scattered through the middle and western
States, also believe it. It is adopted by many, it is
supposed, in the Lutheran church, and is believed
to be by no means uncommon in the Episcopal
church. Prof. Stuart confesses that not a few per-
sons in the community believe in the final restoration
of all men and of these“not a few are professed
preachers of the gospel.” Indeed to what point can
we turn, where this truth is not insinuating itself?
In what sect does it not find at least secret friends
and believers? It is like theleaven hid in three meas-
ures of meal; nor will its ministry cease till the
whole be leavened.
But let us turn from the present to the future, and
ask what prospects lie open before our cause in time
to come? This is a question of some importance to
us all. We need the conviction that we are not la-
boring in a cause that is destined to speedy ruin.
We need it to strengthen us midst the toils and sac


24
OCCASIONAL SERMON.
rifices that are demanded in the maintenance and ad-
vocacy of our faith. The consideration of all the
circumstances that will bear upon the future pros-
perity of Universalism would lead me too far for
the present occasion, and a glance at them is all
that I shall attempt.
The past history and the present condition of our
cause may satisfy all who will reflect upon them in
an unprejudiced manner, that it is now in a sound
and healthy state. It has within it a strong princi-
ple of vitality, which has hitherto resisted all the
untoward influences by which it has been surround-
ed, and vigorously developed itself notwithstanding
all the opposition the world has been able to offer it.
It is no Jonah's gourd, which has grown in a night
to perish in a night, but a hardy and thriving plant
which drives its root deep into the soil, and lifts its
branches in strength on high. Let any man com-
pare Universalism, as it now exists, with what it
was forty, or twenty, may I not say even ten years
ago, and tell me if he does not observe within it a
plastic power, working mightily, and giving form:
and beauty to the denomination which it animates,
and exhibiting, year after year, more and more of its
inward activity and strength. Many of the meas-
ures now most successfully applied in furtherance of
our cause, and for the fuller development of its moral
power, were unknown twenty years ago. The tone
of its journals and of its public ministry has been
greatly modified, and improved, and a higher and
better influence is going out from the pulpit and the
press. There is an increasing spirit of pure and
elevated piety, a growing religiousness, and an ear-
nest striving for higher and higher attainments in
the Christian life, which clearly show that the di-
rection of our minds and hearts is right.


OCCASIONAL SERMON.
25
But no inward soundness of Universalism can
avail to make it lastingly prosperous unless it finds
a soil naturally congenial in the human heart. But
for this, it may spring up and flourish for a little
time, like the seed sown in stony places, and flourish
the more abundantly because it has no deepness of
earth, but no sooner should the sun shine upon it
than it would be scorched and wither away.
I observe, then, that our cause cannot be regarded
as a merely temporal or local phenomenon; it is not
the growth of any particular age or country, to come
forth and flourish for a time and then vanish away.
It belongs to all ages and to all countries, where the
mind and heart are adequately developed under the
gentle culture of Christianity. It has its ground in-
deed in human nature, and needs but the quickening
spirit of the gospel to wake it into life; and the con-
tinued influences of that spirit will urge it on every-
where toward perfection.
That Universalism is in harmony with the best
desires of the human heart, is proved by the con-
cessions even of its enemies. They confess that
they wish it were true : they pray that it may prove
so; still they dare not or cannot believe it, and the
reason they often assign is curious as well as in-
structive. It is too good to be true. As if God
were not able and willing to do exceeding abun-
dantly above what we can either ask or think! In-
deed, no man, professing to be a Christian, can be
made to avow a sentiment so horrible as the desire
that any creature in God's universe should be end-
lessly tormented. “He is not a Christian,” says
Jeremy White, speaking of Universalism,“ he is
not a man, he hath put off the tenderness and bow-
els of a man, he hath lost humanity itself, he hath
not so much charity as Dives expressed in hell, that


26
OCCASIONAL SERMON.
cannot cry out, This is good news, if it be true ; that
will not say Amen to it provided it be agreeable to
God, and what his word will countenance and own.”
Olshausen, the most popular commentator of the
New Testament in Germany, tells us that the feel-
ing in favor of the final restoration of all men "is
without doubt deeply rooted in noble minds; it is a
longing after perfected harmony in the universe.".
I cannot but conclude, then, that Universalism,
strong and healthy as it is, and deeply rooted as we
know it to be in the human heart, and congenial as
it is confessed to be with all the better sympathies
and desires of human nature, its wants, aspirations,
and hopes,--I cannot but conclude, I say, that Uni-
versalism will not die of itself, as many seem to
think; it will live and prosper; and the next genera-
tion shall see it more vigorous than ever. But per-
haps it may be refuted, exploded, destroyed ? Yes,
truly ; but who is to do this work? Has not every
means been already employed, which human inge-
nuity could devise, for its destruction ? Silence and
neglect will not destroy it: sneers and scoffs will not
destroy it: calumny and persecution will not destroy
it : nay, appeals to argument, to Scripture and reason,
will not destroy it! These have all been tried in
vain ; and under them all has the truth gone on from
strength to strength. .
But once more. This is an age of great mental
activity, of much freedom of inquiry and speech.
There is a rapid progress making in civilization, in
refinement, in politics, and religion. In every do-
main of thought, old opinions and institutions are
being canvassed anew. Few doctrines or practices
can be long received and honored on the authority
of prescription. Men are learning, not to reverence
their fathers less, but to love truth more. This


OCCASIONAL SERMON.
spirit of reform is abroad everywhere; it is felt in
every walk of life, and its fruits are already mani-
fest on every hand. Under these circumstances,
here are but three probable results, and hence we
sée our fellow-men divided into three corresponding
parties. One is conservative. It would stand still
and preserve in safety what it has already in its
possession. It would not risk its present goods in
attempts to gain greater. It is willing to suffer the
inconveniences of present evils, rather than subject
itself to change. Perhaps it soberly thinks that it
has already attained the perfection of human condi-
tion, and believes that every change is but a step
toward ruin. But can it stand still, can it prevent
the wear and tear of time and of public opinion
upon its faith and its institutions ? No: nor could
it if they were immured in a triple wall of brass.
Look at the Presbyterian church for an illustration.
What has the Old School been doing for twenty
years past, but vainly endeavoring to hold fast its
antiquated standards? Yet in this puerile attempt
she has herself been explaining them away, in order
to make them acceptable to the New School. It
was all in vain. The church is split asunder, and
ten years more will probably not pass before another
division will take place. Conservatism will not
avail to preserve old errors ; there is nothing but
truth that can abide the test of scrutiny.
There is another party in religion in England,
and they have disciples in the Episcopal church
here, who, alarmed at the aspect of affairs, are reso-
lutely bent on turning back, with the hope of finding
security under the broad folds of old and long-re-
jected tradition! They, it must be remembered,
are the genuine apostolic succession. They are the
Church. But will they succeed? Succeed !


28
OCCASIONAL SERMON.
Think you it is possible for any class of men to
stay the current of public thought, to check inquiry,
and turn back the whole theological mind to the
study of the fathers, to receive their dictum with
humility and abeyance? You might as well think
of turning back the tide when it is coming in, or of
sending back the Hudson to its sources and chain-
ing it there. But the truth is worse than this. The
shore by which the Oxford Tractators are endeavor-
ing to moor themselves and the church, is, unfortu-
nately, but a bank of fog. The mark and token of
Catholic tradition, the quod semper, quod ubique, quod
ab omnibus-that which has been believed always;
everywhere, and by all-would make a singularly
short creed, and one too capable of being proved, I
trust, in a manner much more satisfactory to a
rational mind than by the pitiful way of tradition.
The truth is, the fathers no more agreed among
themselves than the moderns do, except when they
copied from one another, and then the whole au-
thority rests with the first who made the assertion,
nor could it be increased by being repeated by a
million fathers after him.
We suspect the protestant principle that, “ the
Bible is the only and sufficient rule of faith and prac-
tice ;" that what the Bible teaches is orthodoxy,
and what that does not teach or plainly imply, is not
necessary to the integrity of Christian faith, will
outlive Conservatism and Puseyism, and go down
from generation to generation, as one of the
great maxims of practical reason. The Reforma-
tion rested upon this maxim in the sixteenth century.
and the reformers, who constitute the third class of
men to whom I referred, will carry it out. They
make the great majority of thinking men in this and


OCCASIONAL SERMON.
29.
every other civilized country. Those even, who
are regarded as sound orthodox do not hesitate to
acknowledge that theology has been obviously im-
proving within the last two centuries, and to lament
that their systems of faith were hammered out by so
hard-nerved, and hard hearted men. They no longer
hesitate to speak of the breaking up of old sys-
tems, of the dupes of the old creeds, &c., &c. They
hint in quite intelligible language that many men
who think better, are obliged to conform in their
speech to obsolete modes of expression, and finally
acknowledge that none of the existing forms of or-
thodoxy is suited to be generally received. They
see that they are all corrupt, all narrow, all growing
obsolete.
It is pleasing to observe that in all the modifica-
tions to which the popular faith has been and is
daily being subjected there is exhibited some traces
of a more catholic and truly Christian spirit. The
hard features of those creeds are being frittered
away. The doctrines to which a just moral sense, or
the sentiments of humanity, most readily and effect-
ually objects, are smoothed down, and a thousand
means employed to make them appear just and hu-
mane. Indeed, we see on every hand a disposition
to make the creeds harmonize with reason and the
moral sentiments, and so far as this is done there is
an obvious approximation to the truth as we hold it.
Little it may be has yet been done, but an attempt
to do anything augurs well for the future.
I look upon the reforming spirit of the age, as
full of hope to our cause. I look upon the spirit of
humanity that is growing more and more strong,
every year, as another source of encouragement and
hope. I look upon the progress of civilization and
moral refinement, as auguring a corresponding prog-


30
OCCASIONAL SERMON.
ress in Universalism. I look upon every improve-
ment in mind or manners, as destined to exert an
influence on our cause, by promoting in some degree
the improvement of religious theories and feelings
in those around us.
But is Universalism itself to do nothing in this
great work? Is it to stand still and see the pro-
cess of human improvemont go on, without putting
forth a single energy, or exerting the slightest influ-
ence? Is it alone to be benefited, and not return
even the favors it has received ? No, believe me, my
brethren, as our faith and labors have not been
without their influence in producing this very state
of things, so they shall not hereafter be either idle
or employed in vain. I fear we do not sufficiently
reflect upon that influence which our cause both
has and hereafter is to exert on the public mind.
We do not sufficiently reflect how much observa.
tion our despised faith does really attract. We
should remember that a city set on a hill cannot
be hid.
But what is the ministry that Universalism is des-
tined to perform? Resting as it does on the infinite
benevolence of God, and proclaiming that benevo-
lence to all, holding forth the Almighty as our kind
and gracious Father, the common benefactor and
friend of the whole human race; and Jesus Christ
as the common Savior of the world ; and heaven as
our last common home, where the children of earth
shall all finally be gathered, glorified and made par-
takers of an endless felicity, at once spiritual and
divine ; it cannot be otherwise than that Universal-
ism should exert, wherever it is cordially received,
a high and hallowing influence. Breathing as it
does the spirit of love and appealing more to the
affections than the fears of men, it wins its way


OCCASIONAL SERMON.
31
silently to the heart and executes its beneficent mis-
sion there. It diffuses its influence over the whole
character, and makes itself felt in all the duties and
relations of life. But perhaps I ought to be more
particular and point out a few of the individual bles-
sings which our faith has conferred and is destined
to confer still more widely.
I observe, then, in the first place, that Universal-
ism will operate effectually to render religion more
cheerful; to strip religious services of the gloom
with which they are too generally clouded, and to
make the intercourse between the soul and its Cre-
ator, like that between the loving and grateful child
and the condescending and beneficent parent. I
need not say how desirable this is. For it is one
of the most observable of the many unhappy effects
of the popular creeds, that they generally chill the
warm currents of devotional feeling, and make the
services of the house of God a cold and formal cere-
mony. We see little of natural life in the scenes
of the sanctuary. Everything is forced, constrained.
Men go to their temples of worship less under a
feeling of warm desire to meet and bless God for
his goodness, than from a sense of irksome duty.
This has been confessed by one of the most popular
and effective preachers of the age. “ The religion
of the great mass of the church," says he, “is not
the religion of love, but of fear. They fear the
Lord, but serve their own gods. They are dragged
along in a dry performance of what they call duty,
by their consciences. They have a dry, legal, earthly
spirit; and their pretended service is hypocrisy and
utter wickedness."
Are we to wonder at such results ? What is the
character of God as they represent it that it should
be greatly loved, or that man should find spiritual


32
OCCASIONAL SERMON.
delight in contemplating or praising it? I cannot
for myself feel that the sad and disfigured counte-
nances which are so often seen in the house of God
are a matter of wonder ; the wonder is that they
ever glow with a smile or are lighted up with even
a temporary cheerfulness. There is enough in their
religion, if it be true, to dry up every source of hap-
piness in the human heart, and chase away every
image of pleasure from the mind. Make me be-
lieve that God is an angry, vindictive being who will
punish the sins of a moment with endless pains,
who will pursue his own erring children with the
cruelty of a demon for ever; make me believe that
I am suspended by a single thread over an infinite
abyss of torture, and that my wife, my children, my
parents, my friends, my whole race, are all exposed
to the most imminent hazard of going down to hell,
and I will bid farewell to earthly happiness ; there
shall be nothing in all this beautiful world, in the
sweets of society, in the charms of friendship, in
the services of religion, that can please me more.
Such a faith would fill my pillow with thorns ; I
could see nothing but darkness here below; and if
I looked upward, oh, heaven would be a thousand-
fold darker than earth itself; for there in his terri-
ble majesty would He sit, the author at once of my
existence and miseries! And could I worship God?
My very soul would shrink from such a being as
from pollution, Could I praise him—could I speak
well of his name? What words of praise could
my lips frame that would not belie the sentiments of
my heart ?
How different this picture from that drawn by the
Psalmist of old. “O come, let us sing unto the
Lord ; let us make a joyful noise unto the rock of
our salvation. Let us come before his presence


'OCCASIONAL SERMON.
33
with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him
with psalms. Know ye that the Lord he is God :
it is he that made us, and not we ourselves; we are his
people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his
gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with
praise : be thankful unto him, and bless his name,
for the Lord is good : his mercy is everlasting, and
his truth endureth to all generations."'--And if under
a dispensation so dark as that of Moses was, the
people still had so abundant occasion to rejoice in
God, what shall we say of those who live under the
light of the new and better covenant made through
Jesus Christ? We need say nothing but repeat the
first words of the Lord's prayer: Our Father who
art in heaven. Then God is our Father; and he
who worships the Father must worship him in spirit
and truth.
Such too are the lessons of our holy faith. It
teaches us that the Being before whom we bow is
our Father, is love: that we cannot think of him
with half the affection he merits; that we cannot
praise him as he deserves. Our nature craves
such a religion as this. We need sympathy and
encouragement. We need to know that God is ever
more ready to hear than we are to ask, and that it
is his glory to condescend and dwell with the hum-
ble and contrite heart.
But it is not alone in the closet or the sanctu-
ary, in the ordinary services of religion, that Univer-
salism is, and will be more and more felt. It goes
out also into the duties and business of every-day
life. Ours is not a religion that confines itself to
the cloister, or that breathes only on the sabbath-
day. Were it so, I should deem it of little worth.
No, it is fitted to go with us and speak to our hearts
as we take our walk in the forests or among the


34
OCCASIONAL SERMON.
fields. It throws its light over the face of all nature,
and makes everything beautiful in its time. It en-
ables us to read the traces of our Father's hand
everywhere. Those gentle teachings of the bird and
the flower which did not escape the notice of the
Savior, should be felt again in the heart of that Say.
ior's disciples. The earth, the air, the sky, are all
full of sweet lessons of sympathy and love, and to
the Christian soul they should not speak in vain.
Universalism will make religion more cheerful, piety
more true and cordial, and it will aid greatly in dif-
fusing its influence through the whole week and
through the whole life.
This leads me to observe, in the second place,
that the prosperity of our cause is blended with the
progress of mind, and will exert an influence of no
small weight in elevating the tone of morality. The
world is exceedingly slow to learn that as love to
God is the measure of piety, so love to our fellow,
men is the measure of virtue. I need not say that
notwithstanding all the improvements of the age,
there is still little truly Christian morality in the
world : and the modes usually adopted to promote
it, seems to me to have little tendency to accomplish
this purpose. The truth is there is too much morality
abroad that takes its root in hell, and gathers its
chief strength from its terrors. The motives of love,
of humanity, of justice, are too seldom appealed to.
Orthodox moralists dare not exhort us to imitate
God, for they represent him as angry, vindictive, and
cruel. Thus the eternal ground on which morality
rests is lost, and fear is deemed the great preserva-
tive from vice and ruin. And yet we see how easily
men can silence their fears. Are those who believe
and even preach that infinite torments are threaten-
ed against every transgressor of the purity of the


OCCASIONAL SERMON.
35
divine law, more secure from sin than other men?
Let history answer. The world needs a purer
morality, and how shall it be obtained ? I answer,
by representing the divine character in its own
true light, by teaching that while God is intinitely
just, he is still good, that he loves his enemies,
blesses those that curse him, and does good to
those that hate him ; by teaching that God is our
Father, and we all his children, and hence brethren,
born in a common humanity, and destined to a com-
mon home. Let all men know and understand, that
under the divine administration, every sin meets with
its adequate and certain punishment, and every work
of love with an unfailing reward. In short, let the
world know that the moral laws of God are not design-
ed as traps and snares to work out its everlasting ruin,
but as gracious expositions of the divine will for man's
best and highest good. Not a sinful gratification is
forbidden which, if tasted, would not make us miser-
able; not a moral duty is required, which, if performed,
will not work out our happiness. These are truths of
revelation, and if heeded they will cultivate a pure
and healthy tone of morality. .
But we may consider the subject in a still higher
and broader sense. Universalism is to blend in
every truly benevolent enterprise. It is emphati-
cally the cause of humanity. It has already taken
a noble stand in relation to capital punishment, and
the day is not far distant when this relic of a bar-
barous age shall be done away throughout the length
and breadth of our land. The world is yet to learn,
and our faith is to do much in teaching it, that even
the vile degraded criminal is still a man, a fellow-
being, a child of God and a brother! It is yet to
learn that justice is something very unlike revenge,
that justice indeed is “twin-sister of mercy” itself.


36
OCCASIONAL SERMON.
The age has outgrown the systematic tortures of the
olden time, and cast aside many of the abominations
that darkened the statute-books of other days. But
it is painful to remark that, while the church has
generally been intolerant and cruel, the avowed infi-
del has espoused the 'cause of humanity and labored
to meliorate the criminal law.
May I not be permitted in this connexion to say
also, that few agents could do more for the interests
of humanity in claiming justice and love for the slave,
than Universalism. Let its spirit of Christian phi-
lanthropy go abroad in the South ; let the master
learn its sublime truths concerning God, and con-
cerning the relations existing between himself and
the slave ; let him feel that we have all one Father,
that we are all made of one blood, and that high
Heaven looks down with equal eye upon the rich
and the poor, the master and his slave, and I do not
say, it will break asunder the negro's iron mana-
cles, but it will change them to silken cords, which
shall be soft with kindness and love.
Universalism is destined to stand as a barrier
against the tide of infidelity. In an age like this
when the old systems are breaking up, when men
are inquiring rather what is true, than what their
fathers and fathers' fathers believed, it is reasonable
to expect that some minds should lose their balance
and fly to an opposite extreme, and instead of be-
lieving everything come to believe nothing. Such a
result is ever ascribed by Old School men to the
new movement, and it is represented as one of its
fatal tendencies, that it leads to infidelity. They
forget that it was old errors, more than the spirit of
reformation, which produced this result. It is un-
questionable that we should ascribe the infidelity
formerly in France, to Popish errors and supersti-


OCCASIONAL' SERMON.
37
the
tions, rather than to the writings of Voltaire and
101N
Diderot.
PSL
are
701
At the present time, there are several doctrines
belonging to the church creeds which are really
indefensible on any rational grounds. Let the eyes
of their confident believer be by any means opened
to them, and especially if done suddenly, he incurs
the hazard of discarding all religion at once. The
reason is obvious. He sees how completely he has
been duped and misguided, and fearful that he may
be deceived again he launches out into the ocean of
skepticism. It is one of the best ministries of our
cause, that it teaches such men that although some
of the dogmas of one form of Christianity are false,
all others are not necessarily so. The better views
of God which it inculcates, the happy solution which
it furnishes of several of the most difficult problems of
theology, its benevolent character and tendency, can-
not but exert a great influence in checking the prog-
ress of the infidel, and bringing him back to the faith
of the gospel. It is pleasing to reflect that several of
the best works yet published in our country in de-
fence of Revelation, are from the pens of Univer-
salists; and perhaps I should not overrate the influ-
ence of our cause were I to say that it is doing as
much to counteract infidelity as any other sect, or
all other sects together. Its influence shall be
greater still.
I have before-said that Universalism would make
religion more cheerful, and throw its calm and pure
light over the whole domain of human life. I will
only add, that it is its province also to do what no
other system ever can do, impart a steady and joy.
ous hope to the dying, and the sweetest consola-
tions to those that mourn. It is destined to go out
as it has hitherto gone, but more and more widely,
i


OCCASIONAL 'SERMON. )
to visit the dwellers in dust, to stand with its gentle
ministries at the bedside of the sick, and to point
the eye of the dying away from earth to his Father
and home in heaven. It will enter alike the cottage
of the poor and the palace of the rich, and speak to
the suffering heart that pines over the sundered ties
of earthly love ; it will strengthen the fond mother
as she takes her gentle babe from her bosom and
lays it down in its quiet beauty in the dark cold
grave. Oh, it will go where earthly sorrow goeth ;
it will bend like an angel of mercy to sustain the
weak, to encourage the faltering, to sooth the fearful,
to comfort the afflicted, and bless all who need its
blessing. Under its benign influence the earth shall
look bright again, and love take up its abode here,
and faith be strong, and the gift of life shall be re-
garded as a boon for which men shall thank God.
I have now glanced at our cause, its position, its
prospects, its ministry, and I cannot but feel that it
is a great cause. We, my brethren, have perceived
something of its magnitude, as we have enrolled
ourselves among its friends, and some of us have con-
secrated to it our labors and our lives. But I doubt
much whether any of us have yet seen half of its
real greatness. In its own intrinsic nature, in its
bearings, relations, and influences, it has heights and
depths, worth and excellence, which, perhaps, no
finite powers can comprehend. It has been despised;
it is now regarded by thousands with feelings of se-
rious apprehension; it is seen to be progressing,
and no power on earth can stay its course. But do
we ourselves sufficiently reflect upon this fact? Do
we bear along with us in all our labors and sacrifi-
ces the conviction that we are laboring in a great
cause, great in its intrinsic excellence, and great
in what it is to be and do? Are we sufficiently ac-


OCCASIONAL SERMON,
39
customed to contemplate our duties from this point of
vision ? Are we sufficiently accustomed to lift our-
selves up in feeling, in high resolve, to real magni-
tude and dignity of the cause in which we are en-
gaged? Do we always strive to act under the sol-
emn consciousness that on us devolve great inter-
ests and great responsibilities?
But what are our duties? That Universalists have
duties' to perform, important duties, and duties that
are peculiar, must be obvious to every one who will
reflect upon the subject. We stand apart from the
great mass of the Christian world. We entertain re-
ligious views of a fundamental character, which they
deny. We feel bound to maintain these views, and
not only to maintain, but to promote, diffuse them.
We believe them to be the chief moral excellence
of the divine character.' We believe that their uni-
versal reception would indefinitely increase the di-
vine glory, and the piety, virtue, and happiness of
mankind.
What then is our duty ? Obviously to strive with
all our powers to advance a cause we deem so fraught
with blessings, so'sacred. In the real progress of
our faith, of its truth, and its spirit, we believe there
is combined almost everything that the Christian is
required to promote'; love to God and love to one
another, together with the various interests which
concern man's spiritual well being and peace...
But how shall we most effectually promote Uni-
versalism? No doubt there are various agencies
necessary to the greatest progress of our cause, and
many that I shall not have time to consider, or scarce-
ly to hint at; but I must mention a few that seem to
me essential to our best success.
The first and most important, and without which
nothing can be effected, is a clear, exhibition of the


- OCCASIONAL SERMON.
truth. It was for this purpose that our Savior came
into the world, that he might bear witness to the
truth, and it is the knowledge of the truth that is to
make us free indeed. -Error on all subjects, and re-
ligious error especially, always misleads, embarras-
ses, perverts, and destroys; truth alone is consistent,
and guides in the way of permanent sunshine and
peace. Standing as we do in the midst of a world
of misconceptions and errors, it becomes us to pro-
claim the truth as it is in Jesus, boldly, fervently,
affectionately, in season and out of season, whether
men will hear or whether they will forbear. Let
this be done by the pulpit and by the press. And
reflect one moment, my brethren, on the facilities
we now enjoy for accomplishing much in this way.
It is a moderate estimate, which' reckons the dis-
courses delivered by the ministry of reconciliation
in the United States to one thousand every week,
and probably upon an average to more than a hun-
dred thousand hearers. What an engine of power
is here!. And what an influence is the pulpit alone
capable of exerting over a large mass of the public
mind. Let the pulpit then be enlightened, dignified,
affectionate, and it will be effective. It has already
done much for our cause ; it is capable of doing
much more..
But while the pulpit is to be honored as one of
the chief instruments of carrying forward our cause,
let not its able coadjutor the press be forgotten.
Through that the truth can be carried where the
voice of the pulpit is not heard. When the book,
the periodical, the pamphlet, the tract, leaves the
press, it is impossible to foretell where they shall
go, or where their influence shall end. They may
wander away, we cannot tell how, and find their final
resting-place in the distant village, or the remote


OCCASIONAL SERMON. 1
4 1
: plantation, in the hut of the border settlement, and
carry wherever they go the glad tidings of salvation.
We cannot estimate the influence of the press. Let
it be duly honored, encouraged, supported. Ours is
an active and faithful one, it deserves the thanks of
every lover of the truth. But still it is sometimes
neglected, and by those too who owe it a debt of
gratitude. And here I cannot but mention one pe- ;
riodical which has been suspended for want of en-
couragement, we are told—one that stood at the head
of our periodicals, one that should have been in every
minister's hands, and sought for by thousands, instead
of lingering out a weary life and at last perishing for
want of support,--I need not name the Universalist
Expositor. Are we to suffer the odium of allowing
that work to go no farther ? Lét those whom I now
address give the answer...
But important as the exhibition of truth is to the
furtherance of our cause, I cannot regard that alone
as sufficient-that truth must be so presented, so ap-
plied, that it shall take fast hold of the heart. For,
however intellectual religion may be, however con-
sonant its doctrines are to enlightened reason, how-
ever fine a subject its theory may be considered for
speculation,-nothing can be more certain than that
Christianity was designed chiefly to occupy the af-
fections, guide the conscience, and thus improve and
purify man's moral nature. He who does not preach
it thus essentially fails in doing his duty; he who
does not thus receive it, receives it, I had almost
said, in vain. In other words, ours is a spiritual
religion, and where it does not exert a spiritual in-
fluence, it does not exert its highest influence at all.
Universalism and a life of sin are eternally incom-
patible. Yea, he is the worst enemy of Universal-
ism, who, professing it, lives in habitual violation of


OCCASIONAL SERMON.
43
:
interfere with all the independence which any Chris- .
tian can reasonably claim; and we should find, I
believe, that it would impart a vigor and efficiency
to our cause, above what any of us can well imagine.
Wherever it now exists, as it does in all the eastern
and northern states, we see its beneficent'tendencies.'
But it needs to be extended. In this Convention
should all the states, where any body of Universalists
are found, be duly represented : and this Convention,
thus formed, should spend its sessions in earnest
endeavors to devise the best measures for our gen- ·
eral prosperity...
From some remarks made in a former part of this
discourse, it will be perceived that Universalism is a
child of the light, that it cannot flourish in the midst
of darkness and barbarism. It needs light, it needs
freedom. It finds some of its best support and en-
couragement in the spirit of science, civilization, and
moral refinement. This circumstance, which I would
not have forgotten, seems to me, to point in a very
significant manner to one and no unimportant part
of our duty. If Universalism cannot prosper except
where the human mind enjoys a good measure of
freedom, and consequent enlightenment, it seems to
follow, that every endeavor to advance this cause
should be accompanied by a love of popular educa-
tion, and efforts to promote it. Where is Univer-
salism most prevalent now? In Germany, in England
and the United States.. And if you will observe in
our own country, its prevalence may be inferred with
tolerable accuracy from the state of education in its
several sections. In New-England, distinguished
for its schools and its general intelligence and tone
of morality, we find most of it. In New York and
Ohio it meets with its next best soil. Where there
are few schools there is little Universalism. This,


44
,
OCCASIONAL SERMON. '.
I believe to be a uniform fact. And what should
this teach us ? but that our cause is identified with
that of education.
Have we done- our duty in this view of the sub-
ject. Have we showrı an interest so lively, so sin-
cere in the cause of education as we ought? Are
we, doing so now? Hereafter let'us see to it, that
we are attentive to the subject of popular education,
and by all the means in our power striving to pro-
mote it. Let us foster and encourage the public
schools ; let us found and endow academies ; let us
found and endow at least one University, to be a
monument to the coming age of our zeal for educa-
tion. Let all this be done soon. But have we means?
· Yes; we have the means ; means to do anything that
we need and almost anything that is really desirable!
We have the means, let them be employed, and in five
years we may enjoy the pleasure of seeing a Univer-
şity, second to few in the country, devised by our wis-
dom, reared by our hands, endowed by our wealth,
governed by our counsels, and employed for the
true and noble purpose of furthering our great cause,
together with the cause of literature and science,
and of every high interest of humanity.
And while speaking on this subject of general ed-
ucation let me call your attention to the pressing
necessity existing among us for a Theological Sem-
inary, where in the shortest time, in the best man-
ner, and at the least pecuniary expense, the candi-
dates for the ministry may be educated and fitted for
an honorable discharge of the various functions be-
longing to the most important calling of this lower
world. My brethren, how long shall this subject be
neglected ? How long shall we suffer it to be kept
back? If any man can see no necessity for such
an institution, he surely ought to be excused from


OCCASIONAL SERMON.'
.
45
contributing to its establishment. But while we
generally think it expedient to found schools of sci-
ence and literature, I trust there will be but few
who cannot believe that a school of theology would
prove equally profitable. Let all sectional feelings
be done away, and the friends of this enterprise unite
in accomplishing what must prove of incalculable
advantage to our ministry and ultimately to our
cause.
· Finally, my 'brethren, let us remember that in
fifty years more, instead of being contemned and
trampled upon, Universalists may be one of the first re-
ligious denominations in our then great country-that
in fifty years more, they may stand among the first,
if not at the head of all, in point of social, civil,
moral, and literary influence—that in fifty years
more, they may give tone to a majority of the public
mind, may control, in no small degree, the great
moral enterprises of the day, impress their views
upon the principles of legislation, of criminal juris-
prudence, and on most of the questions now agitated
in the community. : All this may be done in fifty
years, if we and those who follow us shall be faith-
ful to their duty. Much, very much, my brethren,
depends upon us. Our councils will throw their in-
fluence perhaps far beyond our lives. The direction
which we shall give to our cause, may be preserved
for many years, years after we have finished our
course, and our labors are ended. In all our
thoughts, let this be remembered, and let our meas-
ures look forward to the future. The liberal man
deviseth liberal things. Let us show that we have
taken comprehensive views of our cause, its posi-
tion, its capabilities, its prospects, and the blessings
it is destined to work out, and that all our duties
have been contemplated in this, the true light of the


46
OCCASIONAL SERMON.
subject. If we prove unfaithful, or narrow-minded,
if we pursue a policy that sees nothing, and heeds
nothing but the present, we may manage to spend
our days in ignoble 'ease, and see our cause standing
still, or misdirected, and only taking false steps,
which the future must retrace..
But we need not look forward fifty years to see
the fruits of our labors. We are not now sowing
the seed, and must wait in patience for the harvest.
The 'seed has been sown before : by the labor of our
fathers, by the influence of public events, by the
changes in the religious world, by the spirit of the
age, by the growing love and reverence for humanity
and justice,-by all these has the seed been already
sown. Say not, therefore, it is yet four months and
then cometh the harvest. Behold, I say unto you,
lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are
white already to the harvest. We need, my breth-
ren, but gird ourselves for the labor, and go forth to
gather in the sheaves. The Macedonian cry is
heard on every hand, “ Come over and help us."
A more numerous ministry is demanded. The peo-
ple are calling, too, for a more and more enlightened
ministry. The harvest is truly great, but the labor-
ers, alas ! are few. · Pray, my brethren, pray the
Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth more
laborers into his vineyard. :
.


THE WISDOM OF GOD, ETC.
SERMON II.
THE WISDOM OF GOD MANIFESTED IN HIS WORKS.
BY REV. A. A. MINER.
"In wisdom hast thou made them all.”—Psalm civ. 24.
WHEN man performs an act, or accomplishes a
work, we pronounce the act or work good or bad,
wise or unwise, according as it possesses or lacks
certain characteristics of wisdom. And I think it
will be found on reflection to be universally true,
that in deciding the character of any work of man,
we adopt the following principles of judgment, viz:
In the first place, there must be manifested therein a
design, or end to be accomplished. In the second
place, that design must be a good one, a benevolent
one. And in the third place, there must be an adapt-
ation of means to the accomplishment of the design-
ed end. Whenever these three characteristics meet
in the same work, that work is a wise one. When-
ever a work is wanting in all, or any one of them, it
is an unwise one. I would have the hearer carefully
observe these positions, for if we agree in the prem-
ises, we here adopt as the standard of judgment,
we cannot widely differ in our conclusions. But if
we disagree in our principles of judging, we may
arrive at very different results. I therefore repeat,
that in order for any work of man to be pronounced
a wise one, there must be a design in performing
the work; that design must be a good one ; and the


48
THE WISDOM OF GOD
means must be adapted to the accomplishment of the
designed end.
Apply these principles now to the works of man,
and judge of their soundness. Suppose, for illus-
tration, a carpenter should proceed to frame timbers,
adjusting them one to another to' a great extent, em-
ploying many workmen and expending much money,
but on placing them together, one timber is found to
take this direction, another that, and a third yet
another, till it shall appear that no building will be
formed thereby, and no end whatever answered by
the work. Now it matters not how nice the work
may be, or how high a finish may be given to the
tenons and mortises, so long as it can be of no pos-
sible service, no man would pronounce the work a
wise one. It is wanting in the very first essential
characteristic of wisdom.
Again: Suppose 'a physician is called to visit a
patient, and let that patient be if you please his most
deadly enemy. He sits down and reasons with
himself in a manner like the following: Here now
is my enemy completely in my power. By the aid
of my knowledge of the laws of chymical affinity
and the properties of chymical compounds, I can
prepare a medicine, which under the guise of a
remedy shall be a most active poison. Acting upon
these wicked suggestions, he proceeds to administer
the poison, and thus accomplishes his diabolical de-
signs. Here it will be seen is a design, and a most
fatal adaptation of means to the accomplishment of
that design ; but no sane mind would pronounce the
work a wise one. Accordingly, we find it wanting
in the second grand characteristic of wisdom; the
design is not a good one.
Once more : Suppose the goldsmith should pro-
ceed to manufacture a time-keeper. Here is an end


MANIFESTED IN HIS WORKS. .
49
in view, and that end is a good one. He finishes
the instrument; but on putting the parts together, it
is found they do not bear the requisite proportion to
each other. The instrument is worthless, because
it cannot be made to measure time. The third grand
characteristic of wisdom is in this case wanting.
The means are not adapted to the accomplishment
of the end. All would agree in pronouncing such
a work destitute of wisdom. .
Thus there must be in every work a design ;
that design must be a good one; and the means
must be adapted to its accomplishment. When
these three characteristics meet in the same work,
all agree in acknowledging that work to be a wise
one. . When they are wanting in any work, there
is the same agreement in pronouncing such work
unwise.
Such are the principles by which we judge of
the works of man; and they are the principles, too,
by which we should judge of the works of God.
We are not to suppose that wisdom in man is one
thing, and wisdom in God something entirely the
opposite. It is true, the Scriptures inform us that
the wisdom of man is foolishness with God, and the
reason is obvious : God's wisdom is so much higher
and so perfect, that man's in the comparison is but
foolishness. But we are nowhere told that the wis-
dom of God is foolishness with man. Such a truth, I
grant, would conflict with our principles of judging.
When, therefore, David declares that God in wis-
dom has made all his works, we are not to under-
stand him as affirming that they are made in wisdom
because he made them, but because they conform to
certain great, self-existent principles of wisdom.
Moreover, it is necessary to suppose that these prin-
ciples were in some measure understood by those


50
THE WISDOM OF GOD
to whom he addressed the text ; else they could be
none the wiser for the revelation of the truth it con-
tains. If they knew nothing of the wisdom of which
David spake, they could know no more of God's
works when told that they were made in wisdom.
· David was a mạn”; he spake unto men; he used the
language of men; and undoubtedly designed that his
language should be understood by the aid of the
same common sense, and the same great principles
by which any language would be understood. We
have already seen what are the great characteristics
of wisdom as applied to the works of man, and from
the foregoing considerations, we are forced to con-
clude that the same principles meet in the works of
God. ,
It is proper here to remark, that it is not our ob-
ject in this discourse to prove the truth of the text,
but admitting that, to use it as a guide in the inquiries
before us. The Psalmist had examined, more or
less minutely, the works of God, and had become
convinced that they were all made in wisdom. It
will be our endeavor to walk in his footsteps, and to
discover some of the same manifestations that he
discovered. And should we in any part of the field
of our present labors find ourselves shrouded in
darkness, the text will be to us a light to lead us on
in safety. If any of our preconceived opinions are
found to stand opposed to the truth of the text, we
should not reject the text, but those opinions. Thus
will it be to us a compass and chart, guiding us from
the ocean of error into the port of truth. And since
we cannot bring before us for actual investigation
all the works of God, we shall be obliged to content
ourselves with presenting examples from the several
great departments of his works, and exhibiting the
wisdom therein manifested, as a foundation on which


MANIFESTED IN HIS 'Works.
51
to build our principal argument. These works nat-
urally divide themselves into animate and inanimate.
The former of these very well admits of another di-
vision, of which man will form one portion, and the
lower orders of animals the other. Thus we have
three classes of God's works from which to select
examples for examination, viz: inanimate matter;
the lower orders of animals ; and mankind. Our
inquiry will constantly be, Do we discover those
marks of wisdom in the works of God, which we
have found to be essential to the works of man that
they may be allowed to be wise ?' Or in other words,
do they manifest a design ? Is that design a good
one? And are the means adapted to its accom-
plishment ?
Before proceeding with the labor before us, I
wish to notice an objection, which may have arisen
in some minds, to the character of our present in-
vestigations. Not a few ministers of the gospel
may be found, who object to what they call “ preach-
ing philosophy," and pride themselves on preaching
nothing but “ Jesus Christ and him crucified.” It
is unbefitting the pulpit, they think, to talk of the
creatures which God has made. They forget that
the Savior taught his disciples the duty of loving
their enemies, by setting forth to them the example
of their Father in heaven, who manifests his love
to his enemies by causing the sun to rise on the
evil and on the good, and sending rain upon the just
and the unjust. They forget that he taught them
the universality of God's care and watchfulness by
instancing the falling of sparrows to the ground, and
the numbering of the hairs of their head. They
forget that God's kindness toward the rebellious
Jews is shown forth by the figure of a hen gather-
ing her chickens under her wings., The Psalmist,


52
THE WISDOM OF GOD
too, could talk of the “cattle, the wild-goats, the
conies, the wild-asses, the stork, the lion, the levia-
than, and creeping things innumerable ;” and by the
wonders exhibited in them, impress the mind with
the wisdom of their Creator. Surely we may follow
in his footsteps, and study, that our minds, too, may
be led “through nature, up to nature's God.”.'
To proceed, then, with the object before us, let
us select an example from the inanimate works of
God, and inquire whether those characteristics,
which we have supposed essential to wisdom, are
exhibited therein. And I know not that any object
is better suited to our purpose than the earth, on
which we live. That there was an end in view in
creating the earth, will be readily allowed. The
fact that it is made the habitation of men and ani-
inals, is sufficient proof that it was designed for that
purpose. That this design is a good one, will ne-
cessarily follow, if we admit the creation of man
a good work. This last point we shall assume for
the present, and attend to an examination of it in
another part of this discourse. Here, then, we.
have two of the three great characteristics of wis-
dom, and it only remains for us to inquire whether
'or not the means be adapted to the designed end.
Is the earth fitted to be the habitation of man and
animals? Should this question be answered in the
affirmative, we shall be able to pronounce this work
of God a wise one. To satisfy ourselves of the
perfect adaptation of means to ends in this depart-
ment of God's works, we have but to become ac-
quainted with existing facts, and to perceive their
bearing on our subject.
For example : the earth, as every school-boy
knows, has two great motions given to it; the one a
daily motion on its axis, the other an annual one


1 MANIFESTED IN HIS WORKS.
: 53
around the sun. Neither of these motions could be
dispensed with, other things remaining the same,
without rendering the earth uninhabitable. Suppose
its diurnal revolution should cease, what would be
the consequences ? Evidently, that portion of the
earth which would then be turned toward the sun,
would receive the sun's rays continually, until it
would become parched and barren as Afric's burn-
ing sands ; while the opposite portion, turned con-
tinually from the sun, would be entirely deprived
of its heat, and would ultimately become more bar-
ren than Lapland's frozen shores. In such a tem-
perature as would then exist on both sides of the
earth, vegetation must cease, consequently animal
life must cease also.
But again ; suppose its revolution about the sun
to cease, the changes of the seasons must likewise
cease. One portion of the globe would have con-
tinual summer, while another would have continual
winter. The heat of summer and cold of winter
would constantly increase till both would become
insupportable, and the earth again from this cause
become a desert, waste. But neither of these mo-
tions is wanting. Now this question presses itself.
upon our attention : how does it happen that these
two motions, so very essential to make the earth a
fit residence for man, are given to it? And it is a
question that can be satisfactorily answered in no
way but by admitting that the earth was designed
for, and fitted to be a residence for man, by that
God, who “in wisdom has made all his works."
But it is not in these motions alone that the wis-
dom of God is seen. In the velocity given to the
earth, taken in connexion with the quantity of matter
in the sun, there is a striking adaptation of means
to ends. Were that quantity of matter increased, or
5*


54 .. THE WISDOM OF GOD ;
the velocity of the earth diminished, thereby dimin-
ishing its centrifugal force, the existing equilibrium
between the sun's attractive power and the earth's
receding tendency would be destroyed, and the con-
sequence would be, the earth would rush to the sun
and be dashed in pieces by it. On the other hand,
were the attractive power of the sun lessened, or the
centrifugal tendency of the earth increased, the con-
trary effect would be produced. The earth would be
dragged from its orbit and wrecked amid the worlds
that revolve in the regions of space. Here then is
again seen the wisdom of God in giving the earth
just that momemtum which balances the sun's 'at-
traction, and causes it to move on, age after age, in
its accustomed orbit.
Another illustration of the adaptation of means to
ends, is seen in the nature of the air we breathe. It
is very well known that the air is not a simple sub-
stance, but is principally a mixture of two simple
substances. These substances, though in some re-
spects alike, in others are very different. One of
them, which we will now call vital air, is the sup-
porter of combustion in inflammable bodies, and of
respiration in men and animals. Had we an atmo-
sphere of this kind of air pure, the consequences
would be most disastrous both 'to men and animals,
and even to the earth itself. Every living creature
would soon be thrown into a raging fever, which
would speedily terminate its life. Bodies would
burn in it, that can now hardly be made to burn. The
mainspring of your watch would not only burn
readily, but it would throw off scintillations as rap-
idly and brilliantly as the hottest iron from the smith's
forge. Instead of the oil in your lamps, the very
sockets of those lamps would burn. Instead of the
coal in your grates, the grates themselves would


MANIFESTED IN HIS WORKS.
be on fire. Instead of the lavà simply pouring
from the crater of the burning mountain, the very
base of that mountain would be in flames, and the
whole earth would be one vast scene of combustion..
Had we an atmosphere of the other kind of air,
pure, the effect would be equally disastrous, though
entirely the reverse of the foregoing. Instead of
breathing too freely, no animal or man could breathe
at all. Death would result from it as instantane-
ously as from decapitation. Instead of burning too
rapidly, no substance could be made to burn at all.
Even powder would cease to be a combustible, and
every burning body would be as suddenly extin-
guished as if plunged beneath a flood of waters.
Now why have we not an atmosphere of the one or
the other of these gases pure? For the plain rea-
son, that such an atinosphere would be wholly un-
suited to the wants of God's creatures.
Another example of the wise arrangements of
God, is found in the reciprocal action of the atmo-
sphere and growing vegetables upon each other.
Every instance of combustion or respiration forms in
the atmosphere a gas, termed carbonic acid gas,
which is quite as destructive as the air before al-
luded to, even when considerably diluted with com-
mon air. When we consider therefore the great
number of animals which are constantly breath-
ing the atmosphere and therefore constantly throwing
off from their lungs this destructive gas, and also
the vast amount of combustion continually taking
place, which is likewise producing the same gas,
we shall readily perceive that, unless some means
were in operation to purify the air again, it would
ultimately become wholly unfit either for respiration
or combustion. But happily, means are in operation
for counteracting such effects. Growing plants and


56
THE WISDOM OF GOD
vegetables absorb this gas, decompose it, and give
off the vital portion again into the atmosphere, thus
restoring it to its original purity. Thus has God
wisely put in operation those laws, which keep in
repair, if I may so speak, the machinery of the uni-
vèrse. To whatever quarter we turn our eyes, we
behold the same adaptation of means to ends. No
lack, no oversight exists in any of his works. And
the same wise arrangements which we have seen
to exist in connexion with the earth, exist also in
connexion with the other planets of the solar sys-
tems; and, if analogical reasoning may be trusted,
in connexion with all the heavenly bodies that re-
velve in infinite space. · Well might the Psalmist
exclaim in view of these facts, “ The heavens declare
the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his
handywork.”
But we pass to consider the circumstances of the
lower orders of animals, and to inquire if the same
characteristics of wisdom may be found in this
department of God's works. I trust, I need not labor
here to show that in creating animals there was an
end in view, or that that end was a good one. Giv-
ing them an existence, however short it may be, will
be allowed to be a benevolent work, if that existence
be a happy one. Now their existence will be happy
or miserable, according as there is a fitness or un-
fitness in the powers given them to the situations in
which they are placed. It is only necessary for
us here then, to examine some of the various powers
given unto animals, and notice their adaptation to
their wants and modes of living. If we find that per-
fect adaptation here of means to ends that we have
discovered elsewhere, we shall be constrained to
acknowledge that God in wisdom has made this
portion of his work.


MANIFESTED IN HIS WORKS.
57
Let me instance the camel, an animal very useful
in traversing the deserts of Africa and Asia. Few
animals can live in those regions, because few can
endure the thirst and fatigue, consequent upon trav-
elling from one water-fountain to another. Let the
horse, that animal of which we are so justly proud,
be transported thither, and one hour of labor upon
the burning sands, beneath a tropical sun, would ex-
haust his vigor and perhaps destroy his life. Such
would be the case with the camel too, were he not
particularly fitted by his organization for the hard-
ships of such a land., By means of a false stomach
he can take a supply of water sufficient for several
days, and use it according to his necessities. Thus
does he become himself a moving water-fountain,
ever ready for any emergency. Now here is a most
peculiar organization, one given to no other animal,
and I may add, one needed by no other. It is a
most singular adaptation of organization to the cir-
cumstances of the animal, and clearly exhibits the
wisdom of God in its creation. ,
None the less to our purpose is the construction
of the elephant. Imagine for a moment the large,
unwieldly head of this animal to be attached to the
long, slender neck of the camel. How extremely
inconvenient! How laborious must be its transport-
ation! We cannot bring ourselves to believe that
wisdom would have constructed an animal thus. It
far better comports with our conceptions of wisdom
to see that large head attached at once to the shoul-
ders of the animal, almost without a neck, as we
really find it. But here a difficulty presents itself.
How shall this huge animal, with its large head and
no neck, reach its food upon the surface of the earth ?
A difficulty, by no means trifling, and to remove
which another organ becomes necessary. . Accord-


58
THE WISDOM OF GOD
ingly the elephant is furnished with a long, flexible
trunk, by means of which, his food and drink can be
conveyed to his mouth. . Is it not remarkable that
he is the only animal furnished with such an or-
gan, and at the same time, the only animal that
needs one ?
i Again. The soland goose is another example of
the wise adaptation of means to ends. This fowl is
led by instincts to feed upon fishes and other animals
taken from the bottom of ponds and rivers. This,
however, it could not do were it not particularly fit-
ted' therefor. The hearer will perceive that with
the bill of the common goose, so slippery a créature
as a fish could not be held. But the bill of the 80-
land goose, instead of being smooth, is furnished
with sharp teeth hooking backward toward the
throat, so that its prey when once seized is easily
held fast. In addition to this contrivance, it has long
legs and a long neck to aid in seizing its prey.
Thus Deity has not only given it an instinct leading
it to a certain mode of life, but he has fitted it with
Suffer me to name one more example, and I will
leave this part of my subject. There is a small bird
well-known to every sportsman, that lives upon
worms and insects, taken from decayed wood and
under the bark of trees. To reach its prey a hole,
must be perforated with its bill through the bark and
into the wood. Instead therefore of having a hook-
ed bill like the eagle, it has one far better adapted
to its use ; à straight sharp-pointed one, . With this
it can make its perforation and seize its prey. But
here a question arises. When the prey is seized in
the extremity of the bill, how is it to be conveyed to
the mouth. To meet this difficulty the tongue is
peculiarly constructed. It is not only long, but the


MANIFESTED IN HIS WORKS,
59
;
end of it is a hard bony substance, very sharp, and
barbed like an arrow. This is thrust through the
prey which is held by the barbs, and thus convey-
ed to the mouth. Now what could be more admi- !
rable than this adaptation of means to ends? What
can be more illustrative of the truth of the text.
Nor are these solitary cases of the manifestation
of wisdom. We find the same wonderful adaptation
of means to ends throughout the animal kingdom.
Every creature is fitted to its circumstances, and
every organ adapted to its use. We never find the
fish clothed in feathers, nor the eagle furnished with
fins ; but :-
"All in exact proportion to the state;
Nothing to add, and nothing to abate."
The question here perhaps may arise, how are
we to be satisfied that God in wisdom has made all
his works, since we can examine but a small part of
them? I answer; we may rely on the text as proof
of this; or we may deduce the general truth from
* an examination of individual examples. Suppose it
were proposed to prove that pears grow upon trees,
how should we proceed? We should examine some
hundreds or thousands of cases, and if in every in-
stance they were found to grow upon trees, we
should be safe in deducing therefrom the general
truth that they always grow upon trees. But if in
one instance they were found growing upon a'vine
like the melon, the rule would be destroyed. The
general truth would be no longer such. Now the
only danger that exists in such cases, consists in
drawing our conclusion from the examination of too
few examples.
So when we have examined a multitude of ex-
amples from the works of God, and find every one


60
THE WISDOM OF GOD
• of them to manifest the three essential characteris-
tics of wisdom in the Creator, it is logical to infer
that all his works are made in wisdom. And the
truth of this inference is rendered certain by the
declaration of the text. We have already examin-
ed cases enough to form the rule, seeing they have
been promiscuously selected, and we are led to the
same conclusion set forth in the text, “In wisdom
hast thou made them all."
But we wish to pursue our examination even far-
ther. Having selected examples from the inanimate
works of God, and from the lower orders of ani-
mals, we come now to the consideration of man..
So far as man's animal nature is concerned, there is
the same adaptation of means to ends as in the
other departments of God's works. He is possessed
of certain wants and appetites, and is abundantly
furnished with powers and organs for the satisfaction
of those wants. Every part of the human frame ex-
hibits the most consummate skill, and is most wonder-
fully adapted to its use. No human artist has ever
been able even to approach thereunto. It is true, man
may construct optical instruments which can con-
vert a drop of water into a world teeming with or-
ganic life, and bring those revolving globes from the
remotest regions of space, down to the ken of hu-
man vision; but God alone can make an eye. Man
may construct musical instruments rich in tone and
varied in harmony ; but God alone can make the
human voice. Man may construct locomotives pos-
sessing astonishing power and almost annihilating
space ; but God alone can make the living, moving
man.
So in whatever particular we make the compari-
son, the organization which God has given us, as


MANIFESTED IN HIS. WORKS.
61
.
far transcends aught that man's wisdom can devise, -
as the heavens are higher than the earth.
But man has a moral nature also, and we must
pass to inquire whether the same characteristics of
wisdom are discoverable here. We learn from
Scripture that man's end is not here upon the earth,
consequently the ultimate design of God in creating
him is not here seen. That he had a design, and
that that design was a good one, is now very gene-
rally believed by all classes of religionists; and I
am happy that I shall not be under the necessity at
this time of laboring to prove that God in creating
man did design him for happiness. It only remains,
therefore, for us to inquire whether the means are
adapted to the designed end. The public mind
seems to be somewhat confused on this point, and I
am aware there may be a difference of opinion here,
though I see not how such difference can be main-
tained. That we may approach this part of the sub-
ject understandingly, let us briefly state the common
view of man's situation. It is said that although
God designed man for happiness, he made him a
free agent, capable of choosing good and refusing
evil ; and that through the exercise of this agency
some will arrive at last to the haven of rest, and
others go down to the regions of everlasting night.
Thus it is distinctly said that although God designed
man for happiness, he has not so adapted means to
ends as to accomplish that design. Is this a wise
work! Can it be, so long as it is wanting in the
third great characteristic of wisdom.
We have found our principles of judging to hold
good in every example tried by them thus far, wheth-
er it be selected from the inanimate world or from
the lower orders of animals. Shall we now, in com-
ing to the most important of all God's works, aban-
. 6


MANIFESTED İN HIS WORKS.
63
.
the powers given to man, free agency not excepted,
are subservient to the end God had in view in creat-
ing him. If therefore he has made man a free agent,
he is abundantly able to control that agency. A
stream cannot rise higher than the fountain, nor can
à creature overturn the designs of the Creator.
Well, says the hearer, the speaker's' conclusions
certainly seem reasonable, and his principles of
judging appear to be sound. But I would like to
inquire, do the Scriptures teach that in creating man
God had a design, and that that design was a good
one, and sure of accomplishment ? In answer to
this inquiry I am happy to be able to adduce the
language of inspired men. First, was there a design
in creating all things ? - Says Paul to the Ephesians,
(iii. 9, 10.) “Who created all things by Jesus Christ,
to the intent that now unto the principalities and
powers in heavenly places, might be known by the
church the manifold wisdom of God.". Thus it is
seen there was an “ intent," and that intent was
to show forth the very wisdom of which we
speak. Again'; the Revelator exclaims (iv. 11),
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and
honor, and power; for thou hast created all things,
and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Paul to the Colossians (i: 16) speaks to the same
effect: “ For by him were all things created that
are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and in-
visible invisible things are included], whether they
be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or pow-
ers; all things were created by him and for him.” -
These scriptures not only declare that there was a
design, but they go farther and show what that de-
sign was ; thus establishing our second principle of
judging. “For him"-" for God's pleasure, they
were created.". To know the character of this de-


THE WISDOM OF GOD
sign in full, it will be necessary to inquire what the
pleasure of God is touching the salvation of man.
The prophet Ezekiel can give us some light on this
point (xxxiii. 11): * As I live, saith the Lord God,
I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but
that the wicked turn from his way and live.”. Thus
the pleasure of the Lord is in the life, not in the
death of the wicked; or, in other words, in their
happiness, not in their misery.' So Paul informs
Timothy (1 Tim. ii. 4), that God "will have all men
to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the
truth.” Interpret this scripture as you will, it can-
not be made to mean less than that it is God's de.
sire that all should be saved. Thus it for ever set-
tles the question of his pleasure on this point.
It only remains, therefore, for us to consider the
Scripture teachings on our third principle of judg.
ing, which is comprised in the certainty of the ac-
complishment of his pleasure. By the mouth of
the prophet Isaiah (xlyi. 10), God says, “ I am God,
and there is none like me, declaring the end from
the beginning, and from ancient times the things not
yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will
do all my pleasure.". To the same purpose is
Paul's declaration to the Ephesians (i. 11), that
God “ worketh all things after the counsel of his
own will.” Thus do the teachings of Scripture
coincide with the deductions of reason. . And
though it be not given us to “know the times and
the seasons which God hath put, in his own power,"
it is given us to enjoy the holy consolation of be-
lieving that God “in wisdom has made all his
works.” .
side
One or two remarks on the practical bearings of
this subject, and I close. In the first place, the
truth of the text is calculated to beget in our hearts


- MANIFESTED IN HIS WORKS.
65
confidence toward God. We learn to look upon all
his dealings and providences as wise and good.
We submit cheerfully to his will, knowing that he
“ doeth all things well.” So that, though we may
be called to mourn the loss of friends, though we
ourselves may be prostrated upon the bed of sick-
ness and of death, it matters not. God “in wisdom
has made all his works,” and if it has pleased him
thus to “subject us to vanity,” shall we not trust
him that he will ultimately “deliver us from the
bondage of corruption unto the -glorious liberty of
the children of God ?" May we not believe that
s our light-affliction, which is but for a moment,
worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory?" Such is surely the Christian's
privilege, and such is the view of God's provi-
dencés our subject naturally leads us to entertain.
: I remark in the second place, that our subject not
only teaches us to submit confidingly to the provi-
dences of God, but also to obey implicitly his com-
mands. Man is by nature a religious being. The
moral law is woven into his very constitution. To
be happy, he must obey that law. To love is heav-
en, and to hate is hell. The written law is little else
than a revelation of this law of our natures, and
when we obey the one, we obey the other, and are
happy. Now should we destroy the Bible, should
we prove Christianity false, and should the whole
world turn infidel, our duties, in the main, would
still be the same they now are. We could not
change our constitution, or eradicate from our na-
tures those laws that demand obedience. There
might no longer be a written law commanding us to
be temperate, but the same law would rule in our
natures, that now ensures health to temperance, and
misery and death to intemperance. There might
to 6*


66
THE WISDOM OF GOD, ETC.
.
no longer be, as it were, an audible voice, bidding
us to “ love the Lord our God, with all our souls,
and our neighbor as ourselves,” but it would still be
true that the exercise of love would give us a holy
delight, and create a pure and heavenly joy in the
soul. Thus, would our happiness then as now lie
in obeying the commands of God.
My brethren, let' it be our meat and our drink to
do the will of our Father in heaven, and faithfully
to discharge all those duties he in his wisdom has
made to devolve upon us. AMEN.


BROTHERLY Love.
.
She
SERMON III.
BROTHERLY LOVE.
. " BY REV. ASHER MOORE.
" " Let brotherly love continue.”—HEB. xiii. 1.
:
Various and contradictory systems of doctrine
and of ethics have been conceived by the human
mind; and in every instance the system brought
forth has borne evident marks of its true parentage.
Although the framers of the different modes of faith
that have obtained credence among men, have been
prompted by the workings of the same natural re-
ligious feelings, their 'several productions have in-
variably partaken of their own peculiar characters.
No feelings of our nature are so strong and un-
yielding as those which constitute , us religious be-
ings-none so powerfully influence the thoughts
and actions of the whole man. - The haughty, self-
righteous, and narrow-minded theorist never devised
a system of impartial doctrine, that placed all men
upon a level with' himself, and contemplated the
human race as heirs of a common inheritance.
His selfishness and pride are blended with all his
thoughts and feelings; and must give a distinctive
character to the whole system of his religious be-
lief. The influences which actuate all the opera-
tions of his mind, cannot be separated from the
products of his labor ; and the fruits brought forth
will attest the nature and qualities of the tree.


68
BROTHERLY LOVE.
tam"
And whatever may be the pretensions of men sus.
taining this character and indulging these feelings,
with them, .
.'
"Hell is built on spite, and heaven on pride."
A single glance at the diversified systems of doc-
trine to which human ingenuity has given birth, will
sufficiently establish the truth of these statements.
The Jewish people, after they had forsaken the
good old way of their fathers, imbibed the errors
and superstitions of the heathen, and invented new
doctrines, to please their own fancy, and conform to .
their cherished prejudices. And in the doctrines
which they devised, their own feelings and charac-
ter were as strikingly delineated, as they were ex-
'emplified in practical life. Did they possess exclu-
sive feelings and a self-righteous spirit?. Their
religion taught them that they should eternally enjoy
'the favors of Heaven, to the utter exclusion of all
others. Did they view the Gentiles as a mass of
living pollution, utterly unfit for their holy com-
munion? They held that, in the world to come,
the whole horde of the Gentiles would be made fuel
for an unceasing fire !
The church of Rome, when it apostatized from
the simplicity of Christian truth, and began to-form
new doctrines and establish its own peculiar insti.
tutions, moulded all the novel'inventions by the pride
and selfish corruption which characterized its un-
godly priesthood. Did they, in possession of civil
power and worldly honors, esteem themselves infi-
nitely exalted above the rest of mankind ? The
same haughty and exclusive spirit was blended
with all their religious faith, and even carried be-
yond the peaceful grave! In the world of spirits
they pictured to their contracted minds a little


BROTHERLY LOVE,
1
.
edgment that those proclaimed and established by
the Son of God are infinitely 'superior to all ? His
mild spirit and benevolent character run through all
his doctrine, and give a superlative excellency to all
his moral teachings.' Other doctrines and morals
have been built upon fear and pride, and policy—the
foundation of his is love. As the representative of
that great and good Being whose name and nature
is love-as the Messenger of Peace and the bearer
of good tidings to the world, he had no revelations to
make, and no instructions to impart, but such as
originate, and operate, and terminate in LOVE. He
came to commend the love of God -to the world;
and the great commandments of his moral code,
upon which hang all his preceptive teachings, re-
quire us to love our Maker supremely and our fel-
low-beings as ourselves.
It was therefore proper that the apostle should
use the language of our text, in addressing those
who had embraced the doctrine and imbibed the
amiable spirit of Christ. 6 Let brotherly love con-
tinue.” Remain steadfast in the excellent 'spirit
wherein you stand, ever cherishing for each other,
the same benevolent, regard that the Master bears
toward you. Suffer no root of bitterness to spring
up in your midst, and alienate your kind affection
from one another-and while you profess to follow
a common Savior and to be guided by his heavenly
religion, let your love bę mutual and constant.
Nor are the disciples of Christ required merely to
love one another. Their affections, like their faith,
must embrace the whole world. And whatever may
be their peculiar attachments for kinsmen according
to the flesh and those of the same household of
faith, they are bound to do good unto all men as
they have opportunity. Nothing short of universal


BROTHERLY LOVE.
So far, therefore, as the spirit of love reigns in
the heart, man becomes assimilated to the divine
nature, and renders acceptable obedience to the
high commands of Heaven. And by the duty of
loving all men, we understand that we should culti-
vate and cherish feelings of good-will toward all ;
and instead of attempting to wrong or injure any
one, constantly labor for the well-being of all within
the sphere of our influence. Jesus is our great ex-
ampler ; and the pure spirit of kindness that ap-
peared in his life and tempered his whole conduct,
should be allowed to exert its benign power upon
our hearts, and characterize all the actions of our
lives.
· And in view of these considerations, we shall
now proceed to offer a few brief reasons for the per-
formance of the Christian duty inculcated in our text.
1. The fact that we are all members of one fami-
ly, children of the same Father, and linked together
by the sacred ties of a common brotherhood, furnish-
es a powerful reason why “brotherly love" should
be exercised and continued between man and his fel-
lows. In rehearsing the history of Israel, Stephen
represents Moses as saying to two Hebrews who
were at enmity and disposed to injure each other,
“ Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one another?”
The simple fact that they were united by the bonds
of brotherhood, was deemed sufficient to justify the
rebuke for their mutual strife and hostility. And
when an unhappy contention arose between the
herdmen of Abraham and those of Lot, the former
thus addressed the latter, “Let there be no strife, I
pray thee, between me and thee, and between my
herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren."
Here was a sufficient reason for a speedy and ami.
cable settlement of a dispute which threatened the


BROTHERLY LOVE.
75
most dangerous results. And in all the controver-
sies that arise in the world, and array man in hostility
against his fellow, the same reason calls for meas-
ures of peaceful adjustment.
So far as the ties of brotherhood extend, the ques-
tion may properly be applied, “Why do ye wrong
one another ?" And as our Savior declared to a
mixed assembly consisting of his disciples, his ene-
mies and others, “ One is your Master, even Christ,
and all yè are brethren,” we inſer that our obligations
to refrain from evil and do good, extend to all hu-
man kind. The law of retaliation is utterly con-
demned in every case by the benevolent spirit of
Christianity ; and no provocation whatever can jus-
tify the return of evil for evil. Our own rights may
be defended, and our persons guarded against the
attacks of malevolence; but no conceivable cir-
cumstances can render it lawful for man to wrong
or injure his brother. In vain do we plead that we
have been wronged-two wrongs never make one
right. The true rule of our conduct—the proper
standard of our morals is not found in the conduct
of others, but in the righteousness of God and his
Son. We may overcome evil-duty demands it-
but the work must be effected by the power of
goodness.
In reproving the perfidy and wickedness of the
Israelites, the prophet reminds them of their com-
mon relation to “ the Father of spirits," and thence
shows the unreasonableness and injustice of their
disregard and hatred of each other." Have we not
all one Father ? hath not one God created us? Why
do we deal treacherously every man against his
brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers ?"
It is a violation of the most sacred bonds of union-
it is unnatural and wicked to deal treacherously with


76
BROTHERLY LOVE.
those who are members of the same family, and
children of a common Parent! And to all belonging
to the same fraternity with ourselves, and sharing
the parental relations of the same great Being, we
are solemnly obligated to maintain affectionate re-
gard, and “ let brotherly love continue.”
But according to that doctrine which holds that but
a portion of mankind are the children of God and
the purchase of his Son, how can it be consistently
maintained that our “ brotherly love” should extend
to those who do not belong to the family of which
we are members, and who are not, therefore, our
brethren ?. We might regard them with favor and
compassion as we sometimes do the beasts of the
field ; but our“ brotherly love" cannot extend beyond
the brotherhood in which we stand. And whatever
professions may be made, fraternal obligations cannot
be realized, and discharged any farther than the mind
feels and acknowledges the extent of brotherhood.
Think ye, that the friends of royalty, in the early
struggles of this country for Independence, cherish-
ed any sympathetic feelings for our noble and ven-
erated sires, who pledged to each other" their lives,
their fortunes, and their sacred honor," for the main-
tenance of common rights, and the interests of a
great Republic ? No! They only lacked the op-
portunity to betray the land of their birth into the
hands of invading foes! They realized no fellow-
feeling for the chivalrous patriarchs of American
liberty. They belonged to another fraternity; and
their sympathies as citizens were all confined to the
enemies and oppressors of their country.
And think ye that a man can really believe that
but a part of our race are the children of God, and
yet feel kindly affectioned toward all men with
brotherly love ? As well might you suppose that


78
BROTHERLY LOVE.
filled the law ....... Love worketh no ill to his
neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."
And in directing how the spirit of Christianity
should be exemplified, he says, “ If thine enemy
hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink."
Overcome his enmity by the subduing power of
kindness ; and thus by a single effort obtain a double
advantage, in destroying an enemy and in gaining
a friend,
0! what peace, and harmony, and happiness,
would bless our dwellings, sanctify all our social re-
lations, and exalt us to honor and dignity, were the
divine command to love one another realized in its
great importance, and faithfully practised in our daily
conduct! The harsh noise of discord would soon
die away upon the distant wind-the violence of
angry passions would be hushed into stillness and
the party strifes and jealousies that sever the bonds
of union, and alienate the affections of man from
his brother, would soon be absorbed in one generous
and all-pervading philanthropy!
3. In the exercise of the momentous duty under
consideration, we evince our love to God. “If
[says the apostle a man say, I love God, and hateth
his brother, he is a liar : for he that loveth not his
brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God
whom he hath not seen ?" All our devotional acts
and protestations of love to the Deity, are hollow
and hypocritical, while we harbor rancorous and
malicious feelings toward our neighbor! The im.
age of God is in his children if we love not the
image, our affections are removed from the original,
And how odious in the sight of Heaven must be the
character of that man who bows with affected so-
lemnity before the public altar, to pay his vows unto
the Most High, and straightway circumvents one


BROTHERLY LOVE.
79
neighbor, and vents his malice and fury upon anoth-
er! Of what avail are loud pretensions to godli-
ness, and repeated expressions of brotherly love
for the world, while the denion of hatred reigns
ascendant in the heart, and the dagger of death is
concealed under our garinents! Brotherly love is
the test of Christian discipleship, and the only sure
evidence that we love God. In destitution of this
shining excellency, our loudest professions of piety
are as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal!
The deity himself can neither be profited nor in-
jured by us ; but he requires us to serve him by do-
ing good to one another. He has made man his
receiver. And in reference to God, we may well
adopt the language of the Book of Job; “ If thou
sinnest, what doest thou against him ? or if thy
transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto
him ? If thou be righteous, what givest thou him?
or what receiveth he of thy hand ? Thy wicked,
ness may hurt a man as thou art ; and thy righteous-
ness may profit the son of man.” God is too highly
exalted to be affected by the doings of feeble mor-
tals ; and he requires us to obey his commandments,
that we ourselves and our fellow-beings may thus
be advantaged. “For all the law is fulfilled in one
word, even in this ; thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself.” But,
4, and lastly. Still another reason for obeying
the exhortation of the text, is found in the fact that
our own happiness, as well as that of our fellows,
greatly depends upon the possession and exercise of
“ brotherly love." We are not only allowed, but
duty requires that we should seek enjoyment. Man
is naturally a social being; and the happiness of
which we are susceptible can never be attained in
solitude. And the purest and highest felicity which


80
BROTHERLY LOVE.
we are capable of enjoying is the result of brotherly
affection. So far as this feeling is cultivated, in the
same ratio, is man blessed with the richest happi-
ness of social life.
The household where love dwells is the abode of
blessedness. Jealousies and strifes are there ex-
cluded ; and peace with its attendant joys, reigns
triumphant. The same harmony and peace proceed
from the cultivation of fraternal affections in the social
circle ; and wherever real brotherly love is gener-
ously reciprocated, the same happy fruits must al-
ways appear.
Aside, therefore, from every consideration of duty,
our policy is bad when we seek for happiness in
selfish exclusiveness, or hatred of neighbors and
fellow-beings. Our happiness or misery is connected
with that of our kindred flesh; and in the promotion
of another's welfare, we ourselves must participate
in the enjoyment.
" Look round our world; behold the chain of love
Combining all below, and all above.
See plastic nature working to this end;
The single atoms each to other tend,
Attract, attracted to, the next in place
Formed and impelled its neighbor to embrace.
See matter next, with various life endued,
Press to one centre still, the general good.”
As children of one Father and members of a com-
mon family, our affections should therefore be re-
ciprocal, and our interest mutual. The religion of
our Savior aims to strengthen the bonds of union
between man and man—to level every factitious
distinction in society and to promote peace and
universal good will on earth. And though Christi-
anity has been perverted by narrow-minded bigots
and intolerant zealots, its power to improve the


BROTHERLY LOVE,
morals and promote the happiness of man, yet re-
mains undiminished. It imposes no onerous duty,
but invites us to be happy, It asks no service at
our hands, save that in which our greatest interests
are deeply involved. And God is well pleased with
our labors when we pursue that course of conduct
which secures to us the blessings of peace, and the
enjoyment of good days. Instead of fleeing the path
of Christian duty, we should therefore thank God
that it has been opened to our view, and run with
cheerfulness and rejoicing the race that is set be-
fore us.
Let us, then, my brethren and friends, cultivate
the spirit and temper of our divine Master. Let us
make each other's joys and sorrows our own, in
rejoicing with the prosperous and happy, and in
sympathizing with the afflicted and distressed. Let
our lives be conformed to the standard of our faith ;
and while we realize the sacred ties of universal
brotherhood, toward all men, “ let brotherly love con-
tinue." AMEN.


MAN AN ACTIVE BEING.
SERMON IV.
MAN AN ACTIVE BEING.
BY REV. H. BALLOU, 2D.
" And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden
of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”—Gen. ii. 15.
—That was the purpose for which man was plac-
ed there : as our text expresses it, to dress the garden
and to keep it. That was the business assigned
him. “ And the Lord God took the man, and put him.
into the garden of Eden, to dress it and to keep it."
You are aware that there has been no little dis-
pute among Christians, whether the account of the
garden of Eden, which we have here, in the be-
ginning of Genesis, is a literal narrative, or merely
symbolical representation ; whether there really was
such a place as is here described, with such trees,
such fruits, &c., or whether the whole is an allego-
rical picture, as it were, designed to represent in a
general way the primitive state of man. I wish it
to be understood, that it is not our intention to enter,
at all, into this question ; for it is immaterial to the
object we now have in view, which way we decide it.
Decide it either way, let it be observed that Adam
had a regular business, an allotted task, to attend to.
That is the only idea we shall insist on.
If we understand the narrative literally, then, ac-
cording to our text, Adam was to take charge of the
garden of Eden, as we would take charge of a gar-


MAN AN ACTIVE BEING.
83
den at the present day. He was to dig it, to prune
it, to do everything necessary to keep it in good
order. And that must have been no small task. If,
on the other hand, we regard the account as figura-
tive, and the garden as denoting man's original state,
then the passage must mean, that Adam was to have
a similar responsibility in the care and improvement
of that state. He was to discipline his mind, to
cultivate its powers, to govern his passions, to
superintend the interests of his moral and intellec-
tual natnre. At all events, one thing is clear; he
had something to do and not a little, neither.
Whether it were physical, or mental labor, or both,
the charge, with which he was put in commission,
was enough to occupy his time, and task his powers.
Let it, now, be distinctly remarked, that all this
took place immediately after Adam was formed of
the dust of the ground, as you may see by the con-
text, and before he had partaken of the forbidden
fruit. The very first thing we hear of him, after
God breathed into him the breath of life, is, what is
stated in the text, that “the Lord God took the man,
and put him into the garden of Eden, to dress it and
to keep it.” It was while he was yet innocent; it
was before sin had entered into the world. Let this
important circumstance be remembered; we shall
have some use for it, in the sequel.
Having stated these preliminaries, we are now
ready to lay down our general proposition, or doc-
trine, which you will all see, at once, is founded in
the text, viz: That man was originally designed,
originally made for an active, laborious creature.
It was not the original design, that man should pass
through this world without much care, and toil, and
hardship. He was not made for indolent ease, pas-
sive enjoyment. That is not consistent with his na-


84
MAN AN ACTIVE BEING.
.
ture. He was made for exertion. Sin, or not sin,
he must work. The very fact, that he was created
with active powers, shows what he was intended
for-for activity. When you meet with a creature
manifestly constructed for the water, though you find
it on deserts of sand, a thousand miles from the
ocean, you know, by its fins, its gills, and other pe-
culiarities, that it is an aquatic animal, and that wa-
ter is its native and indispensable element. Or, if
you find a creature evidently constituted and formed
for the air, you know it must live in the air, or no-
where. And if God has constituted us with powers
and capacities adapted to care, toil, and hardship,
we know that these form our indispensable element.
We can no more enjoy life, out of them, than the
fish out of water, or the bird out of the air. True,
in all these cases, life may indeed be supported,
a little while ; but it will soon become a painful
struggle and end in death.
I am aware, my friends, that all this is so mani-
fest, so evident of itself, that it seems hardly neces-
sary to mention it thus particularly. And yet, we
must remind you, that this very idea, self-evident as
it is, has been overlooked in the old systems of di-
vinity. It is a favorite hypothesis with many, that
none of the care and labor, to which we are here
subjected, belonged to the state of innocence, or
was embraced in the original design of our being,
but that they come upon us as a punishment for sin,
either our own, or Adam's. How does this notion
agree with the import of our text ? The common
belief is, that, were it not for Adam's fall, which, it
is said, deranged the whole constitution of things,
we should have escaped all the burdens of life. It is
certainly remarkable what fantastic ideas people
form to themselves, of the original condition of man.


MAN AN ACTIVE BEING.
.
85
They imagine it to have been like a long, uninter-
rupted holyday; and in that peculiarity they place
the chief of its excellence, so far as outward cir-
cumstances are concerned. No trouble, no anxiety,
no toil, was known. Young Spring reigned the
whole year around ; the winds never mustered their
strength; the air never grew inclement; but soft
zephyrs laden with perfume, breathed along, exactly
attempered to the senses. Above and below, was
one perpetual smile. Earth spontaneously bore her
fruits and flowers, unmixed with weeds, and man
had only to put forth his hand and pluck the food
that invited him on every luxuriant bough. His
mind developed itself of its own accord, without
solicitude or strenuous discipline. All that the hap-
py blessed creature had to do, was, to make himself
as quiet as possible. And that is regarded as the
supreme height of felicity! That was Eden!
- Such is the gorgeous, rainbow-colored vision,
that people have conjured up, of the original state
of innocence. My friends, would you now see that
vision all disappear, like the rainbow when the sun
comes out and drives the clouds from the firmament ?.
Bring our text into view; and take notice, that, in
the state of innocence itself, the very first thing the
Creator did with the man he had formed, was, to
give him his task and set him to work. He was
not suffered to lie idle, a single day, he would have
been unhappy-out of his element. And if man
had never sinned, if the same 'state of innocence
had continued down to the present hour, we should
have been obliged to labor with all the faculties
God has given us. What else were they given for?
No doubt, if our fond, languor-loving, sickly, senti-
mental taste had been consulted in the formation of
nature, we might have had a very pretty, delicate,
... 8


MAN AN ACTIVE BEING.
87
genera). Look into any department of life you
please; and what a thronged, crowded, moving,
busy, hurrying scene do we behold! Every class
of people is on the alert. Those of every trade
and occupation are toiling and struggling, from morn
till night, from month to month, from year to year-
the landsmen, the sailors, husbandmen, mechanics,
merchants, professional men, all are alive in their
respective pursuits. As we approached your city,
the other morning, we heard, from afar, the hum and
clatter of industry going up, like distant thunder,
from every quarter. If you listen, now, the tu-
multuous sound invades the silence of this temple.
At this instant, all without these walls is like a vast
,hive, swarming with intense activity. And your
city is but the great world in miniature. The myr-
iads, who cover the whole face of earth and ocean,
are at work, some in one pursuit, some in another,
some in serious business, some in frivolous-but all
are in motion. So effectually has God made man
active and laborious."
A question, of great and far-reaching significance,
arises here. There must be at the bottom of all
this, some moving power, universally felt, some mo-
tive, operating throughout the human race, to keep
them in this incessant activity, what is it? When
you go into a vast establishment of machinery, and
see the thousand wheels, and shafts, and spindles,
flying on every hand, above and below, you know
there is some one propelling power to the whole :
some spring, some weight; or some band, which the
builder provided for the purpose, and which, if you
detach, all will stop.' And now, what is the strong
motive-power, that God has placed in our nature, to
keep the innumerable wheels of human labor at
their task ? Here, we wish to lay down the an-


88
MAN AN ACTIVE BEING.
swer, in the plainest terms possible, that you may
have the opportunity to try its correctness. My
brethren, the motive to exertion in all these cases,
is supplied by immediate wants and circumstances,
by the present necessity of action, by consideration
of consequences that belong exclusively to this state
of being ; and is never, in a single instance, drawn
from any idea of eternal retributions in another
world. Such is the character of the motive that
propels all the machinery of life's toil and struggle.
How shall I illustrate this subject so as to bring out
the naked matter of fact, here? Let me appeal to
yourselves : What is it that drives the ten thousand
husbandmen, scattered from the St. Lawrence to
the gulf of Mexico-what is it that drives them
regularly into their fields, at every rising sun, and
holds them there till nightfall, drudging, their lives
long, till they wear themselves out? What motive?
The motive to obtain a living, a competence, or
wealth ; 'to support in comfort and respectability
those who are dependant on them ;,or, perhaps, love
of the employment; at any rate, something of this
kind. May I just ask, is it not the fear of eternal
damnation that makes the farmer work ? No, never.
My friends, nobody ever thought of so absurd an A
idea. And the same is true of all the other voca-
tions in community. Ye mechanics ! what do you
toil for, in your shops? Or, could I lift my voice
so as to be heard by all the merchants in this city,
and ask, what chains them to their counters, or
sends them through the perilous mazes of specula-
tion, you would hear the same answer returned from
them all, and from every other profession, too :
Immediate rewards, present gratification, present use-
fulness or honor! There, my friends, lies the om-
nipotent force, that moves the ponderous, multifari-


MAN AN ACTIVE BEING.
. 89
ous machinery of the world. And it works well-
is efficient. God, who made our nature, understands
perfectly what motive will best answer to keep it in
action.
Suppose,' now, that in our scherning wisdom, we
should conclude to change this universal motive-
power, and to introduce one of our own contrivance,
in place of that which the Creator provided, and
which has operated so'well for six thousand years.
We will suppose (pardon the absurdity!) that our
Convention has, this day, the power to set aside the
old motives, drawn from present considerations, to
annul them entirely in all the business of the world,
and to substitute a new set, drawn from the doctrine
of eternal retribution. How would this new set
work, in the hard tug of life? I think that would
test them. People seem confident that the motives
presented by an eternal retribution must be infinitely
more effective than those derived from present con-
siderations--they come from so infinitely greater
objects. It would gratify at least an innocent curi-
osity to know how they actually would operate ; how
they would operate, not in theory, but in practice ;
for it is often the case that what looks very imposing
in theory, proves worthless in practice. Let us,
then, try them. We will go to the husbandmen, the
mechanics, to every class, and say, Friends, you have
hitherto been under a prodigious delusion. We will
convince them, thoroughly, that it can make no dif-
ference in any respect, during this life, whether they
ever strike another blow or not; that they will be
just as rich, as healthy, as wise, as respected, in
every sense as happy ; that their farms, their mer-
chandise, their studies, will prosper just as well, if
they never give them another thought. We will
completely paralyze all their natural incentives to
8*


90
YAN AN ACTIVE BEING,
activity; and then, bring the terrors of eternity to
bear upon them, in order to set them again in motion.
Make them believe that their everlasting weal or wo
depends on their striving incessantly, as now, in all
the pursuits of human enterprise. That is the boast-
ed motive ; enforce it upon them. Try to drive on
the business of life, for two or three years, by the
fear of eternal damnation--and how will it work?
My friends, we know how it would work. The
whole system of affairs would stand still, like a set
of machinery when the main band is detached,
True, we might; now and then, get up a partial re-
vival of business, and bring perhaps a sixth part of
the community, in certain towns, into some degree
of action, for eight or ten months; and then all
would be dead again. We might employ a few agi-
tating terrorists, to go through the country, and proa
duce a commotion; but their course would be like
that of a boat through stagnant water-all froth and
foam around, and no trace at a little distance behind,
Nobody would do more than just enough to secure
the eternal prize; there would be no spontaneous,
hearty, life-long struggle in business, as now. So
great is the difference, in actual effect, between the
motives which God has adapted to our nature, and
those which we might substitute. . .
I shall not stop, now, to apply this illustration to
the ulterior object we have, all along, had in view;
for I am confident that you have already anticipated
me, in your own thoughts. We need only say, If
you would move mankind to moral and religious ef-
fort, you must pay some deference to the indications
God has given us, in the very constitution of our
nature, as to the choice of means. Make use of
those motives which our Creator has provided with-
in us, and immediately around us; and you will find


MAN AN ACTIVE BEING.
91
them operate infinitely better, in practice, than any
remoter considerations we can adduce, how power-y
ful soever they may seem 'in theory. The history
of all the moral reforms, that are succeeding to any
noticeable extent; confirms this position. Look at
the great temperance reformation in our country.
Many of you can remember, some twenty years ago,
when the endeavor was, to check intemperance, and
rescue its victims, by appeals to an eternal retribu-
tion hereafter. What good did it do? The pulpits
thundered with the sound of everlasting wo. The
tippler and drunkard were told, and believed, that
an endless hell awaited them. All the force which
this motive could exert was exhausted upon them.
And to what effect? I will not say that it never re-
claimed one ; for, amid the infinite combinations of
temperament, occasion, and circumstance, there is,
perhaps, no means, howsoever trivial or perverse, that
has not, in some individual instances, been attended
with success. But it is well known, that no deliv-
erance was wrought in the earth. Intemperance
still increased. The cry arose, that it was coming
down, like a sea, upon us, and that the ship was on
the point of sinking. Another method was tried :
the appeal was, directed to the present evils and
immediate consequences of the vice; the whole
matter was laid open to'public view, and the natural
mode of cure pointed out ; and then, a change began
to be felt throughout the entire body of society.
The steersmen had, at last, laid their hands upon
the helm, and the ship instantly luffed up into the
wind. That was the helm; they had, before, been
hauling at the air.
But let us return. We shall now take up the
general principle, so fully asserted in the former


92
MAN AN 'ACTIVE BEING.
.
- part of this discourse, and follow it into the depart-
ment of moral and religious duty. In these re-
spects, too, man was made for an active, laborious
creature. In morals and religion, as in all other
concerns, he has much to do, which he cannot'neglect
with impunity ; for here, as otherwhere, activity, toil,
is still his element, and he cannot be happy out of it.
I state this, with the more particularity, because
there are gross misapprehensions of our doctrine on
the point. It is sometimes thought that Universal-
ists hold mankind have little to do, in religion.
They hold, it is said, that our future salvation is all
sure, perfectly secured in God's own counsel; and
that, of course, nothing is left for us, but to be glad,
and to make ourselves just as quiet as possible.
Never was there a greater misrepresentation. True,
· we do believe our Creator intended our existence to
be a blessing to, us, and not an everlasting curse.
And we believe, that, when he brought us into being,
he knew what he was about; that he did not leave
the matter at loose ends, but took care of the result.
To us it seems no mark of piety to suppose that
God created us without knowing or caring what
should be our final destiny. But then, we know,
also, that it is the law, both of his revelation and of
our nature, that we should toil, with all our powers,
in the great field of spiritual exertion ; that we
should labor, not to change God, or his purposes,
nor to alter our final condition, but to change our-
selves, and to improve our own characters. We
must strive in the way of repentance, of reformation.
of experimental and practical piety. We must train
up our affections in love to God and heavenly things,
and conquer that engrossing worldly-mindedness to
which we are so prone. Evil passions and wicked
desires are to be subdued, and the divine spirit of


94
MAN AN ACTIVE BEING.
condition on which you can either enjoy, or prop-
erly know, the truth.'
Perhaps it will be said, the speaker seems to
make out religion a hard, laborious way of life ; we
thought it was an easy, instead of a toilsome service.
Yes, my friends, it is an easy service, when we have
become accustomed to it. And one reason why it
is easy and delightful is, that it is laborious. It
would be at war with our nature, were it not so.
People sometimes appear to think that a pleasant
religion must be one in which there is little to do.
If some scheme could be, devised, that required
nothing at all of us, that prescribed no duties what.
soever, not even the trouble of going to church, that
would be perfection! If you know anything of hu-
man nature, you know that such a religion would be
the most insupportable, ever conceived of. It might
- answer for a day, possibly for a month ; but try it.
for two or three years, and there is not a soul under
heaven that could endure it. Take that little child,
who complain's of his task at school, and who wishes,
in his ignorance, that he were released from every-
thing of the kind. Provide an institution, for him,
completely to his taste, send him where there are no
books, no study, no instruction, where he shall have
nothing to do, but to sit still ; and, at the close of
the first half-day he may, perhaps, come home well
pleased. That is the school for him! But send
him again ; let him try it, a week, 'or a month ;
: and he will beg, as for life, that you will give him
something to do, or send him to any school rather
than to that. It is the imperative demand of na-
ture- within him. We, my brethren, have a reli-
gion of joy unspeakable and full of glory. But, would
you know how to turn it, at once, into a dull, taste-
less, insipid affair, disgusting ever to the most


MAN AN ACTIVE BEING.
95
thoughtless ? Only take away its requirements, so
that it shall exact no effort on our part; or, which
is the same thing, pay no attention to its com-
mands, neglect its duties, throw off its yoke entirely
from our necks; and you will soon find it a dead
carcass, that would nauseate the stoutest spirit under
heaven. People will not, and cannot abide long by
any religion unless it be presented to them in a way
to give scope to their active powers, and call them
forth into exertion.
My brethren, you especially who are engaged in
the ministry, I pray you bear with the freedom of this
address : would you see a society grow and prosper ?
Remember the principle we have now illustrated.
Put every member, you can, of that society, to work
-to work, personally, in the cause of religion. That
is the great secret of success and permanent stability,
Let there be no idleness, in any quarter. There
are the children that need to be gathered into your
Sunday schools ; bring them into the work. There
are your youths and maidens; give them a sphere
of activity as teachers, and as members of other as-
sociations for religious improvement. There are
the older men and women, to be brought under the
responsibilities of a solemn and explicit profession
of their Savior's name. And there is, above all
things, the duty of diffusing, through every class,
the spiritual influences, which shall make the doc-
trine you preach a living power, working in the heart,
and prompting to continual attainments in holiness.
And you, my hearers all, let us not forget these
things, but carry the remembrance away with us.
Let us make a practical reality of our religion. Be
assured, that, to know the depths of its consolations,
and the strength of its support, we must engage in
it, for ourselves. If we do so, we shall find that
our labor in the Lord is not in vain. Amen.


THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION.
SERMON V.
!
THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION.
BY REV. H. BALLOU.
" Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received
mercy, we faint nöt."-2. Cor. iv. 1.
.
As the first word in the text evidently has refer-
ence to the apostle's argument and theme which go
before, we shall duly notice the same, that thereby
we may arrive at a correct understanding of the
ministry mentioned in our text.
Beginning with the fifth verse of the third chap-
ter, and carefully observing the theme of the writer,
we arrive at our object. “ Not that we are sufficient
of ourselves to think anything of ourselves; but our
sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able
ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter,
but of the spirit ; for the letter killeth, but the spirit
giveth life!" Here are several things worthy of
notice.
1. The entire dependance of the gospel minister
on God to render him efficient in his holy calling,
As an abstract proposition, this fact will be admitted
by all, and yet it is to be feared, that the absence of
a realizing sense of its truth, often renders the la.
bors of preachers little better than sounds without
substance.
2. When God makes a minister, he makes an
able one. By their wisdom, ways, and means, men


THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION.
97
may succeed in making ministers; and they may be
such as those who make them will be pleased with,
and even proud of. They may be learned and elo-
quent ; fashionable and fascinating; yet they will
be as vain as are those who make them, and as des-
titute of the true spirit, wisdom, and meekness of
the gospel of life and salvation.
3. We learn from what we have before quoted,
that the apostles were not made ministers of that
which killeth, but of that which giveth life. The
apostle proceeds : “ But if the ministration of death,
written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so
that the children of Israel could not steadfastly be-
hold the face of Moses for the glory of his counte-
nance ; which glory was to be done away, how shall
not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious.
For if the ministration of condemnation be glory,
much more doth the ministration of righteousness
exceed in glory. For even that which is made
glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of
the glory that excelleth. For if that which was done
away was glorious, much more that which remain-
eth is glorious !” Here, again some remarks may
be proper. On what we have here quoted, it seems
reasonable to remark : ..
1. The ministration of which the apostles were
not made ministers, is called a ministration of death
and of condemnation; and the ministration of which
they were made ministers, is called a ministration of
the spirit, and of righteousness. And we may fur-
ther add, that as the ministration of death is so call-
ed because it killeth, the other, because it giveth
life, may be called the ministration of life. And we
may moreover add, thạt as the one ministration is
called the ministration of condemnation, so may the
other be called the ministration of justification.


100
THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION
nation, to the glory of the ministration of life, of
righteousness, of the spirit, and of justification.
: We have now come to our text; and we have
come to it in the way in which the apostle himself
came to it. And in a way too, by which we under-
stand what he means by $THIS MINISTRY.”
".Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we
have received mercy, we faint not.”
The attention of the audience will now be called
to the consideration of the following subjects :,
; 1. The nature and attributes of this ministration
of life:
II. What it communicates and what it effects; and,
III. The reasons why the apostles did not faint,
or were not discouraged in their labors in this min-
istry.
I. As to the nature and attributes of this ministra-
tion, we shall find it a fixed and an abiding law, or
principle, of our moral nature. It is as old as man.
All the account we have of this fixed law, recorded
in the Scriptures, is but a representation or manifest-
ation of what was, before the Scriptures were writ-
ten, as true as it has been since. The fact which
we here state, though obviously true, when duly
considered, seems not to have been generally noti-
ced. In its development, or manifestation, it is suc-
cessive to the ministration of condemnation, that is,
in the mind and understanding of the moral agent. ·
· We come to the knowledge of moral principles, by
experience; but all moral principles are the same,
at all times, the same before we experience or know
them, as afterward. The transgression of any known
duty is, in the nature of things, necessarily followed
with conscious condemnation. This is a ministra-
tion of death. And though this ministration is to be
done away, while the transgressor lies under it, he


102
THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION.
beholding the glory of the Lord, were changed into
the same image. Its transforming power wrought
this change in their hearts, and delivered them from
the power of sin, and the ministration of condemna-
tion, into the liberty of the sons of God.
Before this apostle experienced the change of
which we are speaking, he was under the condem-
nation of the ministration of death. And though
that ministration was done away in Christ, the me-
diator of the new and better covenant, he could not
see to the end of that which was abolished. He
knew not either the nature or the power of that
grace by which sin is taken away. Yet that grâce
or mercy was an eternal, abiding principle, and was
manifested to him by the Lord Jesus, who, by its
divine power, removed the veil which was on his
heart, and appeared to him in the glory of the min.
istration of the spirit, and of life.
..And here it may be well to notice the manner of
communication which characterized this ministra-
tion of Divine mercy. This we shall find perfectly
to agree with the apostle's statement in the chapter
following the one in which our text is recorded.
He describes the character and condition of one, on
whom the transforming power of the ministration of
life had wrought the change of which we have
spoken : “ Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he
is a new creature ; old things are done away; be-
hold, all things are become new.” And then he
adds—“And all things are of God, who hath recon-
ciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given
to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God
was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath
committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now,
I then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God


THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION.
105
which had been gathering strength for ages, pre-
sented an opposing front, which no human wisdom
or human means could successfully encounter. If
we duly consider the mighty power which the
schools always exert in all communities, and more
especially in communities in which the common
people are illiterate, and consider likewise that there
was not one in the world which favored the cause
in which the apostles labored, or did not oppose it,
as far as possible, we shall be fully convinced that
it was not because there were no adversaries to the
gospel, that the apostles were not discouraged.
The same opposition, in kind, existed in the
abominable superstitions of the Gentiles, whose idols,
priests, and altars exerted all their influence, as did
the superstitions of the Jews, against the religion of
Jesus. Add to all this the arm of civil government,
in every place, where the apostles preached, and
we have before us, a strength of opposition, that
would have discouraged any one, not armed with di-
vine power and authority. The sore persecutions
which the messengers. of Jesus suffered, for his
name's sake, fully confirm these suggestions.
Nor was it the expectation of any worldly gain of
wealth or honor, which sustained the courage of
the meek, humble disciples of the divine Master.
Poverty, stripes, bonds, and imprisonments, with dis-
honor, in the eye of the rich and great, and even
death itself, lay in their path. Yet, notwithstand-
ing all this mass of opposition, these heralds of the
cross were not discouraged ; nor did they faint ; for
which the following reasons may be assigned :
1. They were fully persuaded of the truth of
the doctrine which they preached. Their personal,
- knowledge of Jesus, as to his preaching, his miracles,
bis sufferings and death, and his resurrection and


106
THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION.
ascension, left no scruples in their minds. The
gospel which they preached, they learned of Jesus;
its divine testimony he had sealed with his blood,
and God had sanctioned its truth, by raising him
from the dead. As they knew all these facts, they
could entertain no doubts in relation to them. On
this rock of truth they stood confirmed, as on a rock
in the ocean. They could look on their right hand,
pand see the mighty waves of opposition raging, and
on their left, and behold the foaming surge, and all
without the least dismay. Without allowing this
confidence to the apostles, who can'render a reason
for their firmness and perseverance ?. Granting it,
to them, who can wonder that they were not disé
couraged ?
2. They had, themselves, received the mercy,
the forgiveness of their sins, which this ministry, to
which they were appointed, freely bestows. And
they felt themselves indebted to communicate to
others what they had received, accordingly as they
were directed by their master, who said to them,
“ freely ye have received, so freely give.” He had
freely laid down his life for this cause, and they
were willing to lay down theirs. Thus devoted,
they fainted not. Had they not been acquainted,
by their own experience, with the grace of this for-
giving ministry, being destitute of its spirit, they
could not have been willing to labor, at such cost,
to communicate it to their enemies. But as they
were in possession of its spirit and life, their servi-
ces were free, and sweet to themselves.
3. They loved their divine Master, they loved
the truth which he had committed to them, and they
loved the labor to which they were appointed ; and
moreover, they rejoiced that they were accounted
worthy to suffer for his sake. In full possession of


THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION.
107
such love, who can wonder that they were not dis-
couraged ? In room of weakening them, the oppo-
sition they had to encounter, gave them joy and
filled them with a courage which no danger could
intimidate. What power can dishearten love? What
can overcome it? It is stronger than death ; it
overcomes the power of death : and according to
its strength are its triumphs. If we contemplate
the care, the toil and labor, which fathers and moth-
ers encounter and endure for the love they have
for their offspring, we have before us but a faint rep-
resentation of the strength of that love which sus-
tained the Savior and his apostles in the work, in
which they were engaged. In room of wondering
at the perseverance of the apostles, we are rather
surprised at the blindness and enmity of their per-
secutors.
4. The apostles had directly before their eyes,
the bright example of the divine Master; and all
they had to do was to follow it. They therefore
labored, “ looking unto Jesus, who, for the joy which
was set before him, endured the cross, despising the
shame.” There is a power in example which im-
parts a stimulation which is hard to overcome, or
successfully to oppose. These apostles were ac-
quainted with the Scriptures of the prophets; they
had read Isaiah's description of the sufferings of
Jesus, and they had seem him endure them. They
had seen him "despised and rejected of men; a man
of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” They had
seen men hide their faces from him, and they had
done this themselves ; they had seen him “ brought
as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before
her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.”
They had seen the meekness, the humility, the un-
feigned love which characterized the life of their
..


108
THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION.
example. They had seen him weep over his deadly
enemies, and they recorded his dying prayer for
their forgiveness. With such an example before
them, all fresh and alive in their memory, how could
they, when filled with his love, faint or be discour-
aged in his service ?
5. In the discharge of their duties and labors,
the apostles enjoyed the felicity of carrying glad
tidings to the people, wherever they went. This is
a most gratifying and pleasing service Whoever
enjoys this honor esteems it a favor. Even angels
gladly accept such an appointment. The heavenly
messenger who announced the information to Joseph,
that the son who should be born of Mary, should be
the Savior, must have highly esteemed his appoint-
ment; and he also, who proclaimed to the Shep-
herds the birth of Jesus, had the unspeakable satis-
faction of saying, “ Fear not; for, behold, I bring
you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be unto ali
people!" Such an honorable, such a pleasing ap-
pointment did the apostles receive from their divine
Master, who charged them to go into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature. Had the
apostles been compelled, by their appointment, to
publish evil, or bad tidings, their labors would have
been painful. But there was no part of their mes-
sage that was not full of joy and comfort to them-
selves, and to all who heard and believed it.
So elated was the messenger who carried the
glad tidings of the victory gained at the battle of
Marathon, to the city of Athens, that he so over-
came his physical strength, as only to proclaim the
news, and immediately expire! "The delight, the
exquisite pleasure by this messenger enjoyed, as he
ran on that glorious message, can hardly be ima-
gined, much less described. When St. Paul carried


THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION.
109
the blessed tidings of the gospel to his countrymen,
and to the Gentiles, in Antioch, in Pisida, full of
the holy spirit, and elated with joy, he said, “We
declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise
which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled
the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised
up Jesus again. To know a world's redemption, to
know that mercy which forgives sins and transgres-
sions, to know that death is abolished, and life and
immortality are brought to light, to know that in the
fulness of times God will gather together, in Christ,
all things in heaven and, in the earth, and that, as in
Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive, and to be appointed, by divine authority, to
spread abroad the glad tidings of all these glorious
things, was an honor and a felicity which could
well support these heralds of salvation, and suffer
them not to faint, or be discouraged.”
6. Nothing gives stronger support, nothing in-
spires greater confidence, nothing imparts more
cool, undaunted courage in any enterprise, than a
full confidence in certain ultimate success. All this
fell to the lot of the apostles of Jesus. Like their
divine master, they knew what is in man. However
ignorant men may be of themselves, however deter-
mined they may feel to oppose this ministration of
divine life and righteousness, the word of this truth
is nigh them, even in their heart and in their mouth,
the word of faith, which the apostles preached. It.
is, as was stated in the former part of this discourse,
a fixed, an abiding law or principle of our moral na-
ture. Of the existence of this principle in man,
we may, for a season, be ignorant. But God has
provided means to bring us to the knowledge of it,
and to awaken it into activity, and to an exertion of
its mighty energies. If the persecuting Saul had
10


110
THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION.
been told, when on his journey to Damascus, before
he was met by Jesus, that he would soon be a
Christian, and a preacher of the doctrine to which he
was so much opposed, he would have treated such
a declaration with scorn. At that time, he knew
not what was in himself; he did not know that he
was possessed of such a quality of nature, which
could be so wrought upon, as to make him willing
to embrace Christ, and to suffer persecution for his
sake. But all this was true, and Jesus knew it was
true; and “appeared to him, to make him a minis-
ter and a witness” of the gospel of his grace. There
was no uncertainty in the case. Knowing these
things, the apostles were confident that their labors
would not be in vain.
We have often heard preachers, learned, eloquent
preachers, display the power of their improved tal-
ents, by endeavoring to enforce on the minds of their
hearers the terrors of endless condemnation and wo.
They believe, no doubt, the doctrine they preach ;
and are ignorant of the fact, that they are possessed
of a principle, which, when awakened, and called
into action, will utterly demolish, and finally over-
throw this doctrine. Should one of those learned,
grave doctors, after having concluded one of his
most vehement efforts, to awaken in the hearts of
his audience the fearful apprehensions and horrid
fears of never-ending wrath, hear à voice from
heaven, and believe it was from heaven, calling on
him to take his pen and paper, and set down, and
coolly and in a deliberate manner, after taking time
to reflect, set down the number of human beings
which he is willing should be finally excluded from
the favor of God, how large a number can we be-
lieve we should find on his paper ? Look at him
he is now reflecting in his mind-he deliber-
ger


112.
THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION.
Let us then, my brethren, constantly direct our
eyes to the mark of the prize set before us; and
may we be faithful unto death. The crown is,
sure.
.


FAITH AND WORKS.
113
SERMON VI.
FAITH AND WORKS.
BY REV. SEBASTIAN STREETER.
"A man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works; show
me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith
by my works."-JAMES ii. 18.
.
From the days of the apostles down to the pres-
ent time, there has been a marked difference of
opinion among Christians, with respect to the true
grounds of human salvation. Some have made it
depend wholly upon faith, some upon good works ;
some upon the union of faith with good works; and
others still, upon the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and upon those exclusively.
Something of this kind of diversity of opinion
seems obviously to have obtained among the avowed
friends of Christianity in the days of James. He
plainly brings it forward in the chapter from which
the text has been selected, so far at least as faith,
good works, and the union of these eminent Chris-
tian virtues, are concerned. There were some, it
would seem, among the Christians of his acquaint-
ance, who strenuously contended for the saving effi-
cacy of faith alone.
They were, in this respect, to say the least, what
theologians in later times have denominated Anti-
nomians. Those of this opinion were not, I am
aware, organized, and formed into a distinct sect in
the age of the apostles, nor till the time of Martin
10*


FAITH AND WORKS.
115
and mercy. They relied solely upon the power and
saving efficacy of their faith.
Now there were some of this class of Christians,
substantially, in the days of James, though not dis-
tinguished by the appellative Antinomian, nor hold-
ing, perhaps, all the doctrines to which I have just
referred; but still they attached a supreme impor-
tance to faith, even in the absence of good works ;
and to all such the apostle alludes in the text:
“ Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will
show thee my faith by my works.”
The apostle, it is evident, and probably most of
the early Christians, viewed with abhorrence this
idolatrous homage to a single Christian virtue. They
looked upon it as not only visionary, but corrupting
and dangerous in its influence upon the cause of
evangelical truth, and upon the interests of the com-
munity at large ; and therefore, as highly reprehen-
sible. Hence some, as might naturally have been
expected, assumed directly opposite ground. In
avoiding one extreme, they fell under the dominion
of another. They relied chiefly, if not solely, upon
their good works, and attributed to them precisely
the same office and power which the others had er-
roneously ascribed to their faith. They contended
with much assurance, though without a particle of
truth on their side, that good works, an habitual con-
formity of life to the requisitions of the law of God,
without the co-operation of any faith at all, would
effect their salvation.
This opinion, also, the apostle gave his erring
brethren to understand, was an extreme, and one
about as wide from the truth in the case, as that,
the groundlessness of which he had so fully ex-
posed ; and in opposition to both the foregoing opin-
ions, that which makes salvation depend exclusively


116
FAITH AND WORKS.
.
upon the power of faith, and its counterpart, that
which makes it depend solely upon the efficacy of
good works, he contends for the union of faith with
good works. He obviously considers these virtues
to be inseparable the one from the other.
He plainly rests his whole argument upon the
tenability of the ground that a true and living faith
in Christ cannot exist in the mind of a sinner, with-
out producing a change in his purposes and pursuits ;
or at least awakening within him a resolution to
maintain a uniform course of good works in subse-
quent life. These are its legitimate fruits ; at any
rate, they were evidently so considered by our
apostle. The way in which he treated the subject
in the text and context plainly evinces this fact:
“ What doth it profit, my brethren,” he asks, “though
a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can
faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked,
and destitute of daily food; and one of you say unto
them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled :
notwithstanding ye give them not those things which
are needful to the body, what doth it profit? Even
so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."
“ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith
without works is dead also.”
Here we plainly perceive the insufficiency of the
soundest faith, where acting single-handed and alone,
utterly dissociated from those holy acts which form
its legitimate fruits. It is lifeless, powerless, wholly
incapable of subserving any of the high interests
of its possessor. But still, though faith be not all-
sufficient, it is not, as some in these boasting days of
increased light and of improvement, seem to imagine,
utterly weak and useless. It has its department in
the system of Christian truth, and in the culture and
perfecting of the mind and heart, the character and


FAITH AND WORKS.
117
condition of man. It claims a high rank among the
Christian virtues, and cannot be dispensed with but
at the peril of public order and peace..
Some, however (and vigorous efforts are put forth
to increase the number), profess to think otherwise.
They speak of faith, even that of Christians, as quite
a trivial and unimportant affair. It is avowedly held
by them, and they do all in their power to induce
others to hold it, in very low estimation. If a man
conduct well, they say, all is well ; no matter what
his faith may be, or whether he has any faith at all.
In support of this sweeping assumption, Pope, the
inimitable English poet, is often quoted, and with an
air of the most triumphant assurance:
"For modes of faith, let graceless zealots fight;
His can't be wrong whose life is in the right." '.
It may be so, my friends. At any rate I have no
wish to controvert a poetic dogma so beautifully ex-
pressed. But there is a question of paramount im-
portance back of this fact. It is the following:
Will that man's life be right, whose faith is wrong?
Have we any security for the occurrence of so singu-
lar an anomaly? As a general thing, if a man's
faith be fundamentally wrong, will not his life be
habitually wrong also ?
If I believe that a course of roguery and fraud
will, beyond every other, promote my own interest,
and that of my family, shall I be likely to live the
life of a practically honest man ? With a settled
conviction that the cup of the inebriate would con-
tribute largely to my comfort, is it probable that I
should pursue a rigid and uniform course of sobriety?
If I believe, as Saul of Tarsus once did, “that I
ought to do many things contrary to the name of
Jesus of Nazareth,” can I reasonably calculate upon


118
FAITH AND WORKS.
attaining to anything like high eminence as a practi-
cal Christian?
These, and many other questions of a similar
character, which might be asked, must surely be
answered in the negative. Hence, faith is not a con-
cern of such proverbial indifference, as some among
us seem to suppose. It has a mission of high re-
sponsibility to accomplish, both in the world of re-
ligion, and in that also of morals; but still, it is but
a single virtue, and ought not, therefore, to be cher-
ished to the exclusion of all others, and especially
that of good works. “ These are” eminently “ good
and profitable unto men,” and must on no account be
neglected, or treated with contempt. The apostle,
however, in the course of his illustrations, shows
clearly, that even good works, if disconnected with
a well-grounded faith, are not available to any con-
siderable extent. “Wilt thou know, O vain man,"
he asks, “ that faith without works is dead? Was
not Abraham our father justified by works, when he
had offered Isaac his son upon the altar ? Seest
thou how faith wrought with his works, and by
works was faith made perfect? Ye see then how
that by works a man is justified, and not by faith
alone!”
Hence it must be evident to every one, it would
seem, that it was the leading aim of the apostle to
urge upon his brethren, and all under whose eye his
teachings might fall, the deep importance of uniting
a true Christian faith with the uniform practice of
the Christian virtues. He wished to have it univer-
sally known and felt, that the most orthodox belief
will prove of very little, if any avail, provided it be
associated with an habitually heterodox life.
And this is unquestionably a fact. A moment of
dispassionate reflection upon the subject, cannot fail
-
--


FAITH AND WORKS.
119
of confirming this fact in every mind. Let us sup-
pose a few cases by way of illustration. Here is a
man who professes to believe, and he does believe,
that he is solemnly bound to speak the truth to his
neighbor, and to all men, and nothing but the truth ;
and yet, he is in the daily habit of uttering falsehood.
Instances of this kind frequently occur in every com-
munity.
Now this man's faith is right; but will this fact
be of any avail to him, while the general tenor of his
conduct is palpably wrong? Surely not. It will
not save him from the dishonor and fearful doom
which await the liar. To escape these, and secure
to himself the reputation, and the rewards, of a man
of truth, he must not only believe right, but also
speak right. In the language of the text, he must
“show his faith by his works.” In the whole inter-
course of his life, he must exhibit to those around
him, the union of a holy belief with a habit of holy
living. In this way, and in this only, can any man
save himself from the dishonor and misery insepar-
able from the odious vice of falsehood.
Again: Let us suppose a man to believe in the
obligations of strict honesty in all his dealings with
his fellow-men ; but who, in his commerce with the
world, is grossly dishonest, constantly developing
some new and deep-laid project of dissimulation and
knavery. In this case, can the man reap any last-
ing benefit from the soundness of his faith? Will
it shield him from impending harm? Has it power
to save him from the infamy and ruin which await
the rogue ? Can it palsy the strong arm of justice,
or ward off its fatal blows? Most assuredly not.
We know it is invested with no such power.
Once more : Suppose a man to be loud and con-
Postant in the avowal of his belief that the low, unnat-
2013
od to


120
FAITH AND WORKS.
ural and loathsome habit of intemperance is a fool-
ish, criminal, and deeply degrading vice. The great
body of drunkards, it is presumed, do thus believe.
Thousand on thousands of our fellow-beings, of all
ages and conditions in life, from all periods and
countries of the world, and from every sect in Chris-
tendom, might be adduced in support of this singular
fact.
This man's belief then is right. His is the geti-
uine orthodox faith upon this thrillingly interesting
subject. But let us suppose further, that, in direct
opposition to his sound faith, this same man lives in
the daily practice of intoxication! That he quaffs
often and deeply the burning chalice which is con-
suming his reason and his property, his health, his
self-respect, ay, and his life also ; and what is still
more deeply to be deplored, destroying the quiet
and comfort of his home, of his wife and his chil-
dren, of his neighbors and his friends.
This has often, very often been done, by those
too, possessed of a high order of intellects, of gen-
erous and feeling hearts; and who seem to have
been designed and qualified by the Creator for an
exalted rank among the genuine nobility of the
world.
Now if the man we have supposed, or any other,
shall stubbornly persist in the course described, is it
possible that he should reap any enduring advantage
from the soundness of his faith? Will this save
him from the drunkard's fate? Can it guard him
against the swimming of his head, or the reeling of
his gait, as he staggers along your streets ? Can
it arrest the inroads, and stay the progress of dis-
ease ? Can it shield his vitals against the deadly
effects of the fiery potations which he is constantly
pouring down upon them?


FAITH AND WORKS.
121
Can it bind up, and heal, and sooth, the deep
wounds of his mother's broken and bleeding heart ?
Can it hush the tumultuous throbbings in his father's
anguished and heaving bosom? Can it wipe the
crimsoned blush from the cheek of a doting sister?
or throw back the sickening look of mortification
which has gathered in a brother's pitying eye ?
In a word, can it wipe the burning tears from the
grief-stricken face of his once fond, and always de.
voted wife ? Can it lull the pains, and calm the
wild sorrows of her crushed, distracted, sinking
spirit? Can it clothe, and feed, and educate his
neglected and abused little ones? Can it impart
new grace to the innocent gambols, or infuse a
fresher and higher charm into the music of their
artless prattle ?:"",
These are questions of thrilling interest to every
father, every mother, every child, and it is painful
to give them negative answers; and still no others
can be given, if given in truth.
No, my friends, the profession of the soundest
faith, under the circumstances I have supposed, can
do none of these things, and none which in the slight-
est degree resemble them. It has neither soul nor
life. It is a dead faith, and can only work a deep,
and still deeper moral death in all that is truly valu-
able to its possessor, to the community in which he
lives, and to all the charities and endearments of
his home ; or rather the dishonored and ruined wreck
which should have been his home.
You see then, my kind hearers, that James was
right in contending that neither faith, nor good works,
when separated from each other, can be of any great
value to the Christian ; and that to fill the measure
of his good, there must be a union of the two of a
Il


122
.
FAITH AND WORKS.
sound Christian faith, and a conformity of the life to
the great requisitions of Christian truth and duty.
Hence all who would secure to themselves the
high advantages of our holy religion must not only
believe in Christ, and make an open profession of
their faith in him, but they must show it to all
around them by their works; exhibit by their daily
conduct its genuineness and' worth to the scrutini-
zing eye of the world. Let all who name the name
of Christ be careful to live like true Christians,
and the gazing world, the skeptical wise, will
ere long perceive, and frankly acknowledge, that
Christianity is a boon worth possessing, and ear-
nestly to be sought. Actions, it has often and truly
been said, “ speak louder than words.” The max-
im is a sound one. They unquestionably do ; and
hence the wisdom of resolving that we will spare
no pains, in our efforts to display the excellency
and value of our faith by the purity and usefulness
of our lives.
From the view of the subject now taken, it will
be perceived, that our partialist brethren have fallen
into a palpable mistake, with respect to the nature
and demands of our own faith. They often and
very confidently assert, that if the distinguishing sen-
timents which we have espoused be true, there is no
necessity at all for the practice of good works. We
may fold up our arms, it is said, and do nothing; or
we may live as we list, commit sin, or follow after
holiness, as appetite, or passion, or caprice, or inter-
est, or anything else, may seem, for the time being,
to demand.
· This, however, we have just seen, is an egre-
gious mistake. It is the result of prejudice; the off-
spring of a superficial, and culpably hasty investi-
gation of the subject. The assumption is utterly


FAITH AND WORKS.
123
unfounded. The spirit and legitimate requisitions
of our distinguishing sentiments constrain us to set
a high value upon good works. We cannot but view
them as "good and profitable unto men;" as essen-
tially necessary to our individual security and peace;
to the safety and repose of our families and friends,
and of the community in which we live. We con-
sider good works, or as some would say, holy living,
as the natural fruits, the legitimate consequences of
our faith, when received in the knowledge and
love of it.
Hence you perceive that, so far from rendering
practical holiness unnecessary, or contracting the
circle of its demands, a belief in the universality of
the grace and salvation of God, enlarges indefinitely
the sphere of its obligations. Indeed, we deem its
pre-eminent tendency to prompt and perpetuate good
works, one of the higher recommendations of the
holy faith we have espoused.
We prize this faith, it is true, almost above all
price, because it takes hold of immortality, and safely
places it in our hands, as the last great gift of God
to man; but we also deem it of incalculable worth on
account of its high practical tendency ; because it
enables its subjects to suppress every criminal and
sordid propensity ; to rise above the power of tempt-
ation in all its aspects and forms. In a word, be-
cause it uniformly, “works by love, purifies the
heart, and overcomes the world.”
Having shown the necessity of an indissoluble
union between the Christian faith, and Christian
life, which was the principal object of the present
discourse, I shall ask your attention, for a few mo-
ments, while I endeavor to solve a difficulty to which
the reasoning of James, in the context, has given


FAITH AND WORKS.
125
:
is believed, no real difference in the views enter-
tained by these two apostles on the subject before
us. When Paul repudiates works, he refers, no
doubt, to the services required by the ceremonial
law by Moses. The observance of these were not
demanded, nor was it of any avail under the gospel
of Christ. They had fulfilled their mission, and
become obsolete. Hence, when Paul says, “ not
of works,” he means, not of the ceremonies of the
Mosaic ritual ; and when James speaks of "faith
without works," he undoubtedly refers, as the cele-
brated John Wesley has justly remarked, to" a dead,
imaginary faith. It is not, though he have faith ;
but, though he say I have faith. He does not, there-
fore, teach that true faith can, but that it cannot, sub-
sist without works. Nor does he oppose faith to
works, but that empty name of faith, to real faith,
working by love. Can that faith which is without
works save him? No more than it can profit his
neighbor."
The ground which James assumes is, that a spu-
rious faith, one which does not inspire its possessor
with a love of good works, and especially works of
charity and mercy, can no more benefit himself, than
it can his fellow-being, who stands in pressing need
of his commiseration and bounty. Hence it is per-
fectly plain that there is no contradiction between
the apostles Paul and James on the subject of faith
and good works.
I must ask your patience for a few moments
longer, while, in conclusion, I direct your attention
to the text, as furnishing an infallible test of a true
and false faith.
According to the teachings of the apostle in the
words before us, the true Christian faith may be
shown by our works ; of course a false faith cannot
11*


126
, FAITH AND WORKS.
be thus shown. In other words, if we have adopt-...
ed the genuine Christian faith, we may reduce it to
practice, in all the relations and intercouse of life,
without infringing upon any plainly-required duty;
but if, on the other hand, we have embraced a faith
in opposition to that of Christ, and uniformly con-
form our practice to its principles, and their legiti-
máte requisitions, we shall inevitably violate some
of the known and most sacred duties of social and
fraternal beings. '
To illustrate the truth of the position here assumed,
let it be remarked, that many Christians profess to
beliere, and no doubt do believe, that every human
being is born into the world with a nature utterly
corrupt and hateful; totally dispossessed of moral
goodness, and of all the capacities requisite to the
performance of a morally good act, or the acquisi-
tion of a morally good character. Now can such a
faith be shown by the works of those who embrace
it? In other words, can it be exemplified through-
out all the relations and intercourse of civil, social,
domestic, and religious life, and still no law of
Christianity, or of the human heart, be violated ?
-trampled under foot ? Certainly not. The thing
is literally impossible. We are solemnly required
by Christianity, and by the laws of our own nature,
to love our kind, and especially our immediate kin-
dred and friends ; but Christianity and the laws of
human nature are reasonable things, and, therefore,
cannot surely require us to love that which is utterly
hateful and worthless..
According to the faith we are considering, how-
ever, there is nothing in any human being, nor
in all human beings, to love, nothing which God
does not hate'; which the spirit of Christianity does
not oppose ; and which, of course, all Christians


FAITH AND WORKS.
127
ought not to hate, and loathe, and abominate. If we
would show this faith by our works, or, which is
the same thing, exemplify it in our practice, we
must cordially hate our whole race; not our ene-
mies only, but our most intimate kindred and friends.
We must become “ worse than infidels," and instead
of “providing for our own households," unfeelingly
abandon them to nakedness, and want, and starva-
tion, and death. Husbands must hate their wives,
and wives their husbands. Parents must hate their
children, and children their parents. Brothers must
hate their sisters, and sisters their brothers. Chris-
tians must quench the flame of love and good-will
enkindled within them, and assume toward each
other, and all around them, the ferocity of the tiger.
Neighbors and friends must steel their hearts against
every tender and sympathetic emotion ; arm them-
selves with the weapons of violence and of blood,
and seek only to swell the already fearful aggregate
of human wo. These are but the beginning of the
abominations which must be done, to show by works
the belief of which I am speaking! And can a faith
which demands the commission of outrages like
these, be the true Christian faith?. It were folly to
pretend it. We know it cannot.
· Again : there are great numbers in Christendom,
who avow their belief in a complete and eternal
separation between the members of the human fam-
ily, and between even those of their own families.
With the truth of this belief I have, at present, noth-
ing to do. The great questions to be settled are
these : True or false, can this be the genuine Chris-
tian faith? Can it be any part of that faith to which
James refers in the text ? Would it do for the
champions and votaries of this faith to show it by
their works ? Should they pursue the course of


128
FAITH AND WORKS.
conduct it demands, with respect to their families
and the community, would they violate no injunction
of Christ, and outrage no law of humanity, and es-
pecially of their homes ? What would become of
their connubial, paternal, and social relations and
duties? Would they not all, or most of them, be
dissevered, and trodden in the dust ? Who would
sustain and carry forward the great and benevolent
enterprises of the age? Who would rear temples
of worship, support the ministry of the word of life,
and perfect the grand missionary projects of the
church? The little handful of the evangelically
regenerated would, beyond all question, be insuffi-
cient for so mighty a task. -
But further : there are not a few among us, who
believe, or profess to believe, in the unmixed and
endless misery of millions on millions of their fellow-
beings, and of some even of their own families and
friends. They believe that God will make these
victims of his wrath as miserable as their natures
will admit, without mitigation or the slightest inter-
mission, through ages interminable. They believe,
moreover, that it is the solemn duty of all Christians
to be “ followers of God as dear children.” Now
can the abettors of this faith “show it by their
works,” and not openly do violence to the laws of
the land, and those of humanity ? Can they thus
show it, and not wage open war against the holiest
and the highest injunctions, both of God, and of his
son Jesus Christ? It is plain that they cannot, and
hence it follows inevitably, that their faith is a false
one; at any rate, that it is not the faith which the
apostles showed by their works.
But the remarks I have offered must suffice.
They prove conclusively, if I mistake not, that a
false faith cannot be shown by the works of its sub-


FAITH AND WORKS.
129
jects, without an open and daring rebellion against
the laws both of heaven and of earth.
Not so, however, with respect to the genuine
Christian faith. The inflexible and uniform prac-
tice of this involves no difficulty. Those who em-
brace it, may freely and fully develop its principles
by their works, and still not do one act of indignity
against any law of their Maker, of their country,
or of their own nature. It takes hold upon God as
the Father and the Friend of all ; upon Jesus as the
Savior of all ; upon each human being as a brother ;
upon heaven as the ultimate home, and love and
good-will, and kind offices, as the endless employ-
ment of universal man.
Such, 'in brief terms, is the faith of the real
Christian ; and such also is the faith of the real
Universalist. They are one and the same; and
what a tide of order and peace would roll through
our towns, and cities, and hamlets, were it fully and
uniformly exhibited in the lives of those who pro-
fess it; could every avowed Universalist truly adopt
the language of the apostle, “ The life which I now
live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of
God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Could we, one and all, thus live, what a beauty
and glory would gather around our communion !
And we ought thus to live.' We have the best faith
in the world, and it ought surely to be shown by our
works. And this may be done. It is only to com-
mence loving God with all our heart, and oùr neigh-
bor as ourselves, and then to keep straight forward,
through life, and for ever, turning neither to the
right hand nor to the left. This is all ; and O! that
every brother, and every sister, throughout our
widely extended and rapidly increasing connexion
might this day firmly resolve to do thus. I would


TRUE GROUNDS OF CHRISTIAN REJOICING. 131
.
SERMON VII.
THE TRUE GROUNDS OF CHRISTIAN REJOICING:
BY REV. MERRITT SANFORD.
"Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject
unto you ; but rather rejoice, because your names are written
in heaven.”—LUKE x. 20.
So spake the great Teacher on an occasion of pe-
culiar interest. He had sent forth his disciples as
“ lambs among wolves, to teach the principles of
his religion to a perverse and persecuting generation";
and, notwithstanding the errors and prejudices with
which they had to battle, wherever they went, they
had met with success ; they had found the gospel
"mighty, through God, to the pulling down of strong-
holds;" and they now returned to their Master to tell
of their conflicts, and relate the results of their mis-
sion. With joy and rejoicing, they said unto him,
"Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through
thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan
as lightning fall from heaven.” This he spake fig
uratively, signifying that he foresaw the success of
the gospel in defeating its adversaries. That this
was his meaning, is conceded by the ablest comment-
ators. Newcome says, “ By this language, Christ
signifies the rapid propagation of the gospel.” And
John tells us that “by the term Satan, Christ meant
all the adversaries of the gospel, who are afterward


· 132
THE TRUE GROUNDS
.
called serpents, scorpions, and the host of the ene-
my,” and that “ Satan's falling from heaven signified
the fall of those adversaries from the political heaven,
that is, from power and authority in the world.”
Moreover, Jesus continued and said to his disciples,
“ Behold” (speaking in the same figurative man-
ner), “I give unto you power to tread on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and
nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwith-
standing, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are sub-
ject unto you; but rather rejoice because your names
are written in heaven.” .
A word of explanation may be needed here also.
It may be asked, what is meant by names being
written in heaven? I answer, allusion is here made
to the custom, which prevailed in some countries, of
writing the names of the inhabitants of cities in
books, or registers, when they were born, or when
they become citizens. The names of dutiful and
upright citizens were kept on these records, to tes-
tify that they had the approval of the civil authority,
and were entitled to all the privileges of good citi-
zens. But those who were turbulent and rebellious,
had their names blotted out of those records, as a
testimony against them, that they were denied the
honor and privileges of dutiful citizens. Agreeably
to this, in the Scriptures, those who are faithful to
the divine commands, and are “good stewards of
the manifold grace of God,” are said, by a figure of
speech, to have their “names written in heaven,"
because they received the approbation and merit the
blessing of God. Thus, it is said of 'Christians,
“their names are written in heaven," and their
o names are in the book of life." When, therefore,
Christ told his disciples to rejoice, because their
names were written in heaven, his meaning was,


OF CHRISTIAN REJOICING.
133
that they should rejoice in being faithful and good
stewards in his moral vineyard, or in living and act-
ing in such a manner as to have a conscience void
of offence in the sight of God.
Consider now, what is taught in this lesson of
the great Reformer. His disciples were filled with
joy, at the prospect of getting the victory over their
outward enemies. They saw that the gospel was
destined to be triumphant, and that it would sweep
away the errors and false doctrines of ages; and
they thought it a matter of great rejoicing. Their
Master confirmed them in these expectations, but he
added a caution, lest they should think more of the
downfall of error, than of the spread and prevalence
of the truth : “ Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not,
that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather re-
joice, because your names are written in heaven.”
As if he had said, “ Although your triumph over the
enemies of the gospel is certain, yet glory not so
highly in their downfall, as in building up the
gospel itself. Count it less joy to tear down the old
castle of error, than to erect the temple of truth on a
permanent foundation. Rejoice not so much in gain-
ing the victory over your religious opposers, as in
getting the mastery over yourselves, and living in
agreement with the dictates of my peaceful and
heavenly religion.".
The principle, here laid down by our Savior, ad-
mits of a very important use, and a wide application.
In all the efforts of man at revolution, at reforma-
tion, or improvement, he is in danger of falling into
the very error which' was the stumbling-block with
the disciples of Christ, when they first entered on
the work of revolutionizing the world by the power
of the gospel. He is in danger of delighting more
in the overthrow of his enemies, than in the wel-
12.


134
THE TRUE GROUNDS
fare of his race-more in tearing down, than in
building up—more in the glory of conquest, than in
the virtue of turning the spoils of conquest into
instruments of human good. This has been, and
still is, the greatest error to which he is exposed in
his revolutionary effort ? and it is one of the highest
aims of Christianity, to save him from this false cur-
rent of his ambition, and cause him to rejoice, not
so much in subjecting others to his sway, as in being
himself a servant in the work of virtue and truth.
Look, for a moment, into the annals of military
fame. Read of the warriors that have led the ar-
mies and carried on the wars of past ages, and ask
yourselves, what was their object? On what did
they base their glory? In what did they rejoice?
I need not answer. Every one, at all acquainted
with history, very well knows that with here and
there an exception, bare conquest has been their ob-
ject. Like Alexander the Great, who, when he
had conquered the world, sat down and wept, be-
cause he could not have another to conquer ; the
most of military champions have been content to be
mere conquerors. The fields and nations over which
they have gotten the victory they have done little or
nothing to turn into domains of peace and freedom,
thinking their work done, and well done, where vic-
tory was obtained; they have then sat down amid
the spoils of their power, and if they have not wept
because they could not extend their conquests far-
ther, they have rejoiced because they have been
able to extend them so far. And down to this day,
there are some men and some nations; who, when
they hear of a victorious general, or a victorious
army, will rejoice, almost with joy unspeakable,
even without having the least prospect of seeing the
victory used as a step toward human liberty and


OF CHRISTÍAN REJOICING.
135
freedom. Let all such turn from the bloody honors
of war to the mild “ Prince of Peace," and learn a
lesson of humanity. He would say to them, “In
this rejoice not, that your enemies are subject unto
you, but rather rejoice in being the friends of your
race. Glory not in getting the victory in the field
of war, unless you can convert that field into à re-
gion of peace. Rejoice not in bringing a nation un-
der your sway, if ye cannot make the people more
peaceful, more virtuous, more happy."
This great lesson, we rejoice to know, was learn-
ed and acted upon by our Washington ; and it gave
a crown of glory to his head, which shall grow
brighter and brighter with every age. When he
had succeeded in conquering the enemy, and had
brought this great country under his sway, did he sit
down and weep because he could not conquer others ?
No; he thought that he had already extended his
conquering arm too far, unless he could improve the
condition of the people. He therefore laid down
the sword, and took up the sceptre. What he had
gained by the first, he was now determined to con-
vert into a realm of peace and freedom by the last.
Of his success I need not speak. O Washington !
I honor thee as a disciple of my Master. Thy
spirit, even on the gory field of battle, was animated
with the benevolence of Christianity. Thou didst
rejoice more in liberty, than conquest." Thou hast
loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore,
God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil
of gladness above thy fellows."
Let us now. look into the political world. And
how is it here? It ought to be very different from
what it has been in the military world, but what is
the real fact? Ah! I fear it is something like this
the political parties in this country are very much


136
THE TRUE GROUNDS
like two ancient armies. Many in their ranks are,
unquestionably, sincere lovers of political and moral
freedom, and would, especially on an emergency, do
anything to promote the welfare of the country ; but
I greatly err, if the old spirit of warlike ambition,
does not quite generally animate their bosoms, and
if their main object is not power, conquest, victory!
To secure this, hów do they manage ? Before an
election comes on, the leaders are all chosen, and
marshalled on each side, and then comes a long, in-
cessant drill, to prepare the corps political to march
to the music of their respective parties. Conven-
tions are called, fiery and exciting speeches are
made, and papers and documents are printed and
circulated in all parts of the country-for what? To
teach the people the principles of the government,
and to make them feel their moral duties? no; but
to see which party shall have the heaviest troops
with which to meet their enemy at the ballot-box;
and when they have been there, and tried their
strength, the party that proves the strongest proclaims
their victory (for such it is called) throughout the
length and breadth of the land ; and thousands re-
joice over the defeat of the weaker party, as though it
were a matter of national virtue !
This, I know, is a discouraging view to take of
this enlightened country, as it is proudly called ;- but
is there not truth in it ? Is there not a large class
of our citizens who think they have really done the
work of freemen, when they have secured the vic-
tory in an election ? Do not many prize the victorious
side, rather than the side of virtue? Is it not thought
a matter of rejoicing, to be in the ranks of the suc-
cessful party, and a matter of lamentation to be in
the minority ? Are not, in fact, our' elections called
warfares, and does not each party act upon the old


OF CHRISTIAN REJOJCING.
137
principles of war, that “ to the victors belong the
spoils ?” Are not men put up for office, and voted
for, on the ground of policy, instead of principle ?
that is, because they will be true to a party, rather
than because they are known to be men of moral
worth and true friends to the country ?
And again, when men are elected to office, do
they not often consider themselves as being put in
possession of their legitimate share of the spoils of
victory, instead of feeling bound, by moral and re-
ligious obligations, to seek and promote the welfare
of the people ? These may be troublesome ques-
tions to selfish and interested politicians, but they
are questions which onght to be both asked and an-
swered by every lover of American freedom.
But what we wish, most of all, to say, is, that all,
such, be they few, or many, in this country, or any
other, need a lesson from Jesus Christ. His lan-
guage to them would be, “ In this rejoice not, that
your political enemies are subject unto you, but ra-
ther rejoice in being faithful and dutiful to your
country. Think it less glory to obtain the victory
in your elections, than to make the people prosper-
ous, virtuous, and happy. This is the spirit of Chris-
tianity, and I dare say, even in the pulpit, that it is the
spirit of Republicanism. The prosperity of our coun-
try does not lie in this party nor that party. If it did we
might well despair of it. But it has a better, firmer
basis. The first articles in our political creed tell
us that our liberties, our welfare, and our prosperity,
are based upon the intelligence and virtue of the peo-
ple. And if the intelligence and virtue of the peo-
ple are not preserved by schools and churches, by
the spread of literature and science, and by the prae-
tice of sound morality and pure Christianity, not all
the victories gained in our elections, nor all the sub-
12*


OF CHRISTIAN REJOICING.
139
* the sainted Murray," and at that time, the believers
were “ few, and far between.” But how is it now?
ye all know how it is. The doctrine has spread
over the whole country, from east to west, from
north to south. Go into any back neighborhood, or
into any remote district of our territories, and you
will find its disciples there ; and if you listen to the
preachers of other doctrines, whether in cities, or
in regions yet scarcely peopled, you will notice that
Universalism is the great burden of their preaching.
Not that they believe the doctrine, but they see it
going on with such rapid and gigantic steps, that
they are afraid that it will prove triumphant, and
like the rod of Aaron swallow up all the rest.
And this fear is not without foundation. The ad-
vocates of our faith bring the good news of its prog-
ress from every portion of our Zion; and we can-
not look about us, without asking ourselves the
question, What can prevent its onward course till it
has overcome all its opposers? We can think of
nothing to prevent it. The errors and false doc-
trines, to which it stands opposed, are fast giving
way before it. Infant damnation and a literal hell
of fire have been given up, and the signs of the
times clearly denote that the time is not very far
distant when the doctrines of total depravity, origi-
nal sin, election, and reprobation, the personality of
the devil, the Trinity, and endless misery, will be
reckoned among the things that were.
And beside this, the mightiest opposers have
been already overcome. An Ely, a Campbell, a,
Stuart, and a Hatfield, are numbered among the
vanquished; and such has been the history of our
controversies and discussions with the adversaries
of our faith, and such is its present condition, we
feel the utmost confidence in its power to triumph


140
THE TRUE GROUNDS
over all opposing systems, and we seem to hear our
divine Master saying to us, as he said to his ancient
disciples, “ Behold, I give unto you power to tread
on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power
of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt
you.” But still, he has an important caution to give
us. Will we hear it? “ Notwithstanding, in this
rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you,
but rather rejoice because your names are written
in heaven," Although your triumph over your re-
ligious opposers is certain, yet count this not so
much a matter of joy as to get the victory over your-
selves, over your propensities and passions, and to
live as becometh the gospel. Rejoice not so much
in tearing down the doctrines of error, as in build-
ing up the principles of truth. Rejoice to build up
the hopes of humanity, to carry peace and consola-
tion to the sick and the dying, and to fill men with
gratitude to God and love to man. Rejoice to re-
duce your faith to practice in treating every man as
a child of God, and a brother to each member of
the human race, and in giving to all men their dues
in your intercourse with a world yet lying in wick-
edness. Let such be the grounds of your joy; and
your rejoicing will be in the cause of virtue and the
progress of truth. ' You will then be ornaments of
my holy religion, and others, seeing your good works,
will come and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
This is the lesson, my brethren, which our Master
has given us, and should we not take earnest heed
to it? Do we not see the wisdom of this lesson ?
Do we not see the importance of being more en-
gaged in building up our own cause, than in tearing
down its opposite ? Let us ask ourselves, what
should we have gained—what would the world have
gained, provided we had fully succeeded in destroya


OF CHRISTIAN REJOICING.
141
ing the whole system of what is denominated Or.
thodoxy, or Partialism, without substituting more
correct and exalted views of God and man in its
place? I fear that there are many who think the
gain would be great. I hear it said that, then, big-
otry, superstition, and priestcraft, would be at an end.
And it is possible that they would be, but this would
not be all; for if the popular systems of religious
faith were swept awiy, without occupying their
places in the minds of the people with better views
of religion, not only bigotry, superstition, and priest-
craft, would be destroyed, but reverence for God,
sympathy for man, and the love of truth and virtue
would be destroyed with them. With the tares, we
should destroy the wheat. What, then, shall we
think of that warfare which skepticism and infideli-
ty are carrying on against the doctrines and princi-
ples of the Christian religion? Think of it! Why,
if we think at all of it, we must regard it as the most
reckless and hazardous warfare ever waged on this
bloody earth. Because they have found some of
the doctrines of religion false, infidels have jumped
to the conclusion that all are false ; and with no
creed of their own but universal doubt, with no prin-
ciples but such as sap the foundation of moral obli-
gation, they have declared a war of extermination
against all religion, and they have pledged them-
selves, upon the altar of what they call free inquiry,
to sweep every form and vestige of it from the
earth. .
Travellers tell us of a temple in Mexico which is
built of human bones, and cemented with human
blood! Such a temple infidelity is rearing, and in
future generation's the horrid pile will be a fitting
memorial of the ruined virtues and hopes which had
fallen before the destructiveness of its builders.


142
THE TRUE GROUNDS.
Such a temple, in fact, is being built by all who are
tearing down systems of religion without putting
better ones in their place; while they are taking
from man his old dwelling and his worn garments,
they provide him with nothing for a substitute, but
turn him out, naked and hungry, into a cold, un-
sheltered world, and then tell him to take care of
himself!
Let us beware, my hearers, that we do not labor
in a work of this character. It is true, that error
should fall, and that false doctrines should perish,
but it is equally true that we had better not meddle
with them, unless we can put truth and better doc-
trines in their place. This we can do, and we shall
do, if we are the true friends of Universalism. Our
faith is not a negative system, which consists chief-
ly in disbelieving and denying. It teaches positive
and eternal principles. It tells us that “there is no
respect of persons with God”-loving all with equal
regard, and punishing the evil, and rewarding the
good according to their respective works, and show-
ing us that all his requirements are "holy, just, and
good.” In a word, our faith shows us that God is
our Father, that man is our brother, that duty is our
privilege, and that immortality is the gift of God to
all his moral offspring. And should we not rejoice
more to have these principles believed and enjoyed,
than in destroying false systems of faith ?, Indeed
we should. And it is a solemn fact, that the only
thing which can justify us in opposing doctrines we
know to be false, is the purpose of having our views
of God and man cherished in their stead. These
views will not only save us from bigotry and super-
stition, but will make them grateful to God and be-
nevolent to man. They will fill the soul with the
most ennobling conceptions, causing it to trust in


.' OF CHRISTIAN REJOICING.
143
:
God; under all circumstances in life, with filial and
cheerful confidence, to regard virtue as the greatest
earthly good, and to meet death as the passport to
a better inheritance.
But how shall we labor in this great and good
cause ? In what way, can we do most to build it up,
and make the world feel its redeeming power ? The
obvious answer is, it is not enough to hate error, and
to oppose sentiments and doctrines which we deem
false and pernicious. In addition to this, we must
love the truth, and be heartily engaged in favor of
sentiments worthy of God and conducive to the
moral welfare of man. This is the first thing need-
ful. If we merely dislike the narrow system of
Partialism, 'without loving the broad principles of
· Universalism, let us not dream (for it would be
nothing but a dream) of bringing about a reforma- .
tion which will be of any benefit to ourselves, or
to any one else. But, my hearers, if you have a
deep and abiding love of these principles, you are
prepared to help in building up the cause of God
and humanity. The next thing is, to act. And
here, it will not be enough to pay the preacher, and
go to hear him when time and pleasure make it
agreeable. He cannot do the work alone. He is
only an agent, and unless you labor with him, he
will tire and faint, and the cause will wither and die
for want of your aid. You must be both hearers and
doers of the word, and take heed that your whole
conduct is in agreement with the broad and benevo-
lent spirit of your faith. Your labors will then not
be in vain, and the work of truth will prosper abun-
dantly. Your own moral condition will improve and
your happiness increase, more and more ; and better
principles, and better practices, more cheering pros-
pects and purer hopes, will spring up all around you.


144 TRUE GROUNDS OF CHRISTIAN REJOICING.
Your children and your children's children will
grow up in the nurture of wisdom and virtue, to be
ornaments to society and to religion, and to fill the
places you now occupy with credit to themselves
and benefit to their race; and when the time of your
departure from earth draweth nigh, you will each be
able to say, with divine satisfaction, “ I have fought
a good fight ; I have FINISHED my course ; I have
KEPT the faith ; henceforth there is laid up for me.
crown of righteousness." ".


- THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
147
life, the same are his sheep, according to his own
language. St. Paul will instruct us as to the num-
ber who thus belong to the flock of Christ" that
he by the grace of God should taste death for every
man”1_" He gave himself a ransom for all, to be
testified in due time.”2 We learn from this testi-
mony that all mankind are the sheep of Christ.
Dr. Adam Clarke, in his remarks on the text, as-
sents to this position. He says, “ The whole flock'
of mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, belongs unto
this divine shepherd.” ,' ,
This vast flock, in their ignorance and blindness,
had gone astray--they had wandered away from
the sheepfold of God, the divine owner of all. Says
Isaiah-"All we like sheep have gone astray, we
have turned every one to his own way.”3 The
Creator in describing, through the prophet, the con-
dition of his earthly creatures, thus exclaims :.66 My
sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon
every high hill. ,Yea, my flock was scattered upon
all the face of the earth, and none did search or
seek after them."4 In this condition of things-
his flock thus, scattered and lost--the beneficent
Owner, moved by the deepest compassion, resolved
to send to the earth a Shepherd, to seek out his be-
wildered and straying sheep, and bring them back
to luxuriate in the green pastures of Mount Zion.
And the goodness and faithfulness of this shepherd,
were thus foretold by the prophet: “He shall feed
his flocks like a shepherd. He shall gather the
lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom,
and he shall gently lead those that are with young."5
In our text, Jesus Christ declares that he is the
shepherd thus sent to take in charge the fold of God:
(1) Heb. ii. 9. (2) 1 Tim. ii. 6. (3) Isa. liii. 6.
(4) Ezek. xxxiv. 6. (5) Isa. xl. 11


THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
149
or in respect to himself, the nature and extent of
the work he came to accomplish, or the final result
of his reign in the mediatorial kingdom, which does
not give the most joyful hopes, the most delightful
anticipations, to every humane heart, to every Chris-
tian spirit, to every well-wishing soul! And look,
too, at his descriptions of the future world. He
fills not that future with pictures dark and gloomy,
which affright the soul, and drive it to despair and
destruction! No, never! But his teachings and
promises in regard to the life to come, are calcula-
ted to inspire the utmost confidence and trust in
God, to fill the mind with peace in believing, and
to give an assurance that blessings and enjoyments
shall there be bestowed, upon the children of hu-
manity, as rich, as extensive and universal, and as
lasting, as the most ardent' love of mankind can
pray for, or ask, or even think! These consistent
principles, these glorious doctrines, these precious
and heart-cheering promises, these joy-inspiring as-
surances and hopes, are the green fields and fresh
pastures, into which Jesus, the great shepherd of
the world, leads his flock—and there they eat that
which is good, and their souls delight in fatness.
Is not this strong evidence that he is justly entitled
to the name of is the good shepherd” ?
* But on the other hand, it is a certain indication
of an unfaithful shepherd, that he leads his flock
into barren and desert places, where little food can
be found, and little rest obtained. That there have
been such shepherds in the world is made certain
by the words of the Most High, through the proph-
et : “My people have been lost sheep : their shep-
herds have caused them to go astray; they have
turned them away on the mountains; they have gone
from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their
13*


150
.. 'THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
resting-place:"l" If there are any in our own day
who lead their flocks into waste and arid deserts,
where no nourishment can be found and no resting-
place secured, it is evident they are not acting un-
der the direction and authority of the great and
good shepherd of the world. And are there not
many religious teachers of this description now to
be found ? Are there not those who lead their hear-
ers into doctrines and sentiments alike uncongenial
to the spirit of philanthropy, and benevolence, and...
mercy, and most violently in opposition not only to
the prayers of the most righteous and pious men on
earth, but to the feelings and wishes of every pure,
humane, and god-like soul in the universe ? And
can it be truly said that such teachers lead their
flocks into green fields and pleasant'pastures? Can
doctrines which freeze the soul with horror-which
fill the mind of the sincere believer with wild
phrensy and insanity, and send many to the sui-
cide's unhonored grave,--be called pleasant and
agreeable ? Are they fitly represented by rich
meadows and luxuriant, pastures ? Can those who
are led into such sentiments by their pastors, find
that spiritual food for which their souls hunger ?
Can they rest-can they repose in calmness and
peace under these, teachings? Can the prospects
thus presented to their view, lurid with the imagined
blaze of omnipotent and eternal wrath, fill them
with joy and peace in believing? It is utterly im-
possible! Human nature rises in rebellion and de-
testation against such doctrines. Enjoy peace and
repose in believing them! As well could we lie.
down in calmness, and fall into gentle slumbers, on the
verge of Ætna's burning crater, while the mountain
trembles with mighty throes, and the seething bil
(1) Jer. 1.6.


THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
151
lows are raging and rising to overflow in a wide
stream of fiery destruction! These sentiments tru-
ly represented by green pastures and smiling mead-
ows? Yes, as truly, as the scarred and blackened
sides of the volcano, which for 'ages has received
its annual layer of liquid lava, can be pictured by
the same representation!
I acknowledge the believer in the sentiments, to
which I refer, may find occasionally a small degree
of selfish enjoyment, under the hope of his own
personal salvation. But the moment he turns his
eyes from self, and beholds the millions of his fellow-
beings whom he believes are going down to endless
sin and wo, all his peace and satisfaction will flee
away, and he will become unhappy, just in propor-
tion as he possess the spirit of Christian philan-
thropy and gospel love for all ! Hence the best
view that can be taken of the field into which he
has been led, is, that it affords here and there a tuft
of herbage, while all around reigns one vast ex.
panse of dreary barrenness and desolation! Who-
ever find themselves in such a pasture—whoever
discover themselves in possession of sentiments
which, so far from imparting peace and satisfaction,
fill them with doubt, and suspense, and alarm
whoever have been taught to believe that in the fu-
ture world they may, and probably will, be for ever
separated from many, around whom their dearest af-
fections cling with a deathless grasp, and that they
will be compelled to see them, dear as they are to
their hearts, cast down-Oh, horrid, awful sight!
to the pit of eternal darkness and despair-should
allow the distress and anguish which fill their hearts
in anticipating such scenes, to admonish them that
they have suffered themselves to be led by some
other than the good shepherd sent of God! These


152
THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
are not the green meadows--the soul-cheering and
comforting doctrines into which this divine guide
leads his sheep.
2. A good shepherd always defends his flock when
danger approaches. This is one of the chief pur-
poses for which he is intrusted with the care of the
sheep. That this is one of the offices which Jesus
takes upon himself to discharge, is evident from his
language in the context. “The thief cometh not
but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am
come that they (the sheep—the human family]
might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly. I am the good shepherd : the good
shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." He as-
sumes it here to be his duty as a good shepherd, not
to kill and destroy the sheep, but to protect them,
and preserve their lives, and if necessary, to lay
down his life for them.
In distinction to the good and faithful shepherd,
the Redeemer goes on to describe an unfaithful shep-
herd--a hireling. “He that is a hireling, and not
the shepherd, whose bwn the sheep are not, seeth
the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth:
and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
The hireling fleeth because he is a hireling, and
careth not for the sheep.” The hireling, by this test,
is known from the good shepherd, in that he careth
not for his sheep, but when the wolf draws near
when they are, in the greatest danger, and the
most need his protection he ignominiously for-
sakes them and flees away, leaving them to inevit-
able destruction.
Here, then, are the two shepherds—the faithful
and the unfaithful—the good shepherd and the hire-
ling. Which of these characters shall we apply to
Jesus ? He declares himself to be the good shep-


THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
153.
.
herd-is he entitled to this name, according to the
test which he has himself above laid down ? This
is an important inquiry, not only as it regards the
Savior's character, but also in respect to the amount
of confidence which the members of his flock can
repose in their shepherd. To show the direct bear-
ing of the question, we will suppose the world ac-
tually tó be, as it is frequently represented, and
quite generally believed. It is the popular doctrine
of the day, that the great flock of mankind are ex-
posed to the most imminent and awful danger—that
ia being infinitely more blood-thirsty and cruel than
the wolf-a being possessing the utmost subtlety
and artfulness-having an ability and power of the
greatest magnitude-capable of assuming every form
and shape, to deceive and allure the unwary-is
prowling around the sheep, whom God has intrusted
to the charge of his Son as shepherd, and is deter-
mined to seize, and carry off to eternal wo, all that
he can lay his fangs upon. :)
aNow if this supposition is true, the shepherd is
undoubtedly aware of the danger of his flock. And
the manner in which he proceeds, under these cir-
cumstances—or rather, the manner in which men's
doctrines represent him as proceeding—will deter-
mine whether, according to those doctrines, he is
the good and faithful shepherd; or the hireling.
Will the shepherd, whose duty 'it is to defend the
flock, flee before this infernal wolf ? Will he, when
the ravenous monster makes his great and final on-
set upon the human flock, hastily gather a few, and
with a coward's dastardness, flee with them, leaving
the remainder to be seized and devoure 1 ? or, still
more awfully abhorrent, will the shepherd invite the
wolf to approach, and actually deliver into his pos-
session, a large part of the flock God gave him to


154
.
THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
take care of and protect ? Do our doctrines teach
us that this, or anything like this, is the manner in
which Jesus, our shepherd, will discharge his duties?
Then let us understand, that either our doctrines
which so teach, are radically and wholly false, or
the Redeemer, according to his own language, is
not the good shepherd! For the proceeding which
these doctrines ascribe to Christ, are precisely such
as he ascribes to the hireling, who “ careth not for
the sheep.".
.
If we believe Jesus to be the good shepherd,
with what consistency can we suppose him to pur-
sue the very course which he attributes to a “hire-.
ling ?” Believing him to be the good shepherd, -
why not ascribe to him the characteristics and con-
duct of a good shepherd ? Being as he declares
himself, the “ good shepherd,” those who possess a:
genuine faith and confidence in him, will believe
that he will guard his sheep with greater care, when
danger approaches—that he will defend them at all
times, and in all circumstances, with untiring faithful-
ness—and in no case, 'under no contingency what-
ever, will he ever allow one of the flock intrusted
to his charge to fall into the hands of an enemy!
And while there is more wisdom, and power, and
· love, in heaven than in hell, no Christian, cherish-
ing the true gospel faith, can fear a result so disas-
trous!
3. Another characteristic of a good shepherd is,
that he seeks and finds his sheep when they are lost.
Whenever any of the flock have strayed away, the
· faithful shepherd not only seeks diligently for them,
far and near, but continues his search, until he finds
them and restores them to safety. He allows noth-
- ing but success to terminate his exertions. It is evi.
dent that Jesus viewed it as the test of a good shep,
-
-
-


156
THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
they shall remain lost, and shall never have the
privilege of returning; even though they may ardently
desire it? Do they represent the shepherd, as
going out and seeking for the lost in the wilderness,
for a short time, and then, not succeeding in finding
them, returning and leaving them to wander for ever?
It must be evident to all who possess but common
discernment, that to take this view of the proceed-
ings of Christ, is in effect, but ascribing to him all
the characteristics of a hireling, and representing
him to the world as an unfaithful shepherd! Either
those parts of men's doctrines which represent the
Redeemer as pursuing either of these courses tow-
ard the lost, must be as unfounded as “the base-
less fabric of a vision;" or the claim which Jesus
put forth as the good shepherd cannot be sustained.
How can a reasonable man hesitate which of these
conclusions to adopi ?
If the Redeemer is indeed the good shepherd,
he will manifest the faithfulness of such a shepherd.
He will not seek the lost for a little season, and then
abandon the work in despair. “But he will search
unremittingly until the lost are found and restored
to safety and peace. That Jesus will in this man-
ner, vindicate before his Father and all intelligen-
ces, his claim to the title of the good shepherd, is
a truth which we have not been left to conjecture.
He has given us the testimony that such is the course
he will pursue in regard to the lost of his flock in
the beautiful parable of the lost sheep. What
man of you having a hundred sheep, if he lose one
of them, doth not leave the ninety-and-nine in the
wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he
hath found it! And when he hath found it, he lay-
eth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he
cometh home, he calleth together his friends and


160
THE GOOD. SHEPHERD.
,
What unexampled diligence! What inexpressible
tenderness! , What unwearied patience!"
" Thine eyes in me the sheep behold,
Whose feet have wandered from the fold;
That guideles, hopeless, strives in vain
To find its safe retreat again :-
« Now listens, if perchance, its ear;
The Shepherd's well known voice may leår,
Now, as the tempesis round it blow,
In plaintive accents vents its wo."
Thus will the good shepherd continue his search,
until the lost of the flock, yea, until the last of the
lost, shall be found, and shall return to the sheep-
fold of God, amid the rejoicings, of all the heavenly
hosts! Such is the testimony of the word of God.
Those who suppose the shepherd will restore none
but those who are now his followers, or those only
who in this life become his disciples, fall far short
of comprehending the full scope of the gospel, and
the everlasting faithfulness of the divine Shepherd.
“ Other sheep have 1,” exclaims the Redeemer,
“ which are not of this fold. [I have other sheep be-
side the flock of present believers-even the entire
sinful world, for whom the good shepherd gave his
life. These also I must bring, and they shall hear
my voice; and there shall be one fold and one shep-
herd.”? And in support of the same glorious truth
are the declarations of the Holy One. “ As à shep-
herd seeketh out his ftock in the day that he is
among his sheep that are scattered, so will I seek
out my sheep, and deliver them out of all the pla-
ces where they have been scattered in the cloudy
and dark day..... I will seek that which was
lost, and bring again that which was driven away,
(1) Names and Titles of Jesus. (2). John X. 16.


....
161
THE GOOD SHEPHERD...
i
and will bind up that which was broken, and
will strengthen that which was sick."
- So reasonable and consistent is the assurance that,
the shepherd and bishop of souls, will find and re-
store all the sheep which have been given him, that
those of a limited faith have been compelled to ac-
knowledge its propriety. ." The whole flock of man-
kind,” says Dr. Adam Clarke, “ belong to this di-
vine Shepherd ; and it is but reasonable to expect
that the gracious Proprietor will look after those who
have gone astray.”2 In the Assembly's Annotations
we read, “ Christ, the good shepherd, came to seek
that which was lost, and will never give over his
work unperfected.”3. Most glorious and heart-thril-
ling anticipation! My soul rejoices in prospect of
that happy era, when the good shepherd shall lead
home all his vast flock to the Father of spirits!
When he shall open unto them an abundant entrance
into the ever-verdant fields of heaven, and allow
them to partake of immortal fruits and drink from
the sweet waters of the river of life! Who, with a
Christian heart, can fail to rejoice with exceeding
great joy, at this most worthy consummation of the
reign of the Son of God, or fail, in view of a pros-
pect so glorious, to join in with the Psalmist in ex-
claiming"O clap your hands, all ye people; shout
unto God with the voice of triumph !" AMEN. .
(1) Ezek. xxxiv. 12.-16. (2) Com.on Luke, xv. 4.
(3) Whittemore on the Parables. , -
14*


162 CHRISTIAN AND PROTESTANT FREEDOM.
.
: SERMON IX.
CHRISTIAN AND PROTESTANT FREEDOM."
'..' BY REV. E. H. CHAPIN...
.
“Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.”-
Romans, xiv. 5.
THÉSE words were addressed by the apostle Paul
to the church at Rome, in which, very early in the
Christian dispensation, a controversy had arisen rea
specting the authority of the Jewish rites. It is well
known that in many of the primitive churches, the
converts consisted of both Jews and Gentiles-the
former of whom in embracing the gospel, did not
renounce the rites and customs of their former wor.
ship, but, on the contrary, openly proclaimed, that
without the ceremonial law of Moses there was no
salvation. This doctrine the apostle labored to cor-
rect-as we may see in the chapter from which we
have taken our text. He inculcates here the praca
tice of charity toward one another, in regard to opin-
ions. The man who ate all things indiscriminate-
ly, was not to despise his weak brother, who, from
motives of conscience, would eat nothing but herbs.
One was not to judge another, when all were equal
as being servants of God. And as to days-one es-
teemed one day above another; another esteemed
all days alike ; but, says the apostlem" Let every
man be fully persuaded in his own mind."
Here is evidently laid down a broad and liberal


164 CHRISTIAN AND PROTESTANT FREEDOM.
which miserably wasted the church in former times,
and there would have been at this day more of the
genuine spirit of the gospel among the disciples of
Christ, than in any period of Christianity since the
first ages.”
But it is a singular fact, that in the very city to
which the epistle was directed, there arose, in the
'; course of time, a system that seemed the exact op-
· posite of all this. Instead of carrying out the truth
set forth in this chapter, that the kingdom of God
is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace,
and joy in the Holy Ghost”-it made a religion of
forms and ceremonies, of pomp and parade ; and
encumbered that simple Christianity with orna-
ments and devices, of human invention. · This sys-
tem was, for a time, supreme. “Let every man be
fully persuaded in his own mind," formed no part
of its teachings. The creeds of the church, the
bulls of popes, the decisions of councils, are the
truth—not the convictions of reason—not the plain
revelations of scripture. · The pope is infallible
-he is the judge between truth and error. And
so this system reigned over the minds of men for
centuries. It assumed complete jurisdiction over
those most intimate and personal faculties, the con-
science and the will-and, if it did not possess, as
it professed to, the keys of heaven and hell, it pos-
sessed the key of reason and of faith. It was a
mighty, ay, a magnificent power! With its kingly
priests, their feet kissed by mailed barons, their stir.
rups held by monarchs--with its perfect organiza-
tion, extending to the minutest member, and binding
each vein and artery to that papal control at the
touch of which the remotest nerve of this great sys-
tem quivered—with its immense powers of interdict
and excommunication with its “secular arm," bare


CHRISTIAN AND PROTESTANT FREEDOM.
165
and bloody, holding on to the rack, the engine, and
the stake-with its influence over crowned heads
and armies, and, what was a power more fearful
still, over the most inward thoughts and secret
memories of millions—with its pomp of worship, its
white-stoled priests, its gorgeous altars, its splendid
paintings, its processions, masses, incense ;-with
all this, I say, in its grasp, for centuries, it presents
a spectacle in the annals of man, neither without its
instruction nor its sublimity.
But its strength was destined to be broken, and its
· glory shorn. Its dominion was contracted to a nar-
rower sphere, when the rights of reason and of con-
science began to be asserted. This took place in
the sixteenth century. When corruption brooded
upon the bosom of that blessed faith, for which Paul
had labored and Stephen died—when the pure sim-
plicity and the inward power of the religion that
Jesus taught at the well of Samaria, were buried in
the formalities of a worship that only awed the sen-
ses and dazzled the eye—when vice grew in the
hearts of the priesthood, and iniquity liſted its cowled
head at the very altar—when the subtilties of the
schools and the dogmas of the fathers, had taken the
place of generous thought and plain revelation-then
a rainbow appeared oyer the dark waters. Luther
stood forth to battle for the right Alone, in the face
of the Christian world, with no outward aid, with
no armor but that of reason, no sword but the Bible,
he presents to the impartial eye, the spectacle of a
man, not like Napoleon, with a host at his back-not
like Caur de Lion, with a battle-axe in his hand-
but of a man in the naked power of truth and moral
courage, doing, and doing fearlessly and firmly.
John Tetzel, a Dominican monk, began to proclaim
in Germany the doctrine of indulgences, which al-
.-


166
CHRISTIAN AND PROTESTANT FREEDOM.
lowed, to those who had wealth enough to buy thein,
the remission of all sins, past, present, and future.
And, if the pope was infallible, if the human mind
was not free to judge for itself, who should say that
these enormous abuses were wrong? They were
sanctioned by Leo-who should dispute that sanc-
tion ?
But now the right of individual judgment began to
bé asserted. Luther stood up and boldly proclaimed
the guilt of this matter of indulgences, and implicated
the pontiff in it. Tetzel, on the other hand, main-
tained that the pope had authority as to all punish-
ment, present and future, human and divine. The
human authority Luther admitted, the divine he de-
nied. We will not dwell upon the controversy that
ensued. It is the principle that we wish to draw
out and exhibit. ' Luther was desired to renounce
his peculiar opinions, without any attempt being
made on the other part to prove those opinions er-
roneous. This he bravely refused to do, and the
conflict increased to such a point, that on the tenth
of December, 1520, he publicly burnt the papal
bull requiring him, on pain of excommunication, to
retract his errors in sišty days and throw himself on
the mercy of the court of Rome. On the 17th of
April, 1521, Luther appeared at Worms, “and per-
emptorily declared that he would never abandon his
opinions, or change his conduct, unless he should
be convinced by the word of God, or the dictates of
right reason, that his opinions were erroneous, and
his conduct unlawful.”. From this time there has
gone forth a mighty impulse, that has, at many points
overthrown a corrupt ecclesiastical power, and built
up, upon the fundamental principle that reason and
the Bible are the arbiters of human opinions, the great
fabric of protestantism.


168 CHRISTIAN AND PROTESTANT FREEDOM.
the new thought, it fell with them—to rise no
more! in '
But we have something further to say of protest-
antism. , We are protestants we live under prot-
estant influences and protestant ideas. If catholicism
was wrong, it was, at least, consistent with itself.
Can we say as much for protestantism? Is prot-
estantism-has it been always, consistent with it-
self ? Have protestants, professing to hold reason
and scripture as the sole judges of opinion, never
virtually contradicted this profession ? Now, it is
either catholicism or protestantism--there is no me-
dium ground-no'assumption of both principles, ei-
ther to be applied to suit circumstances. Here is
to be a choice, and it is the only choice-either
let all the various opinions bow to a certain human
authority as infallible ; or else—“Let every man
be fully persuaded in his own mind.”
But what is the history of the protestant church ?
Wherever it has been in power, has it not generally,
if not always, virtually assumed the position of the
ancient Romish church with respect to opinions—if
it has not formally adopted its principles ? Has it
not denounced and persecuted, in one way and
another--if not with the fagot and the rack, at least
with legal and political deprivations, popular odium,
and harsh language? How void and partial was
that which we call “ the English Reformation »
“A mere change of popes”-a mere secession of
one from the dominion of another, and the usurpa-
tion of that dominion by the seceding party ; while
every principle odious to truth, odious to right, re-
tained its place and its influence. No new thought
was given by that party to the popular heart below-
no impulse of spiritual life and action ; it was left to
work out this reformation for itself; to be moved,


CHRISTIAN AND PROTESTANT FREEDOM. 169
not by the winds from above, but by the eternal ebb
and flow from beneath. The catholic on the one
hand, the puritan on the other, felt this ; and the
latter saw but little difference between the old yoke
and the new fetter.
Yet, when the Establishment was threatened, the
dissenting party having become strong, the very
men who struggled for freedom against Laud and
Charles, would have spurned with as strong a hand
the liberal independence of Cromwell and Vane. The
idea was still "authority and unity”—"authority
and unity" ever plucked from the falling sect to be
exercised by the dominant party. So the church-
man persecuted the Puritan, so the Puritan perse-
cuted the Baptist, and so the Presbyterian, Baptist,
and Methodist, with weapons suited to the times,
persecute the Unitarian and the Universalist. Now
these are protestant professions, but catholic ideas.
The same feeling that rises up in our bosoms at the
announcement of a new heresy, and prompts to an
expression of contempt, or an outbreak of persecu-
tion, in earlier times set up the pillory, and grubbed
out ears. And the same great truths that Robinson
preached, and Chillingworth wrote, may now be ap-
pealed to by any man, or any sect, in danger of
popular punishment on account of opinions. Do we
not, after all, tread around on a wheel—while we
are down low, declaiming against all who stand
higher than we, yet when it comes our turn to
mount, following on in pretty much the same routine
-declaiming equally against those who, below us,
are beginning to find a foothold for themselves ? Let
us see to it, that, in turn, we are not crushed by the
advancing host!
For, leaving history, is not the spirit of the text
still disregarded at this day? To take an example
15


172 CHRISTIAN AND PROTESTANT FREEDOM.
he finds there the doctrines of the popular sects, he
will be liable to lose popularity, friendship, church-
membership. What, under these circumstances,
with many, is a natural course of conduct? Why,
such a man says : " I will not trouble myself with
these questions--it is of no use ; if they are false,
then I shall only lose my time in learning that fact;
if they are true, if I adopt them, I must meet un-
popularity, misrepresentation, excommunication. I
will examine no further." Now we do not say, by
any means, that this is the noblest or the loftiest
view for a man to possess; but we ask, is not that
which in so many instances produces such a result,
calculated to confine the mind to particular points
of view? Is not this throwing a barrier between
reason and scripture, on the one hand, and opinion
on the other ?
But let us look at another point. Not long since,
I saw in a certain paper a proposition for church-
schools. The article began by attributing the cir-
cumstance that the Scotch had adhered so 'unwa-
veringly to Calvinism, to the fact that the church
had a voice in the education of the children. The
writer went on to say, that the common-school sys-
tem of this country was not favorable to such a
course of church-education in our schools, as the
Unitarian, the Quaker, the Free-thinker, would ob-
ject to religious teaching. Besides, if they could
agree to meet upon some common bible ground, the
catechism could not be taught there, and therefore
it was advisable that that sect, like a family, should
have a school for the education of its children in
the catechisms and standards. Now, let me ask,
does this savor most of catholicism, or protestant-
ism? We say, of course, nothing against the re-
ligious education of the young ; but sabbath-schools


174 CHRISTIAN AND PROTESTANT FREEDOM.
ions of one man, or' of one set of men, as the right
declaration of the truths of science." The other
party, breaking off from these, should declare, on
the other hand, that “ we are to study nature, and
only upon a conviction by that, that we are wrong,
are we to yield our opinions.” And now suppose,
that, after a little while, the last-mentioned party
should draw up a formula, saying "This formula
contains all the truths in nature, and nothing but
those truths, and he who disbelieves them is an er-
rorist, and unworthy the name of a philosopher.”
Would you not say that they had fallen exactly
into the error of the first-mentioned party ?-that
this formula was, in principle, the same as the oth-
er's decree ? '. Now, if it should be said that this
formula was drawn up only to express the belief of
a particular sect of philosophers, allowing, at the
same time, that others differing from them may be
philosophers also, that all are so, who seek truth
with honest hearts--then the formula would not
occupy objectionable ground. But when it is said,
virtually or professedly, that all who make disagree-
ment with the declarations of that formula are error-
ists, and not philosophers; and when it is found
that this party has power to make many others think
so, and thereby to do serious injury to the character
of the dissenters, then it is that it becomes odious,
and that party is convicted of the inconsistency of
adopting as a main principle that which it once
made a main principle of rejecting..
Again, suppose that party, powerful and influen-
tial, should say—“ all who differ from us we shall
cut off from our association, and hold and publish as
disreputable and ignorant men," and then should
send out its members to survey nature, and form
conclusions by their own judgment. Would you


CHRISTIAN AND PROTESTANT FREEDOM.
177
and organize for the purpose of defending and prop-
agating that opinion. We must have our ism, and
preach our ism, and see if we cannot overthrow
other isms and make ours the popular one. So the
mind becomes narrowed to a small compass, and
runs in a circle. From honest inquirers, we become
zealous partisans--and, forgetting the infinite uni-
verse that lies without, wide-spreading, far-reach-
ing, we begin to look only for something to sustain
our position; and so we live in controversy and
bickering and loud-mouthed triumphs, and leave
truth nearly where we found it-its deep well al-
most as deep to us as ever, and its waters purling
unheeded on our ears. Of course, I speak of the
extremes into which we run, not of the necessary
struggles and controversies that ever attend new
truths and new opinions. And, referring to these
extremes, I say, why do so ? - Why linger around
one tenet, or set of tenets ? If they are true, press on !
they will go with us through eternity! If they are
false, press on! we would not lock the soul in
chains !
But the truth is, much of this narrow sectarianism
springs from the fact that we do not sufficiently
employ individual research. We move too much in
masses. We take too much at second-hand. We
go for “ the party,” right or wrong-we feel bound
to defend the sect in all points—as if anything was
vital but truth, as if any sect had all truth, or as if
any truth could die.
Now these are the old ideas again coming up in
another place—"authority and unity ;” and ideas,
too, from which the more liberal sects are not ex-
empt. Well has a recent writer aimed the shaft of
his sarcasm,"If I know your sect,” says he, “I
anticipate your argument.” For instance, how often


178
CHRISTIAN AND PROTESTANT FREswwind.
is it complained, that such a one does not preach
Universalism, as if he were bound, in every dis-
course, to linger around some particular trụth select-
ed from the mass of truths, Does he preach the
truth? “ Yes.” Does he preach the gospel ? “Why
-yes." What then? Thou wouldst have even
thy particular ism. This is a narrow idea! . .
No; let us, while for practical purposes, uniting
upon some great fundamental article of faith-and
remember, it is not against associated action I speak,
not against organization, as essential to the practi-
cal furtherance of truths--not of acting, am I treat-
ing, but of opinions and here, I say, let us feel un-
shackled-linked to the horns of no sect-altar. In,
dividual freedom of opinion! Here, after all, is the
final analysis, and the true manifestation of protest-
antism. Here, too, lies the Christian idea of liberty,
“ Let every man be fully persuaded in his own
mind.” In his own mind, hearer. Thou hast a
mind, and for that mind open the glory and the beau-
ty of this universe. For that mind speak the voices
of earth, and the outspread ocean, and the lofty,
burning stars. Oracles there are, all through the
universe-question them, they will answer. Why,
in intellectual matters, search měrely for what New-
ton wrote, or Shakespeare sung, or Loeke or Kout
propounded ? Search, too, for thyself, and feel that
it is thy high prerogative to do so. And chiefly in
those matters that pertain to thy spiritual interests-
be fully persuaded in thine own mind, The Bible
is thine—the teachings of apostles are thine-and
the precious words of Christ, fresh from his lips, on
star-lit Galilee, or the mount of Olives, or in the
synagogue, are thine also. High privileges these-
rich possessions! Why barter them? Why tame-
ly sit and know only what others think? Why not,


CHRISTIAN AND PROTESTANT FREEDOM. 179
of thyself, humbly, prayerfully, as becomes a child
of frailty and of the dust, yet with a grateful confi-
dence at heart—why not come where David sings,
and Isaiah prophecies, and Paul exhorts--and, oh!
where, filled with deathless love, the Savior speaks ;
and be fully persuaded in thine own mind!
A few specific remarks upon this general topic of
religious freedom, and I close. And first-what
effect would such liberty have upon Christianity ?
Would there not be stranger heresies than human
ear has ever heard yet? new sects-dişorganizing
opinions impious criticism-infidelity? I answer,
doubtless, something of this there would be—some-
thing of this we see, even now. Rationalists and
mystics, supernaturalists and evangelicalsmen of
every sect-men of no sect-sects of every hue of
belief, springing up on the right hand and the leſt.
Here comes one with his scalpel and thrusts it into
the miracles, and lo! they are torn away from the
body of the Christian system. Another reduces
the evangelists to men merely of ordinary insight
and capacity, and their records to mixtures of error
and truth, fact and fable. Another still, leaves Chris-
tianity but a lean, shorn anatomy, a mythus, an
allegory; no Savior, no cross, no personal immor-
tality. And one more makes every word a sacred
symbol, and every text an allegory, and chains the
heart and the soul to a blind abject credence. Such
are the times—such, and worse perhaps for a sea-
son they will be. And now perhaps one points to
ine and says—“There is your individual freedom
set to work! these are the legitimate results of your
Unitarian, Universalist ideas !" I answer, no; go
back of this—they are the results of protestant ideas
they are the result of each individuals action upon
the precept—" Let every man be fully persuaded in


180
CHRISTIAN AND PROTESTANT FREEDOM.
his own mind." And because of these results shall
we take catholic grounds ? Shall we up with a
standard and cry “authority and unity ?! No; these
are but spots upon a firmament of light-mists that
rise up in the everlasting morning ; behind them is
a clear heaven, and a rising sun. The poorest reads
his Bible by the cottage-door ; the most untutored
reasons, because of this very principle of freedom;
and when the issue comes, as come it may, these
shall refute the skeptic and the dreamer. Let these
errors go free-only let truth be free to meet them;
pen them up in no prison-house, lest the explosion
with which they burst from it do injury; persecute
them not, lest pity make them powerful - let them
live according to the principles of protestant free-
dom, and in the light of protestant freedom shall
they perish. In the exercise of true liberty I fear
not much from anarchy-it is in unlawful restraint
that confusion and rebellion break out—let each orb
run its course and have free sway-behind all, there
is a conserving principle--an eternal law, that
draws and binds the vast whole to harmony and
order.
"Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again,
The eternal years of God are hers;
But error, wounded, writhes in pain,
And dies amid her worshippers.”
And, after all, what kind of spirit is this that fears
for Christianity ? Christianity-tossed about, and
borne through tempest and darkness. Coming
down to us from among unhallowed relics and hoary.
errors, and the tumults of eighteen centuries, pure
and fresh as at its birth-morn. These glooms and
distortions affect it not. It flows
: "From its mysterious urn, a sacred stream,
In whose calm depths the beautiful and pure


182 CHRISTIAN AND PROTESTANT FREEDOM.
thon sicken, and Erasmus rail, because of just such
things ? Yet what had all this to do with the grand,
central truths that the Reformation developed and
established ? Nothing! nor has it now, with our
truths. If, in some instances, evil has crept in
among us, let us put it by, let it never be harbored
again; but, remember, this is one thing and the
truth another. So, not by retorting upon others,
what so warmly and heavily might be rolled back
upon them, but by clinging to and striving for the
truth, what does the opposer gain—what does the
truth lose? There is still a broad question between
us on the issue of which hang results of infinite
moment.
Again, let us look for the manifestation of truth in
various associations, and under different phases. Let
us not expect to see that truth always in connexion
with our particular ism. It may glow out here,
and issue forth there, in another form and shape.
And, once more, when we hold what we deem to
be truth, let us not, because of persecution—not for
self-interest, not for fashion, not for popularity-leave
it, and go crouching with a sick-heart in other places.
Finally, what lesson may we, as individuals, car-
ry away with us, from this subject ? We may learn
by it to be honest seekers after and lovers of truth
truth as the essence of all things—truth which is
never to be lightly esteemed, never to be sacrificed.
But, in doing this, let us not be proud or arrogant.
It is, remember, toward man only that we are inde.
pendent as it regards our right to knowledge and
our judgment of opinions. From God let us ever
seek wisdom, humbly, prayerfully, feeling that with-
out his aid, we are fallible, blind, nothing. From him,
earnestly, fervently, let us seek ever for truth--let us
ever feel and acknowledge our dependance upon him.


CHRISTIAN AND PROTESTANT FREEDOM. 183
And let us remember, too, that truth, though a
great end, is not the chief end, but the duty that the
truth inculcates. And consider, too, that in propor-
tion to our knowledge so accumulates our responsi-
bility. Do we feel this? do we act upon it? Oh!
say, say, do we live according to our knowledge ?
Do we, knowing much truth, do much duty ? Car-
ry home this reflection with you-carry it out into
the world. Remember, it is your duty not only to
think but to live right. Here, then, is an important
query_let each one put it to his own heart-Do I
live right in the sight of God ? Of this also, am I
fully persuaded in my own mind?


OF GOD UNTO SALVATION.
185
the halls of science, that can number among the pa-
trons the learned, wealthy, and fashionable ? No, it
is the gospel of Christ, of him whose cradle was a
manger, whose profession an humble mechanic, and
whose apostles were fishermen of Galilee ; of him
who was crucified as a malefactor, and whose name
was hated and despised at Rome, and throughout the
world-of his gospel, he says, I am not ashamed.
But why not ashamed ? It could clothe him with
no worldly honor, give him no temporal riches, and
furnish him with none of the advantage of fashiona-
ble society. On the contrary, it cut him off from all
the honors and privileges he had enjoyed, subjected
him to toils, and crosses, and sacrifices, and made
him the object of hatred and bitterness, where be-
fore he had been one of the most devoted love.
Why then, was he not ashamed of it? We answer
-Because it was the power of God unto salvation.
Corrupted Judaism with its numerous rites, ceremo-
nies, and traditions ; idolatry with its decorated tem-
ples, its countless gods, its dark mysteries, and
smoking incense ; and philosophy with its fine the-
ories, nice speculations, and learned disquisitions, he
had found wholly incapable of working any moral
renovation in society; he had seen men daily grow-
ing worse under their mightiest influence. But the
Gospel, hated as it was, poor and illiterate as were
its advocates, could renovate and make anew those
sunk in the deepest depravity ; it could arrest the
mightiest current of sin, subdue the most violent and
clamorous passions, and breathe life into those slum-
bering in the grave of iniquity. Wherever it pre-
vailed licentiousness was exchanged for purity;
oaths and curses for thanksgiving and praise ; and an
utter disregard for truth, chastity, and honor, for the
most scrupulous integrity and purity.
16*


186
THE GOSPEL, THE POWER
But in what did its power consist ? What rend-
ered it so mighty in its operations ? We may be as-
sisted in answering these queries by considering
some things, in which its power did not consist.
1. It did not consist in propitiatory worship. There
are two kinds of worship in the world. One is de-
signed to avert the anger and obtain the favor of the
being adored; the other to enlighten the understand-
ing, rectify the life, and elevate the affections of the
worshipper. All heathen worship is propitiatory.
Whenever idolators bow before their gods, it is to
change their wrath into mercy. They pay little or
no adoration to their friendly gods, giving as a reason,
that they will not injure them; and that the evil
ones, may be prevented from doing so, by attention
and devotion. The worship of a large part of
Christendom is propitiatory, performed from the same
low and selfish motives of the heathen worship.
Once, it is said, let the idea universally prevail, that
God is the friend of all, and worship would cease on
the face of the whole earth. But here the question
arises, why heathenism was so powerless, so utterly,
unable to save, if the virtue of the gospel consists.
in propitiatory worship? Why was it so infinitely
surpassed by the religion of Jesus? According to
the common opinion, they bear, in this respect, an
exact resemblance in their nature ; and yet, one
ruins, while the other saves! Say not that the in-
efficiency of heathenism was owing to its idols ; for
they were quite as terrible as is the God of any
Christian ; and a heathen was much more solicitous
to avert the anger of his divinities, than is any Chris-
tian to avert the anger of his divinity. The great
defect, then, was in the nature of the worship. All
their prayers, sacrifices, and penance, had no power
to render them chaste, temperate, honest, and just..


OF GOD UNTO SALVATION.
187
Hence, while the heathen were the most punctilious
in observing the rites of their religion, “there was
not a virtue held sacred among them, nor a vice they
did not practise.” And it is not in the power of
propitiatory worship to renovate human nature. It
is like sacrificing to the sun, to make the earth teem
with bounties and glories ; like laboring to still the
tempest, instead of preparing our vessel for the
storm. Besides, the plant cannot grow without the
sun to warm, the rain to moisten, and the earth to
nourish it. So with the plant of virtue, nothing but
the mild radiance of the sum of Righteousness can
start it into being; and nothing but the dews of di-
vine grace can nourish and bring it to perfection.
To suppose it can grow up under the cloud of infinite
wrath, in the beating storms of vengeance and
cruelty, is to suppose an effect directly opposed to
its cause.
It will not remove the difficulty to say—prayer,
justice, purity, and charity, are the appointed means
by which the favor of God is to be obtained, and
therefore, Christian propitiatory worship can save,
while that of heathenism is powerless in the work
of moral renovation ; for when we do right, through
the fear of infinite vengeance, our actions have no
more merit than those of the prisoner who goes
daily to a labor which he hates, for fear of the lash
and the dungeon. While the lip speaks reverence,
and the hand moves to justice, the heart may be the
seat of everything impure, and be filled with burning
hatred, impatient wrath, and cankering envy. And
so long as such is the state, the work of salvation
is not done ; the soul is still in its fetters ; and the
gospel has effected nothing toward the accomplish-
ment of its great object.
2. The power of the gospel did not consist in


188
THE GOSPEL, THE POWER
mystery. Many Christians fear nothing so much as
reason in matters of religion. They imagine if the
gospel is made plain, and suited to the comprehen-
sion of the humblest capacity, it will lose its influ-
ence, that men will cease to respect and obey it.
Hence we have the mystery of the trinity, of tran-
substantiation, of vicarious atonement, of miraculous
conversion, of election and reprobation, and of end-
less misery. Everything in religion is veiled in
mystery, and doctrines are held sacred just in
proportion to the inability of the people to explain
and illustrate them. But if the power of the gospel
consists in this, why was heathenism so utterly in-
effectual ? “Every maxim of morality, every tenet
of theology, every dogma of philosophy, was wrapt
up in a veil of allegory and mysticism.” And yet,
with all the darkness in which it was shrouded, it
had no power to regenerate and sanctify the soul.
This accords with daily experience and observa-
tion. All we see of the reign of mystery, proves its
utter insufficiency to regulate the heart. Those
who will stand in awe before a mystery, will openly
and unblushingly despise and denounce a doctrine,
which their reason can grasp, and their judgment
must approve. While they will defy Deity, they
will fear and tremble at the thought of an imaginary
devil ; and while they will cling with tenacity to the
idea of a wonderful influence to be excited by cer.
tain mysteries, they will despise those very senti-
ments, which if heeded, would create them anew.
Nor is this all. To suppose the gospel loses in pow-
er in proportion as it is understood, is to suppose it void
of real excellency and consistency; It is to make
its worth merely imaginary. Now for one, I have
no faith in such an idea. So far from this, I con-
sider that much of the unbelief of the world arises


OF GOD UNTO SALVATION.
189
from ignorance, that were the gospel universally
seen as it is, that were the eye capable of behold-
ing all its bearings and tendencies, its power would
be as great as in the hands of the apostles, and it
would soon reign from sea to sea, “ with illimitable
sway."
3. The power of the Gospel did not consist in
the doctrine of endless punishment. Perhaps no
class of people on earth have dealt more in the ter-
rors of hell, than the heathen. They have relied
almost exclusively on these, to enforce all the duties
of their religion. Not only have priests and spirit-
ual teachers, dealt out the thunders of infinite wrath;
but rulers and administrators of the law have done
the same. The following description, by a Christian
poet, is perfectly applicable to the heathen hell.
"Wide was the place,
And deep as wide, and ruinous as deep.
Beneath, I saw a lake of burning fire
With tempest tost perpetually, and still
The waves of fiery darkness, 'gainst the rocks
Of dark damnation broke, and music made
Of melancholy sort; and over head
And all around, wind warr'd with wind, storm howl'd
To storm, and lightning, forked lightning, cross'd,
And thunder answered thunder, muttering sounds
Of sullen wrath; and as far as sight could pierce,
Or down descend in caves of hopeless depth,
Through all that dungeon of unfading fire,
I saw most miserable beings walk,
Burning continually, yet unconsumed ;
Forever wasting, yet enduring still,
Dying perpetually, yet never dead."
Now although everything was done to make peo-
ple see their infinite danger ; though in imagination,
this pit of despair was kept constantly open, and its
fires were perpetually burning, they were intemper-
ate, licentious, cruel, revengeful, and given to every


190
THE GOSPEL, THE POWER
species of wickedness. The efficacy of the gospel,
therefore, does not consist in the eternity of punish-
ment; for could this save, heathenism would be the
power of God unto salvation.
This is proved, too, by the history of the church.
During the dark ages, the doctrine of endless pun-
ishment reigned with undisputed sway. Throughout
all Christendom, not a man was found to advocate the
restitution of all things. But, at this time, the reign
of sin and crime was as extensive as the reign of
this doctrine. The whole Mahomedan world, also,
barbarous and cruel as it is, believes the punishment
of sin to be endless. This, too, was the faith of
those who murdered the Savior and his apostles;
who have carried on all the persecutions of the
earth. Now these things speak out as in a voice of
thunder, and declare in language we cannot mistake,
that the power of the gospel does not consist in the
eternity of punishment.
4. I wish to mention one particular more in which
the power of the gospel does not consist; but before
doing this, I must ask you to mark the singular re-
semblance between heathenism and the orthodoxy
of our times. They agree perfectly in the nature
of their worship, in the importance they attach to
mystery, and in the duration of punishment. In
these respects, the two systems are substantially the
same. They are the same, not only in nature, but
in effect; both failing to produce an enlightened
piety, a generous affection, a sincere, whole-hearted
worship, and a warm, expansive liberality and kind-
ness. But I must not linger here ; and will proceed
to show that the power of the gospel did not consist
in human learning.
The Greeks were wise in the wisdom of this
world; they were renowned for their philosophy,


OF GOD UNTO SALVATION.
191
the purity of their language, and the graces of their
elocution. They had been favored with eminent
instructors, and their religion had been "lighted up
with the rare lustre of Zoroaster, Pythagoros, and
Socrates.” But still it was powerless. Not all the
beauty of language, nor the fascinations of oratory,
nor the discoveries of philosophy, could enable it to
regenerate the heart.
Let me not be misunderstood. I am not opposed
to human learning ; nor do I believe that truth loses
any of its power from being connected with it. On
the contrary, I know that learning enables us to pre-
sent truth in its most forcible light, to bring out in
the clearest and fullest manner all its excellencies
and glories. The boy, to borrow a plain figure, who
holds a lamp for the direction of another, is always
instructed to hold it, so that he can himself see; and
then he will be sure that he holds it right. So with
the minister. Unless he has learning sufficient to
see the real character of the gospel, how can he
hold the lamp for others ? I would have men, there-
fore, thoroughly and liberally educated. I rejoice
in every seminary that is established, and college
that is endowed. And I should rejoice with joy un-
speakable, to see schools rising up among us, to pre-
pare young men for our ministry; and which should
send forth those able to do justice to our holy gos-
pel. But while I hold learning thus important, I do
not believe it is the power of God unto salvation.
The thirsty man needs something more than a gold-
en pitcher; and the hungry man something more
than a table loaded with massive plate. Whenever
I listen to preaching that is graceful, literary, and
eloquent, but destitute of the great doctrines of re-
demption, I feel like the man who has a splendid
house, and splendid furniture, but is dying for food ;


194
THE GOSPEL, THE POWER
would be the same with the laws of our land. They
might be the most excellent that human wisdom
could devise, and absolutely essential to the order
and peace of society; and yet, if without authority,
be entirely destitute of power. Unless the people
see that the laws will be enforced ; that those
who made them have the power and will to sustain
them, they will not have much effect. The multi-
tude will not philosophize about the fitness of the
laws; many of them are incapable of looking at
their several bearings and relations and tendencies.
But this is still more the case in regard to the laws
of God. How poorly qualified are the young and
ignorant, the careless and indifferent, to weigh the
reasonableness, and fitness, and value of the various
doctrines and laws of Christianity! It is necessary,
therefore, that they should see the divine authority
with which it is clothed; for then they can under-
stand that God who gave it will punish every act
of disobedience, and reward them for every duty
performed. Hence God has confirmed his word
by prophecies and miracles. Neither were neces-
sary to make known the doctrines or laws of Chris-
tianity. We could know just as much about God's
love, grace, and mercy; his laws of justice, tem-
perance, and truth, without miracles and prophecies,
as with them. God, therefore, gave these, in order
to show that he was with the prophets, apostles, and
his Son—that what they spake was his word, and
clothed with his authority. Remember, then, the
gospel is from God; it is God's word; it is he that
here commands his people. And has he not a right
to command ? Are we not his subjects, the sheep
of his pasture ? And is he not almighty in power?
Yes—he is the creator of all things, and to him all
nations are as a drop in a bucket, as a small dust in


OF GOD UNTO SALVATION.
195
the balance. He taketh up the isles as a very little
thing; he thunders in the heavens, and the inhab-
itants of the earth tremble with fear. Now how
does the fact that the gospel is from such a God-
that he will enforce all its laws, and execute all its
penalties, make us fear to disobey, or despise its
requisitions! Its authority, then, renders it the
power of God unto salvation.
2. It consists in the love of God. This love is
free. He that spared not his own son, but freely
delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with
him give us all things? This is a saving love.
“ Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he
loved us, and sent his son to be a propitiation for
our sins." This love is impartial. God so loved
the world, that he sent his son to save it. To this
love, the inspired writers always appeal, in their
efforts to redeem man from sin. Their language is,
"O! that men would praise the Lord for his good-
ness, and his wonderful works to the children of
men.”_" The goodness of God leadeth to repent.
ance.”—“ Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought
also to love one another.” To attempt this great
work by any other means, is like shutting out the
sun from our land, and substituting the light and
warmth of artificial fires. And yet men have gone
upon this principle, in the efforts they have made
to convert sinners. They have veiled Deity in
robes of darkness and vengeance, and sought to save
the soul by the fires of wrath. But this is against
the whole scheme of redemption ; for the character
which God has made to stand most visibly out in his
mighty plan, is love, free, saving and impartial love.
“ He saw," to use the language of Chalmers, “ this
to be the only method by which he could gain the
heart. God, who knew what was in man, seems to


196
THE GOSPEL, THE POWER
have known, that in his dark and guilty bosom,
there was but one solitary hold he had over him,.
and that to reach it, he inust put on a look of gra-
ciousness, and demonstrate his infinite and ever-
lasting mercy. Hence he calls himself our Father,
speaks of his great love, wherewith he loved us,
when we were dead in trespasses and sins, and
points us to the unsearchable riches of his grace.
Now why should Deity adopt this mode of dealing
with his children ?-why should he take this meth-
od to reform the worst of his offspring, if there be
not an omnipotent influence in love-an influence
which restores when all other means have failed
an influence which is adapted to all characters and
conditions ?
The experience of Howard, the great philanthro-
pist, shows that we are right. This man's labors
were among the outcasts of society; among, not only
the ignorant, but those who had become hardened
by repeated crimes, and who were stained by every
moral pollution. After travelling through Europe,
and descending into every prison-house, and be-
coming familiar with men in all the stages of de-
pravity, he gives it as the fruit of his experience,
that even the most hardened, defying, and dauntless
criminals are not irreclaimable ; that there is one
principle that can be touched, and they will live
and that is the principle of love. “ Treat them,”
he says, “with tenderness, show them that you
have humanity, and, without relaxing a single iota
from the steadiness of a calon and resolute disci-
pline, you will make them feel the workings of
those powers which give man his dignity and moral
worth.”
Our own experience testifies to the correctness
of this doctrine. What fills our souls with such


-
197
OF GOD UNTO SALVATION.
lively emotions of gratitude and love, as undeserved
kindness ? as the pity which weeps over us when :
languishing in sickness ? as the charity which vis-
its, like a guardian-angel, the home of poverty and
wretchedness ?
Thus love is the power of God unto salvation.
It does not simply rectify one passion ; but it ex-
tends its influence over the whole man. It cleanses
the fountain, and makes the stream run pure ; it is
a light in the soul, which illuminates all its powers ;
it is the end and fulfilling of the law; it is the sum
of all duty, and the perfection of all bliss. For one,
therefore, I have no fear that Deity will be held up
in a light too excellent and glorious ; that too much
will be said about his love ; for it is love that ren-
ders the gospel quick and powerful, sharper than any
two-edged sword; it is love that enables it to save.
“ We love God because he first loved us."
3. The power of the gospel consists in true ex-
cellency and perfection of the character which it
presents for our imitation. It holds up the Lord
Jesus Christ as our pattern and guide, and shows
that he was the perfection of every virtue : that in
him centred all that love, mercy, forbearance, kind-
ness and meekness which we are required to pos-
sess. Now who can estimate the power of such a
character? The apostle says—we are changed by
it from glory to glory ; that it transforms us into new
creatures. And what could be more natural than
such an effect? Even the imperfect characters of
those around us exert a vast influence. What could
kindle in the soul such a love of benevolence as the
character of Howard ? How are we elevated in
our aims and desires by the name of a distinguished
hero, statesman, scholar or divine. We cannot even
look upon the portrait of a great and good man,
17*


198
THE GOSPEL, THE POWER
without having our souls swell with loſty purposes.
How mighty is the influence exerted by that vast
army of Christians and Christian martyrs, with
whom every reader of the Bible is familiar. The
lights shining from them incites us to every good
word and work. But all these are dim and imper-
fect, compared with the lights shining from the char-
acter of Christ. He is the sun of righteousness;
and in him there is a combination of all that is love-
ly and excellent.
In one of the most celebrated pictures ever paint-
ed of our Lord, the light shining from him, throws
its mellow radiance over all the other characters of
the painting. How true to life! all the light which
gathers around us ; all the splendors by which we
are encircled, are borrowed from Jesus—they ema-
nate from this great central sun. Take away this,
and those who are now stars in the church of God,
would no longer shine in all the lustre and glory of
virtue ; and Christendom, instead of being illumia
nated with the splendors of truth, would be enveloped
in thick darkness.
But few have yet realized the power of character
upon character. It has been aptly likened to the effect
which one harp has upon another when placed side
by side. The tune you play upon one may be heard
faintly but distinctly upon the other. So the man
who lives near to the Savior, will find the harp of
his own soul giving forth the same sounds of love
and mercy that are heard from the harp of the Sav-
ior himself; he will be moulded into the image of
his Lord, and reflect his likeness upon those around
him. Here, then, is one great reason why such an
exalted rank is given to the Savior; and why it is
said, at his name every knee shall bow, and every


200
THE GOSPEL, THE POWER
ing of names or sects. It stops not to ask whether
the sufferer, bleeding with wounds, is sound in opin-
ion. It waits not, before giving shelter to the weary
traveller, to learn his country or kindred. It is
enough for it to know, that a man is bleeding and
suffering, and that a human being desires shelter
from the pelting storm. It is a love for man as man,
and wherever he is found, under whatever circum-
stances, and of whatever kindred or tongue, there is
an object for its exercise.
Here, then, in the doctrine of a common broth-
erhood, we see the resistless power of the gospel.
It is this that enables it to break down those division-
walls which have stood for ages, and to stay those
armies rushing forth to battle, in the name of re-
venge and unsanctified ambition. It is this that
enables it to break the yoke of oppression, to sun-
der the fetters of bondage, and render nerveless the
arm of cruelty. It is this, too, that enables it to
eradicate hatred from the soul, to silence the tongue
of slander, to exterminate every feeling of envy,
and to unite men in cords stronger than those laws
of attraction which bind together the boundless uni-
verse. I behold, in this doctrine, a “majesty and
power before which I stand in awe, and bow down
in reverence ;" and, as I look forward through the
history of coming ages, and see it sweeping on
through the world, I behold thrones of despotism
falling, partition-walls crumbling, the poor and de-
graded rising from their oppression, and the human
race living together as one family, in the enjoyment
of light, liberty, and peace.
5. The power of the gospel consists in the na-
ture of its punishment. Before the promulgation
of Christianity, mankind went upon the principle
that the severer and more terrible the punishment,


OF GOD UNTO SALVATION.
201
the greater its restraining influence. This was the
case, not only with religionists, but legislators, who
framed their laws upon the same principle. Such
is the opinion of thousands and thousands at the
present day.; of all, indeed, who say partialism is
better in its influence than Universalism, because its
punishment is greater. Now, would such consider
the brutalizing effect of cruelty, its tendency to
harden and drive to desperation, they would see at
once their error. There is nothing so degrading
and corrupting as cruelty and a slavish fear. The
wretched being who has a tyrant-master, for ever
feels himself fettered ; a blight is upon his soul, and
a mildew upon his affections. With stinted powers
of mind, a ruined disposition, and a frozen heart, he
is boding by day upon dangers, and dreaming by
night of ills. It is the same with those harassed
by the terrors of infinite torture. « Fancy constantly
trembles before the picture, and superstition throws
its darkest imagery over it.” They shudder at the
thought of that Being who sits in mysterious wrath,
ready to hurl them to infinite perdition, and they
become cold, and hard, and unfeeling. I can see
nothing but evil in such terror. It is food for the
hypochondriac and the maniac. The moment rea-
son forsakes her throne, and the mind becomes
shattered, that moment it dwells upon infinite tor-
ture, or the unheard-of treachery of friends, or ca-
lamities which, from their very nature, are impossi-
ble. Now the punishment of the gospel is as dif-
ferent from endless punishment, as the reflections
of a sane mind are from those of the maniac. The
punishment of the gospel is reasonable, just, con-
sistent, and merciful ; it is that which a father inflicts
upon his wayward son, and which goodness itself
ordains. It is not revenge, not cruelty, not the out-


202
THE GOSPEL, THE POWER
breakings of wrath, but that wise discipline, that
gracious correction, which is necessary to restore
the wanderer. What, therefore, can exert such a
restraining influence as this punishment ? Certain
in its nature, we see the impossibility of escaping
the consequences of transgression ; just in its de-
gree, it humbles and subdues ; benevolent in its
object, it ends in reformation. Once let these views
of punishment prevail, and the progress of crime
would be stayed ; for men would not only see that
whoever does wrong must receive for that wrong,
that worlds of inanimate matter may sooner go to
ruin, than sin go unpunished; but they would see
the righteousness of their punishment, and the good-
ness of that Being by whom it is ordained. This
punishment does something more than restrain the
restless spirit; it extends its influence over the
very desires of the heart, and destroys the motive to
transgress. Thus it works out the salvation of the
sinner.
6. The power of the gospel consists in the doc-
trine of life and immortality. Every man, says the
apostle, that hath the hope of glory, purifieth himself,
even as Christ is pure. The reason is perfectly ob-
vious. This hope sees the infinite riches of heaven;
it beholds the blessed reunion of friends, long sep-
arated, in a world where union, life, peace, and joy,
are eternal ; it hears the Great Redeemer, having
rescued all from the darkness of sin, from the ago-
nies of death, from that shame of guilt, which makes
us“ seem like some atom which God had made su-
perfluously, and needed not to build creation with,"
saying="Father, I have finished the work thou
gavest me to do—I have reconciled the world unto
thyself, and conquered the last foe of thy children.”
Now it is impossible to realize such blessings as


204
THE GOSPEL, THE POWER
tions, and an angel's dignity. Destined to heaven,
he turns away from everything opposed to its spirit,
its glory, its songs of praise, and crowns of rejoicing;
and as immortality unfolds itself to his mind, his en-
raptured soul rises into greatness at the grandeur of
his final destiny; and emotions, such as the spirits
of the just feel, take possession of his heart. 0
blessed doctrine this ! Mightier, far inightier than all
the powers of earth; and dearer, infinitely dearer
than all its treasures.
Such, my brethren, is the gospel, and such are
the great doctrines which render it the power of God
unto salvation, which enable it to enlighten the ig-
norant, soften the obdurate, and reclaim the wander-
ing. Such, too, is the gospel by which the Christian
minister is to save his people, help the onward march
of righteousness and peace, and convert the desola-
tions of error and sin, into a paradise of love and
joy. All who sincerely believe this gospel, will be
made new creatures.
Other religions have power-paganisin and Ma.
hometanism exercise an iron sway over the people.
The doctrine of endless misery has power. It can
make the bosom of society heave with commotion,
and send through community a wild spirit of excite-
ment and terror, which makes men feel themselves
to be mere victims of the cruelty of an angry divin-
ity, Infidelity has power. It can blot out the star
of hope, which points to the glory of heaven, break
down the barriers by which the peace of society,
the sacredness of home, and the blessings of liberty
are protected. But in all these, the power is unto
destruction, while in the gospel, it is unto salvation.
Who then can be ashamed of the gospel ? Asha-
med?
"Sooner far, let evening blush to own its star !"


400
206
THE GOSPEL, THE POWER, ETC.
your gratitude kindled into a flame ; and when you
shall have returned to your respective homes the
holy influences of this occasion will be with you
distilling like the dews of Hermon, and enriching
your hearts with all the virtues of the gospel. May
the blessings of the Father and the Son be with
us all for ever and ever. AMEN.


208
CHARACTER OF THE
moral government of God, as resulting by Decree, or
by permission (to use the mildest term), in an event,
from which even hardened malevolence starts back
with unaffected horror! And it is full time, that men
who have the Scriptures in their hands-on a proper
understanding of which, their happiness in life, and
their peace and hope in the hour of death, depend-
should understand what constitutes the difference
between the religion therein taught, and those sys-
tems which are based on principles more limited in
benevolence, and less efficient in their operation and
influence on the human soul.
The voice of friendship we all know, in the ordi-
nary operations of mind, has a most potent charm
over the soul of man. And under the influence of
her spirit, there is scarcely any length within the
bounds of imagination, to which man may not be
led. Convince a man that you are in reality and
unfeignedly his friend ; let him learn this faet by
long experience ; let your deeds of kindness, love,
and compassion, in all possible ways, bear to him
the evidence that there is no deception on your part;
minister to his wants in the hour of necessity;
throw over his foibles, his follies, and his faults, the
mantle of charitable forgiveness and forgetfulness;
in a word, be kindly affectionate toward him in all
your intercourse in life, and if his bosom be the
seat of one kindly and grateful feeling, that feeling
will be called forth in response to the spirit which
touched its chords, and the harmonious numbers of
friendship will flow like sweetest music to the soul.
Men, we know, under the influence of these feel-
ings, have often periled comfort, wealth, and ease,
and all the endearments of civilized and social life,
on the altar of the heart's warm friendship; and have
sometimes carried their beroic firmness even to the


RELIGION OF JESUS.
209
verge of human existence! But here, it must be
confessed, they have arrived at a point at which the
stoutest quail. And the saying, “ all that a man hath
will he give for his life,” will generally be found to
hold good. Few, very few indeed, when brought
directly to the test, will be found equal to the trial of
giving up their lives, even for their most devoted
friends ; especially when they are brought to this
test, in the moment of cool and deliberate choice.
It is true, men have sometimes, perhaps in the
heat of battle, even when the gleaming sabre was
falling on a beloved companion's head, been spurred
on by a momentary impulse of this powerful prin-
ciple, to rush between the uplifted weapon of de-
struction, and the object on which it was about to
fall; and to receive in their own persons, the fatal
blow.
There have also been a few instances, perhaps,
where the strong ties of friendship have been so
closely entwined around the heart, as to prompt in.
dividuals, coolly and premeditatedly, to meet death for
the benefit of those with whose happiness their own
was thought to be identified But those instances
are oftener the creatures of the poet's dreams, than
of sober reality ; and it will be admitted by every
one, that the occurrence of such cases is extremely
seldom. And when they do occur, they are herald-
ed throughout the world, as the rare workings of the
noblest and loftiest powers of the soul ; and those
who are the authors of these self-sacrificing deeds,
are immortalized in the praises and honors of their
fellow-men.
The warrior who generously pours out his life
upon the battle-field, in defence of his country, does
it from the promptings of pure friendship to that
country, or to those whose interest, and happiness,
18*


210
CHARACTER OF THE
ham on
he hopes to subserve by the sacrifice he makes,
And for his deed he is embalmed in the grateful
recollection of those he fought to free. What
American bosom does not kindle at the name of
WARREN, of MONTGOMERY, and of PULASKI ? Yet
even here there was no absolute certainty of their
being compelled to make the sacrifice of life. But
there was always a chance, at least, that they might
outlive the struggle, and participate in the blessings
which they toiled to purchase. So that this thought
must take back something from the self-disinterested
motives which urged them on.
But I need not pursue this train of thought to
greater length. For all know that the instances
rarely occur, when even the strongest, and most
benevolent minds will go so far as to sacrifice, what
every man holds as an invaluable treasure, their own
lives, even from motives of the strongest friendship.
And when under any circumstances they do this, it
will be confessed, they have manifested the very
height of all love which man can bear to his fellow-
man. And the Divine Teacher has well, and truly
said, “ Greater love hath no man than this, that he
will lay down his life for his friend.” And here I wish
to impress the idea deeply on the minds of all, that
those deeds of nobleness of which we have been
speaking, have been performed whenever they have
taken place, only through the promptings of the most
ardent love and friendship :-only because the de-
voted persons knew that in the persons whom they
designed to serve they had their warmest and most
steadfast friends; or in the cause for which they
labored was their greatest good.
But whoever knew any man to go this great
length in sacrifice for a person, a country, or a
cause, in the success of which he felt a cold indif-


RELIGION OF JESUS.
211
ference? Whoever performed acts like these for a
person, whom he knew felt cold and indifferent tow-
ard him ? Surely none. Much more, then, we
ask, who was ever known to go forward, and gener-
ously sacrifice his pleasure, his ease, and even tem-
poral happiness, for those whom he considered, or
knew to be his enemies ? Does the world, in all
the noble and meritorious deeds which mortals have
ever done, furnish one solitary instance where mor-
tal man (aside from those who were divinely sup-
ported in publishing the gospel of the grace of God),
has manifested that magnanimity of soul, that ardent
friendship, yea, that heavenly love, which has led
him to take his life in his hand, and go forward vol-
untarily to the sacrifice, and lay it down on the altar
of his enemy's good ? No! The case is far other-
wise. For men, so far from being actuated by prin-
ciples like these, have almost always been taught ;
and have certainly frequently acted on the principle,
or rather want of principle, that men should love their
friends only, while they might hate their enemies.
And under the influence of such feelings, men have
not only justified themselves in giving back friend-
ship for friendship, and love for love, in exchange
for those emotions in the bosoms of their fellows;
but they have been inclined to pay back hatred for
hatred, and cruelty for cruelty ; and they have sel-
dom pleaded poverty in an ample addition of malig-
nant interest to the original debt. So that men gen-
erally go on the principle of doing good for their
friends, while they will commonly render evil to their
enemies; or at the least, they will settle down into a
cold and hardened indifference toward them. So
practices man, whose
"Inhumanity to man,
Makes countless millions mourn !”


212
CHARACTER OF THE
But how, then, is it with the religion of Jesus,
and with the moral government of God ? Has the
former, professedly the world's regenerator, been
proclaimed, and the latter developed to the erring
sons and daughters of humanity, only to disclose to
the world the astounding fact, that man's bitterness,
and hatred, and cruelty, and revenge toward his
fellow-man, hath its example, its antetype, in heaven
-in the bosom of the immortal Father ?
We are told, indeed, and that too by men high in
scholastic divinity, and theological celebrity, that,
God the Father deals with his erring children, pre-
cisely as they in their weakness, and wickedness,
deal with each other. And the pulpits and the
presses of all limitarian sects throughout the world,
have been long employed in descanting on the vin.
dictive wrath and vengeance, with which the univer-
sal Parent will pursue his children ; and in laboring
to set forth the manner in which he will requite their
evil doings against him, and against each other ; by
inflicting on them evils, devoid even of any good
intention toward them, and which will prove to the
devoted souls who suffer them, a tremendous and
unending curse !
I need not stop here, then, to dilate on all, or any
of the wild vagaries, and cold and heartless specu-
lations, in which men have indulged, in order that
the evils of which we speak, may be made to apo
pear chargeable, alone, to the sinful conduct of those
who suffer them. But it is sufficient now, to repeat
what we have before intimated, that there are those
even professing the Christian name, who contend
that the moral government which God has instituted
over man, will result in the positive, unspeakable,
and unending wretchedness of millions. I will not
stop, therefore, to paint to your imaginations the at-


RELIGION OF JESUS.
213
frighted and horror-filled spirits of the myriads of
poor and benighted heathen, who shall be doomed,
in the iron language of the poet Watts, to “ shriek
out and howl beneath the rod” of almighty and un-
ceasing vengeance, in the immortal world, for the
sole reason that they have been guilty of the heinous
crime of not in this life believing on Him of whom
they have never heard ! Nor will I now harrow up
your sensibilities, by rehearsing in detail, the argu-
ments which were once deemed sound orthodoxy,
and designed to prove that fathers and mothers shall
be doomed by Him who gave them being, for ever
in the spirit-world to walk the gloomy prisons which
their own infant's sculls have paved; or less fortu-
nate, perhaps, than thus to be made sharers of their
sufferings, shall be doomed, while looking from the
shining battlements of heaven on their agonies in
the flames below, to shout thanksgiving and praise
to the God who hurled their offspring there! But I
will simply ask the candid mind to look at these
dreadful systems, in contrast with the spirit and lan-
guage of my text. And I ask you to do this, that
you may discover the radical difference there is be-
tween the spirit of the religion which Jesus taught,
and that which has palmed those cruel notions on
the world, and found their thoughtless advocates
even in the father's and the mother's lips. “For
scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet per-
adventure for a good man some would even dare to
die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in
that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
You will, of course, perceive that in the first
clause of the text, the apostles, by the good man, for
which some would even dare to die, intended to sig-
nify only what the Savior taught, when he said,
* Greater love hath no man than this, that he will


216
CHARACTER OF THE
to remove all doubt of the fact that God does in re-
ality love his enemies, we will appeal directly to
the teachings of the Savior. In his gospel, by
Matthew, he has these words which set the seal
of utter falsehood on all the limitarian systems which
men have ever devised ; and which ought, as a guide
of our lives, in all our intercourse with the world, to
be deeply engraven on the tablet of every heart :
“ Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt
love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy : But I say
unto you love your enemies ; bless them that curse
you ; do good to them that hate you; and pray for
them that despitefully use you, and persecute you;
that ye may be the children of your Father which is in
heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil
and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just, and
on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you
what reward have you ? ' Do not even the publicans
the same ? Be ye therefore perfect even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect."1
Here there is no veil of obscurity thrown around
the doctrine of God's love to his enemies ; for the
Savior has made it the standard and the example of
moral virtue and holiness in man—the point to which
he must continually aim, to 'imitate the PERFECT-
NESS OF GOD. The fact, then, is placed beyond
doubt, that God loves his enemies! And the im-
portant question remaining, is on the character and
tendency of his love. For it will be said the term
love has been employed in various senses. It is
said that Balaam “ loved the wages of unrighteous-
ness."2 And this was no doubt a sinful, inordinate,
hurtful love, and ought not to have been cherished.
We often say that men love wickedness—that which
is hurtful to themselves and others. We read also
in the Scriptures, of those who loved darkness rath-
(1) Matt. v, 43-48. (2) 2 Peter ü. 15.


RELIGION OF JESUS.
217
er than light, because their deeds were evil. Yea,
the savage of the wilderness loves to torture and
sport with the misery of his wretched captive, whom
he has regarded as his enemy; but, in reason's name
I ask, can the love of God bear any affinity to love
like this? And when every soul shrinks from an af-
firmative response, will any advocate of the limited
love of our heavenly Father tell us how God loves
those enemies of his whom he has already thrust
down to the regions of eternal night, to live in the
midst of death, when death would be a blessing
could they be permitted to die?
Would to Heaven that all who have ever inclined
to limit the Holy One of Israel in his love to man,
could here bring their views in contrast with the
fulness of God's love as revealed in his word, that
they might see their utter destitution of foundation
in the Divine testimony--in the character of God
and in the reason and fitness of things!"
But how then does God love mankind ? Does he
love to torture ? or does he love to bless ? Let the
Scriptures answer a question so important to the in-
terests of the frail and dependant children of hu-
manity ; and let us endeavor to profit by the answer
which they give. And happily for us, in the decis-
ion of this question, we have to make our appeal to
no doubtful or equivocal testimony, but may rest our
cause upon the Savior's teaching. He has informed
us how God loves the children of men; and also how
many he loves. “For God so loved the world, that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever be-
lieveth on him, should not perish, but have ever-
lasting life. For God sent not his Son into the
world to condemn the world, but that the world
through him might be saved."}
(1) John iii. 16, 17.
19


218
CHARACTER OF THE
“Herein," says the same author, “ ís love ; not
that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his
son to be the propitiation for our sins." And again,
when addressing Christian believers-" He is the
propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but
also for the sins of the whole world.!!?
Such, then, is the love of God; and such its ex-
tent, as set forth in the Scriptures of divine truth.
And it will be seen at once, also, that it is a love
unlimited. That the voice of this testimony is con-
sonant with that of universal nature, and centres in
the breathings of the Psalmist's strain : “The Lord
is good unto all, and his tender mercies are over all
his works.” God's love to his enemies, then, is ne-
cessarily included in his love to the world, and is
hence universal. For if he love his enemies, he
cannot hate his friends, as all will admit. And it
will be seen, as a necessary inference, that if God
love his enemies, then is his love unchangeable. And
if he love the sinner at any one moment of his ex-
istence, then that sinner must be the object of his
love ; until the whole order of nature is reversed ;
until the sun rolls backward in the heavens, the
rains pour upward from the earth, the streams wind
their journeys up the mountains, and the Eternal
Mind has changed.
So, then, is the love of God to man, as set forth
in the sacred volume. God commendeth his love
toward us, in that while we were yet enemies,
Christ died for us. And here you will discover an
important point in the sacred teaching; that, con-
trary to the teachings of all limited views of God's
love, the Savior came in commendation of it to the
world. In other words, his mission was not to cre-
ate, or awaken the principle, but was the conse-
(1) 1 John iv. 10. - (2) 1 John ii. 2.


222
CHARACTER OF THE RELIGION OF JESUS.
moved by the Bible maxim—"If God so loved us,
we ought also to love one another. Be ye stead.
fast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of
the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labor is
not in vain in the Lord.” AMEN.


ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE SAVIOR'S MISSION. 223"
X
SERMON XII.*
ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE SAVIOR'S MISSION.
BY REV. S. R. SMITH.
He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judg-
ment in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his law.”
ISAIAH xlii. 4.
This part of the prophecy of Isaiah, has by the
common consent of all sects and parties of Chris-
tians, and in all times, been considered as peculiarly
applicable to Jesus Christ and his gospel. Indeed
it seems impossible to make any other rational appli-
cation of the whole passage which introduces, and
stands in immediate connexion with, the part under
consideration. Thus: “ Behold my servant whom
I uphold; mine elect in whom my soul delighteth :
I have put my spirit upon him; he shall bring forth
judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor
lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking
flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judg-
ment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discour-
• The following discourse was delivered entirely without notes
-of course the phraseology cannot be preserved. All that can
be done-and it is hoped, all that will be expected, is, to furnish
the substance of the discourse. This, together with the effect
produced upon the speaker, by the presence of a congregation,
will account for any deviations from the original which those
who heard it delivered may observe.


224
ACCOMPLISHMENT OF
aged, till he have set judgment in the earth; and
the isles shall wait for his law."
Who but Jesus Christ, can be the servant, the
chosen, the delight of God, in this sublime sense ?
On whom else was the unction of the divine spirit
poured out; on whom, save him, was it shed without
measure, and with such mighty and holy influences ?
To whom but the man of Nazareth-the adopted
son of the eternal Father, was the mission intrusted,
the powers and qualifications given, for establishing
the empire of God among men; and of holding the
reins of government until he should “bring forth
judgment unto truth?” Certainly to none. The
language, the bestowments, the motives, the results,
are all suited to him, and to his mission, alone. They
are adapted to no other person or character, which
ever appeared on earth. Christians have rightly
judged, then, in applying this passage to Jesus
Christ.
Hence we understand that it is Christ, who is
to " set judgment in the earth”—that it is he who
• “shall not fail nor be discouraged," till this great
work is accomplished in both Jew and Gentile lands.
This is implied in the last clause of the passage,
and which appears to be a poetic amplification of
the fact previously asserted. The declaration that
“ the isles shall wait for his law,” is equivalent to
saying that the Gentiles shall do so—in other words,
that the empire of God, set up by Christ, shall ex-
tend to the whole race of man.
To wait for the advent, and law, and reign of the
Messiah, implies, not so much the expectation of
those events, as state or condition requiring or need-
ing the divine interposition. It certainly requires
no proof, to satisfy any one that the mass of man-
kind-the whole Gentile world—had no real expect-


THE SAVIOR'S MISSION.
225
ation of such an event. But their ignorance, deg-
radation, and pollution—their crimes, their guilt, and
their miseries, constituted them its appropriate sub-
jects. They were in a condition, if not the most
fit to appreciate the principles of the gospel, at least
the best adapted to feel the benefits of their applica-
tion. For it would enlighten their darkness, instruct
them under their ignorance, purify them from sin,
elevate them in the scale of being, comfort them in
time of sorrow, and bring them up from guilt and
misery to virtue, peace, and happiness.
The word judgment, is one of large signification;
and in this instance, means something more than
mere justice. It implies all that constitutes the moral
sway over man, in the administration of the divine
government through the gospel—the establishment
and exercise of the eternal principles of righteous-
ness and benevolence, brought to light, and illustrated
by the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. The
way in which this term is used in the context, im-
plies all this. To " bring forth judgment to the Gen-
tiles-judgment unto truth,” are too ample in mean-
ing to admit of limitation to a single divine attribute,
or the production of a solitary practical virtue. Nor
does this view rest upon mere conjecture. The
word judge, or judgment, appears to be so used in
other parts of the Scriptures, as to imply more than
simple equity-with an equal hand rewarding the
good and chastising the transgressor.
For instance : “ Justice and judgment are the
habitation of thy throne;", and also, « Thou shalt
judge the people righteously, and govern the nations
upon earth.” We are unwilling to ascribe to the
Psalmist the utterance of an unmeaning tautology ;
and therefore suppose that he imbodied in these ex-
pressions, his highest conceptions of the perfect


226
ACCOMPLISHMENT OF
rule of the Deity, in his capacity of “governor
among the nations.” It is the assertion of the
righteous reign of God in all things and over all be-
ings—the concentrated glories of whose adminis-
tration are here beheld as the very throne of the
Eternal, whence radiate the influences that reach
and control the destiny of man. And hence to
• set judgment in the earth,” comprises everything
that mingles in, and renders the divine govern-
ment effective-all that can inspire obedience in
the life, or awaken hope in the soul of man. Such
is the meaning of judge, or judgment, which an Is-
raelite would more readily attach to the word, be-
cause his rulers were denominated judges.
A similar view is obviously taken by an apostle,
who says : “ The times of this ignorance God wink-
ed at [did not regard as incurable, or beyond forgive.
ness], but now calleth upon all men everywhere 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.” The person by whom it is
here said, that judgment shall be exercised, is the
same which is pointed out by the text-the elected
servant of God—the Lord Jesus Christ. In the one
case, it is foretold that he shall “ set judgment in the
earth ;” and in the other, that he shall “judge the
world in righteousness.” And on the same divine
authority, we are also assured that "he must reign
till he hath put all enemies under his feet.” The
intention, then, is, that Christ shall govern, reign
over, and control the moral and mental world ; and
that he shall do so, in the exercise of all those
great principles of truth, equity, and goodness, which
constitute righteousness—and which, therefore, re.


228
ACCOMPLISHMENT OF
and his whole soul into the subject, and become a
co-worker with God. He must feel that he is one
of the instruments by whom great and beneficent
ends are to be brought about for man-one which
even the Deity condescends to employ, to perfect
his own most holy and beneficent purposes.
How then-by what means does the chosen ser-
vant of God " set judgment in the earth.”
It will not be expected that all the means to which
we might refer, will be enumerated on this occasion.
The most prominent only will be introduced for con-
sideration.
1. The entire process of the revelation of God's
truth and grace, by which his moral reign over man-
kind is established, is by a public ministry. That
ministry comprises a vast number of the most im-
portant and interesting truths of which it is possi-
ble for the mind to conceive-and which attain their
proper application, only by being understood, and be-
lieved, and obeyed. As a minister of God, Jesus
Christ is the only perfect example. And from the
moment that he was publicly consecrated to the
work, by the descent of the holy spirit at his bap-
tism, down to the consummation of his earthly la-
bors and trials on Calvary, he was constantly occu-
pied in dispensing truth to mankind. Whether we
follow him through the wilderness of Judea, during
the days of his temptation, and listen to his rebukes
of the adversary-the instrument of his trials ; or
go with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, we still find
him constantly intent upon the performance of the
same great work—doing the “will of his Father in
heaven.” Whether we stand by him in the precincts
of the temple, or linger among the crowd on the
shore of the sea of Tiberias ; whether we contem.
plate him surrounded by the multitude gathered at a


THE SAVIOR'S MISSION.
229
national festival, or sitting in the privacy of the
family of his disciples—whether the day wax or
wane, or night closes in with its silence and solem-
nity, he is everywhere and at all times, emphati-
cally the minister of God. And his doctrine is the
imbodiment of the will of Heaven, simplified and
adapted to the mind of man.
During the whole period of our Lord's ministry,
every discouragement was thrown in his way. The
very “ gates of hell,” opened and disclosed the
“ shadows of death,” to terrify him from his purpose
and his duty. He encountered the most profound
and revolting ignorance—he was engaged in perpet-
ual conflict, with the oldest and worst prejudices of
the human heart. The companions of his choice,
the confidants of his bosom, denied or betrayed him,
the powers which should have protected, outlawed
him and set a price upon his head, and finally put
him to a most cruel death. His word, which could
give sight to the blind, healing to the sick and life
to the dead, fell almost powerless upon the wretch-
ed multitude that hung upon his steps, and received
and enjoyed the benefit of his miracles. If a spirit
conscious of its dignity, of its duty, of its destiny, of
its high responsibilities to God and to man, could fail,
that spirit and that abandonment had distinguished
the Son of God.
But it was not possible for him to falter or fail.
The arts of the adversary, whether human or diabol-
ical, were frustrated, and triumphantly turned to mo-
tives of new and greater perseverance. Thus en-
hancing the value, and elevating the character of his
example to mankind. The dark and obtuse under-
standing which could not at once comprehend the
truths which he so familiarly delivered so beauti-
fully illustrated, furnished the strongest reasons for
20


230
ACCOMPLISHMENT OF
continued efforts for its improvement. For instruc.
tions only become needless and fruitless, when the
mind is fully informed. It was, then, the prevailing
ignorance of the Jewish people the deep-rooted
prejudices of the leading sects, of the priests and
rulers, which rendered the benevolent teachings
and humbling influence of the doctrines of Jesus the
more necessary and efficacious. His mild spirit
could for the moment, disarm their fury, and frus-
trate their cruel designs, while it overwhelmed the
minions of authority with unwonted admiration. His
charity knew neither favorites nor limitation, and
extorted occasional wonder from the bigots whose
narrow-mindedness and meanness withheld the ap-
probation which even they could not but feel. And then
the universal prevalence of sin, and guilt, and misery,
in all classes and among all people, must have stim-
ulated the Son of God to constant endeavors to plant
deep in the human heart, the eternal principles of
truth and virtue.
But an institution which was to be established,
and promoted, and consummated among men by a pub-
lic ministry, was not to depend entirely upon the
personal labors of the instrument of its revelation.
During the ministry of Christ, he employed others
for the advancement of the same great work. And
when taking leave of the scenes and sufferings of
earth, he distinctly and formally appointed his chosen
disciples, and sent them forth as he had been “sent
into the world,” to proclaim the truth of God to men,
and " set judgment in the earth.” Their duties and
responsibilities were similar to those of their great
Master-and it was therefore expedient, that their
qualifications should be of a similar description.
We may not suppose them replenished with the
same ample means" with all the fulness of the


THE SAVIOR'S MISSION.
231
Father ; nor yet that they were imbued with the
same measure of the divine spirit : but that they
were qualified with an assured faith, and a fidelity
and moral courage equal to any emergency. And
their history presents few subjects of higher inter-
est, or greater importance, than that part of it which
relates to their reception of the holy spirit, and the
consequent knowledge of the nature and duties of
their mission.
From the ascension of Jesus, the disciples appear
not to have known what part they were to act in the
great business of the gospel, which they then but
imperfectly understood. They lingered in Jerusa-
lem without any apparent design, and evidently ex-
ercised great caution lest they should be recognised
as the followers of the Nazarene. But when “ the
day of Pentecost was fully come”—while they “were
with one accord in one place,” suddenly there was
the sound as of a “mighty wind,” and divided
tongues of fire descended upon them. From that
moment, the lethargy of fifty days is done away for
ever-from that moment, the shrinking and cowardly
disciples feel and are actuated by a new and mighty
impulse. Their terrors and misgivings have passed
away, to return and be felt no more ; instead of se-
curity, and ease, and privacy, they now seek to
understand their duty. They stand forth in vindi-
cation of themselves; they explain the cause of
wonder in the minds of the multitude, and they
charge home upon the priests and their minions the
murder of their Master-the immaculate Son of God.
The uncompromising and indomitable spirit of their
Lord, like the mantle of the prophet, had now de-
scended upon them, and diffused its controlling
might into every thought and over every action.
They took their lives in their hands, laid the cross


232
ACCOMPLISHMENT OF
upon their shoulders, and went forth—to the endur-
ance of continued toil, and privation, and suffering-
to reproach, and ignominy, and persecution-to ex-
patriation, and imprisonment, and stripes, and death.
What a noble spirit was that, which knew but one
fear-the fear of doing wrong!' and which, while it
cherished and encouraged the purest, the strongest,
and the holiest love of kindred and friends-loved
Christ and his service still more!
They knew that the friends who had smiled upon
them, would now become their enemies—that the
parents who had watched over and cherished them,
would abandon them—that the brother or sister
whose affection seemed linked to them with indis-
soluble bands, would deliver them to prison and to
death. They knew that the endearments of home,
the common rights of citizens, the protection of the
laws, the security of their persons—were all jeop-
arded beyond hope or remedy. And yet how
calm, and meek, and patient, and undismayed, they
enter upon their work with what persevering fidel-
ity do they go forward in its promotion, from house
to house, from city to city, from land to land, among
Jews and Gentiles, till the isles not only waited for
but received the law. And what is all this? It is
the fulfilment of prophecy ; it is the transfer of the
prediction of the text to the subject-matter of sober
history and by it we are shown that there was
neither discouragement nor failure in the servants
of God, who were bound to “set judgment in the
earth." .
. .
But the apostles passed away; and the work to
which they devoted their lives, was committed to
“ faithful men,” that it might by successive efforts
attain its accomplishment, by being carried on through
all coming generations. The Christian ministry


THE SAVIOR'S MISSION.
233
still exists—and what it was when Peter, and John,
and Paul, preached, it should still be. The record
of their teachings must be the criterion of truth, and
the everlasting standard of ministerial duty, under
Christ. And none should enter upon that field of
labor who is not prepared to live and to die devoted
to its duties and its toils. Like the great Teacher
like the apostles, every minister of the gospel, and
of every denomination, should come to his profes-
sion with full purpose of heart, with a manly zeal,
an uncompromising spirit, and a fearless independ-
ence. He should love the truth which he inculcates,
because it is the truth of God; because it is worthy
of more sacrifices than he can make, and because it
embraces his own, and the endless well-being of all
his race. He should live for its promotion, and if
necessary, suffer and even die in its vindication.
But an efficient and successful ministry is not ex-
clusively made up of moral courage, and the faithful
inculcation of truth. There are far other elements,
which must mingle in the character of the preacher
of the kingdom of God. And its derivation from
heaven, furnishes the most important reason of their
necessity. An institution from any other source,
might well be supposed to make fewer requirements
of mankind—and especially of its public advocates
and promulgators, than one from God. Hence, we
must look to the combination of other influences
than those named, for the surprising results of the
ministry of Christ and the apostles—and to such
causes must we still look, for the more effectual ad-
vancement of the gospel among mankind.
The great secret of the power which they exerted
over the minds of men, consists in their living in
conformity to the principles and doctrines which
they taught. If they required reverence toward God,
20*


THE SAVIOR'S MISSION.
235
and merciful interposition, and alike received at his
hands appropriate aid. The court of the temple, the
palace of the proud Pharisee, the dwelling of the
hated publican, the cottage or the boat of the poor
fisherman, received in turn the visits of the Son of
God, and felt and owned his virtue and his power.
'The family of disciples, the social circle, the mar-
riage party, the mourners in the chamber of death--
even the dead themselves, shared his regard and
companionship, and his beneficent administrations.
In this wonderful display of all that is godlike and
pure, nothing strikes the mind with more power and
wonder, than the indulgence and gracious forgive-
ness which our Savior always manifested. This
spirit never slumbered, never tired, and could not be
exhausted. How it waited and condescended to
the errors, and prejudices, and misconceptions of
the disciples! How patient amid the constant ig-
norance with which he was surrounded-how gen-
tly and kindly it reproved the impetuosity and re-
sentment of his followers, when they desired to
call down fire from Heaven upon the inhospitable
Samaritans! Nothing can be more truly gracious
than his reply-Ye know not what manner of
spirit ye are of; for the Son of man is not come to
destroy men's lives, but to save them.” This spirit
meets and sooths the wayward, and sympathizes
with the benighted, and lost, and guilty transgressor.
It records the little which the self-righteous may
feel to ask or need—sees the returning prodigal
6 while yet a great way off," forgets his offences,
and smiles upon and blesses him, while it welcomes
him to his paternal home. It stoops down to record
offences in the sand-but it rises up to utter its own
principles and pass sentence upon the guilty" Go,


236
ACCOMPLISHMENT OF
and sin no more.” This, it engraves upon the hu-
man heart, and its impression is for eternity.
And then again, the humility of Jesus—the en-
tire ease and freedom with which he was ap-
proached by all classes and conditions, are among
the remarkable features of his personal character.
They constitute no inconsiderable part of the means
most effectually employed in the establishment and
prosperity of his kingdom among men. He was
always accessible ; he would, in any place, on any
occasion, at any moment of time, hear and answer
the humblest petition. None were so low, so sunk
in vice or pollution, so lost to themselves and to
the sympathies of mankind, as not to find in him
one who would listen to their supplications, and
mitigate or relieve their sufferings. The anguish
of a guilty or a broken heart, and the no less ré-
volting maladies of a diseased and miserable body,
yielded alike to his benevolent and renovating word:
And whether teaching the people “as never man
spake,” or pressing his weary way in the midst of
the surrounding and accompanying throng, or for
the moment reposing in the frail and tempest-tost
boat on the sea of Galilee-there was no moment
when his ear was not open to the cry of distress-
to the hopes and fears and desires of the wretched,
and his hand stretched out for their safety and
deliverance.
Nor did the motives of the petitioner, however
palpably perverse or absurd, ever divert him from
this condescending course. The captious and queru-
lous scribe, or doctor of the law, whose queries were
only made to ensnare and betray, and the urgent peti-
tion of a Jewish mother for a blessing on her child,
met alike with instant attention, and received proinpt
and suitable replies. The young man who “ had


THE SAVIOR'S MISSION,
237
great possessions," and the afflicted woman who had
s spent all she had” for medical aid, were addressed
in the same tones of kindness, as though they had
approached him with the same freedom and success
for very different purposes. And while the mild
and beloved disciple might learn who should betray
his master, that master instructed the crafty Judas
to perform his abhorrent work quickly, with the
same equanimity and composure. The thoughts of
Simon the Pharisee were at once rebuked, while
forgiveness was extended to her whose tears of
contrition bathed the feet of her Savior. And the
courtly and powerful ruler who " came to Jesus by
night,” heard no word of welcome more gracious
and cordial than the sufferer who cried—“ Lord, if
thou wilt, thou canst make me clean;"-heard in
the response, “ I will: be thou clean."
In all this impartiality, kindness, and condescen-
sion, we see the workings of a greatness and a good-
ness characteristic of the true servant and messenger
of God. It need scarcely be asked why. Because
the truths which he teaches, the principles which
he is commissioned to establish, the moral health
and comfort which the religion of the gospel was
intended to confirm and diffuse-are adapted to the
circumstances, and designed for the benefit of all
mankind. The Jew and the Greek, the wise and
the unwise, the just and the unjust, are equally the
subjects of that grace which was revealed from heav-
en to " set judgment in the earth.” Such a system
can make no compromise with power-can have no
especial condescensions for the great, because it be-
longs to mind in every station, and to man in what-
ever condition. And the bearer of such an economy
of mercy should dispense it with equal measure to all •
its subjects, and do so in faithfulness, whenever the


238
ACCOMPLISHMENT OF
season presents for its favorable inculcation. And
when Christ preached, that benevolence which could
have compassion on the miserable, and the low, and
the polluted, could find equal if not greater reasons
for exercise, in contemplating the spiritual pride, and
hypocrisy, and forgetfulness of God, which marked
the legal interpreters of the Divine will.
In reference therefore to the character of the
ministry of the gospel, and especially of its accredited
messengers, when the disciples of John the Baptist
would learn whether Jesus was the Christ, he re-
fers principally, not to the heavenly doctrines which
he taught, not to the simple, and beautiful, and im-
pressive eloquence in which it was communicated,
nor yet to the multitudes “out of every place," that
hung upon his steps, and who listened with rapture to
his message of love-no; but to the things which he
did. " Go and show John the things that ye do
hear and see : the blind receive their sight, and the
lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf
hear ; the dead are raised up, and the poor have the
gospel preached to them.” In the estimation, then,
of the Son of God, it was not so much the effect of
what was preached, as of how the preacher lived and
what he did, that constituted the success of his
message. And it is only when truth is illustrated
by the beauty of holiness that it wins all hearts,
becomes irresistible in its might, and glorious in its
moral and social influences.
How well the apostles carried out the doctrines
and example of their Master, may be learned from
their brief history. We have already seen that
they were actuated by the same sense of duty, and
inspired with similar moral courage in its perform-
ance. So far they resembled their great Master,
and worthily sustained the distinction of being his


THE SAVIOR'S MISSION.
239
pupils. But did they live like him? Like him,
were they kind, frank, self-sacrificing, and forgiv-
ing? Did they disclaim all service but that of
truth, all good but that of obedience, all approbation
but that of conscience and of God ?-We shall see,
On the morning of Pentecost, the proper duties
and labors of the apostles commenced. And on
that, and several immediately succeeding days,
their duties and labors were so multiplied and va-
rious, as to furnish an epitome of those of their
whole lives. But the first observable trait in their
conduct is indicative of the total abandonment of all
the hopes and aspirations by which they were for-
merly actuated. During the whole time that they
were personally associated with Jesus, they looked
to place, power, and emolument, as the sole reward
of their attachment, their sacrifices and toils. But
now, when baptized into the spirit of the gospel-
when its nature, and objects, and influences, were
understood and felt, all these earthly considerations,
these merely human motives were dissipated in a
moment and for ever. Instead of badges of hon-
or, they sought the stigma of being the followers of
a crucified Master. Instead of eminence among
the great of this world, they desired only an humble
place in that kingdom which was from above ; and
for ease and wealth, they preferred a life of toil,
and suffering, and poverty. These were now the
things which they most coveted. They “ gloried in
tribulation ;" they sought no distinction but that of
fidelity to their trust; they looked for no crown on
earth, save that of martyrdom; and they expected
no praise, but that of all the just— Well done, good
and faithful servant.”
With such principles and feelings, constituting
such a preparation for the great work before them,


THE SAVIOR'S MISSION.
241
proached nearer and yet more near, they exclaimed,
"I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my
departure is at hand; I have fought a good fight and
finished my course; I have kept the faith; hence-
forth is there laid up for me a crown of righteous-
ness which God the righteous judge shall give me,
and not to me only, but to all them that love his ap-
pearing.”
Such must be the spirit and zeal, the devotion and
firmness, the virtue and humility, of the minister of
God's truth in any age-or that very truth will be
his curse and reproach. But when to the correct
understanding of the gospel, he adds the manly prac-
tice of the duties it enjoins, he becomes a co-worker
with God, an efficient servant of Jesus Christ, and
an instrument however humble, of building up the
divine kingdom in the hearts of men--of setting
" judgment in the earth.”
3. But no ministry, however great and beneficent
its objects; however good, and faithful, and per-
severing, its servants, can reach and accomplish its
proper ends without the co-operation of those for
whose benefits it was instituted. Who can suppose
that the purposes of the gospel were in any direct
sense answered in the mass of the Jewish people,
though the preacher was the immaculate Son of
God? Who believes that the gracious intentions
of the “new and better covenant” were effected in
the entire population of Corinth, or Athens, of Eph-
esus, or Rome-or any other city where the apostles
planted churches ? Who presumes that all who
this day hear the great truth that Christ came to
save sinners, really and fully enjoy that salvation ?
And why not? Plainly and simply because they
bave not met the overtures of favor and mercy which
that ministry has tendered to their acceptance, with
21


THE SAVIOR'S Mission,
245
influences which it should exert—and when all
these continue their power, judgment will be more
manifestly established in the earth, and the isles
shall receive the law of the Lord. AMEN.
: 21*


246
THE OBJECT AND CHARACTER
SERMON XIII.
THE OBJECT AND CHARACTER OF TRUE RELIGIOUS
WORSHIP.
BY REV. H. G. SMITH."
“ Worship God.”-REVELATION xxii. 9.
In discoursing upon the subject of this short, but
comprehensive sentence, I do not deem it necessary
to enter into any argument to show that man is nat-
urally a religious being.. This, I believe, is univer-
sally conceded. Indeed it would be hard for any
man to dispute the united testimony of nature and
reason.
This principle in the human mind, which leads
man to reverence a superior, is not the offspring of
education ; it owes not its birth to any accumulated
light, or external circumstances, but it was planted
in his nature by that unseen Power which ushered
him into being, and daily supports his existence. It
is that spark of the divine mind which God imparted
to the creature when he breathed into his nostrils
the “ breath of life," and constituted man a " living
soul.” Consequently, it is not confined to any grade,
or class of beings who bear the divine image, but is
discovered in the bosom of the uncultivated and un-
lettered savage, as in the inind stored with the wis-
dom and knowledge of civilized life. .
The great difference which exists between the
various classes of men that dwell upon the face of


OF TRUE RELIGIOUS WORSHIP.
247
the earth, consists not so much in the degree of rev.
erence, if I may so speak, imparted to each, as in
the degree of exercise which they allow to their
moral and religious faculties. And this exercise is
determined by the character which each is accus-
tomed to ascribe to his respective object of rever-
ence and worship.
Man, in the uncivilized state, is ignorant of the
Christian's God, whom we consider the only true
and proper object of religious adoration, and he
erects an altar to some fabulous deity—to some ob-
ject in nature ; or he sets up the work and cunning
device of his own hands, and prostrates himself be-
fore it.
It is a custom among all uncivilized nations, so far
as our knowledge extends, to worship something;
and what does this prove but the truth of the propo-
sition which we laid down as universally conceded,
viz: That man is a religious being.
But my design in this discourse, is to call your
attention to the object of religious worship, and to
speak of the character and spirit of that worship
which is alone acceptable in the sight of God. I
am induced to do this service from a consideration of
the fact, that this, the holiest principle of man's na-
ture, is often exercised toward unworthy objects;
and is frequently servilely bestowed, even when di-
rected to the only existing Power that is 'worthy of
religious reverence which is God.
First, then, I shall speak of the only true object
of religious veneration-Worship God. The ne-
cessity of acknowledging, and regarding the Su-
preme Being as the only true and proper object of
divine worship, has not generally been considered
in the light, and received that attention, even by


248
THE OBJECT AND CHARACTER
Christians, which the importance of the subject de-
mands.
It will not be disputed, I think, that many among
the professed followers of Jesus those who, of all
others, should be best informed concerning the sub-
ject, have failed to recognise this truth in their sys-
tems of faith ; and it is likewise true that many have
departed from the simplicity of the gospel, in erect-
ing altars to supernumerary deities, forgetting, or
seeming to forget, that there is but one God, even
the Father, and that all our acts of devotion should
centre in Him..
Such has been the inconsistency of man, ever
since the light of Christianity dawned upon his be-
nighted pathway, directing his mind to the true
fountain of wisdom, virtue, and holiness.
When Jesus the great renovater and restorer of
his race entered our world with the message of
God's truth and love to man, the grossest idolatry
almost universally prevailed. Heathenism had spread
her dark mantle over the face of the moral world,
while superstition and anarchy held unlimited sway,
and exercised undisputed power in the hearts of the
people. Both Jew, and Gentile worshipped in
groves, and burnt incense to imaginary deities. The
reverence which they paid to such objects of re-
ligious worship, if objects they may be called, serv-
ed but to debase their hearts, darken the divine im-
age, and lead them still farther from God and his
worship. The Jews, who had enjoyed the true
light which beamed from the oracles of God, de-
livered by his servants from the days of Moses, their
lawgiver, were invited to return from their wander-
ing, and keep themselves from the abominations of
the heathen. Thus saith God by the mouth of his
prophet, “Cast away from you all your trangres-


OF TRUE RELIGIOUS WORSHIP.
253
veneration. If we glance at the heathen world, we
shall find striking evidence of the truth of this re-
mark. By reference to their mythology, we learn
that they were accustomed to ascribe to their deities
no attributes but those common to themselves. With
very few exceptions, if any, the gods of the heathen
were passionate, lustful, and given to cruelty and
revenge. They were objects of terror, and they
ruled their subjects by the powerful influence of
fear. And the reverence paid to their authority, and
the character of their worship, are written upon the
pages of their history; and the influence which they
exerted upon human character was shocking to every
principle of viriue, as disgraceful to the name of re-
ligion.
Observation and experience teach us that even
the Christian world is not free from that superstitious
fear gendered in the minds of the people by wrong
perceptions of the divine character. Not entirely
have the good people of the civilized world freed
themselves from the dark, gloomy, and corrupting
doctrines of heathen origin, concerning God and the
worship due to his name. Even the professed dis-
ciples of the humble Jesus, who came in the image
of the Invisible, have erred from the truth. My
heart has sickened within me, as I have listened to
the descriptions which have been given of God's
character, by some who claim the office of chosen
messengers of the true gospel. Often have I felt
the better feelings of my nature quenched by these
descriptions of vengeance and wrath, uttered by
professed ministers of God's truth, to win converts
to their peculiar systems of faith. And I have often
witnessed the melancholy effects of so wide depart-
ures from the mode of instruction pursued by the
Son of God. Yes, often have I witnessed the scald-
22


256
THE OBJECT AND CHARACTER
lightest not in burnt-offerings. The sacrifices of
God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, thou wilt not despise."
Such my brethren, is the true and acceptable
worship unto God, even the Father. Such worship
alone is able to benefit man, and render his heart a
fit temple for the indwelling of the Spirit of peace.
Servile worship cannot benefit the creature ; it must
be the freewill offering of the heart-a dedication of
the soul to God, to find acceptance at the throne of
his grace.
I quote one more passage to illustrate my subject
and I close. It came from the lips of the prophet
Isaiah, “ Thus saith the high and lofty One that in-
habiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in
the high and holy place with him also that is of a con.
trite and humble spirit.”
May this testimony prove a light to our under-
standings-create within us the true spirit of Chris-
tian devotion. I exhort you, my brethren, as believ-
ors in God's impartial and efficient grace-as pro-
fessed followers of the Lord Jesus—to “ Worship
God." Worship him for He is worthy. Worship
him in spirit for such only is acceptable in his sight.
AMEN.


THE EVIDENCE OF A TRUE FAITH.
257
SEN
SERMON XIV.
Cl.
THE EVIDENCE OF A TRUE FAITH.
BY REV. W. S. BALCH.
« Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in belier.
ing, that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy
Ghost."-ROMANS XV, 13.
God is the supreme ruler of the universe. His
wisdom is seen, and his goodness felt in all his
works. The contemplative mind loves to study his
character as revealed in all his providences, and the
believer as it is more distinctly exhibited in the
gospel of his grace. In either case enough may be
learned of God to induce poor helpless mortals to
trust in his goodness and hope in his mercy; for in
everything is the ever-present Divinity distinctly
seen, and the overpowering excellence of his char-
acter clearly presented to the devout consideration
of his children.
Amid the weakness and frailties of earth man
needs some higher support, some surer ground of
hope than this world can give him. Here nothing is
stable, sure, nor soul-satisfying. Though fed to the
full on this world's dainties, there is a starved appe-
tite which craves more nourishing food, which will
not cease its demands till the “ bread of heaven” is
dealt out to supply its utmost wants; then it will be
abundantly satisfied with the fatness of God's house
--being filled with all the fulness of God.
22*


258.
THE EVIDENCE OF A TRUE FAITH.
In the gospel, God in the provisions of his grace,
is so presented to the mind of the believer, that he
becomes the object of trust and hope. In truth he
is the only being in whom we may safely and joy-
fully confide amid the sorrows and uncertainties of
life. He is always the same, unchangeable in all
his purposes, unbounded in the dispensation of his
benefits, the universal Father and the complete Sa-
vior of all men. In him we may place the most im-
plicit confidence and never be deceived; our firmest
reliance and never fail ; our surest hope, and not
be disappointed. “Hope then is God” in the lan-
guage of the Psalmist, and pre-eminently the privi-
lege and joy of the Christian.
My text suggests several important truths which
deserve serious consideration; but the particular
subject to which I shall, in this brief discourse, at-
tempt to direct your mind, is the connexion between
faith and hope ; or the evidence of a true Christian
faith. I hope I shall be able to satisfy you, beyond
the shadow of a doubt, that between faith and hope
there is a most intimate connexion, and should be a
most perfect agreement; that the test of the former
is the existence of the latter ; and also to show you
how you may satisfy yourselves whether you are in
the true faith or not.
The true test of Christian faith is not so much the
, accumulation or absence of outward testimony in
favor of a particular point of doctrine, as has often
been supposed. The true Christian has the “ wit-
ness in himself;" the spirit bearing witness with his
own spirit that he is a child of God. He feels all
the ease, security, and happiness, which the travel-
ler feels when returned from his journeyings in far
countries and in strange lands, where foes beset his
path on either hand, to the home of his childhood,


260
THE EVIDENCE OF A TRUE FAITH.
no reason to believe that we have embraced the
faith once delivered to the saints, but must follow
on to know the Lord and obey the teachings of his
word.
Let us inquire briefly into the nature of faith and
hope, that we may discover in what way the truth
of one is proved correct by the existence of the
other.
Faith is the assent of the mind to the truth of a
proposition, which may embrace things past or fu-
ture, good or evil. This assent is produced by the
force of testimony relied on as correct. The propo-
sition may embrace a falsehood, and yet the evi-
dence relied on accumulate to such an extent as to
produce a conviction of its truth, when, in fact, it is
false. On this ground we may account for the ex-
istence of false doctrines, which have been and
still are in our world, without calling in question the
sincerity or honesty of those who support them.
Christian faith depends on surer evidence-on testi-
mony which cannot be controverted-on the truth
of God directly revealed from heaven to the soul
of him who has it, giving the “ assurance of hope,"
and a joy unspeakable and full of glory.” But
more upon this point hereafter.
Hope is the desire and expectation of future good.
It does not regard the past. It cannot embrace the
evil. It reaches forth to future good, and to that
only.
To make these ideas more distinct, you may say
that you believe there once dwelt on the earth such
a man as Socrates ; that he was a teacher of wis-
dom in the schools of Greece; and that he was
forced to drink the poisonous hemlock by the very
men whose happiness he sought most sincerely to
promote. You may say that you believe there was


THE EVIDENCE OF A TRUE FAITH.
261
such a man as Pontius Pilate, who gave sentence
of death against the innocent Son of God, who
went about doing good, seeking to bless and save a
world, and to injure no man. But you cannot say
you hope these things were so.
Again, you may say that you believe there will be
a great dearth in the land ; that starvation, and death
the most horrible, will be the fate of a great portion
of the American citizens. You may be sincere in
such belief. Evidence may accumulate thick and
strong, and force a conviction that such will be the
fact. The severe drought, the killing frosts, the de-
vouring insects, and the pestilential scourge, shall
sweep over the length and breadth of the land, and
leave no chance of safety from the evil. But you
cannot say that you hope such will come to pass.
You may honestly believe that God will become the
bitter enemy of the creatures he has made, and
sweep them from the earth as with the besom of
destruction, and give them their portion amid the
quenchless burnings of his perpetual wrath; that
the oft-described miseries of the abyss of wo will
become a sober reality; and that you, or some of
your best friends, shall share the fullest measure of
its horror and despair : but you cannot say that you
hope such shall be the future revelation of God's
purposes. The mind involuntarily revolts at the
Thought of the bare possibility of such a reckless
disregard of all the accessible qualities of God's
perfections, and such a wild waste of his children's
good. With such a faith, hope settles into de-
spondency, till despair takes full possession of the
soul. Let us bear in mind, then, this fact : while
faith regards what is past or future, good or evil-
hope embraces only future good.
We are now prepared to adduce the testimony


262
THE EVIDENCE OF A TRUE FAITH.
which will enable you to come to a safe and ready
decision upon the truth or falsity of the faith you
have respectively embraced. The only question to
be decided, is, whether the faith you have received
“ fills you with all joy and peace in believing," ena-
bling you to “ abound in hope ;" or whether it does
not. Do your faith and hope agree? Can you say
that you hope the doctrine in which you believe is
true, and that all you apprehend 'will actually come
to pass ? Do you hope for something you believe
yourselves and others can never enjoy? Are you
filled with joy and peace in believing ? These are
grave questions, and on their solutions depend much
of your happiness, and the evidence of yonr Chris-
tian experience and gospel faith.
It is needful for us to exercise great care upon
this point. It is a critical matter, in which none
should be deceived. Let us, on that account, at-
tend to the reading of our text, that we may the
better apprehend its meaning. Almost every word
is emphatic, clothing the idea of great truths. Each
has force in it, for each is full of meaning. The
whole conveys holy comfort to the believer, for by
it is revealed the grace of God in its benevolent
preparations and wise adaptation of blessings to
the wants of suffering humanity. Let us give heed
to the words, that we may enjoy what they mean.
“Fill you.” When a thing is full, there is no ..
emptiness in it. What is added afterward must
run over, or abound. This is scripture phraseology.
I like it much. There is something in it so full of
satisfaction, which we call happiness, that no space
is left for misery. Jesus our Lord was “ full of
grace and truth,” and so he was true and happy, and
there was no place for evil in him. There was no
guile in his mouth. From the abundance within, in


264
THE EVIDENCE OF A TRUE FAITH.
darkest despair. But our text does not read thus.
The apostle did not pray that the brethren might be
filled with some joy and some sorrow, with some
peace and some sadness-abounding in the hope of
heaven and the fear of hell. He sayg—"Now the
God of hope fill you with all joy and peace.” All
joy and peace! There is no sorrow, sighing, or
crying, in the positive state of the Christian in the
New Jerusalem which came down from God out of
heaven. It is only when our thoughts and affec-
tions mingle in the contrasts of time—when we
cherish earthborn hopes, and forget the ever-present
help of our best Friend--that his “ grace is suffi-
cient for us” —that dark clouds hover over us, and
shut out the bright prospect of never-ending bless-
edness : the fulness of God's love as manifest in
Jesus Christ. The true condition of the Christian
is perfect purity and happiness. Short of this he
comes short of a perfect man in Christ. He fails
of the full liberty and blessedness of the gospel.
He is yet a slave to sin, and a man of the world ;
and he must not complain if he tastes occasionally
of the cup of sorrow--the dregs of his error, folly,
and vice. The pure in heart see [enjoy] God.
They are made happy through the power of his
love, grace, and truth. They dwell in him and he
in them, because the love of God dwells in their
hearts, and is perfected in them. They are "filled
with all joy and peace”-„When? How? Where?
“ In believing." Have a care, my friends, lest
you misapprehend the import of these words, and
fall into an error which is too common among the
professed followers of Jesus. Small words some-
times have great meaning, and convey essential
truth to the willing mind. “In,” does not mean for.
And the text does not say that God will fill you with


THE EVIDENCE OF A TRUE FAITH.
265
joy and peace for believing. Much less, it does
not say that for believing the doctrine of endless
misery, or a trinity of gods, in this mortal world,
you shall be filled with joy and peace, in the next,
the spirit world. Such a sentiment is not here rec-
ognised. Cause and effect are not so dissevered.
They are close related, inseparably joined. One fol-
lows close upon the other. They are not worlds apart.
It is “in (not for] believing,” that we are filled
with joy and peace. The same Peter saith, “ believ-
ing we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glo-
ry." When is the soul filled with joy and peace ?
When it believes, of course. The tendency of true
faith is to give peace and joy to the believer when
in the faith, for he looks up to a Power which in
wisdom overrules all things for good and glorious
ends—the development of his own perfections, and
the promotion of his creatures' happiness. It in-
spires the utmost confidence in the boundlessness
of God's benevolence, wisdom, and power; and, by
carrying the view beyond the reach of folly and im-
perfection, sorrow and death, it reconciles the mind
under the severest trials and deepest sorrows, and
draws out the humble prayer—" Not my will, but
thine, Oh God, be done."
The great apostle had felt the inspirations of this
blessed faith. It had conquered and subdued every
rebellious passion in his soul. It had banished all
fearfulness from his mind. It had given him good
hope ; and, under a full realization of all its benefits.
he earnestly desired that all his brethren might be
filled with the same joy and peace, by embracing
and cherishing the same glorious faith—" Now the
God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in be-
lieving, that ye may abound in hope through the
power of the Holy Spirit.”
23


266
THE EVIDENCE OF A TRUE FAITH.
“ That ye may abound in hope.” Here it is at
once discovered that the evidence of a true faith, is
the abundance of hope which it inspires in the
mind. A faith which does not correspond with hope,
or does not beget or give assurance to hope-cannot
be the faith of the gospel. This is clear. The de-
cision in reference to yoår faith, must rest on your-
selves. Do the views you entertain of God, the
faith you have in Christ, make you“ abound in
hope ?" Do you really hope that your doctrine is
true ? Happy, indeed, are you, if, in the far reach-
ings of the soul's best desires, you can look forward
and believe, beyond doubt, in the happy fulfilment
of your highest hopes, the gracious answer to your
holiest prayers, which could not embrace less than
our whole suffering race. Joy and peace fill your
bosoms, and songs of thanksgiving burst from your
lips. You must, with such faith, be reconciled to
God, and completely happy.
But have you such beliet? Many professors who
still linger in the twilight of increasing hope dare not
yet embrace a doctrine so full of goodness. The
thought that we may have faith in the full realiza-
tion of our best hopes is too good, too glorious.
They dare not believe it. If any such hear me
now, the Lord have mercy on them, and help them to
pray, “ Lord, increase my faith.” I rarely ever met
an opposer of the great doctrine of God, who, at the
conclusion of an argument, did not close by say-
ing," though I dare not believe your doctrine, I hope
it is true.” Bless God! so do I; and that is one good
evidence of its truth. It makes those who embrace
it - abound in hope ;" while everything short of it,
banishes hope, and fills the soul with horror and dis-
may.
In all my acquaintance with the world, I never
19


THE EVIDENCE OF A TRUE FAITH. 267
found the man who hoped for endless misery, either
for himself or anybody else. The profane man,
the vile offender, the obdurate outlaw, can hardly
indulge such a thought. Can it then be the acme
of Christian attainment, to embrace a sentiment so
full of wo-of hot, burning misery-of dark des-
pair-of endless cursings-a doctrine which, in
every feature of it, is calculated to banish the last
ray of hope, and blast every prospect of joy ? As
no man ever truly hoped in endless misery, so
none ever sincerely prayed for its truth and applica-
tion. Can that then be a true faith ?—a Christian
faith?such a faith as will fill the soul of him who
embraces it, with "all jay and peace," and make
him abound in hope ? I speak as unto the wise,
judge ye what I say.
6 Through the power of the Holy Ghost." God's
spirit is in his truth. Ere the master left his disci-
ples, he promised them the “spirit of truth" to com-
fort them. They were not yet full believers, for hé
afterward upbraided them for their unbelief. When
they were fully converted and put in possession of
the true faith, they received the Comforter, and
henceforth abounded in hope. No scene was so
dark their hope could not penetrate and look beyond
it; no obstacle so mighty their faith could not re-
move it: for they were upheld by the power of the
Holy Spirit, by which they were sealed unto the
day of their redemption, and made able to triumph
over all opposition.
It is so with Christians now. Until we are taught
of God, led into the true and living faith which fills
us with all joy and peace, we cannot abound in
hope, nor be truly happy. Short of the possession
of the principle embraced in a true gospel faith, we
are strangers to God, truth, and happiness. It is
i


THE EVIDENCE OF A TRUE FAITH.
269
theories of visionary enthusiasts, nor the profound dis-
sensions of metaphysical science, or the abstruse
questions of mere biblical interpretations : for the
word is nigh you, even in your mouth, and in your
heart, that is, the word of faith we preach. You have
the witness in yourselves, the answer of a good con-
science, and of a faith unfeigned. In the possession
of a hope which always abounds from the overflow-
ing joys within the soul, you cannot be otherwise
than happy. No afflictions can molest your peace,
no disappointment dim the bright prospect which is
ever before you. The current of life will flow
smoothly and sweetly on, giving verdure and beauty
to all you possess, and the occasional rapids, or
sudden cataracts, will serve to purify and enliven by
arousing into greater activity the sluggish passions,
and subduing them to the righteous government of
God. May you ever live in the love of truth, and
in the practice of virtue ; and may the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye
may abound in hope through the power of the Holy
Spirit.
THE END.














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