//- ,^ % THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, ^ Princeton, N. J. ■ |f| CHS(\ Dj:':AOn •V et^^'sas 7 - ^ \ V \ ^ Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library http://www.archive.org/details/viewofdoctriOOIath A VIEW OF THE DOCTRINES AND DUTIES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, IN FORTYNINE DISCOURSES ON St, Paul's Epistle to the EphesiaiiSr WITH A PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE ON THE EVIDENCES OF THE GOSPEL. ESPECIALLY THOSE DERIVED FROM Conversion., Minhtry and Writings of that Apostle By JOSEPH LATHROP, d. d. FASTOR OF THE FIRST CHURCH IN WESTSP RING FIELD. SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND CORRECTED, PUBLISHED AT WORCESTER : BY ISAIAH THOMAS, Jun. SOLD AT HIS RESPECTIVE BOOKSTORES IN BOSTON AND WORCESTER. ISAAC STUUTEVANT, VRINTKR 1810. District of Massachusetts : to wit :' *, — V* (-) *'"— ^* -L*E IT REMEMBERED, That on the First Day of September, in the Twentysixth Year of the Independence of the United States of America, Isaiah Thomas, Junior, of tke said District, has depos- ited in this Office (he Title of a Book, the Right whereof he claims as Pro- prietor, in the Words following, to wit : " A View of the Christian Relig- ion, in Fortynine Discourses on St, Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians. With a Prelim'nary .Discourse on the Evidences of the Gospel, especially those derived from the Conversion, Ministry and Writings of that Apostle. By Joseph Lathrcp, b. d. Pastor of th« First Church in Westspringfield." In Conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, intituled, " An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by securing the Copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the Authors and Proprietors of such Copies, during the Times therein mentioned ;" and also to an Act in- tituled, " An Act supplementary to an Act, intituled, An Act for the En- couragement of Lea ming, by securing the Copies of Maps, Charts and Books^ to the Authors and Proprietors of such Copies during the times therein men- tioned ; and extending the Benefits thereof to the Arts of Designing, Ea- gnving and Etching Historical, and other Prints." , N. GOOD ALE. Clerk of the District of Massachusetts. A True Copy of Record, > Attest— ■a. GOO DALE, Clerk > PREFACE. THE Author oj the following zuork has made it a fre- quent practice, in the course of his ministry, to select, J or the subject of his public discourses, a large portion of scrip- ture, a number of chapters in a book, a whole book, or Epis- tle, going through it, paragraph by paragraph, in order. From this method of preaching, he has contemplated these two advantages : The preacher will thus be led to treat on some subjects, which, in the ordinary way of selection, might he overlooked : and he will exhibit the connected train oj reasoning which runs through the book, and thus will lead his hearers to observe the connexion and argumentation oJ scripture in their private reading. Among the books selected Jor the subjects of a se- ries oj discourses, that entitled '* The Epistle to the Ephe- sians," is one. Whether this Epistle was originally written to the Ephesians, as is generally supposed: or xuntten to the Laodiceans, and from them conveyed, by copy, to the Ephesians, as sofne have conjectured, is a quejlion, not nec- essary here to be discussed ; for on the decision oj this ques- tion, neither the genuineness, nor usejuhiess oj the Epistle will depend. The reasons Jor the Jorrner opinion will be found in Hammond Whitby, and other commentators ; the reasons for the latter may be seen in Paley's Hory a public crucifixion, and, on the tliird day^ iiyERM. L'j Evidences of the Gospel. ii rose again, and appeared to many in different tinjes and places, not only to single persons, but to companies, and to more than five hundred at once, and frequently to those who had most intimately known him before his death, and who consequently could not mistake another person for him — that after about forty days, he, in the presence of a large concourse of disciples, visibly ascended on high, and disappeared from the admiring spectators — that, soon after this, according to his pre« vious promise, the disciples whom he had chosen to be the witnesses of his works and the ministers of his word, were endued with extraordinary gifts, qualify- ing them to go forth and proclaim his religion in the world. If such facts as these did really exist, the religion of the gospel is indubitably true. They who disbelieve the gospel, must deny that there ever was such a man, or that he ever wrought such miracles, and died and rose again in the manner alledged. Miracles, which are effects produced above the com- mon powers, and in a way different from the stated course of nature, plainly discover God's immediate in- terposition. From the goodness and veracity of God, we may conclude, that he never will immediately in- terpose to give such credibility to a falsehood, that men, inquiring honestly, and judging rationally, must I'eceive it as a truth. The miracles of Christ, (admitting, for the present, the Christian history to be true) were great and numer- ous ; and he constantly appealed to them as evidences of the divinity of his mission and doctrines. To sup- pose, that, in such a case, God should enable an impos- tor to perform these marvellous works, \a hich are re- lated of Jesus, is contrary to all our ideas of the divine character. They who saw Christ heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, and still the storms — they w^ho saw him yield himself to death, and then, exactly according to 12 Evidences of the Gospel, [Serm. I* his prediction, return from the grave, ascend into heaven, and shed down on his disciples the promised gifts of his spirit — especially they who felt themselves partakers of those wonderful gifts, could not doubt, but that he was, what he declared himself to be, the Son of God and the Saviour of men, and that his relig- ion was a heavenly institution. The disciples of Jesus, (allowing that there were such persons) were credible witnesses of these facts ; for they related them as matters which fell under their own observation. That which they saw and heard, they declared to the world. Whether they really saw the dead arise, the sick and lame restored to health and soundness, thousands fed with a few small loaves ; whether they themselves were able to work miracles and speak with divers tongues; whether Jesus, m ho was crucified, actually arose and appeared to them ; whether they conversed with him, saw his wounds and heard his instructions; were facts in which they could not be deceived. Jf, then, their relation was not true, they must have intended to deceive mankind. But it is not conceivable, that they should have such a dishonest intention : For by their testimony to the mi- racles and resurrection of Christ, they exposed them- selves to poverty, reproach, misery and death. And it cannot be imagined, that a number of men should de- liberately associate to s.icrifice every thing that is dear in life, and even life it. elf, for the sake of imposing on the world a falsehood, which never would do man- kind or themselves any good — that they should perse- vere in this design after they began to feel its conse- quences— that they should persist in it until death that never a single man should desert the cause and dis- cover the fraud. '1 his would surpass all miracles. if their design had been a fraud, it might, in the time of it, have been easily detected and suppressed. The facts, which they relate, they declared, were done publicly and recently, and that they were known Serm. I.] Eiiideiices of the Gospel, 13 and remembered by man}- then living. If there h d been no such person as Jesus Christ, or if he had jjer- formed no such miracles as are ascriLed to him ; no credit uouki ha\e been given to their report. The disciples of Jesus had enemies who wished to confound them. The Jewish rulers spared no pains to suppress the Christian cause. Their enmity to it would kave excited them to convict the witnesses of false- hood, if they had not known that the fucts asserted were indisputable, if they had discovered any fraud, they would immediately have made it public As they never denied the facts, but only studied to evade the conclusion drawn from them, they must have been con- vinced, that the facts themselves were undeniable. These witnesses have lefi a written testimony, which has come down to us with every desirable circum- stance of credibility^ There are four men who have professedly written distinct histories of the life, ministry and works of Je- sus Christ, Two of them, Matthew and John, were his attendant disciples from the beginning to the end of his public life. The other two, Mark'and Luke, were contemporary and conversant with his disciples. Four others, Peter, James, Jude and Paul, have written epis- tles to particular societies of Christians, or to Christians in general. In these epistles, they recognize the charac- ter, assert, or allude to the miracles, and teach the doc- trines of Jesus, in substance, as they are related by the before mentioned historians. Three of these letter writers were Christ's disciples. The last was a con- temporary Jew, a man of uncommon zeal, learning and ability ; much conversant in public afiliirs ; for a while an enemy to Christianity, but afterward converted to the belief of it. So that the Christian history stands on the credit of eight different persons, most of them dis- ciples, and all of them contemporaries of Christ. They wrote separately, on different occasions, without any appearance of concert ; and yet they all substantially 14 E'vidences of the Gospel, [Serm. I, agree. These writings were received as genuine in the time when the authors lived, and in the next suc- ceeding age, and from age to age, ever since, dov.n to the present time. There is no ancient history extant, which is so completely authenticated. The conversion, ministry and epistles of the Apostle Paul afford strong and undeniable evidence of the truth of the Christian religion. To these 1 shall now pay par- ticular attention. The account, which we have of him, is given by Luke in his history of the Acts of the Apostles. This Luke appears to have been a man of learning ; such his writings shew him to be. He was an esteemed and eminent physician — so Paul calls him. He was ad- mitted to an acquaintance with men of the first distinc- tion ; as appears by the dedication of his works to the most excellent Theophilus. He was highly regarded among the Christians of his time, and his praise for the gospel which he wrote, was in all the churches. He was an intimate companion of St. Paul, and accompa- nied him for a considerable time in his travels. From him we have particular information concerning Paul's early life, remarkable conversion, and subsequent con- duct : And every thing related by Luke we find con- firmed in the writings of Paul himself. Paul, who was a Jew by nation, had been educated in the rigid principles of the sect called Pharisees, and formed to eminent learning in the celebrated school of Gamaliel. He was a man of distinction among his countrymen, and famous for his zeal in opposing Chris- tianity. His worldly interest and preferment, the sen- timents imbibed from his education, and the prevalent opinion of the Jewish rulers and priests, all concurred to fill him with violent prejudicer. against the gospel of Christ. In human view, no man was more unlikely than he, to be converted to the belief of it ; and no time was more unpromising for his conversion than that in which it took place. He had just consented to^ d£RM. I.] Evidences of the Gospel, IB and assisted in the execution of an eminent preacher of the gospel. Breathing out threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, he had sought and obtained from the Jewish high priest a commission to bind and bring to Jerusalem for public punishment all, both men and women, whom he found professing the faith of Jesus Christ. And for the execution of this bloody commission, he was now going to Damascus. His zeal against the gospel was, at this time, wound up to the highest strain. Who would suspect, that this man should become a Christian ? — But so it was : When he came near to Damascus, he was, at noon day, suddenly surprized with a light from heaven, far ex- ceeding the brightness of the sun. This was followed with an articulate voice, calling him by name, expostu- lating with him for his persecution of the church of Christ, and warning him of the ruin which he would bring on himself. Struck with conviction of his guilt, Paul inquired, *' Lord, what writ thou have me to do ?" The same voice directed him to proceed on his jour* ney into the city, where he should meet with instruc- tions adapted to his case. In consequence of this vision be fell blind. He was led by some of the company which attended him, into the city. There he spent his time in prayer. After some days a Christian disci- ple came to him, related to him the purpose of the vision, and restored him to his sight by laying his hands on him in the name of Christ. Soon after this, Paul became a preacher of the gospel. That this won- derful scene was real, and not imaginary, no man can reasonably doubt. There is nothing, in Paul's conduct or writings, that savours of fanaticism : But, on the contrary, he uni- formly appears to have possessed a good understanding and a sound judgment. If he had been an enthusiast, yet he never would have fancied a revelation in opposi- tion to his religious principles, his worldly interest, and all his strong prejudices. Enthusiasm never take? 16 Evidences of the Gospel, [Serm. I. this turn, but always falls in with some previous pas- sion, interest or humour. Paul was now actually engaged in a design to extir* pate Christiauity, and he was persuaded, that his design was laudable. If he had been a fanatic, he might have fancied a revelation in favor of his design ; but it was impossible that imagination should create a light and voice in direct opposiion to a design, which he had so much at heart, and which he thought so pious. Besides : This whole scene was open and public, and attended w ith none of those circumstances of se- crecy and disguise, which usually attend the revela- tions of enthusiasts and impostors. It took place, not in the night, but in full day — not in a private apart- ment, or retired desert, but in the high road, and near a populous city — not when Paul was alone, but when he was in the company of a number of people, who all saw the light and heard the voice, as well as he, though they understood not the words which were spoken. And these were not Christians, but enemies to Chris- tianity, as well as he* Nothing can be more absurd, than to suppose, that a number of men, all violent opposers of the gospel should happen, all at the same moment, to fancy, that they saw a light, and heard a voice in confirmation of the gospel, and that one of them fell blind, and con- tinued so for several days, \i no such thing had tak^n place. That this story was not a fiction of the writer^ but a fact fully believed by him, is as evident, as any an- cient historical f\ct can possibly be. It is publicly as- serted by Luke soon after it is said to have happened ; and the time, place and circumstances are pointed out ; so that it might easily have been disproved, if it had not been true. Paul himself, in two of his public de- fences, and in the presence of numbers of Jews, relates the story, and appeals to it as a proof of his Apostle- 3hip, which he would not have done, if there had not Serm. I.] Evidences of the Gospel, 11 been full evidence of the truth of it. He alludes to it also in several of his epistles, which shews, that it was then fully believed in the churches. This vision produced in Paul a mighty change» From this time he became a firm, unwavering believ- er, and a zealous, intrepid preacher of the gospel. He openly professed his faith, that Jesus was the Son of God ; and he immediately received baptism, the in- stituted badge of discipleship. And, being divinely instructed, that he was appointed a miiuster and wit- ness of Jesus, he straightway preached hini in Damas- cus, proving that he was the very Christ foretold by the prophets. From Damascus, where he first be,s;an his ministry, and where he soon found his life in danger, he privately escaped to Jerusalem. There he joined the other Apostles, and spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus. Afterward, being ordained by certain prophets and teachers of the church as an Apo-tle of the Gentiles, he travelled through the various provmces of the lesser Asia : Then he passed into Europe and visited the most noted places in ancient Greece : From thence he went into Syria, and returned to Jerusalem. Afterwards he went over a considerable part of the same ground again, confirming the churches, which he had planted. Wherever he went, he boldly p''eached this new re- ligion in the most conspicuous places, especially in the Jewish synagogues ; for there were Jews dispersed in all parts of the Roman empire. In many pLices he met with great opposition, chiefly from the malice of the Jews. He was imprisoned, tortured, whipped, stoned, and once handled so violently that he fell, and was dragged away for dead. But none of these things moved him, neither c( unted he his own life dear to him, that so he might finish witli joy the mini&try w hich he had received, God wrought special miracles by his hands in expelling evil spirits, healing the sick and i*aising the dead. In many places, churches under his Vol. m, c 18 Evidences of the Gospel. [Serm. L ministry were planted, improved and increased to great celebrity. Thus he continued his work, until he was made a prisoner at^ Rome, where he remained two years, confined to his own hired house ; yet with so much liberty, that he received all who came to him, preaching to them the kingdom of God, and testifymg the things which concern the Lord Jesus, with all con- fidence. Paul could not have conducted in this manner, it he had not believed the gospel to be divine. He could not have had such great success, if he had not exhib- ited evidence of its divinity. The miracles, which he wrought, confirmed the testimony which he gave in its favor. And certainly Luke's narrative of these matters must have been true, or it never could have gained credit, nor would he have thought of writing it. For, it should be observed, this is not a narrative of Paul's j&m^/d* life, but of his public ministry. If Paul had never perform- ed such travels, preached in such places, erected such churches, wrought such miracles, met with such per- secutions, stood before such councils and magistrates, and made such speeches in his public defence, the his- torian, who should relate these things as recently done, would have gained no credit, but must have met with perfect contempt. There are thirteen epistles ascribed to this Paul ; and whoever reads them with attention, will easily see, that thev were written by the same man, whose life and actions Luke has related to us. They breathe the spirit of that celebrated preacher; they contain the same doctrines, which, Luke says, Paul preached; and they narrate, or allude to the same transactions, which the historian has ascribed to him. If you read Luke's history, and Paul's letters, you will see, there is no collusion — no combination to support each other's credit. But yet there is a remarkable coincidence of facts; a coincidence which is worthy of notice, as it Serm. 1.3 Evidences of the Gospel, 19 strongly confirms the credit of both writers. For where two men write independently, in a different manner, on different occasions, and without concert, their agreement in the relation of facts must be supposed to spriiigtrom truth. Paul's early sentiments and manner of life — his per- secution of the church — his conversion — his preaching in Damascus — his danger in, and escape from that city — his sufferings — the places to which he carried the gospel — the success, and the opposition which he found in them — his assistance from other Apostles — his imprisonments — his selfdenials — his labors for his own support — his constancy and perseverance — his mi- raculous works are represented in his epistles, as they are related in the history of the Acts, with only this difference ; Luke relates them with the freedom and boldness of an historian writing of another man ; Paul alludes to them with the modesty, or appeals to them with the reluctance of an honest man constrained to speak of himself. Any discerning person, reading the writings of the New Testament, and comparing them together, will find decisive evidence of their genuineness and au- thenticity. But we have still farther evidence in their favor. Every man, in the least acquainted with history, knows, that, in the time when the books of the New Testament are supposed to have been written, there were those persons who are here mentioned ; as Au- gustus, Tiberius, Claudius, Herod, Pilate, Felix, Fes- tus, Caiaphas, and many others : And that there were those sects and classes of men, which are here describ- ed ; as Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes nnd Herodians : And that there were those customs and usages, which are here related ; as the feasts of the passover and pen- ticost, the ceremony of circumcision, a great strict- ness in observing the Sabbath, and in reading the law. It is well known that the Jews were under the Roman 20 Eiiidences of the Gospel. [Serm. I, government, paid tribute to the Emperor, received their chief m.jgistrates by his appomtment, could put no mm to death without his permission; and many other things too numerous to be here mentioned. Now if the wriiingi of the Nt'W Te^tam<^nt exhibit a true account of the state of things in that age, we must beheve they were extant in, or near, that age. And if the authors have strictly regarded the truth in every thing else, why should iheir veracity be questioned, in things which concern the Lord Je-^us. It we i^elitve there were such me'n as Caesar, Herod and Pilate, who performed the works ascribed to tlicm, Why may we not believe, there was such a person as Jesus Christy who performed the works ascril^ed to him ? Th.it there was an extraordinary person called by this name, who did ir.any wonderful things, and was put to death under Tiberius ; and that there was such a sect as Chrisiians, denominated from him, which made a great noise, and became very numerous in the world, soon after ihe death of their founder, we have evidence from Heathen, as well as Christian writers. The books of the New Testament were early re- ceived as the genuine works of the men whose names they bear; and in this character they have been hand- ed down to the present time. Of this we have as good evidence as we have of any ancient facts. Writers who flourished soon after the Aposdes, and who were ctin- versant with them, or with their immtdiate disciples, can even now, at this distance of time, be produced as witnesses of the genuineness of almost all the books of the New Testament ; as the four Gospels, the Acts, thirteen Kpistles of Paul, the first of Peter, and the first of John. And writers but little later bear witness to the authority of them all, A certain writer named Paplas^ who lived soon after the Apostles, and was conversant with their immediate disciples, is quoted by Eiisebius^ a church historian, in confirmation of the gospel of Maitkem. Justin.^ IreTW' Serm, I.] Evidences of the GospcL 21 us and Clement, of Alexandria, who wrote about the middle of the second century, quote several passa- ges out oi Mark''s gospel, and prove that he urore it, and that it was seen and commended by the Aj ostle Peter. Paul himself has given his sanction to Luke''s gospel, by quoting a passage from it in his first epistle to Timothy, The ancients generally apply to Luke these words of Paul to the Corinthians, " We have sent the brother, whose praise is. in the gospel through all the churches." Origen declares, that Luke^s gos- pel was approved by Paul. It is quoted b} Justin and others in the second century, near the times of the Apostles. Irenaus^ who was acquainted with Poly-^ carp^ a disciple of the Apostle John^ has with great ac- curacy proved the genuineness of the gospel receixed under the name of that Apostle. Several other early fathers ascribe it to him, and say, that the authority of it was never controverted in the church. Euscbius in- forms us that John read and approved the gospels of MattheWy Mark and Luke^ and added his own as a supplement to ihem. The book called the Acts of the Apostles^ compared with Zz/y^i?'^ gospel, appears to have been written by the same author. All the ancients agree that it was composed by Luke, and received in the church as an authentic historv. As such it is ouot- ed by Clement of Rome, who was a companion with Paui ; by Papias, who conversed with men of the Apostles' times ; by Polycarp, who was John's disci- ple ; and by Irenaus, who lived in the second century. Thirteen of Paul's epistles, with the first of Peter^ and the first of John, were never questioned ; for there were particular churches, or persons, to whom all the originals, except the two last mentioned epistles, were directed. These originals were carefully preserved in the churches which received them, as lertullian says, down to his time : which was the third century. They were acknowledged, without hesitasicy, by the whole Christian church, as Clement and Origen affirm. They 22 Evidences of the Gospel. [Serm. I. were cited as Paul's epistles, in the very age in whick they were written, and in the next succeeding age, and so on in every age since. The epistle to the Hebrews^ that of James^ and that of Jude^ the second of Peter^ the second and third of John^ and the Revelation, were not, at first, universally received : But we find, by the testimony of a number of the before mentioned fathers, that, after some inqui- ry, they were admitted as genuine and authentic in the earliest times. As these books were written either to Christians dispersed abroad, or to private persons, it was not so easy at once to ascertain their authority, as it was that of the other books, which were directed to particular churches ; for there the author's handwrit- ing, and the character of the messengers who brought them, were well known, and there they were immedi- ately and repeatedly read. The caution with which the churches received some of the books of the present canon, shews that, in this important matter, they did not act with a hasty credu- lity, but with a just concern to avoid imposition. So that the canon of the New Testament stands on better footing, than if no doubts had arisen about any part of it. Not only were these books universally received by Christians of the early ages, but publicly read in the churches. Paul orders his first epistle to the Thessa- lonians to be read to all the holy brethren ; and his epistle to the Colossians to be communicated to the church of the Luodiceans. And Peter, in his second epistle, signifies, that Paul had written a number of epistles, which were generally known in the churches. Justin Martyr, in a book which he wrote about forty years after the Apostolic age, speaks of the writings of the Apostles, as read every Sabbath in the Christian congregations. from these testimonies it appe'jrs, that the books of the New Testament were, in that age in which they jvere written, and in the next succeeding age, received Serm. T.] Eijidences of the Gospel. 23 as the genuine works of the men whose names they bear. And from age to age the testimonies of their re- ception became more and more numerous. Yea, v\e find, within about Qfty years after the Apostles, the tes- timonies of heathens and infidels, that there v\ ere such books extant as those which we now receive, and that these books were acknowledged and revered by Christ- ians. These writings vere, early, probably within forty or fifty years after Christ's ascei sion, collec ed into a vol- ume, and treated by Christians with peculiar murks of faith and reverence. Now if these books had not been genuine, it is im- possible that they should have gained such universal credit among Christians. If there had been no such men known as their reputed authors, they never could have obtained any credit at all. The authors appear under appropriate names and characters, call them- selves apostles and disciples of Jesus ; relate many re- markable facts as then recent and notorious ; mention many miraculous works performed, and supernatural gifts exercised by them, in such places, and in the pres- ence of such persons and churches ; appeal to the pub- lic for the truth of many of the facts related ; represent themselves and other apostles as having been present in those places, and there preached, wrought mira- cles, made converts, formed churches, and impart- ed supernatural gifts. Now it is impossible that any persons, especially societies, should have received these books, if they had never seen such men, known such facts, or heard of such churches. Every one who saw the writings would naturally inquire. Where are the churches which are here addressed ? Who are the men that speak of themselves as so generally known ? Who has ever been acquainted with the matters wh'ch they relate with so much assurance ? Ask yourselves : Would the history of the late American war, and the revolution which followed, be received w ith any regard ^ 24 E'Didences of the Gospel, [Serm, 1* among the people of America in the present age, if no such events hdd taken place ? Or would such a ficti- tious history go down with credit to succeeding ages ? The reception of a history relating to facts of recent existence and public notoriety, is an evidence of its truth. If any man doubts the genuineness of these books, let hiin say when they were forged. It was not while the apostles were living ; for they would have detect- ed, and supjjressed, the fraud. It was not after their death ; for then ihe cheat would not have succeeded. The books pretend to have been sent abroad by the authors, themselves. Paul's epistles, for example, profess to have been wdtten by him, at such a time, and in such a_ place ; to have been sent to such churches, by such messengers ; and to have been sigiied by his own hand. Now if these churches had never received such letters, or seen such messengers, or if Christians in general had never heard of such writings, until some years after they pretend to have been sent abroad and publicly read ; this would have been a suffi^.ient reason never to have admitted them. Most of Paul's epistles were written to noted church- es in populous cities ; and, consequently, if they wer6 genuine, they mast have been known before his death. If they had not appeared until after his death, the churches to which they pretend to have been sent, would have declared, they never received them, and thus have exposed the deception. In short, if we suppose the books of the New Testa- ment to be spurious, we must suppose, that the Christ- ians, in the Apostolic and succeeding ages, among whom were many learned, and, doubtless, many honest men, did all, in the several different countries of Christendom, without any conceivable motive, con- federate in a fraud, and agree to impose on the world, A supposition this, which, if admitted, puts aa end to all historical credit. Serm. I ] Evidences of the Gospeh 25 Besides ; as one well observes, " It is easy to dis- cover the writings of the New Testament, particularly Paul's epistles, to be original. His very soul speaks in all his writings. There is that undissembled zeal for the glo'*y of God and the salvation of mankind ; that courage — that di-^regard to his own interest, when it interfered with higher views — that boldtiess of ex- pression— that life and spirit which are hard to be counterfeited. The same force and energy, which an- imated all his actions, and empowered him to spread the gospel from east to west, ennobles all his composi- tions ; and it would be almost as impossible for an impostor to write as Paul did, as it would be to act as he did. It is very difficult to personate such a warm, affectionate and interesting writer. There is an exact resemblance in his speeches and in his epistles. In both there is the same greatness of spirit, the same glowing language, the same elevated thoughts, warm from the heart. In both, he speaks and writes with too animated a zeal, to be a cold deceiver ; with too much sense, solidity and consistence, to be an enthu- siast." Of our preceding reasonings this is the result ; THE RELIGION OF THE GOSPEL IS DIVINE. This religion, if it be divine, must be supremely im- portant. Do you believe, that God has sent into the world a Saviour from heaven — has borne witness to him by miracles and wonders — has subjected him to death for our redemption, and raised him from the dead by his mighty power — has given support to the religion which this Saviour taught, and by a wonderful provi- dence has conveyed it down to our day with full evi- dence of its heavenly origin ? Do you believe all this ? — Surely you must believe, that this is a religion in which mankind are infinitely concerned. — Come forward then ; m^ke an open profession of it, and tell the vv orld, you are not ashamed of it. Vol. 111. D 26 £viekfices of the G&spei* [S-erm. I. Faithfully attend on the instituted worship of God. This is a great security against irreligion and infidelity. That christians may hold fast the profession of their faith, the Apostle enjoins them to keep up their relig- ious assemblies. Be solicitous to obtain a share in the great blessings* v/hich this religion offers to you. Seek pardon and glory, in the way which it prescribes, by repentance of sin and faith in the redeemer. There is no other name by which you can be saved. Endeavor to extend the knowledge, advance the hon- or and promote the success of the gospel ; put to si- lence the ignorance of foolish men ; confirm them, who waver ; strengthen such as are weak ; encourage the young and tender, and guard them against the instruc- tions which cause to err. If you ask. How this shall be done ?— -Take the apostle's advice, "Only let yovir conversation be, as it becometh the gospel of Christ." SERMON il. Inscription^ Benediction^ and general subject of the ' Epistle to the Ephesians. EPHESIANS i. 1, 2, 3 l^auU cm Afiostle of Jesus Christ, by (he vjiil of God to the saints ivhich are in Ejihcsus, end to the faithfulin Christ Jesus. Grace be to you, and jieace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessi}i£s in heavenly filacesin Christ, XLiPHESUS, the city in which the church here addressed was collected, was the metropolis of Lesser Asia ; and, lying on the sea coast, it was a place of considerable trade. The Greeks inhabiting this city were zealous idolaters. They are said, in the 19th Chapter of the Acts, to be " worshippers of the great goddess Diana, and of the image that fell down from Jupiter." In this city stood the temple of Diana, which, for its grandeur and magnificence, was consid- ered as one of the wonders of the world. The Ephe- sians were also celebrated for their skill in the arts of magic and divination, as we find in the Chapter before cited. And from this epistle of Paul, we learn, that they were also infamous for luxury, lasciviousness and all uncleanness. 2n this city dwelt great numbers of iews, who had a synagogue Iiere for divine worship, in which Paul preached for several months. This is the first account, which we have, of the publication of 2S General Subject of the [Serm. IL the gospel in this city. After his departure, Apollos, who was an eloquent mm and mighty in the ^criptures^ came to Ephesus. He had been educated in the Jew. ish reUgio I ; but hiving lately been instructed in the way of the Lord, he came and taught it diligently in the synagogue. Paul, not long after this, returning to Ephesus, preached there above two years together ; *' So that not only the Ephesians, but all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and G/eeks ; and God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul. And the name of the Lord Jesus w.s magnified ; and many believed, and came and confes>s- ed their evil deeds ; and the word of the Lord mighti- ly grew and prevailed." Sometime after Paul's departure from Ephesus^ we find that he was sent a prisoner to Rome. In his confine- ment he wrote several epistles to churches and christ- ian friends ; and, among others, this to the church of Mphcsus ; for he calls himself, Chap. iv. the prisoner of Jesus Christ for the Gentiles. He directs this letter to the saints luhich are at E- phesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus^ i. e. noi on- ly to those in Ephesuz who had believed, but to those in other parts of A%ia^ who had heard the word of the gospel from him, while he was preaching in that city. So he orders his enistle to the Colossians to be read also in the church of the Laodiceans. The design of this epistle is more fully to instruct them in the nature of that gospel, \\hich they had re- ceivedyto guard them against certain errors, to which they were exposed from the in.fluence and example of unbelieving Jews and Gentiles ; and to inculcate upon them the importance of a conversation becoming their faith and profession. It contains the substance of the Gospel : And one who reads and understands it, will have good acquaintance with that religion which Paul tausfht in all his epistles and discourses. Serm. II.] Ephtle to the Ephesians. 29 I intend, if providence shall give me opportunity, to illustrate and improve this whole epistle ; in doing which I shall lay before you a system of christian doc- trines and precepts in the order and connexion in which the Apostle has arranged them. At pr sent I shall confine myself to the words which have been read. Paul here calls himself ari Apostle oj Jesus Christ* The word Apostle signifies a niesseiiger se7it on some particular business. Jesus Christ is called an Apostle^ because he was sent of God to iiisti uct and re- deem mankind. Paul and others are called Apostles^ because they were sent of Christ to teach the doctrines which they had received from him. To the eleven disciples, after his resurrection, he says, "As the Fa- ther hath sent me, so send I you. All power is given me in heaven and in earth. Go teach, or proselyte^ all nations, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." Their commission did not confine them within any prescribed limits, as did the commission of those whom the Apostles ordained over particular churches ; but it authorized them to go forth and spread the gospel m all parts of the world ; and to confirm this extensive commission, as well as to give their ministry succes^ Christ, according to this prom- ise, wrought with them, and established their word with signs following. Paul says. He was an Apostle hy the 'ix)iU of God, In his epistle to the Galatians he styles himself, an Apostle, not of man ^ neither by man, hut by Jesus Christ, and God the Father. He received not his call or com- mission from man, nor was he, as Matthias was, chos. en to his Apostleship by men ; but he was called by Jesus Christ, who in person appeared to him for this end, that he might send him among the Gentiles ; and by God the Father, who revealed his Son in him, and chose him that he should know his will, and be a wit- ness of the truth unto all men. 30 General Subject of the [Serm. II, But though he was called of God by revelation, yet it was not a secret revelation known only to himself, like the revelations on which enthusiasts and impostors ground their pretensions j but it was a revelation made in the most open and public manner, attended with a voice from heaven, and a light which outshone the sun at noonday, and exhibited in the midbt of a number of people to whom he could appeal as wit- nesses of the extraordinary scene. * Notwithstanding this heavenly vision, Paul entered not on the execution of his apostolic office, nor once presumed to preach the gospel, till Ananias came to him, and, laying his hands on him, declared, that God had chosen him to bear Christ's name among the Gen- tiles, The truth of this declaration Ananias confirmed by a sudden and miraculous restoration of Paul to his sight. Nor was he received by the Apostles at Jeru- salem, until he was recommended to them by the tes- timony of Barnabas, who had been intimately acquaint- ed with these previous transactions. Nor did he, after all, go forth to execute his commission among the Gen- tiles, until the elders of the church at Antioch had sol- emnly separated him to this work by fasting, and prayer, and the imposition of their hands. The great business of Paul and the other Apostles was to diffuse the knowledge of the gospel, and plant churches in various parts of tlie world. And when a competent number of believers were collected in a par- ticular pUtCCj some meet person was usually ordained to reside among them as a stated teacher. According- ly we find Timotlw ordained over this church of Ephe- sus, by the laying on of the hands of the presbytery, of ^vhich Paul himself was one. And the authority which Timothy had thus received, the same he was ordered iio commit to faithful men, who should be able to teach others ; and he was cautioned to lav hands suddenly