SER MONS
BY
R. WINTER HAfMILTON, DD., LL.D.
AUTHOR OF
"THE DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENT,"
"PASTORAL APPEALS," ETC.
The inductions of sound philosophy harmonize with the impressions of the man,
who, feeling his own moral necessities, yields Iis cordial assent to this mystery of
God, and seeks in its provisions his peace in the life that now is, and his hope for the
life that is to come.-ABERCROMBIE'S PHILOSOPHY OF THE MORAL FEELINGS.
EW YO.K:
CARLTON & LANAHAN.
SAN FRANCISCO: E. THOMAS.
CINCINNATI: HITCHCOCK & WALDEN.








ADVERTISEMENT.
THE Aut1or submits, with unaffected diffidence, these
Discourses to the public eye. They have been written at distant intervals, and in incomplete portions,
as his much-occupied time would allow. He fears
that, consequently, there may be sometimes a recurrence of the same expression and thought. This may
as probably be the case in the same, as in different,
sermons. It might have been better if the length
of a few had been curtailed. But he must frankly
confess, that preparation for the press is to him an
irksome task, that he was obliged to drag himself to it,
and that he seldom had patience to review what was
already composed. He should not have published,
but he was so often requested, especially by many
of his ministerial brethren, that refusal was likely
to seem fastidious and perverse. Being pledged, he
was compelled to proceed; but how often has he regretted that he was ever foolish enough to give that
pledge! For the doctrine he offers no apology —it




4                 Advertisement.
is his joy in life, and his hope in death. The style
will be, as usual, severely attacked, should criticism
deign a notice: he must meekly bear the censure
and penalty of an irretrievable offense.  He can
only do his little in his own way. The subjects are
general, but various: though scarcely any reason,
better than that of caprice, can be assigned for their
selection. They were those which had been either
most recently delivered, or could be most easily recalled. 1Niineteen years of a pastorate in one place,
if studiously devoted in the faintest degree, must
have accumulated an amount, out of which it is not
the simplest of labors to choose. He has the hardihood to ask one thing, (though the caution can not
apply to those diviniyg spirits which do perfectly
judge of a book without reading it.) that this volume
be not thrown aside as utterlv worthless until its
discourses be regularly perused. He hopes he shall
not be accounted an offender for a word. The whole
of its value, if it may pretend any, cannot be determinable by the uncouthness of a phrase, or the infelicitous structure of a sentence.  If it shall be
proved that his reasonings are vitiated, and his statements are incorrect, he will bow to that judgment.
Still will he stoop, if the censor be of a sufficient
order of intellect to warrant a jest and sneer. Only




Advertisement.               5
let him not be reproved (as he has sometimes been)
in a vein of language, and with a course of illustration, which inspired no stimulating zest by containing any superior model. Be his present publication
dealt with as it may, no high hope of success will
lend its aggravation to disappointment. With strictest truth he can say-whatever auguries his friends
draw in its favor, and whatever hopes they indulge
of its acceptance-in the language of Virgil's Lycidas: "SED NON EGO CREDULUS ILLIS."








PREFACE.
REV. RICHARD WINTER HAMILTON, D.D., LL.D., the
author of these sermons, was for many years Pastor of
an Independent congregation in the borough of Leeds,
England. He was born in London, July 6,1794. Very
early in youth, and even in childhood, he manifested his
choice for the Christian ministry, and among his playmates, as soon as able to read, one of his favorite exercises was uniting with them in reading the Bible, in
singing, and in prayer. Possibly this tendency arose
from the associations and relationships of life. His father was also an Independent minister, whose mother
had early been a member of one of Mr. Wesley's societies, a Miss Hesketh, who is mentioned in Mr. Wesley's
Journal. His mother was a daughter also of an Independent minister, who had taken Mr. Hamilton's father
for his assistant. The conversation to which he listened,
the, exercises which he witnessed, and the natural tendency of childhood to imitate, no doubt influenced him
to some extent. When referring to his childhood, he
says, " No sooner was I capable of the faintest thought
and observation than I aspired to the office as something
mysteriously dignified; but at that age the ambition
could merely arise from bold and fearless dispositions, or
from  counterpart motives equally criminal and vain.
The predilection was probably strengthened from the
celebrity of ancestors, and the reputation of friends who
gave attendance at the altar; but while memory lingers
on these indications of character and presages of futurity, I sometimes fondly hope that the divine approba



8                    Preface.
tion originally prompted, as well as since expanded and
matured them, though I wist not then it was the voice
of God."  The spirit and influence of his mother was
powerful in forming his character. She was a woman
of deep piety, of superior intellect, and of fine education.
Her letters, which have been published by his biographer, manifest the depth and beauty of her religious
life. She died when he was about eleven years of age;
but her teachings, her example, and her prayers had
been powerfully influential long before that time. When
about to enter college as a theological student he drew
up an account of his religious experience, in which he
says: " The first impressions I had of any nature, as far
as I can recollect, -were those of religion; and well do I
remember that when the names of a Williams or a Winter were mentioned, my heart burned with the desire to
emulate my predecessors in the road to Zion, and often,
at that period of life when I was most with my mother,
has my heart melted within me when, with celestial fire
beaming in her eyes, and animation glowing in her
cheeks, she has pointed to the Lamb of God that taketh
away the sin of the world, and directed my wondering
eyes to the glories of immortality. Thus she led the
way, and as Elijah left his mantle in his ascent to
heaven, so I believe she left within me impressions too
deeply graven to be wholly effaced." P. 81. When
about to be ordained, he said: " A mother who taught
me lessons the most interesting and important, who
watched over me with solicitude most acute and tender-such a parent imprinted her instructions and hallowed her example by apparently an untimely death.
I could not have entirely suppressed these recollections,
for they relate to the means which were principally employed to commence within me that moral habitude
which I hope neither the levities of childhood nor the
inconsistencies of youth have been able to subvert.




Preface.                    9
The attractive modes of tuition which that parent
adopted-her tender expostulations, her pathetic advices,
and her earnest prayers-have induced an impression
which, as I can never cease to remember, I hope I may
never cease to obey." P. 81. Long after, in one of his
sermons, he made the following beautiful allusions:
" To this moment I recall the soft, kind manner of a
mother who early left her orphan child for a brighter
and more congenial scene. Even now my mind returns
to its perplexities when'I thought as a child.' I can
renew my objection and urge my doubt, and still do I
seem to hear her gentle voice, to gaze onthe' Rich intelligence of those dear eyes,'
while she checked the improper sentiment and relieved
the painful apprehension. Her instructions are as deeply
traced on the memory as her features, and as easily recalled as her tones. She told me why the Saviour must
die, though the Father was pleased to forgive; and from
her I learned the rudiments of that sacred science which,
with all my neglect, I have never from that hour refrained to cultivate and forborne to pursue. It may be
weak to say it, but if I can claim any theological taste
and store, I owe it all to her. Feeble is the tribute I
can pay to her excellence, nor had it been obtruded but
to illustrate the principle of domestic instruction. She
deserved an Augustine's narrative, a Gregory's apostrophe, and a Cowper's strain. How could thy child, blest
parent, but remember thee? Ever must he retain the
image of thy face, and the luster of thine example! His
heart must cease to beat ere it can refuse to dwell upon
that blessing and that embrace which he received from
thee when thy' soul was in departing' ere he can, after
well-nigh thirty years, cease to be'bowed down heavily,' mourning for his mother."
How far parents may influence their children for the




I 0                  Preface.
ministry may not be an easy question to answer. Unquestionably God selects his own ministers by his Holy
Spirit. He calls them in youth or in manhood to enter
upon that sacred office; yet it is not unreasonable to
suppose that when he designs to call a choice instrumentality for his service he may influence the hearts of
parents to make a consecration of their child in earliest
infancy, and to give it such training and direction as
may best fit it for that work; nor is it unreasonable to
suppose that he may so mold and fashion the tastes and
sympathies, even in early life, as to give peculiar qualifications for the work in maturer years. Certain it is,
that among the most honored instruments whom God
hath employed in his work some of them were early set
apart by parental consecration, and many of them rejoiced in the holy influence of a mother's teaching and
example; and little may mothers dream of the manner
in which they are preaching to the coming age by the
words and thoughts which touch the heart of childhood
in the nursery.
There was nothing about the early years of Mr. Hamilton that manifested his intellectual superiority. He
had large sympathy, affection, and generosity.  His
imagination was luxuriant. He had an unbounded flow
of spirits and of wit, was fond of mischief and of mimicry, but was remarkably backward in learning to read.
His mother patiently watched over him and taught him,
but became so discouraged that at one time she said to
his father, with much sorrow, that she did not think he
would ever read. Probably his vivacity and buoyancy
of spirits were the chief barriers. As his years increased,
however, his love of study was developed, and placed at
preparatory schools, he made good proficiency.  His
teacher wrote of him, "He is a dear boy, but he requires a tight rein." If he erred, he was frank to acknowledge his errors; and so truthful was he from




Preface.                   I I
childhood that his parents often said of him to visiting
friends, "There goes a child who, to our knowledge,
never told a lie."  From his thirteenth to his sixteenth
year he was placed at the grammar school, and among
other studies, he commenced the Latin and Greek languages. His religious character began to be more fully
developed. A praying circle was formed among the
students, in which he took part; and, still carrying within
him the deep conviction that he should be a minister, he
made a solemn personal consecration of all his powers
to God. About this time he drew up a full and solemn
covenant, in which he very clearly stated his convictions and his purposes; and the paper shows the peculiar
style of writing which distinguished him in after years,
as well as the deep solemnity of his spirit, and his earnest aspirations to be like Christ. Returning home,
some one called the attention of his father to his ability
in prayer, and he was invited to take part in family
worship. His father was so much interested in his services that, though only fifteen years of age, from that
time forward, whenever he was at home, he always' conducted the morning or evening service.  Desiring to
enter into the ministry, he was admitted, at sixteen, as a
student at Hoxton College, then under the care of Rev.
Dr. Simpson, Rev. John Hooper, and Rev. Henry Foster Porter.  Under the tuition of these eminent men
his studies were directed and his ministerial character
was formed. He was a diligent student, and in preparing his lectures, and in his literary essays, he easily
excelled. His style was marked, as in after life, by exuberance, and his excrescences and redundancies frequently required pruning; but he was docile, deeply
devoted to his work, and was esteemed and beloved by
all his associates.
Very soon after entering college he began to preach,
and such was the vividness of his imagination, the full



I2                   Preface.
ness of his style; and his power as a youthful, original
thinker, that he drew large audiences. When about
twenty years of age he received an invitation to supply a chapel in Leeds, whose society was just forming. Commencing with but a few hearers, his congregation rapidly increased, and he retained its supervision
while he lived, which was about thirty-four years.
Such, however, were his popularity and success that the
chapel became too small to accommodate his congregation, and especially to furnish free sittings for the poor;
and, through his advice and labor, a larger and much
more commodious place of worship was erected, with the
intention of providing some five hundred free sittings.
The new chapel was opened in 1836, and the Rev. Dr.
Newton, of the Wesleyan Methodists, took part in its
opening services.
His life and success illustrate the power of a singleness of purpose. He lived to be a minister, and to that
end devoted all his studies and all his energies, and as the
result, he shone as a star of the first magnitude in the
bright constellation of English ministers. "This one
thing I do," was his motto, as well as that of the triumphant Apostle.  How many ministers injure their
prospects and destroy their future usefulness by attempting other work than the work of the ministry, fancying
that a portion of their time will be sufficient for ministerial success. Doctor Hamilton did not so. He felt
that the work in which he was engaged was worthy of
his utmost efforts, and that it required his most constant
and diligent labor; yet he cultivated all auxiliary agencies, and sympathized in great moral movements. In
addition to his pulpit labors, he was one of the first
members of a philosophic and literary society established
in Leeds in 1831, and in 1836 became its president.
His contributions were chiefly on literary subjects, and
some of them were minutely and elaborately criticaL




Preface.                     3
A selection from these was afterward published in a
volume entitled NVYgce Literalriac. But of these performances he remarked that his greatest satisfaction was
that they had never, in any way, interfered with either
his ministerial studies or duties. He also took a deep
interest in the efforts which were being made to secure
the freedom of the negroes in the British West Indies,
and frequently spoke powerfully and effectively at
Leeds, London, and elsewhere on that question. Especially was his voice heard in clear and powerful tones
when the missionaries were called to suffer persecution
and imprisonment. In 1833 he complied with the solicitations of his friends and issued a volume of sermons,
containing eleven discourses, and a few years afterward
publishedl a second volume, containing twenty-four discourses, generally shorter than those in the first volume.
He also published a small volume of Pastoral Appeals
on Personal, Domestic, and Social Devotion.  They
were prepared under the impression that his life was
drawing to a close, although he had then reached only
his fortieth year. In 1838 he issued a volume containing Morning and Evening Prayers for Four Weeks, with
Twenty-seven Prayers and Thanksgivings for Special
Uses. These had been prepared at the earnest request
of members of his congregation, who had been charmed
with the seriousness, the humility, the wide comprehensiveness, the rich variety, and the tenderness and beauty,
as well as the spirituality, of these services. About the
same time proposals were made in Scotland for a prize
essay on Christian missions, offering two hundred guineas for the first, and fifty guineas for the second. The
Rev. J. Harris was awarded the first prize for his " Great
Conmission,"* the second prize was awarded to Mr. Hamilton, and his essay was published in 1842, with the
* Published at the Methodist Book Concern, as an 18mo. volume,
price, 50 cents.




14                  Preface.
following brief but beautiful dedication, which was addressed to his successful competitor, and which exhibits
the simplicity and purity of his character: " To the
Rev. John Harris, D.D., President and Theological Professor of Cheshunt College.  Beloved and honored
Friend: No happier event ever befell me, no prouder
emotion ever flattered me, than when I found myself
placed second to you. Ever believe me, Doctor Harris,
yours devotedly, Richard Winter Hamilton." The title
of this work was, "Missions: their Authority, Scope,
and Encouragement." In the cause of Christian missions he took a very deep interest, and in 1843 he undertook a journey through Scotland, laboring zealously
and successfully in behalf of the London Missionary
Society. In 1844 the degree of LL.D. was conferred
upon him by the University of Glasgow, and in the
same year the degree of D.D. by the University of the
City of New York. A prize of one hundred guineas
was offered for the best essay on "The Best Methods of
Extending the Benefits of Free Education to England,
Consistent with the Principles of Religious and Civil
Liberty."  The premium was adjudged to Doctor Hamilton, and his essay had a very extensive circulation.
By his close devotion to his ministerial work, the care
of a large congregation, and his collateral studies and
writings, his health became impaired, and by the advice
of medical friends, and the entreaties of his congregation, he spent the summer of 1845 upon the Continent,
addressing, at different periods, a number of pastoral
letters to his congregation. From this vacation he returned with health considerably improved. In 1846 he
delivered his " Lectures on the Revealed Doctrine of
Rewards and Punishments."   Though meant chiefly
for the Congregational Library Association, they were
very largely attended. The impression was decided and
strong, and the discussion is marked by great ability.




Preface.                  I 5
This he considered the greatest work of his life. Shortly
afterward he published a small volume on the Sabbath,
dedicated to the Rev. Dr. Raffles, and also a memoir of
Rev. Mr. Ely.
About to take a short journey on the seventh of May,
1848, he preached what proved to be his last sermon to
his own congregation on "for here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come."  His description
of "the city which is to come " was said to be exceedingly beautiful, and he closed it with the well-known
words of Bunyan, "Which, when I had seen, I wished
myself among them." Thence he attended the annual
meeting of the Congregational IJnion in London, and
read a paper on " The Literature of the Congregational
Body." On the 17th there appeared on his left wrist a
small spot, which he supposed to be the bite of an insect. The weather being very warm, he became languid,
feverish, and sleepless; but, instead of desisting from
labor, he went to Leamington, and began to write a discourse which he intended for a public service, but was
obliged to desist by the inflammation, which extended
through his hand and arm. He had engaged to preach
for the Wesleyan Missionary Society in Rotherham.
His wife sought to dissuade him from fulfilling it because of his illness, but he said he felt himself bound in
honor to do the best he could. His sermon was considered a very able one, on " Other foundation can no man
lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ;" and resting after the morning service, he delivered a spirited
address in the evening. On reaching home his arm had
swollen to more than twice its natural size, and the
erysipelas had made such rapid progress that it had
reached nearly to the shoulder.
He said to his medical attendant, " I am so thankful
to get home to you again, I was so anxious to see you;
but I think I have come home to die, have I not?"




rI6                  Preface.
Unable to preach, his affection for his congregation induced him to address a pastoral letter to his Church.
By able medical treatment the erysipelas was checked, his
arm became nearly well, his appetite increased, he was able
to sit up for several hours, and even to walk about the
house; but his nervous system was shattered, a relapse
occurred, and he sank rapidly until July 18, when he fell
asleep in Jesus, having just completed his fifty-fourth year.
During his illness his sufferings were very acute. He
said to a friend, "I have not known an hour of freedom
fiom pain these last eight weeks, and yet it has been the
happiest period of my life.  The suffering has been
great, but the grace has been greater."  Again and
again he said,  "I think I have known as much of
heaven as any body out of it for the last three years."
WVhen informed by his physicians that all hope was extinguished, and that his end was near, he said, "That is
the best tidings you could have brought me." When
the time of death drew near he inquired how long it was
probable he had yet to live. When informed it was
some hours, he expressed disappointment, but meekly
replied, " I must patiently wait.'?  When a friend, approaching him, said, "I am sorry, my dear Doctor, to
see you in this suffering, feeble state," he quickly replied, " You should rejoice, and not be sorry; you
should rejoice. My work is done, my course is finished,
I am going home; you should rejoice." Such was the
triumphant end of a life devoted to the cause of Christ.
In his private life Doctor Hamilton was courteous,
genial, and hospitable. In 1816 he was married to Mliss
Thackeray, by whom he had two daughters and one son.
She died in 1826.  He remained for sixteen years a
widower; and in 1836 was married a second time to a
lady of great moral worth. His intimate friends bear
testimony to the stability and the depth and fervency of
his Christian life; yet in society his hilarity and wit




Preface.                     17
often carried him beyond the limits usually assigned to
ministerial gravity.  For this he was severely criticised
by his brethren, but " he claimed it was as religiotus to
unbend as it was to stretch the faculties of his mind,
and that there was nothing in his principles or in his
office to exclude him  fiom  the free enjoyment of the
gratifications whichl are usual in such society as that
which  claimed him  among its brightest ornaments."
Notwithstanding this defense, his friends admnitted that
his facetiousness was sometimes excessive; that he occasionally played too much with the feelings of others;
that his jests were not always well seasoned, and that
he would have attained a still wider and more hallowed
influence if he had repressed some of these eccentricities;
yet those who knew him at home attest both the purity
and the prayerfulness of his private life.  He was much
in his closet.'"He had power with God because he
was much with God;" and his family attested how filly
he sanctified all his undertakings with prayer.  His
character at home, both as a man and as a Christian,
was admired by those who were intimate in his family.
As a Pastor, his -visitations were not so regular ol so
general as those of most of his brother ministers; but to
those who were under deep religious impression he was
specially attentive, and was a faithful and instructi've
counselor.  To the sick he gave special care; and many
testify to his tender sympathy, his appropriate counsel,
and especially to the richness of his prayers. One of
his ministerial friends, who was for years one of his
hearers, says of him, "IIe acquired a tone of pastoral
sympathy, a kind of intuition into the mysteries of hilman woe, that fitted him  to strengthen and to comnfort
the anxious and distressed beyond most ministers I have
known."  His week-evening services were marked by
simplicity, and his counsels seemed to come from a sylmi.thetic heart, and in the administration of the Lordl's
2




I 8                  Preface.
Supper he was peculiarly solemn and impressive; but it
was as a preacher that he especially excelled. I-e' had
a wide range of thought, a retentive and ready memory,
an exuberant imagination, and that peculiar tact which
enabled him to draw illustrations not only from history
and from science, but also from passing events. He
was tender in his sympathies and earnest in his manner.
He loved to delineate domestic scenes and household
influences, and seemed to have the power to carry his
audience with him as if to look upon the scenes which
he described. Though full of wit, he scarcely ever made
an allusion in the pulpit which provoked a smile.
He was deeply serious and earnest, and the tendency
of his ministry was searching and practical. Punctuality was with him a matter of conscience. He never
failed to be in the pulpit at the proper moment, as his
daughter testifies, except once, when the doorkeeper
forgot to call him at the proper moment; and, though the
delay was but a minute, the doorkeeper declared that it
was the first time he had ever seen him  angry. His
published sermons show his wide range of thought, his
accurate delineations, his thorough discussions of his
subject, the wide range of his allusions, and the earnest
character of his appeals; but those who heard him say,
that in his ordinary ministrations there was more simplicity and more personal address, as the " substance of
his sermons, beyond his exordium, was usually more or
less extemporaneous, sometimes entirely so."  He was
in doctrine a moderate Calvinist, and not unfrequently
stated and defended his views; yet he was a great favorite among Christian societies holding other opinions.
He was of a liberal and catholic spirit, sand his last sermon, as we have said, was preached in a Wesleyan pulpit. On the platform he appeared to great advantage.
The argumentative part of his address was strong; but
1:aving laid his foundations he gave full play to }his




Preface.                   19
fancy, and charmed his audience by his sallies of wit.
Having a keen sense of the ludicrous, he indulged it
more freely than is usual in religious assemblies. His
style has been severely criticised, and, perhaps, not unjustly. His first " Occasional Sermons " that were published were mercilessly reviewed; but his style was his
own. What would have been turgid and bombastic for
others was natural to him. His thoughts had a wide
range; he abounded in unexpected allusions; and what
to others would have been unnatural, was spontaneous
to him. Having been written to about the character of a
young man, a member of his Church, who applied for
admission into college, he replied, " How happy I am, my
dear brother, that you did not inquire of me touching
the quadrature of the circle or the nature of fluxions,
but on a matter so simple as this." He seemed wholly
unconscious of the character of his style or of its range
of illustration, and when he made special preparation
his discourses exceeded proper length. When a young
man he was invited to preach before the London Missionary Society. He prepared his sermon with great
care, and wrote it out in full, but designed to deliver it
extemporaneously.  Becoming embarrassed, he was
obliged to produce it from beneath the folds of his
gown. He was delayed a little to find the place, and
tllen troubled with the dimness of the light, but proceeded for something more than an hour, when, to the
astonishment of his hearers, he said, "And now, after
these few preliminary observations, I shall detain you
with the following topics of discourse."  As might be
expected, there was a movement in his audience; many
left the house, and the preacher was obliged to curtail
much of his sermon. It was full of classic allusions;
history and fancy were learnedly and beautifully commingled. Some have called it a splendid poem, and yet
in his introduction he says, "The sermon was designied




20                    Preface.
for popular impression."  He was determined, though
surrounded by learned and eloquent preachers, to sacrifice all pretension to learning and eloquence himself.
His only fear is, that in attempting to renounce all ornament, and disclaim all elegance, he may have fallen
into simplicity too meager, and contented himself with
statements too trite. Such an estimate of such a sermon
exposed him to severe treatment from the reviewers;
but he evidently was unconscious of the learned and
elaborate character of his performance.
The topics discussed in this volume are full of interest
and importance. Man's responsibility, his constant need
of divine aid, and the grandeur of the Christian life, are
clearly set forth. The atonement is presented as the
sole foundation of man's hope. There is no effort, as in
some of the popular sermons of the day, to explain away
the doctrines of man's depravity, a vicarious atonement,
the work of the Hroly Spirit, or futule rewards and punishments. A spirit of deep piety pervades all the discourses, as well as an unquestioned faith in all the verities of our holy religion. Several of these sermons are
fine specimens of exhaustive discussion, and they are
marked by strong thoughts and varied and beautifill
illustrations. Though the style is unusually florid, and
not wholly above criticism, yet the student will oftentimes be delighted and profited by the copiousness as
well as the fertility of imagination.  May the work
have a wide circulation, and may the blessing of God
rest upon it!
With the single exception of certain leanings to the
specialties of Calvinism, there is, perhaps, nothing in
these sermons to which the great body of evangelical
thinkers would object.




CONTENTS.
SERMON
I. HARMONY  OF CHRISTIANITY  IN  ITS PERSONAL INFLUENCE.
Ephes. i, 8......                              Page  23
II. THE INVIOLABILITY OF CHRISTIANITY. Gal. i, 8.......... 48
III. THE C.OUNSEL OF GAMALIEL EXAMINED. Acts v, 38, 39... 92
IV. MORAL MEANS PREFERABLE TO MIRACLE. Luke xvi, 31... 135
V. INCARNATE DEITY. Phil. ii, 5, 8.180
VI. THE ATONEmIENT. John i, 29......................... 225
VII. CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE OF DIVINE GRACE. Rom. xi, 6..... 288
VIII. THE SON OF GOD ANTICIPATING HIS REWARD. Heb. x, 13. 322
IX. THE HEAVENLY COUNTRY. Heb. xi, 16................. 358
X. DEISM NO REFUGE FROM JUDGMENT. Rom. iii, 6......... 392
XI. JESUS CHRIST CREATOR AND LORD OF THE UNIVERSE. Col.
i,  16............................................  429








S E R M O N S.
THE  HARMONY  OF  CHRISTIANITY  IN  -ITS
PERSONAL INFLUENCE.
WHEREIN HE HATH ABOUNDED TOWARD US IN ALL WISDOM AND
PRUDENCE.-Ephes. i, 8.
TAKE the smallest, most insignificant, most unnoticed
object in nature-the particle of sand, the blade of grass,
the drop of water, the worm, the insect, whatever
hides in the crevice of the rock or wheels imperceptible
in the eddy of the air-add to these whatever is most
vast and stupendous-the mountain, the ocean, the glorious handiwork of the firmament, moons, planets, suns,
vibrating in boundless space through their range of
sweep and with their precision of revolution, inlaid as
in a texture, marshaled as a host:-all, when presented
to our eye and explained to our reason-all, when they
are not raised to our powers, but when our powers are
raised to them-exhibit such traces of design, such accuracies of contrivance, such wonders of adaptation,
such masterpieces and models of perfection, so evidently
intended for use and so efficient to the full scope of that
intention, that the man who. can attribute all this immense magazine of fixed consequences to accident, must
believe that chance is more intelligent than order, con



24         The Harmony of Christianity.
fusion more binding than system, anarchy more protective than law. So long as the human mind continues
what it is-constituted to reach its conclusions by certain
rules and to establish them  upon certain grounds-this
supposition is a too sublime abstraction for it to conceive or a too idiot babble for it to endure.  Our first
thinkings agree with the first dictates of religion: " 0
Lord! how manifold are thy works: in wisdom hast
thou made them all."
There is a difficulty, which we all feel, in raising u])on
the frame of these remarks a higher conception. What
can be greater than the material works of God? WVhat
can be more profound or more lofty than creation's
depths and heights?  After the most searching surveys
of its ever-spreading realms.-world reared above world,
constellation fading before yet brighter constellation,
ascending from one heaven to a higher still —what can
there remain of comparison but the little and the mean?
To turn from all this magnificence, must it not be to
sink?  Can aught but melancholy contrast await us?
Can we but feel the mortifying descent? And yet, if we
will let the Bible school us, we must instantly admit that
the volume of earth and sea and sky is so inferior to its
holy page, its sublime discovery, its spiritual excellence,
that the infant's primer makes a nearer approach to the
dissertations of our keenest philosophers, to the records
of our most comprehensive historians, to the songs of
our most impassioned bards, than the one can do to the
other.  "He hath magnified his word above all his
name."  Here we read the mystery and the good pleasnre of his will.  Here is the imprint of his thoughts
and purposes. Here he directly reveals himself. He
comes into contact, communication, negotiation, with us.
He built the universe to prove that he is. He takes a
language from it to declare to us his determinations. It
is but a subservient apparatus to the scheme of redemp



The Harmony of Christianity.           25
tion. Not only are the mooral perfections of the Deity
signalized in the death of Christ, but he is the brightest
example of the             poatutwral-the power of God and the wisdom  of God. And no more can his physical works
divide attention with the salvation of the Gospel than
the scaffolding can steal a thought from the temple, or
the platform  can detain a moment's interest while the
train of nobles and warriors is passing over it with the
kingly heir, for his coronation.
The text speaks of an abounding, a lavish munificence. It is of the exceeding riches of God's grace.
With these he is thus infinitely profuse. But there is
nothing of an ill-considered waste. Wisdom and prudence are seen in the supply of adequate means, in
providing for probable difficulties, in guarding against
probable abuses.  Glorious are the gifts; but their right
application is jealously secured.
The design of this discourse is to confute the charge
against the Gospel that it acts with contrary and discordant tendencies. It is alleged that its effects, when
received into our mind, are not consistent and proportionate, but strive with each other and draw it different
ways.  We would endeavor to exhibit that, though
there is ca variety in these impressions and emotions,
there is no incongruity; that they are self-corrective and
self-adjusting; that they are adapted, however different,
to put and preserve the sinner in that state of mind
which is best becoming a creature so fallen and so redeemed.
Andl here we may derive an analogy from the external
universe. In nothing is its arrangement more obvious
than in the system  of checks which pervade all its departments. It is a peculiarity of its laws. By attraction
and repulsion —by yielding and resistance-by a diversity
of antagonist powers-by a succession of inverse movements, a reaction is constantly excited and a harmonious




26         Thze HarmzOn)y of Christianity.
result obtained. Such are the complex mechanics of
nature. By contrary impulses the planets travel their
orbits. By one law exclusive they must stagnate: by
another, if unmodified, they would be driven from their
path. Both are necessary to give the activity, and maintain the order, of their revolutions. If there were only
tendency to the center, all things would consolidate into
a motionless, immovable mass: if the impetus were
always from the center, all things would be volatile,
scattered, strewn through space: nothing kept in its
place or detained for its use.  And this equilibrium
depends upon forces which apparently present no phenomena in common.  Still is the balance completed
with so much exactness that a music, beyond the fable
and too perfect for our dull ear, may be generated in
endless chords: its adjustment is so nice and perfect
that the addition of a single atom might disturb it even
to disjoint and shatter the whole.
This wisdom and prudence are manifested,
BY SHOWING WITH EQUAL DISTINCTNESS THE DIVINE
JUSTICE AND MERCY.
These are not rival attributes, nor can they have
needed reconciliation.  Justice does not arrest the hand
of mercy: mercy does not restrain the hand of justice.
Neither is the more prompt or slow: neither is the more
earnest or jealous. An infinite placability is anterior to
the exercise of both. God is not merciful because Christ
has died, but Christ has died because God is merciful.
Is justice the first care of his government? Mercy is
earlier in its purpose than any government. In redemption they are mutually administrative: " To declare his
righteousness for the remission of sins." They act with
no partiality, they come into no collision. Justice is
such a form of good that it exclaims, " Fury is not in
me."  Mercy is such an advocate of rectitude that it
declares, " Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, 0 God."




The Harmony of Christianity.        27
Justice knows no enmity which mercy can calm, no
frown which mercy can unbend: mercy knows no weakness which justice can help, no connivance which justice
can forbid. Mercy rather than justice superintends the
sacrifice of the Cross, charges itself with the awful preparations, heaps the fuel, binds the victim, grasps the
knife, deals the stroke, pours the libation, kindles the
fire, consumes the offering, while justice but assents,
and smiles, and " makes the comners thereunto perfect."
They speak with a united voice, they command with a
united authority, they shine with a united glory. Neither
excels. The one does not overbear the other. Their
common splendor is like the neutral tint, the effulgent
colorlessness, of the undecomposed ray.
The impression on the believing sinner's mind must
correspond. It might be that in another proportion of
these attributes our mental balance would have been
endangered. Had justice been more stern, we should
have been overawed: had mercy been less holy, we
might have been daringly elate.  We are saved, but at
what a price! We rejoice with trembling. Reverence
chastens trust, and trust endears reverence. WVe fear
the Lord and his goodness. We ascribe forgiveness unto him that he may be feared.  And yet this fear does
not banish confidence. "In the fear of the Lord is
strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of
refuge." It is veneration without dismay: it is reliance
without pretension.
This wisdom and prudence promote the state of mind
we describe,
BY EXHIBITING THE INCARNATE SON OF GOD AS ALIKE
THE OBJECT OF LOVE AND ADORATION.
That Christ should be made flesh was necessary to
his becoming an atonement: scarcely less that he might
be the way by which we understand and approach the
Iivinity. He was thus made like unto us. He was born




28         The Harvmony of Christianity.
of a woman. He dwelt among us. He had a human
heart.  He was beheld in a surpassing amiableness.
Gracious words proceeded out of his mouth. Behold
ho w he loved us! He mingled his tears with ours. He
bore our weaknesses. He was meek and lowly in mind.
And this conception of his character, his affectionate
image, is most preciously retained and embodied in sacred writ. In reading those holy records which unfold
his life we catch this conceptiol, this image, as though
we had actually followed him to where he dwelt, had
hung upon his discourse, had sat at meat with him, had
leaned upon his bosom. He still receiveth sinners. He
is among us as one that serveth. He visiteth our home.
He walketh with us by the way. We see him at the
cleath-bed of our daughter, at the funeral of our son,
at the grave of our brother, and his love never fails.
We are assured of his entire sympathy. He is touched
with the feeling of our infirmities. By unimaginable
bonds he unites himself to us. "We are members of
his body, of his flesh and of his bones."  He calls us
friends. He is not ashamed to call us brethren. He
must be loved. But all these kindlier sentiments need
to be chastened and hallowed. " What manner of man
is this!"  "We behold his glory." He is Christ Jesus
the righteous. He is the Holy One, and that Just. It is
he whom the seraphim  adore. Let us not encroach on
his glorious majesty, nor speak lightly of him. It may
not always become us to press the allowance of his condescension; rigidly to enforce what his humility might
suggest; to reciprocate in strict correlative every kindred
name he gives us. We may hardly call him brother,
however he is the first-born among many brethren. We
dare not call him spouse of our soul, though he be the
bridegroom of the Church.  Our hearts are shocked by
the appeal to the friends of Jesus, however henceforth
he may call us friends. He is the Lord God whom we




The Harmnony of Chr,'stianity.        29
sanctify in our heart and make our fear and dread.
There is a style too common in speaking of him, profanely soft, familiar, undignified, which we cannot too
resolutely shun. The influence of art is here to be
deprecated. It perpetuates the ideas which are only to
be valued as they conduct us to the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ.  "The mother of our
Lord" is fixed in the expression of her earliest maternity, and he sleeps in her bosom still, the new-born babe.
The sensuous of beauty is portrayed to the loss of the
moral loveliness.  Natural fondness is warmed in us
rather than holy sentiment and lofty emotion. Our sensibilities are stolen, our instincts are excited, but adoration is suspended and reverence is checked. It is not
contemplation which dreams! It is not faith which
gazes! It is not repentance which weeps! Behold your
God. Let us give unto Him the glory due unto his name.
Let us stand in awe and sin not. Let us imitate the
disciple who, when he might have reached forth his hand
to the Crucified One, and have thrust it into his side, forbore, touched him not, falling before his feet at once,
answering and saying unto him, My Lord and my God!
Let us follow the example of the celestials, the living
creatures and the elders, with their harps and their censers, bowing before the Lamb! Let us vie with all the
angels in worshiping him!
Blessed admixture of emotions! It is tenderness, it
is gratitude, it is complacency, without a lowering
tlhought: it is humiliation, it is subjection, it is homage,
without a disconcerting fear!
The Gospel, in its wisdom  and prudence, produces
this moral adjustment of our principles and feelings,
BY INSISTING MOST UNIFORMLY ON DIVINE GRACE AND
HU-MAN RESPONSIBILITY.
In its treatment of man the doctrine it preaches is
most abasing to him, but only because it represents the




30         The Harmony of Christianity.
true facts of his case. It does not lay him  low, but
shows how  low he lies. It can hear nothing of our
merit. It dispels the darkness in which such a dream
alone could fill the mind. We no more appeal to justice.
We no more demand, " Give me the portion of goods
that falleth to me." 5We compare not ourselves among
ourselves. Sins which formerly seemed little rise up
into fearful magnitude. The heart which flattered us,
and which we palliated in return, is felt by us now to
be desperately wicked. The God whom we had reduced
in our ideas to a weak indulgence, and even connivance,
is declared by himself to us as the jealous guardian of
his own name and law. We are helpless as guilty.
What, things were gain are loss. Mercy now is our only
cry. As we read that " surely shall one say, In the Lord
have I righteousness and strength," each of us determines to be that one. Grace leaves us nothing but itself.
It crowns itself. But while it regards us in this our
guilt and powerlessness, it addresses us as moral agents.
Not an original relationship is distnrbed. We are dealt
with according to one rule. The law must be fulfilled
in us. We are not the less accountable creatures. In
blessing him who maketh us to differ from  another,
we must not forget that he is no respecter of persons.
Even we are called, persuaded, commanded, to the reception of these sure mercies.  A  new probation is
established, a further responsibility is impressed. The
Gospel is made known unto all nations for the obedience
of faith.  God now comnmandeth all men every-where
to repent. In no way is any standard of obedience reduced.  No principle of obligation is relaxed. And
instead of grace interfering with the grounds of subjection on which man has always stood must always
stand-it augments to far more solemn issue all his original amenableness.
This is a most important result. MAan is brought to




The Harmony of Christianity.         3I
see that there is nothing but he must receive.'And then
his helplessness is set forth to him as a matter of blame
and guilt, for which he is liable and for which there is
no excuse. How correct is the poise which such constituents of principle must establish in his mind!
This state of mind is secured,
BY THE PROPOSAL OF THE FREEST TERMIS OF ACCEPTANCE, AND THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE MOST UNIVERSAL
PRACTICE OF OBEDIENCE.
The reign of grace, though its very name supposes
that it acts in consistency with moral government, necessarily must be brought to the simplest idea of gift and
its acceptance. It is " the gift by grace." The manner
of obtaining it does not lessen its spontaneousness, but
rather illustrates it. Do we seek it by prayer? He regards the prayer of the destitute. He delivers the needy
when he crieth, and him that hath no helper. Do we
believe? "It is of faith that it might be by grace." Do
we buy?  "It is without money and without price."
Do we thirst?  Do we will to drink? We "take the
water of life freely." Is there any reason for this grace
in ourselves? WVe had naught to pay, and therefore our
Lord fiankly forgave us. "By grace are ye saved."
We adjudge not our case truly until we renounce all
thoughts of personal excellence: until we abjure the
merit of our natural instincts and social virtues: until
we see that, being evil, we have given good things to
our children: that our plowing has been sin. But having
been justified freely by his grace, through faith, without
the works of the law, are we discharged from obedience?
God now accepteth our works. They are accepted
through the atonement. There is in us a new motive,
a new life. It is not more a faithful saying, and more
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners, than it is a faithful saying,
and to be constantly affirmed, that they who believe in




32         The Harmony of Christianity.
God should be careful to maintain good works. Now
commences toil, watch, warfare. There is time to redeem. There is neglect to overtake. A new plan of
existence opens upon us. For us to live is Christ.
Works, labor, and patience constitute it. Continuance
in well-doing is the only proof that we are in salvation.
We show our faith by our works.
The doctrines of grace are thus demonstrated to be
those of godliness; and they who view them in their
coherence, will manifest in their example how united is
their hold and how reciprocal is their efficiency. They
will know how to be passive, and how to be zealous:
when. to quiet, and when to arouse, themselves. Their
dependence will not torpify their activity, nor their activity elate their dependence.
This medium, so true to the wisdom and prudence of
the Christian system, is maintained,
BY INSPIRING THE MOST ELEVATED JOY IN CONNECTION
WITH THE DEEPEST SELF-ABHORRENCE.
If there be a sentiment of mind most notable in the
first Christians it was their happiness. It transfused
itself through all their tempers and their engagements.
They found it where it was least likely to be found.
They counted it all joy to fall into divers afflictions.
They rejoiced in tribulation. They took pleasure in
infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
for Christ's sake. Look into their inmost breast. There
was joy in the Holy Ghost. They were glad with exceeding joy. Their joy was full. They rejoiced with
joy unspeakable. Now all this is attainable by us. The
fiuit of the Spirit is joy. There is the joy of faith. Do
we not sit with Christ in heavenly places? Have we
not come to the heavenly Jerusalem? These are gratulations and hopes which fall little short of ecstasy. But
lest we should be exalted above measure, there is ever
present to us our fallen nature, our long unconversion,




The Harmnoniy of Christianity.       33
our indwelling corruption, our strange perverseness, our
slow proficiency, our ungrateful, deceitful, unbelieving
heart. God has forgiven, but we cannot forgive ourselves. We will go softly all our years in the bitterness
of our soul. We remember our ways and are ashamed.
We are confounded, and will not open our mouth when
he is pacified toward us. It is not fear. It is not abject
sorrow. It is the struggle of alternate dispositions.
The heart, which breaks with grief, overflows with delight. "As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing."  Neither in
the joy nor in the sadness do we lose burselves. Both
are intelligent and subdued. The one cannot soar without a recollection which stays its flight: the other cannot
droop without a hope to cheer its depression. The two
combined terminate in a settled calm and a perfect peace.
The rapture may have passed away, but so has the disconsolateness. It is as if the rainbow arched around the
eternal throne; as if that meteor of expiring tempest and
breaking sunshine had now contracted itself around our
soul, filling it with all the mournful and the bright associations of fear and hope, while it illuminates us with its
beauty and enfolds us in its embrace.
That mean of feeling, which is equidistant from extremes, is preserved,
BY DISPLAYING THE DIFFERENT CONDUCT PURSUED BY
THE [DEITY TOWARD SIN AND THE SINNER.
With that necessity which is our best conception,
however it be unworthy of infinite perfection, the God
of holiness has ever opposed himself to moral evil in its
divers forms. It is the abominable thing Which he hates.
It is what he would not have exist. He resents and
counterworks it. He cannot overlook it, nor pass it by.
No sin was ever forgotten, or is unmarked for punishment. The death of Christ, in its respect of an atonement, is the act of divine exculpation: it is designed to
clear God from every misconstruction to which his long3




34         The Haronvozy of Christianity.
suffering might be abused, to certify the exclusive basis
on which his exercise of pardon can be rested, and to
express, in circumstances and by means which could
never be combined again, his eternal displeasure against
all unrighteousness. By that authority and wisdom
which belong to him, he has contrived and ordained a
way by which sin, in its consequences of guilt, may be
detached from the evil doer, a method of abstraction
and separation, leaving the sinner, when he believes, fiee
from those consequences, but not at all as a creature who
has not sinned. Having sin, he is defiled by his sin.
Though pardoned, he sees that there is a horrible perpetuity in the act. He thinks of an entail which defies
calculation. His Lord and Saviour has died for him.
He dwells upon the pangs, the indignities, the horrors of
the cross. He blesses the substitution. He looks on
Him whom he has pierced. That Sufferer bears his sins
and carries his sorrows. What tribulation and wrath
and anguish are heaped upon that holy head! He dies
for sin! He dies for sinners! What a mystery is contained in the double bearings of that deed! To condemn
sin in the flesh, and to deliver them who committed it! To
make sin exceeding sinful, and to rescue them who were
sinners before the Lord exceedingly! To act the foe of
sin and the friend of sinners! O the divine effect of
these contemnplations on the soul!  "Blessed," it cries,
"is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity."
I might have been reserved unto judgment to be punished. It was the meet recompense. Mine iniquity is
taken from me. Far as the east is from the west he hath
removed my transgressions. I can the better understand
its enormity now that I behold it transferred to yonder
bloody tree. Strange that he spared not his own Son!
But he was made sin! Justice bound him to the death!
My sin is there. AIy guilt is upon him. Hateful, rmy
sin, dost thou appear as thou wast never seen before!




The Harmony of Christianity.         35
Thou art placed thus high, thou art made thus prominent, to scare my eye, to break my heart. Die there,
thou that art my bitterness and shame! I hate thee
with a perfect hatred! Let me die to thee! Blessed
Cross! I would know the fellowship of thy sufferings,
being made conformable unto thy death!
Can the saved sinner, after such a spectacle, with the
dread remembrance how his sin was taken from him,
and dealt with according to its full measure of demerit
and liability, sin that grace may abound, or turn grace
into lasciviousness! His judgments and his sympathies
are converted against it, and the contrast between the
treatment of the sin and the sinner must secure a new
barrier between the sinner and the sin.
This congruity of conflicting sentiments is upheld,
BY COMBINING THE GENUINE HUMILITY OF THE GOSPEL
WITH OUR DIGNITY AS CREATURES AND OUR CONSCIENTIOUSNESS AS SAINTS.
The holiest beings, in the view of their essential dependence and obligation, are filled with the most lowly
sensibility. They cast down their crowns. They vail
their faces. They see that the Infinite must be infinitely
distant from them. They see that necessary excellence
can bear no comparison with that which is derived and
imitative. But no sin prostrates their brow. No confusion clouds their face. They are true to their high
estate. They have not left their first habitation. They
cannot repent.  Nor do they depreciate their sphere
and rank of existence. They decry not their thrones
and their dominions. Their deepest humility answers
to strictest truth. They confess only what they are, and
adore their Creator. But the humility of the Christian
is of another complexion. He knows himself the guilty
and the depraved creature. He is vile. He cannot look
up. He repents in dust and in ashes. He cannot forget
what he has been. Still imperfect, he bewails what he




36         The Harmozy of Christianity.
is. For ever there will be on his spirit the memory of
past guilt and woe. His new song is a song of deliverance. But his sinfulness is not to be avenged upon the
inferiority of his nature. That is worthy of high honor.
Trhere is nothing why man should not respect himself.
The Gospel teaches him this lofty mood. Sin is his only
degradation. His capabilities are now laid open. The
powers of his mind are braced to healthy action. His
immortality yearns within him. Ile awakes to his destiny. He is renewed after the image of Him who created
him. He cannot adequately perceive the deforming influ*ence of sin, without placing before him the greatness it
has ruined. The voluntary humility, the reptile abjectness, to which many stoop, is at utter variance with
taste, with fact, with Christianity. Nor in our averments
of Christian motive need we, ought-we, to addict ourselves
to this gratuitous disparagement. If we please God-if
our conscience sends back its answer void of offense
toward God and man-if we have our conversation honest-there must be falsehood in the contrary charge.
Jealous, as it becomes us, of our motives, knowing that,
when we have clone all, we are unprofitable servants,
still humility requires no sacrifice of truth. A heart
right with God has a title to be seen and heard and felt in
the clear countenance, the steadfast eye, the unembarrassed tone, of a manly independence. We may have even
whereof to glory, but not before God. There must be
praise where there is virtue. But without the consciousness of self-respect neither can exist.
These remarks may be salutary in two ways: they
may tend to correct the prejudice of many persons who
look upon the humility of the Gospel as a groveling
debasement of mind: they may incite the true Christian,
clothed as he is with humility, to a fearless magnanimity
— to the port and bearing of him whom integrity and
uprightness preserve.




The Harmoniy of Christianity.        37
This mellowed habit of mind is supported,
BY CAUSING ALL SUPERNATURAL INFLUENCE TO OPERATE THROUGH OUR RATIONAL POWERS AND BY INTELLIGENT MEANS.
The principle of life is subtle -and unscanned. But,
after its kind, it is always developed in the same succession of fixed, classified manifestations.  The intellectual,
the highest life, follows the same law. It is known by
its respective conditions. It is always and in every
place, without forgetting the degrees of its expansion,
the same. Having found one such creature, you have a
general knowledge of all. But it is a very primary doctrine of revelation, that the work of a sinner's salvation
involves the necessity that he be enlightened and purified
by a power from on high. Now it might be asked, How
is this influence to be ascertained?  How far does it
coincide with our mental constitution? By what fruits
shall it be determined? Does not the opinion throw
open the flood-gate of fanaticism? The answer is, " Now
we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the
spirit which is of God; that we might know the things
that are freely given to us of God." This is the simple
design, and this spirit can alone be recognized by such
perception of these revealed things. "God hath nou
given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love,
and of a sound mind."  These are the true marks, and
the existence of this spirit can alone be assured by such
effects. " God worketh in you both towill and to do." IHe
inclines our nature agreeably to its own rule of motives.
lNo violence is done: there is choice and action. Even
in extraordinary illapses, "the spirit of the prophets was
subject to the prophets:" there was no overmastering
impulse. Whenever the Spirit now moves in us, there is
the understanding also. This wonderful, this unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, is imparted to us to carry
out our proper nature, to lead us forward in our original




38         The Hanrmony of CGristianity.
direction, to make our reason more rational, our judgment more judicious, our volition more voluntary; to
allow to each power its right and to each feeling its freedom. The written word is at once the standard by
which each influence must be tried and is the instrument
by which a divine influence alone can operate.
It is seen, then, that the highest inspiration cannot
destroy any faculty of the mind, being but its highest
exercise; and that there is no denaturalizing tendency,
since the mind's appropriate qualities are the only subjects and mediums of this divine impression. It enlarges
our heart. It is the spirit of quick understancding. It is
the law of the Spirit of life. All is pre-eminently a
plastic power working on the fixed and regular substance
of the soul, and exhibiting none other substance, however it be refined of alloy and wrought into a workmanship of beauty.
The wisdom and prudence of the Gospel discover
themselves, in this respect,
BY RESTING OUR EVIDENCE OF SAFETY AND SPIRITUAL
WELFARE UPON PERSONAL VIRTUES.
-We must often ask ourselves whether we be in the
Lord.  We see no reason to deny the direct testimony
of the Comforter to our acceptance. As he has brought
home to us the conviction of our sins, why may he not
assure us consciously of our forgiveness? Does he not
witness to our adoption and with our spirit?  Is not
this to receive the word with joy of the Holy Ghost?
But still the inferential argument is indispensable. The
Spirit must attest something. That which he confirms
must be already true. We cannot be called to believe
that as true of ourselves which is not true at the moment
of belief. No faith can make the falsehood, veracity; or
the nonentity, fact. If the Holy Spirit testifies to our
adoption, we are adopted. " Because ye are sons, God
hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, cry



The Harmony of Christianity.        39
ing Abba, Father." No direct witness can avail in the
absence of holiness: the inferential argument simply
respects such holiness.  Then must we look, on both
suppositions, to character and conduct. We may be
compelled to say concerning the boaster of this assured
acceptance, " How dwelleth the love of God in him?"
"What doth it profit, though a man say that he hath
faith and have not works? Can faith save him? " Take
it any way, this must be the criterion. Only as we add
to our faith virtue through eveiy couplet of successive
and rising graces, only so shall an entrance be ministered
unto us abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The last judgment sets
up the same evidence. "They were judged every man
according to their works."
Such is the wholesome symmetry of practical piety:
no proof of acceptanfce, no assurance of hope, no "yea,"
though we had not doubted that " the Spirit said it," is
of any validity without it.
Moreover, to save the mind from those violent alternations to which it tends, the religion of Christ asserts its
wisdom and prudence,
BY SUPPLYING THE ABSENCE OF ENSLAVING FEAR WITH
SALUTARY CAUTION.
We know that there is a fear which hath torment-a
spirit of bondage. There is a timidity of consequences.
This is cast out. Who is he that condemneth? Who
can be against us? We trust and are not afraid. We
can think of the future, and our faith protects us from
dismay and depression. Our enemy doth not triumph
over us. Though a host should encamp against us, in
this will we be confident. We feel that there is a boast
which we may make in God. "He is able to keep us
from falling. He will keep us from every evil work, and
preserve us unto his heavenly kingdom. He keepeth the
feet of his saints. Christ is surety for us. He will bring




40         The Harmno;ny of Christianity.
forth judgment unto victory. Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ? He will confirm us unto the
end. The Spirit sealeth us unto the day of redemption.
Our confidence of final salvation is cheerful and unfaltering. We are persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  All this assurance
respects the covelanted purpose and declared faithfulness
of God. But is there nothing to abate this confidence of
boasting? Every thing that looks at the fickleness of ourselves! " Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest
he fall." " Be not high-minded, but fear." " I keep under
my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that by any
means, when I have preached to others, I myself should
be a castaway." "Pass the time of'your sojourning here
in fear." In this respect we cannot be too diffident. Our
use of means cannot be too assiduous. If we are invincible, who maketh us more than conquerors.? Was it ever
known that soldiers who were called invincible, stood
the less firmly and fought the less bravely, because their
banners bore that emblazoned style?  Did the ancient
warriors contend the less manfully because they went
into the battle with their brows filleted by victorious
wreaths? The more wary was their movement, the
more sensitive was their honor, the more impetuous their
attack-their burst as the billow, their resistance as the
rock.
THE ACTUAL EXISTENCE OF OUR DEPRAVED NATURE,
AND THE WORK OF SANCTIFICATION IN US PRESSING FORWARD TO ITS MATURITY, TEND TO THAT REGULATED TEMIPERAMIENT OF MIND WHICH WE URGE.
Sin will be, so long as we live, a capable thing in us:
it is natural, and therefore easy and ready. It is bound
up with our strongest propensions. It has a deep-seated




The Harmony of Christianity.          41
hold in our corporeal, sentient, nature. It acts in all
manner of concupiscence. It dwells in us. But there is
a new and stronger power. WVe call it religion or grace.
Sin exists and struggles: but this predominates and
reigns. Paul describes the conflict. " The flesh lusteth
against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and
these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." He lays open his own
breast. " I find then a law, that, when I would do good,
evil is present with me."  He contrasts his former and
his present state. "I was alive without the law once."
" I see another law in my members, warring against the
law of my mind. 0 wretched man that I arJt!" The
tenses mark the different times. Yet he delights " in the
law of God after the inward man."  Hence the contest.
There are two rival principles. Yet they are not equal.
That of corruption is doubtless a voluntary power, not
blind nor unintelligent. But that of grace is the transcendent; and determines the superior will. Of the former the christian may make disclaimer; it is not his
cherished purpose, his true bent, and, though guilty and
accountable on account of it, he may still exclaim, " It
is no more I that do it." His sincere, his highest, egoism
cannot be in it. He seeks not exculpation. He simply
declares that he cannot reach his aim, that he cannot
do the things which he would, that the renewed nature
is checked and vexed by the fallen nature; that the
Christian's self would soar away far from all these adjuncts and provocatives of sin. Behold, then, the position of this contest. The believer is sanctified, wholly
as to diffusion, but not as to degree; sin abides in him.
And in proportion as his sanctification proceeds, his sin
is often rendered more obvious and active. He is perplexed in this discovery. It seems the delay, and not
the advancement, of his holiness.  He appears less
renewed than he was before. Thus, notwithstanding,




42        The Harmony of Christiazity.
his true sanctity is promoted. It is the province of light
to reveal any thing rather than itself. The depravity is
not really increased. To have penetrated it is the sure
method of victory over it. And now we observe that
state of mind which sweetly blends extremes. Htow
humble is the Christian kept 1by all the hostilities which
ever beset and threaten him! How anxious is his suspense!  How sleepless must be his vigilance!  He is
always in the presence of his enemies! It is domestic
treason against which he guards! Still does he trace a
spiritual volition breaking through every resistance,
acquiring strength, dispersing opposition, pledging triumph! He cannot boast; he must not despond. You
hear him in his lament: " The evil which I would not,
that I do! " You hear him in his anthem: "I thank
God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"  The "depth"
and the "' height " of these emotions preserve him steady
in his course, and help him in his patience to possess
his soul!
AND CERTAIN VIEWS OF PERSONAL CONDUCT ARE SO
COUPLED, IN THE GOSPEL, WITH THE NOBLEST VIEWS OF
GRACE, THAT ANY IMPROPER WARPING OF OUR MINDS IS
COUNTERACTED.
The works of believers are rewardable. God accepteth
them and is pleased with them. He is glorified in themselves. Promise of a return or recompense is made to
their acts, partly growing out of the quality of those
acts, but chiefly as actual additions of happiness. He is
not unrighteous to forget the work of faith and the labor
of love. He covenants with us. We, knowing his word
and trusting his assurance, may always have respect un.to this recompense of reward. But do we boast? Is it
not a constitution of grace which alone could render our
deeds praiseworthy and remunerable? which can speak
to us, Well done?  Is it not a new, independent, and
most merciful consideration and treatment of our moral




The Harmony of Christianity.         43
agency? It is the work of God by which we exclusively
can work the works of God.
And there are errors which gain entrance and power
among us by the forms of truth under which they pass.
Popular aphorisms are heard, the more mischievous in
that they are not wholly false. Should it be affirmed
that "there is nothing good in us,"-it is true of our
fallen nature, "that is, in our flesh;" but regeneration
produces " a good thing which we must keep."  Should
it be alleged that " all which is good in us consists in
divine influence," it is true, inasmuch as it is the source
of all which determines "the new creature;" but true
religion takes the shape of personal principles and habits,
and enters the system of the voluntary, responsible, soul.
Should it be asserted that "there is no meritoriousness
in actions," it is true that those of the sinful creature
cannot contain it, he is dead in sins and his entire
life is tainted with the moral disqualification; and though
the recovered sinner should obey perfectly, nothing can
be of desert in that obedience: but actions cannot be
indifferent, they are displacent or attractive, good or
evil. There is that "which is acceptable before God."
Should it be broached that " we must seek for all comfort
beyond or without ourselves," —it is true that nothing
strictly original in us can justifiably or intelligently
yield us any solace in our relationship to God; but the
evidence of his operation on our hearts is most consolatory, and this must be sought in our own consciousness
of what we are and of what we have proved. Should it
be recorded that "we must come to Christ at our last
hour as at our first awakening we fled to him," it is true
that we have no more individual right of access to him
at one time than another; but ought we not to approach
with deeper contrition and stronger faith? ought we not
to draw nearer in the spirit of adoption? ought we not
the more closely to resemble Him whom we have so




44         The Harmony of Christianity.
repeatedly implored'? ought our pleadings to have acquired no more scriptural clearness, no more confidence, no
more child-like trust? Are we only sinners as we were
then? Are we not children? Are we not the redeemed?
Surely there is much difference between the sinner's first
concern and outcry, and the saint's last victory and song!
And yet, the growth in grace which this shall exhibit
will in nothing be so wonderful as in the humility made
perfect!
WHILE THE DISTINCTIVE BLESSINGS AND HONORS OF
THE CHRISTIAN MIGHT TEND TO ELATE HIM, HE IS AFFECTED BY THE MOST OPPOSITE MOTIVES.
Scripture does most vividly describe, and most urgently note, the changes wrought by a Divine Sovereignty
on the subjects of its grace. They are made to differ.
They know their election of God. They have been
called out of darkness into marvelous light.  rhey have
been chosen from the beginning to salvation. They can
appropriate that series of wonders: " Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among
many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called; and whom he called, them he also
justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
May not this induce dispositions contemptuous toward
others?  May it not indite a censorious style of language? May it not inspire an overweening self-importance? The people of God! The sons of God! Kings
and priests unto God! This can only awaken the more
ardent gratitude and more profound humility.  The
cause of choice is not in themselves. If intimation is
ever given of the. cause, it is the greater sinfulness of the
object. It is some design to illustrate the freeness and
power of grace in restoring the most wretched outcast.
And who is this restored one, that he should glory in
himself? He is the undeserving subject of all. He is a




The Harmonzy of Christianity.       45
brand plucked out of the fire. He is the chief of sinners.
This is his utmost praise and claim: " Howbeit I obtained mercy."  He owes, he must still owe, he must owe
for ever! He has paid nothing, he can pay nothing, he
can pay nothing to eternity! He is bowed down by the
weight of obligations and the load of benefits; when he
contrasts himself with those less favored it is only to feel
that he is no better than they, though so differently
treated, regarded, and blessed. The ascription of salvation must be perpetually upon his lip: thanksgiving must
be the voice of his endless melody.
God abounds in this wisdom and prudence toward us,
and thus " unites our hearts,"
BY MOST STRONGLY ABSTRACTING US FROM THE THINGS
OF EARTHI, AND YET GIVING -US THE DEEPEST INTEREST IN
ITS RELATIONS AND ENGAGETMENTS.
The world is placed before us as a vanity, an immense
evil, a ruthless foe. The pride of life is put to scorn.
But life itself is a solemn gift and trust. Household and
species prefer their claim upon us. We are debtors to
all. We must do good unto all. We must love and
honor all men. Whatever concerns the history and condition and destiny of our fellow-creatures is our nearest
interest. Our present existence is the only opportunity
for seeking their salvation. Death is not only a change
most serious in itself, it is serious as the termination of
that opportunity: " I shall behold man- no more with
the inhabitants of the world."  We yield to no indifference. We discriminate. VVe mark the points of littleness; we seize the points of grandeur. We lose our life;
we gain it; we keep it. Even now our heaven begins,
not only in its earnest but in its rudiment; there now
worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory.
Such is the explanation, and such the harmony, which
we would suggest of certain apparent discordances. We




46         The Harmnony of ChristiaZitv.
have referred to the system of checks in the natural universe as an analogy. And that analogy may help us
still. For really attraction is the only law. Every repulsion being only a reference to another center, it is plain
that it is but another attraction. Now all differing
centers are arranged in subserviency to that which is
innermost of all. The natural universe is, then, one harmonious whole, and every momentary antagonism but
conduces to the perfection of its harmony. There is
some mighty pivot, some glorious axle, on which the
whole revolves. So all the truths of salvation are not
only parts of one system, but their effects upon the
believing mind are common and interchangeable; and
the Author of that salvation, looking upon these truths
and these effects sweetly linked together, beholds in them
"the things which are equal." There is spontaneous
corrective and self-adjustment, all is in its level, and on
the glory of the entire scheme there is this defense.
The proportion of faith is that to which we should direct our aim. There are no discrepancies in Scripture.
No confusion should distort our principles. The truths
of revelation, though sometimes they seem to stand
apart, are all bound together, like mountain-heights
swelling from the same base and commingled in the same
heaven. Nor should we suffer a chaos of half-apprehended truths in our minds. As one of the chief pleasures of science' consists in the perception of affinities
and agreements, associating the detached and combining
the remote-so Christian knowledge, next to its power
in saving the soul, yields no purer joy than the comprehensive study of all revealed facts and principles,
displaying their order, defining their province, and commanding their use. They are all coincident, cognate;
they throw on each a mutual light, and they stand to
each in a reciprocal subserviency. They are the different
members of the same body; they are the varying pro



The Harmolny of Christianity.          47
portions of the same building.  Nothing is without its
function; nothing without its place. There is no extraneous, no irreconcilable, no confusing element in Christianity. It is of one: it is one. And if we be Christians,
our experience will be the counterpart of it. As it works
out fiom apparent shocks and collisions its perfect unity,
so shall our experience be wrought in the same way.
" In obeying from our heart its form," whatever of its
influences may seem to interfere with.each other, they
all will be found to "establish our heart;" as the opposing currents often swell the tide, and more proudly waft
the noble bark it carries; as the counterbalancing forces
of the firmament bear the star onward in its unquivering
poise and undeviating revolution!




48        The Inviolability of Christianity.
II.
THE  INVIOLABILITY  OF CHRISTIANITY.
BUT THOUGH WE, OR AN ANGEL FROM HEA VEN, PREACH ANY OTHER
GOSPEL UNTO YOU THAN THAT WHICH WE HAVE PREACHED UNTO
YOU, LET HIM BE ACCURSED.-Gal. i, 8.
THIS "curse, causeless, shall not come!"  Still it is too
possible that man, easily beguiled, and naturally hostile,
may fall into the guilt which provokes so tremendous a
denunciation. But is it not rash to point the menace
farther than our race, and to give it a range among
other and the most elevated orders of existence? It is
a fearful imagining! a stroke of eloquence in its most
vehement mood and expression. It invokes the supernatural-it supposes the monstrous; it verges on the
horrible in sentiment and feeling! Probability is set at
defiance; a temerity, more than metaphorical, breathes
through the awful vow.
It is at least a supposition very boldly conceived, and
strongly mooted. For, from what we can learn respecting these high and holy beings, they, among all created
natures, would be most reluctant to interfere by such an
act of impious usurpation. Whatever information we
can acquire in reference to their history and character
constrains us to treat, as an elaborate extravagance, the
idea that they are capable of innovating upon "the glorious Gospel," whose wonders they delightedly explore,
whose triumphs they gratefully celebrate. The " elect




The Inviolability of Christianity.     49
angels" are beyond the reach of temptation; their probationary discipline has ceased. This, were it not so,
would scarcely be the trespass into which they would
rush or be betrayed.  Otherwise there would be a second revolt in heaven, the enormity of which must make
light the first, and leave it forgotten. Let but such
malediction avenge such outrage, and Lucifer set not in
night equally black, nor was the Great Dragon bound
with links equally heavy. The later and more guilty
rebels would not only reflect from their visages, and
emulate in their spirits, the daring and the deception of
dhin who was a murderer and a liar from the beginning:
they would refine upon his cruelty, and delude with
more than his guile. Indeed, he hacs " gathered this iniquity" to himself. No form of Satanic malignity, no
mark of Satanic apostasy, is more descriptive and prominent than hostility to evangelical truth, in influencing
its concealment, debasement, and disbelief. Too temptilg was this sacrilege, hating as he did both heaven and
earth, to remain unperpetrated.
And there are considerations founded on the nature
of these pure and lovely creatures, which compel us to
regard this hypothetical instance as extreme. They are
not wholly unknown to us, nor estranged from those
affections which we can appreciate.  They have, ere
now, put on human form, and human countenance has,
ere now, shone with their radiance. We have " come to
an innumerable company of angels," and they have " encamped round about" us. We can speak with precision
of their temperament, we can pronounce with confidence
what will or will not be their conduct.
They "do always behold the face of" God.  His
glory is the element of their being, the sunlight of their
joy. Now they are engaged in its study, then transsported in its vision, and again they strike their harps
to its praise. Each disclosure of purpose, the unvailing
4




50       The Inviolability of Christianity.
of each perfection, is a new occasion and source of their
bliss.  Their felicity retains but one character, and
knows but one origin, whether their employment be
contemplation, acclaim, or flight to distant worlds.
And where, but " in the face of Jesus Christ," shines
out " the light of the knowledge of the glory of God?"
Where, but in "the glass" of the Christian revelation,
can they " behold with open face " the convergence of
its brightest splendors?  Nature, by its side, is dim,
and Providence but catches its reflected illumination.
And will the spectators of such a scene-the six-winged
seraphs, the eye-filled living creatures-renounce a Gospel
to which they owe their clearest discovery of the Infinite
Excellence, and, consequently, their richest fruition of
the Infinite Plenitude? A Gospel which adds royalty
to their "thrones," extension to their "dominions," fame
to their "principalities," and strength to their " powers? "  Ally other " would destroy the grand exhibition which this presents of the divine character, and
extinguish that " glory of God " which can only " lighten " the celestial city so long as "the Lamb is the light
thereof."
Their disposition is pure benevolence. As the attributes of the Deity may be resolved into love, so the
godlike virtues of these spirits refer to the same principle.
Since that consists in commiseration of suffering, as well
as manifests itself by complacency in good, so mercy
mingles with their "good-will to men."  Their task may
sometimes be to break seals of judgment, to discharge
vials of wrath, to ring out trumpet-peals of doom-but
love in all its degrees constitutes their essence and per-.
vades their being - gives beauty to their robes, and
luster to their crowns-gilds the sphere in which they
shine, and attunes the harmonies which they warble.
And what but the Gospel furnishes scope for its exercise, or justification for its indulgence?  What boon




The Izlviolability of CYristianity.     51
can be compared with this, or what channel does there
exist for such a communication of perfect love? Their
benevolence but awaited immediately to follow "after
that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward'
man appeared."  Their very nature must be reversedtheir most intimate sympathies, their most tender yearnings, must be abandoned —when one of their myriads
shall descend the messenger of 1" another gospel," or
become the corrupter of " ours."
And the offices with which these ethereal sainted
beings are invested-offices from which we derive the
greater portion of our knowledge concerning their dispositions, and by which we are chiefly brought into
contact and alliance with their doings-preclude the
fiction, and debar the possibility of any other Gospel
originating in their counsel, or receiving their sanction.
He who reconciled " all thlings to himself, whether they
be things in earth or things in heaven," and gathered
together in one all of them in Christ, has incorporated
in the "whole family in heaven and earth," the "angels
who kept their first estate," and the "many sons whom
he brings to glory."
Angels " desire to look into" these things. The " sufferings " and " glory " of Christ engage their most fixed
attention.  Thieir eyes are not yet open to the imposture.'lThey have not yet arrived at the unworthy matters which are supposed to offend our' taste, and clash
with the temper of our age. To us these things may
be " foolishness,"' they may receive our high scorn and
bitter contempt; but spirits of the highest order aifd of
a celestial residence are described to us as bending in
an awe-struck attitude, as gazing With a prying research,
when such themes are unfolded for their meditation.
They are intent upon them, wrapt in their studies,
enamored of their charms.  The Gospel must forego
its character, or angels must recall their admiration,




52       The Inviolability of Christianity.
before it can suffer this insult, or they discover this
vacillation.
Angels rejoice "over one sinner that repenteth."
Contrite spirits and broken hearts have an attraction
for them  which they cannot resist.  As their Lord
came not to "call the righteous but sinners to repentance," so they are filled with an ardor and excess of joy in witnessing the penitent, far greater than
they evince over "the just who need no repentance."
Let man, the most degraded, the most disowned-the
slave, the outcast-in the desert cave, on the ocean billow-chasten and afflict himself, and angels are immediately at his side with all their sympathy. From no
mine can they pluck a gem rich as the sinner's heartwrung tear, to catch and bear to heaven-nor can all
the symphonies of the harmonious universe delight them
as the sweet music of the sinner's sigh. But it is the
Gospel which humbles our pride, softens our hardness,
arouses our apathy, convinces our unbelief, alarms our
fears, wins our love-and in its absence or under its
mutilation, "the godly sorrow of a godly sort " would
never visit a bosom. When angels, whose activities are
as " the wind," and whose emotions are as " the flame,"
weary of speeding these embassies and spreading these
tidings-when they can view the condition of the wanderer without pity, and his return without interest-then
may they consent to the dereliction or perversion of that
Gospel which has but, in an almighty hand, to touch
the heart, and all the. reflections, the upbraidings, the
relentings, the soothings of genuine repentance at once
seize upon it, break it, renew it, heal it.
Angels are " sent forth to minister to the heirs of
salvation."  They follow them to comfort them on the
deep, to cheer them  in the wilderness; they have
" cllarge over them," they "bear them  up in their
ltads," they " deliver them from all evil."  They keep




The Inviolability of Christianity.     53
the vigil while the subjects of their care sleep, and hover
around them wherever they pitch their tent. But without this Gospel the hope of salvaction could never have
been cherished, the thought of it never realized, and
angels would have been unbidden to conduct one expectant of the heavenly inheritance in his progress toward its possession. Its repeal would be the withdrawment of all the means and blessings of salvation; and
until these offices of mercy overpower their strength or
survive their disposition to perform them, the benevolent agents cannot consent to modify, or conspire to
discard it.
Angels carry the disembodied soul of the Christian
to heaven. They relax not their aid, they forbear not
their sympathy, from the moment of his earliest repentance to that in which they convey him beyond the confines of danger and sadness. Then the glow of their
benevolent satisfaction is at its warmest intensity-the
completed task is the consummated reward. They love
to see the spirit, enfranchised by the body's death,
stretching its long-folded wing, and essayilg its hitherto unconscious fieedom. They stand at each gate of
the new Jei'usalem, as if to keep it open night and day.
And while the " great number, which no man can number," receives its accession, and hastens its accumulation,
no envy darkens their minds, nor stays their ecstasies.
In that proportion their pleasure is enhanced, and they
feel that their dignity is aggrandized. And what but
the Gospel secures our "'life and immortality?" Where
else is "the hope of glory.?"  They must see every
mansion filled, and the " nations of the saved " clustering on the everlasting hills-heaven itself too straitand then only will they tear the Gospel from our custody, or supersede it by some idle mockery and spurious
pretense.
The fact is this. The Apostle supposes a case most




54       Thie Inviolability of Christianity.
violently improbable, pictures it in the deepest colors,
presents it under the strongest expressions, and imprecates a cleaving curse on his head, of whatever order of
beiing, from whatever region of space, who should dare
to remodel Christianity, or substitute for it another systemn.  The cited instance is set forth with this terrific
power, to cut off the presumption of guiltlessness, and
the hope of impunity from them who only could do this
deed.  SMan is a creature who has always attempted to
supplant or debase the Gospel.  These things are " in a
figure transferred" from  man to angels.  Even their
intrusion should be resented, their rapine be avenged.
How, then, can the worm of earth escape?  The greater
is threatened to deter the less.
This passage suggests a train of important reflections.
But it is requisite to our proper pursuit of them that we
be informed of that which is fenced around with these
solemn safeguards. What is the Gospel? Is it the concentration of the scattered rays emitted from  created
objects?  Is it the gathering up of the intimations
which escape from the silent course of the divine government?  We have not so "learned Christ."  We esteem it a distinct revelation of what could not be otherwise inferred or guessed: an announcement of a salvation in which we discover, most effectually, our guilt
and depravity as implied in that deliverance.  Though
the entire scheme and the remotest bearing of Christianity may deserve this title, yet is the Gospel most
specifically its answer to the inquiry, What must I do
to be saved? The doctrine of justification seems present to the mind of the inspired writer wherever lie employs the term in this epistle; while its connection with
personal sanctity and practical virtue is indissolubly
established by all his reasonings and admonitions.' He.
"delivered, first of all," or rather, as his "first principles," this Gospel as that "by which we are sctved."




7le kInviolacbility of Christianity.   55
This is its meaning and spirit; it is inseparable from
the Gospel, and without it the Gospel is as unintelligible, as the principle of motion considered apart from its
operation, or in other words, that which being at rest
ceases to be. The following is the order of the reflections and conclusions which this apostolic protest seems
to require, and serves to confirm.
I. THE IMPORT AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE GOSPEL
CANNOT BE VAGUE AND INDETERMINATE.
It cannot be reasonably doubted that the first Christians, whatever were their " differences of administratious
and diversities of operations," had a " like precious faith,"
and a "common salvation."  They coincided in "the
first principles of the oracles of God," in " the principles
of the doctrine of Christ."  They " obeyed from the
heart that form of doctrine which was delivered " thenm.
" The form of sound words " was inculcated with the
precision of a lesson, and the authority of a law. The
characteristic of the Gospel was alleged to be its truth.
This was, to the sophists; of that era, a strange and novel
pretension. To require faith to a testimony only so far
as conformable to fact, only so far as supported by evidence, appeared to them a startling affectation. Yet
this was the tone which the primeval disciples assumed
-and as history proved what religion hallowed, we need
not wonder at their port of magnanimity and valor.
They " could do nothing against the truth, but for the
truth."  Hence their belief was definite and avowed.
Neither did confusion cloud their judgment, nor strife
divide their interpretation, nor suspicion canker their
" singleness of heart."  " Soundcl" and " good doctrine "
they opposed to " fables;" "love of the truth" united
them; they were encouraged to come to "the knowledge," and bidden to "the acknowledging " "of the
truth."  With this the Apostles were "put in trust;"
they were " stewards of the mysteries of God."  Their




56       The Inviolability of Christianity.
power was ample; they "were teachers in faith and
verity." They wore the manner of conviction the most
entire and unshrinking, and justified their followers in
its adoption. The language current among them was,
*' I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that
IHe is able to keep that which I have committed unto
him against that day." " Hereby we know that we are
of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him."
This was no conjecture, but assurance; no faltering, but
infallibility.  So " established, strengthened, and settled " were they, so "rooted and built up," borrowing
the description from the tenacity of the root and
strength of the building, that the language of the text
would neither sound profane nor even forcible; it struck
in with so unhesitating a sentiment, so strong a vow.
They consequently affixed particular significations to
what they called " the present truth," and would not
brandish the curse to defend what was equivocal in its
nature, or interminable in its controversy. The Gospel
called up a certain set of ideas, a particular class of
propositions, in their minds-they had "the full assurance of understanding" and "of faith "-they understood what they said, and whereof they " affirmed."
But such statements are frequently contested in our
times. It is denied that there was uniformity of opinion, that Christianity is dogmatic, that the Saviour dictatecl a particular creed, that the Apostles were authorized to propound one.  The following clisclaimer is
employed as a general abandonment of all such claim,
"not for that we have dominion over your faith."
2 Cor. i, 24. But though the first sight and sound of
this language might seem to leave them to any latitude
of principle or interpretation, the slightest inspection of
the context, and the absurdity of the contrary supposition, will refute the gloss. Paul disavows all use of
tyrannic power through the means or by the circum



The Inviolability of Christianity.     57
stances of their religious profession. He will abstain
from all such stretch of his influence and abuse of their
confidence; but he subjoins what denotes any thing
rather than a license for the indifference of sentiment,
"For by faith ye stand."  "The foundation of the
apostles" was one of inspired teaching and ordinance,
not that of the sinner's dependence for acceptance; and
their "foundation " was held together by " Jesus Christ
being the chief corner-stone."  They were commissioned
to " teach all nations," they were " set for the defense of
the Gospel," they were the accredited representatives
and organs of the ascended Messiah, they were filled
with the spirit of his mission and knowledge of his will,
they were in "his stead," and spoke and wrote with
that awful impress and emphasis which he imparted to
them when about to leave them: "As my Father has
sent me, even so send I you!"
In the fixed character we recognize the true perfection of the Gospel. It is the same through all ages, not
changing to every touch, and varying beneath every
eye, but unfolding the same.features, and producing
the same effects. It is a system of particular tenetsthese, it is important to recollect, are truths, and partake
of the necessary unchangeableness of all which can boast
this designation. The evidences of truth may differ, but
it cannot be more or less than truth. "The word of
the truth of the Gospel"' has the same strict meaning,
the same express design, as of old; and he who adds to
it, or takes away from it, offers it an equal indignity,
and does it an equal wrong.
Amid the conflicts of opinion, rife and strenuous as
they are in modern days, it is an anxious inquiry, a
solemn problem, are we right?  Do we "know  the
truth?"  The anathema which is prefixed to this discourse never could have been uttered unless the Gospel
had been limited to a distinct meaning, had been sus



58       The Inviolability of Christianity.
ceptible of a certain interpretation.  How  important
that we escape it by renouncing " any other Gospel! "
How shall we know when we have attained to a just
apprehension of "the faith once delivered to the saints?"
It:will be easy to charge us with arrogance; it will be
foolish in us to shrink from the accusation.
Is the Gospel worthy of our acceptation? "  Is it sufficiently clear and perspicuous to be conceived? We
would avoid all naked and unprotected assertions, but
maintain that a believing knowledge of it may be acquired, that such a perception should be allowed a place
in the mind, to the exclusion of all distracting doubt
and misgiving; and that we are warranted in resting
these immovable conclusions on the laws of moral
certainty.
We do not make light of scrpfttmral investigation.
This is the basis and index of all genuine belief. TWe
possess a divine revelation. When it is the part of
science to anticipate the facts of Natui'e and bend them
to its preconceived theory, then may it be wise and legitimate to forecast what such revelation should contain, and to measure it by that self-formed standard.
The inductive principle, which is our familiar boast, is
often reversed when the sacred volume is the subject.
Men of any thought see, indeed, the dilemma of inconsistency into which an open violation of it would sink
them; but mixing the rules of inquiry with the business
of internal evidence, they set their assumptions against
the plainest dictates and soundest criticisms. All they
do is prompted by their care of the divine character and
their reverence for the divine code, which otherwise
would be left profanely compromised and cruelly exposed. We, however, do not fear but that God will'" have
pity on" his "' holy name," and cannot suppose that he
will " disgrace the throne of" his' glory."  We do not
presume to be more tenderly jealous of his honor than




The Inviolability of Czristianzity.       59
himself.  And taking with us " the Scriptures which are
able to make wise unto salvation," we embrace all their
inferences as well as facts, doctrines as well as testimonies, relying on the veracity, committed to the scope,
and abiding by the conclusions, of the whole.  "What
saith the Scripture?" is our only demand; what it
saith is our only criterion.
Another guide to the discrimincation and the selection
of the truth is the mqoral ivfltuence of the system which
professes to constitute it.  "By their fruits ye shall
know  them," is a test applicable to the schemes of
Christianity, as well as to the character of its disciples.
Such moral influence extends greatly further than acts
-it reaches to the tempers and affections of the mind.
If there be one form notorious for its encouragement
and spectacle of supercilious arrogance, pert conceit,
and contemptuous selfishness-if it should boast that
the less serious the mind the better prepared it is to
welcome its claims-if it may be marked by a flippant
levity in its treatment of inspiration-if it has wrought
every sentiment and feeling derogatory from the person
and mission of Christ —if it can be proved utterly inefficient upon the habits and passions of the multitude-if
it stand fi'eezingly opposed to all generous effort toward
the spread of the truth; if it proceed to materialize the
soul, and to lull it after death into a dreamless insensibility-if it extinguish each devout sentiment as it subverts all holy obligation-if its very peculiarity is irreligious indifference and captious speculation-if its effect,
according to the measure of its operation, is always
seen in worldly conformity, sectarian bigotry, bitter
invective, and moral torpor-then we cannot doubt that
it is from beneath, and not from  above, nor scruple to
decide that it was not from heaven, but of men.  Such
a scheme, denying that "there is angel or spirit," cannot be identical with that which the awful penalty of




60       The Inviolability of Christianity.
the text was summoned to defend. Impotent, indeed,
must be the threat which is raised upon a poetic machine, a mythological fiction!
To point out the tests of truth and the symptoms of
error would lead us into too wide discussion: most of
these are indicated by the aspect which the several systems turn on the functions and characters of our Lord's
mecdiation. He, as a prophet, is slighted when the instructions of his word are denied a peremptory importance, are adulterated by tradition, or are even maintained for the purpose of rejecting his still enlightening
influence.  His priesthood is desecrated wherever its
true expiation is reduced to a figure, or its one offering
is multiplied by a superstition. The kingly authority
which he wields is offended when man would mimic its
prerogatives, or alter its institutions. Exalt the Saviour, surround him with all his honors, attach to him all
his claims; let him be the center to which all refers, let
him be the end in which all consummates; make him
pre-eminent, give him glory; bow the knee, cede the
heart; and there can be little room for error, and need
be no fear of condemnation.
The general concurrence of the great Christian sections, in sentiment, will not be overlooked by them who
seek for divine truth. If it exist amid so many discordances of character, temper, and interest-if it prevail
under most opposite masses of will-worship and ecclesiastical domination-if it be uniformly witnessed in connection with elevated devotion and holy zeal-this
identity of substance may be inferred to be the truth,
while these must be its artificial, hurtful, or appropriate
adjuncts.  By whom has the trinity, the atonement,
sanctification, with other kindred tenets, been rejected?
What community and creed have abjured them? Some
few, most inconsiderable for their extent of number, and
only notorious by their violence of boast, may, here and




The Inviolability of Chvristicanity.    6I
there, " contradict and blaspheme."  But challenge the
common and " mutual faith," "spoken of throughout
the whole world "-what a unity does it unfold, what
ani integrity does it preserve! Combined with other
causes of confidence, such general agreement will have
its weight in determining us that " this is the true grace
of God wherein " ye "stand."
There canl be no reasonable probability that they are
distinguished by the correctness of their opinions who
disavow the belief of any divine influence.  The fact
which the Scripture assumes, the adherents to evangelical doctrine declare from the experience of themselves
and others to be true, that " the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God," that he is not only
inapt but inimical. Many promises are contained in the
inspired volume that " the eyes of our understanding "
" shall be opened," that we shall " know the truth," that
the Monitor shall lead us "into all truth," that his
anointing shall teach us "all things," that if we be " in
any thing otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this
Iunto" us. Now, all who profess the belief of this enlightening influence, agree in those essentials to which
we have- referred-if it be real, this is the result.  With
scarcely an exception, their opponents deny its reasonableness and existence. If any admit it, their conception
of it is most unsatisfactory. Is it a process of conviction unnatural or unsound, that if all who cherish divine influence arrive at certain doctrinal conclusions,
those conclusions are more likely to be just than such as
connect themselves with a " despite to the Spirit of
grace?'    "No man speaking by the Spirit of God
calleth Jesus accursed."  Every man who hath learned
of the Father cometh unto Christ.
We are thankful that the true believer has a secret
perstuasion, which he cannot explain, as well as many
more external, which he can. He has "the witness in




62        The Izviolhibility of Christianzity.
himself."  This is involved in the " witness" which the
Spirit bears with his  "spirit " of his acceptance, but is
so far distinct that it more particularly rises fiom the
commendation of sacred and vital truth to his conscience
and heart.  It is so minutely applicable to his case-it is
so intimately associated with his history, affecting him
at all points, succoring him in all distresses-" the tried
stone " of his trust, the " anchor, sure and steadfast," of
his hope-that he cannot doubt of its truth until he
shall despair of its efficacy. And it is remarkable that
such an intuitive perception and internal impression are
restricted to the consciousness of them who "hold the
head;" while in deviating from it, these parties disclaim
any share of the self-closing evidence, and any toleration
of an idea which they dlenounce to be utterly unphilosophical.  But their disclaimer only goes thus far: the
attestation of others they  cannot invalidate.   And,
therefore, the inquirer may not inaptly argue that the
positive averment of so many remains unimpaired by
this negative, that such intimation to the soul is as attainable as it is desirable, and that it is the peculiar and
precious " secret of the Lord," which is with them who
"know of the doctrine," and are " of the truth."  The
impugner of the Saviour's godhead and sacrifice might
spare himself the trouble of scorning and renouncing
this pledge.  He is absolved from the charge.  But his
jeer does not undeceive our judgment or disabuse our
conviction. And he might more reasonably think and
infer that what is the property of all from whom he
differs is only withheld from himself as the mark of his
error, and the punishment of his disbelief.
Unless there was this invariableness in the Christian
system-if a fixed determination of its purport is impossible-we should be at a loss inll what manner to follow
the conduct and imbibe the spirit of the early Christians.  The lofty confidence we admire in them  must,




The izviolability of Christianity.      63
when imitated, degenerate into the vainest arrogance.
Those lights and examples of the Church would only
ensnare us into a mien and.attitude ridiculous as profane.  It would be the dwarf attempting to bare a
giant's arm, a wayfaring man aspiring to a prophet's
vision.
And on this supposition, instead of congratulating
ourselves that we possess the written word, we stand in
a disadvantageous position. How are we blessed in not
having seen, yet having believed?  We can resolve no
cloubt, we can obtain no certainty. Far better would it
be to sit at the feet of Jesus. It could not be expedient
that he should depart; the Comforter does not supply
his place. Or we might have interrogated the Apostles.
Their living lips might have yielded the satisfaction
which their records do not secure. The oracle may
still respond, but its sounds are inarticulate, and its decisions evasive.
And it is plain that there are duties urged upon the
disciples of the Gospel which are sufficiently incoherent,
should it be itself unsusceptible of strict definition, or
should it not authorize an unequivocal assertion. If
there be one obligation more enforced than another, it
is to "steadfastness of faith in Christ."  Nothing is
more commended, nothing more earnestly and frequently
impressed: "Stablished in the faith as ye have been
taught."  "If ye continue in the faith' grounded and
settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the
Gospel."  " I trust ye shall acknowledge these things
even to the end."  But if the Christian faith be vague
and indeterminable, then constancy to it in any meaning, and according to any conception, must be as pertinacious as its avowal is precipitate.
The history of the martyrs, who have sealed with the
prodigal sacrifice of their blood not a name or sound,
but a set of opinions which they deemed a just repre



64       The Inviolability of Christianity.
sentation of Christianity, would appear a tragedy without a moral, were the Gospel, in sacred language., to be'"yea and nay," or incapable of being adjudged. In
vain did they pour out that life-stream, when it was but
a risk what truth it might attest, and what cause it
should subserve. It was too vast a price for a doubtful
part, and too reckless a stake for an incalculable issue.
There is another spirit at work among us. It can
inculcate a due firmness of erroneous opinion, it only
condemns as rude and dictatorial the adoption and retention of an opposite sentiment. It is charitable, in its
own -favored phrase, toward all the doubting and unconvinced; it can show favor to the honest infidel, however impetuous and professed. Its contempt is reserved
for those who, having, with certainly no less honesty,
read the word of God and searched the Scriptures
"whether these things are so," maintain their most cautious impression and uphold their most deliberate judgment. This contempt would fall strangely upon those
who are celebrated for continuing in "the apostles'
doctrine;" and it might invert itself, and become apology for those whom the same record condemns. Might
it not advance, in extenuation of those who were " ever
learning, and never coming to the "knowledge of the
truth," that they were unfettered by prejudice, and still
prosecuting inquiry? and offer in exculpation of "unstable souls," that they were only seeking truth wherever it could be found, keeping their minds open and
their studies unpledged, ready to obey all possible
convictions?
But the " truth as it is in Jesus," is contained in that
word which is trmth itself; there it is laid up as in a
casket and hallowed as in a shrine.  No change can
pass upon it. It bears the character of its first perfection. It is the wisdom of.God and the power of God.
Like the manna and the rod in the recess of the ark, it




The Inviolability of Christianity.      65
is the incorruptible bread of heaven, it is the ever-living
instrument of might, without an altered form or superseded virtue.  " He who runneth may read."  Nothing
but clouds of unholy passion or of mental vanity can
obscure it. It is only impervious to the " desires of the
flesh or of the minid."  "If our Gospel be hid, it is hid
to them that are lost."  And such is its simplicity when
men read it as learners and receive it as sinners, that
we can dare a contradiction to its plain interpretation,
and feel that if " an angel from heaven " were so to belie it, torturing it by sophistry, annulling it by conjecture, and recasting it by prejudgment, he should
suffer the " curse" which dreadly guards our faith from
every violation.
This impassioned style prompts an idea beyond the
intelligibleness and fixed nature of the Gospel:
II. ITS DIVINE ORIGIN AND AUTHORITY CANNOT BE
CONTROVERTED.
The history of Saul of Tarsus has often been cited
with happy success in confirmation of Christianity.
Part of the evidence which it supplies is common to
-other narratives of conversion, but a greater part is of
a character quite distinct. As in all it is competent to
set over against each other mistake and dece2tion, so
we might in this show the impossibility of such a mind
being seduced into error or tempted to imposture. If
thefirst, then the most masculine mind, the most powerful coulnter-impression, a judgment most cautious in its
use of evidence, a sobriety most jealous over each exercise of imagination, proofs always abundant and always
augmenting, sign and suasion, are no presumptions of
truth, no means of certainty. The Gospel is either unsusceptible of support from reasoning, or our intellect
is unfitted to weigh that reasoning. If the second, we
must transform the human being, and conceive of selfishness covetous of sacrifice, ambition intent upon dis5




66        The Inviolability of Christianity.
honor, pleasltre wrapt in austerity, hypocrisy sighing.
for death.
His accession to the Christian side derives much of
its singularity from his hostility-hostility neither ordinary nor in the least degree controlled. It could only
at any time have been exasperated into fiercer fury by
the suggestion that he should soon be won to the nunmber of the proselytes and defenders already enlisted.
Had augur or soothsayer hazardel that prediction, no
improbabilities could have occurred to the hearer more
blind and excessive.
If any name sounded dreadful in the ear of the first
Christian it was that of the young man who kept the
raiment of them that slew the martyr Stephen. That
name was a brand of cruelty, it was a voice of blood.
It passed forth as an onien, as when nations have beheld
the meteor-sword flashing above them. In vain do we
search for any redeeming virtue, any exculpating circumstance, in his character and history.  The ordinary
palliatives of youth, temperament, inexperience, supply
the actual aggravation.  A rank maturity of evil contrasts itself to his youth, a phlegmatic steadiness of
malignity does violence to his temperament, and an
inventive redundance of aggressions more than makes
up for the disadvantage of inexperience.  He settles
into a cool and gloating ferocity, he revolves new and
more dire schemes of persecution.  He can revel in the
carnage of a promiscuous massacre with an unshrinking
eye and unrelenting heart. He never seems warmed by
a generous enthusiasm. There is none of that fine sentiment, that moral poetry which sometimes has retrieved the sallies of an extravagant zeal. His acquittal of dishonesty is the condemnation of his cruelty.
Anid if any conversion appeared placed beyond the
limit of hope and. all reasonable expectation, if any could
be " too hard for God," or lying Within those moral




The Inviolability of Christianity.       67
impossibilities which he allows, because they establish
his perfection of nature and rule of will, who could
have wavered to pronounce that it was this?  Sooner
might it have been surmised that Caiaphas would have
looked " on him whom" he " had pierced," and in bitter
compunction would have rent his ephod, and cast his
tiara into the dust.  Sooner might it have been anticipated that Pilate would have worshiped that KIing
whom neither the seal, nor cohort, nor death itself could
imprison in the tomb. And even when the thousands
of the populace which had insulted him in every form,
spit on him  in the hall, andc jested with him  on the
cross, are " pricked to the heart," it does not impress us
as so strange, nor does its announcement strike us as so
unlikely, as that this stern foe should pause, that this fell
monster should soften.
His earliest prepossessions would render the contingency of such an event most minute and distant.  The
blood of his high ancestry would rebel against the
change. His education at the feet of a rabbi wvould
confirm  his attachment to " the Jews' religion," and
enable him to defend it with adroitness. His sect, as a
Pharisee, would induce the pride of a more strictly
ceremonial consistency.  Bigotry would call in public
favor to its aid, for he was esteemed the champion of
his nation and his faith, of his country and his God.
Persecution could not find a more ready instrument.
He enters into its service with an unparalleled quickness and force of congeniality.  He is formed to it at
once. He puts forth all its perfect instincts and fangs.
Who does not tremble as he proceeds?  "Damascus is
waxed feeble and turneth herself to flee."  The terror,
scourge, and spoiler of the Church-the pestilence withering all into a desert-the conflagration setting " on
fire the course of nature," and itself "set on fire of hell"
-tle star of disastrous influence which, falling to the




68       The Inviolability of Christianzity.
earth, converts its waters into gall and blood-to what
can he be compared? How long shall he be suffered to
make havoc of the saints?  WVill not." God avenge his
own elect?"  "Are not [his] eyes upon the truth?"
Where sleeps his tllunder?  "'Judgment slumbereth
not."  The rebel falls: amid his most intoxicating
dream, his most applauded career-in the greatness of
his way-he falls! Jesus of Nazareth has struck down
his foe. Well has the bolt sped, true has the arrow
flown. But that light streams not to blast, that voice
upbraids not to condemn, that power smites not to destroy. 0 what a change has moved over his heart!
What "a new creature!"  He weeps. He abhors himself. " Behold, he prayeth." The hands which " haled
men and women to prison "-which a few hours ago received the fatal commission, and until this moment
grasped the murderous weapon —are now penitently
clasped, and suppliantly uplifted! The knees which
shook not when he was surrounded by the wailings of
mothers and children whom he made widows and orphans, now.pliant as the infant sinew, are bent in earliest, transfixing prayer! The eyes, no longer bent in
moody scorn, or shooting with. wrathful glance, now
overflow with tears. The lips which "breathed out
threatenings and slaughter," now utter the cry of shame
and surrender, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? "
What a conquest! What a spectacle! So sudden, so
enduring "! "Where is the fury of the oppressor!"  It
is a trophy of grace. It is a marvel of Omnipotence.
The lamb may lie down with the lion, the sucking child
may play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child
may put his hand on the cockatrice's den.
And his conversion raises not alone the argument for
the truth of that faith " which once he destroyed:" we
must review his mission and apostolate. For though
the doctrines he preached were precisely those of the




The Inviolability of Christian ity.     69
other disciples, and his qualifications for the office as
decided, he having seen the Lord, and, therefore, being
constituted virtually a witness of his resurrection, yet
two things distinguish his ministry.  He learned Christianity from imnectiate revelationz.  He was indebted to
none of the " men who companied together all the time
the Lord Jesus went in and out among them."  James
taught him not -his knowledge, nor Peter'enkindled his
zeal, nor John infused his love. At the foot of the celestial throne he imbibed the " wisdom in a mystery,"
and returned to earth exclaiming, "' Woe is unto me if I
preach not the Gospel."  In the same manner he derived his cztthority from the " Head of the body, which
is the Church."  So far from this investiture being proposed, or this designation being imparted, by the Apostles," they were all afraid of him, and believed not that
he was a disciple."  His appointment, his instruction,
were direct communications from Heaven. Now, there
is a double advantage in these facts. Had the Apostles
swerved from. their Master's truth since his resurrection? a persecutor is caught up to the third heaven,
and descends with all the lessons of that awful discipline. And the comparison establishes the important
matter, that the most exact agreement subsisted between
the sentiments of the earlier disciples of the Christian
school and this later one-between the elder brethren
and this younger one, "'born out of due time."  An
unprejudiced witness, he could say, " Therefore, whether
it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed."
And as the cdoctrine'of Christianity was proved to have
remained undistorted, so this independence of the other
Apostles vindicated all the parties from any collusion.
It was like sending down from heaven a second original
of the Gospel, and affixing to it a second seal of attestation. The vouchers were written in the same character,
the impressions were received from the same signet.




70        The Iznviolability of CGlristianzity.
From  these statements we draw important conclusions, illustrated and enforced by the text. First, what
must have been the strength and satisfaction of (oT-vivction entertained by the writer! Be it rememlbered that
the conviction has to do with facts. It pertains to no
favorite theory, no abstract science, but to occu'rences
wlhich he had proved by sensible observation and perfect consciousness.  Wonders had teemed around him;
but his own transformation was the most signal wonder
of all. Nothing without him could equal what he discerned within. True, the light which shone upon him
when he was arrested in his guilty march, was " above
the brightness of the sun;" but an intenser radiance iwas.
filled his soul. True, the earthquake had set him fiee
when thrust into the inner prison, and fastened in the
stocks; but a mightier power had laid open his heart.
True, he spake words of power which cast out infernal
spirits; but of more fatal possessions had he been healed.
How could he doubt? He knew his cause, and he knew
its trustworthy evidence.  Mark now his language, and
consider his responsibility! He sounds a defiance to the
universe! He dares to a refutation creatures of the
keenest intellect and largest power! The mind could
have felt no misgiving which braves such an inquest,
which denounces such a curse. Had room existed for
the faintest suspicion, aye, for possible mistake, at once
this language had been subdued, and its fearlessness
been restrained.  He would have spoken with reserve,
his curse would have been sheathed in conditions. He
would have trembled lest some uLnknown being might
accept the guage, lest Heaven should avenge the quarrel.
His tongue would have faltered lest, while he spoke,
some oracle shotld burst suddenly at his foot, and falsify his assertions; lest some angel should cross his path
and "'forbid his madness."  And as we can thus estimate the measure and force of Paul's convictions, we




The Inviolability of Cihristianity.       7I
may, secondly, inquire what weight and credibility
should be allowed them.  Remember the appeal; consicler the man who utters it; inspect his thabitudes of
mind; follow the lines of his history; try his character
by any motives of selfishness and artifice; forget not
the meed he loses in the danger he inculs; contrast his
meekness and his heroism; combine his indignation of
wrong to another with his forbearance of it toward himself; put his conduct to any test, his design to any
analysis; and then determine whether woe are not safe
where he is undaunted; whether wee may not decide for
that on which he perils all; whether the anathema which
he dares pronounce does not throw around'as the safeguard of a divine benediction; whether we ought not to
transfer, with vwhatever abatement of the verbal force
and the apostolic authority, these solemn, untrembling
convictions fiom his mind, on which they impress such
strength and majesty, to our own.*
But this imprecatory language, proceeding firom the
present source, not'only establishes the divine truth of
Christianity; it is available to the proof that,
III. ITS EFFICACY CANNOT BE DENIED.
Himself a memorable proof of what it could accomplish (and proofs only inferior multiplying on every
side) no one having subjected it to more frequent and
successful experiment-a witness of its energy on all
characters and among all nations-Paul cannot endure
that even the thought of " another Gospel" should reflect upon this.  It leaves him  nothing to desire.  Imagination can invest it with no worthier attributes nor
ampler powers.  It had evinced no sign of incapacity,
nor could it be charged with a semblance of failure.
Sustaining the utmost grandeur of its pretensions, fulfilling the largest spirit of its predictions, only wanting
"free course" to be " glorified,"-not only gone forth con* "Splenden tia et vehementia sed rebus veris. "-AUGUSTINE.




72       The Inviolability of Christianity.
quering but " to conquer," he shudders at the rapine
which would despoil and the sacrilege which would
profane it.
It was not called into operation until numberless expedients of man had been frustrated. Philosophy, after
a probation of ages and a felicity of opportunities, sunk
dejected on her seat, and declined the reign which she
had of old sought to establish over the human spirit.
She cherished long and tenaciously projects of amelioration.   Socrates pursued her stateliest reasonings;
Plato fell entranced into her fairest dreams, and what
unassisted reason could achieve, these her sons and
champions must have insured. They spoke of the becomning and the beactifaul in conduct; they applied the
genius of their master-language in the refinements of
the Inecessary, the usefll, the dcue in obligation. They
had an ambition to elevate the mind and character of
man, to correct the evils of society, and to establish a
condition of universal well-being.  They drew their
pictures of an ideal perfection, and held them up to excite emulation.  It would be unjust to refuse them the
praise of integrity and amiable dispositions. But they
knew not the depth of the disease they undertook to
eradicate. They struck no blow at the root of evil, and
much less aspired to "make the tree good."  The plan
of each was wrecked, the world was in despair, when
Christianity left the bosom of the Father in the person
of his Son. From the moment it alighted on earth it
has run a career of beneficence. Men have been blessed
in it. By an invisible process it detaches the stain of
guilt from  the conscience, and pours balm  into its
wound. By a power no less than His " who made not
only that which is without, but that which is within
also," it renews the spirit of the mind. It still holds
fast its youthful prime and strength. Whatever, under
any circumstances, it has done, it can under any circumn



The Inviolability of Christinity.         73
stances repeat.  The sanctified instrument of the Holy
Spirit, it pardons as determinately as the Saviour's voice,
saying, " Thy sins be forgiven thee."  It purifies as efficaciously as the Saviour's fiat, " I will; be thou clean."
It adopts as truly as the Saviour's recognition, " Behold
my mother and my brethren." It glorifies as authoritatively as the Saviour's assurance, " To-day shalt thou
be with me. in paradise."  If ever a fountain, it is as at
the first, exhaustless; if ever a medicine, it is the specific still; if ever a mine, it is impoverished of none of
its wealth; if ever a foundation, what will not its present strength enable it to sustain? Take and learn what
these Scriptures mean, "The blood of Jesus Christ
cleanseth us fiom  all sin;" "By whom  the world is
crucified unto me, and I unto the world;" "I will
never leave thee, nor forsake thee."  Ah, they have
not lost their zest and emphasis! Still they breathe
their sweet savor, and insinuate their soothing charm.
They have suffered no diminution, they can exhibit no
decay.  The tree of life sheds no faded leaf; the sword
of the Spirit gleams refulgent, without a spot of rust or
abatement of temper.
It was well proved from the beginning. It had entered no congenial sphere.  Philosophy, rhetoric, art,
were conjoined to superstitions, radicated into all habits
and vices of mankind. The very ruins which survive
the downfall of polytheism-the frieze with its mythological tale, the column yet soaring with inimitable
majesty, the statue breathing an air of divinity-recall
the fascinations which it once might boast, and tell of the
auxiliaries it could command.  Yet these were but the
decorations of selfishness most indecently avowed, of
licentiousness most brutally incontinent, of war the most
wantonly bloody, of slavery the most barbarously oppressive.  And Christianity subverted these foundations
of iniquity; and yet so all penetrating is its energy, that




74       The Inviolability of Ch7ristianity.
it did not so much smite them as that they sunk away
before it. It sobered passion by reason, and controlled
imagination by truth; it excited sensibility by interest,
and awed conscience by retribution; compelled gratitude
by the bestowmeunt of good, and gained affection by the
porl raiture of excellence. What a revolution did it accomplish in the laws, usages, opinions, and feelings of
the world! It " famished the gods," (Zeph. ii, 11,) realizing the irony of the prophets in the withdiawment of
the sacrifices on which they were supposed to feed; it
cast down the temples; it struck dumb the oracles; the
images of power fell from their pedestals; the fires of
devotion went out on their shrines.  It softened the
ferocity and relaxed the pride of manners; it gave justice its exercise and benevolence its being. It stooped
to every ill and woe. Nor was it only a proposal, but a
power, to bless; not something to be thwarted by human
perversity, but to melt it away. It was a practical victory, a sure triumph. It advainced without noise and
pomp, but irresistibly. Its power was displayed in the
might of effect, and not in the struggle of operation; in
the perfect work, without the intervention of process and
delay.  Like the elemental ray-immediate, piercing,
renovating-or the hidden laws of nature which speed
and harmonize all its most exact and beneficent resultsChristianity reaches the human will, and renews the
human heart. And a thousand blessings, which may at
first appear derived from  an independent source, are
really poured forth from this: as the soft moonlight is
but the reflection of the sun no longer visible, but still
not uninfluential.
We may, indeed, with perfect propriety, demand what
occasion has presented itself for something new? What
new lights have been thrown on human powers, obligations, and destinies?  What sudden secret has been
struck out by the inquiries into human nature?  We




The Izviolabilzty of Christianity.        75
wait but for the proof of its incompetency to purify the
wicked and solace the distressed.  That proof has never
been produced. What have other systems done? What
hold have they fastened on the mind, what strength exertedl on the heart? What of vice have they suppressed?
What of woe have they relieved?  Tam.e the tiger with
a straw! stem the torrent with a bulrush! This, this
is the admirable quality of the Gospel, that it anticipates
and provides for every emergency.  It is projected on a
scale of omniscience. Statesmen have mistaken a people,
philosophers. have blundered in the estimate of a generation.  But its view is warped and darkened by no error:
it "plucks out the secret" from the "'hidden man of the
heart."  And it speaks decidedly for the divine excellence and consistency of Christianity, that it is preparecd
for the most varied circumstances, that it proceeds upon
the supposition of the most critical anomalies, that it
comprehends the pressure and solution of all difficulties;
that it is, in short, worthy and susceptible " of all acceptation."  The individual who receives it finds such
an appeal to his character and testimony to his history
that he is confounded, and asks, "Whence knowest thou
me? " In all the intricacy of the most modified humanity,
in all the womb of ever-working time, there is not a perplexity which it cannot explain, there is not a contingency for which it is not prepared.  It is strong for the
grapple as tender for the embrace.  It is equal for all
encounters and all trials.  For every case it furnishes a
ready precedent "and a repeated counterpart.  By one
vast conception it generalizes man, and with as minute
peculiarity it follows and unfolds all his variations.  It
discerns "the end from the beginning;" and to every
child of Adam holds up the glass in which he may see
his own natural face.  It knows the heart's bitterness as
if within its consciousness, and applies the soul's medicine as if itself felt the wound.  It is the catholicon and




76        The Inviolability of Christianity.
the specific-exhibiting such a comprehension of the all,
as though not an attention could be expended on tile
individual,-   and such a care of the icndivictual, as though
no amplitude could contain the all. It looks upon our
nature with the divine intelligence, and yearns for our
salvation with the divine pity.
It is not unfrequently asserted that an age of improvement requires a modification of religion; that the system
of Jesus admits of a progressiveness; that it comprises
in it an expansive tendency.  There is much that is objectionable in this language-implying that Christianity
is not only elastic to every advance of society and enlargement of mind, but the subject of advance and enlargement itself. The truth is, that the doctrines of this
faith are as certain as its facts-the latter being not more
historically, than the former are inferentially, true. As
the facts are recorded under inspired sanction, so the
doctrines are deduced from them by inspired direction.
More cannot be put into the original premises and conclusions than at first intended. It is evident that when
this is done narrative sinks into allegory, and lesson into
equivocation. The Gospel is fixed in its first meaning,
and we are " shut up to the faith."  But here we have
neither sense of shame nor fear of abandonment.  Let
nature drop its innermlost vail, let science demonstrate
its latest truth, and we do not suspect that by such blaze
of discovery and such force of conviction the character
of our religion can become obsolete, or its design superseded. Its triumph is, that it anticipates all knowledge
and all invention-that nothing of ascertained existence
or occurrence, physical or transcendental, can overtake
its originality and lessen its necessity. It always leads
the way. It affects not to be the pandect of natural
history; but, with its popular phraseology undenied,
what of its statements have any of these researches disproved?  And in its discrimination of human character,




The Inviolability of Christianity.        77
what scheme has even approached it in its fullness and
impartiality? What annalists and publicists have known
the heart so well?  Their failure has always been at the
particular point of its success.  "The Spirit speaketh
expressly" all that is wanted to the knowledge of man.
It is in virtue of this acquaintance with our nature, and
of the remedy which is suggested by it, that we doubt
not that it will outstrip every competitor, and prove that
in its constitution are the impulse and germ of all amelioration. Its efficiency has been established at all times
and by all experiments; it has been reduced to an unfailing principle, and we need, at the present, no more
hesitate about it than we are accustomed to do when we
speak of those celestial mechanics which give to the sun
its center, and the planets their rounds.
Many fair promises have been made to u~ that if we
consent to part with the Gospel the surrender shall be
compensated.  We are assured that the loss will not be
irreparable.  That all its invaluable effects would not
immediately perish upon its formal abolition we can
readily believe-a root would still be in the ground.
Though the source of day had withdrawn, the warm
glow of the sunset could not but survive for a little. But
that this is due to Christianity, is a proof of its benignity,
and cannot dispose us to a less reluctance, or bribe us
to a less rigorous exaction, in the barter.  Now, what is
the Gospel? Contemplate it as an icecal. It draws into
itself what is most tender.  It assembles around it' all
that is fair and great. It is the model of pity. It is
the archetype of loveliness.  It is the perfection of
beauty.  It contains all the first ideas, the original principles, the virgin essences of whatever can belong to
eternal worth and excellence. It has caught the earliest beam  of divine irradiation which the Father of
lights suffered to fall on immensity.  It bathed in tile
fountain of life when first that overflowed its infinite




78        The Inviolability of Chiristianity.
hiding-place, and has secured and turned to earth the
river of those living waters.  Truth has nothing more
majestic.  Simplicity has nothing more exquisite.  Benevolence has nothing more touching.  Only in this can
they develop their full proportion, and obtain their unconstrained exercise.  Then regard it as a reality.  Instantly it quits the repose of abstraction.  All is found
capable of application. It knits itself with all the business of life, as well as with the moods of retirement fiom
it.  It dispels the guilt and fear of the sinner at the
moment it breathes into him  " a divine nature."  It
blunts the edge of adversity and tears out the sting of
death.  It is the guide of youth and the staff of age.  It
is not only a speculation, but a practical thing. Poverty
makes use of it to cheer its lot, affliction reclines there
its bosom of throbbing agony, and mortality soothes
with it the cold sweat and ruffled disquietude of the
sinking brow.  All wants it relieves, all tears it dries.
Ideal or reality, did imagination ever teem with such a
vision, or fact substantiate and shape such a system?
Then what is to be offered instead? WVhat is the equivalent?  Were it possessed of the points essential to any
religion, did it "preach another" Jesus, "another" Spirit,
" another Gospel "-without which declarations any religion would be vain —still we must ask, WVhat grounds
existed to require, what plausibilities could be suggested
to justify, the exchange?  Is the power of the only
name of Jesus spent?  " Is the Spirit of the Lord
straitened?"  Is the Gospel " decayed and waxed old,
and ready to vanish away'?"  But still there would be
a Jesus, a Spirit, a Gospel —salvation, regeneracy, good
news, glad tidings.  No, to add insult to injury, the
better to trifle with our grief and mortification, the
scheme which is to be substituted not only does not
comprise such evangelical outlines, but treats them with
high scorn, and throws upon them  unmeasured con



Thze Inviolability of Christianity.     79
tumely-it is fabricated with a most contemptuous opposition to them.  And what has it done?  Having
canceled all that gives a religion its vital character and
moral adaptation, silenced the savizny ndamze, mocked the
renewing in j flteznce, it bids us accept some preospective
advantages. Inquiry is not yet advanced, and time is
not yet ripe, but the future is its own. Its shall be the
reign of mind. Its shall be the paradise of virtue. But
has it no auspicious commencement? Is there no sheaf
of its first-fruits?  Is there no fretted line of gold to
mark the orient of its day?  Our text directs us how to
estimate these boasted principles and effects. The substitutions of an angel would be most gratuitous, inadequate, and mean —cursed should he be if he dared to
prompt, or endeavored to impose, them; therefore, how
imneasurably inferior, how infinitesimally more worthless, must be the notions of man!
There appears, indeed, a desire to shock each Christian sentiment by the language which many, in these
times, have prevailed onl themselves to employ.  Its
feeblest license and most guarded restraint is derision.
It might surely content them that they have reached
the state of mind in which they doubt all evidence, and
even presume to define the possibilities of things. There
was no need to scatter taunts on those who had not arrived at the same hardihood of temperament.  Cruel
adventurers! What do ye propose by breaking down
the landmarks which the wise and holy have always
observed?  Why have ye quenched the lights which
have burned through ages, and to which the reverent
eye of generations has so long been turned? If your
souls be extricated from  prejudice, if your powers of
vision be disabused, enlighten and awaken not us. You
cannot replace our faith, make sweeter our peace, or
more abundant our joy.  "' From henceforth let no?man,
trouble " u;: we should despise and trample under foot




8o       The Inviolability of Christianity.
the succedaneum which " an ctzgel from heaven " could
bring 
It is a just inference from this strain of indignant
deprecation, which forbids whatever could tamper with
the Gospel or alter it, that,
IV. THE AUTHORITY AND FORCE OF THE PRESENT
DISPENSATION OF DIVINE TRUTH CANNOT BE SUPERSEDED.
The mode of discovery which the only wise God has
pursued in revealing himself to man has, doubtless, ever
been agreeable to " all wisdom and prudence."  It has
been by economies or constitutions. A particular disclosure of his will has been made under a form of external appointment and regimen. That, for the existing
time, was the only medium of divine favor and human
acceptance. It is no reflection on Supreme Intelligence
to compare these dispensations, as it has always adapted
them to the actual state of our intellectual capacity, and
replenished them with sufficient information to excite
the devout and benevolent affections.  The twilight followed the morning star, and both heralded the sun in its
strength; but only had thctd been detained until our
attention was prepared, and our eye was strengthened
for the perfect day.
But all were imperfect because but preparatory. The
scene was rapidly shifted, and one took the place of the
other. The allowance of knowledge became more generous, and revelation hastened to its point of completion. The': sundry times " sought their " fullness,"
and the " divers manners" verged on their concentration. And these economies left not to others to pronounce their defectiveness. It was their own witness.
They told of better things, of a " new covenant," of " a
righteousness which should not be abolished." Each
addressed its age with language forbearing and encouragilng, similar to that which fell from the lips of Hinl




The Ilviolability of Christianity.     8I
who was the end and glory of them all: "And now I
have told you before it come to pass, that when it is
come to pass ye might believe. I have yet many things
to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now."
The perfection of the Christian dispensation is, that it
is fiyal. In it He has spoken whose voice shall be heard
no more until it "shake not the earth only, but also
heaven." No other sensible manifestation can be given
-the doctrine is not to be simplified, the ritual is not to
be defined, to any further extent-nothing more will be
vouchsafed to augment its blessings or ratify its credentials. In the fulfillment of its predictions, in the multiplication of its effects, a species of evidence does arise;
but it is of the same nature which it has long appropriated, and is rather its prolongation than its renewal.
We must therefore congratulate ourselves that we possess the "true light," "the perfect gift," the brightest
illumination, the costliest boon. None will, in a future
time, be suffered to speak of us as " desiring to see and
hear the things " which they are " blessed " in realizing
themselves. Christianity has received the latest touch,
the highest beauty, from  the hand of Him who is its
"Author and Finisher."  "The thousand years "-" the
ages of peace," "the days of heaven upon the earth "will comprehend only " that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with
our eyes, which we have looked upon." The testimony
is sealed, and woe to him who shall add to it, or take
any thing away! We have "received a kingdom which
cannot be moved."  It is, therefore, the common burden
of prophecy that the permanency of the Saviour's reign
shall equal its glory; that the kingdom which he shall
set up must last for ever; that it should receive, on his
ascension, a fixed shape which neither vicissitude can
affect nor time outgrow.  The reasonings of the later
writers of inspiration strictly coincide with this; and he
6




82       The Inviolability of C/hristianity.
who could dare angels to "preach any other Gospel,"
argues in another passage, "If that which was clone
cavtay was glorious, much more that which renmaineth is
glorious."
If the Gospel did not " remain "-if it was, like earlier
dispensations, to be supplanted-nothing would be more
foolish and impious than this denouncement of angelic
interference. We ought to " look for redemption." We
ought to be a "people ready and prepared for the
Lord."  Christianity, on such a supposition, awaiting
some revision, looking for "the time of reformation," it
would become us to examine every signal, every intimation of the promised and desired event. "If a spirit
or an angel" should speak to us it might be the fitting
means of merging the present economy into one of more
consummate wisdom and grace-and " let us not fight
against God."  But, being incapable of abrogation,
every attempt to displace or amend it must be necessarily most presumptuous and profane.  And as the
very circumstance that the " word spoken by angels,"
though "steadfast," was inferior in weight and duration
to that "which first began to be spoken by the Lord,"
so assuredly they could not have the power, did we
monstrously attribute to them the will, to innovate
upon what the " Lord of hosts" declared perfect and
left inviolable-a trust to the Church, an inheritance to
the world, until "heaven and earth shall pass away."
The perpetuity of this system  might illustrate our
probation. One transgression of the law, exposing us
to the curse, though it does not destroy our accountability, annuls any advantageous use of it. But by the
"everlasting Gospel," preached for the " obedience of
faith," we are placed in a new condition of moral agency strangely attempered by tender mercy. And it, shall
be such "witness unto all nations, and then shall the
end come."  But this now being proposed "to every




The Inviolability of Christianity.     83
creature," cannot be revoked; and pledged to " even
the end of the world," cannot be canceled. The oath of
the Eternal Truth, the immutability of the divine counsel, defend it better than all the curses which gather to
burst upon the spoiler's head.
And since the transactions of " eternal judgment " are
always described as closing this dispensation, it can only
be wound up by them on the event of its durability.
That great and last day implies a mediatorial relationthe Gospel is the standard to elicit " the secrets of men,"
and Immanuel is judge.
It is obvious that such a dispensation, constituted to be
co-existent with all future time, must resist every view
which would impress a new  form or foist a strange
nature upon it. And if these views be not only foreign
but hostile to its most simple elements to its best ascertained principles, then we cannot hesitate for a moment
as to the decided part we must take against them. They
may be announced in a manner the most sincere, humble,
and devout; or with a tone exclusive, pragmatic, and
condemning. They may possibly be received by the
mind which had hitherto been considered peculiarly
gifted and acute.  They may have the temporary effect
of stirring up the languid feelings, and nerving the
remitted efforts, of those who have " left their first love,"
and neglected "their first works."  They may be prized
by those who cannot reconcile themselves to religious
apathy, but are weary of the daily caution and struggle,
self-scrutiny and self-control, which a proper disposition
of piety requires, and by which alone a religious stability
can be secured. Against these chimeras we have an
effectual antidote in the Gospel. Was it expedienzt that
Christ should go away that the Spirit might be given?
Then the personal presence of our Lord, in its corporeal
property, would reverse the most beneficial arrangement.
Was the Gospel intended to require " spirit and truth,"




84       The Inviolability of Czristianzity.
in contradistinction of external show and pomp? Then
that anticipation must be unfounded which looks for the
restoration of some temple-city and symbol-glory. Wzas
the Gospel to diffuse itself as a universal good without
reference to sacred haunts, a Sion or Gerizim?  Then it
must be a debasement to fetter it with local associations
anc attachments. Was the Gospel sent to deliver us
from the " rudiments of the world," or Jewish economy?
Then it must be to throw it back, if we would fashion it
after the " pattern" of those "beggarly elements." Was
the Gospel, its authority being settled by miracle, left
to lean upon its' spiritual worth and demonstrative power? Then it must be a confession of insufficiency to
desire that the age of miracle may return. Was the
Gospel decreed to "break down the middle-wall of partition " between the " commonwealth of Israel," and the
" strangers" from it —the nations sacred and uncleanso that Jewish apostles, Hebrews of the Hebrews,
though they had " known Christ after the flesh," according to country and lineage, would "'henceforth now
know him no more? "  Then how wild a perversion of
its intention is to be found in the theory which would
preserve that people in national distinctness subsequently
to their conversion, and give them allocation in their
ancient land. Was the Gospel the common property of
all, and did all, upon the belief of it, share the common
blessing, so that none had " advantage any way," but all
distinctions were lost in the intercommunity of believers?
Then can it be conceived that the Jewish Christians of
Pentecostal times, now amalgamated in the one blood of
all nations, the proselytes of eighteen hundred years, have
lost their privileges by their earlier conversion, while, as
a reward for the. unbelief of so many centuries, they who
persist in rejecting Messiah'to the last, shall be borne to
"the delightsome land," and be reinstated in all their
ancestral scenes and immunities?  Was the Gospel




The Iinviolability of Christianity.      85
intended to teach us to "walk by faith and not by sight?"
Then is it not a descent to its majesty, a falling away
fiom its character and purpose, when it "comes with
observation," when sense and spectacle are substituted
for its divine light and intellectual vision?  Be not
"moved away from the hope of the Gospel."  To these
fictions- "give place by subjection, no, not for an hour."
The plain doctrine of Christ must not be overlaid by
human fancies and conceits. The prophecies must be
interpreted in accordance with its principles, and not its
principles be bent to their language. Possessed of the
Gospel, remember He is " faithful who called you to its
fellowship."  "He cannot deny himself."  Let these
speculations pass you unheeded by-" touch not, taste
not, handle not." Be yours a consistent piety, a steady
course, a zealous benevolence.  All that is novel in the
doctrine and the cast of Christianity must be utter
deception; and you are warranted and commanded to
regard them  as figments and dreams. "If they shall
say unto you, Behold he is in the desert, go not forth:
behold he is in the secret chamber, believe it not." Such
crude and spurious representations mnake it "another
Gospel," introduce an ulterior dispensation; and you
know with what emotions the very idea of this attempt
filled the mind of Paul: " What carefulness it wrought in
him," yea, what clearing of" himself," yea, " what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what
zeal, yea, what revenge!" And therefore has he recorded
his interdict, and therefore has he bequeathed his curse:
it stands in characters of flame, it rings in tones of
alarmn: "And if we, or an angel from heaven, preach
any other Gospel unto you than that we have preached
unto you, let him be accursed."  But spoken in haste,
shall it not be retracted'? and uttered under excitement,
shall it not be subdued? Is it an attitude to be sustaiied?  A bolt to be launched as well as bralndlished,




86       The Inviolability of Ch ristianity.
and left rebounding until sunk and spent in the last fire?
His esye does not pity, his hand does not tremble, his
tongue does not falter, his purpose does not abate:
"As we said before, so say I now agctin, if any one
preach any other Gospel unto you than that ye have
received, let him be accursed!"
It is an inference fully supported by the text, and
naturally connecting itself with the  preceding reasonings,
V. THAT NO CIRCUMSTANCE OR AGENCY CAN ENDANGER
THIE EXISTENCE AND STABILITY OF THE CHRISTIAN REVELATION.
If the first proposition of this discourse be true, the
Gospel cannot be set aside by any new inte):pretation; if
the second be correct, it cannot by any counter argument;
if the third be just, it cannot by any better substitution;
if the fourth be established, it cannot by any divine
appendage. But still remembering the ceaseless activity,
the dark venom, of the human heart; the multiplied
causes of hostility against this religion of grace, truth,
and holiness; it may not be quite superfluous to bring
f'orth a consideration which tends to " assure our hearts "
that no disaster can affect, no change can weaken, the
certainties of its safety.
Against Israel, when " the cry was throughout all the
land of Egypt " over the judgment of the first-born, it
was promised " that not a dog shall move his tongue.'"
The completeness of their protection is thus significantly
expressed. But when the security of the Gospel is to
be most confidently predicted and most strongly ascertained, su23ercnatu'ral poower is restrained-a curse incloses
it round about, a "flaming sword," turning every way,
guards this " tree of life." The treasure of all our hopes
and interests is beyond the reach of harm; "neither
moth nor rust doth corrupt," and thieves cannot 1" break
through and steal." Man need not be afraid when " prin



The Invio/ability of Christianity.       87
cipalities and powers in the heavenly places," could they
be imagined adverse, might be reasonably and boldly
defied!
There is a cowardice which masks an unbelief. It
dwells in gloom, is restless with suspicion, "tears are its
meat day and night." It trembles, and never shouts, for
the ark. It portends calamity, and cannot prophesy
good. The wind whispers in the ear of these fainthearted ones but to threaten a storm; the glassy surface
but curls, and they apprehend all the horrors of shipwreck.  Trust they their cause?  Lurks no doubt of it
within,?  Why their fears of expanding intellect and
increasing knowledge?  Can the religion of light be
assisted by darkness? Can a too piercing eye be fixed
on the truth of heaven?  Infidelity has often boasted
loud; but we are not, as yet, awed by its authority, or
intimidated by its manner: we do not yet forego our
belief in Christianity-are neither inclined to write its
epitaph nor chant its dirge!
We do not mean to say that no temporary and local
injury can be inflicted on this sacred cause. And chiefly
is the perversion of its intentions baleful. Its grace
is too frequently hampered, its practice relaxed, its
sinplicity sophisticated, its spirituality secularized, its
dignity debased. The external shock has, however,
more generally consolidated its strength and insured
its stability. Still, it is not less imperative on us to feed
the fire because the assailants cannot overthrow the altar
on which it is kindled.
And ho w feeble are all the powers of human resistance
to Christianity  They are as the wax and the tow in
the flame. Wit the most subtle, strength the best compacted, the aptest skill, the mightiest influence, have all
been arrayed against it. The activity has always been
inl the ratio of the force, and both in that of the malignity.
Blut ltave its enemies prevailed?  Should its fiiends be




88       The Inviolability of Christianity.
disheartened? " Associate yourselves, 0 ye people, and
ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye
shall be broken in pieces; take counsel together, and it
shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not
stand; for God is with us."
We have, in the first ages of the Gospel, specimens
of every possible variety and strength of opposition?
and in the ascendency which it obtained over them, we
can exhibit the earnests of its continued and ultimate
triumph. Sophistry was never more wily than that
which it baffled, power more colossal than it prostrated,
persecution more wasting than it survived. The second
conquest is always easier from the very trophies of the
first: its plan is matured, and its confidence invincible.
The names which once expressed the most formidable
hostility, are now but by-words of weakness and echoes
of contempt; and the monarchies which shed the blood
of the saints, and attached fearful notoriety to themselves
by their cruel excesses, have perished, like volcanic isles
sunk back to the deep friom which they had been heaved;
or, if in any shape they still endure, only resembling
them whose fire is utterly quenched, and which just rise
above the waves-a blasted mass of desolation!
And nothing short of a perfect conviction that this is
the triumphant destiny of Christianity can do justice to
it, or act out that devotion and heroism with which we
should regard it. And what better calculated to inspire
such confidence can there be, than meditation on this
emphatic daring of apostolic faith and zeal? The whole
array of creatures, the concentration of created power,
would not constitute occasion of terror or crisis of danger;
an angel from heaven would only rush upon a curse: in
God we will praise his word, in God we will put our
trust, we will not fear what flesh can do!
It is observable with what intense complacency and
delight the being is regarded by the moral universe who




IHke Inviolability of Christianity.    89
is engaged in the promotion of Christianity. Honors
surround him, welcomes pursue him, and a chorus of
benedictions bursts upon his head: " How beautiful are
the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace!"
But if its herald he thus honored and greeted, however
mean in himself, as loathed is its adversary, however
mighty. And did an angel, though he could "set his
right foot on the sea and his left on the earth," preach
any other Gospel, the curse of heaven and earth should
scathe him, and he should " be brought down to hell, to
the sides of the pit! " But O, ye blessed ministering
spirits, to whom such an act is most alien and averse, we
do not dread, we cannot deprecate, your interference!
By all your loyalty to truth, by all your fervor of benevolence, ye could not do it! Ye are gathered together
with us in Christ! Ye sing in concord with the redeemed
from among men! We will not wrong, by such a doubt,
natures so pure, beings so kind; while we feel that the
argumentative supposition, by its tremendous force and
glaring impossibility only more plainly assumes and
strongly establishes, how perfectly ye must be abhorrent
of the treason, and incapable of the blasphemy!
And these contemplations tend to impress us with the
purpose of Jehovah, amid all the fluctuating scenes of
time. It is the Gospel which gives them their meaning.
Insulated from this, they pass without coherence, and are
laid without plan; they are convertible to no use, and
descriptive of no moral. But the divine purpose thus
explains itself. By the light it casts upon them, innumerable events become manifestly uniform and consistent. The end of all things is to perpetuate and diffuse
the only remedy for human guilt and sorrlow. But for
this, our history would be no more drawn out, and our
planet cease to roll. This is the cause of Him who hath
"the government on his shoulder;" and to this trust
there is universal subordination. And he hushes and




90        The Inviolability of Christianity.
binds the elements, speaks the calm, commands the
pause, that in it the voice of mercy may be heard, the
appeal to sensibility may be urged, " Be ye reconciled
to God."  The dispensation of the Gospel-with all
the state of a reigns, the munificence of a gift, the fidelity
of a testimony, the sureness of a progmnise —stretches itself out to the utmost limit of mortal interests. It shall
endure coevally with man.  Every breath we draw,
every moment we exist, every step we take, is beneath
this dispensation of grace. To us it calls, every-where
it finds a voice, and it shall accent the " last syllable of
recorded time."  To give it an ampler theater, all nations shall be subdued unto it; and the ages are held
back that it may obtain a longer opportunity. The final
convulsion is arrested-the Father, who hath "put the
times and seasons in his own power," checks their flight;
the Saviour, "expecting until all his enemies become his
footstool," is content to wait; and the " souls under the
altar" refiain their importunity, and rejoice in the delay.
Its trumpet of jubilee shall never be silenced, save by
the trumpet of judgment; its light shall never fade, but
in the embers of the last conflagration; its "joyful
sound" shall never die, except in the uproar and crash
of dissolving worlds; its "lively hope" shall only be
buried in the grave, and under the wreck, of the universe.
All things must be destroyed ere it lose its power or
abdicate its claim. The massive architecture of the
heaven and the earth takes it into their date, and suspends it on their durability. It lasts while they can
last. It only ceases when the mountain sinks, when the
ocean dries, when the poles refuse to turn, when the
skies shrivel up like a burning scroll, when "heaven
and earth shall flee away!" And even then its dispensative form alone is affected-its principles are invariable and indestructible-are of " the things which cannot
be shaken "-and shall expand through a still more con



7The Inviolability of Christianzity.   9I
genial medium and worthy economy, whose sphere is
"in the highest," whose glory is " in light," and whose
consummation is " God all in all!"  Feeble are our
present thoughts, confused our perceptions; we see every
thing as from behind a cloud and in a disproportion.
Our convictions are more like conjectures, and our speculations, dreams. We " know in part" and therefore perplexedly. Our conceptions are infantile, and as infantile
are our minds. But we shall soon emerge from this
state of crude fancies and immature ideas. Worthy
sentiments and feelings will fill up our souls. Each
view shall be as a ray of light striking its object, and
each song be the very echo of its theme. Then shall we
adequately understand why apostles kindled into indignation, and shook with horror, at the idea of " another Gospel;" and why even angels themselves must
have been accursed had it been possible for them to
have divulged it!
"The word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this
is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you."
Amen.




92      The Counsel of Gamaliel Examined.
III.
THE COUNSEL OF GAMALIEL EXAMINED.
AND NOW I SAY UNTO YOU, REFRAIN FROM THESE MEN, AND LET
THEM ALONE: FOR IF THIS COUNSEL OR TIIlS WORK BE OF MEN, IT
WILL COME TO NAUGHT: BUT IF IT BE OF GOD, YE CANNOT OVERTHIOW IT; LEST HAPLY YE BE FOUND EVEN TO FIGHT AGAINST
GOD.-Acts v, 38, 39.
TI-lE senate of Israel is now in solemn session and anxious
deliberation! Though Palestine was considered a vanquished country, and groaned beneath a foreign yoke,
still the council of the Sanhedrim retained a large jurisdiction.  The Roman policy was very tolerant, paying
a nice respect to the religious prejudices and usages of
the nations which it had subjugatel by its arms. Gallio
most properly refused to arbitrate the differences of
"words and names" belonging to a particular "law."
Festus equally " doubted of such manner of questions."
This assembly, therefore, kept possession of its powers,
and held its regular consultations, long after the land
which it adorned had lost its independence, and become
a vassal in the train of universal conquest. It continued
to be the high court of appeal.  Its constitution was
most imposing.  It comprised all that was venerable in
relig/ion, —the chief priests and presidents over the courses
of the temple.  It comprehended all that was elevated
in rcnk —the elders and princes of the tribual states. It
added to itself all that was acute in learning —a select
mlllmlber of the best lettered scribes.  These seventy men




The Cozuiscl of Gamaliel Examined.         93
were supposedl to emnbody the genius of the ancient dispensation, to constitute the living representatives of an
illustrious succession of kings, pontiffs, seers, prophets,
and bards.  But how unlike, are the hoary persecutors,
the fathers whom Moses, at their institution, "set round
about the tabernacle,' and to whom the Lord, having
taken of the Spirit that was on his servant, gave the
same mighty inspiration, so that they " prophesied and
ceased not."  "The judges are" not "as at the first,"
nor " the counsellors as at the beginning."  Jerusalem
no longer gathered her " beautiful flock." Zion no more
travailed with her " precious sons."  " How is the faithful city become a harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now mzur(ereers."  A  deep
and heavy cloud of guilt and doom now hung over its
towels. Before this tribunal a few poor illiterate fishermen, the abettors of an improbable story, the apologists
of a crucified convict, have, some short minutes since,
been arraigned.  But a few months have elapsed from
the day in which their Leader, under the triple charge
of treason, imposture, and blasphemy, was put to death
with every circumstance of ingenious cruelty and accumulated infamy. His hands and feet had been transfixed
with nails; the sentence of accusation had surmounted
his head; while around his brows, in derision of his pretensions, his enemies had platted a fillet of thorns; and
the spear of the executioner had pierced his side, and
rioted in his heart.  Torture had itself been racked, contempt was itself exhausted, in sharpening his agony, and
execrating his name.  Small was the assistance he was
likely to derive from the zealots who have just been displaced from  the bar.  Did they promise well as the
guardians of his memory, and the champions of his cause?
He had been betrayed by one, denied by another, and
forsaken by all. His death had struck panic into their
spirits.  All their hopes fled with his breath, and were




94     Te Counsel of Gamaliel Ex-aminzed.
buried in his grave. It is true, that informed of his
resurrection, they began to rally; and certified with a
perfect demonstration of its truth, they set themselves
in array. But the authorities which had decreed and
inflicted the sentence were not to be intimidated. They
had sealed the stone! They had conmanded the watch!
They make liglt, and speak contemptuously, of this
strange report! Yet, soon the case assumed a serious
complexion. The coward fugitives who abandoned their
Lord, shrinking fiom the first signal of danger, now presented a show of defiance, and rooted themselves into a
stand of resolution not to be mistaken. Nor did they
act alone. Accessions, by thousands at a time, poured
into the new confederacy. The city was filled with his
doctrine. It intruded into the recesses of the temple.
Its infection had reached the august chamber, where the
"masters " and "rulers" of the nation sat in judgment.
Hesitation and compromise came too late. The time
for debate had gone by for ever. A strong part must
be taken, an immediate blow must be struck.  The
course they took was to confront the partisans of this
wide-spreading attestation with all that power can display to overawe, and learning suggest to confute. And
what a spectacle of grave dignity, and reverend office,
had they to sustain; what an encounter of crafty and
malignant opposition had they to resist. How unequal
the contest! How stern the inquisition! How hopeless
the defense! But there, in yon now vacant space, they
stood —the intrepid adherents of the crucified Galileanwhose cheeks shall never more blanch with fear, whose
hearts shall never more sink in despair! They were
erect and unruffled.  Their air and tone agreed to their
theme. They knew not to droop beneath the indignant
glances which loured upon them. Their faces kindled
into the expressions before which,'in after times, monarchs trembled, and lions are said to have crouched.




The Counsel of Gamnaliel Ezxamiued.     95
Their's was the majesty of innocence! Their's the armor
of truth! Their's the eloquence of conviction! The
gray-haired hypocrites were cut to the heart. They
could not endure another moment the presence so holy,
the bearing so undaunted, of the very men whom they
had hoped to put to silence and to confound with shame.
The Apostles were " pat forth "-an interval was wanted
to recover from  surprise and vexation-and in that
pause, Gamaliel rises and propounds his advice.
I.,LET US EXAMINE THE VIEWS WHICH SUGGESTED,
AND TIlE REASONTINGS WHICnI SUPPORTED, THIS JUDGMENT IN ITS GENERAL FORM AND INFLUENCE.
The admonition of the text is really a favorite one.
It is the subject of common, and almost proverbial, admiration. It receives applause as the very pattern of
clear and sober opinion-of sound and discriminating
sense. It has obtained credit for higher qualities-and
here are supposed, by some, to lie the rudiments of profound political knowledge-the acuteness of the jurist,
and the comprehension of the statesman.  Even the
springs of moral nature have been considered as open
to its insight. In short, the advice has been the theme
of unmeasured panegyric; and the speaker has been
ranked among the foremost of those whom nations and
ages love to esteem the oracles of wisdom and ornaments of candor.
And it must be allowed that it discovers a favorable
contrast to the current sentiments and practices of those
ruder times.  Violent outrages were threatened and
wreaked against the Christian cause. These it deprecated. It demanded an overt neutrality. It would not
oppose principle by force. It relies upon certain tendencies in such principle to perpetuate or destroy itself.
Can any thing be more incongruous than external resistance to opinion? any thing more foolish than its
instigation? any thing more ineffective than its use?




96      The Counsel of Gamnaliel Examined.
Then may the " word of God be bound "-then may the
human spirit be narrowed within the body's dungeon,
and shackled by the body's chain, when the sunbeam
can be severed from its source, and coerced by every
accident foreign to the laws and operations of light.
Persecution is so unreasonable, that whatever is adverse
to it takes a strong color of probability-acquires an
impress of sagacity and a semblance of truth.  YWe
have but to read the edict of Decius to extirpate the
religion of our faith and profession; and the praise of
the counsel which issued from Gamaliel, by the mere
recoil of the feelings may be carried to a disproportionate indulgence.
Yet, after all, this is not a lofty style of thought. It
is selfish and timid. It reveals a contracted notion- of
things. The heart which beats in such a statement is
shrunk and cold. There is but the cunning of wisdom
without any of its nobler claims, and the cowardice of
forbearance without any of its proper virtues. In the
mediation proposed we cannot fail to mark the absence
of all fine sentiment and delicate sensibility-all indclependence of character, all love of freedom, all overflow
of generosity. A sinister policy dictates the whole;
one chilling reference to interest proves how each genial
fountain of mere natural emotion was dried up in the
man who could confine himself to it; age seems to have
frozen any sympathy which interest might have spared;
and if there was nothing to censure, there would still be
nothing to commend.
But a cold correctness is not the fault of this advice..
The advice itself is not unexceptionable. Several objections may be taken to its principles and motives.
1. It proceeds on a misconception of what belongs
to diffeent /cicls of truth, and of what may be their
operations.
We all can understand that truth embraces many




The Counsel of Garnaliel Examined.        97
particulars. It is true that the sun enlightens our planet, and that our planet revolves on its axis; it is true
that straight lines crossing one another, of four unequal,
must constitute altogether the same number of right,
angles; it is true that certain persons have lived at such
a time, and acted in such a way, exactly as history has
described them; it is true that we think and feel, though
no other can interfere with the evidence of our personal
consciousness; it is true that the revelation of the Gospel is given, and that all its contents are certain. These
diversities might be expected to operate differently on
the mind, according to the degree in which they come
into contact with it, affecting more or less its interests
and passions.
There could be no doubt that some of the reasonings
which the shrewd Rabbi urged would apply to common
error and truth-those which involve physical objects
and external facts, those whose perception leaves our
affections and pleasurable susceptibilities in some sort of
indifference.  Of what can we be more sure than that
error concerning nature, with all its train of popular
delusions, shall cease?  Does it not yield to knowledge,
as necessarily as night to clay? And we entertain the
same confidence, that once exploded it is not in the
power of errol- to revive. Who could restore the vulgar
prejudice of the solar circumvolution?  Who could
raise to its former ascendency the foolery of certain debasing superstitions? And of what can we be more
sure than that truth, in many of its branches-scientific
and political-shall prevacil?  Does it not dispel the
intellectual darkness with the same certainty that light
triumphs over that which is elemental? And it is not
in its nature, once known and appreciated, to decline.
Who could annul those strong impressions which, however related to truth, are often blind to the proofs of its
establishment? Who could break up that system of'7




98      The Counsel of Gamnaliel Examined.
observation and experiment which has created for phiiosophy so distinguished a rank and so proud a name?
And there are sufficient explanations of the causes
which influence this recession of error and advance of
truth, this impossibility of the one's restoration and of
the other's failure. That can be easily resigylued which
did not touch on our moral nature; when the resignation curtails nothing that we enjoy, and checks nothing
that we love.  It harmonizes with our curiosity for
knowledge, and our ambition of improvement. And
that will be readily embrcced which is speculatively
great and attractive-truth, which makes the mind expand and the imagination glow-if it intrude not on the
habit of sensual compliance, and bind not a yoke on the
neck of mental pride. I have no interest in maintaining
that colors are inherent in the substance they embellish;
and, therefore, as it does not disturb a single portion of
my choice or point of my desire, I acknowledge that
the effect is produced by a prismatic division of the
colorless ray. I have no interest hostile to certain problems; no stake of happiness but that which seeks the
satisfaction of knowing the precise condition of the case,
whatever the manner in which they are solved. Nothing to my most immediate and intense feelings is it, how
many units compose a sum, how many sides constitute
a figure, how many atoms build themselves up in a mass.
But moral error has another hold-" men love darkness
rather than light, because their deeds are evil."  M3oral
truth may offend by its mysteriousness, its humbling
representations, its holy requirements. The man who
boasts that he hates error, now finds that it is " the
error of his tway," the idol of a long-cherished devotion,
that he must forsake. The ardent inquirer after truth
now learns that these propositions must be embracedthat man is a sinner, lost in ignorance, guilt, and pollution.; that no effort, on his part, can obtain for him




The Counsel of Gamaliel Exlaminied.         99
knowledge, pardon, and sanctity; that God alone can
impart these blessings; that they must be received with
an unmixed sense of gratuitous obligation; that none
are more welcome, and none are less, than others to
their possession; that the salvation of the Gospel is absolutely fashioned on the principle of excluding every
pretense of desert and fitness in him who accepts it, and
of reserving the perfect glory to its Divine Author.
These "are hard sayings."  And, therefore, error constantly renews its opposition; and, indeed, in every
human heart wages afresh the long-continued war.
And, therefore, truth has to debate its every step, to
maintain its every advantage; and though again and
again established, has again and again to work the same
process, and to uphold the same vindication.
Observe, then, that morCal error is not necessarily unstable and transient. It has a coexistence with human
nature, and may be traced with distinctness to that
source. It is rather a part of it, its spontaneous growth,
than any thing foreign which has fastened on it.  It is
too flattering to the principles of our depravity, too congenial to "the deceitful lusts," to lose its entail or provoke its fate. Paganism still lifts itself up in its might.
Antichrist still stretches out the cup of its sorcery.  If
deficiency of evidence, weakness of claim, perniciousness
of effect, could have counter-worked these systems, long
since it must have been seen that they were not " of
God;" long since must they have " come to naught."
But they have often recovered the ground they had
lost, and have spread themselves over lands once better
favored and enlightened.  The " deadly wound" inflicted on the hydra has been "healed."  Its resuscitation, as beheld by the prophet, is confirmed by our experience, " it was, is not, and yet is."
And observe that there is no necessary victory to
9mzoral t ruth.  It is certain that general sophistry will be




Ioo     The Counsel of Gamaliel Examined.
detected, that general misrule will be retrieved, that
general prejudice will be dissipated; but it is not inevitable that what rebukes a self-righteous temper, humbles a vain understancdiig, restrains a licentious heart,
shall be admitted into the convictions and affections of
mankind. The thirst for knowledge, the zest of civilization, will carry us forward triumphantly toward particular results, none of which impose an interdict upon our
mental dispositions and aninal propensities. But Christianity meets with the inverse reception -indifference
to its discoveries and distaste for its precepts.  It is not
only a question of historic authenticity and speculative
recommendation, it is the test of the c('ectiois.  And,
consequently, it is not impossible that such a religion;
simply considered in itself-encircled only by its pretensions, and protected only by its appeals-should entirely fail, and utterly perish.  In many cases, as to its
local habitation, it is swept away. Continents, whose
depths had been pierced by it, retain no more its name.
The blood of the martyrs has not seldom flowed to leave
a mark for vengeance, instead of a seed for the future
Church.  " The kingdom of God " has been driven from
them who hated its benefits and harassed its servants:
the opposition has been successful.  Who was " able to
make war with" the beast?  "It was given unto him
to make war with the saints, and to overcome them."
Indeed, " the trLith as it is in Jesus" is so pure, so refined, so ethereal, that, self-supported, it cannot survive
a long exposure to the shocks, and subjection to the
influences, of the present state-that under this noxious
atmosphere the plant of heaven must expire! The reasoning of Gamaliel is founded, therefore, on a confusion
of different matters-on a supposition that truth of every
kind possesses an equal advantage for coping with the
prejudice, and an equal certainty of triumphing over the
hostility, of the world.




The Counsel of Gamaliel Examinzed.   Io0
2. This counsel betrays an ignorance of the s72tp2orts
on which divine revelction must be rested, and of the
medi'tms by which it can only be received.
A religion which is " the counsel and work of God"
must always be adapted to the capacities of the creatures to whom it is addressed. A religion of this origin
must always be immediately valuable, and as such must
be as immediately credible.  Its business is with the
present being in his rapid passage through the day of
life that is, "the accepted time, the only day of salvation.":  Though it contemplates the future, it does not,
with a self-contradiction, draw from it the proofs necessary for the satisfaction of them to whom that future
can never be disclosed. As it will require " a reason of
his hope" from every disciple, so will it appear itself
clad with an appropriate authority, and prepared with
the instruments of conviction. If its credentials do not
unfold at once to all their length-if some innermost
winding of the scroll has yet to loosen-still there will
always be a sufficient evolution to answer the most inquiring, and to persuade the most cautious.
Of this indispensable condition in every divine revelation, the casuist of the text intimates nothing. Iis
advice and allegations look another way. He thinks
not of examining the title of the candidate for the race,
he distrusts in every circumstance of the outset, he suspends the venture on the attainment of the prize. To
him it is nothing that it has now the aspect and presage
of one that wins the goal; it may speed toward it without receiving fiom him one confident judgment, one
anxious look. He leaves it to itself. Durability is the
only standard by which he will adjudge it. His own
remaining life cannot comprise the suitable term for the
catastrophe.  He perhaps would have asked centuries to
have made the issue sure. And had he, it would have
been but a slight aggravation of the folly which sup



102    The Counzsel of Gamnzail Examzined.
poses the precise period of credibility to fall beyond any
one man's opportunity whom its proposals and informations have reached of forming a well-warranted decision.
For at that moment, and upon that spot, the argument
had assumed its perfect shape, which ntozo justifies our
strongest faith. Christ had risen! All that was wanting was the evidence for the truth of the fact to be derived from the impression and conduct of its witnesses.
It had been given! The Apostles were neither regarded
by their worst adversaries as deceivers or dupes. Their
recent magnanimity had wrung from them, who were
their accusers and judges, another concession. As the
grave had not been strong enough to detain the Lord
of their faith, so they had been miraculously liberated
fiom their dungeon. Thousands had been convinced,
whose conviction was certain poverty and death. Why
were not these things accounted for? Was the dungeon-gate ever known to open of itself and let go its
prisoners?  W~as death wont to resign its prey?  Did
the dissolute become pure, and the profane devout,
without a cause?  Could any unholy error produce
such an extension of piety, sweet affection, and meek
heroism? To demand a momentary delay, to wish a
"more convenient season," was a suicide of reason, an
insult on revelation, a turning away from Him "who
spoke from heaven," until that voice should be reverberated from distant ages!
We are not, perhaps, adequately impressed with our
own share in this infatuation. Why do toe believe?
The reply which points to the argument of time may be
in some way and measure right; but much deception
generally insinuates itself in it. May not our assent be
gained by the non-existence of any rival cause? May
it not be cheaply given because greater inconvenience
might attend its refusal? Has not a romantic feeling
determined it?  Christianity is now a venzert(ble thing,




The Counsel of Gamaliel Examcnined.   Io3
time-honored, sprung from  a remote antiquity.  It is
tender —wrought into the texture of our poetry - a
source of joyful and pitying tears. Its stronger features are softened down by their familiarity to our eye.
Many would think it alike presumptuous to embrace it
when new, and to reject it when old. Its intrinsic value
is nninvestigated, and the prejudice is felt according as
the date impresses the mind. The pillar of the truth
repels or attracts them, not by the inscription, but by
the calendar of so recent a construction, or so continued
an endurance, from having risen so lately, or stood so
long.  When Bacon called "truth the daughter of
time " he was correct as to his general extent of meaning; but facts must be invariably true, however overlaid with fable and disfigured by superstition; and
Christianity, emphatically the creed of facts and challenging instant faith, after the lapse of centuries has
neither remitted nor increased its claim.
The dis~position of mind alone accordant with truth,
is nowhere to be found in the counsel of this sage. He
exhibits no love for it, nor zeal for its progress. And
yet, to a properly constituted mind, truth is not less
mnajestic and beautiful than virtue. Fair are her visions!
Broad are her realms! Exhaustless are her treasures!
And if we receive any dispensation of God, it must be
with an esteem  as well as assent-an approval proportioned to the conviction. " The love of the truth " is
required that we may be " saved."  Believers are, therefore, described as "rejoicing in Christ Jesus," and always triumphing in him. Had he, whose language is
now discussed, been an "Israelite indeed, in whom is
no guile," other sentiments must have been delivered
by him. He must not only have believed the law from
the " signs in Egypt, and the wonders in the field of
Zoan," but have " consented to it that it was good."
But is there one sentiment of a noble nature here?




Io4    The Counsel of Gamaliel ExLaminted.
One sympathy with that which, if secular, should interest the reasoning, if sacred, should engross the moral,
being?  Truth has no charm for his subtle eye and
hollow heart; he cares not how the scales may turn, so
that he be not troubled to hold them, and is like a dicer
throwing for others, reckless of the numbers, which cannot affect him, however they may fall!
And a false idea is supposed of the way or 9mecdlitm?
by which religious truth is received into the mind. It
is argued that it must secure an entrance. A mechanical law, a physical force, seems ascribed to it. It is
forgotten that mental operations are effected in a very
different manner. The avenues of the judgment are
not thus to be penetrated, nor the feelings of the heart
thus to be won. Air, light, and water must have their
scope; but the mind-and the mind in its fallen statepresents barriers which truth, with all its energy, cannot
overthrow.  It is necessary to the dignity of truth that
it should require another order of faculties beyond that
eye and ear and sensible perception which are needed
to admit the reality of the grossest, meanest thing. It
is clue to reason, with which truth coalesces, that it
should not be invaded by that which is to become the
aliment of thought and the incentive of action. If it
were so, man would cease to be a voluntary agent, and
there would be no more moral quality or accountable
feature in his belief than when he is passive in the impression of his organs. And though the direct conclusion seems not so much dependent on the will as on the
premises themselves, yet the original attention to them,
the manner of regarding them step by step, are strictly
responsible acts. Nor is there any complexity in these
representations; for as we enforce the cultivation of
health, and only intend its means, so we urge the conviction of the mind, when we principally desire all the
preparatives for it. "The law of faith," and "' the obe



The Counsel of Gamaliel Examined.    I05
dienee of faith," necessarily imply accountability; accountability supposes volition; and these positions must
endure while the letter and spirit of inspired truth correspond with each other.
Nor was this prejudice confined to him in whose proposals we now trace it. It has extended down to our
times. It has received much favor from those pseudosystems which would screen themselves under the name
of philosophy. We hear that opinion is that over which
man has no control. We hear of the omnipotence of
truth. There is an invariable idea of force. It is to
make its way.*  It is to press onward. It is likened to
the surge of the flowing tide. In it is heard the tread
of armies. But all these statements leave out of them
the "evil heart of unbelief." Is it not certain that passion may lead different persons to the contrary interpretation of the same document, and interest, to that of the
same statute? Our wish is parent to the thought; and
beneath the influence of bias a change comes over us, as
when the very letters of some writing wear an unnatural
color to the diseased eye.
And let them  pause whose sneering indifference
prompts them to say, " We shall see."  The blessing of
Christianity is on them " who have not seen, and yet
have believed." Not that these shall be denied sensible
and resistless proof. Their eye shall behold the flaming
pomp of the disparted sky, and final judgment.  On
their ears shall ring the clangor of the last trump. They
shall feel the fervent heat in which the elements dissolve.  Even their infidelity shall be quelled.  Even
their depravity shall be incapable of throwing a dreamy
incertitude over these scenes. There can be but one
conclusion, but it comes too late!
3. The counsel which we now consider evinces a temper of mind most timid ancl coZwar.dly.
* Fit via vi.-VmRGIL.




io6    The Counlsel of Gamaliel Examined.
To some the character of this lawyer presents many
attractive points. They grow ingenious in its defense.
They consider him as by no means to have expressed
his full convictions. They commend his prudence and
debating skill in- turning aside the real question. They
claim indulgence for him from the exasperated state of
his colleagues.  They have intimated that he was a
Christian at heart. To this it may be replied that any
earnestness in his speech is that of panic, any sobriety
that of carelessness: that the profane comparisons of a
Theudas, who " boasted himself to be somebody," with
the humble Jesus, who shunned them who would have
" made him king" —of a Judas rebelling against "the
taxing" with Him who enjoined on all to "render to
Cesar the things that are Cesar's "-argued an ignorance
of his character and a distrust of his cause perfectly incompatible with the faintest leaning, the most latent
favor, toward him.
The simple restraint upon a persecuting spirit, which
otherwise would have been let loose, is the cdreadl of
consequences. He may have possessed some features of
superiority over his brethren: natural temperament and
advancing age may have stood him in service. Yet,
what is the whole address but a driveling calculation?
Remove the possibility of a recoil and a retribution, and
the council would never have heard of these accommodating measures, nor received this reproof of their sanguinary intentions. Let him incur no risk, and the altar
of truth may rend asunder! To set his conduct in a
right point of view, we must avail ourselves of a contrast. There was brought up at the feet of this very
Gamaliel a young man of Cilicia, " taught according to
the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was
zealous toward God."  The proficiency of the pupil did
honor to the instructor. But he could not have learned
from him any moderation but the most pusillanimous.




The Counsel of Gnamaliel Examined.   I07
Though he would not be taught to persecute, he would
quickly see that its evil was not so much censured as its
inconvenience was shunned. He would be too acute to
be blinded by his master's affectation of piety, in the
caveat which he pronounced concerning the danger of
"fighting against God."  Saul had not acquired the
sycophancy of that school; he disdained artifice and
compromise. So long as he continued the aclversary of
Christianity he was most ingenuous.  " He thought
with himself that he ought to do many things contrary
to the name of Jesus of Nazareth; which things he also
did."  He forswore parley and quarter-violent in his
hostility, but undisguised. His was a fearless and unblenching course. By the influence of that grace which
he was always loudest in acknowledging, and of which
the accompanying miracle was but the sign and emblem,
he renounced his hatred to the Gospel, becoming its
champion as resolutely as he had been its foe. We
shudder while, we pursue that bloody page of his story,
but there is no imprint of dissimulation. The uprightness of his nature is now seen in all the intrepidity of
Christian and apostolic zeal. It is as sustained as fervid. The synagogue of Damascus first heard the voice
of the convert who had approached the gates of that
city with a far different commission, and the templeporches of Jerusalem next beheld him exposed to all the
contempt and malignity of the men whom he had abandoned. But he had chosen his part, his spirit rose to it,
and his cry, as he rushed into the fight of the world,
was this: "I am not ctsharned of the Gospel of Ch/rist!"
When unconverted, he knew not his preceptor's misgiving; converted, he loathed his servility. And even
among his colleagues Gamaliel might have found examples of a firmer purpose. Joseph and Nicodemus
had indeed yielded for a time to an unworthy duplicity.
Of one we know, and of the other we may most reason



Io8    The Counsel of Gamaliel Examined.
ably presume, that " he had not consented to the counsel and the deed of them," while no such exculpation
can be pleaded for the man who had far greater influence than both. His voice had not been raised to save
the meek Holy One, whom  none could "convince of
sin."  There seemed no danger, and, therefore, no impolicy, in shedding his blood. Events now wear another aspect; and only on their account would he'now
stop.  But these his brethren avowed the Christian
cause in its agency, in its exigency, in its agony, when it
vibrated between a cross and a tomb-when each look
of pity, and each sigh of lamentation, were certain of notice and resentment - then the former "went in boldly
unto Pilate and craved the body of Jesus;" and the second, who " at the first came to Jesus by night," now assisted in giving that crucified corpse its embalmment and
sepulture. Faith and love " cast out their fear."
But let us not be too sure that the conduct we reprobate is unknown among us. There are those who profess
a middle course. They will not commit themselves to
the Gospel; but they abstain from all direct opposition
to it. It may, or it may not, be true. Leisure is not
afforded them, power is not given them, to determine.
At one time their tone is that of indifference, at another
that of dislike; but in both cases it is chastised with an
inward tremulousness. There is no decision. Yet may
it easily be perceived that there is a purpose which they
dare not gratify. With all their expressed complaisance
and respect for it, they hardly endure it. 0 could the
possibility of its truth be disproved —did they know that
it was "of men " —how nmany mouths would open in
scoffing and virulence against it! 0 what disclosures
would innumerable hearts make of their enmity and perverseness! The decencies of an external respect would
be withdrawn, each mask would fall, and an unmitigated
depravity would be witnessed in contest with it. But




The Counzsel of Gainaliel Examined.    Io9
if it should be true!  If it be certain that he who
"believeth not shall not see life!"  Therefore as they
cannot quite invalidate it, they will not run the hazard
of its sentence, nor speak triflingly respecting its vindication.  Otherwise ridicule would soon have shot all its
shafts, envy expended all its poisons, and hatred mustered
all its onsets! They cannot dare the persecutor's fate,
lest the Gospel be true; they cannot welcome the Christian's self-denial, lest it be false!  It is the stronger side
they seek, and about which they only care. However
that may be, they exercise no impartiality in the determination. The love of sin makes them disbelieve, the fear
of punishment induces them in that disbelief to waver.
Their forbearance is policy, their hostility is disposition.
Hitherto we have examined Gamaliel's views and reasonings in their general form and influence; but there
may be a particular truth and justice in them, when they
are tried by specific circumstances, without redeeming
his motive, or justifying his intention in their use.
II. LET US PROCEED TO INQUIRE INTO TIlE TESTIIMONY
OF FACT, AND THE EXPERIENCE OF HISTORY, AS TO THE
APPLICATION OF THESE ARGUMENTATIVE PRINCIPLES IN
THE PRESENT INSTANCE.
Success and perpetuity are not the necessary tests of
truth. These have often been boasted and pleaded by
falsehood.  MIany gross delusions have extended as
rapidly, and endured as permanently, as Christianity.
Indeed, an argument drawn from the continuance of a
religion is untenable and self-destructive.  For it may,
after all, be subverted. To rest out faith on such a proof,
is really to suspend it on what time may Cast down; for
any thing that call be shown to the contrary, religions
may succeed each other in an indefinite series.
And the argument is not redeemed by an appeal to
Divine interposition.  Most truly this "teacher of the
law" expresses a portion of confidence that God wnould




I 10    The Counzsel of Gamaliie Examined.
so undertake for truth as to identify himself with it, and
to render opposition to it a "fighting against" himself.
But it must be remembered, that its evidence of divinity
is necessarily confined to the introductory stage, and
that further extraordinary tokens than are necessary to
authenticate that fact would be incompatible with our
rational nature and moral treatment.  He was contemporary with the only manifestations of omnipotence of
which a religion, spiritual and credible, can admit, and
for which they could be beneficial!
But when the nature of the Gospel is examined, it will
not be difficult to exhibit it with most happy advantage
by the lights we borrow from reasonings unworthy in
their original motive, and unjust in their common reference. Its peculiarity will justify the application.
What cause has been met with such unsparing contempt, and pursued with such implacable rancor? The
"holy child Jesus " was refused even the stable's shelter
and the manger's rest; and driven into a distant land.
His course was prefigured in these early indignitiescontumely refrained not fiom "shame and spitting "and all was consummated by a cross. Accordingly, his
Gospel had an origin, if human estimates be consulted,
the most unpropitious.  It possessed not patronage,
wealth, power; it had no lure to popularity, no passport
to fame. It knew its own repulsiveness, but sought not
to lessen the "stumbling block," or to extenuate the' foolishness."  Concealment was not thrown over a
feature of its aspect, apology was not heard in a tone of
its appeal. Nothing in appearance, nothing in pretension, could be more perplexing to the sense, more repugnant to the taste, of mankind. Its doctrines put man
into the relationship of a guilty, rebellious creature, and
told him of a pardon through a medium which more
revolted him than the sentence it remitted-of a repentance in a connection which only fomented the depravity




The Counsel of Gamaliel Examinzed.    I I r
it should have bewailed. Its lessons were as strange:
the classic virtues were proscribed, and the admiration
which had hitherto descended upon them, was turned
into all the contempt which its kind genius can know.
It substituted whatever men had scorned for whatever
men had worshiped; of their loathings excited their
aspirations; and inculcated sensibility in the place of
stoicism, humility in that of haughtiness, meekness in.
that of revenge. Its cadvocates had not a worldly polish
to captivate, or a scholastic erudition to convince. Their
enemies "perceived that they werejunlearned and ignorant men."  What reasonable hope could be entertained
that a religion so beset with difficulties, so disfavored by
circumstances, so singular in principles, should prevail?
The history is, however, incontestable. Christianity
did spread itself over the inhabited world. The second
century had not closed ere it was wrought into the temper of the times as well as diffused through the mass of
the nations. It has left monuments and traditions where
it is now unknown. Its enemies have written its triumphs. They were too notorious for the historian to
omit them, and too interesting to remain untold by the
correspondent.  Could the more local and uncourtly narratives and epistles of the first ages be recovered, what
an assemblage would they form  of pagan surmise and
consternation! What disheartenings would have been
discovered in the canip, had some Christian hero entered
it, and heard each " man tell his dream unto his fellow! "
Christian apologists alleged as much: pitied the sculptors of unsaleable gods, and the priests of deserted
temples. Now its progress and its durability do convince us
1. That it is " a counsel cadc work of' God."
Its distinctive character is derived from a crucifixion.
That mode of death was a proverbial execration.  It
was, in the present case, made most ignominious. A




I 2    The Counsel of Gamaliel Examined.
seditious murderer was preferred to the Sufferer, and
thieves were put to death on either side. No insult was
spared. He was scourged, He was derided, He was outraged —He sank beneath his cross; contrary to custom,
his body was torn open by a lance; and the reason why
it was not left on its gibbet to blacken in the sun and to
wither in the storm, was a notion which connected with
it uncleanness. Nor was this distinctive character at
any time the subject of compromise. There was no
attempt to extenuate a single part of it. The crosslong before warriors had made it a pretext of slaughter,
and bigots the idol of superstition-formed the ensign
of a bloodless victory, and the badge of a votive dedication. Could this stigma have been concealed, the name
of Jesus might have been applauded in the Capitol, and
his image have filled a niche of the Pantheon. But this
was resounded, this was particularized, this was entoned,
in every discourse, in every narrative, in every song.
"My Love is crucified! " was the rallying cry; and with
it the martyrs awaited the spring of the brinded monster, and saw curling around them the devouring flame.
They " gloried in the cross."
It must be remembered. that Christianity resorted to
no subterfuge. It sought no distant realm, it reserved
itself for no less inquisitive time. It asked its trial in
the scene of those events of which it is but the interpretation, and claimed it at the very crisis when all was
recent and to be easily decided. Close by the "place of
skulls," at the mouth of the " new tomb in which never
man was laid"cl  until the remains of its Founder were
deposited in it, it demanded the investigation. How
unlike fraud! How removed fiom chicane!  Nor was
it a barbarous age; but one of professed candor, of
indisputable acuteness, of characteristic refinement, of
deep discourse. Aind the manner of the Apostles was
that of perfect ingenuousness. They did not cautiously




Tile Couzlsel of Gamualiel Examined.    I 13
break the intelligence. There was no policy in the slowness of communication.  Nothing could exceed the
distinctness, the nakedness of their disclosures. The
" offense of the cross " was given a designed prominence,
and not vailed with a prudential disguise.
It was indebted to no common aids of popularity.
Instead of being associated with patriotism, it was
denounced as an anti-national parricide.  Instead of
lending itself to the indulgence of sensuality, and seeking the favor of the voluptuary, it binds all its followers
to a perpetual self-denial.  Instead of courting civil
protection, much less alliczce-though truly the best
guides to Governments, and the surest defense of States
— it was the victim of their unrelenting hostility. Persecution was indeed a novelty in that era. Though it had
always been directed against the adherents and principles of the True Revelation, yet among the " heathen
who now raged" it was generally unpracticed. Their
intercommunity of deities counteracted it. As the tutelary was restricted to a certain space and people, the
traveler had to avail himself of the genius presiding
over each strange land. But Christianity was exclusive.
It had no sanction for rival claims. It followed the language of its God: " Is there a God beside me? yea,
there is no God; I know not any."  And what a burst
of fury had it to engage! Cruelty had never devised,
until now, a moiety of its tortures. It became fertile of
invention. It wound still hardier nerve about its heart.
The beast of the amphitheater seemed to learn its new
lesson, and fire acquired a power of more lingering torture. Yet the Church was not left a waste. It grew
like the grass beneath the scythe. It multiplied in the
proportion of its devastation, wrought success fiom disaster, and found gain in loss. A few remarks will complete the argument we wish to establish: That, thle
progress of such a religion, and in such circumstances,
8




I I4    The Counzsel of Gamnaliel Examined.
proves it to be divine. Now, first, Christianity must
necessarily be a widely and rapidly extending cause.
It was not enough that it had capabilities for extension;
it was indispensable that it should be extended in fact.
For this was what the Jewish prophets foretold when
every prejudice confined revelation within the borders
of their land; and it was frequently and variously
announced by Christ, when all probability forbade the
hope that, after a few years, his name should even be
remembered. So that if the Gospel did not swiftly
advance and generally prevail, it would have been deficient in a particular branch of evidence requisite to
authenticate it. For either then the predictions were
false, or it was not the system intended by them. And,
secondly, the progress of such a religion is but the effect
of the continually repeated evidence involved in its
earliest stage. We believe, at the distance of so many
ages, because contemporaries of its origin believed,
because they could not have believed unless they were
rationally convinced, because they could not be rationally convinced unless they had adequate means and
worthy grounds of conviction, because those means must
have been irrefutable, or they would not have incurred
martyrdom in yielding to them. Its beginning explains
its progress far more than its progress ratifies its beginning. How was it able to continue but from the proofs
which gathered around its commencement? How could
it be suffered to pursue its course, but fiom the perfect
equipment of its outset?  Therefore, thus stands the
case. Christianity, without an earthly recommendation
and aid, in resistance to interests and powers the most
formidable, spread itself over the globe.  Its success is
attributable to miracle, or it is not. If you concede the
affirmative, the debate has ceased; for operations of
divine power can never be put forth to abet falsehood;
if you deny the intervention of miracle, then the fact




The Counsel of Gamariel Ezxamined.    I 15
of the progress made by the Christian religion, considered in itself, and in reference to its difficulties, is an
inversion of experience, a transformation of motive, a
contradiction in the application of principles, an anomaly
in the agency of causes, forming altogether a greater
system of prodigies than all the miracles of Scripture
suppose. Only this choice is left in the dilemmawhether we will call in the explicit principle of miracle,
or imagine a chain of extravagances in the place of its
ltcid consistency.
2. Opposition to the Gospel has always borne the
mark of " fighting against God."
Certain principles of a natural theology may be Tecognized by comparing the common course of events with
the established modes of thinking and impression. By
looking into the works of God and the consciences of
his accountable  creatures, we arrive at authorized
conclusions.  The elements of justice and benevolence
are the subjects of clear discovery and immu-able obligation. Order and harmony are ascertained to be as beautiful in mental structure and moral conduct as in the
material universe. Law is felt to be not less indispensable in the regulation of our ideas and passions than in
the great binding and mobile forces of our planet, and
of the firmament in -which it rolls. As these are the
constitutions of our Maker, we may be assured that
nothing of disagreement with them, nothing of violence
to them, can be pleasing to his nature, or concurrent
with his will. He has given us the faculty to perceive,
and the sympathy to approve, them; has placed in our
minds the mirror which reflects these external manifestations. These moral rudiments conduct us to "the
invisible things" of Jehovah-the moral properties of
his being. But it is Christianity which gives to these
views their truest precision. Without it they are very
general and inefficient, thoagh sufficiently conspicuous




I I6    Tihe Couzsel of Gamaliel Examined.
and fixed to leave us "without excuse."  We learn
from it that the First Cause is infinitely excellent, " glorious in holiness!"  It renders its devoutest homage to
his moral character.  It declares this to be the basis of
all divine and human relations.  "It is written, Be. ye
holy, for I am holy."  Now, it is most observable that
the enemies of the Gospel have always professed their
dislike to these representations. They have felt that
their best hope of undermining it was to reject them.
Each step they took toward the subversion of this religion was upon the destruction of these primary sentiments.  They disturbed all the foundations of peace and
equity.  To act their part, it was necessary to efface
the impress of these principles from the nminds of llen;
and equally, to deny the existence of their prototypes in
the Deity.  And was that a career which He could approve?  Could He have so entangled these precious
interests of individual, social, and moral man with error,
that in its overthrow all must perish together?  Could
He look complacently on opposition to any speculation
at the certain sacrifice of all these bonds between earth
and heaven? In the school of infidelity there is nothing
that allows virtue-it is a prejudice! nothing that respects obligation-it is an expedient! nothing that honors man-he is a machine! nothing that worships God
-he is a blind impulse! It fights " against God" in
taking "pleasure in unrighteousness;" in its infringement of authority, its scorn of decency, its jarring of
order, its love of confusion, its license of blasphemy, its
encouragement of libertinism, its relish of blood; and
most effectually it makes war against him by trampling
under foot that " wisdom that is fiom above," and which
is " pure, peaceable, easy to be entreated, full of mercy
and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy."  So that in a most serious sense we may add, "He
therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God."




T7e Cozunsel of Gamaliel Exam ined.    I I7
They who admit that there is a God, cannot altogether exclude him from the government of the world.
IHowever they may attempt to hamper this government
by fatalizing causes and general laws, something of a
directing mind and conscious volition must be introduced into its administration. As events are not indifferent to any mind and will, so they cannot be to the
view of the Eternal; and it is impossible to conceive
that he takes an interest in events which he has no
power to subordinate and control.  He watches not
from his throne the stream of a necessarian tendencyhe sitteth upon the flood, he is " mightier than the
mighty waves."  How can the skeptic boast that any
portion of favor has been granted to his cause? Can he
but confess that the universal course of things has withstood it? If Providence has a design, can he claim its
sympathy and coincidence? Has not the elation of infidelity been brief, and the triumph of Christianity lasting? Has a vicissitude affected the religion of the Bible,
which it did not engrave among its prophecies?  Is not
this the difference between the two, that the one looks
for its promulgation to some uncertain chance; and that
the other, with a sublime repose, knows that it is the
care and trust of an Almighty superintendence and purpose? Let the opponent show where his infidelity falls
in with these; when it has ever seemed the " counsel
and the work of God," favorable to the tenor of divine
government, and taking its rank in the scheme of divine
decretion-and then, and not until then, can we excuse
it from  fighting "against God?"  "They know not,
neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness:
all the foundations of the earth are out of coulse."
Arguing from the most general conceptions of the
Creator, we should confide in his design to make his
creatures good and happy. His "tender mercies are
over all his works."  In the care of rational creatures,




II8    The Counsel of Gamaliel Etxainied.
he adjusts a proportion between conduct and emotions
of pleasure and pain. It is, therefore, our well-being
he seeks, that is, our happiness in a particular state of
mind and behavior. Benevolence, pursuing morality as
its means, is consequently most godlike. But what is
the predicament of all contest with Christianity?  Is
not the attempt pernicious?  Does it promote amity?
Does it breathe peace?  Does it impart consolation?
Does it light up smiles? Does it wipe away tears? Is
it calculated to yield the mind a satisfaction?  Has it
been known to give the heart a relief?  Can it be in
accordance with a Divine " loving-kindness and tender
mercy " to present to man the grave as his only shelter,
and utter annihilation as his only hope? Is not this to
" fight against God," who is " full of compassion," " who
comforteth us in all our tribulation?."
It might be imagined, at least, that they who trifle
with our faith and strike against our profession would
be influenced by philanthropic feelings. If they deride
us and torture us, it will only be a severely curative
process. They must awake us by a violent disturbance,
by the thunder of their knocking. Now, in contradistinction, we demand, have they. a reasonable-to say
nothing of a benevolent - determination? What do
they propose? Safety is no question between ius. Happiness is not mingled in the proffered cup. If they
would make us more rational, they mean to allow our
animal part a more lawless indulgence. If they paint
the vision of a perfectibility, they intend a disorganized
community, and a dissocialized individual. They have
no ambition to make man less the brute. They labor
not to enlarge or brighten his horizon. They arouse
him with no appeal of immortality. They infallibly
sink, degrade, embitter, mock him!  Why do they
propagate notions' so chill, so contracting, so mortifying? HaI-Ive they any thing to give in exchange for a




The Counsel of Gamaliel Examined.    II19
"peace which passeth all understanding? " for " joy unspeakable and full of glory?" for a " conversation in
heaven? "  It is thus they ease their pain, thus they rein'ftorce their courage. The plague-stricken has loved to
hear the shriek of the sufferer at his side! He who
walks in the dark fears to walk alone.
The bane of infidelity, even as a means of exempting
men from the fears of religion, is its inability to give
anly certainty, and to inspire any assuranc e.  "In the
fear of the Lord is strong confidence; and his children
shall have a place of refuge."  It is descriptive of the
Gospel, that its spirit is not that " of fear, but of power,
and of love, and of a sound mind."  It overcomes the
sense of guilt and the dread of death.  There never
was the tumult of grief it could not allay.  To sinking
mortality it can lend the bearing of victory, turn its tear
into a triumph, and its sob into a song.  Unbelief, if it
could disprove our religion, never could cer'tify its ownz.
It is a system of misgivings.  Take your station by the
deathbed of which it is not quite ashamed.  Listen ti)
some hollow buffoonery, or some constrained bravado.
Go not to its common scene of frantic agony and despair.  Seek what is more staid and unshrinking.  Is
this the spirit's befitting passage, if an eternity should
be before it? Is seriousness incompatible with such anl
experiment?  Is not the effort of gayety misplaced?
Are we illiberal when we urge this failure of all support
and holy placidity in dissolution?  Can we but feel the
contrast which our faith exhibits while, diverting no
attention from the pain, and benumbing no sensibility
to the awfulness, of the approaching change of worlds,
it breathes a balm which no struggle can dissipate, and
confers a dignity which none of the ghastly accidents of
death —the shroud, the bier, the grave, the corruption,
the reptile-can for a moment disturb?  It is the religion of the dying!': Death is ours!"   That which




120    The Counsel of Gamaliel Examined.
some make their taunt we feel our glory. Infidelity
here cannot prefer a claim. It has nothing for its unhappy votaries, to confirm and soothe, in the awaited
extremity.  And the curse of a thousand breaking,
broken hearts, is its well-merited reward! "Had I not
been by," said Condlorcet of the expiring D'Alembert,
"he would have flinched too."  Combining, then, all
that we know of God, he is light, truth, and goodness.
If the Gospel be deceit, under his government cdeceit,
without any hold of fact and motive of kindness, is the
only instrument of amelioration and felicity! If infidelity be well-foundedl a ray of divine light, a member
of divine truth, an emanation of divine goodness-then,
under the same government, it is the instrument of disorder and profanity, lust and blood; the parent of every
crime, and the source of every woe! Remember that
it disparages and blots out the moral image of the
Deity; that it evidently forms no part in the scheme of
Providence; that it has no congruity with human happiness; that it call find no justification in its motives or
effects for any attempt to propagate itself; that a shaking, broken reed, only carl represent its tremulous unsustaining vanities: remember that these are the very opposites to Christianity —the foils to its excellence, and
the contrasts to its power —and then judge ye, whether
they who abet the former, can have any thing in commonl with the character and design of God; whether
they who oppose the latter, must not be found " fighting against " him?
3. The Gospel, being the " counsel and work of God,"
and being such that none can oppose it without " fighting
against " him, it follows that it" cannot be overthrown."
The Divine Being must not only always favor truth,
and frown on error and falsehood, but when he has
founded a moral dispensation, he will enforce it. These
interests may not be visited with his sensible favor and




The Counzsel of Gamaliel Examilned.    121
displacency in individuals; and even- he may sometimes
suffer a dispensation to be greatly affected by the hostile passions of men. " Truth is fallen in the street."
But it is inconceivable, as it would be inconsistent, that
he should neglect and abandon it. He has never propounded a law without the intention and means of enforcing it; and a scheme of religion, the most perfect,
as being the last, cannot, therefore, but be maintained
by him.  He will " plead his own cause."  His wisdom
in its " counsel " must be vindicated. His power in its
"work" must be signalized. All things will be rendered tributary and subservient.  As Jehovah liveth, he
must do this. His enemies must be his footstool. Every
arrangement, every event, must hasten to the result of a
final ascendency and triumph on the part of " the glorious Gospel of the blessed God." For that end, he will
withhold no evidenzce necessary for its confirmation.
Provicdential succor shall be granted, at proper intervals,
in a manner which only perverseness canll mistake. The
" cause of truth, and meekness, and righteousness, girds
the sword upon the thigh of the Most Mighty, and
buckles on his bright and refulgent armor." Long since
he has espoused it as his own. For this he shed his
blood. For this he shone with his rising glory.  For
this he was installed on the throne of the universe.
For this he wields all power in heaven and earth.
Apparently slighted, tottering, perishing, the subject
of this trust never walled in his memory, nor languished in his heart. Nor shall it cease to grow, nor
fail to surround itself with accumulating strength and
splendor. Like the daughter of Zion, Christianity can
now "shake her hand " at her enemies. And soon she
shall resemble " the great wonder in heaven "-the apocalyptic woman who had the sun for her robe, the moon
for her footstool, and constellations for her crown!
W5hat is resistance offered to such a Canse of such a




I22    The Counsel of Gamnaliel Examined.
Being?  What are confederated powers?  "He who
sitteth in the heavens shall laugh! "  He shall " despise
their image!"  Yea, he shall send out his arrows and
scatter them: he shall shoot out lightnings and discomlfit them.  Is it his " counsel?"  Hear him! —" My
counsel shall stand."  Is it his "work."  Hear him!"I will work, and who shall let it?"  Do they, who
oppose these, " fight against" him? Hear him!-" Woe
unto him that striveth with his Maker." Our confidence
thus lays hold of infallible pledges. " Our Gospel" is
irreversible as divine intention, indestructible as divine
operation, secure as divine victory. "This also cometh
forth from the Lord of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working."
No other source of evidence can strengthen these convictions. They may be varied, however, by a reference to
the history of Christianity.  The past is an answer to
fear. What has it not withstood? Manners, long since
refined, must again become barbarous-nations, now
civilized, must fall back into a savage state-maxims,
exploded by common consent, must revive-ere it can be
threatened with its ancient wrongs.  It endured, it
braved, it baffled them all. And it still towers high and
stands firm, as the promontory rock beaten into solidity
and swelled into grandeur by the tempests which rage,
and the waves which boil, around it!
Gamaliel reasoned most falsely as to the test and tendency of truth; and yet he urged, however blindly and
unsuspectingly, much that the believer in the Gospel may
apply. And by extending some of his statements and transposing others, we can construct a moral demonstration
of its truth, and draw a lively picture of its excellence.
1I. LET us NOW SELECT TfIOSE DISTINCTIVE SENTIMENTS OF CHRISTIANITY WHICH WOULD HAVE PREVENTED
THE FALLACIES OF SUCH REASONING>, AND STILL ENABLE
US TO CORRECT ITS ERRORS AND SUPPLY ITS DEFECTS.




The Counsel of Gainaliel Exambined.    123
The ignorance which the whole argument of the text
not so much betrays as boasts concerning the nature of
that system which Christ and his Apostles preached, is
mostinexcusable. Was the mind of this renowned scholar
so occupied with the subtleties of his lore that it might
not unbend to a theme like this? Was it not a requirement of his station to defend and direct the popular
opinion?  Was he not, by virtue of his office, " a guide
of the blind, and an instructor of the foolish? " If what
purports to be a divine revelation has no external evidence, no decisive proof, that Omnipotence is moving in
its favor, perhaps a neglect of its inspection would be
justified. But when eclipse, contrary to all material law,
mourned this Founder's death; when earthquake shook
the house in which his disciples were assembled as the
loud answer to their prayer; when tongues, ill-trained to
their own language, burst into every speech of earth-;
when, at a word, the living died, and the dead lived;
when the prison rent of its own accord and refused to
hold in its gloomy confinement the persecuted disciple, as
the grave had no power to retain his crucified Lord;
then at least there was incentive to curiosity and ground
for inquiry; there was something to rival the glories of
the Jewish Church. The healed cripple, whom John and
Peter brought with them before the council, was the
object of universal notoriety. The council had met most
numerously, "rulers, elders, scribes, and the high priest,"
with all his sacerdotal kindred.  There was no misapprehension of the character of the cited parties, the judges
"took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus."
And what was the conclusion to which they were compelled to yield? " That a notable  miracle has been done
by them, is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem,
and we cannot cleny it."  After this, where appears the
liberality, the candor, the ingenuousness-of Gamaliel?
Some time, perhaps a year, intervened between this




124    Thze Counsel of Gamzliel Exazminzed.
admission and this advice. That interval was filled up
with the most public and decisive miracles. And yet he
evidently remained careless and uninformed as at the
first, respecting this religion, of which unparalleled
signs from heaven had taken the charge and published
the sanction!
Examining the contents of the Christian religion, this
leader of the Sanhedrim, would have found in it averments far different from his crude notions; nothing that
might justify delay in acknowledging its veracity; nothing that could leave its glorious futurity uncertain;
nothing that made it doubtful whether God would interpose for it; nothing that entitled men to take a negative
and neutral position toward it. These are the corrections which the Gospel suggests: let us review them in
order.
1. The credibility of this religion is at any given time
capable of being brought to issue.
A twofold objection is i'aised to the reasonableness of
this inmlnediate claim on the cquestions of s2)ace and time.
The former may be thus represented: The Gospel is the
"common salvation " of men, without national exception
and restriction; it is to be "made known unto all,"how is it that it covers so few countries, and is believed
by so few peoples?  Let it, indeed, become universal,
and we will embrace it. The latter may assnume this
form: In the vicissitude and flux of mortal things, there
is a constant succession of opillions-evidence is counspeculation; we smile at the dotage of our fathers, and
teracted by further evidence, and speculation swallows up
may be ourselves pitied by our children.  Let us know
the ultimatum, and then, comparing all, we can decide
between them. These objections may be met in two
ways.  WVe can show that they never can be acp2plicable
to a moral revelation; since they may overlook whole
killgdoms, and exclude whole ages. It might so be that




The Colunsel of Gamaliel Etiamined.    125
the conversion of the world is reserved to crown the
closing years of -time.  Conviction is thus suspended
upon what countless generations and human varieties
can never behold. And this is confirmed by the present
date of the objection; it is adduced aftel eighteen centuries. As it allows that Christianity may be true if
ever it accumulate the evidence of catholicity and perpetuity-and on that evidence ought to be believed-so
it admits that it may have cll this timne been, treGe, and yet
that man was jlzstified in (cisbelieving it!  And the proplietic Scriptures do most plainly express that it is in the
latter days that " all nations shall flow together to the
mountain of Jehovah's house;" that the seventh angel
must soundc ere " the kingdoms of the world become the
kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ." Besides, these
objections vitiate themselves.  For if any one has a right
to withhold his belief in Christianity until all others
profess it, all others must have the same right; and that
right being asserted, it is obvious that all must abandon
themselves to absolute infidelity. And the reservation
of belief on the condition, or in the suspense, of a future
religion, is equally contradictory and self-destructive.
For unless each individual of the species knew himself
of the last generation, and the last of that generation, he
would be reluctant to certify, and tempted to doubt, and
be only capable of reaching his final decision when all probation shall cease, and all conviction be an act of sense
and not of mind, when " there shall be time no longer!"
Our religion is more reasonable.  It has addressed
every man, whom it found, fiom the first moment of its
mission. Its evidence was always sufficient. It can
always assign, what it requires all its disciples to be
ready to give, "a reason of its hope."  It never rolledl
out a credential that was defective, nor wore a character
which was immature. It came forth with its full perfection.  "Beginning at Jerusalem," it showed its fearless



I26    The Cozunsel of Gamaliel Examized.
ness of refutation. It called all men to believe and
repent. It declined no answer, it postponed no investigation; it has always said, " To-day, if ye will hear my
voice." As salvation is a personal business, so it must be
accomplished in our term of life. We have nothing to
do with number and duration. We are to believe for
ourlselves, though not a contemporary gave us his fellowship, though not a descendant followed our example.
" It is from faith to faith;" its own independent credibility elicits and warrants all our powers of confidence.
A momentary exchange, by imagination, of the era
and circumstance falling to different persons of our
species, will tend to prove that infidelity has always
its pretext, that parties who envy each other may equally
repine, and that it is the actual truth of Christianity, as
always open to inquiry and worthy of acceptance, which
holds the steady balance between them. Gamaliel, if
sincere, thought that a flight of ages might satisfy all
doubt, that they who should be born far onward in the
history of the world must attain a settled judgment, and,
perhaps glancing to our' times, sighed for a birthright in
them.  iten, it might occur to him, would be a favored
opportunity of deliberating on the problem; then, he
might suppose, all would be decided by the mere force of
events; and then, likewise, might seen to dawn before
him a day of calm and luster, unobscured by the passions
of violence and strife. Too old and selfish to risk any
thing, some vision of our epoch might play upon his
fancy; and under its influence he might see his own form
depicted among the magic creations, his youth renewed
with the transfer of his lot. He might even rouse himself to think that, were it real, he would have been faithful among the faithless, and could only have pursued a
resolute conduct. And if he felt a passing shame, he
would pOint to "the times that went over him and over
Israel," blame his destiny, and bewail his misfortune.




Tlie Counsel of Gamaliel Examined.    I27
But are there none of our age who affect to seek the
reverse?  Backward they throw "an evil eye."  They
regret, for all the purposes of belief, that they should
live in a country and period so remote from whatever
belonged  to early Christianity.  0  could they have
traversed the haunts of the first believers; mused in
Gethsemane while the ground yet retained the pressure
and stain of the Saviour when he agonized there; knelt
on Calvary where he fainted, and kissed the blood-spots
of his cross; felt the rocking of'" the upper chamber " at
Pentecost, and seen the cloven tongues; followed the
disciples to "their own company," and "' broken bread
with them from  house to house;" beheld the leaping
lame, and the risen dead! 0 could they have been of
Gamaliel's generation, they might have accomplished all;
had they enjoyed his length of life, all this history would
have been included in it; had they possessed his influence
of station, they might have commanded access to every
detail of fact and branch of evidence! How easy would
it then have been to believe!  The deeds were recent,
the witnesses were at hand!  And thus behold " the
contradiction of sinners!"  Some desire a later, others
an earlier scene, of time; some speak of the same substantive proof as if it could be affected by its novelty,
others as though it could be enfeebled by its antiquity;
all coincide in their contemptuous treatment of the only
view of truth, and share of evidence, which, in the nature
of things, they can receive. No transition of times, no
variation of circumstances, could alter the temper or
impress the sensibility of the heart, which at any one
stage of Christian history confesses its unconquerableness of doubt, and its impotence of conviction.
2. Christianity is itself a prediction of its own success.
The numerous speculations of men have been forgotten,
or retained, not always according to their merits. And
this, probably, was the most enlarged consideration




I28    The Couznsel of Garnaliel  ExamliTed.
which the adviser of his brethren now allowed. Here
was ushered on the stage of public notice a class of sentiments into which he had not looked.  Such a scheme
might or might not succeed. But it was submitted to
the eyes of enemies as well as friends; and it ought to
have been tried by justice and not thrown to chance.
How knew he but that the seeds of mischief, disorder,
and impiety were lodged in it?  If moral, as well as
sensible, evidence crushed the suspicion, was it not a
presumption that it contained a treasure that would
repay the gaze and the acquisition?  There are inventions, maxims, rules of life, means of happiness, which
we are assured will last as long as earth and man. They
are built on experience. They are related to utility.
They bind up with them our best interests and hopes.
And so, independently of other tests, we examine the
principle, the bosom-genius of Christianity.  We know
what "glorious things " seers have beheld, and prophets
have sung, concerning it; we know how the inspired
mantle still waves around its form, and how the heavenstrung harp preludes its course. We see it " coming in
the clouds of the prophetic heaven."  But had a prediction never intimated its success, we might have forestalled
that such was its right and determination. He who discovered and established it, most evidently intended it to
engross the world. He could not with any consistency or
truth displace it by another dispensation.  It is jealous
of any rivalry, and avows its purpose of suppression.
Its truth renders all other pretensions false; its fitness
proves all other contrivances inapplicable; its cuathority
stamps all other interferences treasonous; its grace
declares all other remedies ineffectual; its universcality
presupposes all other expedients superfluous; its pexpetuity makes all other chances hopeless; its unearthliness
exhibits all other projects gross and mean. Some religions
have disclaimed a long duration; others have avowed




The CaGounsel of Gamnaliel Examined.    I29
that they were unfitted for an extended scale.  Far
different is the announcement of Christianity.  Far different is its expansive and immortal principle.  Shall it
be cramped with local shackles, or circumscribed within
narrow  limitations?  Shall the chariots of salvation,
whose speed can overtake the sin and sorrow of the
world, run the little circles of a tiresome repetition, and
not sweep valley after valley, and vault from hill to hill?
Shall the wings of mercy, strong for a flight from one end
of heaven to another, but flutter across a little country,
and brood over an insignificant land? Is it a short-lived
discovery? Cannot it claim a property in the deepest
future?  If this be not its design and scope, if it be not
the religion for the whole earth, if it be not in force
through all time, then it is at variance with itself. There
would be a disparity between its ain and success, a
struggle between its aspirations and capabilities.' But
such a religion may be believed. None can misapprehend
its intention. Its own mouth pronounces this oracle!
Its own bosom heaves with this ambition! This pledge
flashes from its brow! This reward fixes its eye! This
goal draws its step!  It moves among the nations as
something dedicated to greatness! It knows that it is
the light of the world.  It knows that it shall inherit
"the ages to come."  Confident in its career and consurnmation, as in its origin and motive —conscious what it
shall be as well as is-it flies upon the spoil before it
begins the battle, and predestines the prize ere it girds
for the race.
But the worthiness of a religion may be greater than
its influence; moral truth may perish in the earth: and
Christianity, left to itself, must have shared that fate.
We, therefore, proceed to remairk,
3. That it is connected with an efficient and appropriate divine agency.
The presumption must always be that God would uin9




130    The Caounsel of Gamaliel Examined.
dertake for his own cause. That interposition might be
various. It might be restricted to defense and restraint.
It might be employed to assuage the hostility of men,
to shorten the arm of oppression, to combine circumstances and events in a favorable manner. But that
would leave the evidences and doctrines of such a cause
to their own unaided operation. And if they resembled
those of Christianity, perfect as they are, they must fail
of successful impression. Nothing could make them
more cogent and distinct-it is a subjective difficulty.
The sun may shine, and is not to be censured because
the blind do not see. And so it is that this religion,
from the beginning, gave the promise of an accompanying power; upon the exercise of that power rested entirely for success; and only spoke of the Spirit of Christ
less emphatically than of Christ himself. That an external enforcement should follow a " work and counsel of
God," was an idea that could occur to Gamaliel. But
it is the beautiful originality, the peculiar conception, of
our faith, that an immnediate power is put forth on the
soul, insuring its success. The Gospel already exists in
its perfect truth and reason; nor can any higher quality
of intelligence and fitness be superadded to it. But it
is not perceived nor appreciated. " The light shineth in
darkness." This power, operating within, convinces us
of that guilty state and irreligious disposition under
which we labor, and on account of which we need evangelical reconciliation.  It assumes forms and takes directions most accurately adapted to  our intellectual
and moral faculties, and quite sufficient to prove that it
descends from Him " who searcheth all things."  It not
only respects the human mind in all its springs and
secrets, but in all its processes harmonizes most exactly
with the principles of Christianity.  It is the witness to
its truth, the seal to its authority, the earnest of its
blessedness. It spreads like attraction through the con



The Counsed of Ganmaliel Examinwc.    131
sciousness, breaks like light upon the understanding,
and distills like dew over the heart. It brings the Gospel into perpetual contact with man, " makes him willing," transforms him in "the renewing of" the mind,
and brings " into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."  This, this, insures the " counsel and
work of God:" this precludes that it "shall come to
naught." It is " the ministration of the Spirit." And
so it receives a perpetual sanction; and draws out a
train, along all its march, of moral evicdence and illtstration. Prejudice is turned to admiration, and enmity
to love. It is hidden as an operation, it is ostensible in
its effect.   No contingency can render it uncertain
whether the Gospel shall "return void."  It shall be
allowed, it shall be realized, it shall be eternally celebrated, by a' "great number which no man can number."  This influence is not, however, necessary to moral
government and human accountability. And yet it is
so abundantly promised, and is attainable by so certain
a course, that they, " not having the Spirit," are as destitute of present excuse as of original claim. Nor let
any conceive that the invariable thought and condescension of the Deity, in this influence, is what he will
reject as unworthy of him. He assimilates it to the
honors of his highest work; compares it with his noblest manifestation of prayer; " For God bath shined
in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
Had the Gospel been perused by this dastard senator,
he must have noticed that it made no allowance for demur and hesitation; that it regarded with no favor
those who stood coldly by to see the issue; that it indulged no complacency in them who sought credit on
the supposition of their neutrality:
4. It demands a positive character of decision in all
whom it recognizes as its followers.




132     The Counsel of Gaaaliel Exauzined.
It is strange that men can claim merit in what is simply negative, and imagine that they do a good work by
a course of indifference. Thousands, who boast their
fireedom from bigotry and their abhorrence of persecution, will urge as its ground their general toleration.
They suffer others to think! They never interfere with
private opinion! But where is the liberality of the sufferance, when we remember the atrocity of the resistance?  Vain man!  What is thy grace in forbearing
to intrude on a province which thou canst never touch?
or, if thou couldst, it were a sacrilegious violation?
And, in the same manner, thousands express a self-gratulation that they never attacked Christianity with obloquy, nor injured the interests of its disciples. They
speak of their enlightened policy in'"refiaining from
these men, and letting them alone."  But be it rememlbered that the very terms savor of an armistice; and
that there can be no indulgence in relaxing what there
is no right to inflict. Another view now unfolds upon
us. The praise of this toleration between man and man
we spurn. What new features of impiety does it disclose when its idea is transferred to " the counsel and
work" of the Deity! It proclaims not open war with
heaven! It does not take up arms against it! And
what if it cLid?  Could it fear the assault? But this is
too fearful. And, therefore, men will leave the struggle
between truth and error, righteousness and sin, to itself,
or to other combatants; and though they take no part,
they stand ready to grasp the honors of the victory.
But far different is the language of Christianity.  It rejects all compromise, it disowns all equivocation. It
neither reserves to its professors the choice of ease, or
the preservation of fame, or the refusal of death. It
requires a devotion so complete, that in comparison and
competition with it we must " hate father and mother,
and wife and children, and brethren and sisters, yea, and




The Cozuzsel of Gamaliel Examinzed.    133
life also, or we cannot be its disciples."  It had now
spoken with its energy of decision to Gamaliel as it had
erst to Matthew: " Follow me."  The Publican left the
receipt of custom, and the higher functionary should
have descended from his judgment seat. If he understood the claim, he prevaricated with it; declined to
~assist what he forebore to oppose; and received the indignant answer and the just retribution which it ever
hurls against the time-server and time-waiter — alike
against the false friend and specious foe-" He that is
not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not
with me scattereth abroad! "
Brethren, it is temerity, it is frenzy, to  " fight
against God."  It is not the brand and the sword of
the persecutor which are necessary to do this. It may
be effected by any opposition, however secret, to the
mercy, the authority, and purity of the Gospel!  But
other things are expected of us. An awful warfare is
now in progress around us. "XWithout are fightings "
in which toe must close. The " good soldier of Jesus
Christ" must not shrink.  We " war not after the
flesh." And it is he only who has " come to the help of
the Lord " —who has joined in the glorious strife-that in
his death-fall can exclaim, " I have fought the good
fight;" that can enter upon the rewards which are
promised to him  "that overcometh."  These are not
days for repose and voluptuousness.  "The ark, and
Israel, and Judah abide in tents."  The battle cry is on
the wind! It is time for the host to show itself with
banner and trumpet! Let its ranks be serried, its ensigns dispread, its onsets resistless! Take the whole
armor of God!  Quit you like men!  Heaven opens
amid the waving of palms and the chorus of harps;
and, rushing fiom the portal, is seen the white horse
with Him that sitteth upon it-diadems are on his head,
armies in his train-He wears not so much the muni



134    The Cocunsel of Gamaliel Examined.
tions of the Chief as the trappings of the Victor-and
in " righteousness He doth judge and make war!"  Are
we loyal to his cause? Are we fearless in our avowal?
Are we " in nothing terrified by" our "adversaries?"
Short shall be the contest, we cannot fail of success;
we shall hang high our trophies on the pillars of immortality?
"Who is on the Lord's side?"




.Moral Means Preferable to Miracle.    I35
IV.
MORAL MEANS PREFERABLE TO MIRACLE.
AND HE SAID UNTO HIM, IF THEY HEAR NOT MOSES AND THE PROPHETS, NEITHER WILL THEY BE PERSUADED, THOUGH ONE ROSE FROM
THE DEAD. —Luke xvi, 31.
IT has been common for men in every age, and seems
consonant with their very nature, to " require a sign."
No "generation " is entitled to the guilty distinction of
being "evil and sensual," because it "seeketh after"
this kind of appeal. A preternatural display in favor
and enforcement of revelation is a desirable and necessary thing.  It may be that the demand is rather the
resort of evasion than the measure of cautious research.
It is certain that in the recurrence and continuity of the
challenge there is sin. The temper and the occasion are
possibly indicative of hypocritical pretense and willful
unbelief. But there was a time when to insist upon
miracle was most rational and laudable: " What dost
thou work?"  WVe ought to ascertain whether it is our
Creator who speaks. There ought to be proof of his
direct purpose and agency. No religion can be true
and incumbent but that which he ordains; and he can
ordain none which shall not bear satisfactory impressions of a divine origin. He must communicate his will
by a regular or arrested course of things. If in the former manner there is no notice, no warning, no absolute
evidence; if by the latter way, it is his " coming forth




136     Moral Mfeans Preferable to J,vliracle.
out of his place," and the argument is decisive.  But
this is not a higher exercise of his power, it is only a
particular.  That which can impel the operations of
nature must needs be able to suspend them; or they
have in the meantime become independent of their
primary cause, and exceed its control.  A  miracle is a
voluntary departure from  the system established in the
universe: it can only be voluntary in relation to the
divine mind which established it, operating on its laws.
If it be wrought in confirmation of a religion, that religion is henceforth propounded as clivine.  Unless it
obtain this character of authority, it is impossible to
commend it to man by its tuisdom, or any other qualities of excellenee.  Nor is it conceivable in what manner
the Deity could declare it to be his disclosure and dispensation, did he not thus dreadly break the silence,
and interrupt the uniformity of the movements he originally imparted to his works.  As these are but his constanct volitions and processes, when altered and diverted,
God is seen to interpose; and the cause, whatever it be,
subjected to justify the singularity, and to receive the
sanction, of the procedure, cannot but be pre-eminently
and declaratively his! *
This method andcl.rule of evidence is adopted most
professedly by every economy of inspired truth. W~e are
only commanded to believe on the ground of its producing
miraculous proof.  All is suspended-its credibility of
character, our duty of assent-on the competency and
readiness discovered to furnish this ultimate satisfaction.
Under the old law we find this species of attestation
proclaimedl: "Behold I make a covenant: before all thy
* "Likewise, that whensoever God doth transcend the law of natiure by miracles, which may ever seem as new creations, he never
cometh to that point or pass but in regard of the work of redemption,
which is the greater, and whereto all God's signs and miracles do
refhr."-Lotha) l3ACOX's CONFESSION OF FAIlTH.!




Moral Means Preferable to Miracle.    I37
people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in
all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among
which thou art shall see the work of the Lord."  The
Saviour of mankind expressed himself in a similar manner: " The same works that I do, bear witness of me,
that the Father hath sent me." " Believe me for the very
works' sake." " If I had not done among them the works
which none other man did, they had not had sin."
It has, however, been contended that miracle is impossible in the nature of things. For not denying its
abstract practicability, which would be a dispute of the
divine omnipotence, certain objectors argue that it supposes a fickleness, a deviation inconsistent with perfection. Did not God, it is speciously asked, design such
an arrangement, and would he break in upon it? It is a
sufficient answer that this arrangement is not the effect
of moral fitness but of sovereign pleasure, that there is
nothing necessary or final in it, and that no pledge was
ever given that it should be invariably preserved. The
variation is as much a part of His eternal plan as that
general regularity which it affects; and whatever is
material cannct terminate on itself, but is always directed
to strictly intellectual and religious results. Its subordination by miracle to some revealed system of truth
and mercy lies within its most proper designs and probable uses.
And sophism has been added to cavil. Allow that
miracle, it is remarked, could occur without an impeach~ment of divine intelligence that amounts to moral impossibility, testimony is a vehicle which is unsuited to
transmit, is a confirmation unable to authenticate, it.
But it may be replied, that the relport of those parties
who were warranted on the informiation of their senses to
allow its existence, is as trustworthy as their colnsciousness': that whatever one man believes on right grounds,
ally other may who can ascertain that such grounds are




138    Mforal Means Preferable to Miracle.
tenable; that it always becomes us to give credence to
that whose denial would be absurd; that if we cannot
doubt the convictionz of them who were contemporary
with these extraordinary events, and the record of that
conviction-conviction which the rack could not terrify
them to stifle or the stake to quell-then it would be
the height of unreasonableness to question that they did
transpire. If it is conceded that a person who saw
miracle might be authorized to acknowledge the fact,
-then is he equally justified in narrating it; and if nothing
but the subject of the narrative gave rise to suspicion —
it being strictly sifted, and irrefragably established to be
genuine-it could not be invalidated without destroying
the fidelity of sensible impressions the most cautious,
protracted, and multiplied.
According to these objections, experieznce is alleged to
be the criterion of testimony, and testimony is always to
be discredited when in opposition to experience. But
though experience may be, in some degree, the reason
why we repose confidence in others-they having been
found deserving of it, and general facts vouching for its
necessity and truth-yet testimony is uniformly antece(lent to it. For it is by the perception of the latter that
the former is corrected and restrained; all our early
knowledge is derived from the first, and only subsequent
discipline is' learned by the second. Besides, what is
experience?  Whence know we that "all things have
continued from the beginning?"  What is the basis of
the assertion, that the operations of nature have been, at
all times and in all places, identical with each other?
On what monument do we read its unvarying history?
Which is the statute-book of its laws which can never
be changed? Is it not -the verdict of universal consent?
Is it not the tale borne from father to son? Is it not the
page on which generations have successively written
their observations?  Deny the province, abolish the




Moral Means Preferable to Miracle.    I39
authority, of testimony, and you instantly shatter the
foundations of all experience! The very same proof
confirms the miraculous exception which establishes the
general rule!
But we have to reason with other objectors now-the
men who affect their desire for miracle, and not their
disbelief of it. Without unkind suspicion, however, it
may be feared that it is the same class under a new disguise. The tone of the request betrays a skepticism of
its answer. They ask for what they appear to have made
up their minds to treat as an impossibility. It is thus
they would cover their indifference, stipulate for their
indecision, and render consistent and plausible their
obstinate unbelief. They must have demonstration; it
must be demonstration of the most perfect kind and
degree-; and nothing short of it can satisfy their love of
truth, and their inquisitiveness of research! They only
abide the proper time, they but await the proper disclosure, and are fully prepared with their adhesion, when
the fitting proofs and infallible tokens are submitted to
them! They must be regarded as intelligent creatures,
and expect that a due consideration be paid to their
reason!  They will suspend their judgment for the
present, and reserve, without prejudice to their present
statement, the right of another conclusion! So far nothing has occurred to warrant their admission and adoption
of Christianity, their assent to its truth, their compliance
with its obligation! How shall the taunt be rebuked?
There comes a voice, though it is not addressed to
" man upon earth." It speaks out of heaven; and though
we catch its lesson as it rushes past, it thunders into the
depth of hell. And it still resounds, and remonstrates
with them who, either in perverse sincerity or sneering
hypocrisy, ask of Christianity " to show them a sign from
heaven."
Whatever may be the imaginative description, and the




140     Iloral iecanzs Preferable to A11i7rcle.
poetic machinery, of this Dreadful Tale, (and we are not
expressly informed whether it is parable or history,) its
lesson must be perfectly true to fact. Though these
entreaties were never urged, though these dialogues were
never held, though the " great gulf" be no more literally conceivable than the craving of the agonized spirit's
parched tongue for the cooling drop, yet hell is not shut:
nintil a lesson is wrung from it, nor is heaven closed until
its sanction is impressed upon that lesson. And what is
it which is now inculcated to teach and warn us? which
we read by the glare of infernal flames, and learn by
the tuition of celestial accents? terrifically exemplified
in the self-accusations of a soul irretrievably lost, but as
tenderly urged by the sweet blessedness, the calm dignity, the inviolable safety of spirits coupled in their
everlasting salvation-the father of the faithful placing
a't his side, and folding to his bosom, the spirit of this
once-spurned lazar and  beggar, lately received into
lheaven amid welcomes and escorts of its brightest and
ho'i2st ministry?
And the lesson, which such awful extremes have combined to strengthen and to enforce, is this: That God
has established among us a moral dispensation, confirmedl at its beginning with the most stupendous proofs
of his authority and purpose: that this is formed of
means which are calculated to convince and impress the
mind; that these means of conviction and impression are
worthy of its divine character, and are adequate to
their first intention: that it is an impious temerity to
propose or wish any enlargement of them: that any
coveted and hypothetical addition would be inapplicable and inefficient.  There is now a liberty of choice,
without a pretext of constraint; a full, without being an
overpowering, appeal: more information would bewilder,
more argument would confuse, more light would blast
and extinguish the sense of vision.




IMora{l  calns Preferable to -ifiracle.  14I
I. THE ORDI2NA\rY MEANS OF RELIGIOUS CONVICTION
AND IMPRESSION ARE MORALLY COMPLETE AND SUFFICIENT.
God made this earth for a proper end: he " created
it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited."  Perhaps
here we may find a strong presumption that all worlds
can have no just use unless tenanted by being. We
only, however, can determine the condition of our own
species. MAan was free, and could claim a standard of
decision; he was accountable, and might allege a right
to a law of conduct.  We think that such style of
language is warranted, and that to this attitude our
nature might raise itself.  But nothing more could be
required of justice, or belonged to the necessity of the
case.
But our Maker has accumulated a revelation  of
another order. He has sent to us "the great things"
of discovered and assured mercy.  Tidings reach us of
pardon and regeneration; how guilt may be forgiven
and impurity cleansed. The sinner's character is drawn,
that the sinner's case may be retrieved. His situation
is pursued in its most exigent interests and fearful perils.
All the prbic1iples of this revelation are deductions from
so many fccts. In its earlier portion it anticipated what
should be done for our salvation, in the latter is the
record of its achievement. The law we had broken is
incorporated with it to show our need of salvation, and
that our salvation consists in the restored opportunity
and disposition of obedience. The "wrath to come" is
made to flash out its " unquenchable fire," to expose the
condemnation from which we are snatched, and to warn us
the more to flee from it. Let it never be forgotten that
the means of salvation derive all their value from certain
creeds which were believed as about to be accomplishled,
or as having been accomplishedl: that these means
are founded upon them as their authorized report




I42     MAiForal Ml~eanzs Preferable to M/~iracle.
and proclaimed intention.'Moses and the prophets"
constituted a phrase well understood to describe the
Jewish dispensation.  It compendiously expressed the
measure of religious knowledge then extant.  Its principles -are uniform with those of the Gospel, being conformed to the same facts.  Sacrifice and sanctification
were taught by it in its expiations and ablutions: these
were prospective intimations and types of the Saviour
who should "by his own blood, enter in once into the
holy place," and of the Spirit whose " washing of regeneration " carries purity through the most defiled heart.
" For what the law could not do," (Rom. viii, 3, 4,) of
what was it then incapable?-of justifying? at this
moment he who doeth it shall live by it: —of renewing? it is the guicde of moral disposition, and was
never designed to produce it. The law could not do that
which God cdid! He "condemned sin in the flesh;" that
is, upon our nature as at present subsisting in this state
of time and this scene of earth. The defeat of the law
was attributed solely to the " weakness of our flesh." It
had a right and a power of vengeance; but our present
constituted being could not have sustained it.  Our
" spirit" would have failed. We should have perished
from the way. Tophet must have been the sphere of
retribution, and eternity would have been required for
its infliction. But sin was " condemned," as most evil
and malignant,- "in the flesh:" on the earth it had defiled, on the nature it had ruined, and according to the
existing system of things.  He did it by sending " his
own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh," and for a sinoffering. Most terrible was the resentment of the sin, in
this manner of extricating the sinner! ~ The crime was
denounced, adjudged, and avenged in the very act of
justifying the criminal!  And yet that law, whose
incapacity was declared, was only honored by the
assistance rendered to it, and its righteousness is still




Moral Means Preferable to HMiracle.    143
fulfilled in them who walk not after the flesh but the
Spirit.  This has been the tenor of all gracious revelation,: it is God's call to man, not only requiring
him  to return, but providing the arrangements for
effecting it.
The epitome of the divine truth presented in the text
reminds us that, as spoken by Jesus Christ, it was
speedily to receive an immense accession. He came
that we might have " life more abundantly."   He came
to found " a ministration of righteousness" and of the
Spirit which should exceed in glory.  He came to ratify
a "better covenant, established upon better promises."'There was a peculiarity in the juncture of the announcement. The former economy had well-nigh run its race.
John, the harbinger of the Messiah, was engaged in
"' restoring all things," or, in other words, bringing back
that economy to its original intentions. His ministry
was most peculiar; it seemed a living spirit, an intense
power, a penetrating and consuming flame. In the desert
or the palace, before multitudes or kings, he was the
same. He came to honor the law, and to prepare for
its dissolution. His voice was mournful as well as
piercing-spoke of departing scenes and glories-and
sounded as if the last blast of the Sinai trump. A
modification of system was commencing: " the law and
the prophets were tuntil John:" and as " Moses wrote
of" Christ, and to " him give all the- prophets witness,"
so was the Baptist his special precursor and confessorand was as " a voice crying,  "" He was before me,"
"Behold the Lamb of God."  A  fuller designation
would now be requisite: we have not only VMoses and
the prophets, but Christ and the apostles. The whole
is of a final character; and we may congratulate ourselves that we " are built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesuzs Christ himself being the
chief corner-stone."




144    MIAoranl Means Preferable to Miracle.
We must now bring ourselves to examine these means
in some of their distinctive features.
1. It appears that they were always submitted in a
twofold shape of sign and uttercomce.  Long before the
introduction of arbitrary characters in writing, a pictorial
language was employed.  This seems the radix and
source of all. Men read, when altars, divers washings, and bleeding victims were the letters in which
revelation was composed. If, as is probable, the present
style was derived from the " handwriting" of Jehovah
on the mount, the sacred volume availed itself of the
earliest instrumentality of abbreviated marks for its
purposes.  It is penned in languages most determinate
and known. The former part lives in one which can
never cease while the "tribes of the wandering foot
and weary breast " are found in all the lands of the earth;
the second breathes through another which has always
been felt to be the music of expression and the philosophy of thought. But as the inspiration of Scripture is
not only in its meaning, but as far in its phraseology
(for we hold a strictly verbal and organic illapse) as to
constitute it an infallible medium of such meaning, so
it was plainly intended that it should be translated into
all the dialects of human speech. Whatever may be
the deterioration of the process, it does not necessarily
invalidate any thing of its authority, and impair any
thing of its influence. The originals are very favorable
to it by their union of copiousness with precision. Our
Lord and his disciples sanctioned the principle by quoting from an uninspired version. And thus no embarrassment clogs the destined universality of "the lively
oracles;" though most solemn is the trust, and most
jealous should be the care, of those who render them
into the various languages of the earth. We can say of
every such copy, and every such translation-executed
with fidelity-" This is the word of God."' And we




Mloral Means Preferable to Miracle.    145
can, moreover, declare this confidence in strictest harmony with the design of that word, which, though
given in particular tongues, merely made the first selection that it might be transferred from them into all.
And it is a blessed spectacle which in our age we behold.
This "word runneth very swiftly."  But recently no
barriers existed-not mountains, not seas-so formidable
as the difficulties of language.  They arrested ideas
which might have spread through  the community
of mind, and checked feelings which could light up a
universe. The harp of Zion could not rule its chords,
and pour its melodies, in a strange land; the tones of
taste and harmony, the magic sounds of Greece,
would, beyond a certain boundary, be unintelligible,
and he who spoke them  would "be a barbarbaian."
Through the dark night of persecution and superstition
a scholarly penmanship traced the versions of many, and
of the most important, idioms, until every polygraphic
dream was surpassed by the powers of that wonderworking mechanism which gives to this result an indefinite multiplication and an inevitable perpetuity.  And
may we not imagine the joy of those sacred writers
whose testimonies have been so long shut up in a speech
unknown to the majority of our race-now that those
testimonies are repeated in a hundred vernaculars of the
earth! Moses is preached in every city! There is no
speech nor language where the strain of David is not
heard! With other tongues and other lips Isaiah speaks
to the people! Paul, while there are so many kinds of
voices in the world, impresses his signification upon all!
And John hears, articulate and vocal, a great multitude
of all tongues, surrounding the heavenly throne! How
long was this delayed. But now of what usefulness are
they conscious? What a course of successes may they
predict! Nations, of which they had never hleard, repeat
their names! New worlds hang over their compositions!
10




I46    JMoral Mileans Preferable to MVi rac le.
The wells of their inspiration still. rise and overflow!
The awful instruments of their original announcement
yet vibrate and ring! Their heaven refines and augments. With newer radiance each diadem burns, with
fuller exultation each harp responds.  Higher waves
each palm, louder swells each song, while they continue
to declare God's " glory among the heathen, his wonders
among all people."  But it was always designed that
this revelation should be pr(eached as well as read,.
In all ages, as to its objects, we may demand, " Have
they not heard? "  Noah was the preacher of righteousness to the old world. The ministers of the Old Testament "read in the book of the law of God distinctly,
and gave the sense, and caused them to understanld the
r ading."  Most confessedly is this a Christian ordiiiance. " How shall they believe in him of whom they
have not heard?  And how shall they hear without a
preacher?" The sympathy of human manner attempers
the dreaclness of divine message; and the standard is
within the reach of all-" faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God." The means of conviction
and impression are thus uniformly written and parole.
2. It may be proper to justify the captitude of the vehicle
which God has prescribed for these moral purposes.
Whatever is mind and whatever is matter, that the
intercourse may be maintained between them something most singular in its contrivance is demanded. It
must be of the one substance or the other. Organs of
sensation are therefore given us, and these mysteriously
link us with the external world. Material as are the grossest and least susceptible parts, they are, in a way we know
not, avenues to the soul; bearing impressions to it which
it corrects or allows, simplifies or compounds. It is not
the eye which sees-the perception being a mental actbut without it there could be no vision. Now He who
"knoweth our frame," who " formed the eye and planted




Moral Mecans Pr~efcrable to 3Miracle.    I47
the ear," explains his mind and will in forms adapted to
our sensible nature. Though he has immediate access
to the soul, yet the soul only becomes intelligent and
accountable by its commerce with that which is without;
and, therefore, it is the " entrance" of his word into it
which gives it " light and understanding." Our two
principal mediums of impression are, sight and hearing.
These swell the fund of our ideas far more richly and
nobly than the other senses. They are in most frequent
and influential operation, they partake most of the intellect. And, therefore, we are commanded to " search the
Scriptures;? therefore the Apostles testified of these
things and wrote these things; therefore they sought no
higher appeal than "so it is written;" therefore they
always " reasoned out " of the inspired volume as far as it
was completed, and being inspired themselves, they were
empowered to add "word or epistle."  And still they
"preachecd Christ crucified," they carried the "sound into
all the earth," they "lifted up their voice and iwere not
afraid."  And these are the means perpetuated among
ourselves.  "The word is nigh" us; " whoso hath ears
to hear let him hear." Now as it is obvious that a human
being always blind and deaf could have no religious
capability, because no mental existence —so we must
admire this adoption of a simple method in impressing
upon external sense spiritual conception. But it is only
a temporary tribute to sense; faith and piety henceforth
occupy the interior, " the inward man is renewed day by
daS," there is the "life of God," there is the heir of
heaven walking " in the light."  What is inferior in
"this corruption and this mortal," " this vile body," and
"this body of death," is made auxiliary to the highest
ends of knowledge and purity. It refines what is corporeally gross into the index and instrument of all that is
most transparent in thought and elevated in emotion; it
displaces the associations of time by the visions of




148    IMoral }feauns Preferable to Miracle.
eternity.   If revelation be blamed for its manner of
addressing us, we have only to answer that it no further
complies with the conditions of our lower nature than to
make itself intelligible, and that, being once understood,
it causes the spirit of man to expatiate amid scenes of
more native excellence and congenial splendor.
3. The tentdency of these means is sufficiently apparent.
The " law which is perfect" is adapted to " convert the
soul."  The word which is engrafted is " able to save"
it. The "word" which is truth, is calculated to sanctify it. And but that the circumstances which require
these moral renovations present the barriers to its success,
the Gospel might be left to win its own course and its
own victory. It is so fit, so searching, so holy, that any
state in the least susceptible must have yielded to it.
Why does not the human mind at once embrace it?
The reply is, that such is man's perverseness and enmity
against religious truth that no foreign appeal, no objective reasoning, can overcome it.  The power to change
the heart must be exercised from within-that " exceeding greatness of power" which can penetrate it and then
open it to the train of all holy reflections and motives.
It does not resemble the bolt which rives the rock, but
rather that invisibly forming and germinating influence
which unfolds *the rose-bud, developing its beauty and
exhaling its fragrance-meeting, however, every external
auspice in the vernal gale, the morning dclew, the noontide heat. And these views lead to an important cdistincion-the depravity of /humtcn nzctture constitutes the
occasion of divine influence, and not evangelical truth.
It is not man's want of reason, but its perversion, which
obscures revelation from him; it is his disrelish and dislike of its constituent principles. But while this influence
commulicates another disposition to the soul, (all that is
wanted for its conversion,) it leaves the Gospel in its own
independence.  It. strengthens none of its claims, it




iMforal Means Preferable to M~firacle.    I49
heightens none of its attractions. It lays it under no
obligations of revision or improvement. Man is the sole
debtor, as he is the exclusive subject. The spirit of
truth reveals it, but it is incapable of any change but to
that altered view and feeling which depends upon a particular state of mind. The difference is of perception
and regard, in which it is passive.  Never let us speak
as though it required any thing. Never let us represent
it but as " the work of God which is perfect."  Never'let us disparage it by any comparisons which would
describe it feeble and unworthy, but for a superadded
might. It has no "weakness and unprofitableness;" no
imbecility and defect. And another distinctioJn is consequent upon this; man labors under no disqualification
of power, (unless used scholastically,) but is restrained by
a rebellious will.  He can believe, he (CC7nt repent; he
does both daily, when the testimony of faith and the
cause of regret are of the slightest kind. His understanding is capable of giving credit, his heart of entertaining contrition.  But he is morally disaffected; his
inclination is averse. This cannot excuse him; this cannot vary his obligation. The authority of the Gospel is,
all the time, the same. Otherwise a criminal might
claim an acquittal upon the ground of disapproving the
law he had broken, and of not feeling a wish to obey it!
Whatever a creature was at any time bound to do,
morally considered, he must be irreversibly. The damned
have not survived their duty to love their God! Such
distinctions are of the very argument which establishes
the sufficiency of those means which Christianity presents, that sufficiency not being in the least degree
affected by the necessity, only relative, of divine influence to remove our indisposition on the one hand, or by
the existence of that indisposition on the other.
Still the voice urges, concerning Moses and the prophets-we subjoin, Christ and the apostles-"Let them




I50    Moral kMCans Pr-eferabl' to jlirac7C..
hear them!" Andcl the appeal, founded on the completeness of apparatus, the fullness of discovery, the force of
principle involved in Christianity, may not be unseasonably illustrated.
lThere is proof to satisfy every judgment.
Falsehood is not a gratuitous device. The fixed correspondence between words and things belongs to the
earliest evolution of the mind, and cannot be evaded but
for some countervailing intent. In indifferent and impartial circumstances veracity may be expected; it is the
most easy and natural course. WVe ask, then, if the first
disciples of the Gospel did nlot believe that miracles had
occurred, what could induce them to invent the story?
What did they gain? Men are swayed by the cupidity
of wealth, by the fame of enterprise, by the love of ease.
But these motives could have no place in minds which
saw before them  certain poverty, contempt, and death.
Did posthumous honor allure them?  The denier of a
future state can never know  this sentiment, and the
believer in one would be unable to connect its hope with
imposture. But again we ask, if they icd believe such
miracles, on what ground can their testimony be disputed?  How arose it that men of far distant places,
and as distant ages, (for the question of revelation is
identical,) agreed together in so strange an impression,
contrary to whatever was known or anticipated9? Whence
was the concord of parties held together by no common
tie?  By what charm  did man, whose "days are few,"
make common cause with the stranger of another century,
enter into his feelings, and interchange with him his
own? But prophecy, which is intellectual miracle, yields
evidence not less decisive. As it has been granted by
the skeptic that nothing, however incredible, is to be
rejected if the alternative be molve incredible still, so the
coincidences between the guess-if prophecy be only it
-andcl the fulfillment of the guess, imply a chain of diffi



Moral Means Preferable to Miracle.    I5
culties overcome, and of improbabilities elicited, more
than equal to the fact for which they are substituted,
and without its confessedly competent agency. Look
into the constitution of Christianity.  What an unearthliness of character! iWhat a sensitiveness of morality!
VWhat a divinity of piety! Call it a forgery, and either
the weakest of men struck out the brilliant fable, or the
nost wicked wrought this creation of peerless excellence
and virtue. Look upon the influence of Christianity.
VWhat has it not done? It has sown the seeds of civilization and refinement; banished vices upon which philosophy dilated without hesitation, and beauty gazed
without a blush; forms the individual and the nation on
a model of which the ancient sage was never wont to
dream; and surrounds itself with a mild luster of loveliness, convincing as the insufferable blaze of its prodigies.
It is a system of perssuasionz. "Let every man be fully
persuaded in his own mind." Its teachers can say, "We
persuade men," and its disciples, "TVe thus judge."
There is nothing occult or coercive in it; the man must
be determined to blind himself who disbelieves, to destroy himself who withstands, it!
There is attraction to awaken every interest.
Principles may convince by their naked truth, and yet
leave the heart untouched. Abstractions may occupy
some recess of the understanding, and never excite our
warmer and more active emotions. But the Gospel is
an expostulation  with self-love. It calls on shaime,
gratitude, and pity.  It lays hold of our hop e and fear.
With what a captivating grace does it visit us! It is
the good news of salvation! Infinite compassion transfuses itself through all its discoveries and entreaties!
" Why will ye die? " " Come unto me all ye that labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." How
solemn is its pathos, how pathetic is its solemnity! It is
the weeping rebuke of mercy warning us into its arms!




1 52  Moral MeanZs Preferable to Miracle.
lie, and only he, can tell what music is in these truths
and consolations on whose ear the sentence of the broken
law has grated and its curse has rung. The harmonies
of the universe have no strain like this, " I am pacified
toward thee!"
There is an appeal to every class of character.
When the philosopher tells me how my mental system
-that which lies within my consciousness-is affected and
governed-in what order its phenomena succeed, in what
manner they influence, each other —I acknowledge the
profundity of his examination into the laws and states
of the human mind. When a physician not only determines my disease, upon a survey of its more obvious symptoms, but informs me of its every secret stage, each pain
and languor known only to myself, I honor his acquaintance with all the particularities of morbid action. And
yet in these instances there was a general ground of
knowledge, a common subject of inquiry.  The m.ind
and the disease, investigated in one, might be inferred
in all. But in character there is a more specific individuality. Its modifications are endless as they are
unaccountable. And still Christianity, with the minutest
observation and with an insulating power, makes the
sinner tremble as though each warning was pointed at
him, and rejoice as though each solace had been prepared for his relief. The self-conclusion is inevitable as
that which the guilty monarch drew when there " came
forth fingers of a man's hand," and he was convinced
that they, of all his thousand guests, wrote his doom.
And the convicted sinner equally realizes the personal
reference of every invitation and promise; and while
he comes to Jesus it is to him it is said, "Him that
cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out;" and while
he flies to refresh his thirst, it is to him the assurance is
repeated, " I will give unto him that is athirst of the
fountain of the water of life freely."




:Voral Means Preferable to Miracle.     153
2Yere;s a provision for every extent of gfiilt.
The infinity of merit in the atonement of the cross
does not seem to meet the full demand of the sinner's
case.  It is true that there is, that there must be, such
infinity, but many current statements favor the idea of
an zuedclirected and inctpplicable store.  We hesitate not
to go further: no statement would embody our convictions which did not set forth the atonement as universal in its character as it is infinite in its virtue-which
did not assert that it was legislatively designed for all,
and made the basis for the moral treatment of all. The
fact of an excess, when that is but a necessary effect of
circumstances, proves nothing, accomplishes nothing,
consoles nothing: give it a meaning, a use, a direct intention, and there is an intelligible idea, an available blessing. And this is our rational consistency in calling on
men to believe and embrace the testimony of the Gospel
-not that there is a sufficiency only, but a warrant of
that sufficiency —-not that there is bread enough and to
spare, but that it is placed on a " table of show-bread "
-and that the Gospel makes such a constitution its
express purpose and its unambiguous avowal. Why
should we restrict and sophisticate its mighty generalities? Can language have wider scope than it employs?
And therefore it is that the Gospel should be preached
with the authority and power of a perfect confidence.
We, "having believed, should also preach."  We can
never go beyond the word of the Lord in its aunointed
character, any more than in its acdmitted efficacy. There is
not among the debtors of justice, the captives of sin, the
prisoners of condemnation, an obligation which it is
not sincere in, proposing to cancel, a chain which it is
not commissioned to burst, a sentence which it is not
orcainedc to absolve.
It comprises the maeans of our regeneration.
Pardon only leaves us in a state of exemption from




I54       ortal ileans Preferable to Miracle.
punishiment; it does not properly, nor necessarily, bestow
a taste for purity and a disposition of obedience. A
renovation of nature is as indispensable to the sinner as
a reversal of condition. But the holy volume does not
accomplish this effect, nor does the preaching of its contents; neither is it accomplished without their intervention and application. And therefore a " newness of
spirit," though doubtless depending on an extrinsic
cause, may be considered a blessing as well as a truth
of the Gospel. For it not only enjoins that we "must
be born again " —it not only expounds the manner and
the agency by which the change is wrought-it is the
appointed and exclusive contrivance. Foreign circumstances may induce men to think, to relent, to realize to
themselves the truth; but nothing, save that truth, can
sanctify. Where is the fanatic to be found who would
maintain that the Holy Spirit illuminated the mind in
evangelical principles, which never before, nor subsequently, had access to revelation?  No matter how the
truth has been injected into the mind-whether by education, by general report and impression, or by more
direct methods-it is by this expedient that the agent
of regeneration alone does, can alone, produce it. He
has no other means; though He "searcheth all things,
yea, the deep things of God."  He is as morally unable
to sanctify the heart without the Gospel, as He, who is
" of purer eyes than to behold evil," is to pardon sin
without the atonement. Such fact we learn from numerous and intelligible passages of Scripture. "The sword
of the Spirit is the word of God."  "In Christ Jesus I
have begotten you through the Gospel."  " Being born
again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by
the word of God which liveth and abideth forever."
Well, therefore, may we kiss the word as the rod with
which the Comforter only smites to heal, "a rod out
of the stem of Jesse."  Well, therefore, may we venerate




Aloranl ZJi/eans Preferable to  firacle.  I5 5
the truth with a holy awe, even " tremble at " it, as the
instrument which an Almigllty hand has often wielded;
which bears the characters of its sacred appropriation;
and which seems to retain a vibration of that power,
and a glow of that splendor, which have enforced or
accompanied its blessed use.
It stupplies the motives for our conzcuct.
Itself the model of excellence, it illustrates its reasonableness and urges its pursuit.  But it is not a preceptive morality, one of self-government and benevolence,
to which it confines itself. It invites a higher class of
duties. It calls for a constancy of profession unto beggary and death. A very crucifixion to the world, in all
its present conveniences and sympathies, does it place
among its foremost and paramount demands.  here is
an inversion of nature. Here is a revolt of every ordinary idea and sensibility.  And yet this is the heroic
virtue which it has formed. In this virtue there is no
blind enthusiasm, but its motives admit of the most discriminating inspection. Instead of claiming too much
from man, man has become dignified in yielding himself
up to the claim. Instead of receiving a sullen obedience,
all has breathed alacrity and joy.  They who, "for
conscience' sake," were plundered of their earthly all,
"took joyfully the spoiling" of their goods; and they
who were summoned to death in its most cruel forms,
counted not their lives clear unto themselves.  There
must have been high inducement to reconcile our nature
to these evils. And Christianity is a system perfect in
its motives. While it never quits our side by the hearth
of domestic quiet and in the walk of peaceful avocation, always directing our ignorance and upholding our
weakness, by soft whispers and gentle impulses counseling and guiding us, it forewarns of other scenes, and
stands ready to arouse us with more stirring incitements;
bids us follow it to the high place, and engage, on its




156     Moral Meanls Preferable to Miracle.
behalf, in the joined battle; and when the trial seems
too fiery, and the shock too overwhelming, it makes the
duty sweet and the performance easy as to listen to the
melody of the untraversed grove and gaze on the sunset of the calmest day.
It achninisters relief to our caffiction.
Grief is a simple thing, and asks for commiseration
and confidence. The manner of the application is often
important as the solace itself. Kind must be the accent,
the look, the touch.  Now, the Gospel is "the tender
mercy of our God."  It exhibits him as "the God of
consolation," as the "God that comforteth those that
are cast down."  It seeks out the abode and bosom of
wretchedness. Tears are the attractions which it acknowledges, sighs are the calls which it obeys. It is
the continued expression of the pity which, when commanding the empire of death to restore the brother to
the disconsolate sisters of Bethany, itself could weep;
which looked down from the cross of Calvary, and amid
the unutterable horrors and portents of that scene, distinguished a mother's form, and soothed a mother's bereavement.  0 this is the religion of the forlorn and
oppressed, the poor and needy! It opens its heart of
infinite yearnings to them. It bends to hear each tale
of woe. Its chosen station is close to the pallet of poverty and the bed of death. In the house of mourning it
consecrates its home. It causes no tear but that of repentance, and that is sweeter far than the worldling's
fullest, brightest tear of joy. Every other tear it loves
and cares to dry, nor foregoes its soothing and healing
course until it has carried the mourner whither no grief
can follow him, and where "God shall wipe all tears
from" his eyes. How lovely is the religion which can
bid the rod of affliction to blossom, and make a smile
play around the grimmest features of death!
And though, in arguing for the sufficiency of these




Moral MReans Preferable to lIfiracle.   157
means, we distinguish between that which is moral, and
that which is efficacious, yet we are justified in maintaining that an iJfluence is connected with their dispensation  The Holy Spirit is given to all "them that
ask Him." Such influence cannot be uniform and essential; but it will surely vindicate its sovereignty, in the
eyes of them to whom this quality is obnoxious, that the
sinner never was refused who sought the boon.  The
want of a disposition toward it is a barrier the most
strict and stumbling; but " God tempteth no man," and
disposition or will is the very subject of accountability.
"The residue of the Spirit" is a portion of the fullness
which dwells in Christ, and sinners are as welcome to
a participation inl his fullness as to an interest in his
blood.  Such influence could never be necessary to a
righteous government and moral scheme; and still its
pronmise insures to Christianity a success, and to every
suppliant an answer.
These are the means which God has founded, and
which retain their perennial character.  By them  He
saves them  who believe.  Other means we know not
than the Bible unfolded to the eye and proclaimed to
the ear. Circumstances of imperative authority, external to this book, enforce them. Institutes and appointments raise attention and habituate regularity.  The
Ssbbath, the Church, the Baptismal rite, the Christian
feast, are placed in the same connection. All have a
tendency to convince and impress. Thus we are dealt
with.  Our rational apprehensions are addressed, our
warifier affections are excited. These means survive all
changes, and may be assimilated to the deeper springs
of nature, the fieshness of which cannot be impaired,
nor their fullness exhausted; or to the ordinances of
heaven-fixed, pacific, unwearying, magnificent-and,
like them, only to perish with the firmament itself.
But men indulge other sentiments.  They would




158    Moral Mleans Preferable to Miracle.
fondly convince themselves that their unbelief is excusable because these means are not necessarily and inevitably resistless. They require a mechanical violence,
a physical force, to satisfy them.  They must be put
into circumstances which shall leave them no liberty of
decision. By one of those unsound, though common,
maxims which are repeated until they are allowed, they
would confound an impression of sense and a result of
belief. "Seeing is believing," is the foolish saw which
comes to their assistance. Now there are not two acts
more contrary. The one depends upon an organ, and
the other upon a conclusion formed according to a
testimony. Should it be said that we believe the information of our senses, it is only a figurative form of
expression, unless in the lips of the man who, knowing
how certain speculatists have denied even the validity
of this information, measures, by these cautious words,
the steps by which he has become assured concerning
it. He who has extricated himself from the phantom
philosophy will only understand the language with
any distinctness, or employ it with any right. Now
we argue, that " if one went unto them from the dead,"
they would not "repent;" that if the moral instrumentality failed, the supernatural demonstration would not
succeed.
II. ANY SUPPLEMENTARY METHODS OF CONVICTION
AND IMPRESSION, FOUNDED UPON MIRACULOUS AGENCY,
WOULD BE INAPPOSITE AND INEFFECTIVE.
The kindl of interposition which men might seek would
probably be very different; each would have his favorite
scheme and prevailing taste.  Their sign would be
" either in the depth, or in the height above."  Whatever
it was, it could remove no difficulty, as it satisfied but
one party. The allusion of the text is to the apparitions
of the dead. The grave is supposed to yield its prisoner;
the departed spirit, acquainted with " the eternal blazon,"




Moral Means Preferable to IAit'acle.    I59
is conceived to reanimate and inform the lifeless body;
again the familiar eye opens and the oft-heard tongue
speaks; the once welcomed visitant of kindred and
friendship is now clothed with all the authority and
interest of a herald from the unseen world, and of all
interpreter who can disclose its mysteries. No miracle
could be more decisive, and then, as oral communication
and dread discovery were associated with it, none could
be more instructive. Nothing could exceed it in solemnity, power, and impression. It would not only be
material but rational, not only a change wrought on
brute substance but on conscious spirit-the recall of a
soul from the gate of death, and fiom the region of immortality. It would be of little additional interest in
what manner the scene was prepared-whether as a
mysterious traveler the spirit joined itself to us, or
whether as a radiant vision it burst upon us. Such a
manifestation must comprise every advantage of miracle;
and we shall principally avail ourselves of it, in the
prosecution of the argument, though our remarks will
concern themselves with the general question.
1. There is nothing which we feel to be so terrific as
the thought of a spiritual presence, and a contact with
the spiritual being. This may be variously accounted
for; but, respecting the truth of the observation, there
can exist no doubt. When the angel has stooped to our
earth on some important mission, men have apprehended
that they should surely die.'When the specter has
glared upon them, and, with  sepulchral voice, has
addressed them, their blood has curdled, their nerve has
shrunk, their heart has turned to ice. It is not for us
now to inquire whether these appearances have been
real; this has been the effect. We neither beg nor rebut
the question, at this step of remark, relative to another
and immaterial world; but this is the popular impression.
The most enlightened and dispassionate have known a




60o     Moral Ieauvs Pi~9ferable to Miracle.
shudder and a t'epidation.  The horror of a Dion is far
more natural than the phlegm of a Blrutus.  WVe sympathize with the disciples who, when Jesus walked on the
sea, "were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and cried out
for fear;" who, when he suddenly presented himself
among them  after his resurrection, " were terrified and
affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit."
Most terrific is the description which Eliphaz records of
the midnight monitor who glided into his chamber and
broke upon his solitude; the shadowy outline, the abrupt
narrative, but creates a deeper suspense, a more hanrrowing, thrilling sensation!  "Now  a thing was secretly
brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.
In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep)
sleep falleth on men, fear came upon me, and trembling,
which made all my bones to shake. Then a spirit passed
before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: it stood
still, but I could not discern the form thereof; an image
was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a
voice."  This is the sublimity of fear; and it is only
sublime by its fidelity to nature and fact.  But is this a
disposition and mood of the mind favorable to cautious
deliberation and sober purpose?  Is the stupefaction and
dismay, consequent on such a visitation congenial to
inquiry and peace?  Would it not leave "thoughts
beyond the reaches of our souls? " Might it not endanger
the empire of reason, and distract the temperament of
fancy?  Religion is a "judgment of what is right;" its
requirement is a "reasonable service; " its influence is
not "the spirit of fear, but of a sound mind."  Than
consternation-the effect of ever/ thizng smaye7~ncaturalnothing is more ill adapted to " the reason of the hope
that is in us," unless it be utter indlifference itself.
2. As all our ideas are related to our perceptions, langlage is necessarily built upon sensible analogies.  The
organs being the only men diums of present knowlecd'ge




loreal Means Preferable to Miracle.       6 I
symbols and comparisons are the only methods of present
illustration. Were any other language to be addressed to
us, conveying to us any other thoughts, it would neither
reach our sense nor coalesce with our intellect. Conceptions formed by incorporeal beings, and signified by
ethereal representations, must be perfectly unintelligible
to our compound nature, holding its only commerce with
an external world. There was one (2 Col. xii, 1, 4)
who, for fourteen years, had revolved what occurred to
him, and impressed itself on him, during a rapture in
the third heaven. The traces were too serious and deep
for any lapse of time, or change of circumstances, to
impair. The visions of the Almighty had flushed forth
upon his spirit; existences and modes of -existence had
risen before him such as imagination never attempted to
realize  and describe.  Bodiless, impalpable essences
gleamed across his view, which no known discourse of
man could portray. He was girded in by a scenery
which earthly elements and colors were not formed to
paint. They were spectacles of which our world contained no type, and voices which could propagate no impulse on our atmosphere. What information does the
descended Paul convey?  WVhat of the nature of that
region, which of its glorious marvels, does he explain?
And yet these mysteries were only not to be interpreted
because they were incapable of interpretation —it was
not lawful, only because it was impossible, to utter them.
There is nothing common between the senses of embodied, and the ideas of disembodied, men. All reciprocation is precluded by their opposite conditions. Should,
therefore, the minister of warning leave the spiritual
world and alight on this, he could not make use of our
impressions to superinduce his own. Let him, say the
objectors, " testify unto them" who now live in this probationary scene. But they must be reminded that the
testimony would be deficient, that whatever was removed




I62    Moral Means Preferable to Miracle.
from the associations of our knowledge could only be
pictured through them, and that whatever was more
explicit than figure and allusion, would, to the same degree, be only more obscure and incomprehensible. The
direct disclosure of spiritualism and eternity by one sent
from the dead to themliving, would be like confounding
their language, that they might "not understand one
another's speech."
3. Since it is not to be supposed that the wish of every
one should be gratified in the time and manner of these
resurrections from the dead —since none are sufficiently
extravagant to suppose that any power would leave the
question with each, " Whom shall I bring up unto thee?"
-there must be some point of limitation. At that point
commences the business of testimony. He who has seen
the dead burst their cerements could not long conceal
the secret. -Unlike private opinion, the impression of
this occurrence must have its way. It, during every
moment of silence, would be a " fire shut up in the bones."
And concealment would be as unjust as difficult. The
miracle being "to testify," they who were signalized by
its exhibition ought to make it known to others. And
what would be the probable reception of the tale? A
general suspicion would be immediately entertained of
the narrator's solidity of mind. There would be suggestions of phantasina and excited fancy. Reference would
be made to optical disease and spectral illusion. And
the result of all might be, that the recital would not
only be scouted, but that the man himself would, from
the reasoning of some and the ridicule of others, abandon
his own convictions, by having learned to discredit his
own sensations.
4. The excitement of miracle is generally lessened by
the nearer approach to its crisis and scene. The remark
is borne out by somewhat analogous circumstances. Let
us hear, fiom afar, of the pestilence-its dark march, its




Moral Clleans Preferable to Miracle.   I63
desolating fury-its gradual encroachment-and the
panic shoots through a community. Let the evil arrive
-more calamitously and sweepingly than apprehended
-recklessness takes the place of alarm, and levity of
seriousness. The reverse we should deem more natural;
but it is contradicted by notorious facts. And let us
not suppose that miracles produced all the curiosity and
stir which their character would justify. It is true that
the Evangelists do not commonly state the influence of
their Master's mighty deeds on the popular mind.
Enough is, however, told to satisfy us that they were
most convincing and resplendent; and that they who
were their subjects or spectators disclosed them, though
often charged to conceal them, and did "the more
blaze them abroad."  Here was publication. But did
they raise the inquiry, or attract the notice, of the great
and the learned? Did those, upon the very spot, trouble
themselves to give them a passing. survey? Would not
such wonders have repaid a glancing eye, or slackened
step, while the Pharisee hastened on? This momentary
notice was not deignedl    And we may cite the instance
of Paul himself. All the plausibilities are, that his education in Jerusalem was conducted at the time of our
Saviour's. ministry. MIany must have been the facilities
for seeing Him  who at last entered that city with
triumph, and did his latest wonders in the Temple.  It
appears inconceivable that the sanguine youth, that the
cultivated pupil, would omit an opportunity of marking
His person, hearing one discourse, and beholding one
achievement. It may be inferred that he never so much
as saw him! To say nothing of the silence which he
surely must have broken, if there were a single remembrance of Him whom he had persecuted, he speaks in
this manner: *"How shall we escape, if we neglect so
great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken
by the Lord, at-nd was confirmed unito us by them that




I64    Moral j1Ieanes Preferable to 7M1iracle.
heard him? " His exclusion is evidently friom what was
personal and not official; he having, by his miraculous
conversion and rapture, been warranted to say, "And
last of all, He was seen of me also, as one born out of
due time."  And if such a man was too prejudiced or
too indifferent to seek a view of the Messiah's form, or
to catch a tone of his voice, we may argue how many
would follow the same course, and how uninfluential is
miracle when it cannot excite even the attention necessary to examine it.
This is our first class of remarksl,.;showing that these
mighty works are little calculated to convert, fiom the
horror of those who contemplate them  disqualifying
them to judge; from the impossibility of a perfect disclosure to our senses of realities with which the senses
have no affinity; from the skepticism of mankind, which
might not only withstand the evidence, but even corrupt
the witness; and from the egregious insensibility which
the closest vicinage to miracle, and the fullest opportunity of canvassing it, do not generally disturb.
Another class of observation now presses upon us, relating to the positive incongruity of this instrument; the
former demonstrated its inadequacy, this will establish
its inadmissibility.
1. Unless miracle be sparingly used it loses its effect.
The power which has wrought one may produce any
number; but the same act, though repeated most monotonously, may be altered in its character. That which
was miracle may now cease to be it. For the idea of
this attestation is, that it departs and differs from the
ordinary constitution of things.  If the sun and moon
stand still, if the laws of death be overcome, we observe,
these events because contrary to all teindency and
arrangeoment as notified to us.   Still if these events
might be expected, if they followed in a regular course,
tllough precisely identical in process and form, they




Moral Means Preferable to Miracle.    I65
would altogether vary in import and evidence. Let a
chain of miracles be drawn through every age, and
around every individual, and the term  is a solecism.
The circumstance of frequency is the vitiating principle.
But they who imagine that persuasion would follow a
resurrection from the dead, necessitate a constant recurrence of these acts; in a word, their demand for miracle
destroys the very character, which can never attach to
the grandest displays of Divine power, when interwoven
into a strict order and uniform series.
2. The nature of the revelation, which we call the
Gospel, is frequently set forth in Scripture; it is "the
record which God hath given of his Son;" it is the
" testimony of God" and " of Christ;" it is a " witness to
all nations;" it is a " faithful saying;" it is G" the faithful word."  The veracity of him who testifies is the
common ground of belief in a testimony; while the
most satisfactory evidences of its truth may be found in
the testimony itself. The operation of mind is necessarily one of assent and confidence; until these be exercised, the subject is not brought into any connection with
us, or into any capacity of influencing us. Christianity
conveys to us the word of salvation, and it requires
our belief of it. It comes in the shape of testimony, and
credit is to be attached to it. "We walk by faith,
not by sight."  Its purpose is to divert us from material
notices, and to bind us to the simple and cordial "' belief
of the truth."  There must be a value in this purpose;
faith must be more fitting and useful than sensible impression. It must be more accordant with the Gospel,
and more beneficial to ourselves, thus to arrive at the
conclusion that it is true, and thus to acquire the way
by which we may become interested in it. But miracle
would trench upon the province and faculty of testimony; would introduce sense to the disparagement of
faith; would throw  back the dispensation from  its




I66     Mori al MeHeans Preferable to Miracle.
maturity; would unsettle the best known and most
divinely pledged character which the "word of the
truth of the Gospel " has ever received, as well as the
strongest foundations on which human conviction has
ever rested.  " He that hath received his testimony [that
of Christ] hath set to his seal that God is true."  Grant
but the prayer for miracle, and the Gospel is no longer
a testimony, nor faith a grace!
3. Miracle belongs to an early and imperfect stage of
the Christian revelation. It is a part of its first apparatus-of its scaffolding and machinery. Most necessary
was it when the cause it asserted was new, to indicate
it as a divine religion, and to urge it as a divine enforcement.  But we now possess that state of consummated
truth and blessing to which all this magnificence of the
supernatural-this awful sway over inveterate disease
and extinguished sense, elemental strife and demon rage
-were but tributes of homage and means of confirmation. The canon of Scripture being complete, and whatever was preliminary being now adjusted, we may deem
ourselves to occupy a most favorable position.  We have
the perfect volume with the perfect proof. Even in regard to the signs and wonders which surrounded Christianity in its infancy, as guardians and attendants, we
may consider ourselves as most enviably circumstanced.
We call behold them, from  our present eminence, in
their unity of rank and spirit.  We can trace their analogy to the system which is now seen in all its tenderness
and love. We can review them aloof from that bitter
temper which disappointed ambition and exasperated
prejudice foment.  Nothing national, nothing ancestral,
opposes our profession of their reality and grandeur.
Their succession, their decisiveness as attestations, their
beauty as emblems, strike us as they could not contemporary eyes. We may, therefore, congratulate ourselves
that those evidences, which are most external, are really




Moral Means Preferable to Miracle.     i67
more interesting now than at the period of their exhibition. Do we not see how they affected the primitive
disciples? Do we not learn their general acknowledgment from the general conversion of mankind?  Do we
not ascertain how they were appealed to by those who
never took an uncertain ground?  We, so to speak,
survey the scene from that central point at which the
fall of light and the angle of vision are most happily
adapted to excite our wonder and correct our apprehension. But now to call for miracle is to desire a return
to the nonage and weakness of Christianity-is to forget
or deny that superiority which is allotted to us on whom
"the ends of the dispensation have come "-is to descend
from the calm, in which we can explore the miracle of
testimony, into the contentions which have often embroiled the testimony of miracle.
But if preternatural indications be ineffective as moral
means, and if they can additionally be proved illegitimate in the present instance, a third class of reasonings
will expose the causes of their unsuitableness to produce
any true conversion, any saving result.
1. Conviction, when it reaches a certain point, is incapable of any conscious increase in its strength and
practical influence. The most variously elaborated, the
most frequently multiplied, demonstrations, would not
very perceptibly fortify our belief if that were founded
on one perfectly conclusive. We might be astonished
and delighted; but our minds were assured, and our
opinions formed, when we mastered the first. Millions,
upon the present evidence of Christianity, have attained
to a persuasion which left to them no doubt and exception-which suffered them not a hesitating moment and
feeling between its maintenance and violent deathwhich blended itself with all that was intuitive and conscious in their minds.  What could have made the confessor bolder, or the martyr more brave? What could




X68     Moral Means Preferable to Miracle.
have raised their faith, or strengthened their constancy?
That evidence is before us, it deserves the most complete
admission, and warrants the most decided assent. We
need not wonder that miracle, therefore, fails to produce
the boasted effect, and that the addition of any other
would be abortive, since all are competent to adjudge
the existing amount of evidence; the believer knowing
that the highest pitch of his conviction cannot exceed
it, and the unbeliever exemplifying that, if it does not
satisfy him, no variation or increase of it could, though
the letters were sunbeams and the sounds were thunders.
2. It is complained by the skeptic that the process of
inquiry is circuitous —that the course of examination is
slow-that writings are to be verified, witnesses to be
tried, and motives to be sifted. He suggests a more
ready method —let the debate be ended by an appeal to
miracle. Be, then, such miracle performed. Being sensible, it could only be inspected by a definite number of
persons; occurring at a given time as well as place,
many contemporaries, and all posterity, must be unacquainted with its merits. The skeptic might now aver
his full acquiescence in Christianity; he would confirm
his judgment by that unanimous impression which had
been made on all who witnessed the miracle along with
himself. He and they report it, and expect to be believed. He and they consider that all dispute has ceased.
But these parties only stand in the circumstances of the
first Christians! They cannot employ more undoubting
affirmations —they cannot be subjected to more rigid
ordeals-they cannot furnish better proofs of veracity
and tests of sincerity. Yet they reject the allegations
of the first Christians, and hope that they themselves
shall be believed! To say nothing of this inconsistency
in their conduct, this improbability in their expectation
— what would have been gained by the concession?
The very men who disavowed Christianity, on account




Moral leanzs Preferable to 7iiracle.    I69
of its peculiar evidence, upon the repetition of the same
evidence at their own request, call upon all to embrace
it. Thus the original system of examination and ground
of belief-the butt of objection-is to be renewed. Age
after age is to have its miracle, the testimony to that
miracle, and the adherents to that testimony. Again
and again the business of evidence is to be begun afresh;
and that evidence, too, which if ever faulty and defective, must continue as faulty and defective through
every step of its transmission.  But this might not
only be the cause of inefficiency in the miracle-the
proposed arrangement would include another disadvantage. Might it not be deemed a reflection upon the
praimitive evidence, if it was, after this order, renovated?
TWould not the secondary series be equally disparaged
by the third? Would not the succession be attenuated
until the conviction of the most remote descendants
would be, that a religion which was compelled to submit to these reiterated attestations, and still left men as
incredulous and impatient of these attestations as before,
never dcid possess a valid authenticity, and never ought
to have challenged a reasonable faith.
3. There is a distinction between acts which are voluntary and involuntary. Every act, to be morcel, or the
subject of accountability, must be willingly and selfdeterminately performed. If my arm  is seized by an
external power and compelled to commit that from which
my mind revolts, it is not within my responsibility.  I
am the passive, unconsenting instrument. Now, in the
impressions made upon our senses, we are almost in the
same predicament. Choice is denied us. We may close
our eyes and stop our ears, but numberless sights and
sounds are borne to these organs over which we have no
control. A miracle might be executed before us. We
could not fail to observe it. But this would be necessary and not optional, and therefore the observation




170   lMoral Meaus Prefcrable to Miracle.
would partake of no moral quality. What, that is commendable-what, that supposes disposition and motivewhat, that refers to law and recompense, could such act
contain? It is not questioned that the exacmination of
miracle may spring from  a holy and a praiseworthy
temper of mind. But it is of the single process, through
which the senses pass, that we now speak. And if it be
not a moral sentiment, we need not wonder that men
are not "persuaded" by it; we need not wonder that
it sets in motion no train of pious reflections and devout
sensibilities. It has only, so far, been a perforce admission; a nerve has been impinged, a sense has been excited, but an unreasoning and irreligious creature might
have undergone the same obtrusion, and not have, more
certainly than the man himself, resisted the proper ieview and the just inference.
4. When miracle has been displayed, there can be no
doubt of its intention. It is to call human attention to
some great principle, some important truth. It is the
unison of almighty power with infinite love. It certifies
and urges revelation. We might conclude, therefore,
that men would never mark the one without following
out the other. And if this were so, miracle might have,
in its consequences, a persuasive power. But the ideas
of the reality belonging to a supernatural occurrence,
and of the truth involved in a particular religion which
it has transpired to confirm, are not uniformly, not fiequently, associated in the mind of the spectator. Curiosity may gaze with a perfect vacancy of speculation.
We have now only to do with the fact as one of history.
Thousands were fed by our Lord through the most palpable operations of miraculous skill and might: thousands witnessed his cures of disease, and his exorcism
of demons: yet how seldom did the conviction occur
to them that, if these things were true, so also must be
the doctrine he taught!




Moral Means Preferable to Miracl7e.            171
Herod "hoped to have seen some miracle done by
him;" but it is abundantly clear, that had his wish been
gratified, he did not surmise that it would pledge him to
the allowance of any particular religious system.  The
Pharisees even accused him of casting out devils by the
prince  of devils!*  And if any proof be wanted  to
demonstrate how dissevered these convictions of a miracle and a mission may be, let us advert to the portents
which solemnized the sacrifice of the cross.  It is a terrific scene!  The noon of day is dark as the noon of
night! The silence of death is disturbed!  The vail of
the temple is torn from the top to the bottom! The solid
globe trembles! The massive rock  splits!  Once the
sun stood still on Gibeon; why is it stayed in its course,
covered with sackcloth, turned into blood, over Calvary?
Graves have, at distant intervals, yawned and resigned
their prisoners, why do so many now simultaneously
rend, and why do so many of their sleeping captives,
without a signal, rise?  The sanctities of the temple
have, ere this, been profaned, but why is its tapestry
now, without a visible agency, torn asunder? Earth
has known strange tremors, the land has been heaved
into billows as the sea, but why does it now suffer these
convulsions, and  struggle with  these throes?  Rocks,
when God's "'fury is poured out like fire," have been
thrown down by him, but why do they now burst and
shiver? The multitude, the connection, the conjuncture
* How little competent the pagan world was to decipher the meaning and connection of those omens, which they esteemed real, may be
gathered from the classical historians. Thns, Tacitus, in his Anlals,
(and we overlook not the sarcasm,) says: " Prodigia quoque crebra et
irrita intercessere... que  adeo sin6 cura detim  eveniebant,
ut multos post annos Nero imperium et scelera continuaverit."  In
his History, relating the prodigies which foreboded the overthrow of
Jerusalem, he marks the little and narrow impression they excited:
"Qume panci in metuim trahebant."




I72    Moral. lezans Preferable to Miracle.
of these phenomena, supplied an assemblage of awful
demonstrations; they struck a panic, they produced a
change of feeling and conduct. They, who had wagged
their heads, now smote upon their breasts. It was "a
compunctious visiting of nature," and nothing more.
And only a few, and those fiom whom  the confession
might have been least expected, cried out, " Truly, this
was the Son of God."
5. Supposing that there is no evasion of the lesson
and doctrine inculcated by a miracle, it by no means
follows that the mind receives them with cordiality and
affection. The reasonable association may have forced
itself upon it, that both are equally, and consecutively,
true.  But as the impression of miracle was violent, so
the belief of that which it seals may be constrained.
The heart may rebel against it. It may seem "as a
strange thing."  It may be endured as an object of terror and aversion.  It may not be disputed, and yet not
be loved.  MAen may regard it as Ahab did Micaiahknowing he was a prophet, yet outraging him for prophesying only evil. They may be as unable to resist, as
to cherish, the light; and like Satan, described by our
bard, glance but at the sun, " to tell it how he hates its
beams."  The Gospel is a scheme of particular instructions. These may be mechanically enforced, or morally
entertained. They may be assented to as moving in the
train of a miracle; there may be a general apprehension
of their meaning; and nothing short of enmity may
scowl upon them. The bond, which shackles them to
the mind, is no tie of its own; the supernatural evidence
is the iron chain which, while it leaves it no liberty, softens no dislike. But when the understanding and the
affections coincide with these propositions of truthwhen every doctrine becomes endeared and every lesson
attractive —when esteem is the effect of appreciation, and
" faith worketh by love," then the entire soul is gained,




Moral Means Preferable to Miracle.    173
and every thought is captivated "to the obedience of
Christ."  The one process breaks, the other melts, the
adamantine heart.  The former compels, the latter wins,
our conviction. In the first instance, it is the billow
chafing the strand, lashing the shore; in the second, it is
the ripple of the lake, when dimpled into beauty and
when pulsing with music, spreading itself from the center in graceful circles, and kissing the flowery margin
which rather protects than restrains it.
6. The inefficiency of miracle may be explained by an
examination of the mind on which it is supposed to
operate.  Every mind has its tastes, its associations, and
its habitudes. Its present nature or disposition is that
of the deepest depravity.  Men sin not accidentally and
artificially.  "Yea, they have chosen their own ways,
and their soul delighteth in their abominations."  In any
other circumstances they would follow a course as sinful.
The evil has its roots in the heart, and let it beat on
earth or in hell, it is "desperately wicked."  It is set
upon it. The only method for its renovation is, that
other tastes, associations, and habitudes be introduced.
There must be established counteracting tempers and
antagonist principles. But miracle is a " sign to them
that believe not," and falls without them.  It cannot,
therefore, alter the prevailing bias. By the terror it
inspires, by the check it imposes, it may suspend, but
cannot destroy, it. The love of sin will be sure to restore
its practice, when the powerful restraint, the diverting
cause, is removed.  Men will go on in their trespasses;
nor would any external circumstance, however startling
and tremendous, radically change, or effectually deter,
them. A superficial application cannot reach to a disease
whose cancerous fibers strike into the innermost core of
the heart.
7. We may conceive, as revelation is a system of pure
favor and mercy, of a difference  in the extent of it




I74    Moral e/czaus Preferable to Miracle.
evidence. To those who desire a larger sum, we may
suggest there might be less. And time was, when its
present amplitude was much circumscribed.  Yet, even
then, men were required to embrace it. It was most
reasonable for them to receive it as credible as important.
What we may denominate the present excess, is therefore the effect of gratuitous favor. It is more than is
demanded by the strictest exigencies of the case. Perhaps those who anticipated our period, asked the precise
addition for their satisfaction which we now enjoy. It
is the differential amount. And does not this prove, and
should not this establish, that the argument of truth has
always sufficed to convince, that the exhibition of truth
has always been competent to impress, and that miracles,
more or less numerous-the fact of a divine interposition and sanction being once settled-would leave mankind without any perceptible or conscious difference in
their moral state and religious tendency?
8. However men may lay the burden of their unbelief on the scarcity and defectiveness of proof, we cannot
doubt that there is wanting, on their part, what no mere
proof can supply. They are not debarred by the fastidiousness or vigor of the reasoning faculty, by the peculiar
turn of intellect, by the cautious habit of research, by
being inured to habits of a severe logic and of a rigid
demonstration.  It is impressionr of which they stand in
need. They have never duly weighed the subject. They
have never assumed, for a moment, its results. They
have never put, even on a supposition, its consequences,
should they be confirmed.  Their conduct is imprinted
with egregious trifling.  Seriousness they disclaim and
despise. Other susceptibilities, before they commence
their study of the evidence, must be awakened.  It is
not the ray that is wanted to dart on their reason, it is
the lightning to strike and pierce their conscience. And
men but hypocritically or self-deceivedly assert their




Moral Meanis Preferable to Miracle.    I 7 5
readiness to acquiesce in the claims of revelation when
they have never met its advances with common respect,
nor listened to its statements with ordinary excitement.
Nor do we reason alone on general principles; we
possess an abundance of facts. Miracle has been repeatly tried, and, as a means of conversion, it has
repeatedly failed. Did the translation of Enoch excite
the repentance which might arrest "the end of all
flesh? "  Did not the heart of Pharaoh seem to encrust
with growing obduracy as plague fell upon his land
after plague, and judgment followed judgment?  Did
not the Israelites defile themselves with idolatry at the
very base, and within the shadow, of Sinai? Hasten
onward to the days of our Lord. The mighty works
which he did were too numerous to be told, and too
splendid to be concealed. The blind saw Him who was
" fairer than the children of men;" the deaf heard the
grace which was " poured into his lips;" the dumb sang
his praise; the halt speeded his errand; the demoniac
confessed his sway; the leper reflected his will; the
dead obeyed his call. And yet He "labored in vain,"
He " spent his strength for naught and in vain." Was it
imagined that if " one rose from the dead " the task of
persuasion would be perfected? Did the lost spirit of
the rich man pray that Abraham would send Lazarus
to his father's house and five brethren?  One of that
very name was the subject of the desired miracle. It
was wrought with great publicity, with  deliberate
announcement, and, if the phrase may be allowed, with
scenic effect. The sisters of Bethany are immersed in
grief; their bereavement is the occasion of general
sympathy; the interment is past; the body has yielded
to its law of corruption. And now He, who hath the
keys of death, approaches the closed tomb, and, with a
voice which pierces its recess and defies its power, he
cries, " Lazarus, come forth."  The mandate is heard,




176    Moral Mi~eans Preferable to Miracle.
the captive is rescued, the multitude is awed, and the
distracted "women received their dead raised to life
again "  Could it be believed that one of the first consultations of the chief priests and Pharisees was how to
destroy " the Resurrection and the Life," who, they
admitted, "did many miracles;" and how they might
"put" the recently extricated victim of the tomb "' also
to death?"  But one more experiment shall be madeanother shall force the territory, and overcome the power
of death. It shall be seen in the person, it shall be
achieved by the might, of Jesus.  He has " saved
others," and has been taunted that "himself hl e could
not save."  He " lays down" his life. The pale ensigns
of mortality cover his body and fill his grave. He rises!
He lives! He has overcome! He, who entered the
gates of death a warrior, comes back firom  them  a
victor! He confirms the doctrine of immortality.  He
"brings to light life and incorruption."  He establishes
his identity by " many infallible proofs."  Upon this
one issue all had been rested. He had assured his friends
and his adversaries that he would rise again on the third
day. A recollection of this induced every precaution.
Every precaution is vanquished-the watch, the seal,
and the stone. The fact is undenied. Yet, could they
have once more enacted the tragedy of Calvary, their
thirst for his blood would have urged thlem; and now
that their malice can reach no further, they invent a
pitiful slander against his followers, and menace them
first, and immediately execute it on their defiance of it,
should they speak any more in his name.
And, indeed, there exists another form of objection:
it regards the texture of the revelation itself. It cal
transfer the charge from the evidence to the shapce. It
is contended that it might leave been composed on
a fitter model, and in a more transparent style. Tilere
is a demand for more explicit definition, more fixed ter



MNoral Means Preferlable to HMiiacle.    I77
minology, more consequential reasoning.  To this we
reply, that Scripture was written on certain principles.
The first was to exercise the mind-in comparing the
whole, in developing the spirit, in drawing the inference:
its meaning is clear, but it is not presented in rudiments,
propositions, and axioms.  It is to be sought, to be
digested, to be systematized.  However technicalities
are avoided, there is a "proposition of faith."  The
seconzd is to be a perpetual test to oitr state of disposition. To the pure, to the meek, to the upright, to the
docile, to the humble, it shows its truth.  These " see
it," " taste it," and have " all riches of the full assurance
of understanding."  No dimness pervades divine revelation; the "light that is in us is darkness:" no vail is
upon it; it is " upon our heart."  And so long as " the
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of
God," no argument could prove them to his judgment,
no language could simplify them  to his apprehension,
no recommendation could endear them to his heart.
And let us remember that often as this excuse has
been alleged, this plea adopted, it was never heard by
Heaven but to be disowned and refused. And that
surrounded by all the information, and possessed of all
the warning, which shall ever be imparted to us, it
becomes us now to decide. In vain we wait for another
economy of things.  In vain we ask for a more auspicious era. " There shall be no sign given."  "The
dispensation of the fullness of times " has evolved the
last truth, and counsel, and hope. And now eternity
unfolds its motive to urge our decision. There is a disclosure of heaven and hell.  The ter  jbfor prayer is
short.  This is a duty at least as important as that of
intelligent conviction. Yet has it no scope in the place
of torment. It can only ascend to Abraham's bosom to
be rejected. It may expostulate, but it is beaten back
upon the suppliant wretch.  " Seek ye the Lord while
12




I78    Moral 1fMeans Preferable to MJiracle.
he may be found, call ye upon him while he is nealr."
"Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be
saved."  Thence is vo term to retribtion. " The great
gulf is fixed."  Some may speak of the disciplinary
flame. They may point their unhappy proselytes to the
pit, as only a longer and rougher path to heaven. They
may describe the misery of the lost as curative and salutary. But how have they learned to solve the difficulty
which he, who "was called the friend of God," confessed'? or contrived to throw the crossway over the
abyss, impassable to spirits which might attempt the
flight to soothe the lost, or escape to the blest?
O, it is plainly, incontrovertibly true, that we all sin,
and all disbelieve, against declarations more pointed,
against facts more stupendous, than any miracles. It is
certain that nothing preternatural could conquer the
apathy and the malignity which these cannot subdue.
"V We have a more sure word" of testimony than the
gorgeous vision of " the holy mount."  What could
arouse, what impress, what soften us, if we can hear
that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
himself," without rapt attention and bleeding emotion;
if we can gaze on "Jesus, who delivered us from the
wrath to come," without a weeping eye and a breaking heart? These are the higher wonders which men
resist; the spectacles of merciful power, of unalterable love, which they withstand. He, who was "in the
bosoml of the Father," has tabernacled on an earth which
was " made by him and for him," and was " God manifest in the flesh."  The nature He assumed was the
awful device and instrument for a sacrifice, which
received all the merits, and developed all the purposes,
of the Indwelling Divinity. He went down into the
state of death: though the "Living Being, he was
dead:" He rose from the grave, and bore our nature
and our cause with him, not only as the subject of his




Miloral Mlleans Preferable to JiHiraclc.    179
advocacy and government, but as an essential of his
person, and the crown of his glory. It were easy, after
evading and opposing these truths, to deride the most
dazzling sign, and mock the most solemn voice, of the
Almighty; to run " upon him, even upon the thick
bosses of his bucklers." iVowv this conduct may find
some apologist, and shelter itself in some pretext!
Vowu it may be thought an honorable candor if some
doubter shall exclaim, "Almost thou persuadest me to
be a Christian!" Nvow it may seem no insolence to
assert, that the religion which four thousand years
were required to reveal only failed to convince; that
the sentiments with which it was greeted only fell
short of a conviction that it was true; and that the
creature to whom it was addressed did all but embrace
it! But then, when all hearts are exposed —but then,
when all men are arraigned-unbelief shall stand recorded and accursed, as the blasphemy of rebellion, as the
extravagance of infatuation, as the madness of folly!
No palliative will then occur, no' sophism then flatter!
"They shall proceed no further!"
Your faith, your obedience, are at this moment demanded upon substantive grounds, upon all-interesting
reasons: you have the complement of evidence, and the
accumulation of impression: justice dictates nothing
superadded, and mercy asks no more! Therefore, "Say
not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that
is, to bring Christ down from above,) or, who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again
from the dead.)  But what saith it? The word is nigh
thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart; that is, the
word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in
thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,
thou shalt be saved."




I8o                Incarnate Deity.
VT.
INCAR.NATE  DEITY.
LET TIlS MIND BE IN YOU, WHICH WAS ALSO IN CHRIST JESUS: WHO,
BEING IN THE FORM OF GOD, THOUGHT IT NOT ROBBERY TO BE EQUAL
WITH GOD. BuTr MADE HIMSELF OF NO REPUTATION, AND TOOK UPON
HIM TEHE FORM OF A SERVANT, AND WAS MIADE IN THE LIKENESS OF
MEN: AND BEING FOUND IN FASHION AS A MAN, HE HUMIBLED HIIMSELF, AND BECA-ME OBEDIENT UNTO DEATH, EVEN THE DEATH OF THE
CROSs. —Philippials ii, 5, 8.
WVE sometimes form ideals of moral beauty, archetypes
of more than we have ever realized, images of Wondrous
and unattainable excellence. Such thoughts steal over
our minds as the most exquisite and fair of all our intellectual creations, and unfold their endless variety with
a kind of visioned enchantment. Like shoots of light
they come and go: as dreams they gather and melt
away. Few would be without these glowing visitations
who have once enjoyed them; and few have enjoyed
them  without being improved.  They form a world of
their own, peopled with touching and majestic conceptions, breathing with intense and sublime aspirations.
To this, we can retreat from  the dull and gross repetitions of daily occurrence, we may escape from  scenes
which embitter and torment.  These pictures of the
mind not only preserve its sensibilities in their most
delicate bloom, but rise upon us either as recollections
of some former state, now most unaccountably obscured;
or as the premonitions of another, prepaled for us when




hzcnarate Deity.               181
we pass from  this earth, and refine from the meaner
elements which at present encumber our spirits.
But there is one instance in which all such shadowings of fancy fall short of the original. I speak not now
of the poet's inferiority to the task. I speak not now of
the painter's incapacity for the theme. I speak not now
of the abortive attempt of genius and art. It relates not
to the spell of numbers, or the delineation of forms. Let
the character of Him whom the text describes be contemplated.  To whom  shall we "liken," or shall it be'equal?"  The noblest thoughts may be raised, the
boldest imaginations may be exercised, and yet how
most distantly they approach its idea, how most feebly
they answer its reality? An undefined remembrance of
its outline never strikes us in the manner with which we
are occasionally affected, when, seeing an object for the
first time, we cannot overcome the impression that we
have been acquainted with it before.  But with what
resemblances and sympathies is this character to be
identifiedl?  May it not challenge a perfect uniformity
and originality?  Where is the mind in which the pattern of it could be revolved and cast?  To what prototype does it correspondcl, anll  according to which it is
fashioned?  It is an excellence which originates its own
idea, a greatness which creates its own standard, a peculiarity of claims and attributes which circles forever in
itself.
This character, as we peruse its record of severe siniplicity and unconscious praise, must be regarded in the
following manner-it was embodied in a living being, or
it is but a lovely fiction; it did or it did not exist. If it
did appear as a personal history, it could not belong to
an entivsiast, since he can have no part in such holy
prudence, profound discrimination, and unswerving consistency. And it can as little coalesce with the impostor,
because his course imnst be most abhorrent fronm this




182              Incarnate Deity.
erect independence, this noble purpose, this disinterested
meekness, this-transparent simplicity, this indefatigable
benignity.  His religion is thus demonstrably established. But if this character be unreal-without foundation in truth, never possessing sphere for activitythere sprung from the mountains of Galilee and the
banks of Gennesaret a marvel of imagination more
sweet and more heroic than the magic of Greek and
Roman poetry ever summoned into being, or molded
into shape.
Though, if it were in our power, it would be most desirable to consider " the mind which was in Christ
Jesus" as a whole, our faculties necessitate us to detach
it into parts: as a sphere of light it overpowers and confounds us, we therefore must dissever and decompose its
rays. And it will greatly depend upon the particular
inquiry and argument, what may be the point in this
assemblage of transcendent qualities to which we advert.
Such is its compass,that there is nothing which it cannot illustrate.
The scope of this apostolic enforcement defines a portion of this character. Humility in condescension, disinterestedness in benevolence, are the properties selected.
"1 Lowliness of mind," generous " looking to the things
of others," are urged from their illustration in the temper and conduct of the Saviour. He is portrayed as a
perfect specimen of these virtues. We are adjured to
copy his example, and emulate his course.
It is no objection to the moral reasonableness of the
imitation enjoined in the sacred writings that it often
consults and pursues that which is infinite. There is
before us, beyond the present opportunity, an eternal
career. But for that infinite, the mind would reach a
limitation, and then happiness must terminate with progression. We are therefore commanded to be "perfect
as our Father in heaven is perfect:" to be holy " as He




Incarnate Deity.              183
who hath called" us is holy: to "be followers of God as
dear children."  Nothing, therefore, could be more rash
and ill founded than to allege that the example pressed
upon us in this connection must respect a simply finite
or human being, because, otherwise, conformity to it
would be hopelessly impracticable.  It stands in the
same rank of fitness and authority with those inspired
directions and statements which describe, confessedly,
the Supreme as claiming the imitation of his creatures,
or stamping his resemblance upon them.
And assuredly, upon the most general survey of the
case now cited to us, we shall conclude that Jesus
Christ, who sets such a pattern, was more than man; that
he existed in another condition previously to the adoption of our own; that the change to which he lowered
himself was intended to denote an act and mark a principle of condescension; and that this condescension, to
deserve the name, must be voluntary and spontaneous.
But the condescension of a creature in not rivaling his
Maker, of a responsible creature in becoming a servant,
of a mortal creature in submitting to death, is not a
very intelligible proposition, nor furnishes a subject very
worthy of panegyric. At the first view, to say the least,
the representation does not seem the most clear, nor the
occasion of pressing it the most happily chosen. Some
instance rather more abstinent from daring impiety may
be conceived, a deeper degree of self-renunciation might
be imagined. In the universal range of human conduct,
among the generations of men, among the ornaments
and lights of virtue-a superior portraiture of modesty,
of diffidence, of shrinking sensitive withdrawment from
notoriety and ostentation, could perhaps be selected.
We are not itmmediately impressed with the sobriety
and simplicity of style employed in recommending a
person whose conduct had been only negative in its
purest pretensions, and in all other respects had yielded




I184             Incarnate Deity.
to the necessary laws of his being. There does, on the
supposition that a man is anointed as an unparalleled
model of forbearance in not presuming to be the Deity,
and in acquiescing to be man, seem an effort, elaborate,
if not extravagant, in thus emblazoning him. It is somewhat remote from a self-evident truth, why such a man
on these grounds should take precedence of all those
spirits who have walked humbly with their God. A
few strokes commonly supply the biography of Scripture-nothing can be more chaste and inartificial than
its ordinary method —but this, if justifiable at all, would
seem of another class-the detail crowded, and the color
overcharged. Let us remember that this description is
affirmed of Him concerning whom it is written, "In his
humiliation his judgment was taken away;" who himself
said, "I am meek and lowly in heart."
But there were circumstances which required the
eulogists of the Saviour, if only man, to be henceforth
most rigidly exact in stating his claims.' It cannot be
forgotten under what charges he Al-as impeached and
crucified.  He was accused of no less a crime than
blaspahenmy. None ventured to adduce it, in the sense
of irreverence to the divine name, or disobedience to the
divine law. His deep seriousness, his habitual devotion,
were too plainly indicated by his temper and conversation to be doubted. He obeyed the temple-trumpet
which sounded the hour of prayer. Each festival saw
him among the pilgrim tribes. He spake of the Father
with a hallowed awe.  The night spent in devotion
could not conceal its influence fiom the day. But his
countrymen did suppose that his language intimated a
near approach to the Infinite Nature; they understood
him to assert an equality with it. It was common for
him to declare himself the 1properi, the only begotten,
Son of God. His mode of describing certain conjoint
acts and sentiments between his Father and himself,




Ifncarnate Deity.              8 5
certainly strengthened the impression.  "TVe will come
unto him and make our abode with him."  "That they
may be one in us."  The supposition that he arrogated
to himself divine honors instigated his nation to adduce
this heavy charge. His conduct, during the trial, did
nothing most assuredly to dispel it. He asserted the
truth of the allegation, upon the oath which was administered to him. The law was very clear: " He that blasphemeth the name of Jehovah shall surely be put to
death." Lev. xxiv, 16. Nothing could outreach his
blasphemy Vf he, merely born of woman, presumed to
share the divine essence and throne; if he, "being man,
made himself God."  And this seemed equally implied
in that title which he avowed-the King of the Jews.
The Highest was emphatically their king. But to Pilate
and Caiaphas he alike asserted and maintained that the
claim was his. The ascription was conceded to him in
scorn; he received, in this character, the mockery of
homage; and beneath the unfurled sentence which proclaimed it, he was put to death. There were those who
saw danger in this unqualified label of the cross. They
would have marked a condition in it, but what "was
written was written."  If the Son of God did intend
nothing that was divine, he had been grossly misconceived. We say nothing now whether his own language
had been sufficiently limited.  But according to this
hypothesis of exclusive humanity, it became his Apostles
to be most scrupulous when they " preached Jesus Christ
their Lord."  An immense evil had arisen from mistake,
and mistake founded upon a peculiar style of language.
It was time to correct it, and to substitute, for the occasion of it, a stricter course of annotation. The mischief
must be repaired. But if our text be an earnest of this
revised phraseology, this subdued manner; if this be
the way in which the Apostles labored to break down
the prejudices of men, as to the received, though mlis



I86               Incarnate Deity.
taken, claims of their Master; if this -was the expedient
by which they depressed him from an imaginary rank,
and cont:racted his honors within an inferior space; if so
they lessened his prerogative, and if thus they abridged
his dignity-then to disabuse mankind is hopeless, and
"the last error is worse than the first."
Our embarrassment-if the description in the text be
intended to signify that Jesus Christ was nothing more
than human, and was furnished specifically to rectify
the contrary opinion-is increased by recollecting the
character and intention of the apostolic epistles. They
were addressed to Churches, or believers. They served
the purpose of reminding them, of reassuring them, of
confirming them: they offer advice in difficulty, they
point the particular application of principle. But they
presuppose the profession of the Christian faith. They
declare no new doctrine; only urging those to whom
they are addressed to build up themselves on their
lmost holy faith. And if the language, which we now
consider, be but a reference to admitted opinion, and
a stimulus to cherished piety, then what must have
been the conceptions with which it readily cohered,
and the affections with -which it naturally mingled!
What must have been the scheme of faith to which it
answered, and the train of feeling into which it could
flow! It is but a passing allusion; yet it announces
that they who understood and justified it-whose minds
could give it their assent, and whose hearts could vibrate their response-were not peculiarly straitened in
their sentiments of the Saviour's person, nor exceedingly suspicious of the fervor with which they regarded
his mission.
It is, therefore, observable that this allusive style is
very cursory, as well as sudden, in the Epistles. There
is no pause, no faltering-as though the idea would not
be caught, or could be disputed. It is always suggested




Incarnate Deity.              I87
without effort, and enforced without reserve; it is an
approved and welcome thing. A modern writer* has
truly remarked of these sacred penmren in their letters,
" If they say any thing concerning the person of Christ
it is in an incidental way, and not as if they were introducing any strange and astonishing discovery."  The
remark proceeds from an avowed opponent of all opinions and sympathies which can exalt and endear the
Lord Jesus; but it is critically and religiously just.
And we accept and apply it. The language of the text
was not a " strange and astonishing discovery." It is
"introduced" in an "incidental way."  But then how
irresistible is the inference, that the views were most
elevated which this allusion did not shock, and that the
hearts were prepared for every divine sensibility, in
which it could strike a perfect chord!
These observations relate to the general structure, the
superficial features of this passage: it is time that we
should more closely inspect it.
I. WE ARE DIRECTED TO A STATE IN WHICH THE LORD
JESUS SUBSISTED, ANTECEDENTLY TO PARTICULAR ACTS
WHICH HE PERFORMED, AND WHICH RENDERS THOSE
ACTS SO INTERESTING AND EXTRAORDINARY.
Whenever we think and speak of Deity, we feel our
incapability of forming abstract ideas, and employing befitting expressions. And to discussions of the Saviour's
divine nature this is often objected. But it equally applies to that which belongs to the first principle of all
religion-the being of a God. Still if in that self-existing power and purity-if in that mysterious essence, of
which these are but manifestations and attributes-there
be nothing that we can fully comprehend or duly explain, are we therefore to forego all reverent inquiry, to
suspend all moral exercise, because we cannot "find Him
out unto perfection?"  The divinity of Jesus Christ
* Belsham: Calm Inquiry.




I88               Incarnzate Deity.
does involve a most ineffable secret, a diversity of persons in the Godclhead.  We cannot look at the one fact
without observing the necessary proof of the other. But
such diversity could not, by any previous reasoning or
induction, be shown improbable or contradictory, unless
each being of finite nature was the standard and mirror
of that which is infinite; and unless infinite being was a
subject that could be included within human investigations, and shadowed by material analogies.  It is vain
to set one difficulty against another; but if that be adduced which implies a personal distinction, we contend
that it is as explicable as the eternity and underived
existence of that nature in which it inheres.  It is most
foreign to our taste to offer simile and illustration; but
we deny the evidence of that simple unity in all finite
things which has been affirmed, or that such notions of
relation and quantity are inexorably to be transferred
to Him whose name is "I am that I am."  With the
information of Scripture on "' the deep things of God" we
r solve to satisfy ourselves; believing that it is not only
sufficient for us, but that it is all which God could intelligibly reveal.
It is assumed that Jesus Christ was " in the form of
God;" this is the first part of the proposition.
The phrase certainly denotes nothing of coi'poreal subsistence or dimensions. Accidents of this kind cannot
attach to him who "is a Spirit."
It supposes nothing that is necessary to perfect and
infinite nature, for it is capable of being accepted and
laid aside.  It cannot be divine clcign, for all that we
can understand by the term  is inalienable and indefeasible.  He "giveth not his glory to' another."  He
" changeth not."  Nor can it be divine power. He may
cease to exercise it, but not to disallow it. "He fainteth
not," nor is it a property optional and variable. i And
still less can it be divEine 2er.'son(tlitt.  The lanlloao'e is




Iizcainate Deity.             189
quite warranted by the inspired notice, " He is the brightness of" the Father's "glory, and the express image of
hisperson."*  Does not this assert not only the person
of the Father, but also-as he is " the express image"the person of the Son? Does not this assert, by the
twofold implication of the term, the distinction to be of
a personal character between the Father and the Son?
But that cannot be intended here. For fiom it there
could be no descent. And we should be loath, even did
not the argument lead us another way, to enter into any
dissertation, or attempt at dissertation, on the modes of
the Infinite existence. There is " no manner of similitude " intimated in Scripture, and let us not invent one.
God has, however, appeared through certain mediums,
arend by certain manifestations, to his creatures. It has
been in a manner most descriptive.  He has bowed the
heavens and come down. He has made his angels spirits,
and his ministers a flame of fire. He has rode upon a
cherub, and flown on the wings of the wind. The clouds
have been his chariot, and the garniture of the sky has
burnished his throne. His voice has been.very powerful,
and full of majesty. He has lifted himself out of his
holy place. He has shown the lighting down of his arm.
Men have been afraid of his tokens. The earth has
melted. Thus, deity was beheld of old with a pomp of
symbols, and with a grandeur-to adopt the language
of poetic criticism-of machines. He was encircled with
the Shechinah, attended by his hosts, and making prodlamation of his titles. But sometimes the glory was
more attempered, " the manner of the God " was vailed,
and " there was the hiding of his power."  Such was his
style of appearance, indicative, characteristic, incomnmunicable.  "; It is as the appearance of the likeness of
the glory of the Lord."  And this outward display we
consider to be " the form of God." The proper accom* Heb, i. 3. XapaKr9 TrJ9 &iroaracaezu avrTov.




Igo90            Incarate Deity.
paniments of the divine presence and manifestation are
the only ideas we can associate with the term in this
connection. Nothing model in his being and subsistence
does he reveal, or can we understand. But as there must
be proofs of his particular appearance-for "he is not
far from every one of us "-these proofs may justly be
designated his form, or peculiar manner of exhibiting
himself.
But it is impossible to proceed any further without the
inquiry, whether He, who is the Father; did ever thus
appear? whether his office in the scheme of redemption
did not preclude it? The forerunner of Christ thus bare
witness of him': " No man hath seen God at any time;
the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the
Father, he hath declared him."  And, accordingly, the
Saviour adds a similar testimony: "Ye have neither
heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape." Though
we strive not to know the original distinctiveness of the
Son in the Godhead, yet as "the word who was God,"
there seems an essential fitness for revealing the divine
mind, while, by official consecration, he was sent and
"anoiatecl to preach glad tidin.lgs."
The facts are these.  There did oftentimes appear on
earth, to the senses or the thoughts of men, one who could
claim each divine prerogative and honor. An example
may illustrate, at the same time, the plainest manner and
the highest declaration of this awful visitant. WTe are
expressly informed * that "Jehovah appeared unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre."  Three men approach his
tent.  Two, afterward called angels, hasten to Sodom;
but Abraham "stood yet before Jehovah," who is described as promising the birth of Isaac, and receiving
the earnest intercessions of the Patriarch on behalf of
the cities so quickly " condemned with an overthrow."
And the mysterious narrative is closed by the notice,: Gen. xviii: passim.




I~zcarnlate Deity.            9 I
"Jehovah went his way, as soon as he left communing
with Abraham." This example migult be easily enlarged;
but its authority is decisive. More generally this being
is denominated the angcel of the Lord; though he appropriates the "great and dreadful name" of Jehovah,
speaks in his own right, and suffers the presentation of
the strictest worship. He is Jehovah, and yet sent of him
-of Him, personally considered, who " dwelleth in the
light which no man can approach unto, whom no man
hath seen, nor can see."  But'He and the Father are
one."  And the angel-relation of Jesus Christ is quite
accordant with the Scripture account of him: "The
Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple,
even the messenger of the covenant."
The conclusion is, in our opinion, inevitable: The
Second Person of the Trinity, in anticipation of his
incarnate sojourn -upon earth, did frequently, through
the interval of four thousand years, alight upon our
globe, converse with our race, and renew the pledge of
our salvation.
Who walked in Eden when the day of our offending
began to decline?  It was the Lord God whose voice
the fugitives heard, and whose form, they trembled to
behold.
Who spake to Noah, and enjoined him to " prepare an
ark to the saving of his house? "  The Lord gave the
commandment, and " the Lord shut him in."
Who was he that, expressing the fervor of Jacob to
detain him, and receive his blessing, wrestled with him
until the dawn? The triumphant Israel saw "God face
to face " at Peniel, as' he found him in Bethel, even the
Lord God of hosts."-Hosea xii, 4, 5.
Who called unto Moses from the bush wrapped in the
unconsuming flame? The angel of the Lord; but he
explains himself by the most awful formula: " I am the
God of thy father." And again, commissioning his serv



192              Incarnlate Deity.
ant to demand of Pharaoh the deliverance of his captive
brethren, he acids,' Thus shalt thou say,'I AM hath
sent me unto you.' "
Who " came from  Sinai and rose up from  Seir?"
Who "came with ten thousands of saints?"  From
whose "right hand went the fiery law?   "The co?.nel
spake to Moses in the Mount Sinai, and with the
fathers." Acts vii, 38.
Who was " the angel sent before " that people? IIe
was the Lord who looked out of the pillar, who dwelt ill
the cloud, who could extend or refuse the pardon of
iniquity, who required the profoundest homage when
he passed through the camp: "Neither let us tempt
Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were slain of
serpents." l Cor. x, 9.
Who was the Personage described in the vision of the
Hebrew  bards? They saw Him  " traveling  in the
greatness of his strength, mighty to save."  They heard
" the name by which he should be called, Jehovah our
righteousness."  They beheld " the Son of man coming
with the clouds of heaven,'  and obtaining "an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away."
Whether these appearances were more mystical, legislative, transient, permanent, visionary-One Being may
be recognized in all. And when we remember that to
him was confided the Jewish Church, that he was the
source of its inspiration, we can understand how true is
his pathetic appeal, " How often would I have gathered
thy children! " since of old he " sent his prophets, rising
early, and sending them."  And in recalling the dread
description he had given of his name in Mlidian, we call
perceive how just is his language during " the days of
his flesh:" " If ye believe not that IT asn, ye shall die inI
your sins. Even the same that I said unlto you from
the beginzing."
Nor is there any kind of manifestation implied in




Incarnzate Deity.             193
"this form," but of which our Redeemer has availed
himself. We may select the more prominent and signal
circumstances which say, with infallible distinctness,
"Behold your God."
Sp)Tlenzdor is the emblem  of Deity. "lie covereth
himself "with light as with a garment."  " Our God is a
consuming fiie."  "He is light, and in him is no darkness at all."  "A fire devours before him."  "There
was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his
clearness."  So from  Sinai did the people hear " the
voice " of the Son " out of the midst of the fire."  So
when the Lord sat upon the "throne high and lifted
up," such was the glory that "the house was filled
with smoke."  So when " the likeness of the firmament
was as the color of the terrible crystal," "upon the
likeness of the throne" He stood,' as the appearance
of a man above upon it."
TZJitle is announced whenever the Deity appears. He
"passes by and proclaims himself." "Lift up your
heads, O ye gates, and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is the King of glory?  The Lord of hosts, he is
the King of glory."  " He is the Living God."  "He
is the Holy One."  And Christ is " the Lord of glory,"
the " Living Being, (Rev. i, 18,) and " Prince of Life:"
He is the " Adonai and Jehovah:" He is " the thrice
holy Lord of hosts," (John xii, 41:) He is "Jehovah's
Fellow:" nor is there any name and description inalienably divine, but is accorded to him without limit,
reserve, and extenuation.
Agency is ascribed to the Deity when he descends to
his creatures. He is universally and invariably working
in all Nature and by all Providence: He "worketh
all in all."  He is acknowledged the Creator, Governor,
Conservator, Judge. And Christ is enabled to say,
"My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.'  "By him
13




I194             Incarnate Deity.
were all things created that are in heaven and that are
in earth, visible or invisible, whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers."  "He is head
over all things."  "By Him all things consist."  " All
judgment is committed" to Him. " For what things
soever the Father doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise."
Retinte forms an appendage to the revelation of
Deity. Thousand thousands minister to him, and ten
thousand times ten thousand stand before him. And
the seraphim wait the Saviour's bidding, and swell his
train which filleth the temple. And of Him was it
foretold, and in Him was it verified, "The chariots of
God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels.
Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity
captive, thou hast received gifts for men."  "He that
descended is the same also that ascended far above all
heavens, that he might fill all things." *
TWorslhip is challenged by the Deity, and " Him.only
shalt thou serve."  "The Lord is a jealous God."  And
yet did the writings of the Old Testament describe the
Messiah as deserving and requiring equal honors. They'
predicted that all people should serve him, that all
nations should bow down before him, that daily shoulclhe be praised. He, therefore, appropriated all divine
rights, and received all divine glories, while upon earth
-though it was no part of his mission to reveal his
claim, and was a part of his humiliation to shade it.
Nor can language be more authoritative than this:
" That all men should honor the Sonl even as they honor
the Father."
And during his stay on earth, he gave many a proof
that the " form of God " was in his power and at his
control; and his awful appearances posterior to his
* Psalm lxviii, 17, etc., compared with Ephesians iv, 8, etc.




Incarnate Deity.               I95
resurrection, showed that what for a time he had deposed,
he now permanently resumed.
In miracle he often "manifested forth his glory."
Making bodily cure the seal of forgiveness, he did that
which can be clone by "God only;" and producing a
change in the elements of nature, he constrained spectators to come and worship, saying, " Of a truth thou art
the Son of God."
By his transfiguration, a majesty, so to speak, escaped
him which he had studiously concealed; celestial legates
waited upon him; the ancient blaze of the Holiest burned
around him; his form  became radiant and converted
into the glory; and though the vision quickly passed,
the impression was not so suddenly effaced from his
person; for, descending from the mount, where the disciples had been " eye-witnesses of hlis majesty," straightway " all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly
amazed, and running to him, saluted him."
At his ascension he bent to his purpose every material law, soared by a viewless energy through the regions
of mid-air, was seen bearing away "' with the clouds of
heaven," entered " the everlasting doors," and became
reinvested' with the glory which he had with the
Father's own self before the world was."
To Stephen he stood disclosed " standing  on the
right hand of God:" the brightness of the scene kindled
dled the martyr's fading eye, and cheered the martyr's
pierced heart; and the saint broke away from his murderers, and sprung " to be with Christ " that he " might
behold his glory."
Paul was struck to the earth by his glory outshining
the meridian sun, and penetrated by his all-subduing
voice bursting forth from that " heavenly vision."
And to John " one like unto the Son of man" appeared, and yet so dread and resplendent thlat the identity
could scarcely be determined by him who had "leaned "




1I96             Incarzate Deity.
his head on " the bosom? now "girt with a golden
girdle;" who had beheld crowned with thorns the
head and the hairs -which Nwere now " white like wool, as
white as snow;" who had watched beneath the cross
those eyes dim, and fix, and close, which were now " as
a flame of fire;" who had heard the nail driven through
the feet which were now " like unto fine brass, as if they
burned in a furnace;" who had received the dying
commands of that voice which was now': as the sound of
many waters;" who had seen the right hand scoffingly
filled with the reed, whose palm  now held "seven
stars;" who had observed that mouth impiously struck,
from which now gleamed "a two-edged sword;" who
had gazed on the countenance furrowed by care, swollen
with grief, bathed in blood, which was now "as the
sun shineth in his strength."
Heaven witnesses that He is "in the form of God:"
He is " in the midst of the throne," he is "the light of
the city."  He is often the theme of distinctive praise
by the angelic and redeemed throng; and the Lamb,
with all his sacrificial associations, is added to the otherwise undistinguished Godhead-his memory is woven
into every robe, and his name is chanted in every song.
And Judgment shall unfold his " form of God." " He
cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him." The
universe shall "flow down at his presence."  Heaven,
earth, and hell, shall pour forth their multitudes at his
tribunal. The moon shall be blood, the sun sackcloth,
before the magnificence of that great and terrible day.
And then all doubt shall vanish, reproach shall be taken
away, " The Son of man shall come in his otwn glory."
The argument, therefore, presses us, would this state
and glory of Jehovah be lent to the creature'?  Could
attributes and claims, by the which only can the Infinite
Supremacy be acknowledged, be transferred to that
whllich is limited, dependent, accountable, and mortal?




Incarnate Deity.               197
Mrust not such an arrangement, provided it were possible,
induce a confusion most mischievous as well as bewildering?  All our notion of ilnert matter is from  its
qualities; of beilng, from its qualities too. It is not the
mention of the divine name which gives the idea of the
Divinity: it is power, intelligence, truth, justice, purity,
benignity, which are necessary to constitute it. The
infinite possession, or, to use phraseology better adapted
to our limitation, the highest conceivable elevation of
these perfections, must belong to a being, and that Being we call God.  Nor can any thing prevent us from
cdeifyiyg such a Being, because all our tests of thought,
all our powers of conception, must pursue this reasoning,
and must terminate in this result.  The absurdity of the
contrary course would be, that words must forsake their
import, properties their relation-there could be no First
Cause, no Ultimate Perfection, in the universe.  God
would be known by no discrimination of ideas, and his
creatures could not be discriminated from him. Infinitude, omnipotence, self-existence, might be found apart
from the Supreme Nature, and would furnish no guides
to us in endeavoring to ascertain what that Nature was,
in whom it subsisted, and how it stood related to ourselves. If Jesus Christ, " being in the form of God," at
the same time is not God, then no predicates in language, no facts in induction, no accessories in idea, can
establish the conclusion that there is such a being as
God; or, if able to establish it in any given moment, to
leave it on an ultimate and irrevocable tenure.
Nor is it unimportant to observe the stpposed independence which the participle conveys: "Being in the
form of God."  It is spoken of no time, it is rested on
no contingency. It is implied to be of an absolute
nature.  IIe may do other things, he may assume other
characters, but he begins, if there be beginning to him,
with this; and it is this which gives its infinite contrast




i98              InzcarZYate Deity.
to his " dimness and vexation."  It is this alone whichl
can stamp a condescension on his form as a servant, and
his fashion as a man. These latter changes belong to a
(late, and evolve fiom an arractyemeint; and thus differ
firom that superior condition nzotwithstacnding which they
were undertaken. And our minds must go back to the
period before which he "became poor," when he was
" rich;" before he was'" made flesh," when his " glory"
was that "of the only Begotten of the Father;" surrounded with the honor which measured his subsequent
shame, and exalted on the height which discovered the
depth of his subsequent humiliation.  He sat in his own
state, he wore his own glory, insphered in light, encircled by the angel-host, reposing on his conscious claim,
enthroned in his own eternal power and Godclhead.
II. THERE IS A SERIES OF ACTS TO WHICH WE JMUST
ATTEND, DERIVING  THEIR  SIGNIFICANCE AND PECULIARITY FROMH THIS ANTECEDENT CONDITION OF JESUS
CHRIST.
Though we have not satisfied ourselves that the
amendment proposed on the passage is the more correct,
or that it is any way more than barely tolerable, yet we
would offer no objection to it.  Let the ireading be,
"He thought it not a prey," something in his range and
possession, but not to be retained. He did not, it must
be meant, covet to be notoriously and obviously divine.
And a certain pleasure seems felt by the projectors of the
criticism, whose business is to blaspheme him, in associating with his character, though in negatives, the raVenous instinct of the beast and the successful plunder
of the marauder-the quarry and the booty! But that
we can concede this without danger, we should justify the
common version. We should understand it as an assertion of strict coequality with every supreme claim and
attribute. We should esteem it a consequent upon the:form of glorious majesty which he had always possessed.




Incarinate Deity.               99
WVe sho-ald have repelled the merest supposition of rapine
in this pretension.  How could it be "robbery," for
infinite knowledge to challenge its omniscience, infinite
power to declare its omnipotence, and infinite purity to
proclaim  itself'"incomparably glorious in holiness?"
How could this be to wrong the "Majesty on high?"
How could he thus desecrate the throne of God?  It is
"the throne of God and of the Lamb!" Therefore, said
he: "All things that the Father bath are mine!"
But in an important sense the Saviour, for the purposes of his love, did not grasp at the honors and displays of the divine nature —willing to forego them,
dismissing his train, and disguising his majesty. And
we, thereforeoin this descending succession of his acts
"for us men, and for our salvation," remark,
1. That he did not seek to retain czn cappearance of
divine glory and coequality.
But we, before this proposition is examined, must ask
how it can consist with the fact of simple humanity.For it shows what m2ight have been clone. The power
of assuming, and the opportunity of rivaling, the Eternal
was in his hand. It was no virtue to forbear what could
not be realized. Like a "prey," it was already within
-the reach of Him who did not regard it with the avidity
it might have excited, and who would not seize it. The
acquisition which was easy, he declined. He suspended
his claims, and abandoned the facilities he possessed, of
making himself like God. But how is it to be conceived
that this awful power could be lodged in a creature, or
subjected to a creature's control? Balaam could not go
beyond the commandment of the Lord; nor is he honored because he did not curse the host.  When the
Apostle speaks of his power and that of Barnabas to
"forbear working," (1 Cor. ix, 6,) it refers to the labors of
their hands, which often " ministered to their necessities;"
anid not to a discretionary custody of the miraculous




200              Ilcaznate Deity.
gift. This' was never yielded up to human liberty, as
ale mind and body: it could never be turned by human
caprice from the legitimate purpose of its donation. Nor
is there supposition more monstrous, than that a creature
can possibly wield against his Maker certain supernatural influences, freely given, and which, at any moment,
might be withdrawn. The fables of mythology would
become credible in comparison with this; and we might
rather believe that Prometheus stole the fire of heaven,
Phaeton obtained the guidance of the sun, and the Titans
stormned the battlements of the sky, than that man ever
was put into the situation, or endowed with the capacity,
to compete with the Supreme.
Besides, applying this to Jesus of Nazareth, on the
scheme of his mere humanity, it supposes what never
did exist. When was he in "the form of God?" when
was there pretext for appearing " equal with God?" At
what point did he begin, to sink? What is the grace of
his condescension? Is this "form" the nmoral liken7ess
of God? But religion must have taught him to aspire
to it as his good and dignity; and there could be no
virtue, to found an example to others, in disclaiming
this pure ambition. Is it the varied attestation of his
nativity?  This was not withheld, but shone in the
firmament, not only to lead the Magi to the stable, but
to marshal the spirits of heaven for the celebration of
the scene. It cannot be forgotten, too, that the impugners of his divinity treat the record of the star, the
celestial choir, the oriental embassage, as a corrupt interpolation and perfect fable. Is it miracculous agency?
Whoever can exert it may be said, in a sense, to have
"the form of God."  But then he divested himself of it,
and did not challenge the implied equality. It must
have been before his public ministry. There must be a
time when he did, and a time when he did not, perform
his mighty works. The time when he did, must precede




Incarnate Deity.               201
that in which he did not. If we look for " the form of
God," we must look for it assuredly ere he laid it aside.
Then it was in his earlier life.  However, for thirty
years, he wrought no miracle! These signs and wonders
were reserved for his fuller office and later existence. It
would therefore folloxw, that he desisted to emulate the
powers of the Deity at the precise time of commencing
their most signal display and self-directing majesty!
But still it may be said that this presumption was obviated by his deference to his Father's authority, by his
ingenuous acknowledgment that his power was but derived. This is not all the truth: for that deference and
acknowledgment we will quickly account. There are
deeds of power and mercy in his history which he most
unexceptionably appropriates: many divine claims he
advances, many divine honors he receives. After his
resurrection, miracles are done in, his name, and his followers call uiponz it.
And sufficient reasons may be offered to explain the
conduct of any reasonable creature in refusing to make
it a thing of overweening pride, of " vaulting ambition,"
to " be equal with God." These reasons are so palpable,
and the consequences of infringing them are so frightful,
that here can be no province for " any virtue," and no
ground for " any praise."  For the attempt Imuzst be "most
imnpotent. Angel might vie with angel, man with man,
though their ranks were most extreme. It'would be
"'the potsherds striving with each other."  Between the
highest seraph and the meanest reptile there are more
points of assimilation than difference. But only madness, or that temerity of wickedness which exceeds it,
could harbor the idea of supplanting Infinity by becoming infinite itself. "Hast thou an arm like God, and
canst thou thunder with a voice like himn?"  The folly
would be ridiculous, if the impiety were not more loathsome, which could snatch at the peerless glories of Him




202              Incarnzate Deity.
iwho is "higher than the highest."  "What is man?"
"A worm,"'a leaf driven to and fro," "crushed before
the moth," "dust and ashes," " clay," " less than nothing," "lighter than vanity." "What is the Almighty?"
All nations before him "are as nothing;" "the heaven
of heavens cannot contain" him; the "layeth the beams
of his chambeis in the waters;" he "hath, his, way in
the whirlwind and in the storm, and the cloguds are the
dust of his feet!" he "humbleth himself to behold
the things that are in heaven;" "the nations move
out of their holes like worms of the earth. aftraid of the
Lord our God."  And not only were this mimicry of the
Supreme beyond expression pitiful and abortive-as an
(:tbuse of a solem)nt cdelegattion it would be most treacherous. Extraordinary endowments are supposed: these
are committed to the creature for a particular end. It
is a trust and stewardship. He is undcler a particular
command, and doth his master " thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?"He receives a particular deposit, and "if ye have not
been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall
give you that which is your own?"  Nor can it be a
very honorable mention of the Lord Jesus, that, not being superior to man by nature, he did not attempt to
engraft upon himself that which is divine; and that, being commissioned with large authorities, he absolutely
restrained himself from  employing them  against that
God and Benefactor from which they, in common with
his very being, were received. But ever'y cqsproachl to asibilcar crime is marked in Scripture with a singular
reprobation. Lucifer said, " I will ascend above the
heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High."
The prince of Tyrus is represented as declaring, "I am
a god, I sit in the seat of God."  There is no bolder
blasphemy imputed to the antichristian superstition,
than that its man of sin should oppose and exalt him



Incarniate Deity.              203
self "above all that is called God, or that is wolshiped;
so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing
himself that he is God."  A fear of judgment might
well deter a creature from encountering the guilt of this
vain and impious aggression. In these cited instances
a most tremendous doom is threatened.  And therefore
when the pious have been placed in any circumstances
which.might leave their conduct at all equivocal in this
respect, they have obtested against the honor which
could have " robbed  God."  "Stand up," exclaimed
Peter to the prostrate Cornelius, "I myself also am a
man."  "Why do ye these things?" cried the Apostles
Barnabas and Paul: "we also are men.of like passions
with you."  A "'worshiping of angels" is not only forbidden, but when "the disciple whom Jesus loved" mistook the object of adoration, his celestial guide rebuked
him: "See thou do it not."  An implication that such
a power was their own as could accomplish the miracle
was the sin of Moses and Aaron at Meribah: "Must we
fetch you water out of this rock?" And Herod -was
"eaten of worms," when elated with the flattery, "It
is the voice of a god, and not of a man," because "he
gave not God the glory."
These remarks must tend to convince us that there is a
particularity in the person and history of Jesus Christ
which renders his refusal to assume the divine form, and
to insist on co-ordinate rank with the divine nature,
an immense sacrifice, an infinite condescension.  In no
other view can it be worthy of esteem as the simplest
moderation. The contrary supposition is absurd. The
"lowliness of mind" which arrogates not to "set itself
as the heart of God," banters alike with language and
reason.  Such disavowal is shocking to the piety which
is "clothed with humility."
Andlyet upon earth he did not tenaciously retain, or
openly reveal, his honor.  "My Father," he said, "is




204               Incarnate Deity.
greater than I."  Important information, circumspect
admission, truly, if only the created being!  Most
emphatic and significant concession, if spoken concerning a voluntary and temporary abandonment of his
proper sphere, and abatement of his external glory!
There was an obvious propriety in the general suppression of the fact. It was to be gradually learned from a
comparison of his claims and evidences with the inspired
writings. It had especially to depend upon his resurrection from the dead, in which he was " declared according
to the spirit of holiness," or his manifested divinity, "to
be the Son of God with power."  It seemed expedient,
on general grounds, that it should be only partially and
mysteriously intimated, subjected to a final proof. And
therefore it was not made a prominent doctrine, or invariable lesson, of his mission; though to the inquiring
disciple or the adjuring foe, no answer could be more
distinct and unequivocal.
But there is one reason which the text alleges as the
ground of this conduct: "He made himself of no reputation."  We descend another step in the scale of his
self-abasement.
2. Ile divested him7sel/f, actuIcly, of his ctajpWropria te Cad(l
cdescriptive ensigns of divine nature cancd gover-nment.
The original word is, "emptied himself." Of supreme
claim and essence he could not be dispossessed; the
reference must be to the "form of God." That he threw
aside; discrowned his head, resigned his scepter, forsook
his throne. He might have encompassed his person with
legions of angels; a circlet-glory might have played
about his brow; he might have come forth to our race
with all his coruscating splendors. As the Messiah, he
might have stooped to earth with all the indications of
"a terrible majesty."  He might have " stood upon the
Mount of Olives," while it "cleaved in the midst thereof."
He might have emerged from the holy of holies, burst




Incarnate Deity.              205
from between the cherubim, enshrined himself in the
cloud, thundered out of the oracle, and reclined on the
propitiatory seat.  But his was a purpose of humiliation. This was a necessary means to effectuate his end.
He must not bear witness of himself. He must not appear the God. The pretension and array of deity he must
forego and suspend.  There is, consequently, a reserve
when he speaks of his person, whence he came, who he
was, whither he went. He checks expression of reverential import applied to him, but often in the manner of
a claim that is intentionally waived. It is a constructive
and pregnant declension.  WThy, it is asked, did he not,
if a divine being, surround himself with a corresponding
state? Why should the power which girds the mount-.
ains and rules the sea not be displayed? Why should:not the heraldry of his high praises be asserted?  Why
was not man apprised of his grandeur who now " came
to his own? "  Why did he not discover "the port of
that eternal majesty that weighed the world's foundations?" Why, again it is asked, did the Son of God not
announce himself? Why, "at the entry of the city,"
why, "from  the housetop," did he not flash forth the
evidence of his true rank and nature? Why did he not,
as of old, employ the unambiguous asseveration, " I am
the Lordcl?"   Now it is strange that such questions
should be asked; because all must admit that a revelation more naturally precedent, necessarily more simple,
was withheld. It is allowed, by all the disputing parties,
that he was the Christ. His claims to that character are
admitted.  The miracles which he wrought to confirm
those claims, are admitted too. Yet nothing can be more
certain than that he "charged his disciples that they
should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ." Of the
scene on Tabor he " charged them to tell no mlan until
the Son of man were risen from the dead." To the blind,
whose sight he restored, he said, "See that no man know




206               Incarnate Deity.
it." - e laid the same injunction of silence upon the
cure of the' daughter of Jairus. The cleansed leper and
the tongue-loosed dumb were equally restrained.  He
i.-lposed this interdict over even infernal spirits, that
they " should not make him known." (Mark iii, 11, 12.)
Can there be any difficulty in reconciling the reserve of
a d(ivi1e manifestation, when his offical mission is intentionally kept back?  May we not infer that stronger
reasons delayed the dreaded revelation than those which
suspended the more simple one? It will be asserted
that there was no meaning in the terms from which we
deduce his own declarations of deity, unless the disciples
accepted that meaning.  But fact and analogy will furnish a refutation.  Fact-for it is often recorded that
"they understood not the saying, and it was hid from
them, that they perceived it not;" and that " they understood not these things at the first, but when Jesus was
glorified, then remembered they that these things were
written of him, and that they had done these things unto
him."  Alnalogy-for a type frequently has not a use in
the present, but only in a future, time, by furnishing
evidence of a divine foreknowledge, and illustrating a
distant system of truth in a manner which only the
divine establishment and direction of all things could
command  " Now I tell you before it come, that when
it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am." Perhaps
the very familiarity of his followers with the Saviour
will be pleaded against their most remote impression of
his superior nature. But let it be observed that for such
impression, quite independent of the fact, we do not
contend; that the possession of miraculous powers,
which is undenied, would be scarcely less felt a constraint
upon mutual conficdence and intimacy; and that an unclefinable awe did occasionally steal over their minds, in some
measure agreeable to the tremendous truth of his incarnation, ". What manner of man is this?" " Of a truth thou




Incarnate Deity.               207
art the Son of God." "They were amazed." "They were
afraid and wondered."  And when he had risen from
the grave, surmise and misshapen thought were compacted into a firm conviction, and the most incredulous
of all believed and anszwoerecd, ".My Lord and my God! 
Our answer, therefore, to the question, why he did not
throw open at once the robe of concealment, and suCcinctly proclaim his rights, is this: It was a part of his
humiliation not " to strive and cry, or to lift up his voice
in the streets, until he had sent forth judgmnent unto victory."  And to have urged his just prerogatives, to have
stood up to his original claims, to have given to earth
their proper proof, and to have extorted fiom it their
perfect acknowledgment, would have been to retain that
of which he " emptied himself," and must have frustrated
his condescendcling purpose to " make himself of no reputation."
3. He e;ntered upon a courase of responsible suborcli;natio)z.
That voluntary temper which gives its influence to all
these successive acts, discovers itself very obviously in
the language of this idea: " He took upon him the form
of a servant;" he laid hold of it, he caught at it, as the
original may be expressed.'And this deference plainly
referred to a particular commission.  I speak not my
own words. "This is the Father's will which sent me."
"I came down from  heaven, not to do mine own will."
" The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth
the Father do."  "I am come in my Father's name."
"My doctrine is not mine."  It is most extravagant to
affirm  that any creature can assuzme the condition of
accountability; and it is a gross misconception of the
passage to treat this " form " of service as having relation to the insignia of slavery among men.  We read
not of any event in his history that can answer to a menial and servile lot. Poor he was, and received of others'




208              Incarnate Deity.
substance; but he was only the servcoit qf the Father.
Thel'efore was he foretold after this manner: "Behold
my servant whom I uphold." "Behold, my servant shall
deal prudently." " Behold, I will bring forth my servant,
the Branch." And thus his own statements entirely accord with these predictions. What he teaches he has
"learned of" his Father. He does not "speak of" himself.  He seeks not his " own glory."  Embassador from
God, surety for man, there is committed to him a double
trust. He must " lay his hand upon both." The wrongs
of the divine government, the liabilities of the human
race, he must alike redress and sustain. He was "made
under the law."  "The law" was "in his heart."  In the
constitution of mercy, which he represented by his person and sealed by his blood, he incurred this awful
responsibility. He must pay to the law a perfect obedience, and exhaust its curse by enduring it. He must
"' fulfill all righteousness." No wonder, then, that we hear
from his lips frequent allusion to a superior will. No
wonder that he takes the posture of submnission and subordination.
However we may be astonished at this fact of condescension, we cannot be that his language and manner comport with it.  With all the meekness of conscious equality and voluntary obligation he seeks power
firom heaven; presents his praise, " Father, I thank thee!"
urges his supplication, "Father, I pray for them!" expresses his resignation, " Father, not my will, but thine,
be done! "  With this spirit of clzty he drinks the cup
and bears the cross. The general language of Scripture
responds to these views. Miediatorial suffering secures
mediatorial reward. But subordination is still supposed.
The Father hath given him " glory." The "name which
is above every name," and which demands that " every
knee should bow and every tongue confess," is tributary
to the " glory of God the hFther."  The Son mulnst give




fIzcarnate Deity.               209
up the kingdom to God, even. the Father." *  Until the
mediatory economy close, this style of phraseology, this
representation of fact, must be expected.  "' Christ is
God's."  "The Head of Christ is God."  Why should
we think it equivocal, or feel it perplexing?  What can
better subserve the purpose and state the case?  " Ale
took'upon /him theformn of ca servant," and description
must be true to such an occurrence, and all arrangement
must be in harmony with it! And let us remember
that he is the servcant, though the exalted and rewarded
one, until'"the mystery of God be finished."'It is
manifest that He is excepted who did put all things under him."
4. lIe ~unitecld himself to htcuan ncat ture by a perfect
incarzction.
It is a striking peculiarity of language, almost invariably employed by our Lord Jesus, in which he entitles
himself the "Son of man."  He repeatedly rejects the
ordinary mode of address, and announces his own resolves and acts as those of that person: "The Son of
man is come."  "The Son of man must suffer many
things."  " That ye may know that the Son of man hath
power to forgive sin."  "Whom do men say that I, the
Son of man, am? " We know that nothing is more common than for God thus to speak to man: "Thou, O son
of man."  But it is unprecedented for man thus to designate himself.  We can enter into the solemn pathos of
the dirge-like strain: " Man, that is born of woman, is of
few days and full of trouble."  But it would be a vaii
pleonasm to repeat this circumstance in every self-description.  We are aware that it refers, in all probability, to
a prophetic test; (Dan. vii, 13;) nevertheless it is founded
upoI a strict participation of human nature.  That par* These salvos and limitations are sufficiently intelligible; "the
Father," bearing rectoral power in the covenant, and representing the
Deity, is thus pen'sonally contradistinguished from the Godhead.
14




210               I'caruate Deity.
ticipation was complete.  He assumed the structure and
the spirit of man. None of the radicals and constituents
of manhood were wanting. "Forasmuch as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise
took part of the same." It does not very clearly appear
why all this minute and specific information should be
furnished respecting one of our race. It was not required
by the possibility of the contrary supposition.  It is
needlessly alleged because there can be nothing in dispute. And yet we are repeatedly told that he "was
made of a woman," that he " has come in the flesh," that
he "was manifest in the flesh." And this humanity, or
" flesh," is defined as the barrier to certain acts and sufferings, of which a superior nature is incapable. " Christ
was put to death inl the flesh."  "Of the fathers, as concerning the flesh, Christ came."  He " was made of the
seed of David ceccordcintg to the flesh, and declared the
Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." Nothing more
is demanded of us now, tempting as these passages are
to criticism, than to note that, while the Saviour was
unexceptionably human, he was so by no human necessity,
and in opposition to a nature transcendent-i nembod i ed
and undying! There is something strange that he should
be man at all!  It lies within no creative law that he
should come forth "in the likeness of sinfiul flesh." It is
not birth, such as angels, and such as worms, obey. And
therefore, as if by incidental but most forcible description, he is said by our text to have been "'fozncd in
fashion as a man."  Never was there equal discovery!
It riveted the gaze of heaven, earth, and hell!  It was
the association of weakness with omnipotence, of contraction with infinity, of death with self-existence.
There is a device resorted to by those who would
"' cast him down from  his excellency," which is quite
imlpertinent to the argument at issue.  Every verse of




Izcarnlate Deity.              2 I I
Scripture, that implies his limited and assumed nature,
is collected with much industry, and then, with equal
parade, is urged in disproof of his Deity! Is it, then,
that we believe less sincerely the fact of his manhood
than themselves? Do they more resolutely than ourselves affirm  that he ate, drank, slumbered, mourned,
sighed, wept-felt the pulse of life and the pain of death?
Can it be less necessary to our scheme to elicit the marks
of dependence and limitation in " the man  Christ
Jesus?"  Are there things which lie does not know?
Are there things which he cannot do? How else could
lie be man? These restrictions are as indispensable to
constitute him human, as limbs and lineaments can be.
They as truly indicate the soul, as these parts can
characterize the body. There must be as proper growth
in the mental faculty as there was in the material form.
Let us shrink from no such statements.  Let us allow
that he was "very man."  The mystery of condescension and love is here.  We may adore him at the manger when the " holy child," and beneath the cross when
the expiring sufferer. We may follow him  in all the
deep places of his humiliation. As he was "seen of
angels," so let him be recognized by us. Awe, intensely
overwhelming, will repress a vain curiosity, and heighten
a solemn gratitude.  WVe shall not evade any difficulty,
but be prepared for the profession of all. Where he'cdespised the shame," we shall yield to none.  And
should testimony be subjoined to testimony in confirlmation that he was " bone of our bone, and flesh of our
flesh "-should every abasing ingredient in the present
condition of our species, apart from sinful taint, be
made to attach to him —should every imperfection and
infirmity, belonging essentially to all created nature, be
adduced to eircumscribe him; we accept the pledge, we
]hail the proof, that he "was made in the likeness of
men, and was found in fashion as a manll! "




212              Ijicanriate Deitv.
5. He sto,,ped to the 9,nost extreme cepression of state.
"Found " thus in another sphere and nature-the
subject of an unparalleled transformation-he was not
content with the point to which he had bowed himself clown. He united himself to our nature in some of
its most distressing and degraded forms. Far as he
had sunk, he still " humbled  himself."  Palaces and
thrones might have offered a little alleviation. They
would have been earthly pinnacles by which to escape
from  a further descent into penury, trouble, and woe.
But he is born of one who can only present the lowliest
offering of the law, and whose travail of her illustrious
man-child finds its hour in the stable. The supposed
father is the carpenter, and he is known as the carpenter's
son. He is "subject to his parents."  "He is despised
and rejected of men."  He "has not where to lay his
head."  He is called the Galilean and the Nazarene of
Galilee. lie is denounced as concerting with Beelzebub, and as possessed of a devil. It was his to say, "I
am a worm, and no man:" "Reproach hath broken my
heart:"  " They hate me without a cause."  No contumely was spared. He was " spitefully entreated."
"' We hid our faces from  him."  "His visage was so
marred more than any man's, and his form  than the
sons of men."  And yet each indignity did he welcome,
each outrage did he invite. They entered into his plan
of condescension. They were a part of that " mixture"
of which his cup was full. It is true, that in this spectacle
of one so great and so despised, there is an awful mystery. That He should be " taken from prison and from
judgment "-that he should be buffeted and blindfolded,
that he should be scourged, that he should be mocked
and set at naught-that they should " smite the Judge,
of Israel with a rod upon the cheek," (Micah v, 1,) that
they should " shoot out the lip" at him, that they should
loam and spit upon him, put the reed in his hand, and




Incarsnate Deity.             213
twine the thorn around his head-such things involve a
difficulty which we could not have explained. The God
did not resent them with " rebukes and flames of fire;"
the Man, when " he was reviled, reviled not again; when
he suffered, threatened not."  But the explanation has
been afforded, the motive has been unfolded —and He
who bore all this scorn-the victim of perfidy, and the
prey of malice-has traced it to his own choice, and put
it within his own adoption: "I gave my back to the
smiters, and my cheeks to them  that plucked off the
hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting!"  Is
this extreme depression inconceivable! Do we ask how
it came to pass that he was ingulfed in this abyss of
woe and debasement? "He humbled himself! "
6. He reduced himself to the necessity of cdeath.
It may perhaps be controverted whether the Saviour's
body had, being unassociated with sin, any tendency to
ailment, decay, and death. Our premises are barely
sufficient for a decision. But it seems to have been his
purpose not to take the form of an Adam, newly-fashioned by the Almighty Hand, but all the passive qualities
and liabilities of Adam's most suffering offspring. That
form, in its very organization, was adapted to receive all
agonizing impressions. The assumption of a frail, dying
body might be practicable, even if it was wholly unpolluted. Be the decision what it may, the submission to
death was the same. For if not naturally obliged, then
we see his independence of constraint; and if naturally
obliged, this very independence took it up voluntarily
with all its habitudes and conditions. Though it " behooved " him " to suffer," and though he must be " put to
death," these obligations simply respected his own detelrminate plan. Men speak of death as "the debt of
nature," and most incorrectly, since it is the due and
wages of sin. And as it can only occur justly in this
connection, and according to this award, He who "did




214               Incarnate Deity.
no sin," need not have gone " the way of all flesh," nor
have bent to that which is " the visitation of all men."
But these observations presuppose a superior nature,
which has warranted the assumption of the inferior one,
and which still imparted a voluntary merit to all its acts
and compliances. For " what man is he that liveth, and
shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul fi'om the
hand of the grave?"  We are not habituated to speak
of that man as the huniblest of his race, as meekly
taking on him a yoke, as patiently allowing in himself a
sacrifice, who at any time expires.  We should not
quite understand how it was that he consented to die.
It would appear a very gratuitous epitaph to his memory
that he " became obedient unto death." There is no great
room for this freedom, and consequently for this virtue.
" There is no man that hath power over the spirit to
retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of
death.' Resignation to an evil is a proper temper, but
a very improper boast.  It is a grace of quiet, and not
of public, fame. It cherishes, in secret, its smile and
tear. Its unmurmuring voice, its serene aspect, its
gentle heart, are not formed for ostentation.  Never
did it learn to glory of bearing that which it could not
prevent.  Never did it think itself something when it
is nothing.  But our Lord made choice of that, which
to all others of human form is a necessity.  He called
to him all the snares, and pains, and terrors of death.
He bade the monster strike him with its sting, but not
until it had been compelled to crouch waitingly at his
feet. He commanded the grave to open, and make a
passage for his march.  He had "power to lay down"
his life, and " power to take it again."  Ite delayed not,
and hurried not, to die. He told each pang, and deliberated each gasp. And at his prefixed moment, and by
his perfect authority, resigned his life, gave up the
ghost.  There, then, he bowed himself in conformity to




Ifncarzate Deity.              215
that dying nature which he had espoused for the salvation of a dying race. And are we required to tell how
it was that He could suffer the stroke of death? How
even that nature which was so mysteriously bound to
the divine, could be the subject of passion alcnd dissolution?  How we can believe in the possibility, and set
forth the necessity, of such a decease?  How that ill
could befall Him whom we profess as Immanuel, God
with us?   Our reply is instantaneous, "He became
obedient unto death? "
7. Ife yielded to (death in a c peculiar form.
Crucifixion was a punishment the most acute, linogering, and odious. It fell to the lot of few. The sword,
the stake, the ax, the hemlock, were the more frequent methods of dispatching the victims of justice.
It was a ban and execration, the fate of the felon
and the slave.  It suspended the writhing wretch
between heaven and earth, as unpitied by either, as
renounced by both.
True, every reader of the prophecies must have
expected a suffering Messiah.  His "heel" was to be
" bruised."  He was to be " cut off."  Bu the was predicted as a sacrifice, as a'martyr, as a conqueror, in his
death. There is a redeemuing glory in these associations.
There is a pomp in oblation.  There is a force of moral
dignity in the constancy of persecuted virtue.  There is
a blaze of renown cast over the dying conqueror-Fame
blows its trumpet, and Victory prepares its wreath.
But this was to be a sacrifice, a martyrdom, a conquest,
by a cross, the abhorred engine of torture and shame.
It is this which destroys the fascination of the imagery,
dispels the charm of the poetry, and obtrudes itself
upon us, stern, hideous, and revolting.  For this consummation, the Saviour contrived a preliminary language.
He conjured all to take up his cross, to bear his cross;
and they understood him  to signify the lengths they




216              Incarznate Deity.
must go, and the dangers they must incur, for him. But
thus a new cast of expression was molded, it mixed
most naturally with the very facts of his religion, and it
was extensively spoken whenever Christians told of
mortifying the passions of the flesh, or surmounting the
seductions of the world. The "likeness of his death"
was ever present to them, the emblem of their every
blessing, and the ensign of their every boast.
Yet the probabilities opposed such a means of death.
It was not a Jewish punishment.  Charged with.the
crime of blasphemy, a specific doom was adjudged to
that crime-the guilty party was to be stoned. The
malice of the priests and populace, however, blinded them
to the discretion which might have, for a period, upheld
their national integrity. They denied the possession of
a power which the governor acknowledged. They forever put away from them the hope of a Cllrist, if this
prisoner was not he: " We have no king but Cesar;"
" It is not lawful for us to put any man to death." Fatal
self-renouncement! "The scepter " has departed from
Judah, and the " lawgiver from between his feet! " And
of this surrender, the crucifixion of Jesus is the result:
That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he
spake, signifying what death he should die." John xviii,
31, 32. It was, notwithstanding, sufficiently similar to
an execution in the Mosaic code, to draw upon him a
malediction as well as an ignominy: and the outcast, as
extended on a cross, was also the accursed, as hanged on
a tree.
The inference is, therefore, irrepressible-the end of
these continually deepening acts of humiliation must be
worthy of them. They were not performed for their
own sake. They have nothing in common with superfluous expense or needless suffering.  That end was our
salvation by his atoning death. Not a degree in all
tilis descending scale could be spared, not an intervening




Iwcarnzate Deify.             217
step in the series might be remitted. There was no
resting-place between his throne and hlis'cross. The
corn of wheat must "' fall into the ground and die," if it
would bring forth good fruit. The Son of man must be
lifted up from the earth, to draw all men unto him. He
is not "cldead in vain." He sought not his crucifixion
but " to put away sin," to " abolish death," to "destroy
the works of the devil," to " bring us to God." Therefore he deigned so much, stooped so far, and sunk so
low; therefore he groveled in " the dust of death,"
put on the ghastly attire of " his burial," and laid down
his emaciated and scarred body in the tomb.  What a
suspense must holy spirits have felt as He was still seen
to bend in his flight, as he still passed from higher to
inferior measurements of abasement, as he still invented
newer forms of reproach and agony, as he still plunged
from deep. to deep, and only ceased to sink when arrested
by the cross and received by the grave!
Now two principles, already anticipated, must have
governed  these successive deeds.  They were selforiginated, strictly independent, purely voluntary; but
this can be affirmed of no created relations. They were
likewise in contrast with an antecedent state of being,
rendering all these depressions of manhood and death
new and strange. Nor do we evade the conclusion that
he was as truly God as he was truly man; that he was
equal with the Father in the Eternal Essence, while by
taking on him our nature he was not ashamed to call
us brethren.
And it is a dark feature of the system which explodes
this great and all-important tenet of Christianity, that
it reasons against the fact thus represented and indoctrinated, from the sources of an infinite condescension.
There had been no room for the existence, no color for
the sophism, of this blasphemy, had not He whom it
denies vailed his glory and inverted his sphere. If the




218              Incarnate Deity.
"form of God" had been retained —if the hosts of heaven
had been permitted to declare him-if the enshrinements
of divinity had continued to signalize him —if he had not
laid aside the phenomena of his proper state-all had
bowed the knee, all had confessed his supremacy! Had
he " come to destroy men's lives," none of his enemies
would have disallowed his rank. It belonged to human
impiety, and still serves to distinguish it, that men
should be found to take advantage of a forgone honor
to discredit it, of a suspended claim to dispute its existence, of a voluntary prostration to deride the idea of
any higher original. The manger is cited against his
eternal beginning, and the cross against his power of an
endless life.  They would shackle him with his own
bands of love. They would extinguish the glory by thle
vail which hid its splendor.  Henceforth, as he sought
not to appear equal with God, they will refuse his
resumption of the prerogative.  Henceforth they will
resolve the form of the servant, and the fashion of the
man, into the obligations of moral and physical necessity. Henceforth they will only endure in him  the
absence of the reputation which he mercifully shrouded.
O guilty treason, which so attacks majesty by means of
its condescension! 0 foul ingratitude, which turns to
contempt, and requites with scorn, the power which
redeemed us, because of the mercy which refused no
pang, no share, required for the ransom!
The EXAMI'LE which is founded upon the conduct of
Christ, and which it is the design of the text to enforce
on our imitation, seems to certify the conclusion that the
Saviour is properly Divine. Humility and disinterestedlness are portrayed in him that we may copy them. Our
humility is the correct estimate of ourselves, it is the
dictate, not of a voluntary depreciation, but a strict selfknowledge. Our disinterestedness is our sympathy with
fellow-suffering; is related to a fixed standard of duty,




Inicarnate Deity.              219
and a certain measure of reward, and therefore stands
on opposite grounds to what is discretionary.  But this
high mlodel is described as unnecessarily humble, and
gratuitously benevolent. He comes freely friom heaven to
earth.  He exchanges the form of God for the form of
man. What lineaments, what lessons, what realities of
the virtues, commemorated and commended, are here!
This is lowliness of' mind! This is looking on the things
of others! But think of this Exemplar as iever living but
by human birth, as never subsisting but in human condition; think of him as the man, the mortal, the accountable
agent; and then in what is seen his self-abasement? what
can entitle him to be the pattern of all meek and retiring
disposition? To make his boast that he did not emulate
to be like God, is scarcely less audacious than to attempt
it. To consider that there is any forbearance in this, is
as foolish in its upstart vanity as it is hateful in its contumacious implication.  Had the Saviour, being only
iman, resolved to hold divine equality as his spoil, not to
be a servant, not to wear the hnman guise, not to be
obedient to death, then had his history been an extravagance of presumption, his character had been a beacon
of pride, "an execration, and an astonishment, and a
curse!"  He must have been classed with the fanatics
or hypocrites who have affected divine names, and decreed to themselves divine honors! And had he, being
no more than man, but forborne to do this, declined such
rivalry, and assumed the position in created nature which
he could not exceed, where would be the pre-eminence
of the virtue, the justice of the applause?  Forbearance
to rebel is not fealty.  He becomes not of necessity the
saint, who is not the blasphemer; nor need he be humble
who arrogates not the divine resemblance, and usurps not
the divine throne. These are not the moral alternatives
of the case. There may be other intervals in the scale.
And when a virtue is affected on the plea of abstinence




220               Izcarnate Deity.
from a vice, not only is ignorance expressed, but that
vice is actually indicated. If, under the supposed circunmstances, this was our Lord's humility, it would be pride;
if this his piety, it would be profaneness. The withdrawment of such a purpose, the imposition of a stress
upon such a refusal, the boast of such withdrawment,
the mention of such refusal, would be a bravado of
mockery and defiance toward the Most High, unknown
to the pride by which the angels fell. Nor should we
think of our nature's fall with any surprise, or with much
disgust; since our attempt to "become as gods" was,
in all comparison, so immeasurably inferior in its character of impiety and its outrage of expression. The defensive conduct we are compelled to pursue gives rise to
this distressing peculiarity of the controversy. It is a
bitter pain to speak of Him in this manner, to press the
consequences of a false criticism and an irrational theology until they trench, though only most hypothetically,
upon his dignity and truth.
Dear Christians, ye have "learned Christ." You have
banished all doubts of his perfect claim to be equal with
God. You discover, in all that at first may seem to oppose the conviction, only the facts of his incarnate
humiliation-and condescending grace. You cannot taunt
him with these, nor employ them to impugn the prerogatives which they temporarily obscured. You cannot
oppose such voluntary concealment and subjection to the
divinity of him "'whose right it is."  You know that
there is no real argument, any more than generous temper, in denying his celestial dignity from his earthly
abasement, since the reality and virtue of his depression
must constantly refer to his pristine ascendclency. You
rejoice, however this unholy strife assails the character
and glory of the Saviour here, that you are approaching
a world in which there can arise no darkening prejudice,
no chilling doubt, but all is "quietness and assurance




Incarnate Deity.              22I
forever."  There you shall "see him  as he is."  There
you, with all the powers of heaven, shall adore him!
And.while you fall down before him that multitude shall
be filled with one sentiment, that service shall be devoted
to one purport —all shall be wrapt in one vision, all shall
be vocal with one strain; nor blasphemy mar a harmony
or wound an ear!
It only remains that we revolve two lessons impressed
upon us by these meditations.
1. ]how acnzirable is the expecienzt of the Recdeemer's
incarncation.
Man, when unfallen, being by the law of all created
nature still dependent, required an object for love and a
ground for rest. The Deity, simply considered in reference to hina as worthy of complacency and favor, filled
all his thoughts and attracted all his affections.
Man cannot be less dependent now that he is fallen.
He is not only physically upheld, as is every holy being;
but, morally destitute, spiritually helpless, he must owe
the recovery of his happiness to a form of divine benevolence not necessary to the most perfect Iawgiver, not
applicable to a creature unless he has become a transgressor-that is mercy.
God was the source of perfect satisfaction, a portion,
an all, to man when made upright, and pronounced very
good; to man, the sinner, the fugitive, he was a source
of terror and dismay. And from that hour in which
his progenitor hid himself and was afraid, the Creator
has not been in his thoughts, or has entered to distract
them.'Where, then, should the conceptions and attachments
of the human mind fix themselves? What might they
embrace? They could not the Supreme, they must not
the creature; they shrunk from the one, they distrusted
the other; the first was a forbidden worship, the second a
palpable idolatry.




222              Incaria/te Deity.
Infinite wisdom and pity resolved the tremendous difficulty. Christ, in whom "dlwelleth all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily," "found in fashion as a man," clothed
with a bodily form —the organ of the human spirit as
well as the shrine of the indwelling divinity —Christ is
the Mediate Object. " The Lord God dwells among us."
The more intense and awfiul splendors are allayed and
softened by this intervention.  On a divine arm, which
bears up the pillars of the universe, we hang our hope;
into a human bosom, which itself has heaved with grief,
we pour out our hearts with all their confidence and
all their sympathy. Our awe chastens our esteem, and
our esteem attempers our awe. This is the contact in
which Deity and man may meet, the mysterious tie of
underived and created being, the convergence of that
which can array " the terrors of God" and that which
is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities."  This
"' Mediator is not of one," " he maketh peace in his high
places," he " came and preached peace to you which were
afar off." He has brought heaven to earth, he has raised
earth to heaven. He took hold on our nature, nor relaxed his grasp until he had placed it, as proper to his
very person, "in the midst of the throne."  His heart,
which was Wrung with sorI'ow and pierced with violence
-which yearned with filial love-which throbbed with
fiiendly commiseration, sensitive to every impulse of
pity, responsive to every importunity of woe —has not
grown cold nor become estranged fi-om those for whom
it broke and bled; but expands as the index of infinite
love and the channel of eternal good! "0  the depth!"
we may well exclaim; but it not only swallows our
thoughts, it wells up the fullness of our joys!
Inane are the objections which our sciolists and witlings urge. Incomprehensible, it is alleged by them to
be. Who ever doubted it'? Is it not involved in the
fact? "Without controversy, great is the mystery of




Incarnate Deity.               223
godliness: God was manifest in the flesh."  As unparalleledcl, it is still demurred to; and singularly we are asked
to find some likeness to it above or beneath.  It is of
itself incapable of support from any analogy and illustration. But if a fact, is not this inevitable?  "The
Lord hath created a new thing in the earth!"  MIay
these have another mind given them! May these cavils
yield before the evidence of this stupendous wonder,
the perception of its fitness, and the experience of its
power!
2.  17hat *-c szblimne  example doces the conzczct of the
Sctviour' cfjord!
This being the basis of his unique and incomparable
person, we behold in him dispositions the most varied,
and yet the most consistent.  Whatever independence
can sway with the upright, or humility with the meek;
what holiness with the pure, what forbearance with the
lowly; what unwearied employment with the active,
what sweet repose with the contemplative; what interest
the generous mind can take in philanthropy, what on
the contrary, the severer mind can in rigor and selfdenial; what reverence greatness can raise in the noble,
and esteem kindness can awaken in the tender; what
incitement is in knowledge to fix the thoughtful, and in
exertion to stimulate the ardent; what can enkindle zeal,
and what inspire devotion; what can strike the saintly
sage with veneration, and what win from the outcast
penitent the smile of confidence and peace; what counsels the human soul in its true interests, and what composes the writhing limb and fevered pulse of the human
frame; what exists but to heal the cup of life, and to
soothe the sting of death; 0, if such a combination of
qualities be unlooked for on earth, be unhoped for in
man, these are but some of the slighter touches, the
fainter lineaments, of that character which "is full of
grace and truth;" the dim reflections of that person in




224              IncaJnzate Deity.
whom all the awful and all the amiable are united; who,
while angels bent at his feet, caught babes to his bosom,
and pressed them to his heart; who, while demons fled
affrighted from his rebuke, suffered to drop upon him the
tears of the contrite and the mourner; who, amid his
march of miracles, oft stood still to weep; who turned
aside from his sterner and more heroic acts, to cherish
friendly intercourse and domestic benignity; who, " lowly
in mind," bore his own cross; who, looking not on his
own things but the things of others, delayed to close
his sufferings until he had secured his mother from destitution, promised the dying malefactor a place in his
kingdom, and besought the forgiveness of his murderers!
Thus pleasing " not himself," when he might have been
most self-engrossed!  Thus pouring "out his soul" of
matchless love and pity "unto death," though in a
moment he might have undeceived the mockeries of the
multitude!  Himself he will not save-though he might
have left the world to perdition! He will not come down
from the cross-though he might have left it for the
throne! Such was his example, and we must follow his
steps! Such was his temper, and " let the same mind be
in you which was also in Christ Jesus." " Now if any
man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his."




The Atolnement.               225
VI.
THE ATONEMENT.
BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD, WHICH TAKETH AWAY THE SIN OF THE
WORLD.-John i, 29.
IT has been not unfrequently objected to the peculiar
doctrines of Christianity, that they alone can be inferred
from the later portions and epistolary compositions of
the New Testament; that the Lord Jesus never seems to
have intended them, and that it appears his disciples and
general auditors never understood him to inculcate them.
On this supposition we may account for much of their
conduct who neither entertain nor profess any predilection
for the evangelical verities. The narratives which are
commonly styled Gospels are specially favored by them,
and are conceived to supply a warrant for their skepticism and dislike. They argue that as these report the
assertions of Messiah, the doctrine which fell from his
lips in the very form of its utterance, the fidelity of the
record must be less affected, and the accuracy of the
expression less distorted, than when committed to other
vehicles, and forced through other channels. But since
error is always inconsistent, the apologists for one part of
revelation at the expense of the other do not invariably
attribute infallibility and pay deference to the Evangelists
themselves. A way of escape is made practicable even
from their decisions. The question of inspiration can
offer to such parties no difficulty; it is held in a manner,
if allowed at all, that renders it capricious as individual
impression, and frail as human remembrance.
15




226               7T/e Atolnenent.
It may be incidentally remarked, that the sacred
writers are manifestly unconscious of any disparity,
and are far removed from  any jealousy, whatever the
province  occupied by them.  They  contentedly take
their place, and fill their department; honoring in each
other " the self-same Spirit," and conceding the authority
which they challenge for themselves. Thus Peter, whose
opportunities of weighing the facts chronicled by the
biographers of the Saviour were equaled by few and
excelled by none, places all the epistles of Paul among
"the other Scriptures." 2 Peter iii, 26.
Nothing would be more vain than to disguise the fact
that the epistles do embrace more ample and explicit
information touching the doctrines of the evangelical
system; their definitions being more precise, and their
arguments more extended.  This was due to the advanced stage of the Christian dispensation in which they
were written, and was to be expected from the descent
of the Spirit, " who could not be given until Jesus w as
glorified."  These larger accessions of knowledge, these
brighter discoveries and accumulated proofs, far from
dishonoring him, were announced and foretold by him:
"What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt
know hereafter."  " I have yet many things to say unto
you, but ye cannot bear them now."  "When He, the
Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all
truth." *  For we should not forget that the doctrines
are but expositions of the facts which occurred in the
history of Christ.  They are not theories, or simple
principles, but the natural and intended construction
put on circumstances which occurred in certain places
* There seems no propriety in the practice of the Roman and
English Churches when their members sit without a thanksgiving to
hear the Epistle, but rise to the Gospel with the sound of doxologyas though the latter were the fuller "mind of Christ " than the former-a position the reverse of truth.




The Atonemtelnt.              227
and at certain times, together with reasonings well supported by them, and strictly deducible from them. Then
could the doctrines be taught when the facts had not
transpired?  But while the Son of man lived on our
earth, the cardinal facts of his mediation were unaccomnplished. It remained for him to die and rise again.
He, after his resurrection, interpreted these events to his
disciples, who were to "teach all nations."  Their instructions are those interpretations.  We enjoy the
benefit of his latest disclosures, when, "beginning at
Moses and all the prophets, he expounded in all the
Scriptures the things concerning himself."  His historians received the same illumination, it is true; but then
they adhered to the simple task of adducing what they
had either seen or understood "from  the very first:"
his other inspired servants extracted the lessons and
pursued the conclusions.
The very limited and even gross apprehensions of the
disciples may furnish an additional reason for the partial
concealment, or rather gradual development, of the
Christian mysteries. The secular ambition which too
often governed them  is apparent in many of their
questions to our Lord, and also in their replies to those
which he suggested. They deprecated his death, and
yet esteemed themselves able to "drink of his cup."
And when that death was inflicted, and he was laid in
the tomb, bitterly they spoke of their ruined expectations and blasted hopes. It never could have been
possible to convince them  that such catastrophe was
necessary; its consummation induced them to inquire
and compelled them to think, while the Risen Sufferer
then witnessed to them, that thus it was written of
him, and that so it behooved him to suffer.
Besides, it is the uniform plan of prophecy to intimate
the future enigmatically and progressively.  Forming a
part in the scheme of universal government, these




228               T/e Atovevcnzt.
characteristics of obscurity and partiality are requisite
to sustain the authority of fixed law, and the freedom
of human agency.  But all the declarations made by
our Lord partook of a prophetic nature. They should not,
therefore, be so explicit as to enable the kindness of his
followers, or the malignity of his enemies, to attempt,
however ineffectually, any obstruction to his plans. He
must move onward in his course undisturbed by their
counterplots; they must proceed in their's unprompted
by his prescience and unhampered by his will.
We do not, however, suppose that it would be difficult to demonstrate that whatever essentially belongs
to the Christian system. is included in the evangiles.
They leave not unproved the divinity of Him who could
say,' "e that cometh from above is above all; he
that cometh from heaven is above all." They leave not
unasserted the atonement of Him who could say, " The
Son of man came not to be ministered nulto but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." They
leave not explained the dominion of Him who could
say, "My kingdom is not of this world." They leave
not unpledged the influence of Him who could say, " I
will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you forever." These
august truths are shrouded with no affected secresy.
The books which record the corresponding facts, and
not seldom  announce the appropriate doctrines, are
treatises " of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
until the day in which he was taken up."  And as if
no needless concealment should perplex them, see the
pointed hand and hear the uplifted voice of him " that
cried in the wilderness,"-who, giving utterance to every
divine counsel, and fulfillment to every scriptural pledge,
proclaims-while heaven and earth ring with echoes,
"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of
the world."  A  clearer insight into "'the mystery of




Th/e Atonemenzt.            229
godliness," a stronger attestation to " the truth as it is in
Jesus," could not be supplied. It was not only to raise
the vail, it was to uncover the ark.
The lamb has been accounted an image of innocence
and gentleness. It has scarcely any means of defense,
scarce any instincts of resentment; but is one of the
most lovely emblems of each kindlier disposition that
nature's numerous tribes afford.
But it is placed before us in Scripture as the animal
peculiarly devoted to sacrifice. It was the common
victim of the altar. Two were immolated every day for
a "continual burnt-offering."  To these another pair
was added weekly for " the burnt-offering of the Sabbath."  Seven more were required at each new moon.
Sixteen were offered on the day of Pentecost, and fourteen when that of the Trumpets returned. This latter
number was also due to the feast of Tabernacles during
all the respective days it lasted, while other seven were
added on the eight. Through the Passover seven lambs
were presented as often as the same number of days
occurred, with one more on that which immediately followed the first.
To the other sacrificial animals the Saviour is not
directly compared, but this assimilation is frequent. The
correspondences are frequently marked. " He is brought
as a lamb to the slaughter."  " Ye know that ye were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot."  Heaven is filled
with the commemorative imagery. It gives prominence
to every associated idea. It hangs high all the memorials of piacular infliction, suffering, and death.  It
breathes the incense of an oblation. It becomes the
holy of holies to receive the votive gift. Christ entered
it not without blood.  Though sacred to peace and life,
it is a scene impressed with vengeance and moral woe:
resounding with accents of gladness, the "'blood of




230               The Atonevmenzt.
sprinkling speaketh" the stress and harmony of all.
" The Lamb" is " on Mount Sion."  He is the song, the
light, the bridegroom, the temple; in the stream of his
side the celestial robe acquires its purity, and the redeemed multitude never fail to rehearse that he "was
slain." Surely these are not aceidental mementoes, when
the prevailing figure so little agrees with the various
other descriptions.
Being designated the " Lamb of God," we learn that,
in conformity with the terms of his humiliation, he was
"chosen of God;" was sanctified, sealed, and sent by
the Father; was set apart in human nature and mediatory office for the purpose of a sacrificial death. When
revealed in his pre-existent honors, and when we connect
with them the fact that "bhe was verily foreordained " as a
lamb " before the foundation of the world," they seem the
decorations which enwreath the victim, the presages of
the fatal blow.  The wood was heaped into its pile, the
fire was fanned into its fury, the knife lay glittering
with its keenest edge, and God provided the Lamb for
the burnt-offering.
It can only concern us now to observe that the way in
which a " lamb taketh away sin" is not very intelligible
if the idea of sacrifice be exploded. In the emblematic
qualities of the animal we find nothing to suggest the
notion of removing guilt; and had a conception of muscular strength been sought, it would have been better
conveyed by "a lion" coming up "from the swelling of
Jordan." Between the circumstances of the Saviour's
appointment and death and those of the Paschal Lamb,
there may be traced a most striking resemblance. It is,
however, to be doubted whether the allusion exists in
the present connection. It is the general idea of sacrifice. Could the allusion be established, it would only
confirm the particular end proposed in the death of the
cross. It has, indeed, been insinuated that it was not




The Atonerneyzt.              231
an expiatory rite, but a national solemnity and domestic
service. It is surely forgotten, then, that the ministrations
of the temp)le sustained, expounded, and consecrated
these. And nothing can be more determinate than the
language of the inspired volume in its extreme portions,
when it either speaks of the shadow or the substance:
"Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any
of thy gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee."
" Christ our passover is sacrificed for us."
Little short of quibbling would it. be to assign any
restricted sense to " the world," as the term arises in the
text. Though it must sometimes indicate the material
frame, the Jewish State, the Roman Commonwealth, the
sinful majority and embodied evil of mankind, yet nothing, save the prejudice of system and the recklessness
of party, could ever define it here but as intending the
HUman cRace. Respecting the particular application of
this death, and the distinguishing grace which causes it,
we have no present inquiry; nor have we to discuss the
position that, dying in certain relative characters, such
as spouse, shepherd, and surety, he determinately secured
the salvation of a " peculiar people;" nor have we to
argue that a security of efficiency was necessary to justify the means he expended upon his design, and to constitute his reward. In a substantive sense "the Lamb
of God taketh away the sin of the world," that is, the
species.
It is purposed, in the ensuing discourse, to treat of
that which may be considered not so much a sentiment
and part of the Gospel as its very self. For the sacrifice
of Christ is the fact which alone gives validity, and the
supposition which alone imparts consistency, to its entire
system.
I. IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO OFFER SOME GENERAL
EXPLANATIONS.
According as we notice the aspects of the Saviour's




232               The Atonement.
death, we may occasionally vary our language. Has it a
special reference to divine justice? It is a satisfaction.
Does it contemplate injury and indignity offered by us
to the character and government of Him "who ruleth
among men?"  It is an atonement. Does it denote the
consequences of that event toward ourselves? It is an
expiation. Should any object to words which are alleged
to be without scriptural warrant, we reply that the
phraseology of inspiration is significant, and that we best
honor when we investigate it.  It may be cited in the
most literal manner to excuse thought, protect artifice,
and supersede confession. The holy book is to be understood, and other language than its own must be the
method of stating and avowing its meaning. But this
is only a negative justification of our nomenclature; we
can urge another more decisive. These terms are not
unknown in the " lively oracles," " the Scriptures which"
testified " of Christ" belonging to the former dispensation.
They are there used of the types; we maintain that this is
sufficient sanction when we affix them to the antitype
with a still ampler force and stricter application. Nor is
it equitable for them who quarrel with our use of what
we deem correlative and tantamount expression to persist in the practice themselves. What is their authority
for the familiar employment of Deity, Providence, Chris-.
tianity? Why mete to us a standard by which they
cannot themselves abide?  The word atonement may be
seculcar in its use; as when offense and injury are repaired
by certain amends, or are overlooked upon particular
considerations. We have but to dismember it, and it
presents the idea of unity, or being at on0e, to the very
eye. Moses interposed to bring his brethren to peace;
our version has it, "he would have set them  at one
again."  (Acts vii, 26.) But as a sacred term, it implies
the satisfaction made to justice, and substituted for the
offender, in the form of a sacrifice.  The guilt, or expo



The Atonlezment.               233
sure to punishment, is confessed-; the blow of that punishment is diverted from its proper course, and falls upon
a third and representative party.  As a religious ceremony the offering is well understood, and in all circumstances which connect it with the deprecation of penalty
and the effusion of blood, is, of- its own nature, generally
allowed to be vicarious and expiatory.  It cannot be a
fitting expression of thanksgiving; it wars with all the
melting calm of devotion; but sternly it reminds the
transgressor of his desert, while it depicts at the same
time the principle on which that award is arrested.  An
atonement is thus convertible with sacrifice; and both
necessarily involve a compensative principle and a retributive act, strangely and mercifully turned aside from
them on whom they should have fixed, and yet on another
duly exacted and rigorously enforced.
We believe the death of Christ is such a transactionthat it is a sacrificial endurance in his person of our moral
liabilities-that it is an infliction on him of what we had
incurred-that it is the only honorable consideration on
which divine justice can remit the culprit's sentence and
receive the culprit's contrition-that it is a redress and
a means of reconciliation-that it leaves our Maker with
as strict consistency to pardon as he had ever known of
necessity to punish-that it is, in fact, a contrivance to
convince man of his deepest guilt by bestowing upon
him bis fullest salvation, and to impress the universe with
the sublime sentiment that infinite purity hates sin as
much as infinite mercy loves the sinner. Henceforth the
ruler of heaven and earth can "declare his righteousness
in the remission of sin," can'"be just and acquit him
who believeth in Jesus."
It must be noticed, and with most emphatic distinct-.
ness, that there is no reluctance in the Divine Being to
receive the sinner, and to restore favor to him. Nothing
that is good can he oppose; and this great amount of




234               The Atolozeizezt.
happiness must be an. object of his most perfect complacency. Evil of every kind is abhorrent to him, and
is what he would not should exist, and what he bends
all things to destroy.  This is the reason and mode of
his placability, his readiness to forgive, his delight in
mercy.  To make all his creatures blessed was his
original design, is his constant work: and whatever mars
and thwarts it antagonizes his will, known and moral,
than which none other can be attributed to him. So
far from  the intervention of an atonement betraying
such reluctance, it proves that there was a disposition
ac'nd a dete-rminations. of nmind which, perceiving all the
possible difficulties in its exercise, was prepared to surmount them all.
And by the atonement of the cross there is produced
no revolution of the divine character.  God is of one
mind, his " counsel shall stand," he "changeth not."
Essential excellence and necessary perfection, as well as
absolute power and original authority, combine in him,
and express themselves in his government. His nature
is full of congenial activities, and his government of
corresponding purposes. His immutability does not
consist in a suspension of that which is " his work," nor
in any limitation imposed upon his ever-developing
counsels. And therefore, when the Saviour " offered up
himself," though the divine character took a new aspect
and entered a new relation, still there was the -same
hostility to sin, the same fidelityto law, the same impartiality of justice, the same beauty of holiness, as must invariably have united in the Deity whatever was his plan,
and must have distinguished all his conduct toward
intelligent and accountable beings. No course of time,
no change of circumstance, could make these less or more.
It becomes us; consequently, to be very cautious how
we speak of the divine dispositions.  Many of the
figures which indicate these must be interpreted with a




The Atoznement.               235
subdued sense. The passions ascribed to God shadow
out properties incapable, fiom their changeless perfection,
of excited intensity.  The unfailing resolve, the calm
majesty, of essential rectitude is his. The splendor of
his glory never trembles with a varying light, nor shoots
forth a wavering effulgence.  When his " fury," his
"hot displeasure," his" wrath unto the uttermost," are
threatened or wreaked; when his vengeance seems impatient of delay and glowing for ebullition; when he is
"pacified;" when his " repentings are kindled within
him;" when he' retaineth not " his anger; when he inquires how he shall " give up;" when he waits to " be
gracious;" when " his anger is turned away;" we must
correct our first and crude impressions by those great
illustrative  principles which  declare him  to be " a
Spirit," who " changeth not," " cannot be hindered,"
and " reproves " every notion that he is " such a one " as
ourselves.  The death of Christ is the only medium of
mercy to the fallen race of man; but it appeased no
divine emotion, neither could it augment the divine benevolence. It was the efect, and not the coause, of that
benevolence; marking its existence, and not inducing
its consent. The Deity wacts propitious; the atonement
is the voucher of the fact; and upon its consummation
neither his reluctance was removed, for it is his spontaneous act; nor was his character transformed, for it is
his native delight; nor was his pa9ssio-n placated, for it
is his manner of commending " his love " and showing
his mercy. And the compatibility of this arrangement
may be made plain.  Should it be asked why God expended so much to realize his own will, and equally his
pleasure, we reply: His moral perfections, with the
respect due to them as the standards of all happiness in
the universe-his moral rules, with the necessity of
enforcing all their original exactitude to make them not
only "just" but " good "-these are the grounds of




236               The Atontemelnt.
his conduct. He cannot deny himself. His will is but:
the activity of his nature, and that activity can only
move in the line of eternal right. If he will pardon
and renew the sinner, that is a good; but there would
be an infinitely counter-active evil if that good were
attained by any connivance at his sin, for the good of
the creature would be the price of the faithlessness, injustice, and demoralization of the Creator! The atonement is God's resolve to be consistently merciful! Two
Scripture passages may illustrate his method of procedure: passages we select for the purpose of illuastration, without imposing on them any such meaning. "It
is strange that God who can do all things " (this is the
objection) " should not forgive it at once. Why should
he allow a difficulty and a restriction? Why not act
the Potentate?  Why not, burst through all by his
omnipotence?"  The objection blinks all moral principle. What upright man, of influence and wealth, can
do all things whose consequences that influence and
wealth would indemnify? C(an he falsify and degrade
himself?  Does he not demonstrate his abhorrence of
these- alternatives best when he pronounces that he
" cannot do them, and is incapable of them?'  He can
add nothing more. Who that is principled can contradict and oppose himself?  So far as human predicament may exhibit divine obligation, the instance is
complete. The law was gneant and cannot be revoked;
its menace was intendecd and cannot be reversed; and
whatever is carried on beneath them must be serious,
inflexible, and resistless. The first illustration from the
inspired records is taken from the history of Job. God
was willing and determined to pardon Eliphaz, Bildad,
and Zophar.  But it could only be in a certain way.
They were to take a particular sacrifice, and to " go to
Ilis servant Job."  They were to be indebted to a particular mediation. " My servant Job shall pray for




The Atouemelt.               237
you: for lJim will I accept: lest I deal with you after
your folly. And the Lord turned the captivity of Job
when he had prayed for his friends." Here are institutes
of expiation and intercession appointed by the Deity
with whom they are to avail!  But it is necessary that
the creature who is saved should welcome and approve
that salvation. He cannot be made happy in spite of
himself. There must be concurring judgment and responsive will. The atonement is therefore required to be
offered in a way most powerfully impressive to him. He
must learn from  it how guilty is he, how to it he is
obliged, with an emphasis nothing beside could reveal.
He must be as religiously as legally affected by it.  It
must as truly transform his disposition as alter his relation. And the second illustration we adapt from the
language of Paul to Philemon: c" But without thy mind
would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as
it were of necessity, but willingly." Let the sinner
behold and consider what a series of awful preparatives,
of rigorous terms, of dread inflictions, was enforced, or
otherwise there could be no redemption; and he cannot
but abhor that which was the occasion of the demand,
nor fail to admire and to adore the love which met the
demand, rose to its amount, and complied with its magnitude. And in this manner both the parties are, so
to speak, morally and personally pledged:  The Deity
operates with "the counsel of his will," and man is
"made willing," " persuaded," " drawn," and " brought
nigh."  A pardon, simple and abstract, had left God
dishonored and belied; man, penitent and rebelliousforever! But now is He better vindicated than he could
be by the consequences of direct punishment; and man,
in the solemn lesson taught him, receives " the benefit"
not of " necessity, but willingly."
The moral defection of our nature had introduced a
frightful innovation. This could not be overlooked.




238                The AtovEnmcnt.
Nothing must betray indifference to it.  We were forewasrned that it should be resented. This issue alone
could be arrested by some moral counterpoise. It could
not be foregone, unless three ends were previously
secured.  First, the purity of the divine character must
be cleared. Sin is an attack upon it, is its denial
and insult, and any forbearance on its part to repel and
avenge the wrong would be its own abandonment and
compromise. Impunity would seem  a connivance and
misprision. If it resists not, it allows, its dishonor. The
demonstration must be prompt and signal that evil
cannot dwell with it, that a shadow of suspicion cannot
settle upon its infinite perfection.   &ecolnclly, the rectitude of moral government must be asserted.  The law
is either just or not, and the directing power is either
true or not to itself and to us. Any relaxation would
argue that it had been unduly strict, any suspension
that it was recklessly vacillating, any infiingement
that it was frivolously inconsistent. The whole must
be maintained, or it originally required too much, and
dealt in unmeaning threats. Not a jot or tittle can pass
away. And, thirdcly, the well-being of all creatures
capable of religion must be established. That of course
finds its archetype in the divine character, and its expression in the moral law. In proportion, therefore, as
that character was debased, and that law was violated,
the very source of intelligent and holy pleasure would
be tainted.  Man, instead of rising by an immortal
progression to the resemblance and blessedness of the
Deity, would behold in that Being a nature of caprice,
and in his conduct an implied approval of evil. In that
deterioration would be our decadence and ruin. Let
any light view of sin be encouraged-let any screen be
thrown over the offender-let any thing be done which
tampers with the standard which is "' ordained to life "and the interests of the only good of God, and angels,




The Atonemezt.                239
and man, are shattered and wrecked forever. These are
the issues which, before a step can be taken toward our
recovery, must be firmly and as notoriously insured.
All, then, proves that there was a necessity to punish:
the character, the law, the created system, of the Lord
our God left him no alternative. If he refused, he must
set a contradiction in that character, cause a repeal of
that law, and drag down that system from all the happiness for which it was contrived, and all the honor of
which it was susceptible.  Failing in truth, he must
have failed in every attribute of moral excellence, and
so have wrested irrecoverably from  us every sense of
obligation, every hope of reward, every impulse of
improvement.
The atonement is the punishment of sin-a condemnation of it, a sacrifice for it.  It "puts," "takes," it
" away."  It "makes an end of it."  It is an assertion
of its "exceeding sinfulness," and a spectacle of the
"fiery indignation" which has overtaken it. And around
the altar of awful sacrificej to which the victim was
bound, and upon which the at once avenging and approving flame fell and kindled, we may read the inscription: "All His ways are judgment: a God of truth' and
without iniquity, just and right is he."
But henceforth the necessity to punish the actual culprits was withdrawn.  It remained in no shape, and
could place itself on no ground. The bolt had sped and
spent. The justice is in the retribution, the mercy in
the diversion of it from  ourselves. Consistency gave
choice of no other medium, and benevolence could not
exceed that act. The "readiness to forgive," ascribed
to the Holy One, is now exhibited, not by a gratuitous
manifestation, but as counteracting every difficulty and
lavishing every price.  " There is now no condemnation
to them who are in Christ Jesus." " Who shall lay any
thing to the charge of God's elect? God that justifieth?




240                The AtolZenenLt.
Who is he that condemneth?  Christ that died? yea,
rather, that is risen again: who is even at the right hand
of God: who also maketh intercession for us?"  No
obstacle exists to the spontaneous overflow of infinite
love. Whosoever will may drink "of the fountain of
the water of life freely."  This placability not only
originates itself, but opens its own channel.  It is
umconstrccained, for it directs its own means.  It is un.compelled, for it constitutes its own necessity.  It is
unbought, for it defrays its own cost.  The atonement
stands to this placability in the precise relation of an act
to its motive, and an effect to its cause.  God is not
propitious because Christ has become a sacrifice, but
Christ has become a sacrifice because God is propitious.
This work of sacrifice must be invariably connected
with that holy government which the Divine Being administers among men. It is an essential part of it. And
we must surely perceive the advantage which arises from
the circumstance of legislative appointment and sanction.
It becomTes its own reparation and decree.  Not only
does it receive its general and silent countenance-it
springs from itself. Whatever there is of force in law,
of wisdom in order, of majesty in authority, it acquires.
The "throne of glory" must not be "disgraced." Jer.
xiv, 21. The atonement disabuses and rectifies every
mistaken suspicion and imputation which had ever passed
over its sanctities. It "'is upholden by mercy," as well
as "C established by righteousness."  The arrangement is
therefore placed upon these fixed and certain principles;
and "it became Him, for zhomo are all things, and by
whomn1 are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory,
to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through
sufferings."
These views of thie atonement once settled in the
mind, we can infer many important conclusions.  Its
character stands out with a legal aspect.  Therefore




Tle AtolZeieMt.               24I
the method of "justification" is- by a' righteousness,"
which means that we are accepted on the ground of a
moral equivalent: the state to which we are introduced
is a "redemption" that is coupled with the condition of
"a ransom."  Every statement is of a forensic complexion. The whole work is a legislative and judicial
one. The "sentence" comes forth from  His presence,
whose eyes behold the things that are equal." And
does it not " assure our hearts," when justice becomes
our advocate, and law our plea?  The true ground on
which this sacrifice finds its necessity is thus satisfactorily explained. To avoid the notion of a vindictive
proceeding, a class of writers have made it their business
to describe the fact as an expedient rather than a requirement.  They conjecture that it is more related to
wisdom than to the inflexible rules of justice.  But cwe
cannot understand how Infinite Wisdom  should pursue
any but the wisest plan, nor how that plan can be the
wisest which is not the most true to equity and obligation. It is still necessary, to help onr frailty and aid
our discrimination, that we have recourse to that view
*of the divine character which distributes it into particular qualities or attributes.  And then most clearly does
it seem that such a sacrifice, in the disseverment of its
flesh, in the libation of its blood, in the extinction of its
life, was a requital of sin, a forfeit to justice, a compliance with an irreversible demand. It was not possible
that this cup should pass fiom  our Lord. Alternative
would impeach the righteousness of this severe infliction.
If it were chosen from among many-a something undebarred and unessential, a happy suggestion, a convenient device-it would be indefensible because gratuitous, unjust because not inevitable. Let us remember that
"God is judge," that he will "'in no wise clear the
guilty," that he "will repay;" let us put into this remembrance the facts of the present case; and the stern16




242                The Altonemeaid.
ness of the principle which enforced the Saviour's death
will appear but its impartiality, and both cannot fail to
illustrate the mercy which as deliberately respected the
standard of the claim as it tenderly undertook its discharge. The exaction of this suffering and death is of a
moral order, and whatever transpired beneath it bears
a similar impress. The fitness of such an expiation arises
from  this circumstance.  "Mercy and truth meet together: righteousness and peace kiss each other."  It is
the perfect alliance between the divine government and
the. penitent sinner.  Its aspect has not a frown, its
sword no edge, for him.  It only plants its terrors
around him for his defense. Holiness shows the pattern, justice becomes the surety, truth swears the oath,
of our salvation. It is thus said that " God is our salvation;" that he is "for us;" that he is "on our side;"
that he "' taketh part with us." How amazing the moral
transposition, that IIe, who so lately exclaimed "I am
against you," should protect us by that very shield on
whose bosses we had rushed, and make the law we had
broken the instrument of rescuing us from all the consequences of our transgression.  It is therefore available.
Not only is there need of a competent efficacy to remove
the penalties of guilt, there must be representation of
that efficacy to meet its fears. The affrighted sinner
shudders at all the ideas of justice and the relations of
law.'He renounces all hopes from having kept, or from
being able to keep, it. " The commandment" comes! Sin
revives and he dies! But it is so ordered that he shall
see the law "magnified and made honorable" in the
pardon tendered to him.  He shall behold the ministers
of wrath in the train of love.  He shall hear the very
trumpet of Sinai, like the silver one of a feast, only
"' waxing louder and louder" with glad tidings of mercy
and peace.  IHis prepossessions of alarm are anticipated
and allayecl, while their occasion is constituted the title




The Atolemenzt.               243
of his happiness and the safeguard of his defense. Sweet
thought to the trembling offender, that " God is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unilighteousness!"  All questions concerning its extent must terminate when we take this view  of the
atonement.  Be it remembered that it is a provision for
vindicating the divine government, and exercising the
divine mercy. That which is therefore divine is its only
scale: what is divine must be infinite. Many inquiries
may arise as to the nature, cause, and direction of its
application; but its universal aspect and sufficiency are
placed beyond dispute. It is that which would, all other
circumstances being equal, enable the righteous Lord of
our race to have mercy upon all men, and is a warrant
for all men to seek that mercy. It is as much the enact
ment of his government as the law itself; and still more
than the law reflects and illustrates his infinitely holy
character. We therefore put from us all supposition of
arithmetical proportion and admeasured value between
its worth and its experience; for its utilities consist in
other relations than those which are human, and its
design to benefit earth is subordinate to that which
is only proper to God, and by which only he can benefit any portion of the universe —the glorification of himself!  It is with this reference of the atonement to the
divine dominion that the Scripture says, "All things
are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus
Christ."
We are fully aware that our business has, as yet, been
simply that of explctzation: and just reasoning compels
that a subject be duly propounded ere we enter on its
defense; but we now hasten to the Coft rmaction of the
_Doctrine, which will form
THE SECOND PART OF THE DISCOOURSE.
1. The analogical argument is not to be overlooked,
since it carries with it the double advantage of disprov



244               The Atolzemelut.
ing the atonement to be contrary to other facts and laws
well recognized among men, and of requiring this dispensation of the divine government to correspond with
others.  If all mediate instrumentality, all vicarious
suffering, be unknown, be denouncedc; if it be an idea
foreign to all our minds, and abhorrent to all our observations; we might, with some semblance of reason,
demur to the first statement of such a doctrine. For in
reasoning upon analogy, we adduce and collate all that
we know and experience; this is but an investigation of
things as ordered or suffered by the righteous disposals
of Almighty authority; and when we gather our illustrations from other parts of that government to uphold
and explain the sacrifice of the cross, we must remember
that those other parts were made to reflect that sacrifice,
and not that such sacrifice was accommodated to them.
Analogy respects a system of operations, a constitution
of things, which we contend must coincide with an event
to which they all are tributary, and for the sake of which
they alone have any existence.
Now it is most obvious that while we believe the
Deity acts and speaks by the mediation of Jesus Christ,
and employs his intervening agency, a world of contrivances on the same principle unfolds itself. Every benefit
we enjoy is derived through some indirect channel.
Being, sustenance, education, we receive from parents,
benefactors, and teachers.  The advantages of society
are thus circuitously transmitted through all its countless
links. So in the lower kingdoms of nature there is established a uniformity of what we call effects, arising out
of what we term specific causes. Further and further we
may trace the succession, in agents more remote and
secondary, in means more subordinate and inconsequential.  God gives and arranges all by this employment
of power; and vehicles of power in constant dependence
upon his control, and in unerring subserviency to his




The Atonement.               245
purpose. If this should appear to us a characteristic and
law of his general conduct, it is an argumentative presumption, and a natural expectation, that he will not, in
such most glorious instance, vary his order and depart
fiom his consistency.
The death of Christ differs, however, from all those
prepossessions which have raised themselves upon a review of what is simply an interposition of ministries and
means. It is much more; it involves the principle icf
one suffering for another.'But this notion, abstracted
from our particular subject, does not seem to shock the
opinion and general sense of mankind. The annals of
patriotism  glow  with bright names of self-sacrificing
renown. Present good has been surrendered by a generous disinterestedness for the welfare of posterity. These
models we admire, these heroic deeds we applaud. And
when we look more minutely into the framework of
every human community, we cannot fail to notice that
almost all its good is purchased by necessary or voluntary inconvenience and pain. The parent denies himself
repose and many a comfort for the better equipment of
the child in the race of life; the child has often to repay
the care which watched his infancy, by debarring himself of recreation which labor requires and competency
might command. The artisan, to secure our dwellings
and to clothe our persons, submits to occupations which
shorten his days upon the earth. What are the original
curses which still affect our nature? What is the cost
of every life? What is the doom of its struggling support?  And there are occasions when we should be
accounted unnatural, did we not endanger health and
existence for others. What parent would not extend
the living shield of his bosom to protect his child?
What Christian would refuse to die rather than forswear
his profession?  And, consequently, it revolts nothing
that we are habituated to see, nothing which we are




246               T/he A tonement.
instructed to approve, when a representation is made to
us that the greatest possible happiness is apportioned by
an infliction of suffering, and a self-clevotement of philanthropy.
The fact that innocence often incurs the consequences
of guilt is apparent, and proves that the actual case in
question is by no means unknown to the present constitution of things. It is sufficient answer to the charge of
any peculiar principle, that every observer is equally
required to explain a similar one in surveying the history of communities and the progress of events. It is
no more the embarrassment of revealed, than of natural,
religion.
There is another class of parallelisms which is more
distinct and substantive. We discover them in the field
of Holy Scripture. Is the representative principle avowed
in it?  This is an important inquiry, because it must
determine whether revelation, which is so conformable
with the external arrangement, be also consistent with
itself?  Is it uniformuly sustained by that volume, or
abruptly introduced to serve a special purpose?  In
some instances we learn, that without mediatory suffering, an honor is put uponl mediatory excellence. For the
sake of the righteous, the wicked have been spared. Ten
just men would have reprieved Sodom.  "The Lord
blessed" the Egyptian's house " for Joseph's sake." How
often does " David's sake " turn away wrath from Judah.
God gave to Paul all them who sailed with him. For
the elect's sake the days of trouble are shortened. The
earth cannot be hurt, neither the sea, nor the trees, until
the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads.  But
there is a more determinate application of the principle.
Facts are presented in which there occurs the inverted
relation of guilt and impunity, innocence and suffering.
The child of David dies for his father's sin. The crimes
of Manasseh are avenged, long after he was buried in




The Atonzemezt.               247
the garden of Uzza. "I gave Egypt for thy ransom,"
said Jehovah to his ancient people, "Ethiopia and Seba
for thee."  He declares that he will visit " the iniquity
of the fathers upon the children," and upon the children's
children, " unto the third and to the fourth generation."
It is not his ordinary tenor of conduct, but an exception
to it, when he decrees, "The son shall not bear the
iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the
iniquity of the son." It is therefore a general principle
of revelation, whose tone vibrates through the whole.
It is no part of our present duty to vindicate such
course of procedure, and such avowal of purpose; the
simple motive for adducing them is, to show that the
principle does not innovate on any known law, or war
with any sacred oracle.
2. Another argument may be added to this preparatory suggestion. It is merely mooted as negative. But
the hypothesis is, that God does please to pardon. Now
against a substitutionary principle, to which every analogy answers, and to which no authority is opposed, it is
objected that it is superfluous, inasmuch as there are
plainer and precedent means equally efficacious. Why,
it is asked, fix upon a remedy foreign and doubtful, when
every man possesses in himself the means of atonement
and moral reparation?  Why seek, in a punitive and
vicarious act, that which is always at hand and in our
power?  Repentance is the  alleged resource. It is
affirmed that it is deprecatory and propitiating; that the
present altered state of mind debars the very justice
which would resent its former guilt and pravity. But it
does not appear that there is any thing in the divine
government to favor these positions. The consequences
of an action prevail long after the action has been performed, and equally long after it has been made the subject of a bitter regret.  Compunction and remorse have
wrung scalding tears from the eye, have pierced the heart




248               The Atonement.
with bleeding wounds. We "'possess the iniquities of
our youth." The arrears of former wickedness pursue
us. Here is the sign of continued punishment, though
there is the proof of sincere penitence. So far, therefore, every primary notice falsifies the conclusion. Nor
does it seem reasonable that sorrow for offense should be
accepted as a compensation for it. Between man and
man, individually considered, this may sometimes be
allowed; but when the laws and institutions of society
are affected, it is never permitted. And our sins have
their most serious evil in their invasion of an universal
order and fitness, in their attack upon infinite purity and
authority; so that, however they may injure our neighbor and ruin ourselves, we may warrantably exclaim,
"Against thee, thee only, have we sinned!"  And if
repentance produce future amendment, that amendment
only falls into the duty of that future; it can only supply the season as it arises, and meet the obligation as it
falls. There is nothing retrospective in it, and cannot
make it less true that we have hitherto done wrong.
Where is the availableness to expurgate that wrong?
What power is there to reverse its fruits?  Still, if any
doctrine be more explicitly the dictate of natural religion
than another, it is that on all crime ensues a punishment. Whatever we sow, we also reap. It may not be
an immediate issue, but at last it comes in its own appropriate form.  There is a God who judgeth in the earth,
if we only follow the silent operations of his undeclared
will. But if repentance were the appeasement, then
these strong links of succession must be broken, the
ordinary pains of demerit must be remitted, and the
vial of wrath cease to pour itself out upon them who
mourned the past.  The retributive character of the
divine ordinations is not changed, and the entail is still
on them whose dispositions and lives have been so greatly
reformed. There is every disproof, in short, of the effi



The Atonement.                249
cacy ascribed to repentance and subsequent obedience,
not only in Scripture, but in the province which reason
loves to claim as its own, and to subject to its investigation. And it is unnecessary, therefore, for us to show
that such repentance is inadequate to the extent and
malignity of the crimes which it professes to deplore,
and becomes their serious aggravation when it assumes
the power to expiate them.  He who receives the atonement weeps not to wash away his sins, but because they
are washed away he weeps!
3. The use of similitudes is a very common and salutary practice in the work of instruction.  It arouses
attention, impresses memory, facilitates apprehension,
and builds up in the mind a system of ready and pertinent illustrations. They constitute the source of all
language, the basis of all writing; and what was suited
to the infant history of our species, is still as adapted to
the tender and unformed faculties of our infant nature.
The fables and hieroglyphics of our childhood have not
lost their power to entertain and discipline our maturer
judgments and riper years.
And it was in this manner that God addressed the
fathers of our race. He took them by the hand, and
led them from step to step of knowledge. He made one
thing tell of another. He put a sign, and taught a conception; he appealed to the sense, that he might reach
the intellect. Upon such a principle the ceremonial laiw
was constructed. It was a repository of types and representations.  It drew the outline, and cast the shadow,
of "good things to come."  It "was a schoolmaster to
bring us to Christ."  Sacrifice was its characteristic
institute. The altar was continually heaped with victims, and flowed with streams of blood. Sin was confessed over the offering, and the sinner found in it an
atonement for his trespass. The whole was certainly
prelusory, and it was "not possible that the blood of




250                The A tonzemei.
bulls and of goats should take away sin."  It is an idea
which strikes in with no prepossession of man, and
which finds nothing akin to it in his feelings. Tradition
can account for its all but universal influence, but only
a divine mandate for its original practice. There will
be no hesitation with the Christian, that this expense of
treasure and beastial life had a special reference to the
death of the cross. That death is denominated a sacrifice. We believe that it was absolutely one, that it
was such exclusively; that according to the strictest
value of words, and the most rigid exaction of sentiments, it was a sacrifice of atonement. The alternative
appears to us to be, that all the apparatus of magnificent
forms, all the machinery of elaborate details, were unmeaning show and prodigal ostentation. But we are
not ignorant that it is maintained that the death of
Christ is only so styled allusively, that it is in accommodation to these ancient models.
The inquiry, then, between those who hold'the atonement and those who renounce it, is, whether do the
types determine the character of the Saviour's death, or
does that death determine the character of the types?
Is there the idea of sacrifice in the types because that
death was truly sacrificial, or was that death regarded
sacrificial in compliance with those types?
Now we ask why sacrifice should have been established at all, if it was incorrect to apply its meaning to
that which it was established to introduce! Why should
the perplexing error be injected into the human mind?
Why should the stumbling-block be needlessly thrown
in our path?  Why was a figure sanctioned which all
of the reality must disown and contradict? Why was
the idea, perpetuated in every variety of manner, and
under every pledge of solemnity, to be thrown away, to
be denied, to be repudiated, at the very first moment it
could be of use and application? Were the sacrifices of




The Atoi-ment.                 251
four thousand years required to prove that the death of
our Saviour was not a sacrifice?
But there is another answer: the type must agree
with the antitype, or the intended thing. It was established to forestall and indicate it. It might not be " the
very image," but it is a close resemblance.  It would
defeat every intention were it otherwise, or were it less
so than its own inferior nature compelled.  Whatever
in it is faint and dim, the original miust define and
illumine.  That which " cometh after is preferred before."  The homage is from the sign to the signification.
Yet, in defiance of this simple rule, is the Saviour's death
divested of a sacrificial import, is allowed the figurative
name only in deference to particular ceremonies, is
adjudged to have expiatory virtue only as a poetic
trope! The Jewish altar bows not down to the cross,
the cross stoops to the Jewish altar! The shadow
depends not on the substance for its size and form,
but the substance attributes its size and form to the
shadow!
4. The pecdliar character of the sufferings endured by
our Lord supplies another argument in favor of their
vicarious intention.
Two facts must be assumed; indeed, into any controversy touching them it would be a shock to all piety,
and a debasement of all reason, to enter. We deign
not to dispute with the blasphemers or maniacs who
could contest them. They lie at the basis of the whole
argument.  The first is the sinlessness in fact, and the
impeccability in nature, of Him  who is the "3Most
Holy," and "separate fiom  sinners."  The second is,
the inalienable complacency of the Father in the Son,
throughout the progress of his entire series of mediatorial acts and humiliations when " stricken, smitten of
God, and afflicted."  There was no taint of human corruption, no sentiment of divine displeasure; his person




252                The Atonement.
was the brightest perfection in the universe, and his
work an expression of the richest benevolence which was
ever diffused amid its realms.
These sufferings were of the most extraordinary severity
and pressure.  He was the "' man of sorrows."  They
were on the body, on the mind, on every relationship
and every stage of life.  Strange is the hour when he
rejoices in spirit; but it is a common thing for him to
weep. In how many forms, from how many directions,
with how  many aggravations, did  his sore travail
oppress him! He sank in deep waters; they went over
his head, they came in unto his soul.
These suf'erings were voluntary, or the results (ofvolutntary engagemenits.  He "' gave himself for us."  "He
steadfastly set his face" to the scene on which he laid
down his life of himself. And this is an uncommon
circumstance, since our time is in the "hand " of God,
with him  are all our ways, and it is for him  "to kill
and make alive."  To seek death is to undervalue the
gift of life, and may be as suicidal an act as if we were
to break open its sanctuary.  But certainly such a selfdisposing power is a most singular right, and porfectly
at variance with the conditions of created being.
These sufgerings were requicred by the mnost inevitable
necessity.  In harmony, however mysterious, with his
freest agency and fullest choice, there was a moral and
decreptive obligation whichl he obeyed.  And when we
remember Christ Jesus, his obedience to this twofold
obligation is readily explained-the one is but the assent
of his nature, the other is but the annduncement of his
will. Such necessity is his love of right, and his superiority to any violation of it. Therefore it is written that
he ought "to suffer," that he must "be slain," that he
was " delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God," that the perpetrators of his crucifixion only did whatsoever the hand and the counsel




The Atoenement.               253
of God "determined before to be done."  But this is a
stress which it is by no means common to lay upon any
human calamities; nor can we conceive a case in which
the cup of trial could not possibly be allowed to pass
fiom us.
These sufferings were attributed to lan immediately
edivine infliction. No adversity springs "out of the
dust."  But while there is no evil but the Lord hath
done it, and the "Most High ruleth " among the children
of men, there is a directness of purpose and conduct
on his part in the history of the Saviour's humiliations
unknown to any other. He " doth not willingly afflict
nor grieve the children of men,"-" it pleased the Lord
to bruise him, he hath put him to grief, he hath made
his soul an offering for sin."  Unless in proportion to
the injustice of punishment is the divine pleasure in
executing it, and according to the innocence of the subject is the divine delight over his extremest pains, we
must necessarily conclude that there is a speciality in
the present facts which alone can make them righteously defensible.
These sufferings were accompcanied by the deelest
dcepression ojffeeling.  To his bodily sufferings perhaps
some mortal agonies may be compared. In these he has
been approached by men. One exception must be made
-those bodily sufferings which were excited by mental
griefs, which no bosom ever harbored save his own.
This was his bloody agony in the garden, this was his
unexpectedly-hastened death upon the cross. And it is
beneath these conflicts of infernal assault, these depths
of dread reflection, these visitations of divine infliction,
that we mark a sinking, a recoil, a deprecating tone, a
very despair. Such was his cry of parting life when his
head bowed as much in dejection as in death. Bearing
in memory who he was, and his own exemption from all
that can barb an upbraiding mind, and lend scorpions




254                The Atolezlelzt.
to an accusing conscience, we may justly inquire, why
conscious rectitude and goodness did not preserve his
brow from furrow, his voice from  complaint, his heart
from desolation. And still may we persist to ask, why
martyrs should exhibit their high resolve, their glorious
magnanimity, their dint of energy, and their rapture of
meekness, when he would, though but for a moment,
evade the necessity of the dire woes then beginning to
gather around him, and the final stroke so presently to
fall.  Where was their collected serenity, when he was
" sore amazed'?"  Where was their triumphing courage,
when he " was exceeding sorrowful, even. unto death?"
The temper of endurance sufficiently decides that the
sufferings were unequaled in their character and design.,
as well as in their poignancy and magnitude.
Thzese sz fferings in cliccte traces of a peneal anzdjudicial
impress.  Affliction may be kind by being corrective,
but a fearful style of language is employed to denote
acts of retributive wrath.  The cup! " In the hand of
the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of
mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs
thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out
and drink them."  And never does Scripture ascribe to
it one healing ingredient —it is " the cup of trembling,"
"the cup of fury," overflowing with "the wine of astonishment."  The sword!  Jehovah will " whet his
sword;" it " cannot be quiet," it is " filled with blood,"
it will "plead with all flesh."  It is the instrument of
devouring slaughter, and the symbol of inexorable law.
And yet these are the tokens of that conduct which is
pursued toward the Holy Jesus.  "The cup which my
F'ather hath given me, shall I not drink it?"  "Axvwake,
O sword, against my Shepherd, and against the man
that is my Fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts."  But if
there -be any thing punitive in these sufferings, it can
have no purpIort of personal demerit; they must be in




Thfe Atonement.              -255
some manner wielded against sin, which has only an
accidental and temporary charge.upon Him who now is
made responsible for it.  And if " forsaken "-if in
such abandonment all the unmitigated consequences of
sin be concentrated-if there be all its wormwood and
all its curse-that " beauty of the Lord," that " light of
his countenance," could only be eclipsed because the
Immaculate Sufferer was brought into an unnatural
relation, and beheld in a transposed sphere.
These snferings, therefore,.coulc not terminuate on tHim
who bore the7m. When we sum  up the preceding remarks, and connect them with those final causes which
all divine acts must exhibit, we can reach no other conclusion than that a retribution so extreme, so voluntarily
encountered, so indispensable, so immediately dealt by
Heaven, borne with such dejection and consternation,
flaming with such brands of penal wrath, could only be
relative and impersonal; regarding some extrinsic due
and represented interest. For if that retribution be exacted upon him strictly considered in himself, it is unjust.
It would fail, therefore, in every end of moral government,
neither encouraging virtue nor deterring vice. It must
confound right and wrong, besides annulling all the sanetions which depend upon their different consequences.
It could only destroy each incentive to excellence, and
embolden guilt still further to presume. But as these
alternatives are glaringly absurd and morally impossible,
it if a position which establishes and balances itself,
that all the sufferings of Christ are substitutionary in
their cause, benevolent in their motive, and sacrificial
in their effect. As it is the part of sound philosophy to
gather up all facts independently of any particular system-and equally so, after the induction, to receive the
one principle which can explain and harmonize them all
-so we bring into. a scheme all the circumstances of
Him who "was wounded for our transgressions," and




256               The Atoenee;zt.
having shown the inconsistency of every other solution,
adopt the most worthy and satisfactory principle of
expiation.
5. In an argument which respects a pure discovery of
revelation, it would not be decent to omit all reference
to those authorities and proofs which Scripture contains.
It is much to find the general idea and assumption of
the inspired volume; but we may be assured that we
shall often discover the same in explicit sentences and
naked declarations. These fill its range and determine
its scope. Selection is the difficulty.
"'For He hath made him  to be sin for us, who
knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."  Can contrast be more marked,
appointment more plain, and process more  determinate?
" Scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure 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."  Is it
possible so to overlook the construction of the passage
as not to allow that Christ is here intended to die for
us, as we might die instead of a righteous and philanthropic man?
"Christ hath redeemed us from  the curse of the
law, being made a curse for us." This is surely the
strongest mode of stating his assumption of our penal
liabilities.
"Christ hath once suffered for sins, the just for the
unjust, that he might bring us to God." Can a vicarious
idea be more distinctly announced?
Then we may reason uplon the concurrent testimonies to the efficacy of the Saviour's blood-a sacrificial term-a term propounded always in connection with
sin, or the covenant which remembers it no more-and
always to be explained by that great axiom, "Without




Tce Atoiemnemzt.                      257
shedding of blood is no remission."   "This is my blood
which is shed  for many  for the remission of sins."  It
can purge the conscience from  dead works.  It cleanseth from  all sin.  He is a propitiation  through  faith  in
his blood.  "We have  redemption  in  his blood."   He
has sanctified the people with his own  blood.  He has
" washed us from  our sins in his own blood."  Is this a
fortuitous description.? Or is it a metaphor common to
writers of the most different order of mind and style of
composition?
The nicest attention  to  the  use of the  preposition
selected by the sacred penmen, where they would inform
us that Christ died for our sins, and gave himself for
us, will satisfy the biblical student that substitution can
only be intended.   It need only be added that the case
governed  by  that preposition —being  dependent as a
question of choice upon the particular shade of meaning
in the writer's mind, the  one sense requiring  one and
the other another-ascertains the most definite employment of it.*
* The force and perspicuity of the Greek prepositions are proverbial.
The Apostles could not generally pretend to erudite scholarship; but
the gift of tongues, and the afflatus by which they spoke and wrote,
would certainly secure the most appropriate expressions.  Paul was
doubtless acquainted with some of the Attic models.  Now, one of
these parts of speech seems commonly selected by the New Testament.
Ilpo, dta, 7rept, a/cpo, and even occasionally srpof, would have conveyed
the idea of being for the benefit, or on tile account, of the parties concerning whom they are affirmed. Avrt would be the next in conveying
the impression of "instead,"': in room," of another.  But it seldonm
rises higher than succession, sequence, of the corresponding kind and
natural order. T7rep is the preposition most commonly used in this
connection.  Its primitive meaning is that of elevation, which is preserved in the notion of what we believe its scriptural intention.  The
representing party. is raised above, over —he surnmounts and overcomnes the natural order of punishimng the represented.  The Einglishl
reader may perceive this distiuction in the following text: " Christ
I,:lthl once sulffered for (wrept, about, because of) sins; thie just fol (v-rep,
17




258                The Atonement.
And in conformity to this view of the Saviour's crucifixion is the common method of stating it.  It is not
casually, incidently, but systematically and advisedly,
described as an offering, a sacrifice, a ransom, a propitiation, a redemption, a reconciliation, a making peace, a
saving fiom wrath, a taking away of sin. This does not
appear the most simple manner to narrate a mortal's
death, or to illustrate a martyr's victory. And to this
may be added his invested characters-he is a Saviour,
a Mediator, a Deliverer, a Priest, a Surety, a Minister of
the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man.
Nothing can be moreintelligible than that such expositions should be given of his work, such descriptions of
his character, if an atoning victim; nothing more incredible, if his purpose were only didactic.
6. There is an im2plication in Scripture equal to these
avowals. And it is strange that any should so far tamper
with its spirit as to speak of the Saviour's death with a
disposition to degrade it. If any theme be secured by
its own nature from ribald taunt and profanation, it is
that awful fact. Will it be believed that it has been a
current maxim with some, that it has no importance but
as necessary to his resurrection, and that it is only
usefiul as preliminary to it? That another and a loftier
conception of it belongs to the sacred volume and the
Christian economy, we need not pause to prove. Every
thing vindicates its rank of infinite worth and glory.
This is to be observed when the first preachers of the
Gospel announce themselves.  They are "dead with
Christ," they are " crucified with" him. Their language,
because each sentiment, is determined by it. They seem
entranced into a sublime abstraction and ecstacy, knowing nothing among men save  Jesus Christ, even the
in the place of) the unjust." This is the invariable terminology of the
New Testament. I, John ii, 2, introducing a paerticular view of the atonement, and omitting mention -of tile conscious agents, is no exception.




The Atonemnent.                259
Crucified One.  They would, under the most solemn forbiddance, only glory in the cross. This was their favorite
contemplation; it gave fixedness to their thought, and
fervor to their feeling.; it formed the secret of every
charm they employed, and the spell of every influence
they commanded; it was their early visitation and their
last.
Nor can we fail to notice that these first preachers of
Christianity never refer to the death of the cross as onze
of the expedients by which the evangelical blessings are
secured. It is not blended with miracle, teaching, or
precept. It is set forth the exclusive means of salvation.
He "his own self bare our sins in his own bocly on the
tree."  He "gave his life a ransom  for many."  And
this is so remarkable, that his present mediatorial existence, his "power of an endless life" of priesthood, is
contrasted with his death, and his death of blood. " Much
more, then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be
saved from wrath through him.  For if, when we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the cdeath of his
Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved- by
his life."  We are, indeed, informed by pseudo-christians
that he is our Saviour by correcting our errors and by
encouraging our virtues; it is enough that the Saviour
himself, and the inspired interpreters of his mission,
make our salvation depend upon one fact, and that is the
i(Carnate erucifixion, " the body of his flesh by death,"
a sacrifice " offered once for all; " to which the resurrection, without adding any thing to render it complete,
stands simply related as a seal of its truth and a proclamation of its efficacy!
The importance attached by the first Christians to this
death is seen in a sensitive delicacy whenever its singularity is likely to be confounded, or its virtue to be
lost. "Was Paul crucified for you?" was his own
indignant remonstrance.  Not for a moment could he




260                The Atonzermezt.
brook, not that the mistake should be entertained, but
that there should be any feeling of partisanship toivard
him which, by possibility, unbelievers might so interpret.
And in the same manner there is nothing which they so
much deprecated, nothing at which they so deeply shuddered, as any compromise of the atonement on the cross.
"Then," said they, unable to conceive of an equal catastrophe, "then Christ is dead in vain!"
The kingdom of the Lord Jesus, administered by him
on earth, sanctifies and protects the memory of his death.
His Church retains, in contradistinction to its general
spiritualism of service, the symbols of his broken body
and outpoured blood. This was the one point of which
he required the remembrance; this is oeu- distinctive
badge and profession.  "As often as ye eat this bread,
and drink this cup, ye do showt the;Lord's cdeath till
he come."  Therefore, from the nlight in which he was
betrayed, have these tokens confirmed the faith, and
nourished the piety, of them who love to confess their
crucified Master; and these tokens sliall continue to
illustrate and cheer the faithful until the night when he
shall come with his "sign in the clouds of heaven."
" One generation shall praise" and declare this mighty
act to "another."  But can. we escape the conclusion
that the death which receives such signal honor, and
such ever-during  commemoration, contains in itself
elements of wonder and interest which well authorize
this honlage?
And should it be thought that this pctrticular of the
Savicur's history is only suited for 1manl in his present
condition, and only held back from  obsoleteness upon
earth, we may ascertain whether the heaven of life,
purity, and immortality bear its impressioil, and admit
its memorial. Though we could never learn, from ourselves, "what passes there," a disclosure has been made
to us. And he who should be suddenly rapt by a trans



The Atonement.                26Ilation from the foot of the cross into the midst of " the
things above," would not be conscious of a different
thought or a successive feeling. All would be illuminated
with a stronger splendor, and all be regarded with an
intenser sensibility, but this would be the only change.
The "heavenly thlings themselves " have been "purifiedl"
by this sacrifice. Hark to the celestial song, " Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain."  Admire those robes of
~white! "the souls of them that were slain for the word
of God" are among the throng who wear them; but
they owe no brilliance to the death, they derive no glory
from the triumph of martyrdom; they are " made white
in the blood of the Lamb."  But will allusion be borne
to the endurance and shame of the cross in a direct
ascription to him who is the life?  "Thou wast slain,
and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood! "  Or will
not every memento of that death be henceforth studiously avoided, each association repelled, each scar effaced?
Lo! stands the Lamb as he has been slain! Heaven
is no place for flight from  the recollections of Calvary!
It is filled with the apparatus and monuments of atonement! Its atmosphere is brightened by it, redolent of
it, vocal with it! There is its most sacred recess and
depository!  There is its shrine!  Not one thought in
the crowd of eternal ideas —not one note in the compass
of eternal anthems-not one moment in the round of
eternal ages-can there be but refers to " Christ crucified," and but evidently sets him  forth before the eyes
of the redeemed,' crucified among" them. With all
its "many mansions," but one sympathy pervades the
circuit of heaven; nor shall he find a place in one of
them who "hath counted the blood of the covenant " a
comSmon thin g!
So far, then, we have proceeded; and must maintain
that when we examine Scripture  its records of primitive Christianity-its visions of eternal bliss-an inj udi



262,              The Atonement.
cious prominence, an unmeaning peculiarity, is attached
to the sufferings of Christ; the stress laid upon them is
most unwarranted, the regard challenged to them is redundant-save that they be strictly sacrificial!
7. The argument requires a further expansion. For
it may be doubted by some whether we do increase the
value of this cdeath by clothing it with an expiatory
character. They may conceive this is a corruption of
its simple dignity. It therefore remains for us, in this
scriptural argument, to press those views of it which are
scripturally avouched, and to show that these can only
answer to the idea of a great sacrificial transaction.
It will hardly be denied that if man be in that fallen
state, in that predicament of guilt and depravity, which
render his eternal punishment just-if he has wholly
strayed and is utterly lost-that something more than
instruction is necessary to restore him; that new and
external relations must be established, in his favor.
Without begging the question, this must be the best interposition for us, the most efficacious remedy. But we
cannot think it doubtful that the Scripture does state
such facts. "They are all gone out of the way, they
are together become unprofitable; there is none that
doeth good, no, not one." " The heart is deceitful above
all things, and desperately wicked."  "Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags."  " If our heart condemn us,
God is greater than our heart, and knloweth all things."
Something done for them will, in the apprehension of the
most ordinary reason, be a thousand times better than
a communication of knowledge or an exemplification of
conduct. Nor, unless that be done which removes certain disqualifying circumstances, can the sinner make an
approach to moral recovery or spiritual bliss.
The Gospel is glad tidings.  It tells of pardon, life,
and peace. Let us conceive a case. A criminal is in
the hands of the executioner. Before his swimming eye




The Atonemenet.               263
there stretches a curious, it may be a pitying, crowd.
Perfect stillness reigns over the living mass, while the
hideous preparations of death proceed. There is a mur-.
tnur on its outer verge! A messenger proclaiming his
errand lest he should come too late, forces, finds, a way
through its densest center! Good news! resounds from
every voice. The scaffold is attained!  The half-dead
wretch revives! How fires that but now glazed eye!
How acute becomes that lately insensate ear! And now
the rapturous information, at the first report of which
the stroke was stayed, is more precisely unfolded!
What! if after all, it were but a copy of the law that
criminal had transgressed, and of the sentence he had
incurred'? Could there be a more fiendlike sport with
anguish?  Was mockery necessary to make that cup
of ignominy and violence overflow? And yet, if the
Christian redemption merely justifies its glad tidings by
a recapitulation of our duty and an enforcement of our
accountability, it raises a hope only to disappoint it;
and opens our eye to the prospect of life only to embitter the agony of its close in death. It is a pretension
of mercy, but a thing of despair! Let, however, something be conveyed to us in the shape of a pardon-let it
be proved that the pardon is based upon a moral satisfaction-that the satisfaction has been provided by
mercy in consistent regard to justice-that a deliverance
has been wrought out for us-and we hail it as "glad
tidings of great joy."  It is passing " from death unto
life."
But it is a doctrine of inspiration that the death of
Christ has not only an influence future to its occurrence,
but that which is retrocessive. tFaith in Him who " was
to come" —the believing recognition in type and vision
of his " day"- the persuasion of the "promises"  " when
afar off," was " counted for righteousness."  The Gospel
was preached unto Abraham.  So true is this, that the




264                The Atotetment.
inspired writer is content to say, "Unto us was the
Gospel preached  as well cas unto them." Heb. iv, 2.
They "first," that is, they before, "trusted in Christ."
But if you interpret the religion of the Gospel into a
mere instrument of enlightening the human mind, of
weaning it from idolatry, of inciting it to morality, how
can it have this reflex power so expressly ascribed to it?
How could it retrieve the errors and check the mistakes
of former generations? Whatever its subsequent course,
it could not throw back a ray of intelligence upon those
large portions of our race which were long since swept
among the dead.  Heie is the problem; this view only
perplexes it. But if the death of Christ be sacrificial-if
the Gospel be founded upon it-then may an antici2pate,
deecl, certain as though it was already transacted, be accepted in the sinner's room, and be attributed to him
for his benefit-a constant provision and groundwork
of acceptance, and always a competent object of belief.
Being infallibly sure, it may be equally available for all
old, and for all future, time. Its delay was but "the
forbearance of God," and need not interrupt the " remission of sins that are past."  By means of his death as
the mediator of the new testament, there is the redenlption of the transgressions that were under the first testament. Heb. ix, 15. Destroy this characcter of his death,
and you render its prior efficacy impossible: admit it,
and the Lamb is "slain fiom  the foundation of the
world."  And in this sense only can we understand
those expressions which relate to the infinite munificence
of divine love in the gift of Jesus Christ-to the infinite rigor of divine justice in not sparing him —to the
infinite delight of divine complacency in the "sweetsmelling savor" of his offering and sacrifice.  And it
speaks much for the superiority of this view over every
other that opposes it, that, when the atonement is denied, the dignity of the Saviour is also rejected; proving




The Atonement.               265
that in common apprehension the one is the higher work
which incarnate deity must undertake, and that the
other is a lower one which a human prophet can accomplish. Any conception of that death, in comparison
with the idea of atonement, is like bringing for gold,
brass; for silver, iron; for brass, wood; and for iron,
stones!  It is a certain  exchange of ever-sinking
depreciations!
There is a remaining branch of discussion which pertains to the p'rici2p1e on which the atonement was
offered: the principle of substitution.
III. LET US ENDEAVOR TO DEFEND THE STRICT RIGHT
AND PERFECT EQUITY OF THAT ARRANGEMENT WHICH
DEVOLVES OUR PERSONAL LIABILITIES UPON JESUS
CHRIST AS OUR SACRIFICIAL REPRESENTATIVE.
In ordinary contracts between man and man an independent party may become, by his own consent, responsible for the obligations and pledges of another. None
can think it unjust if Judah be voluntarily detained in
the room of his younger brother; or that Paul should
make himself accountable for lhe debt and wrong of
Onesimus.
In moral connections it is admitted to be much more
difficult of application.  But this seeming difficulty
chiefly arises from a false supposition. It is imagined
that the sinful act of the man is imputed to the Saviour,
which is impossible-nothing can constitute it any
other's act. Our depraved conduct, whatever is the evil
of sin, can never belong to any history but our own, or
attach to any being but ourselves. It is unphilosophical,
it is irrational, that any separation can take place
between what we have done and our doing of it. It is
the most necessary of truths that the past cannot be
obliterated or reversed. It is not in the power of
omnipotence to make any fact unreal, any truth false.
What has been, has been; what is, is. But there may




266                The Atonzement.
be a qucality of sin, such a quality as has respect to an
external relcation, abstracted from it. The process of mind
is as simple as to detach color from form. That quality
in the present instance is guilt, or liability to punishment. If there were no law the same deed might be
performed; it might possess all its inherent folly and
unfitness; but it would not be a guilty, or in other
words, a punzishable deed.  The punishment depends
upon the law, the law upon the lawgiver, and the lawgiver upon infinite reason and purity.  "The Lord is
our lawgiver."   Substitution  therefore  leaves "the
things done in the body" just where they were, and
only could be; but it undertakes that the obnoxiousness to consequences, so far as those consequences
are not of sin's own nature but of the government
under which it is committed, shall be displaced and
shifted.
Another improper view  has often embarrassed the
subject.  It is argued-or, perhaps, more truly, felt;
that divine justice is an attribute of unrelenting sternness, of absolute vindictiveness, against the offender. It
has nothing, we maintain on the contrary, that regards
a personal aim. It hates no creature nor seeks his ruin.
It concerns not itself with the person but the crime.  If
the obligation to suffer be separated from him, there is
no further exposure.  Its office is to protect right, and
thus to insure happiness, and only to punish for the sake
of enforcing this state of moral well-being. It is not implacable resentment, it is the care which embraces all the
interests of the universe. Let the law be upholden, and
any scheme which does this is consonant to its nature
and may obtain its sanction. Moral righteousness is
the love of all things.
The objection to the principle is considerably heightened by the impediments which obstruct it in the
relations of human life. It is allowed that no civil




The Atoerneezt.              267
commonwealth could admit the transfer of capital
punishment, though some cases may be conceived in
which even this would invest a government with more
apparent impartiality and terrible disinterestedness.
Yet it is frankly acknowledged to be, in our circumstances, neither a feasible nor practicable commutation.
But why? not, that if all the parties were capable of
acting for themselves, it would be abstractly unjust,
%but because neither the laws of God nor man suppose a
man's life to be his own. And then society would suffer
were the worthy blotted from the living, and the wicked
spared in their room. But it must always be remembered that these are groundless scruples against the
interposition of Christ, for it was not " possible that he
should be'holden " of death. He arose from the grave
with greater power to benefit them for whom he died.
There was no subtraction of life and influence from the
great moral system.  We go not to his grave to weep
there, as though he saw corruption; he "dieth no more,
death hath no more dominion over him."  We are not
weighed down by a possible suspicion that our salvation
has been the cause of lessening his influence or abating
his joy. *Through us he has not been lost to others. His
reward is founded upon his death.  "Wherefore God
hath given him a name above every name."  We look
on him whom we " have pierced, and mourn," " but we
see Jesus crowned with glory and honor."  Our gain is
not his injury. We live not but by his life. We eat not
"the sacrifices of the dead:" we "drink" not "the
wine of the condemned!' "IHe was raised again for
our justification! "
Substitution is not iuzjust, if the penalty of the law
be inflicted; nor perniciouzs, but the very reverse, if a
stronger mark of its. sincerity, and a more powerful expression of its even-handed justice be given by the moral
system which superintends it-taking a more signal




268                   The Atotenement.
retribution on the sin, by wreaking it on one infinitely
superior to the sinner!
Christ thus represents us, and enters into that fixed,
inevitable  obligation  to  punishment which  we  had
incurred by our revolt.  In doing this he in no way mixes
himself with  our sinfulness, but proves himself most
averse from  it, is the object of infinite complacency in
his work of expiating it, and stands at the most abhorrent extreme from  it while enduring its appalling curses!
Still as this is not the common and natural order of
punishment-as it necessitates  an  arrangement somewhat extra-judlicial-as many difficulties beset it which
can only be obviated by a most singular combination of
favorable circumstances-it may not be uninteresting to
inquire into the power which exists to allow it —into the
occasion which may be supposed to justify it-the rules
which direct its permission-and the checks which limit
its operation.
At what time, how  far, under what conditions, is,
then, substitution admissible? *
1. There. must be a moral equivalent.
It is only a question of principle, and not of physical
comparison.  For in the very supposition of the case,
the transferred punishment cannot be the scete. The case
is that of an  innocent party suffering for the guilty.
* The writer was a good deal surprised to perceive in the posthumous sermons of the Rev. Robert Hall, a train of remarks so very
similar to those of his own pages. He preached the substance of this
Discourse at the Lecture in Heckmondwike, 1825. He was then
solicited, by several of his brethren, to let it go to press.  P.erllaps it
would not have now appeared, but that it might seem that he then
declined florn the consciousness of plagiarism.  There is sufficient
disparity in the topics, though the amount of numerals is the3 same,
to shlow that his argumentation is independent: who could, indeed,
hope to compare, in thought or style, with that most illustrious
Author I




The Atonemnent.                269
But the innocent, in such an act of noble benevolence,
cannot feel regret, shame, remorse, or fear. Every thing
approves him, he approves himself.  And the present
nature of such a case is expi((tory.  Now, no man can
expiate his own offense. Punishment, personally borne,
is not expiation.  The character does not cease to be
implicated when the penalty is spent.  The sentence of
death mny be inflicted, it is the last retribution of
earthly governments; but the crime remains what it
wads, and all its consequences endure long after the execution.  And in sacrificial expiation there is a victim.
Necessarily it must be diffeirent fromn them  who have
confessed their sins over it.  WVere it one of them, it
could not be a proxy for them.  And by parity and
greater force of reasoning, it must follow that our Lord
Jesus Christ was perfectly unsusceptible of conscious
demerit, of painful repentance; could not be the object
of displacency with heaven, nor feel a sense of having
injured any being of earth.  All that punishment of sin
which is but its evolved consequence-which springs out
of its very properties-he could never know. The bitter
and keen mortification which is engendered of itself
could never weigh upon his. spirit.  To all this scath
and blast he was "the green tree," inconsumable; like
that of liidian amid the lambent play of the enwrapping
flame.  How, then, can he supply anl indemnity which,
by every requirement and necessity, must be so dissimilar to the debt, and to the inanner in which, otherwise,
the debtor must suffer?  How call he exhaust the punlishlment adjudged against us, and yet fail in so many of
its characteristic severities?  It is the consideration of
His personz which explains it all!   What a capacity for
suffering, what 1an importaduce of suffering, what a
validity to suffering, does that person comlmand! The
effect cannot be less than infinite! And if the subjects
of David could say, "But now  thou art worth ten




270               The Atonement.
thousand of us;" what are our mortal interests when
counterpoised by Him before whom "all nations are
counted less than nothing and vanity?"  Conceive him
in his incarnate nature depressed, buffeted, agonized,
crucified; and one may represent all, and the momentary
anguish of such a one may cancel the consequences of
eternity!  0 there is a grandeur in his humiliation! He
puts the restraint upon his own energies, and the vail
upon his own glories! Still he is the Omnipotent and
the Self-Existent.  " Crucified through weakness "" there is the hiding of his power!" (Habak. iii, 4.)
Bowing his head in death-"-he is the Living Being
who was dead! " (Rev. i, 18.) Does not every advantage redound to the cause of justice and the enforcement of law when creatures, insignificant but for their
guilt and their powers of bearing its consequences, are
liberated in right of the intervening merit of voluntary
suffering endured by Him whose single pang was greater
than the endless gnawing of the worm which neveri dies
though millions of millions were its prey,' and who conferred on that suffering a value and a majesty which
originate a claim which infinite righteousness is bound
to answer and honored to fulfill. Moral government
/acquires every thing by the substitutionary transposition of " God manifest in the flesh' for " man whose
breath is in his nostrils." {It is not only an equivalent,
it isa priceless excess: " The Lord is well pleased for his
righteousness' sale:' he hath magnified " the law " and
" made it honorable."
2. There must be a strict'coincidence established
between the representative and those for whom he
mediates.
A repugnant class of qualities and circumstances would
destroy that equilibrium which is virtually implied and
morally obligatory. If there be necessity for condescension, it is to the same abject, or necessity for suffering




The Atonzement.               271
it is in the same passive, nature, which has offended.
A general resemblance is not to be absolved. Locality
prefers an urgent claim. Another region would confound the justice of the case, remove it to other associations, and entangle it in other questions. It belongs to
this scene, its laws, its precedents, its usages. It has to
do with "this building."  Transport the action to distant worlds, and it conceals its meaning, and loses its
effect. Earth was the theater of our revolt, and must
be of our reconciliation. Nactture is another requirement
of this substitution. "He that sanctifieth and they who
are sanctified" must be "all of onie."  A being of different qualities and susceptibilities might so resist the
punishment devolved upon him that the punishment
would become void and edgeless. This is conceivable
in different ways.  The essence might be too ethereal
for, a capacity of bodily pain. The temperament might
be too dull and gross for the consciousness of intellectual and moral griefs.  By a nature higher or lower than
the one in question the infliction might be rendered only
nominal and apparent-exquisite refinement on the one
hand, and brute stupidity on the other, presenting so
many points of repulsion and means of evasion. M2an
was the sinner, and man must be the victim.  And
though some modification of the pencalty is absolutely
necessary, still the suffering must retain much of kcind
and identity.  WVere it to be altered beyond the inevitable difference of the case, it would be taken out of that
system which adapts appropriate punishments to particular offences. This is the bond of fitness as well as of
denouncement. The connection is established and must
be enforced. An adherence to this order and distinctiveness of sanctions conduces to deter the transgressor
and support the' commonwealth.  Sin was committed,
and sin must, with a strict correspondence to its specific
sentence and tendency, be avenged. And when Jesus




272                Th/e Atonenmenzt.
undertook for us-when he put himself into our obligations-these coincidences w6re exactly observed. In no
remote sphere did he thus benevolently interpose.  He
trod our planet as its native and inhabitant.  He was
subjected to all its laws and influences.  He subsisted
on its products, he moved among its scenes, he was
affected by its vicissitudes, respired its air, and obeyed
its attraction. He " came into the world to save sinlners."
With no nature unlike our own did he invest himself.
Birth and mortality belonged to it; the nerve foliated
through his sensorium; the blood was propelled through
his frame; his tear was humor; his groan was breath;
his heart was flesh.  His bosom heaved with emotion;
his countenance reflected the inner mind; he spoke by
the curious apparatus which gives articulation to sound;
his pores adjusted his animal heat, and at last discharged
his sweat of blood.  He was taught; he learned letter
by letter; his mind was seen ini all the different functions
of thinking, remembering, deciding, abstracting, suggesting; his feelings were those of love, gratitude, fiiendship, fear, an'ler.  "Behold the man!"  "In all things
it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren."
And all that characterized our punis/;henet, apart fiom
the moral reflection and self-upbraidings of the sinner,
he came in the flesh to suffer. Death was the forfeit, so
far as it could touch the sensitive life and dislodge the
immortal spirit: his body became thus exanimate and
impassive, his soul departed fiom it. The separation involved in natural death was effected in himself.  He
was "' made a little lower than the angels for the szttffringi of dcecth."  But there is a more fearful property in
death than the " wages of sin."  There is a spiritual, a
"second death."  As the former is the disseverment of
the soul from its body, so this is the disseverment of the
soul from its God.  It is the dreadful rupture of all
merciful relations, and all congenial dispositions.  Be



The Atonement.               273
ginning even now, this state is described as an alienation "'from the life of God." "Your iniquities have
separated between you and your God." "lie that made
them will not have mercy on them; and He that formed
them will show them no favor."  And this is the judgment passed upon them: "Depart!"  "Everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord!"  And do the
sorrows of Calvary fold within them  any portion or
counterpart of this terrible doom? Could it be that the
Sufferer of the cross felt one darkening, one shade of this
dreadful fiown, fall upon his sinless spirit?  "When
"he tasted death for every man," was this gall and
wormwood mingled in the cup?  No remission was
made in his favor. Every modification of the retribution but made it more extreme. And this, the tendency
of all sin, the punishment included in it as well as decreed against it, was let loose upon him.j Deit -ith-'drew, hid its light, abandoned its victim!  "M/Iy God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"  That cry
turned pale the sun! That cry proclaimed that sin is
"' evil and bitter," as it " forsakes God," and as the sinner is forsaken by him! That cry attested the reality
of the imputation which laid our guilt on Christ, and
the impartiality of that justice which avenged it on him!
Had all the fires of divine wrath been uncovered and
pointed against us —had the carcasses of our race been
heaped on the ashes of our earth-that pyre would not
have so distinctly signalized the certain and the appropriate punishment of the "abominable thing" which
God hates.
3. There must be an explicit approval on the part of
the government whose wrongs the substitute proposes
to redress.
It may be assumed that such an arrangement cannot
be forced upon a government, for it would be competent
for any to demand the person of the delinquent. How18




274               T7e Atonemnent.
ever just it may be to remit the claim, the claim is undeniable. Nor should the consent be reluctantJy given,
lest it betray a sense of hesitating and painful concession.
It must be a voluntary and a cheerful act. And in applying these observations to the " kingdom which ruleth
over all," we cannot but contemplate serious difficulties
in the way of its agreement.  There was no precedent,
for however punishment had distributed itself upon the
unoffending, they had individual demerit upon which it
fell with perfect justice.  And then that punishment
never reached into eternity, but was only that which is
temporary.  No "soul" ever really was in another
soul's stead."  There was no tendency. The natural
order, the reasonable course is, that all crime shall be
visited on the perpetrator; that he shall be held chargeable in his own capacity of endurance for all denounced
against that crime; that he who is worthy of death
should suffer it; that he should "be delivered to the
judge," and that the judge should deliver him "to the
officer," and he be "cast into prison." No other idea
could occur to the mind; guilt being a personal quality,
must be resented by a personal infliction. There was
no provision.  Each literal interpretation of the law decided that the " soul which sinneth, it shall die." Though
a power is reserved of making the misconduct and punishment of one diffuse itself through a nation and a
posterity, his personal relations are not merged in their's,
but all alike retain an undivided responsibility.  It was
not possible that a code which showed what God required of man should contain an enactment authorizing,
at any time, a confusion of all distinctions, and an exchange of all obligations.  In the absence of precedent,
tendency, and provision, it must rest with Infinite
Authority to grant or withhold the permission.  But if
there be this permission, it must be notably declared:
to be effective in its lessons as well as - warrantable in its




The Altonement.              275
results, all must understand it to be indisputable, and
feel it to be unconstrained.  And is the expiation of the
Saviour's death a measure doubtfully recognized and
tardily admitted by the King of men? "The Lord hath
laid on him the iniquity of us all!"  He has furnished
the substitute! He has anointed and designated him to
his mission! He has set him forth! He "gave" him!
lie "sent" him! He " upholds" him! He " glorifies"
him! It is not his sanction to another's act, it is not
his compliance with another's suggestion; it is his
own spontaneous, unaided determination! We ask not
whether his government approves the transaction, for
we only learn the transaction from the manifesto of his
government!
4. The act of the-substitute should most clearly consist
with his own right of conduct and fireedom of choice.
It is not for any creature to desert his sphere.  We
have all a station and a duty, and we can never more
than fill the one and satisfy thle other. Each instant,
each step, has its peculiar accountability. There can be
no moral act unless it be unconstrained, the result of
personal and self-prompted decision.
Now it might be conceived that, in some ordinary circumstances, mnan might supply the place of man, by
greater leisure and superfluous resources, without any
departure from his rank or abandonnment of the obligations which cement him in society. It has been already
stated that in the extreme case the delegation is inadmissible, because such society has the charge of every
member's life, and must encourage, and as far as possible
perpetuate, every loyal and virtuous subject's influence.
But when we speak of the relations which exist between
God and his creatures, the case puts on another complexion. IYiaz, has fallen. Who, then, of creatures shall,
according to our argumentative supposition, represent
him?  Sinner cannot die for sinner, each perishes for




276               The Atonement.
himself. I-e dies in "his own sin." Shall an angel take
on him our obnoxiousness to punishment? Who, in the
meantime, shall assume his place and execute his trust?
What can release him friom those high behests which called
him into being, and still urge him in his activities? How
could he acquire the independence to pass fiom orbit to
orbit, or to interchange duty with duty?'He only, then,
can pay the debt who owes none  o onljy can He become
0our surety who knows neither supelior nor responsibility.
And should one be found to make this dread engagement, the proofs of his freest volition must be unequivo-,cal. Indeed, the act would declare the perfect heart and
ready mind, * for of an irresponsible being the motive
must be uncontrolled. But there is an importance in the
declarations of this entire acquiescence. And the history
of our Divine Lord echoes with consent. "Then said I,
Lo, I come: I delight to do thy will, O  my God.":Amid the scene of the transfiguration-the radiant
cloud, the celestial embassage, the awful conversion of
incarnate divinity into divine incarnation-they "spake
of the decease" to be accomplished "at Jerusalem."
The sight of the temple reminds him of his death, and
the precious ointment of his burial. Every event is
pervaded with this significance and association.  He
reads it every-where, and always hails it. He is " straitened " till it is accomplished. He enters Gethsemane to
deliver up himself a captive, and passes to Calvary to
die the death of a felon; the Lamb of God, unlike the
victim which is blinded by its garlands, hastens with
fixed eye and conscious pursuit to the altar whose trench
is to drink his blood, whose fire is to consume his spirit,
unfalterinlg and unshrinking to the last step by which he
reaches its ascent, and the last moment in which he is
bound to its horns; and there, as he is laid, he invokes
the weapon to pierce his heart, and bids the flame, at
oicte approving and avenging, fall!




The Atonemezt.                277
5. The true ends of the legislative system, under which
the substitutionary act occurs, must be answered.
Though it might sometimes be difficult to determine
what object many a government proposes, save to pamper an imperial dotard and his parasitical court, every
notion of law and sway is most oppositely distant. To
uphold the dignity of power beyond the reach of intimidation; to establish justice where suspicion dares not
gaze at it; to foster counsels and institutions of peace
and amelioration; to neither bear the sword nor spread
the shield in vain; to knit into the same bond prerogative and freedom, and to place the glory of the rule in
the happiness of the people —these are the great elements
of duty and benefit in a proper administration. Punishmeent is not an end, it is only an alternative in the defeat
of some legitimate purpose required by statesmanly wisdom and public good. It must be anticipated, threatened,
and provided for; but it always supposes an injury
which it cannot repair. It rather aims to deter than
to compensate. It involves an injury as well as resents
one. It abridges, as it may be, liberty and life. Though
its neglect would be more pernicious, it can only exercise
itself in certain disadvantages. If it can be avoided,
without an appearance of betraying the honor of law and
compromising the majesty of justice, the good secured
is at least in the ratio of the evil prevented.
God has revealed to us a great moral system. His
own glory.is the end, which is promoted by communicating the largest share of holy felicity among his intelligent creatures.  He must be just, for this is merely to
allege that he must be consistent with his character and
true to his law. Were he less just, to the same point
would be the depression of every created interest. However difficult the lesson, the Christian learns it, and
"gives thanks at the remembrance of his holiness!"
Thus taught, he would not be saved if there was the




278               The A/tonzezent.
faintest risk that his salvation could cost divine dishonor.
But if it can be achieved in perfect harmony with all.
that our Sovereign is, and all he has promulgated, we
are warranted to say that it is not only competent but
pleasant for him  to work out such deliverance for us.
HIe will have us know that in exercising loving-kindness,
judgment, and righteousness he delights. WVhen these
can become conjoint acts there is a greater "delight," if
we may be permitted so to speak, than they inspire in
their separate qualities. Now if infinite justice be seen
more resplendently awful in the death of our substitute
than in our own; if a sum of happiness, the purest, and
therefore the noblest, be secured to a "great number,
which no man can number," all of whom must have been
otherwise undone for ever-if no end of the legislative
system beneath whose broad survey the twofold benefit
is attained can be thwarted-each is made more manifest and left more secure. Nor do we decide with any
partiality when we affirm that there is more of the God
displayed in the sanction of justice to mercy, than in the
consent of mercy to justice. It was never so much at the
creature's peril to sin; it was never so fully afforded to the
creature to be happy! And the song which pours forth
the ecstasy of the saved shall through eternity repeat the
strain: " Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints! "
6. Some advantage should be gained, in allowing an
act of substitution, above any connected with the more
common proceeding.
It at once impresses us as a strange and irregular circumstance. It is not the natural step. It is a measure
which asks much explanation. The order is inverted,
the machinery is stopped.  We may, therefore, reasonably seek for some expediency to counterbalance the
very general idea founded uapon the very general rule,
that the person of the delinquent must bear the consequences of his crinle.




The A tonenment.              279
Let us now conceive the results of guilt avenged upon
man. Sooner or later all are "cast into hell!"  This
catastrophe nothing could have precluded-it was the
requirement of justice-it was the reward of sin. But
no punishment is reparation.  The wrong is done, the
insult is offered, and nothing can destroy their substantial character.  Sin would have been punished in our
perdition, but the, injury would have remained. Those
eternal horrors would only have reflected the law eternally disobeyed, and signalized the lawgiver eternally
dishonored! Justice would foresee no term, and therefore no satisfaction.  It would be a sacrifice whose
"smoke " would ascend up " for ever and ever; " never
consumed, never accepted, "salted with fire," and " the
fire not quenched."   And then "the vengeance of
eternal fire" would respect finite beings, and their sufferings could only, through all their progression, be finite.
The multitude and the duration could never swell to an
infinitude.  There are features, too, of the divine character which must have continued, in a considerable degree,
hidden from us. That justice is goodness we know; the
lost, in this conviction will feel the keenest aggravation
of their doom. But mercy has in these consequences no
scope, in fact, no revelation. The fullest exhibition of
the infinite perfections cannot, therefore, be in the condemnation of the human race. All this would follow
from letting things take their course, leaving law and
equity to their simplest operations. This course has
been interrupted, these operations stayed.  Another
arrangement has been introduced. It must plead certain
advantages over the ordinary case. Now every point
will be gained if it rectifies all the disadvantages. Ancl
in the substitutionary act there is repcaratioln done to the
government of God. It has been more honorably maintained than foully violated. The transgressor is made
most penitent, and becomes "a new creature."  He is




280               The Atonemeit.
put into a train, and blessed with a principle, of endless
obedience. But this is independent of any meritorious
consideration on his part. The whole of that is in the Substitute! He has obeyed the law! He has vindicated
the Lawgiver! More could not be done. It is infiite,
obedience and infinite vindication! That is accomplished
which eternity would have been required to do, and
which, therefore, never could be done. And now, too,
mercy is disclosed, in combination with all the attrlibutes
of eternal excellence elicited into the brightest light, and
impelled into the noblest action; no principle is left
without its attestation, and no menace is denied its infliction; an amount of good is aggrandized whose measures
are boundless and eternal; and Jehovah is beheld more
inflexibly just, and more transparently holy, than any
other system of conduct could have enabled him to appear,
while he can "rest in love " and "delight in mercy!":7. Such an arrangement should be incapable of any
construction but as an act of favor and clemency.
It may be imagined that a government might find
itself embarrassed by the circumstances of u.mazber and
extremity. Its law is clear, its penalty is undebated;
but to punish so many, and to such an extent, may seem
impossible. It might then, so the imagined case may
proceed, be induced to accept a principle of substitution.
The motive would be divulged in the fact. Here was
something not foreseen: the government is open, then,
to the charge of ignorance. Here was something not to
be firmly met: it is, then, capable of relenting. Here
was something which could not be carried into effect: its
executive, then, is weak and feeble. Here was something
which shrunk from going too far; which deemed itself
incapable of retrieving the consequences: it gives signs
of imbecility and fear. It might cheerfully, therefore,
accept or originate this method as less difficult and perilous; apprehensive that to deal the blow according to




7The Atoizemnezt.              28 
the general regulations would overreach its strength and
endanger its stability.  It is to be easily inferred that
no government can, with any regard to its consistency
and dignity, suffer this interposition, unless all occasion
is removed, all pretext is obviated, for speaking lightly
of it, and behaving contemptuously toward it, among
its subjects or surrounding states.
Now it is an interesting inquiry, Can this provision
of a mediator, on the part of the divine dominion, be
tortured into a readier expedient than individual retribution? was it introduced to save any hazard or to cover
anlly indecision? does it present a trace of being an adoption in some unexpected crisis?  0 how little would it
have been of loss to the territories of Him who "built
all things," had our globe been blasted; had our species
perished! How soon might he have supplied the void
by another dwelling, and repeopled it by another race!
IHow easily might he have dashed both to " pieces like a
potter's vessel! "  Thus far, as to power, there arose no
dilemma.  But when his "' own Son" was the mark and
sufferer-when he must expend on his sinless spirit the
unalterable blow  of condensed wrath against concentratedl evil, then not to spare him, then to deliver him
up, presented an excuse, if it could arise, for a pause
and a mitigation. Then, if ever, was the temptation for
justice to soften, for truth to unbend, for authority to
relax!  Such a case never having occurred, never to
occur again, might it not form  an exception? might
not the universe, rapt into silent awe and trembling
with vast excitement, as it gazed on the "Lamb"'
bound to the altar, have learned the lesson of impartial
equity in this spectacle of stern preparation, though
the sword, " bathed in heaven," had at that moment
severed the cord and loosed the victim?  It must not
be-" His life" was " taken from  the earth," and his
substitution has clearly demonstrated, that, as this was




282               The Atoneoizenet.
the most awful extreme divine government could ever
encounter, so there is none for which it is not sufficient,
and is not prepared!'And the sinner, while he accepts
this reconciliation in the remembrance that God suggested the expedient and empowered the act, perceives
how any course must have been less arduous and expensive than this; gathers new proof that justice will
punish guilt wherever that guilt is charged; ascertains,
as with an added sense, that this alternative was not a
choice of difficulties, but a difficulty in comparison with
which every other was a convenience; adores the immutability and grandeur of a law which, even in that conjuncture, could not abate a claim or check an infliction,
and sinks beneath the idea of that mercy which received
such a confirmation in selecting such a medium!
8. It should be unfailingly, necessarily, productive of
its destined purpose and influence.
Experiments in government are dangerous things.
Principles may be so well understood, and may so distinctly point to some new measures, that in working
them out and molding them there is nothing rash,
there can be nothing alarming —it is a logical conclusion. But when there are no lights, no guides, it is madness to embark on the deceitful element of speculation.
A  substitutionary arrangement might be suggested.
It might approve itself to justice.  On all sides it might
be sanctioned. Each party might freely consent. It
might even hold out a rational promise of efficiency.
But it is a grave venture.  Should it fail of success, the
door is closed on all future attempt. The unnatural
order of things, attracting a singular notice, would,
fiom the event, be pronounced unjustifiable. The warrant, the equipment, the failure, would bring down
general scorn. It would be accounted an innovation
calculated to embroil every principle, and necessitating
its own overthrow.




Tze Atozemenzt.              283
But how infinitely ruinous had been the abortive
termination of that mediatorial scheme which pressed
on our Lord for its accomplishment? While we shudder
at the idea of this defeat, we know that it is a supposition only to be momentarily indulged that it may be
indignantly resisted. If he had begun and had not
been able to finish; if he had bowed beneath the weight;
if he had come short of his purpose and our hope-salvation had been manifestly impossible. If his arm
could not bring it, every other must wither in despair.
But when the Father appointed him, he said, " Behold
my servant, whom I uphold. He shall not fail nor be
discouraged" until he "bring forth judgment unto
victory."  When he came forth he said, I know that
I shall not be ashamed. His righteousness is "the
righteousness of God." No suspense was upon his
mind pertaining to the result. His resurrection fiom
the dead, his effusion of the Spirit, his second advent,
the happiness of his followers in his presence, his condemnation of the wicked, were themes on which he
constantly dwelt. The glory with which he was to be
glorified, "the joy set before him," he often predestined. His intercession and kingdom prove that he ran
not uncertainly, that he wns invincible! He thoroughly
pleaded our cause. He "finished the work " given him
to do.
But there is another way in which failure might attend
a mediatory scheme.  Let us suppose that it was
embraced with a view to a great moral influence. Let
us suppose that it was designed to excite fading allegiance; to recall a revolted race to the sense and practice
of their duty; to impress the gazing nations with the
wisdom and force of a new method of securing to the
government which employed it the love and obedience
of its subjects.  Were it, after all, to produce the contrary effect, exciting them to jeer its authority and pre



284                Tue Atoizement.
sume upon its forbearance, making it a laughing-stock
to surrounding empires, egregious would be the confusion of its mistake, and irreparable the mischief of its
experiment.  And if the redemption  of the Gospel
weakened  any obligation, lowered any duty, gave rise
to any insinuation of fickleness, or afforded opportunity
for any facility of resistance, fatally would it exceed
its intention and contradict its aim.  But it is a " kingdom  of heaven," a celestial rule, on earth.  It bestows
life on the sinner, it inflicts death on hLis sin. Its " grace"
inspires " reverence and godly fear."  Our heart fears
and is enlarged.  WTe "fear the Lord arid his goodness."  Forgiveness is with God that he may be feared.
Sin  becolnes  "exceeding  sinful:" obedience is the
quickening element in which they delight, with native
instinct, who are " alive from the dead:" authority
assumes its most awful form, and purity its most piercing luster   N Nor is this only thefitting influence: the
Holy Spirit is given to seczere it. And in all who lay
hold on this covenant, who welcome this substitution,
a sentiment of loyalty, of gratitude, of devotion, of
sympathetic affinity, is implanted; and becoming 1" obedient to the faith," they are " servants to righteousness
unto holiness."  They knox and feel that they " have
a master in heaven;" they as "children are joyful in
their King;" they  confess that " the works of his
hands are verity and judgment: all his commandments
are sure."
9. Such a regimen, as we now suppose, requires the
most solemn publicity in its origin, its acceptance, and
its accomplishment.
If there were carelessness of manner, it would appear
indifferent; —if haste, it would seem an undigested afterthought;-if secresy, it would be suspected as a thing of
shame.  The deed must not be muffled, nor the stage be
darkened: all must be placed before the keenest inspec



The Atoenement.               285
tion, and be explained with the most unreserved ingenuousness. Breaking in upon the regulated practice and
natural order, there must be every method taken to avow
the fact and expose the reason.  Should it be hurried
or vailed, perfunctorily or clandestinely precipitated, a
jealousy would be entertained of its correct principle,
and a distrust of its honorable execution. It should be
attended with the most solemn judicial forms, and be
announced through the organ of the most reverend
authlorities. How inapplicable would any of these accus;ations be if they were directed against the interposition
of our Redeemer!  " Not without an oath " was he
" made priest," and therefore a " surety."  The inauguration was solemnized on a lofty stage, and through a
prolonged season! Htow slow was the procession, and
how public the spectacle! How elaborate was the rite!
The arrangement was announced on the very day of our
fall. Four thousand years repeated the pledge, and by
symbolic action or living picture rehearsed the event in
which it was fulfilled. Prophecy blew  the trumpet
before it, and "'the shaking of all nations" sounded its
prelude.  Earth now heaved with expectation, then
stood still in suspense. It came not unexpected, and
found not man unprepared. It awaited "the fullness
of times."'"This was not done in a corner."
10. A substitutionary concert could not be suffered,
but at distant intervals and on rare occasions.
It is necessary that the distinctions of conduct should
be preserved, and its consequences be traced, if we would
retain any vivid sense of virtue.  But a frequent interchange of parties would tend to confound all such discriminations.  If it be permitted to take place, it must
be reserved for some signal conjuncture, in which it can
neither be pleaded for impunity nor driawn into precedent.  As an exception, it may emphatically vindicate
its singularity and yet confirm  the necessity of tile




286               The Atonemnenzt.
ordinary course from which it solitarily deviates' it
could not become a frequent, not to say an ordinary,
allotment without disturbing every relation and frustrat-'ing every law.
The vicarious offering of Christ is decisive of the
question, as it can at all occur under the divine government. It need never more be proposed, it can never
more be admitted. It is shut up forever. Nothing simlilar can it be quoted to sanction.  With no other story
can it coalesce. It stands like a pyramid in the desert,
abrupt and incomparable.  Expressions are multiplied
to enforce the singleness of the act.  " Christ was once
offered to bear the sills of many."  "Not that he
should offer himself (ften; for then must he often have
suffered since the foundation of the world."  "It is once
for all!"
Refine upon the most specious objections, conjure up
the most hypothetical difficulties, cast them  into any
form, multiply them by any figure, conceive any circumstances, combine those circumstances in any manner,
and the fact that Jesus represented our persons and
expiated our sins upon the cross is only opposed by
fallacy and anomaly, and rises with a majestic independence in its own truth, purity, and originality!
And this is our " ministry of reconciliation!"  He
who in every age of the Church has exclaimed, " Behold
me, behold me," (Isaiah lxv, 1,) has commissioned us to
"cry aloud and spare not," —" Behold the Lamb of God
which taketh away the sin of the world."  This is the
evangelic proclamation! It is an answer to man's most
solemn inquiries, it is a supply for the soul's most urgent
wants. Sweeter notice never fell on human ear, nor a
lovelier spectacle ever rose on human eye. Alas, how
many are there who have never given to him one fixed
thought, or felt toward him one definite emotion! We
call them now to act a rational part, even should their




The Atonement.                287
reason prove itself perverse in his rejection! No conduct is so insane as to spend life in indifference concerning such an object as to "n neglect so great salvation'!"
We advance in our claim:  He deserves not only your
attention but your adcnmiration.  One believing perception will open to you an archetype of beauty, a standard of excellence, which romance never depicted, and
poetry never dreamed. Like the noontide sun, it will
fill your whole sphere of vision; and, as when you close
the eyelid from that blaze, all mental images seem still
teeming with its glow-so this will pursue the mind and
tinge the feeling in the most forgetful mood, and amid
the dullest sensibility.  "Looking unto Jesus " is the
exercise of every grace, the triumph of every principle,
the perfection of every joy. Nor is our message told.
"Behold the Lamb of God,"-it is for your life! As
Noah, hasten to this ark!-As Lot, flee to this refuge!
-As the serpent-bitten Israelite, gaze on this remedy!As the dying thief, turn to this cross and this crucified
One! —the sinner's throne of grace! —the sinner's object
of confidence! " So we preach," nor envy we any other
theme! Content, happy, most honored, are we to stand
around the altar of Calvary; to invite along the avenues
which lead to it, the outcast and undone; and to point
them to the one sacrifice for sin. We are the merest attendants without a badge of priesthood-standing not
to " offer," but to announce that the offering is consumfnated! We would be any thing or nothing; —but "a
voice crying," or the echo of a voice —a line to this
center, a mirror of this scene, a wand directing human
eyes toward this spectacle! So be directed our living
energy, so spent our dying gasp! Amen.




288      Christian Doctrine of Divine Grace.
VII.
CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE  OF DIVINE  GRACE.
AND IF BY GRACE, THEN IS IT NO IMORE OF WORKS: OTHEIRWISE
GRACE IS NO MIORE GRACE. BUT IF IT BE OF WORKS, THEN IS IT
NO MIORE GRACE; OTHERWISE WORK IS NO MORE WORK.-RomaIns
xi, 6.
THERE is not a more necessary and consolatory truth
than this-reason allows it, revelation affirms it-" The
work of the Lorcl is perfect."  Whatever he does, sustains its consistency and answers its end.  Neither is
there redundance nor defect.  The question of degrees,
the scale of dimensions, cannot alter the fact: whether
the emmet or the leviathan, whether the atom or the
world, each bears a stamp of entireness and self-sufficience. The most cautious inspection, the most fertile
imagination, can discover no want, can suggest no improvement. You canll relieve no difficulty, you can facilitate no process, you can heighten no result. The system
of the individual is as faultless as that of the species, the
economy of the pa'rticle as that of the universe.  The
grain imbedded on the shore, the star set among the
constellations of the sky, in their differing ranks of constituted nature, exhibit the same matchless adjustment,
fitness, and application.
Every "'gift" that "cometh down" from  God must
be as "good and perfect."  It is a boon of pure benignity. He openeth his hand.  He " giveth liberally, and
upbraideth not."  "The gifts and calling of God" can



Christian Doctrine of Divize Grace.     289
not be revoked. His blessings are diffusely scattered,
and lavishly bestowed. Through their boundless variety
it is impossible to mistake their boundless munificence.: He loadeth us with benefits," but all are true to their
character, and worthy of himself.
Counsel, in the sense of suggestion, co-operation,
when understood as denoting aid, are words which can
never express any acts of the creature toward this Infinite Being. He determines and operates alone. His
plan is eternal as his mind, and his single arm puts aside
all vaunted assistance when it bares itself to achieve it.
This is his absoluteness and his supremacy.  Hence
those sublime clemands which spare neither our ignorance nor imbecility. "With whom took he counsel, and
who instructed him, and taught him  in the path of
judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed unto
him the way of understanding?"  "Where wast thout
when I laid the foundations of the earth?  W~ho hath
laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath
stretched the line upon it?  Who laid the corner-store
thereof?"
If, unaided, Jehovah hung the globe upon its center,
and impressed its course; if all he does present manifestations of glorious independence; as little will he accept the advice, or seek the help, of his creatures in those
purposes and deeds for whose consummation earth was
only reared to be the scene, and providence is only impelled to form the machinery.  Creation is all divine,
providence is all divine, and grace must be all divine!
We contend for its unmixed essence, its unconstrained
exercise, its unrivaled triumph. It must be separated
from all impurities, disengaged from all corruptions, and
demonstrated to be the spring of divine goodness, to the
exclusion of every other motive; and the basis of human
hope, to the exclusion of every other support. This
" pure religion" must be 1" undefilecl."
19




290     Christian Doctrine of Divine Grace.
The language of the text occurs in the conduct of an
argument on the sovereignty of choice and distribution,
which belongs to the prerogative of God, and which is
involved of necessity in the operations of his grace.
Critics have not been agreed on the genuineness of its
latter section, many esteeming it the gloss of some
scholiast, and adjudging the amount of authority in its
favor to be defective. It is in itself, whatever may be
the decision, clearly just and natural, being the converse
of that sentence respecting which there can be no dispute. The sentiment of the part and of the whole is
strictly one, and easily intelligible., The argument, of
course, is relative. Though the terms are put questionably, not a doubt is implied of the certainty of that
touching which they are used.  That something is the
doctrine which avers Christianity to be a system of firee
favor toward the guilty and miserable children of men;
giving all its care to their need, without any admission
of their claims, or balancing of their demerits. The inducement is entirely on the part of God; man from the
beginning is merely regarded as unworthy and incapable
of recovering himself. His destitution of title and recommendation wants no other proof than the circumstance that he is the object of grace.
I. THIS ARGUMENTATIVE ASSUMPTION OR PRESUPPOSITION MUST BE CONSIDERED BY US.
The present dispensation is only the enlargement and
perfection of many: these have been progressively
evolved; and all have coincided in their general nature and purport. They have been, indeed, but less or
greater disclosures of the same plan, and have therefore
been projected on the same principle. The "weakness
and unprofitableness" of any were only comparative
with that which succeeded, and were suited to the period
<which the one later and superior would have overborne.
Grace is the characteristic which has traversed and as



Christian Doctrine of Divine Grace.       291
similated the long-extended series. But the evangelic
constitution is its most distinct and professed exhibition.
The.word becomes a specific, as well as prominent, term
in its language: the conception is indispensable for its
right intepretation.  Hence the Gospel is called, "the
Gospel of the grace of God."  The title in which it arrays the Father is, "'the God of all grace."  The testimony which it bears to the Son is put in the shape of
the well-understood appeal, "Ye know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ."  The Spirit is the " Spirit of grace."
This grace is unifornmly stated as the cause of the electing purpose —the reason of our personal justification —
the germ of that renovating process which brings back
the moral disposition of the sinner to a standard of holiness and a center of good-the potent motive to all
piety, as it is the prolific source of all favor. There is
no other construction to be placed on the scheme or the
operation of the Gospel but what those brief, definite,
and most expressive statements of inspired authority so
plainly and so repeatedly teach: "God, who is rich in
mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us;" " according to his mercy lie saves us;" "according to his
abundant mercy;" "according to his own purpose and
grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the
world began." These intimations are as full as language,
are as emphatic as repetition, can make them; but who
does not feel that there is a struggle for utterance which
a finite medium  resists, and an eagerness to convey a
meaning which a finite intellect, with all its aids and
efforts, never can receive?
We may be certain that Christianity is intended for a
rev6lation of the divine glory.  Did Jehovah forego his
claim to be glorified in all things, did he forbear to seek
to be glorified in all things, which all must admit to be
the highest possible end, then he must act in a manner
less than infinitely  wise, less than infinitely pure, less




292     Christian Doctrine of Divine Grace.
than infinitely authoritative, less than infinitely good.
That which must be the end of all his plans and works,
call only be more obvious and explicit in proportion to
their value and magnitude. The impress of the design
must enlarge and brighten with the grandeur of the
achievement.  The more important the measure, the
more apparent ought to be the resolve to derive honor
from it to the divine character and government.  Such
explanation, being all but self-evident, will scarcely be
contested.
But upon this explanation an additional one must be
laid. It may be the divine will to illustrate a particular
form of his character, or what we intend by a single perfection. This is felt by us when little engaged in painful disquisition.  The mountain tells us most naturally
of the power which upraised and figured its lofty head;
the valley, of the goodness which clothes it with verdure
and fruitfulness; the firmament, of the skill which suspended in those heights its splendid handiwork; the
ocean, of the riches of creative fullness, which supplies
its deep sunk abysses, and makes it the element of multitudinous life. In this manner there may be a more
special revelation of a divine attribute, the occasioyn
more prominently illustrating one than another. Perhaps none would demur to this further explanation.
It may seem perilous, if not presumptuous, to institute
comparison between the varied aspects of the divine
character, as unfolded in the Christian system, because
the tenor of that system appears to be to secure the perfect development of all. Redemption is the master purpose of divine wisdom, the fairest copy of divine purity,
the crowning deed of divine power, the dreadest infliction
of divine justice, the most costly boon of divine love.
Whatever thle light in which it is last surveyed, whatever the purpose for which it is last investigated, that
light is always surpassing, that purpose transcendent.




Christian Doctrilze of Divilne Grace.    293
As it revolves, each compartment of the complex wonder is pronounced to be its capital excellence and distinctive glory.  We now  cannot doubt that it was
intended to magnify wisdom, and we exclaim, " He hath
abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence." And
then we do not question that it was intended to enforce
justice, "to declare his righteousness for the remission
of sins, to declare, we say, at this time, his righteousness." Once more, we decide it must have been to
signalize his power; and instead of seeking a sign, we
adore that which eclipses a thousand signs, "Christ the
power of God." Again, the faithfulness is so vividly
portrayed, that its fulfillment must have been the impulse of all, and we sing, "He hath visited his people"
to "perform the mercy promised to our fathers."  This
prejudice and infirmity of mind is not a vice inherent
in it, but rather a proof of the limitation of its faculties.
The " angels" who " desire to look" into these things,
are not described as acquiring them at a glance, or indeed capable of pursuing them without an effort. And
if their piercing eyes cannot penetrate and compass
them all at once, a very inferior portion of this magnificence will fill our whole vision, absorb our whole
thought, and overwhelm our whole heart.  Still every
point cannot be most prominent, and every changing
opinion cannot be alike conformed to truth.  Nor are
we left to ourselves to resolve the question.  WVe might
naturally mhake our longest pause,. and breathe our fullest
ecstacy, upon the mercy, as the predominant feature,
and the excelling indication: "For thy goodness' sake,
O Lord!"  But what saith the Scriptures. "That even
so grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal
life, through Jesus Christ our Lord."  "To the praise
of the glory of his grace."  "That in the ages to come
he might show the exceeding riches of his grace, in his
kindness toward us, through Christ Jesus."  Such is the




294     ChlristiaJ DJoctr'ile of Divite Grace.
deeply engraven, the strongly emblazoned, superscription of our religion.
The design of the Gospel once fixed, We possess the
best key to its nature, and the truest index to its constitution. That must have its basis in grace which is
intended to display and aggrandize grace. Among the
different versions and representations of the Gospel we
should be careful to select that which gives to this principle all its descriptive marks and appropriate honors.
Let us leave the altar in its native simplicity, knowing
that to lift up our tool upon it is to profane it. Let us
leave the diadem in its ample outline, without confounding it by any settings of our own.
In endeavoring to disabuse the idea of grace, we
must concern ourselves with much that is gross in
ignorance, impious in temerity, and wily in sophistry.
We must be painfully affected with the coarse effrontery
and the perverse ingenuity of those who cannot bend to
the ascertained condition of human nature, or to the
gratuitous promptitude of divine interposition.
The more ignorant and audacious contention, that
human actions can literally challenge and deserve approval and favorable recompense-that they can, though
the agents are utterly depraved, be the subjects of
merit —when thus boldly declared and contumaciously
urged, is generally discarded. Against this more stupid
avowal and wanton bravado of error and self-righteousness we are not often cited to appear.  The hostility is
more subtle, more evasive; the wolf wears the sheep's
clothing; Satan is transformed into an angel of light;
it is not the analysis of the substance, but the detection
of the enemy!  But they who oppose the doctrine of
the atonement, have been incited to allege an incompatibility between it and the grace for which we plead.
With considerable adroitness, they present themselves
as champions of the free favor which contemplates sin



Christian Doctrine of Divine Grace.    295
ful man, at the same moment in which they despise the
great expedient by which it only can be justly revealed
and consistently sustained.
Hateful hypocrisy! Whence this unwonted part, this
sudden zeal? Where is the braggart morality of the
philosopher and worldling now? How is it that the
boast of merit and the urgency of claim no longer swell
on high? Strange proselytism and marvelous transforInation! They are guided only in their blasphemy of
their Saviour's name, and their rapine on the Saviour's
Gospel, by the fear that grace, in such a connection,
will not be worthily free or adequately spontaneous!
How hlave they been misunderstood!  They could not
concur with us, because we were not unequivocal as themselves-in spreading the honors of infinite grace! They
would go further, but we stop short in its full exhibition
and fearless averment!  They would apply a principle
to all its extent, which we gainsay and cramp! True it is,
that neither the sound nor signification was until now so
rife and lavish!  But then the emergency that may be
served, the success that may be won! Hitherto they
kept their mouth with a bridle. The fire was shut up
in their bones. The power of repression at length
yielded. The holy indignation made a way for its
lightning. Who would not make the grace of God a
watchword, even if the idea be despised in the heart, if
by its prepossessing character and vulgar association a
deeper thrust be aimed at Christ's pre-eminence, and a
darker slur be cast on the peculiarities of Christ's Gospel! The opposition, by these means, is so consistent
and so characteristic! Their jealousy of grace is sensitive to that degree that *they cannot endure the cross
as an adjunct, or Him who hung upon it as its dispenser!
Conjectural criticism, materializing skepticism, flippant
invective-the arrogant monopoly of reason, the supercilious contempt of the catholic faith, the treatment of




296      Chzristian Doctrine of Divine Grace.
the blood of the covenant as a common thing, and the
paring  down of our religion  to a meager nullityall originate in profound homage and meek submission
to the pure and uncompounded grace of God!
It is thus the sophism  is enunciated: Redemption
supposes the infliction of the penalty, though it be
shifted from the individual delinquent to his substitute;
this is to attribute it to barter and compensation, and
not to mercy; to describe it as actually purchased, and
not freely bestowed.  "For," say our opponents,'- that'which you call mercy is not free —your surety has paid
the ransom, has caiiceled the claim.  Ou1:r archetype of
mercy contradicts such notions.  It asks no victim, it
exacts no term.  Therefore the doctrine of grace is our
peculiar tenet, for we supplicate as a pure favor what you
may sue out as a strict right."
" Our soul is exceedingly filled with" this "contempt."   The answer to this shallow parade of reasoning is as easy as undeserved.  No lion need come out
of Lebanon to tread down the thistle. The following
observations may not be inapposite or useless:
Thle catonemet is the eqfect of divine grace and plcacability.
Its oblation produced no change in the divine mind.
Jehovah is not merciful because Christ has died, but
Christ has died because Jehovah was merciful.*  The
Father sent the Son.  It pleased the Lord to bruise
him.   God is never said to be " reconciled in Christ;"
but as in "Christ, reconciling the world to himself."
Christianity, wzhatever mcay be its compezsative p2rit* The reader must excuse the recurrence of this thought, simple,
essential, as it is, so much does common language overlook or distort
it. Even the intercession of Christ is nothing but the perpetual
remembrance of the mediatorial process by which God had mercy,
and his perpetual consistency with it. He "has respect unto his
covenant."'! He caulses his ear to hear'."




Christian Doctrine of Divine Grace.     297
ciple, is entirely inclepenclent of mCan, in its contrivmance
andl provision.
" The grace which bringeth salvation " is in no sense
impaired by any arrangements which had a reference to
ourselves. Antecedent questions of justice and satisfaction could not injure the display of that love which
was equally in the Father and the Son; which was.equally evinced in inflicting and enduring death. It
wears but one expression toward us, who, instead of
making overtures of peace, still need a creative and a
resurgent power to induce us to fall in with them; who,
instead of selecting the Mediator, now only call him the
Lord by the Holy Ghost; who, instead of approving
and welcoming the remedy, were scandalized, until
another mind was given, by its refusal to us of the smallest share in its honors.
The dceath of the cross is only a means to the most
benevolent end.
We must reason inversely to all general modes of
argument if we can imagine that the grace, which is
spread throughout the plan, is weakened or depreciated
by the existence of certain moral difficulties in the way
of its accomplishment. The benefaction is not commonly reduced in its value by its cost, nor a deliverance
by its peril. There must be a maifitenance of right,
there must be a resentment of sin; but these preliminaries shall all consist with the pardon of those to whom
the violation of that right, and the commission of that
sin, have been traced. Is the grace of God the greater,
or the less, when encountering no difficulty, or when
encountering it to overcome it?  Is the grace of God
more brightly, or more faintly, glorious when associated
with moral principles, or when disregarding thenm?  It
is easy to speak of grace, disjoined from the atofiement,
as unconstrained; but that which recognizes an atonement is perfectly, absolutely, so, for it effectuates its




298       Clristian Doctrine of Divine Grace.
purpose by the atonement; and, if constrained, is only
held to what is right by the immaculateness of its
nature, in the same manner in which God cannot err or
lie. Who is affected at the thought of divine benevolence when nothing urges and when nothing opposes it?
Who is not affected when the strait and  struggle of
human fondness are borrowed to inculcate the infinite
effort of that love which  surrendered  the  ineffably
endeared  "Beloved," who was in its bosom; when
we are left amid the pantings of wonder, the musings
of gratitude, with  such  an intensive, transcendental
description as this, "He spared not his own Son, but
delivered him up for us all."
So the Bard represents the Messiah  addressing the
eternal Father:
" Man shall find grace;
And shall grace not find means, that finds her way,
The speediest of thy winged messengers,
To visit all thy creatures, and to all
Comes unprevented, unimplored, unsought?
Happy for man, so coming; he her aid
Can never seek, once dead in sins and lost;
Atonement fbr himself or offering meet,
Indebted and undone, hath none to bring."
The Gospel, while it uzpiolds the claims of the divine
law, has an exclusive bearing upon us as sinners.
Let the awful negotiations between the Father, who
is in the Son, and of the Son, who is in the Father —
who are one —be whatever they were —the sinner has no
righteousness or claim.  There may be a, moral necessity that he shall be saved, but that necessity is perfectly foreign to any thing in himself. God is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, but it is only through the
countenance of mercy he can smile upon our lost condition.  We can only be seen, and treated with, upon
that level.  We can only hope that through the grace




Christian Doctrine of Divine Grace.         299
of our Lord Jesus, we shall be saved. We can suppose
a case in which the loss of a soul should be an injustice
to the Saviour's desert, and a robbery of his reward; but
that injustice and robbery could not pass through him,
and retain the same character toward the soul that was
lost. That soul would have justice done to it; its salvation being a question not of justice but of grace.
No blessing of the Gospel is, in any legitimate sense,
the subject ofpuw'chase.
Such phraseology is, at least, without the sanction of
Scripture, if it be not in contradiction to it. Christians
are  "the  purchased  possession;"  they~ are "bought
with a price."  But the " sure mercies " of the covenant
are thus unfitly represented.  God was ready to forgive
and sanctify, but there was an impediment.  Tt-is was
none other than the inconsistency into which these acts
of favor would hurry him, if unattended by a fulfillment
of his holy law.  The atonement is the removal of that
implediment in the prevention of that inconsistency: " the
fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ," henceforward, had merely to flow without check or restriction.*Ve, therefore, affirm that' these conceptions of divine
grace are best calculated, and are exclusively adapted,
to place it in a true light and on an honorable foundation.  We combine all the perfections of the Godhead:
we allow for all the moral difficulties of the case: we
proceed on admitted and established principles, rather
than assumed and arbitrary: we make much stress of the
counteracting circumstances which others think did not
* It is strange how this vendible language was introduced. The
Noncomformist Fathers abound in it. The compositions of Watts
employ it very commonly. No preacher, in modern times, used it
more than the late pre-eminent Robert Hall. Notwithstanding these
high examples, the Author cannot but deem it unwarranted by tile
letter, and inexpressive of the sense, of Scripture: incorrect in itself,
and lending countenance to Socinian objections against our system.




300    GChristian Doctrine of Divine Grace.
exist, and of that travail of mercy which others describe
as most easy and self-indulgent: we ap)peal not to the
vagueness of conjecture, but to substantial proofs and
monumental facts!
It is plain that a connection between the grace of
God and the work of Christ, was never suspected by
the earliest teachers of the Gospel to be irreconcilable..They bound them together as cause and effect, as design
and execution.  They contemplated them while they
advanced fronm the germination of the seed to the maturity of the fruit. "Being justified freely by his grace,
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." " By
the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men,
unto justification of life."
The Gospel being then considered and admitted by
us to be a system of grace, the text opposes certain
terms to each other which are essentially extreme and
incoherent. We must, then, attempt to prove,
II. THAT THE GRACE WTHICH IS SO PRE-EMINENT CANNOT BE CONFOUNDED WITH ANY INFERIOR OR INCONGRUOUS PRINCIPLE.
We often have to reason on the fixed use of terms.
Hence the virtue of definition. This is necessary to all
perspicuity and fairness of argument. Endless are the
controversies, and as ignoble, when differing amounts
of signification  are attached to the same pass-word.
You know that some terms have exactly the same
meaning.  These  are  familiar  to  your  ears as
synonyms.  Other  terms  are called  inconvertible.
They cannot be substituted or interchanged. They
are not only, after research, discordant, but on their
surface declare a diametrical, a transverse alienation.
Such are these conflicting phrases. They are incompatible as any two elements that cannot meet without an overpowering, a neutralization, of one or the
other: repellant as any two orbs which, having dashed




Christian Doctrine of Divine Grace.    3or
together, could never lose the shock, but must still fly
asunrder.
Grace is free favor: it can be related to no right, and
contained in no law.  It is extra-judicial; whenever
bestowed, it depends upon the mere will of him who
exercises it, or, upon what is the same thing, his voluntary pledge and agreement.  If this latter be withdrawn, thlere may be a forfeiture of integrity and fidelity;
but it is only so far unjust to those deprived of it,
that a claim arose out of it; but no injustice accrues to
them, considered inll their original circumstances. A
simple test of grace is presented by the following inquiries; ought it to be exercised? can it be righteously
withheld? If we affirm the one, if we deny the other
-it may be obligation, debt, reason-it cannot be grace,
for this principle never owes itself to its object; and in
not showing it, the person still is just. If there is any
necessity for it, save that of demerit and its misery, it
" is no more grace."'
Work is individual action or conduct.  It comprehends whatever is done in the body-speech and deed,
sentiment and feeling.  It embraces the whole range of
our moral agency.  It implies those particular qualities
which provoke praise or condemnation.  This course of
accountable behavior is properly
Persontal. We all feel possessed of a something which
we cannot transfer.  We are the same, notwithstanding
changes of time and character, with our forier selves.,/hatever we have taken part in still attaches to us.
WVe reap what we have sown.  We cannot escape the
consciousness that we are what we are.  It is a solemn
thought that our doings, however distant in point of
season, and various in point of complexion, are but all
accumulation of our responsible being-the identifying[
proofs, the mysterious links, of our personal character
and history!




302     Christian Doctrine of Divine Grace.
Work must be voluntary to be accountable. If I am
compelled to do what I disapprove, the hand is mine,
but that hand is only a mechanical instrument of another's will: the act is not mine, for the inward soul
resisted it. It may be, however, that men shall deny
their freedom  on unreasonable grounds.  They may
allege the force of their appetites and their affections:
but what are these, except so many biases of the will?
Motive is not only consistent with liberty, but there
could be no- liberty without motive. That cannot be an
involuntary action when we act friom ourselves, independently of external coercion.
Work, therefore, goes to form the general character of
the moral agent. That which a creature is known by,
his prevailing conduct, from which we infer what it
would be under any circumstance, and what it will be at
any period —conduct, which, while it is more tangible,
lays open much of the understanding and the heart-this
we denominate character. We all perceive what it intends, however difficult may be its philosophical explication. (Ttdepends upon habit, and habit weaves itself
out of conduct.:'A succession of works forms a habit,  a
variety of habits mold a character. Such has merit or
Ademerit; we attach weight, respect, esteem to it, ori
frivolity, contempt, reprobation. Human character, as
"God searches and knows" it, is far more, it is the
naked attitude of "the hidden man of the heart:" the
form of innermost thought, the peculiarity of innermost
disposition.
But if this be the just delineation of work, it cannot
be employed indiscriminately with grace. No mixture
could be more heterogeneous. They denote things which
have nothing common between them.
Grace is opposed to twork as it is extrinsic of the person. It reaches us from another source. It implies an
external relation.  It is the favor of an independent




Christian Doctrine of Divine Grace.    303
Being upon us, his once revolted creatures. Personal
qualities it may inspire; but its origin is supernal and
divine.
Grace is opposed to work, as it is independent of the
volition. Man had no desire to be saved in this manner;
and since the day that our first parent hid himself and
was afraid, " there is none that seeketh after God."
Each heart has yet to be turned, or else "ye will not
come unto" Christ "that ye may have life."  And even
if man felt the wish, that could not command the grace,
which is sovereignly free. It is the "'kindness of God
our Saviour," "who doeth as it pleaseth him."  Grace
directs our will, which it finds all stubbornness and
pride against its influence. "God worketh within us to
will and to do of his own good pleasure."  " So then it
is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but
of God that showeth mercy."
Grace is opposed to work, as it most jealously and
tenaciously challenges that merit and honor which virtuous and sinless obedience claims, and the divine code
awards. "To him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt." "The man who doeth these
things shall live by them."  " If Abraham were justified
by works, he hath whereof to glory."  But the sinner,
"saved by grace," disclaims all such " confidence of
boasting." Though most active, though "always abounding in the work of the Lord," he is described in the
sacred writings as "one that worketh not, but believeth
on him who justifieth the ungodly."  This "work of
faith and labor of love" are of another essence. And
grace will gather the revenues of its honor, and the
tributes of its praise. There must be no possible mistake. Each crown of spiritual excellence and of celestial glory must be cast at its feet. "The Lord alone
shall be exalted."  "He that glorieth, let him glory in
the Lord."  That the claims of grace may not pass into




304     Christian  Doctrinze of Divine Grace.
momentary dispute, how does inspired truth throw man
back on his nothingness in snatching him from his ruin!
One example may suffice: "For by grace are ye scvecl
throughfacitih."  Then there is something for self-gratulation! "Anlc  that not of youzrselves, it is the gift of
God."  Then that faith is not inert, and works will follow! But these have no part in the matter of justification: "Not of woorks, lest any manr shoZld boast." Then
works are wrought by us, and so may we plead something self-determining and characteristic! But the last
pretense is doomed to fall. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works."  So
perishes the pile of human frowardcness and vanity; but
by its side rises the sanctuary, whose pattern is in the
Eternal Mind, whose altar retains the friagrance of a
sacrifice offered once for all, whose foundation was hewn
from the Rock of Ages, and whose "headstone was
brought forth with shootings, crying  Grace, grace
unto it!"
Here then are unalterable, eternal distinctions. Some
numbers can never quadrate, some lines never converge,
some substances never mingle; and these terms can never
be transposed, these alternatives canll never be reconciled. Sooner call cold and heat the same, darkness
and light the same, death and being the same, than imagine that grace and work can be compromised, or can
replace each other. This would be a chaos beyond the
poet's dream.
We shall find occasion, notwithstanding their discrepancy and collision, to regret the various attempts made
to consubstantiate them; and must proceed to remark,
III. THAT THESE ARE OFTEN VIOLENTLY TORTURED
INTO  AN  UNNATURAL ALLIANCE AND INTERMIXTURE
AM3ONG THE SYSTEMS WHICH PROFESS TO EMBODY THE
EVANGELICAL DISPENSATION.
Confessions and symbols of doctrinal faith may pass




Chrzstian Doctrinle of Divine Grace.      305
under different names, and may be abetted by different
parties.  The practiced and vigilant eye detects the
fraud. The combatants cannot take their aiml from the
clouds of dust which their onset has raised.  Extremes,
it is proverbial, sometimes meet: but though this is sufficiently unmeaning, unless it apply to what is simply
nominal and not real, still all error, however combined,
however varied, however particularized, retains a certain
uniformity.
Grace has been "tlurned into lasciviousness "-been
represented as existing without any holy evidence. Men
have "continued in sin that grace may abound."  But
it is plain that work not signifying obedience inspired
by grace, but some claim against it, men will not build
up grace with worlk, but rather cement work with frace.
This is therefore the coalition, or, if the word may be
tolerated, the jumble, against which we protest.
That system cannot reconcile itself to the idea of
grace which proceeds upon the merits of human conduct.
We do not say that innocence deserves, in the strictest
acceptation of the word, the divine favor, but it is a fit
subject of reward: for as it must respect a law, it must
be dealt with according to that law. But the innocence
of a rational creature (and its application to one irrational, savors more of poetry than theology, and of
absurdity than both) is the effect of inducement. All
law, however seemingly harsh the proposition, is an
appeal to self-love. It is better, or it is worse, as the
subject obeys or infringes it-a law implying sanctions.
Such innocence may claim, if not on the right of proportionate merit, yet on the ground of express stipulation, a particular measure of benefit. As God is not'"unrighteous in taking vengeance," so he is not "6unrighteous to forget" what he has promised to remunlerlate. All moral conduct is of itself rewardable. Still
we remember the different circumstances of our race at
20




306     Christian  Doctrine of Divine Grace.
present. They are circumstances of absolute defection
and ruin. The resistance of Christianity to all merit is,
that such merit is impossible; that its existence is fictitious; that its supposition is monstrous; that its boast
is an act of most unreasonable hardihood and impious
contumacy. It militates, not against the doctrine of
merit, without which there could not be a moral government, but against the guilty phantasy that man can
secure and retrieve himself in virtue of it. It is an arrest, not upon the principle, but upon his application of
it. It does not uproot. this tree of life, without which
innocence would be robbed of paradise, and paradise
would be emptied of innocence, but only interposes lest
he should put forth his hand that is already polluted by
another stealth, and whose pollution this additional outrage would but confirm. We, therefore, often hear of
the efficacy of repentance; and, if in so many words the
title of virtue is not alleged, the illegality of punishment
is loudly denounced. How many who profess to look
for salvation to mercy, raise an outcry "like an armed
man," against their perdition being agreeable to justice!
They forget that merit is a relation of justice; that no
creature can ever be treated but according to justice;
that there is an unalterable rule of admeasurement; that
sin has desert, and shall have the wages; while a lapsed
being can only be recovered to a perception and habit
of excellence by unmerited goodness, so that all this
excellence must be void of claim, constituting but a part
of that gratuitous recovery.
Any system which rests human acceptance on a foreknowledge of some attractive qualities of character, cannot reconcile itself to the true notion of grace. It would
be difficult to find where this view gains any advantage
over the simple, undisguised consultation of the creature's
claim. It would be as difficult to point out how any
supposed embarrassment of these questions can be re



Christians Doctrine of Divine Grace.    307
lieved by such a view.  God sees the end from  the
beginning; there can, therefore, be no real distinction
between the anticipation of certain virtues and his retrospective concession to them. The cause is the same,
beheld from different directions; and we but throw farther back that perplexity which, referred to whatever
date, is equally irresoluble. But even allowing such
anticipation, fallacious as it is, when intended to explain
what it only displaces, another question arises. Whence
originates this foreseen confidence, godly sorrow, and
holy love? Foreknowledge is not potential; it is as
independent of what it regards, as what it regards is of
it. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?"
"i Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?"
Why any creature falls, why any fallen creature does the
vilest abominations, are inquiries which are hampered
with no dilemma; a creature left to himself, by his law
of being-having no claim to be kept, for this sustentation is favor, not justice-will go away with " a perpetual
backsliding;:" and there is nothing'"earthly, sensual,
and devilish," but of which he is capable.  No superadded force is wanted to depress him. But how with
his "heart," which is "desperately wicked," does he'believe unto righteousness? "  Who has smitten the
rock, and melted it into streams of grief?'Who has turned
the "wilderness" into "the fruitful field?"  If, therefore, it is an anticipation of the sinner's self-cherished
excellence, it is evidently not of grace but work, whatever be the question of time; and if it be an anticipation
of what God will do in us and for us, his own c" good
word," which he " will begin and will perform," then it
is not of work but grace, though regulated by a digested purpose, and not an existing fact,-by what is to
be, and not what is.
Any system which reckons on the self-determining
power of the human will, cannot be reconciled to the




308     Christian Doctrine of Divine Grace.
legitimate purport of grace.  Whatever a man prefers,
he wills; or whatever he wills, he prefers; he inclines, he
chooses.  Here lies the strongest proof of his depravity,
that he loves it; and here is the great argument for his
moral liberty, that he voluntarily thinks, speaks, and
does his sinful pleasure. Is he excusable in breaking the
law, because he does not desire to obey it?  Or does he,
by the prevalence of such desire, cease to be fiee? "Yea,
they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations."  It will be readily granted
that all good in the creature originates with the Divine
Being. That influence which produces this good, whether light, impulse, grace, or any other term, shall describe
it, is either general or partial.  All do not benefit from
it, but some do. The former fact we could explain, did
we believe it common, which we think negatived by
Scripture, and did we believe that God would bestow
any thing unavailing. But how is it that sonime do benefit
from it?  We shall be told that they, lunlike the rest,
improve it. Then they are only indebted to grace as are
all mankind. They are not more so than any of the lost.
They make themselves to differ. Yet the question returns: How is it that their will, which is but the
bias of their tainted naturle, elects the part of good?
How is it that it takes grace by the hand, and aids its
operation?  Should it, in answer, be said, that unless
this influence be common, man is unjustly governed, it
would follow that a government must provide for the
principle, as well as the claim, of allegiance in all its
subjects, and that, becoming a business of government,
it must leave the station of a favor to take that of a
right.  But it is a poor consummation of an energy
which is more stupendous than that which creates out
of nothing, and quickens whom it will, that it would
have converted the creature, if the creature might have
been induced to permit it,! Such self-determining powelr,




Chyristian Doctrine of Divine Grace.    309
a power to rise above all the known tastes of the soul,
would involve, in this connection, something more determined, more resistless, than the "exceeding greatness"
of Jehovah's power, "according to the working of his
mighty power!"
Any system which accounts the Gospel as a provision
of simple opportunity and facility to man to save himself, cannot be reconciled to a due consideration of grace.
This has: been called, in somewhat uncouth phrase, a
salvable state. It proceeds on many errors, and engenders more. It commonly takes for granted that the
divine law is let down in its requirements and sanctions,
as though God had miscalculated and overreached his plerogative in these announcements and safeguards of his
will. It generally goes to confirm the sentiment, that a
certain line of demeanor will have a pacifying and propitiating effect upon the mind of the Lawgiver, who has
already deferred so greatly to his creatures, that he has
exposed himself to a necessary implication of previous
harshness in exaction and punishment. But where now
stands the work of Christ?  According to the same
hypothesis, it has brought about this state of things:
that is, instead of magnifying the law, and making it
honorable, he has stamped an ambiguity on it, and virtually annulled it; he has died, that man might see that
sin was not so evil, and that its consequences ought not
to be so dreadful! And after this indignity done the
"Holy One and the Just," assigning him the work of
"destroying the law," what a mockery of his saving
office does it leave him! Man, having been brought into
a condition far freer from restraint, and far more exempt
from  retribution, than before, by the advent of his
Saviour, now is able to do what would have been little
and useless, until the milder code was introduced, but
what is very laudable and  satisfactory under the
amended form of duty! Still, nature is weak, and pas:




3Io     Christian Doctrine of Divine Grace.
sion strong; there may be a deficiency after all. If the
tears of repentance cannot wipe out every stain, if the
many virtues cannot countervail all the numerous imperfections, then (I tremble to give language to these
deformities and horrors of blasphemy!) shall the "-blood
of the covenant" complete the almost perfect task!
Is this grace or work?  By this construction of Christianity, Jesus deigns nothing more than to put us into
a capacity, and furnish with a chance, of saving ourselves! And by the view we must take of his design,
never are we to invoke his righteousness and expiation
but when, after our best and most strenuous self-justifying efforts, we feel that a little more may be required to
give our case its last claim and perfect recommendation!
Blessed Jesus'! thus art thou put to "an open shame!"
First thou art made " the minister of sin," in reducing a
law which is " holy, just, and good;" and then the friend
of presumption, in crowning the labor of those who " go
about to establish their own righteousness!" This is the
estimate of thy stripes!-this is the glory of thy wounds!
" A goodly price that thou art prized at  "
Any system  which  vindicates the prerequisite to
interest in the Gospel, as inclusive of all the virtues, is
irreconcilable with a worthy interpretation of grace. It
need not be insisted on that faith is this prerequisite;
it is the condition (we retain the terminology of our
soundest divines) to "the fellowship of the Gospel."
The reason for this constitution is assigned in Scripture
most unequivocally; it " is of faith, that it might be of
grace." There must, therefore, be an aptitude in this
instrument for this end. It must be transparently illustrative of this object.  But is not the reason of its constitution often placed on other ground? Is it not often
stated  that faith  seminally  contains reliance, love,
patience, zeal, and general obedience?  Is it not warranted as the guaranty of the *best and purest conse



Christian Doctrine of Divine Grace.     3 I I
quences? Is not the stress laid upon its prospective
effects?  Strip the disguise from this, and faith is vindicated for " its works foreseen."  "If it be of work, then
is grace no more grace." But all who are in similar
error will not feel this application of the argument.
These are quite indignant at those simple views of faith
which some, who attempt to think for themselves, entertain.  Would you take away, they exclaim, all efficacy
from faith, as though it could do nothing of itself?
W.ould you resolve it into sheer mental exercise? Would
you have us saved by the faith of devils? To this we
answer, that no faith can have any more or less qualities in itself; that nothing is so dependent for its
character on objective accidents; that it must be
influenced solely by the veracity of the witness, and
the nature of the testimony; that faith of its own
nature has not a saving point beyond brotherly kindness and charity; that the faith of devils is an insupposable case, as there is no "word of the truth of glad
tidings" addressed to them; that the process of intellect, by which they believe that there is no provision of
mercy in their instance, and by which their rage and
despair are awakened, assures us of the reverse; for this
is a "faithful saying, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners;" and we have "joy and peace in
believing."  Faith can neither justify nor purify; it is
the Gospel which only can do the one or the other. It
is from  the Gospel faith derives all its influence to
"justify without the works of the law," and to'" purify
the heart."  Faith only recognizes God as sincere, and
the Gospel as true and all-important; and this is its
whole use in these great transactions.  As men never
believed in two ways, or by two mental states, so happy
would it be if, when they spoke of our " precious faith,"
they thought more of the matter believed, and analyzed
the manner less.  It is very possible to contend for




312      Christian Doctrine of Divine G-race.
faith, and to refine upon it, until it becomes a very
righteousness, a more splendid and elaborate "work."
Any  system  which varies the  universal freeness
of the Gospel by moral differences in man, cannot be
reconciled to adequate impressions of grace. Without
distorting or forcing into one another the things
which differ, Christianity surveys all men in their
need of salvation and in their ruin without it. Their
guilt of a thousand hues, their depravity of a thousand
features, all exhibit them in this predicament of equal
need and ruin. In its grandeur it seizes on these generallties, knowing that the debtor of fifty pence and -the
debtor of five hundred are leveled to one condition, and
because they have "nothing to pay," it frankly forgives
them both. But have we no idea, though we perhaps
will not confess it to even ourselves, that some have
inferior occasion, and more ready welcome, than others?
Could we, with the same unfaltering tone, proffer these
blessings for immediate acceptance and for immniediate
relief to the ornament and the outcast of society, to the
cloistered sage and the condemned felon? Instead of
addressing the inquiring sinner, "And now  why tarriest thou?'  do we not feel more disposed to subject
him to trial, and to rack him by suspense? It is difficult to be practically consistent; and there are few,
though they are most devoted to the Gospel for its
grace, that have not hesitated, in particular circumnstances, whether all should be told, whether a gradual
and medicated preparation of its truth should not be
substituted-whether a regimen almost irritating should
not precede the soothing balm. But no one has discretionary power here. It is his duty to "testify the
Gospel of the grace of God."  And this view flings a
burning rebuke upon those who pretend to honor grace
by the rejection of all conditions. Yet among the'" perverse things which- they speak, to draw away disciples




Christian Doctrine of Divinse Grace.   313
after them," these are foremost in erecting conditions
which the Gospel never contemplated, and its ministry
never acknowledged. They tell us that we must bear
no general message, that we should address only certain
descriptions of character; that when we find a particular amount of convictions and emotions, there only can
we be suffered to disclose the " lplenteous redemption."
Their idea of grace is, that it must find a congeniality
in the sinner; but if magnet there must be, it is of little
importance what be its precise attraction, it is only a
question as to the kinds of work. We preach to the
uncalled, to call them; to the unimpressed, to impress
them; to the unconvinced, to convince them. Otherwise our commission would be partial and specific,
not to "every creature," and to " all people," but determined by human character and discriminative qualification.
Any system which founds our duty upon a bestowment of grace, is irreconcilable with its very principle.
Grace may or may not be exercised, may be withheld,
may be withdrawn. But obligation depends upon law,
upon expediency, and when it is moral, its grounds are
immovable. Grace therefore can never be a reason of
duty, nor can duty cease to bind us because of the nonintervention of grace. Yet why is it that many say
that all men ought to believe? Their answer is, that
all have grace. Why is it that many say that the duty
is confined to some! Their explanation is, that only
some have grace. Thus obligation is made to travel
the same course, and to measure itself by the same extent, as that which is under no necessity to exist at all!
God's authority is thus suspended upon his mercy, and
we should become unaccountable had he forgotten to
be gracious! And I beg you will remember two things
which are equally true, but by no means contradictory:
that gracious influence is necessary to salvation, but




3 I4    Christian Doctrine of Divine Grace.
not to moral rule —is necessary for a sinner in order to
be saved, but cannot be to a moral agent in order to be
governed.
You will not fail to observe with what jealousy the
sacred writers denounce any encroachment upon the
province of grace. As justification is its first expression
and act, they set around it a guard of the most solemn
cautions. Circumcision was the only rite that the Jewish converts wished to retain; they sought and struggled
hard to mingle this with " the righteousness of God by
faith." It seemed a harmless peculiarity. But it was a
foreign infusion in that element which must be purely
integral.  It was opening the door to other intrusions.
It was a declaration that something might, and must, be
added to that on the simple ground of which we are
accepted. And how does an Apostle regard it?  As so
irreconcilable with the profession and truth of Christianity, that he who was guilty of it "was a debtor to do
the whole law,"-that Christ should profit all such as
were circumcised nothing, that " Christ was become of
no effect unto them," that they " had fallen from grace.".And as sensitively as we feel the slightest particle in
some delicate sense, or a jar through the frame when
the quick of some nerve is most gently pressed, so should
we watch against any thing, however minute and seemingly innocuous, that would detract from the purity, by
blending itself with the essence, of grace! 0 how
strange is it that men should labor to corrupt this divine
principle, to throw strange fire on the altar which burns
with the heaven-kindled flame! to adtilterate the "feast
of fat things! " They extract bitterness from the sweetest flowers in the " garden of the Lord," and distill poison
from the leaves which " are for the healing of the nations." They recast the Gospel in their own mold, and
mutilate its natural proportions according to their own
mnodel. They receive the heavenly to debase it into the




Czristian Doctrine of Divine Grace.    315
earthly. They now complain of the conditions of the
Gospel as too free, and then of its precepts as too severe;
here they allege its salvation to be too easy, and there
too arduous; first, it leaves them nothing, and afterward
too much, to do; their complaint that it represents them
as utterly helpless, is followed by another, that it expects
scarcely any thing short of superhuman excellence from
them; and thus their wayward objections give a sort of
reality to the parlble of the children sitting in the market-place, and calling one to another, and saying, " We
have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have
mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented." A less
theoretic view of this subject remains to be taken. And
we proceed to observe,
IV. THAT THESE CLASHING AND REPUGNANT PRINCIPLES ARE EQUALLY EXTREME IN THEIR PRACTICAL EFFECTS.
How differently they explain Christianity!
If work predominate over grace, the Gospel is the
republished law. This law is what it was, or it is not.
If it is, then why call that the " Gospel of peace " which
only tells of war?'why speak of " the hope of the Gospel" when Sinai has not spent a thunder, or allayed a
curse? Why rejoice in the republication of'a law with
greater clearness in those rules which we have violated,
and greater terribleness in those penalties which we have
incurred?  Is this the "ministration of righteousness,"
in contrast to "the ministration of condemnation? " Is
it thus that "the hand-writing of ordinances, which was
against us, and which was contrary to us, was nailed to
the cross? " But if the law, in its new form, be not what
it was, then it is extenuated. It becomes what theologues
have called remedial; and it is the consent of God, to
accept less than he originally required, —he has lowered
his demands on our obedience. But this is not only
impossible in Him'with whom is no variableness," but




3I6     C/zristiin' Doctrine of Divilte GUrce.
one or the other of these implications must be justeither that the original claim was exorbitant, or that its
abandonment is derogatory.  View, then, the state of
the question.  The. Gospel, if the uzabated Iceaw, is a
message of despair.  All the expectations formed of it
were mockery, and all the statements, furnished by itself,
are turgid exaggerations.  The Gospel, if the exten.tated
lawin, does not raise "glory to God in the highest," but
changes that glory into whatever is short-sighted, fickle,
and inconsistent; nor need we exult, for in the prostration of that law sinks the standard of our good, falls
the pattern of our dignity!  The "perfect love," with
which it dispenses, would have been the perfect happiness of which this act consequently despoils us.  But let
grace have the pre-eminence; let the tender mercy of
our God visit us; what a change comes over the "great
salvation!"  What light passes through it! What significance impresses itself on it!  It is pardon to the
guilty, it is renovation to the depraved, it is relief to
the wretched, it is restoration to the undone! It undertakes the whole burden, and condescends as far as we
have sunk! It never pauses until it has found out " our
low estate," and never relaxes its effort until it has lifted
us fromn it. TWhat different things the gospel of work so
defined, and the gospel of gracee so illustrated!
How oppositely they affect the mission of Christ!
That coming "into the world," that coming "in the
flesh," that coming unto the hour which consecrlated him
as a victim for sacrifice, is described as a strenuous labor,
as a signal consummation.  He "endured the cross,"
and "despised the shame," upon an urgent necessity.
This cause must be worthy of such dread expense.  He
is always represented as unassisted. He " trod the winepress alone."  He, his own self, " bore our sins, in his
own body, on the tree."  Such is the sense of the inspired page respecting it,-his interposition was greatly




Christian Doctrine of Divine Grace.    317
conceived, and greatly clone. And sruch is the sense,
which, "if it be of grace," is fully supported. He " hath
perfected for ever them that are sanctified."  It is not a
small, uncertain product of benefit which he realizes.
He "is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption." We " are complete in him." We
honor gralce in the degree to which we honor the mediation of Christ.  "I do not frustrcte the grcace of God;
for, if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead
in vain."  But " if it be of works," at once the Saviour's
mediation is degraded. Though the means are the same,
how dwindled is the issue! Though he bled and died,
the prodigious cost is redeemed by no corresponding
advantage! A subserviency to our convenience is all
we concede to him!  For what did he "pour out his
soul unto death?"  According to this unworthy calculation, to follow in the train of the sinner who strives to
save himself, ready to lend his aid, should occasion require it! the armor bearer to the warrior who may not
need him, but who is ennobled by his attendance, and
secured by his service! The employment of " the true
God and eternal life," in such salvation of such sinners,
is inglorious beyond all comparison. It is to put the
new piece of cloth to the old garment, while the tatters
hide and shame it!  It is to make up our all-but-sufficient sum, that we may purchase our own freedom! It
is to unloose one hand of the fettered prisoner to enable
him to boast that, with this solitary exception, he unshackled every other limb!
How inversely they influence the human mind!
Grace supposes a certain state of feeling in its recipient. " God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the
humble."  That humility is proper in the creature as
derived and dependent; that it is proper in the creature
as fallen from his Maker's likeness and favor, is beyond
the reach of doubt. It is equally indubitable that God,




318     Christian Doctrize of Divine Grace.
in all his dispensations, aims to repress every opposite
disposition.  "The proud He knoweth afar off." Ife
will be acknowledged as the Giver of all good. Nothing
does he more reprobate than even the inclination to say
in the heart, "MiIy power and the might of mine hand
hath gotten me this wealth." Assumption of independence is the " cursed thing," the root of every evil, the
stamp of every crime. This, particularly, applies to religion. There can be no offense equal to that of corrupting or rejecting a religion which only humbles
by declaring the truth of our own condition, and by
proffering a salvation adapted to the helplessness and
demerit of that condition. The God of this religion can
suffer no one to " glory in his presence."  "Boasting is
excluded," necessarily and intentionally. Now, whether
of these two principles is the better fitted to inspire that
humility of dependence which every relation of the creature, and much more every adjunct of the sinner, dictate?
There is all the difference of claim and suppliance:
"God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are!"
"God be merciful to me a sinner! " The Gospel repeats,
"By grace ye are saved;" it adds the reason, " Not of
wtorks, lest any man should boast."  But the spirit of
grace, in contradistinction to work, is not only the spirit
of humility, but of obedience. WVe -may conceive of an
obedience beneath the scourge of fear, the constraint of
interest, the impetus of ambition. These are either passions which are quickly exhausted, or which cannot
survive frequent mortifications.  The conduct they will
urge is not framed for its own sake. They are the chains
in which the convict works, or the unpalatable restraints
of self-denial necessary to him "who striveth for the
mastery." But we can conceive of an obedience prompted
by gratitude for some great benefit; we can conceive of
it being congenial to the taste, as well as responsive to
the feeling, of the grateful party; we can conceive of




Christian Doctrine of Divine Grace.    319
that twofold moral influence pressing upon the spirit so
equally from without and within it, like the atmosphere
upon the bodily fiame, that all exists with spontaneousness, and all moves with facility.  WThether will comprehensive or contracted views of divine mercy —whether will the Gospel, flowing from grace, or founded on
work-whether will fear and self-seeking, or sympathy
and gratitude-produce the larger share and purer
kind of holiness and worth? The one will be ostentatious, clamorous, arrogant, intermittent, evasive; the
other retiring, meek, lowly, continuous, indefatigable.
The former will be "eye-service," the latter of "goodwill."  "To whom little is forgiven, the same loveth
little."
The incongruity is thus plainly declared in the effects
which severally follow the admitted ideas of "grace"
and "work."  They cannot be transmuted in substance,
or interchanged in operation. Their mutual adoption is
therefore inconsistent, and no juxtaposition can give
them affinity with each other. They are the, rock and
sand; they are the gold and clay; they are the day
and night. "If by grace, then it is no more of works:
otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works,
then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more
work."
There is a tone of remonstrance in these words, which
speaks to all who place their hope elsewhere than on the
simple mercy of God in the provision of a Saviour.
There are those who would dissociate these ideas. Of
God we know nothing but in Christ; and of his mercy
nothing but in the cross of Christ. There only justice
and clemency meet; there only can the pardoning Creator and the penitent creature approach each other;
there only may we in one focal view behold that " God
is light," and that "God is love;" that the "'righteous
Lord loveth righteousness," and that "he delighteth in




320    CGhristian Doctrinle of Divinze Grace.
mercy."  These are the fairest images that ever entered
the human mind; the most stirring of conceptions, the
most touching of sensibilities. These are the sentiments
we most fondly cherish, and most earnestly recommend.
We would " make all men see what is the fellowship" of
this " mystery! "  And can you be so " vain in your imagination," can your "foolish heart be so darkened,"
that you refuse the living " waters," for no other reason
than that they are given "without money and without
price?"  If bidden to "do some great thing," would
you not have done it?  What is your attempt?   If you
seek to be justified by the law, avow it, and be consistent. The law will justify perfect obedience, but only
that. It has no clause of grace. Offending " in one
point, you are guilty of all." " Cursed is every one that
continueth not in all things which alre written in the
book of the law to do them."  You may appeal to the
judgment-seat; but see that your case be irrefragable in
the argument of your sinlessness, or never commit yourself to the headlong extremity. Ah! what strange infatuation prejudices you against the wisdom of this
gracious expedient, and blinds you to its necessity?  Is
it too groveling to accept what God so generously bestows?  Will you make your own terms, in contravention of his?  Can you only object that he as fireely as
abundantly pardons?  Must you be saved in a mannler
that shall blot fiom the act all importance, and leave
you without any obligation? Then banish yourselves
from the companionship of broken and contrite hearts.
Then find a heaven of your own, in which you may
pour the full melody of a self-applauding song, and
dazzle with the radiant majesty of a self-adjusted crown.
"Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy
come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of
knowledge, and by him actions are weighed!"
But let us " cut off occasion friom those who seek occa



Chiristian Doctrine of Divine Grace.    32I
sion," though we err by a tautology of statements. The
work to which grace is opposed, is some presumed
ground of merit; something that wars against the ready,
thankful, and earnest compliance of the sinner with the
tendered salvation of the Gospel. VVe do not "sin, that
grace may abound," but we honor grace, in teaching us
that " denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should
live righteously, soberly, and godly."  Condemnation
cannot coexist with obedience; condemnation is reversed, that obedience may be promoted.  Our heart is
turned, at the moment that our conscience is "purged
from dead works to serve the living God."  We work
no longer for the life of safety, but from the life of principle. WTe know that we cannot be justified by our
works, but we know that without works faith is dead.
We rejoice that we are redeemed who "were under the
law," but do not consider ourselves "without law to
God, but under the law to Christ."  We believe that
God imputes "righteousness without works;" and that
the "purpose" is not of works, " but of him that calleth;"
but as cordially do we believe that "this is a faithful
saying," and to be affirmed constantly, "that they who
have believed must be careful to maintain good works."
They are depicted as. "zealous" of them, ready to do
them, firuitful in them, and when they die, "they rest
firom their labors, and their works do follow them."
These are their necessary uses, and their splendid honors.
Be it yours, dear Christians, to emulate them: that
while your sentiments give to this blessed grace its
purest definition, and your feelings accord to it its
warmest praise, your lives may present its most illustrative specimen, most accurate comment, and most beautiful delineation! Amen.
21




322  The Son of God Anticipating his Reward.
V-II I.
THE SON OF GOD ANTICIPATING HIS REWARD.
FROM HENCEFORTH EXPECTING TILL HIIS ENEMIES BE MADE HIS FOOTSTOOL.-Hebrews x, 13.
WHATEVER may be the description of that knowledge
which an omniscient being must possess regarding future
events, or whatever is the manner in which future events
must shape and unfold themselves to an infinite mind,
they can simply be considered as future still. Futurity
supposes a relation to present time, and only by admitting that relation can we properly conceive the idea
which it intends. From analogy we might therefore
infer, as well as from the necessity of the case demonstrate, that this distinction will enter into the judgments
of the Uncreated Intelligence, "the only wise God."
Though "there is no searching of his understanding,"
he "is a Spirit," he is " the Father of spirits;" and consequently some resemblance must obtain between his
knowledge and our own. Such events are not, indeed,
contingent because future, futurity being equally susceptible of certain arrangement with the immediate
instant. To the Eternal they will stand revealed absolute as his nature, fixed as his decree. To him there can
be nothing problematical, nothing casual; he must foreknow all things, and can only know what is already
sure. What has constituted that inevitably sure would
form another question, and belongs to another class of
inquiries; but a prescience of future contingencies, of




The Son of God Anticipating /lis Reward.  323
what perhaps may or may not be, is a contradiction in
terms. It is vain to say that this perception is merely
of their doubtful nature, that they are known as uncertain-for this confesses an ignorance of the issues, and
boasts an information than which no thinking creature
can have less. What we contend for is, that the perfection of divine knowledge does, by no means, subvert
or overlook the succession of passing and remote events.
For this succession is a fact. Instead of things being
of one date, they gradually transpire.  A child cannot
fail to discriminate the order ini which one circumstance
follows another. Then if nothing of this fact of sequence
presents itself to the mind of God, there is a something
actually existing which he cannot recognize, and which
all finite apprehension cannot but observe! His eye
detects not what every other necessarily seizes! It is
not by these verbal perversities, these false reasonings,
that we "glorify God as God."  The thought of his
consciousness must always agree with reality, and the
light which inspheres him must be invariably reflected
from truth. It is nothing short of absurd to state " that
the future is present" with him. Things are positive
and rigid: and though the judgment day be clearly
foreseen and truly determined-though he has appointed
the very aspect of its scenery and the very moment of
its consummation-yet it is future to the Judge as it is
to ourselves.  This being a substantive fact, cannot be
more or less true,' or vary its truth by any law of relation to higher or inferior natures. Our estimate and
impression of that future period will most seriously differ
from the glance with which Deity meets, and the survey
with which he comprehends it. To us, who are'"of
yesterday," the distance may seem vast; fancy and computation may sink beneath the attempt to expect it;
while in the judgm ent of Him who " inhabiteth eternity,"
the postponement may contract to a span and dwindle




324  The Sons of God,lznticipiatbig his lRcward.
to a point —" a thousand years are as one day!"  And
this mode of statemient He himself warrants.  He distinguishes between his intentions and his acts: " declaring the end from the beginning, and fiom  the ancient
times the things that are not yet clone, saying, My
counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure." Nor
can it be any derogation from him thus to separate the
" things which differ."  For what is futurity? What is
it but that arrangement which He has laid down for the
ordinary evolution of his own purposes, for the proper
succession of events.
These remarks are capable of an application to our
present design.  When " the Son of God," "the Lord
from heaven," interposed to become the " mediator between God andcl man," he contemplated certain results
arising out of that mediation, and sought, in those
results, his recompense of reward. The subjection of
all things to himself was the specific end of whatever he
taught, performed, and suffered in this strangely-kind
capacity; and no indemnity inferior to this could he
accept for infinite privations and woes.  1-Ie demands
the accomplishment of this plan, which really is only
constituted to give greater effect and wider scope to his
benevolence.  The triumph he awaits is a triumph of
mercy. The victory he will achieve is the overcoming
of evil by good.  The spectacle he will exhibit is a
ujworld subdued by love. In crushing all adverse principle, all counter-working malice, he is but true to this,purpose of benignity, and but cares to establish the wellbeing of the universe. There is not a world and community of intelligent beinlgs unthreatened and unendangered while any hostile force is left without duly-meted
punishment and invincible restraint. To insure this
determination, the oath of Jehovah has gone forth.
Because "he could swear by  no greater," he has
"-s olrn by himself."  It rests upon " the immutable




The Son of God Anticipating his Reward. 325
things in which it is impossible for God to lie." But it
is yet future, it is still reversionary. There is " a set
time," and " an expected end."-" now we see not yet
all things put under " Him, who has acquired their riglit
and shall receive their possession! le is "heir of all
things," and is " expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool."  This, then, robs him of no glory, and divests
him of no claim as " God over all;" for exactly similar
representations are employed in cases which leave no
doubt with any that the Supreme Divinity is to be
understood. Ah, if a hundredth part of the express
condescensions avowed by the Divinity had been announced by Jesus Christ-inl hearkening to hear-in
looking down from  heaven to behold-in leading man,
to prove him and to know what was in his heartin " repenting," in " turning "-how would the enemies
of his coequality have numbered and displayed them to
deny the perfection of his knowledge, and the consistency of his will! Every explanation is welcome to
reconcile the humble language, the deepest accommodation, of the Father: the faintest approach to such
gracious mien, the rarest imitation of such voluntary
meekness, is always to be quoted against the divine
majesty and prerogative of the Son! The alternative in
the former instance is to maintain the condescension of
Supreme Power, in the latter to deny Supreme Power
from the condescension.  "The way of the Lord" is
C equal: but as for them, their way is not equal." They
make the invidious distinction, turning every statement,
which in the one argument they admit most congruous
-with all that is divine, into a compulsory process, a
determinate law, limited to the creature, demonstrative
of the man. Little would their utmost objection, indeed,
establish; since His person consists of human circumscription and infinite essence!
Let us "seek the things which are above, where




326  Thze Sonz of God 4Anlticipat i'  his Rezevwad.
Christ sitteth at the right hand of God."  Him "the
heaven" has received "until the times of restitution of
all things."  On himn every eye of celestials is turned, to
him their every harp is struck. Pierce through every
sphere of light, every throng of spirits.  Above those
sons of the morning, those creatures of beauty and of
bliss, how do his glories pre-eminently shine! He is
Cin the midst of the throne!"  He is the center of all
attraction, sympathy, and joy! "The Lamb is the light
thereof.'" But who can explore his bosom' and search
his heart? Who can divine the thoughts which engage,
and pursue the visions which wrap, him?  His countenance, his attitude, his station, his office, all bespeak a
calm but deep emotion; a hope which beats high but
unperturbingly. Some lofty project occupies him, some
glorious conception transports him, and we can' now
pronounce its actual purport. We not only catch, as
in a mirror, the expressions of the "visage which was
more marred than any man's," and from which hereafter
" the earth and the heaven shall flee away;" but we feel
the very throb of the heart which the spear transfixed,
while it pulsates with "the expectation" of the ascendency which the cause it cherished in life, and clung to
in death, and lays hold of forever, is preparing to establish and destined to command.  We see not only the
array of "the glory and honor" with which Jesus is
crowned-cwe have access to the secrets of his breast!
Let us consider this expectation,
IN THE PECULIARITY OF ITS SCOPE.
Evil of every kind has forced its entrance into this
world.  How subtle is its form, how malignant is its influence, how wide-spread is its diffusion! It has drawn
to itself that of other natures and spheres. Tile enemy
came in like a flood.  But here is its deepest hold and
intrenchment: here, too, is the theater of its most notoiious publicity and most restless activity. It is more




The Son of God Anticipatilg hzis Reward.  327
than doubtful whether, in any dwelling-place of the universe, there can be found so many different elements of
evil, or such multiform combinations of them. Everywhere the leprosy has eat in itself; has fretted the pillars
which bear up the earth, and struck through it until it
has become like the tainted habitation of old.  We are
"altogether an unclean thing."  Having brought the
abomination into our house, we have become "a cursed
thing" like it. It stamps us with its own image. It
transforms us into its own nature. It implicates us in
its own doom. There is, consequently, an idea of hostility in every scriptural representation of sin. It is the
hostility of rebellion against God, it is the hostility of
fraud, murder, and perdition against man. It does the
law and character of the Deity a moral injury; the interests of human welfare it contravenes and betrays.
But this hostility requires, on the part of all loyal creatures, an opposing feeling, a disgust of its perfidy and a
horror of its cruelty. For as good is the only will of
the Creator, if we be " followers of that which is good,"
we must be on his side. Since it has no standard but
his infinite excellence, love to him implies reprobation
of whatever is adverse. That excellence is holy beauty,
of which benignity is only a part. The emotion which
corresponds to it is holy esteem and complacency, and
therefore a contrast necessitates a disrelish and an execration. Hence the righteous One is represented to be
the hater and avenger of evil, because of his fidelity to
perfect good in universal purity; and all his creatures
who are followers of him " as dear children," participate
in the same disposition, and arm for the same war. Ile
is only inimical to that which is essentially pernicious,
and they seek alone the overthrow and extirpation of a
destructive principle, which can only exist and operate
to the harm of all being and the wreck of all happiness.
Malevolence cannot mingle with such a cause, nor enter




328  The Sonl of God Anticipating his Rewtrd.
on such a pursuit.  "Judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it."
The submission of all accountable creatures to God is
not only reasonable, but indispensable to their well-being. Then only can they "walk at liberty."  A revolt
supposes a blinding and seductive influence which is incompatible with the freest, or which is the same, the
most congenial and native, exercise of the soul. The
balance of the mental and moral powers is deranged.
Justice takes its prisoners too. So that in fitness and in
law the very good of the creature is abused. Voluntary
subjection is his dignity and his happiness.  And therefore, when every statute of divine government, and every
plan of divine benevolence, insist upon this subjection,
it is really but requiring the party who yields to bless
himself. Instead of exacting, in this requirement, a harsh
and capricious measure, without it God could make no
creature happy: it is the indispensable condition of whatever good he can bestow or we can receive.
Now our text pledges that the enemies of Christ shall
"be made his footstool."  The preceding remarks will
explain the beneficence of this hostile purpose, so far as
it supposes the ultimate happiness which it is necessary
to produce and secure. But we do not disguise that it
involves the eternal misery of certain beings who have
so identified themselves with the evil which is the sole
object of vengeance, that they must bear all its disgrace,
and suffer all its demerit.
At once, then, we are ready to declare that the inspired account of divine benevolence is far fiom supposing the final happiness of all. To rescue one fallen angel
it has never interposed: though it redeems from among
men "a great number which no man can number," it
leaves others to the due reward of their deeds.
We only cite two popular objections.  Why, in the
first place, it is asked, has not God mercy upon all?




The Sole of God A nticipa/tizg his Rewaard. 329
But surely an earlier reply is demanded to the question,
Why has he mercy uponi any?  A universal amnesty is
not to be forced upon him who need not ever exercise
mercy, though he must always execute justice; and the
probability is, that were none " set forth for an example,"
the ends of moral government would be compromised,
and the enormities of sin be forgotten.  And a second
inquiry is, Why should not these enemies be annihilated,
if they cannot be forgiven, rather than be perpetuated
in penal existence?  Destruction is no law of this created system, no menace of this moral probation; and He
who made beings for immortality will not, on account
of any change in their character and relation,  undo his
work and deny himself. It is his will that they live;
and this tendency of an endless life is impressed uponl
them. The question is not, what he could accomplish,
for a being independenlt of his power and pleasure there
cannot be. It was an unalterable purpose; and this is
the reason of their immortality, as it is of their existing
at all. To recall that immortality would confess the law
to be too severe, and its consequences to have been unforeseen. It would impeach its principles and its sanctions. It would be to snatch the culprit from its grasp.
Besides, we should thus recognize a collision of divine
perfections. We distinguish between those more natural
and more moral. Power is of the first, justice of the
second, class. Let the blow fall which shall extinguish
some being. Notwithstanding the reasoning of certain
metaphysicians, we hold the effect possible.  But would
it not be a hideous supposition that justice was defecated
by power? that force clashed with right? that arbitrariness prevailed over law? Taking the Bible with us, we
advisedly denounce the vain conceit of universal happiness, and the strange suggestion of spiritual annihilation.
From the same authority, we learn that there are enemies who shall be " made his footstool" -a phrase which




330  The Son of God Anticip2ting his Rewarid.
cannot denote any thing salutary and propitious to those
who are thus prostrated and abased. They are placed
beyond the limit of remedy and hope. " He that made
them will not have mercy on them; and he that formed
them will show them no favor."
It is somewhat difficult to class the enemies of Christ.
The characters of their hostility are recklessness and
desperation.  However unworthy and despicable, we
cannot make light of their aggressions. Their course
is most mischievous, though their subversion is sure.
They may, perhaps, be enumerated in the two following
divisions.
There ctre particulcar beings who are his foes. Creatures of his power, endued and sustained by him, are
found leagued against him. They " will not have "' him
"' to reign over " them. Their intellect, with all its faculties and passions, strives against his authority and his
cause. Fiends and wicked men are alike guilty. We
are not disposed to think of Satan less than of a most
formidable adversary. He " had the power of death,"
having introduced it. The power of the kingdoms of
the world, and the glory of them, was, in a very credible
and substantive sense, delivered to him and to whomsoever he would give it.  It is not his boast, but an infallible description furnished of him, that he is the " prince"
and " god of this world." He has fortified it as his own
monarchy, and converted it into his own temple. He is
represented as " a strong man armed, who keepeth his
palace,'" and his goods are in peace. Iis is a gloomy
but a royal state. His is an iron throne and a serpent
crown. His is a train of willing vassals and victims.
His dominions lie in undisturbed quiet. Neither is his
title questioned nor his yoke felt to gall. Insurrection
there is not among his captive slaves, nor complaint.
The "treasures of darkness" he keenly watches and
resolutely guards. And when we remember that the




The Son of God A;ticizpting /is Reward.  33 I
" angels excel in strength," that this apostate was probably shorn of none in his fall —when we further consider
the consummate artifice of such close inspection into human nature, and of such accumulated experience of itwhen we still add the intensity of hatred which burns
amid his stupendous powers and gives them their fatal
direction-it were folly for us to attribute to him little
importance, or to think of him with light concern. In
him we behold what sin, is, and what is its desert; the
lofty proportions and vast capabilities of his nature are
informed and dilated by it, and its sentence is branded
on his thunder-scarred brow. It is the fearful consequence of joining in his rebellion, of making this " agreement with lhell," that human beings become " enemies to
God by wicked works; " that they are dealt with as confederates; and that if finally incorrigible and implacable,
if at length they do not "recover themselves out of the
snare," they must " depart into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." It is only meet
that this common revolt be counteracted with the sanme
spirit of determined opposition as that in which it is
waged; that when creatures rebel and vex his Holy
Spirit, he should be "' turned to be their enemy," and to
fight " against them."  The divine character, the universal interest, each idea of governmenlt, each ground of
law, demand the suppression of this treason, and overthrow of those who have conspired together in it.
To these beings, the Scripture subjoins certain hostile
principles, which under the vail of allegorical allusion,
and by the aid of bold personification, are denominated
foes. Sin, as a criminal, is "condemned in the flesh."
The world, as an adversary, is " overcome." Superstition
is antichrist, that wicked one, the man of sin. Idolatry
is a dragon, having a power, a seat, and "great authority."  Persecution is a "woman drunken with the blood
of the saints."  War sits on the " red horse, and there is




332  Tpe Son of God A          iziczpatilzg his Rezard.
given unto him "a great sword.", eligious imposture
is "the false prophet."  Death is the "last enemy; " the
grave is taunted with its "victory;" Hades is defied
with " its gates," " follows with death," and is cast along
with it " into the lake of fire."  All these evils will find
a subversion. They are among " the enemies " who shall
become his "footstool." Signlal displeasure shall be manifested against them.  As opposed to whatever was
comely and beautiful, just anld kind, they shall be denounced and destroyed.  But it is plain that all their
hostility drew its dint fiom  living intelligence, from
accountable nature,-and the punisl ment must therefore
fall on that which is sentienlt andc susceptible. To beings
shall their odiousness be exposed, and on beings their resentment must be visited.  The subjection of these
inimical forces is the grand design of the Saviour's
advent into our earth.  "For this purpose was the Son
of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of
the devil."  He hath " put away sin."  He " gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this
present evil world."  The various forms of depravity
which exist in the passions of men, and which have even
corrupted the character, while they pleaded the sanction,
of his religion, he will, at his second appearing, "' consume with the spirit of his mouth, and destroy with the
brightness of his coming."  He will " swallow up death
in victory."
The tendencies of Christianity co-operate with this
design. They are precisely adapted to "put enmity"
between the seed of the serpent and of the woman.
They set us in the strictest resistance to all evil as an
usurpation.  WVe know that the Gospel conjures us to
be " reconciled unto God;" that it is a system of allegiance and love; that it is the appointed means of
excluding from our earth, and eradicating from our nature, all that is detrimental and untoward.  It does not




The Son of God A4nticipating his Reward.  333
palliate the evil, but resolves to dry its source and kill
its root. The "Author and Finisher of our faith" is
therefore described in the gradual process and ultimate
triumph of his truth as separating all alloy and disengaging all worthlessness —" sitting as a refiner," having
"his fan in his hand" that he may " thoroughly purge
his floor."   And when he reduces his enemies to the
condition of his " footstool," it will be the righteous vindication, dread as is the act, of his benevolence, which
all these hostile natures existed to thwart, and all these
hostile principles operated to embarrass.
Now these perverse abettors, and monstrous forms, of
guilty variance with the Saviour, he awaits on his throne
to see entirely subjugated. These enemies must be overthrown.  Their purposes shall be baffled; their energies
shall be subdued. In vain shall they writhe beneath the
feet then planted upon them! They shall bite the earth
and lick the dust! From their promised greatness, from
their towering ambition, they shall be hurled to the
ground, and become the footstool of Him who was' despised and rejected " of them! This figure supposes
-Defeat. Long since was the basis of his victory laid,
its title established. He, upon the cross, made " an end
of sin," and destroyed' death. Then was " the judgment
of this world," then was " the prince of this world cast
out."  He encountered their united shock and prevailed.
No future struggle can resemble the past. He has won,
and only has to apply, tile victory. " The Lamb shall
overcome." He who conquered when "clrucified in weakness," can be disconcerted by no force, anhd impeded by
no difficulty.  Even now his most inveterate enemies
gasp beneath their death-wound.  But the vengeance is
yet to be wreaked. The triumph is yet to be displayed.
At present the spoil is not sufficiently gathered, nor the
host refreshed. Still these enemies find no hope in the
future. They have not even the desperate hazlrd before




334  The Son of God Atictici   g his Reward.
them of another combat. Their destiny is cast. Their
struggles, however oft repeated, and however long extended, are in chains. They cannot meet again their
awful Antagonist; no more can they recoil before him.
I-Ie has "bound the strong man."  The deed is done.
The weapons of their war have perished. Soon shall
"the army of the aliens" be brought forth. Our Jesus
has imprisoned them in their refuge. And as the Israelitish chief dragged the kings from the cave of Makkedah,
and summoned his warriors to " put their feet upon the
necks of these kings,"-so, having "'bruised" our enemies under our feet, the "Captain of our salvation"
shall " tread them in his anger and trample them in his
lfury," while he calls upon an applauding universe to
confess his fame and sing his victory! "There are the
workers of iniquity fallen; they are cast down, and shall
not be able to rise!"
Nor does the image which implies defect, less import
Degradation. Evil is highly flattered and powerfully
supported in the present state of things. It throws an
intrepidity and daring around it.  Much exists to
encourage it. " Hand" joins "in hand."  It enthrones
itself upon "high places."  "The multitude " does it.
It finds countenance in the communities, institutions,
and laws of men. It calls every association of a proud
honor to its aid. There is every effort, every contrivance, to evade the sense of shame. But then anew,
though the just, feeling shall seize upon the enemies of
the common good. Reproach shall cover them. Inly
shall they shrink.  Low  shall they crouch.  Their
deformity will be unvailed.  Their purpose shall be
detected.  All eyes must shun,'all hearts detest
them. Nothing  can survive to cheer their spirits,
to rally their resources, or to redeem their excesses. And now awaking " to everlastinig contempt "
-the very " footstool" of Him  whom they were too




The Sonz of God Anticipating his Reward. 3 3 5
haughty to acknowledge, and too stubborn to servethey suffer the doom threatened by the Eternal Sire
against the enemies of the Son: "I will beat down
his foes before his face, and plague them that hate
him."  "All that are incensed against him  shall be
ashamed." 1
And this similitude denotes also
S'abserviency.  Now does the Saviour "rule in the
midst" of his enemies. He can "put in their hearts"
to fulfill his will. He allows not of their independence,
whatever may be their boast. Their " wrath " praises
him. They " are made for the day of evil."  He knows
their abode, and their going out, and their coming in,
and their rage against him. They have their use in
his plan: they are the slaves, and not even the mercenaries, who hew wood and draw water for the erection
and service of his temple.  And in that day of anticipated triumph, they who took "counsel together to
break his bands asunclder," shall be shown, through all
their unwitting course, to have ministered to him: and
then shall become instrumental to his state. They shall
be thrust into a very " footstool " for him. From them,
not only harmless but accessary to his royal dignity, he
shall exact a final service. They shall swell his pomp
and express his grandeur!  While they gnash beneath
him, not only shall their overthrow teach their powerlessness to mate with his strength, but prove that their
hostility to his perfect benevolence gave the darkest
hue to their guilt, and constituted the most exasperating
provocation of their punishment! Thus " the Lord will
take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth
wrath for his enemies." He will wound their head; he
will clothe them with shame; he will see his desire
upon them. And though this requires a terrible retribution, it is necessary that mischief and misery may
cease, and that " destructions may come to a perpetual




336   T/he Soi of God A ticizpatiJg /his Rewvard.
end."  And when He "treads  lown " them who stumbled and fell, it is no tyrannic sway, no cruel parade: it
is Benevolence sitting in its state. it is sceptered Mercy
and enthroned Love!
Having pursued the scope of the expectation which
is cherished by the Saviour, let us consider it
IN THE PERIOD OF ITS COOMMENCEMAENT.
It takes its rise with a certain date, it follows in a
particular order.  "From  henceforth,"-that is, upon
some scene being past, some epoch having expired.
A scene how strange! It commenced with a manger,
and ended with a cross. It was constituted of misery,
and consummated by death. It was an eclipse of infinite
majesty. It was the travail of eternal Might. He
stooped from heaven to the "lowest parts of the earth."
He sunk friom  the regions of immortality into the
grave.  Constantly  that scene  evolved  with  new
ignominy and enlarged woe. But it is fled, never to
be repeated!
An epoch how  tremendous!  It was the crisis for
which all time was born, and upon which all history was
balanced.  The interval it included measured  such
moments and years as never rolled before or since.  To
this fullness of times all had culminated, and by it
all are impressed.  With the suspense of that crisis the
universe vibrated.  But it is numbered, never to be
recalled!
Still the original term  may yield a more extended
meaning: that which is left, or what remains, the rest
is, that He should expect "till his enemies be made his
footstool."  Hitherto something preliminary and necessary had always intervened. The expectation depended
on some condition, and looked through some medium.
It is now unbroken and unmnixed.  It is a firee and
commanding vision.  Nothing confuses and embitters
it. It rises serenely, it advlance-s steadily, it opens




The Son, of God Anticipating his Reward. 337
unallayed; no more to be secured, but simply nmeditated
and uninterruptedly enjoyed.  What, then, was the
restriction- until now?  What was that requirement
which stood up before his mind, and darkened this
glorious prospect?
l-e muzst enc'ure the most inconw eivable szufer'inqs.
From eternity they had risen on his view. When he
rejoiced, by benevolent anticipation, in the "habitable
part of the earth," he contemplated it as a stage for their
endurance. Gethsemane was there as well as Eden; the
river which watered the garden in which the first Adam
was placed did not ravish him more with its sweet music:
than Kedron then murmured mournfully on the ear of
the second Adam, as if ready to drink his tears; and
the original tree which was "made to grow out of the
ground," contained the germ of the cross. He beheld,:
when bidding the deluge to subside, the hill Calvary,
more prominent to his eye than the peak of Ararat,
emerging from its bosom. He foresaw, when lie rained
fire upon Sodom, "'the great city, which is spiritually
called by that name, where he was crucified."  His
death was perpetually imaged in bleeding mysteries,
and announced by prophetic oracles. I-lad he been able
or disposed to forget it, the reiteration of its signs was
too frequent, and the assertion of its horrors too distinct.
"The harp, with a solemn sound," was struck by many
an inspired bard to strains still more intense and articulate, as the time drew nigh when he should tabernacle
with us. During that sojourn, these omens thickened
upon him in ever-accumulating succession.  There was
neither respite nor pause. Each association of external
objects took this character; all his thoughts and his
allusions declared this presentiment. He computed time
by this index. "My hour is not yet come! " The
hour is at hand!"  "The hour is come!"  "Save me
from  this hour!"   When was the minute, where was
22




338  The Son of God Alticipatilg his Reward.
the point, in which the presages of his agony and  crucifixion did not lour before him? The path of the Victim,
the procession of the Sacrifice, reached back to his
" goings forth which were from of old, from everlasting."
-" It is finished "  He shall not suffer another panlg,
nlor the thought of another. He "dieth no more." No
intimation, no suggestion, of woe can pass his mind.
No complaint, no deprecation of pain, can escape his
tongue. He has thrown all that which was once the
gloomy and bitter future into the past.  It lies in the
"'dark  backward and abysm'of time."  Before him
stretches the unclouded scene of peace and joy.  IIe
expatiates in it without check or possible dejection.
There grows not in it a thorn, there rests not on it
a shadow. He looks out firom  his throne, and, conscious that his sufferings have entirely and eternally
ceased, merely awaits "till his enemies be made his
footstool."
Ere this expectation could be unreservedly indulged,
lie nmust lay the basis qf his mneciatoriial offices.
Being sent to save mankind, rejoicing in the purpose,
he had to surmount certain moral exigences. These
respected divine claim and human incapacity. Without
sacrifice God could not allow, without sanctification man
would not accept, "the Gospel of salvation."  For both
these ends, it cannot be too often repeated, provision
must be made. There must be a counterbalancing desert to man's demerit, and a counteracting influence to
man's indisposition. Christ has undertaken for us. He
must, therefore, substitute an equivalent righteousness,
and exercise an efficient energy. We must be pardoned
for'" Christ's sake," we must be renewed by the " Spirit
of Christ."  The whole is a special work which he was
to accomplish, and from it arises a special title, which
he applies.  "He is able to save to the uttermost:" but
this ability is as much a right, as a competency, to exe



T/e Son of God A1zticipatiug his Reward.  339
cute the deed. He has' obeyed the law," he has borne
our sinl and curse. We are saved, not in deference to
his pre-eminent virtue and exalted dignity, as children
have " found grace" because of their parents, but we are
saved in regard to a series of positive acts performed, a
succession of positive sufferings endured, for the express
design of saving llS. Upon these the mediatorial relations and characters of our Lord depend.  Only by this
course does he become a prophet, priest, and king. And
this work which the Father gave him to do had hitherto obstructed the spectacle of this final subjugation.
While it remained, it filled the sphere of thought and
attention.  "It is finished!"  His oblation can never
require another grain of incense to enrich its "sweetsmelling savor," nor can his endless intercession find
another plea besides his obedience " to the death of the
cross."  And it is now for him, without this pre-engagement distracting and intercepting the view, to cherish
the future, amid which stands no difficulty and arises no
labor-a scene of sweet refreshment and calm repose.
He aspired to these offices that he might control all
things by the power, and for the triumph, of his love.
His blood was our ransom from the demands of justice,
and his power is employed to "save us from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us."  And
having so fulfilled " all righteousness," the diadem is set
upon his head, and heaven is his throne, that this prospective reward may stand forth to him with a definite
outline and living truth.  HIe need deserve no more to
win it; and whatever of particular commission was
necessary to obtain his title he has executed. His eyes,
"like unto a flame of fire," gaze upon the vision of his
final glory, dispreading in its amplest folds, and irradiated with its strongest splendors. "For He that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own
works, as God did from his."




340  The Son of God Anticipating his Reward.
Previously to the unrestrained enjoyment of this catastrophe to the universal plan, the Son of God
Must overcome his spiritucal adcsversaries.
Fallen angels had taken us captive.  Our circutmstances, in the first instance of probation, and in all
others of depravity, gave a facility to their malign purpose. But we do not think that Scripture ever affixes
to this power obtained over us any idea of right. It is
a violence, a rapine, but not a lawfully founded rule.
And therefore, to the best of our judgment, the Scripture does not express our deliverance under any notion
of equitable redemption.  It is not to be indemnified,
but overthrown. Satan set up his " power of darkness,"
but "greater is He that is" for "us, than he that is in
the world."  It was power which should assail, and not
price which might remunerate.  "A stronger than he"
must overcome him, and take from him " all his armor
wherein he trusted," and divide his spoils. But it is a
necessary inquiry, how created strength can, for a mo-ment, hold combat with omnipotence?  We traverse
not now the realms of poetry, but of far more magnificent truth. Let it be remembered, according to some
of our earlier statements, that it was not in the mind of
the " great God our Saviour" to annihilate the existence,
or suspend the agency, of any accountable creatures;
and therefore they opposed him not with their derived
power, but their spontaneous malice. They were " left at
large to their own dark designs."  But it contradicts
all reason, that this strife should have partaken of a
physical character; that mountains torn from their roots,
and linked thunderbolts, should have been the weapons.
Such an encounter "makes arms ridiculous, useless the
forgery of brazen shield and spear."t'He that sitteth
in the heavens" would "laugh, the Lord " would "have
them in derision."  It is not, then, a trial, a shock, of
* Milton.              f Ibid.




The Sows of God Anticzipatizg his Rezward  341
strength whose issue must be easy and immediate: it is
a struggle in connection with particular moral means,
and certain moral principles.  Did this tyranny arise
out of our sins?  In their counteraction the tyranny is
quelled. Did wicked maxims alld practices uphold the
tyranny? Its falsehood yields to truth, its treason to
fealty, its mischief to good. Did this tyranny enslave
the human race? It crumbles before that salvation
which "makes us free indeed."  Did this tyranny erect
on earth a rival influence? It is broken to pieces by the
kingdom which the Redeemer raises in the human heart,
the kingdom which destroys all hostility and has no end.
Did this tyranny indirectly; though consequentially,
form a part of the penalty which guilt incurs? It is dissolved wherever that penalty receives a remission. Did
this tyranny consolidate itself in the "ignorance and
blindness " of our nature? It is stricken to its center by
every exposure of its machinations and delusions. Now
all this is the history of the event. Jesus must have
the official qtGCaliflction of the mediator in order to
wrest his people from this infernal seizure. Thus only
did he equip himself and become "mighty in battle."
Justice, until then, could not suffer the liberation.  But
when he died to expiate sin, to establish righteousness,
to secure a glorious liberty, to "receive for himself a
kingdom," to repeal " all condemnation," to " wound the
head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the
foundation unto the neck," he effectually closed with his
enemies, met them in the plain, and secured their irretrievable discomfiture.  Thus he substantiated his supremacy, and disarrayed the traitor, host. And their
fall is so much the more abject, as it was not wrought
by simple power, by an appeal to force, but by confirmilug great and important principles, which are irreconcilable with every rebellious attempt, and subversive of
every rebellious system.




342  Tze Solz of Gocd Ai tic4ratizg'/zis Reweard.
We have in the evangelic record an account of the
MIessiah's death; but nothing seems more remote from
every circumstance of victory. No such enemies as
these appear, nor is there a demonstration of their attack.
Hasten to the scene. There is an engine of torture!
And is this to be the standard of the war? There is a
i)lace of execution! And is this fit theater for the enterprise? There is a cry of despair! And is this the voice
of one who shouteth for mastery, and who findeth a
spoil?  As if in mockery of that weakness and woe, we
are informed by an inspired commentator that He blotted " out the handwritimng of ordinances that was against
us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way,
nailing it to his cross: and having spoiled principalities
and powers, he made a show of them, openly triumphing over them in it."  Was ever history and description
more at variance?  "He nailed the handwriting to his
cross!"  The superscription of his offense is there, and
the hammer has driven nails through his hands and feet
to suspend him on it.  "He spoiled!"  Instead of stripping others, the soldiers part his raiment among them,
and upon his vesture cast lots.  "Principalities and
powers!"  All rank and authority are leagued against
him, and have succeeded in destroying him. "Made a
show of them  openly!"  He is transfixed, naked, insulted, pierced, a spectacle to heaven and earth.  "Triumphing over them!"  His murderers gloat over him
as their victim, while they deridingly shake their heads,
and barbarously sit "down to watch him there."  "In
it!"  The cross is no vantage-point from which to deal
the blow that shall scatter the enemy as chaff. Yet this
is the infallible construction upon the death of Calvary,
and therefore "the mount" must have been "full of
horses and chariots of fire."  To Him, who there "set
up his ensign," stood revealed the presence and the
agency of spirits that desired this death, and had COIn



T/re Sor  of God A;lticiatilzg- Ais Rezward.  343
plotted with man to secure it. For " Satan entered into
the heart of Judas," and the crucifixion was the masterpiece of his stratagem, and the burst of his rage. He
deemed that it must be a downfall to the cause of Him
who had come to "bruise" his head. And 0, what
filrious joy he felt when the traitor kissed Him: when
the multitude demanded His death: when the governor
outraged every sense of justice in His condemnation:
when He was hurried away to the place of skulls: when
I-e was uplifted on the tree: when the spear was thrust
into His heart: when He bowed his head: when He was
laid in the grave. The blow in which was collected the
vengeance, and in which fell the aim, of four thousand
years, at that moment struck him  down!  "How  art
thou fallen, O Lucifer!"  Dread was then thy distraction! Ghastly then was thy despair! Caught in thine
own toils! Crushed by the recoil of thine own engines!
Then learnedst thou what is hell! Thy chain had never
lacerated until it received this rivet; thy fire had never
consumed until it was reddened by this blast! Then
thy captivity was taken captive! Then thy counsel was
turned into foolishness!  Then thou didst betray thyself! Then thou wast cast down! The conflict was
real in proportion as it was moral! Human sense could
not apprehend it.  There was no blazonry of arms.
There was no "shouting at noontide."  But in a field
impalpable to our eye, and with a din impalpable to our
ear, the adversaries confronted and strove. And a concussion of powers must then, by other beings, hlave been
as distinctly felt as when this earth, in mysterious sympathy, rocked with surprise and quaked with fear; an
array must have been observed by them, more dazzling
than had the stars in their courses fought against each
other; or had the rout fallen, like lightning, from heaven.
"It is finished."  Our chanipion overcamne. Nothing
wvas wantedl to secure the conquest. lie looled aroullnd




344  The Soh of God Anticizatizg his Rezward.
the battle scene, but all was complete. Htenceforth he
resigns himself to " the vision which is for an appointed
time," and "though it tarry," waits for it. He will contend no more. No other enemy can arise. Victory has
sheathed his sword for ever. And it only remains that
he dictate his terms, that he apply his successes, that he
distribute of his spoils, that he dispose of his captives,
that he recline beneath his palms!
What then now intervenes requires no such suffering,
labor, and conflict. Not that we make light of those
mediatorial funcltions which he still executes, nor that
we can imagine his state of reward supposes any notions
of inactivity. lie lives for the most important ends.
He intercedes. He reigns.  We are "saved by his life."
He is " our life."  "Because he lives," we shall live also.
7He "abideth a priest continually."  His "throne is forever and ever." In both these offices he " is consecrated
for ever more." But then he only pleads and presents
the merit of his blood, and only sways and enforces the
"all power," given to him  "in heaven and in earth."
No idea of difficulty, no circumstance of trial, remains.
"We have such a High Priest, who is set on the right
hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens."  He
"~ is Lord of all." Whatever are his enemies, he " despises
their image." And though we must conceive of his constant agency, it is marked with the utmost possible
facility, it is "the working whereby he is able even to
subdue all things unto himself."  All moves on in an
unbroken train. The progression sweeps majestically
forward, embodying the scenes of prophecy, and ushering in the ages of peace. He hastens " it in his time."
He rests from pain, from toil, from strife; not with indolent repose, but refreshing activity.  "His rest is glorious."  He "fainteth not, neither is weary?"
This expectation must be considered
IN THE TEMPER OF ITS IN DULGENCE.




The Son of God AzticzipatiPg his Reward.  345
During the life of our Lord on earth, a desire of the
reward which depended on his death is very perceptible.
As it was promised to him, because his soul was " made
an offering for sin," that "the pleasure of the Lord"
should "prosper in his hand," so he ever and anon
anticipates this glorious sequel to his labor and woe. It
cannot be too constantly remembered, too vividly impressed, that the result is one of the divinest charity;
that it is the largest possible amount of the purest possible happiness for the greatest possible number of moral
beings.  Therefore each incident,. though apparently
slight, offers occasion of triumph and warrant of hope.
When the inhabitants of Sychar came forth to examine
the truth of the report which had been conveyed. to
them of the stranger sitting on Jacob's well, He said to
his disciples, "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields;
for they are white already to harvest." Having observed
the " great faith of the Centurion," he exclaimed, as
though this was the specimen and earnest of a believing
world, " I say unto you, that many shall come from the
east and west, and shall sit down in the kingdom of heavenl."  Certain Greeks would see him, and when their
curiosity was testified to him, he was elated with a holy
transport: " The hour is come, that the Son of mall should
be glorified."  When Mary poured the spikenard over
his head, he declared with an emphatic assurance of the
future, "Verily I say unto you, wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also
this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial
of her."  These scenes, these triumphs, attracted his
loving heart, and constituted that "joy set before him"
on account of which he "endured the cross and despised
the'shame."  And now he has "for ever sat down on
the right hand of God, from henceforth expectizng till his
enemies be made his footstool."
It is a somewhat unusual term, and in this connection




3.46  Yhe Sonw of God Ainticipating. his Rewcard.
inspires high and animating thoughts, involves strong
and solemn pledges, which embolden and ll    assure our
hearts."  Nor is it possible to conceive of this expectation without supposing a concentration of mind upon
the destined result.  All things in their appointed dates
and stages are exposed to his knowledge.  The plan of
the universal future is spread ont under his eye.  "1 Hell
is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering."
What changes of dynasty, what revolutions of empire,
what causes of vicissitude, are laid bare to his glance!
No moment, no event, can he overlook.  The number
of our hairs he cannot mistake, nor the fall of the sparrow can he neglect.' He is "the first and the last." But
this final object engrosses him.  All his thoughts linger
here. It absorbs his dearest will. He pierces whatever
is intermediate to rest his attention upon its scene, and
to expatiate amidst its glory.  Occurrences derive all
their value and interest to his eye from their relation to
the issue which he now undivertedly regards, and accordinlg as they are accessory to " his glorious alppearing,"
when he shall triumph over all the powers of darkness
and the occasions of woe.
Circumstances might sometimes tempt us to distrust
the earnestness of this expectation.  Obstacles are suffered, delays are brooked, which we determine could be
prevented, or, if they must arise, could be instantaneously
repressed. This is but the re-appearance of our commlon
error —the supposition that power, in the sense of force,
should control moral agency and expedite moral government.  His rule is directed, in consistency with the pro1bation of man, to stem  the torrent, to draw it off into
other channels, to render its proudest waves demonstrative of the strength, and subservient to the speed, of the
ark which rides over them.  But never can his anticipation grow indifferent and languid.  The most fervent
ardtor of the saint, the collective zeal of: the Chiircih, is




77re Soni of God A lticipztingA his lsRzecward.  347
coldness itself when compared with the strength of his
desire. Never has it wavered, never can it decline. He
is as resolved upon it as when lie descended to earth and
arose to heaven, that he might appropriate the right and
adjust the attainment.
Aiid this expectation is formed in a mnanner most
worthy of the mind which cherishes it. It is a perfect
prescience.  Hope lends the reality no exaggeration,
fancy decks it in no fiction, but it arises before the
Savioulr in the very shape of truth and fact. It shines
upon him, though from  afar, with a steady light and
perfect delineation. We cannot " steadfastly look to
tihe end."  The vista dimly twinkles before our eye
through means vast and complicated.  "We know in
part, and we prophesy in part."  We confound and often
lose the glimmering. He predestines and seizes it.
The visioin approaches or retires at his bidding. His
comprehensive survey embraces only that which it contains. It is not now brighter and then more faint; it
owes nothing to a varying gleam; it stands out distinctly beneath the sun of his own noon, and to the allsearchinlg scrutiny of that foreknowledge with which
there is nothing dark and precarious!
The serenity which distinguishes this expectation
blends most beautifully with its dignity. The passions
of man cannot adequately represent the emotions of
His bosom. Nothing is more disquieting to our feelings than hope deferred. We are ruffled with the excitement of any prospective gratification. Agitation marks
the excess of our joy, and our feeble power of entertaining it. But He who "has sat down, expecting till
his enemies be made his footstool," dwells in the purest
calm.  He diffuses around him an infinite "repose. No
anxiety sits upon his brow. No doubt depresses his
heart. The light which informs him  of the future is
soft as it is piercing.  He has nothing to learn, nothling




348  The Son of God Anticipating his Reward.
to  resolve. In the settlement of his plan and the
celtainty of his reward he lives assured, he exults
meekly. His "very rapture is tranquillity." *  Many
events perpetually occur which seem  untoward and
perplexing.  They spread consternation upon earth.
" The kingdoms are moved."  "Men's hearts fail them
with fear."  The pious are "filled with the cup of
astonishment." " Truth has fallen in the street." "'lhe
spirit of heaviness" has palsied the energies and anticipations of the Church. But these things have never
reached his atmosphere, nor disturbed his peace. They
have thrown no obscurity over his prospect, and have
struck no chill through his breast.  ie has beheld the
temple arise, "'growing " like a stately tree with all the
certainty and quiet of a vegetation; and the troubled
times in which it was built have not grieved his eye,
nor have the ax and the hammer, employed in its
erection, wounded his ear.  His eternal conception
presses forward to its realization without effort and
misgiving; and his unvarying expectation, itself an
element of calm, leans placidly, and rests untremblingly,
upon the ultimate consummation.  The'scenery  of
prophecy thickens in interest and rapidity as it hastens
to its close; and in passing characters and events
a reality is given to its awful action.  We cannot but
perceive that there is a shaking of the "heavens and
the earth."  All things seem to feel the eve, of a solemn
crisis. Signals are streaming, alarms are ringing, on
every wind! The oldest relations are cut asunder, the
most massive foundations are dissolved. A restlessness
of innovation, and an impatience of restraint, hold contest with a pertinacity of power and a dotage of prescliption. Billow chafes with billow. The maddest theoleics are propagated, the wisest expedients are spurned.
Anarclly is demanded, liberty is denied.  Kings, as
* Young.




The SoLn of God Anticipatig his Reward.  349
if they  saw  the mystic fingers which  write thleii
doorn, start fi'om  their thrones: the tumult of the
people, like the noise of the sea, declares that the
mounds of authority are giving way before it.' Thle
storm will have its drift! The earthquake will force its
vent! The flood will rend open its channel! iB3t the
Divine Expectant observes and disposes all. His glorious seat vibrates not to the shock, his tranquil nind is
not embarrassed by the turmoil.  Tile seals may be
broken, the trumpets be sounded, the vials be discharged;
there may be " lightnings, and voices, and thunders;"
yet He stands with undiscomposed mien, and with
majestic serenity-the Lamb upon Mount Zion, " meek
and gentle," giving " rest" to all the " weary " who
come unto him, and existing in " quietness and assurance forever."
The confidence of His mind is the secret of that
sweetly calm decision which distinguishes this Expectation. Time was when despondency saddened it. Not
only did his approachillg sufferings dismay him, but he
deplored the absence of success. His language took the
cast of complaint. -"TWho hath believed our report? "
"I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for
naught and in vain." But, since he " ascended on high,"
whatever events have transpired, they could not thwart
his design or deject his spirit. Nothing has hung in suspense. Nothing has been the cause of vexation. When
every eye has been strained to observe "the thing;
coming on the earth," when there have been "great
searchings of heart," his tone never faltered, his courage
never misgave. Still he has said, I know that I shall not
be ashamed. He sees the goal. The shadow of his halnd
falls upon the spoil.  He has " the substance of things
hoped for" in his infinite knowledge and decretive will,
" He shall send forth judgment unto victory. He shall
not fail nor be discouraged till lie have set judgment in




35o  The Sons of God Aidicipating his Rezewazd.
the earth, and the isles shall wait for his law."  He
beholds from above, with a sureness and exactitude
which no mortal ideas and instances of certainty can
convey, the ready obedience of some, the involuntary
surrender of others, the eternal subjection of all. The
conversion of his "enemies into his footstool" is the
sign thlat they who have overcome, are sitting on his
"throne," even as He overcame and is seated with his:
Father on his throne.
This expectation draws with it an infinite complacency.  He who  "hateth  nothing  that he hath
made,"* seeks tile greatest measure of good. He, in
this special act of punishment, pursues the plan which
shall secure good the most enlarged and pure.  He is
swayed by no jealousy of authority, by no eagerness
of revenge.  Our wishes often give rise to our hopes,
our hopes to our expectations.  That order of feelings,
which we denominate personal, has a blinding influence, and we are sometimes aware of their contrariety
to our duty, as well as the general interest.  But in
"Jesus Christ the righteous," whatever is kindly and
beneficent is wise, and holy, and equitable; an -eternal
reason directs it; an infinite excellence impresses it;
an almighty power enforces it; it is His prosecution
of created happiness by the only legitimate means, and
according to the only admissible principles. Well, then,
may He rejoice that his enemies shall become his footstool.  So long as they have any license of power, they
have a capacity of mischief. Confusion and misery aretlheir delight.  To defeat the end of all moral being is
their settled- purpose. They wield but instruments of
destruction. They revel in ruin. They exult in every
species of falsehood, misrule, and wrong. Arndc when he
is rapt into this vision, he cannot fail to " desire it with
desire."  Then shall he tread out the last train of dis* Ash-Wednesday Collect of the English Cliurch.




The Son of God Anticipatilng his Reward. 35 
order, stifle the last atom of evil, extinguish the last
coal of strife, disable the last weapon of cruelty, and
purge the universe of those hostile elements which have
so long jarred and shattered it. Then He redeems the
pledge of his nativity, then he has fulfilled the purport
of his mission, then he has realized the fruit of his
death, and the songs of angels rise to celebrate the
consummation of the plan whose earliest dawn they
hailed; and no fuller strain do they need for the close
than they swelled over the commencement, " Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will
toward men! "
The ijf1tence of this expectation must be powerful.
It cannot be cherished without attracting to it the sympathies of the intelligent and moral creation.  It draws
every thing after it. The universe rolls in its direction.
It gives the law and bias to whatever exists. As all
things were created by Jesus Christ, so were they for
him.  He has constituted the vast machine, he still impels each spring and controls each movement, whiie the
grand result is educed from that real, though unapparent,
unity which combines all its parts, and harmonizes all
its operations.  And it is a solemn thought, that a dread
anxiety pervades all the evil and the good. Demons
"know  their time is short," and would not be "tormented before the time!"  They turn their malignant
eye to Him who is "henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool;" they shrink before his
brow of might and confidence; they read, in a wful. characters imprinted on it, their certain perdition; and all
their hopes wither in the conviction that his assurance,
thus expressed and vindicated, cannot be disappointed.
The " souls under the altar" become importunate, their
blood utters its voice to mingle with their prayer, and
they exclaim, "How  long, 0 Lord, holy and true!"
Expostulation ascends from  earth, and "the elect cry




352  Tze Sonr of God Aznticizpatizg tis Reward.
day and night" unto God. Even this vehement longilg
descends still lower, and " the earnest expectation of the
creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of
God."  The very frame of nature is seized with this
emotion, and "the whole creation glroaneth and travaileth in pain together until now."  The " vanity," which
yet debases the creature, shall be speedily removed  and
his use be vindicated; the teeming birth of the material
system shall make it forget its pain; "the floods " shall
"clap their hands," and "'the hills be joyful together
before the Lord, for he cometh to judge the earth."'
And thus, dear Christians, if we ourselves conceive
this. expectation, if we yield up our hearts to it, with
what a kindred of all that is holy and lovely are we
united, with what a general impulse are we urged forward, what a cloud of witnesses is present to our eye,
what a unison of voices bursts upon our ear iInto
what a fellowship have we entered!  What a sympathy do we share! We lean upon the bosom of Jesus
until our heart catches the glow, and returns the throb,
of his!
It remains for us to contemplate this expectation
IN THE CERTAINTY OF ITS REALIZATION.
He is not described by the text as active to seize it.
In many points of view his part is fulfilled. His task
is accomplished.  Other agency is now  chiefly to be
employed. Whatever devolves upon him must be consistent with a state of reward and rest. And the language denotes that there is a train of arrangements, a
system of causes, which. will infallibly terminate in this
result. He therefore awaits it now as sure, and soon as
real.  "For so the Lord said unto me, I will take my
rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear
heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of
harvest;" his repose and meditation are like the purest
sunshine and the softest vapor.




The Son of God Anticipating hzis Rewzarl.  353
Argumentation is vain when the certainties are so absolute; but the following reasons may be assigned:
Explicit engagement.  The manner in which the Son
obeyed the will of the Father-the proof that he was
always " about it," that it was " his meat to do it "must reflect the necessary converse, that whatever the
Father promised, shall be completely ratified and deserved. These pledges illustrate the " purpose purposed
in Christ."  It involves official subserviency and personal condescension; it insures official recompense and
personal exaltation. As by office, and as in person, he
was made lower than his Co-equal in the Godhead, so
now that office challenges a distinctive homage, and so
that person emits a peculiar glory, with this reference,
"'The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right
hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Jesus
the Lord cited this passage in the days of his flesh, and
with it confounded the enemies of his divinity. "If,
then, David called him Lord, how is he his Son? " He
did not explain, but they felt the rebuke; and ere the
Scripture was closed he " sent and testified in the
Churches, I am the _Root and Offspring of David! "
This declaration of truth must therefore be fulfilled.
And what can be more beautiful than the confidence
which the Saviour always evinces when surrounded by
the circumstances of his deepest depression: "I have
set the Lord always before me:" "Thou wilt not suffer
thine Holy One to see corruption:" " I knew that thou
hearest me alway:" "This voice came not because of
me, but for your sakes."
lJecliatorial government necessitates this final act.
"He is the head over all thiings."  "At the name of
Jesus every knee " shall " bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth." " In all
things" he must "have the pre-emninence."  He must
deliver its subjects, sustain its principles, and confirm its




354  The Son of God Anzticipatzig kis Reward.
ends. But all is subject to misinterpretation, and exposed to confusion, if its enemies are left to their way
unpunished, and their onsets are borne unrepelled. As
that government or kingdom is to be " delivered up to
God even the Father," it must be resigned in its perfect
state. It must be cleared of every imputation, and lifted
above every charge. This, therefore, cannot be while the
powers of evil are " going about seeking whom they may
devour."  Having gone forth to war, he cannot return
without making his enemies captive.  tie re-appears with
no empty pageant, he advances with no barren triumph;
he drags at his chariot-wheel the dire and ruthless adversaries of holiness and peace. "He puts down all rule,
and all authority and power." And when he has at last
reduced them to "his footstool" then will he lay aside
the badges of his specific royalty, will dissolve the particular modification of universal government over which
he now presides, will merge all distinctions into an
economy which shall eternally exist without recurrence
of evil or appearance of foe-though his Person will
forever be the object of unreserved worship, and the
medium of divine manifestation.
Conscious right secures this realization. Men may
mistake their claims, but the Saviour perfectly weighs his
own. He deserves not an enemy.  His is "a right
scepter." He knows that the subjugation of every enemy
is just. Even he indignantly regards them. His "fury,
it upholds him." He " will heap mischiefs upon them,"
and spend his " arrows upon them." He " will not pity,
nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them." His
patience, his meekness, his commiseration, can no longer
endure that the benevolent purpose of his heart should
be resisted; and he "pours out his indignation" upon
the enemies who have refused to be comprehended in it
themselves, and have sought to oppose its extension -to
others. " The Son " is " angry! " It is " the wrath of the




The Son of God Anticipatini /is RCward.  355
Lamb!"  What a necessity must there consequently
arise for this retribution; and how unblenching the resolve must be to " ease " him of his " adversaries," and
"avenge " him of his " enemies," which can be formed in
such a gracious heart, and be mused with such a calm
complacency.
Nothing, then, can convict us of unreasonableness
when we indulge this expectation.  Does omniscience
forecast, and infallibility certify, it?  What, then, if
scorn be our lot? What if, when we surrender ourselves
to this hope, we be regarded as visionary?  Nothing
but that which invalidates its certainty and impeaches
its propriety can deny our right, and annul our duty, to
shlare in it. If for us it is idle, and for us it is vindictive, then need not Jesus await, then should not Jesus
foster, it. We only catch the glow of his bosom, we
only follow the direction of his eye. Nor can we fail to
perceive that in this emulation, whatever would be
otherwise extravagant is redeemed. We know that our." Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter
day on the earth."  "Behold, he cometh with clouds,
and every eye shall see him."  The infatuation is with
them who boast that they can descry a different result.
Their "expectation shall perish."  He " frustrateth the
tokens" of these "liars," and maketh these "diviners
mad."  "Their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten."  But how rational will seem their part, how
appropriate their temper, who "against hope believed
in hope," who " waited for the Son of God from heaven,"
who "looked for, and hasted unto, the coming of the
day of God!"  They have a warrant which nothing can
weaken, and a confidence which nothing can shake.
"They that wait for him shall not be ashamed."  And
they bind this hope to them without acrimony or malevolence. They desire the era of peace., They would
keep the festival of love. Rancor fills not their breast.




356  The Son of God A aticzpatizg his Reward.
Resentment envenoms not their tongue. The very overthrow they see]k is but the necessary sacrifice for the
triumph of happiness and the ascendency of good.
And the Avenger will let these enemies "fall by their
own counsels;" he will " cast them out in the multitude
of their transgressions;" for they have rebelled against
him.
It must therefore follow, that we should imitate the
Saviour in the manner of contemplating this future victory. He expects it. With the impression of his wounds
still inhering in his flesh, he "with patience waits for
it." Little have we clone to promote it, little do our
spirits conform to it, yet we are displeased with the delay. We would give each event a straighter impulse,
we would desire for time a swifter wing. It is an affected
feeling, and oft a sorry plea. Our task is prescribed.
On us the honor is devolved of taking a part toward the
accomplishment of the expectation. As soon might the
clay xemonstrate with the independence of the potter, as
soon the " ax boast itself against'him that heweth therewith," as we complain of our allotted labor and deferred
hope. The "worm Jacob," blind as feeble, must not
arraign the Father's power over the times and seasons,
nor count "the Lord slack concerning his promise.'
" The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."  Actively let us serve, meekly let us wait; ready to strive,
resigned to suffer; and "go our way till the end be;
for we shall rest and stand in our lot at the end of the
days."
It is important, too, that we expect the same issue
which, at this moment, the ascended Son of God anticipates. Let us take heed that we suspend it on no favorite hypothesis. Let us not flush the horizon with the
colors of our vain imagination. Let us not seek a sectarian triumph. Let us be prepared to exult in it, whatever it may be, knowing that wherever it contradicts us,




The Son of God Antici ptiiqg his Rewvard.  357
it only opposes so much ignorance, prejudice, and sin:
it can reverse no real interest, it can crush no worthy
hope. The altar of victory shall be dedicated to truth
and righteousness; and bigotry and partisanship, instead
of being priest or god, shall bleed as one of its earliest
offerings.
Ah, the happiness of yielding ourselves to our Sovereign Redeemer! "He has bought us with a price." No
longer are we Satan's slaves, but the "Lord's freemen."
No longer do we fight against God, but "the haters
of the Lord" have "submitted themselves unto him."
What a fellowship have we entered! Being "joined to
the Lord" we are "one spirit!"  His plan, his cause,
his expectation, are our own. "We are laborers together with" him. We are committed to his success,
and are warmed with his benevolence. We "flow together to the goodness of the Lord."  We follow an
infinite movement, an almighty sway. We are made
" willing in the day of" his "power." And are any of
you disposed to resist? Are you hardened to disobey?
Cast, cast yourselves at his feet; cast yourselves where
otherwise you must lie; embrace those feet while. you
bow before them, that you be not trodden beneath them;
wash them with your tears that they may not at last
spurn you, andcl make you their footstool! He shall not
want the allegiance which proves the beneficence, nor
the overthrow which vindicates the supremacy of his
rule! " Through the greatness of thy power shall thine
enemies submit themselves unto thee!"
If you "will walk contrary" to him, He will "walk
contrary unto you!"




358            The Heaivenldy Countiy.
IX.
THE HEAVENLY COUNTRY.
BUT NOW THEY DESIRE A BETTER COUNTRY, THAT IS, A HEAVENLY:
WHEREFORE GOD IS NOT ASHAMED TO BE CALLED THEIR GOD: FOR
liE HATH PREPARED FOR THEM A CITY.-Hebrews xi, 16.
THE emigrant who, in any degree, feels the native tie,
and cherishes the patriot throb —who, to any extent,
loves the birthplace of his friends, and the burying-place
of his fathers-cannot uproot himself from  his proper
soil without painful efforts and bitter struggles. You
need not ascribe to him any excess of sentiment, anlly
poetry of character, aught of romance, an approach to
refinemnent: allow him his proportion. of our common
nature, and the pang of the separation which tears him
from his country's attachments, and banishes him from
his country's scenes, will well nigh divide his heart.
Wild and haggard may be the region where first he
drew his breath; a region of iron boundary, cheerless
frost, and immitigable sterility.  But what skies can
reflect so much beauty?  What landscapes can picture
such sweet content?  All, however bleak and desolate,
has an attraction for his taste. The loud tempest
is his refreshmeut, the hoarse torrent his music, the
dark forest his shade, the ocean-breaker his sport.
Forced to leave it, that land becomes more than ever
endeared. He hurries forth from it, and fears to look
onl it  again while he heaves his farewell sigh, and
HI




The Heavenly Coztntry.           359
breathes his farewell blessing. Follow him into fairer
climes. He is an alien there. A sense of strangeness is
upon him. Long will it be ere he can make another
haunt, long before he can find another association. His
eye rests on no storied spot, he listens to no minstrelsy
of infant days.  His recollection can extract no legend
of marvel, and his fancy evoke no image of tenderness.
Here is nothing to mingle with his earliest dream, nothing to identify itself with his youthful aspiration. Of all
its tales, none does he recall; and of all its monuments,
none stand before him  clothed with the interest, and
mellowed by the dimness, of the past. The yesterday,
which renders to-day consistent and continuous, is to
him unknown. Each object rises in abrupt detail, each
history happens in broken passages. He is surrounded
by a world of fragments.  No gradual process of light
ilnsinuates into his mind; the reality breaks in upon it
with a rude violence, and a searing glare. True it is,
that the exchange of habitations may seem advantageous. Softer gales shall now fan him, sweeter flowers
perfume him: more enameled meads may dispread
themselves to his sight, and more melodious waterfalls
murmur on his ear. Before him may combine the luxuriance of nature, and the triumph of art. But the days
of his childhood fiall like a charm over his childhood's
home; and that home, though rocked by the tempest,
and naked as the wild, is still, whithersoever be his wandering, wherever be his residence, his heart's center, his
spirit's rest.  " Weep ye not for the dead," exclaims the
prophet, " neither bemoan him: but weep sore for him
that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see
his native country."
There is a " land which is far off."  No mortal sense
has discerned, no mortal footstep touched, it. From its
bourne no traveler returns. It lies not within the
range of lower space. WThatever its. materialism,, tile




360            The Heavenly Country.
elements which compose it are not of the same kind
with the gross and perishable substance which incloses
and constitutes this abode. Its order of feeling, its
mode of existence, must strike us as most different from
our own. To pass its precincts, to be numbered with
its inhabitants, presupposes the most memorable revolution in. the whole progress of our being. No transition which can await and affect our being must be
compared with this.  Though it does not destroy the
continuity of that being, it produces a change upon it
which leaves such continuity an anexplicable problem
to all our habitudes of thought. Little of our present
knowledge, founded as it is on our exigences and ailments, can subserve the ptirposes of that world where
only light shines and intellect prevails: few of our feelings can survive to flow in those channels of high and
holy love. It is a riegion which presents almost every
point of opposition'.to:-this.  "The things which ai'e
seen are temporal, tlie things which are not seen are
eternal."  "It doth not yet appear what we shall be.'
Every revelation of it, every idea or attempt after idea,
impresses us with its character of a dread novelty.
Where are its flaming bounds and bulwarks? Where its
awfill portals?  Where its glorious realms?  Where its
infinite tracks?  To enter it, implies a " departure out
of this world," to which no reverse of this world's
extremes could be reasonably assimilated.  Let us be
transported to the uttermost parts of the earth, still
there the sea roars, and the sun circuits: the blast contains the breath of life, and the uncouth aboriginal is
our brother-man. But this, in every acceptance of language, is another world, and another being. And let
the immortal, who from our lower earth expects soon to
pass into that, be most perfectly warranted to assure
himself of peace in the way, and safety in the arrival;
yet there are circumstances which may even induce him




The Heave;nly Cozlutr'y.         36 1
to pause, and all biut make him desire to recede. The
absence of all that can familiarize is a check to his
ardor. He knows, and has tried, this scene; he must
now migrate to a country strange, and in which lie is
inexperienced.  He must forget the change of day
and night, summer and winter: he must abandon
animal instinct and social institution: he must lay aside
the store of bodily and mental labor: he must close his
eye on that smiling group which shared his morning
embrace, and his evening blessing.' It is certain,"
that of all that he has acquired, and of all that may
cling to him " he can carry nothing out.!' And then, too,
the only avenue to this land for which he departs is
through the appalling transformationl of death. It is so
"appointed," nor is there chariot to help us in its
evasion. If we " are alive and remain" to hear the
trumpet which shall wake around us all the dead, " the
last trump " shall signalize a "' change " on us, not less
humbling and severe. It is only natural to fear death,
and Christian faith does not destroy that nature, but
introduces considerations stronger and more absorbing
than its fear.  I Death is, in itself, a fatal loss, and vast
must be the indemnity to make it gain. Death itself is
a terrible evil, and immense must -be the counteraction
to turn it into good. Nor is this all. Who people that
unseen country? Not creatures of flesh and blood, not
the earthly forms of our interest and love, but a spectral
race. Spirits there have their element and home. And
have we not shrunk at the recital, however supposititious,
of their visitation to earth?  Have we not shuddered,
when even in the paroxysm of grief we have besought
the remembrance and apostrophized the mares of departed friends, lest we should be answered by their
spirit-voice, and folded in their shadowy bosom? And
it is often a thought of intense anxiety to the saint, that,
a spiliit himself, his converse shall soon be confined to




362            The Heavenly Cozluntry.
spirits.  And it is not an Enoch and an Elijah whlo, by
their human array, can quench the ghastly apprellension:
it is the glorified humanity of Jesus, the " last Adam,"
who "is made a quickening spirit."
What, then, can relieve the deep solicitudes of him
who stands on the verge of life, and puts forth his foot
for this mysterious journey! What can cause him to
feel each footfall along that path, safe and pleasant?
What can give him assured peace, as he steps across
the confines of that solemn land, and as at that moment
lie becomes a spiritual citizen of a spiritual world?
It is delightful for us to know that the comparisons
we have hitherto employed, and which we think perfectly just in our use of them, if man had no stricter
information than his reason supplies, are greatly mitigated and really destroyed by the present condition of the
Christian pilgrim drawing near to heaven! For heaven
is not to him a state of view and emotion wholly new,
tllough lie has not explored its scene. Let the traveler,
however remote his stray, find something congenial to
iris own latitude and country, and the sense of alienation
is redeemed. Should he unexpectedly discover the daisy
of his native fields, or catch the wood-note that had
caroled from  his native groves-should he hear his
mothler-tongue-should he enjoy the right and protection
of some institution at which his youthful heart had
learned to bound —though the earth's diameter struck'
tlllough between his sojourni and his own dear land,
even that sojourn would only be less to him than home.
And the Christian has now much akin to heaven. His
heart is there.  Eternal life abides in him.. Now he
possesses the principles which heaven but matures, and
cherishes the affections which it but expands. Hence
the connection between the present and the future. Here
must be the heir, if yonder be his inheritance. Here
must be the laborer, if yonder be his rest. Here must be




T/e Heaz'vei/y Couliztny.          363
tie candidate, if yonder be lhis reward.  As he now adds
excellence to excellence-as lie is not "'barren nor unfruitful?'-"so shall an entrance be. ministered unilto
him abundantly into the everlasting kingdom  of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."  Thus he comes "'to
the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and
to thle spirits of just men made perfect," though still
himself in the body, and subject to, all the requirements
of this mortal life.  It is the same song which he sings
in the " house of his pilgrimage" and in his "-Father's
house:" a fainter, and sometimes a broken strain while
toilinlg on the road, swelling to its most ecstatic compass when he reaches the threshold of endless security
anld joy.  O! fair, and bright, and inconceivable as is
thle celestial, it shall overpower no true principle, it
shall reverse no just feeling: nor can it burst strangely
upon them who have rejoiced "with joy unspeakable and
full of glory."  And again does the comparison fiil.
I-Have we supposed a home and then an exile? and the
anguish of abandoning the one and going into the other?
Tllese parallels must be transposed.  This is the Christian's exile-there is his home! He is born fiom above.
He is of God.  Whatever his present lot, whatever his
share of this world's good, his "' portion is not in this
life," he has "' in heaven a better and more enduring substanlce."'  Welcome to him shall be the mission of that
angel who comes to take him  hence.  It will be the
captive's return! Then will the exile hasten to be
loosed! He shall be seen going up to his fatherland.
11e leaves strangers for kindred.  He forsakes bondage
for liberty, poverty for wealth, pain for pleasure, combat for triumph, turmoil for rest, sin for holiness, death
for immortality.  Nor can he know one gloomy disappointment.  No casualty' has injured, no death has
invaded, the scene.  Breathless has often been the sus_
pense, agonizing the conviction, of the traveler when




364            The Heaveily Coziutry.
lhe has sought a parent's or a brother's house. TIle last
request of the expiring patriot is, that he may be laid
in his country's mold. Nor is there a faster bond than
that which unites the freeborn to the place of his
fathers' sepulchers.  But the Christian  "wayfaring
man" need indulge no such foreboding. He may
repair from  his captivity to his country, and no urn
shall fix his mournful gaze, and no grave sadly invite
him  to go and weep there.  Infirmity is only an
idea necessary in remembering what was, and death is
a recollection but incidental to "the former things
which are passed away."
And we are now carried back to a distant date of time.
The interesting record, contained in the text, of patriarlchal simplicity and intentness, exhibits the concordance
of true religion under every dispensation. And shame
may well scorch our cheek, and cast down our spirit, if
we, with our clearer illuminations and nobler privileges,
should still hold to a world which, without reluctance,
they resigned; nor pant for a " better country," because
a " heavenly " one, after which they so greatly and constantly pursued, now that it does not arise, as it did to
them, enveloped in hlaze, and shrouded in figure, but
spreads itself out with a definiteness of outline, and basks
glowingly beneath splendors which those " new heavens "
alone can shed on that "new earth," in both of which
"dwelleth righteousness."
I. WE PROPOSE TO EXAMINE THE ARGUMENT OF THE
TEXT, SO FAR AS IT JUSTIFIES THAT SPIRITUAL AND HEAVENLY PERCEPTION WHICH THESE PERSONS EXHIBITED.
" But now they desire "-that is, it is plainly indicated
by their entire conduct -"a better country, that is, a
heavenly."  The eldest born of the Church-the fathers
of that holy line which yet extends, and shall always be
succeeded by a holy progeny until the perfection of its
number and glory-were in a particular state, and under




T7he Hcavenly Country.           3-65
a " carnal dispensaltion," which might havebcele expected
to induce, if not suffered to excuse, a secularity of miid.
]Lut instead of yielding themselves to what was low and
groveling in hope, whenever they received a mixed
promise they separated what was spiritual fiom what
waS temporary; and far fiom terminating their desires
upon the earthly, always rose to'the standard of the
heavenly.  They were not disposed to overlook the settlement of their posterity, and to neglect the fortunes of
the nation which should descend from them; but they
knew " the things which differ," and esteemed " the glory
of the terrestrial" to be one, and "the glory of the celestial" to be "another."  They were thankful for that land
which their seed should occupy; but it was not Siloam's
stream, nor Ephron's palm which filled their hearts with
their "chief joy;" another river made them glad, and
another tree gavre them its'"fruit for meat," and "its
"' leaf for medicine."  Abraham was called from Chaldea
to be the father and prototype of the faithful in every
age. No event is more singular and comprehensive.
The most imlportalt transactions proceed from it. "From
thence isthe Shepherd, the Stone of Israel." His two
immediate successors participate in his honor, and the
triune Jehovah pledges himself to this saintly triad. This
is His name forever; and his memorial unto all generations. There may be a mystery of the Persons in tile
oath -the faithful Creator, the Man-victim, the Spirit
of supplication. Not, however, to press this idea, let us
remark the conduct of this great ancestor. He " obeyed."
He believed that the distant country which he was commanded to visit should be for "his inheritance."  Uinheard of by him, even to its very name, "he went out,
not knowing whither he went."  Having reached it, "he
sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country."  He dwelt "in tents"-more durable habitations
being denied him-" with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs of




366            The Heavenzly Country.
the same promise."  Though God had sworn by himself,
though the symbols of his majesty had moved between
the disparted members of the sacrifice, yet only is the
reversion of Canaan granted to his "friend."  And the
stranger learns that centuries must elapse before his
descendants shall take possession of it. Did he repine?
Did he, upon a more delayed fulfillment than had been
surmised, "stagger through unbelief? "  A better construction occurred to his mind. The land had been
promised to him. - But literally it could only belong to
the people who shall spring from him. Was it in no
sense his?  Was there no personcd blessing, when, for
his protection and that of his patriarchal children, though
"few in number, yea, very few, and strangers in it, God
reproved kings for their sakes, saying, Touch not mine
anointed, and do my prophets no harm?"  He, in common with them, felt no disappointment. The less was
distantly future; the greater was near and real. The
noble and fertile territory which they should never till
and rule, and in which their ashes should only claim a
tomb, led them at once to a richer interpretation of the
promise. As they looked forth upon it from point to
point, from  mountain to mountain, as it smiled in its
beauty and swelled in its grandeur-as the breeze bore
its treasured sweets, and harped its wild symphoniesthis was the suggestion of their minds, that a land
whose every breath was fragrance, and every wellspring music, was never intended to bound their views
and sate their cravings, but was furnished to be the
type of spiritual existence.  "He looked for a city
wlhich hath foundations, whose builder and maker is
God."  And they' plainly declared that they sought a
country"-su rely not that which they had quittedsurely not that which their children could not enjoy for
ages -then it was not terrene; and if a " better" it must
be "heavenlfy."




The Heavenly Country.                367
How false and debasing, we may cursorily observe, is
tile theory which restricts the knowledge, and even religion, of the ancient saints to -a providential government, rather than  allowing it a reference to invisible
sanctions.  Such a government did obtain, but it respected its own evidence; while the piety of its subjects
eltirely depended  upon  a belief of eternal rewards.
Without this, the piety which regarded arrangements
simply confined to this life, though they were most inmmediately divine, would be nothing more than a balance
of practical convenience, an adjustment of earthly good.
With what force and satisfaction of conviction does this
inspired comment on patriarchal history make its appeal
to us! and with what absolute authority does it exonerate
tile heaven-commissioned  claimants on that promised
land fiom  the cupidity of spoil, and the ambition of
conquest i *
It tends also, when we dwell upon these annals of
ancient spiritual-mindedness, to vindicate the clearness
as well as depth of piety, which were proportioned to
the revelation then known.  Certainly these founders
of Israel were hardly, if at all, eclipsed by any of their
descendants. They saw the visions of the Almighty.
With infrequent exceptions, a retrograde seems to have
taken place after they had gathered up their feet.  And
though a sinlgle star may have risen here and there of
brighter ray in that hemisphere, such a resplendent constellation was never equaled amid all its hosts.   Happy
woulld it have been for the Jewish Church if the "kindIIess'  of its "youth," and "the love" of its " espousals,"
* In these animadversions the great features of Warburton's hlypothesis are noticed. The anthor would desire all to read the " Divine
Legation!" as he knows not a writer in greater favor with himself, nor
one from whose episodes lhe lias derived more instruction.  Dean
GJraves, on thle Pentateulch, should be consulted at the same time for
a corrective.




368            The Heavenzly Colluntry.
had been perpetuated through the progress of its age,
and by the constancy of its fidelity.
But it was upon no constructive reasoning of their own
that they superinduced their hope. Faith must have a
testimony, and expectation a ground. The warrant is
thus stated: "'God is not ashamed to be called their
God."  He had entered into covenant with them. He
attested that relation with particular seals, and founded
it upon particular promises. And our inquiry must be
into the connection between such a compact, and the
reasonableness of their hope, that there was a "better
country;" in other words, to justify from the tenor of
the one, the fitness of the other.
Now so great a stipulation, so solemn a pledge, as
Jehovah swore to these patriarchs, could only be interpreted into a spiritual boon. A grant of soil, a promise
of posterity, would not have required nor admitted this
majesty of formula, and seriousness of protestation. He
only becomes our God in a manner worthy of his moral
grandeur, and our religious capability. And we have
the exposition of its meaning from the lips of Jesus
Christ himself. " Have ye not read," said lie to his captious assailants,'.'that which was spoken unto you by
God, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead,
but of the living."  Be it remembered that this was
spoken originally " touching the resurrection of the
dead."  But intermediately there was a subsisting life.
God can stand in no relation of covenant to the dead,
for the spirit's self always lives, and its life is the earnest of the body's renovation. This, then, is the argument: He was their God: he would remain their God
when their dust mingled with the clods of the country
which they should never possess: but he is God of the
living only: therefore they should live as long as it continnted true that he was their God: their conscious




The Heavenly Country.            369
spirits must consequently wing their flight to a separate
state, where spirits find their home: and if the spirit was
made happy in the inheritance of "a heavenly country,"
the corresponding frame could not be forgotten by IIimn
who had bound himself to the safety and good of the
whole man.
And well they reasoned fiom. the letter to the spirit
of the covenant: justly they concluded that He who engaged himself, on the very honor of his perfections, and
on the very security of his resources, to be their God,
had reserved better things for them. The Lord was the
portion of their souls; therefore did they trust in him.
Their eye grew indifferent to the "glory of all lands;"
for they were rapt in contemnplations of a celestial scene
over which their covenant God, having invited and entitled them to it by the most explicit ratifications, would
array all his "beauty," and diffuse all his "goodness."
Nor let us deem that covenant dissolved. We claim
it still, while it unfolds far clearer. signs and ampler
promises —" He is our God," and "we are his people."
It rests upon an undying priesthood and suretyship. It
has characterized all dispensations, and shall survive all.
However they may be " shaken," this-is of "the things
which cannot be shaken," but must remain. And therefore is there often seen in the statements of the New
Testament, and the predictions of the Old, almost an
appearance of anxiety that the covenant with the patriarchs should be remembered by us in its original terms.
WVe are called on to pass under its bond, and to renew
it for ourselves. "We are blessed with faithful Abraham."  "We, as Isaac was, are the children of promise."
We call ourselves "by the name of Jacob," and surname
ourselves "by the name of Israel."  "lHe hath commandel his covenant for ever!"
II. IT IS NOW PROPER THAT WE SHOULD ATTEND TO
THI-AT PARTICULAR OBJECT OF DESIRE WHICH THESE PATRI24




370           The Heavenly Counztry.
ARCHS  EIIEVED TO EXIST IN CONSEQUENCE OF SUCH
DIVINE RELATIONSHIP.
Abraham had been apprized that his descendants
should be in servitude and oppression during four hundred years. He was only a stranger in the land, and
never had a greater possession in it than that.of a burying-place. Even this he acquired not under the guaranty of promise, but according to the valuation of its
owner, and by purchase in "the current money of the
merchant." His son and grandson knew this, and therefore entertained no hope of calling the land in which
they sojourned, at any period of their lives, their own.
They desired it not: but " a better country."
But a "'better country" than this, earth did not contain. It was "a delightsome," and " a pleasant land;"'
"a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations."  It was
variegated and intersected with all the elements of sublimity and beauty, with whatever was bold and gentle.
It was prolific without a miracle, and the subject of a
periodical one. It was a wealthy place. Aromatic herbs
covered its hills, and the fairest flowers decked its glens.
The rose was in Sharon, and the lily in the valleys. The
voice of the turtle was heard in the land. There roamed
the vine, and there clustered the date, and there hung
the pomegranate. The cedar towered on the mountains,
and the myrtle skirted their sides. No human hand
could raise the clusters of Eshcol. The south wind passing over the gardens, caused the spices thereof to flow
out. The seasons revolved in their variety, but with a
blended sweetness. There was the upland breeze, in
which the fir could wave its arms, and the softer air in
which the olive unfolded its blossoms. The sun smote
not by day, nor the moon by night. The birds sang
among the branches. The dew lay thick on Hermon.
There was balm in Gilead. The lign-aloe drooped fromr
thle river bank. Kedron and Jordan poured forth their




The Heavelily Counitry.           371
streams. -The rain also filled the pools. Lakes glistened
in the landscape, and cooled the drought. Beautiful,
for situation, was  olunt Sion. The cattle browsed on
a thousand hills. The excellency of Carmel, and the
glory of Lebanon, set their pinnacles against the deep
azure of Canaan's sky. The year was crowned with
goodness. The Lord God cared for that land, and his
eyes were always upon it. At the stated periods fell
the early and the latter rain. The pastures were clothed
with flocks.  The plowman overtook the reaper, and
the treader of grapes him that sowed seed. The barns
were filled with plenty, and the presses burst out with
new wine. The little hills rejoiced on every side. Plecious fruits were brought forth by the sun, and precious
things were put forth by the moon. The earliest pass,
the valley of Achor, was a door of hope. The vineyards
distilled the pure blood of the grape. The fountain of
Jacob was upon a land of corn and wine. The inhabitants were filled with the finest of the wheat. It flowed
with milk and honey. Its heavens dropped fatness. It
was surrounded with munitions of rock. The deep,
couching beneath, spread its sure defense. The land
might be called Beulah. The distant glimpse of its
prospect refreshed the dying eye of Moses; and of all
thine earthly territory, it is emphatically thy land, 0
Immanuel i
When, therefore, the comparison is employed respecting
this country, we may be sure that its superiority is not
one of earthly climate —a more salubrious atmosphere, a
more exuberant soil-for a better country than Palestine
the horizon did not gird, the sky did not pavilion; the
comparison must be justified by adducing qualities which
belong to no sublunary scene, and no earthly condition.
And it is "better" as it is,
1. T(he antitype of' that lancld.
You can easily understand that an emblem should be




372            Thle Heavenly Couvtry.
inferior to the reality.  It would be unfitting were the
first to exceed the second. Such a transposition would
be unnatural.  The herald does not equal the personage
of his announcemen t. The index cannot compare with
the object of its direction.  And in like manner there
may be a type of the celestial world. A  country of
confinecl space may intimate its extent; a stability of
definite duration may figure its permanency. This is all
that material symbols can denote of pure spiritualism;
this is all that human conceptions can comprehend of
eternal existence.  We cannot have " the very image
of the things;" we must be content with the truest representations of which either they admit, or which our
mediums can receive. And that the country which the
patriarchs visited, just tarrying to pitch a tent or buy
a tomb, was such an earnest of heaven, is demonstrative
from the text. If they " desired a better," there were
some points of parity, and some suggestions of relation,
between it and that.  When, leaning upon the top of
their staff, they took their survey and made their resignation of the one, it was because the one stood in the
order of picture and pledge to the other. It was therefore only reasonable that, when they learned that this
land, "the joy of the whole earth," was the specimen
and surety of another, it must be a "better,"-else why
this furniture of illustration for that which had no transcending claim?  These wandering saints were reminded
and reassured of a glorious reversion by the fruitfulness
and beauty of the realms through which they passed;
but they wished not to linger there for the moment
which detained them from an entrance into that fairer
ancl more resplendent scene, of which it was the imperfect sign and inconsiderable installment. With no indiferent eye did they look forth on that enchanting prospect
-with no spulll'ing footstep did they disdain that votive ground-with no listless ear did they drink ill " the




The Heavenly Country.            373
melodies of woods, and winds, and waters." * But these
were only the ministrations of external sense to their
piercing faith, and " served unto the example and shadow
of heavenly things."  And if this was the antitype toward which the pilgrim hastened, and for which, the
patriarch sighed, it must be " better " than the terrestrial
land, since it was
2. lie spiritucal pes:fection of its sensible ivmmunities.
It will be perceived that nothing can be more foreign
from  our design than to disparage the country which
God promised to the fathers. It would be treason to the
rhetoric, as well as strength, of the argument. That
country can scarcely be delineated with too fascinating
and imposing hues. It had the spontaneousness and
verdure of a paradise. But it was " of the earth, earthy."
Its mercies and privileges belonged to the present state;
but if " better" can be found, it must be by the conversion of what is external into blessings which are native
to the soul, and enduring as eternity.
Did that country descend by inheritance? "They got
not the land in possession by their own sword, neither
did their own arm  save them;" but the Lord's right
hand, and his arm, and the light of his countenance,
because he had a favor unto them. Constantly is it
called their "'own land." Constantly are they said to
" inherit the land."  They were regarded as its destined
proprietors. " The inhlabitants of Canaan " melted away;' sorrow" took hold of the " inhabitants of Palestina;"
and God brought his people in and planted " them in the
mountain" of his inheritance. So the righteous shall
" inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foun*dation of the world." In Christ " also we have obtained
an inheritance."  And it is "incorruptible, -undefiled,
and fadeth not away."
Was that country given by promise?  The engage* Coleridge.




374            The Heavenly Counatry.
mnent into which Jehovah entered with the fathers he
never forgot.  He heard the cry of his people " out of
thle iron furnace;"  he knew their " walking through this
great wilderness:"  "he remembered his holy promise,
andl Abraham his servant; and brought forth his people
with joy, and his chosen with gladness."  So " this is the
pioinise that I-Ie hath promised us, even eternal life."
It is "' the promise of eternal inheritance;" and they who
obtain it, realizing all in one, "inherit the promises."
That country was the abode of satisfaction. Its name
was associated with plenty. The inhabitants ate that
which was good, and delighted in fatness. It was " not
as the land of Egypt," where they "sowed the seed,"
and by the process of irrigation watered it with their
"foot, as a garden of herbs;" but it was "a  land of
hills and vallies," and drank "water of the rain of heaven."  The manna, "the rock that followed them," and
the other miraculous supplies, were now superseded.
And yet, in the idea of physical abundance, there is
somewhat cloying. Appetite is soon sated and palled.
We disgust what we desired; we loathe what we loved.
And it is only in religion we can discover the secret of
happiness rising with its means, and the possibility of
enjoyment through all its additions. And it is only in
heaven that this faculty can fully expand. There, is
constant longing; there, exhaustless supply; and there,
unabating zest. Impressive is the beauty with which
this thought is imaged: "They shall hunger no more,
neither thirst any more"-they shall not experience one
painful sense of want and craving —"For the Lamb,
who is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and
shall lead them unto living fountains of waters"-the
wish, so to speak, never having time to become the uneasy dearth, being. swallowed up, at each moment, in the
infinite plenitude.
That country was the asylum of lqfe. Genial air and




The Heavezly Coustry.           375
high cultivation procured many sources of healtll.'I'lere
were plants of kindliest virtues. But rather do we now
allude to the promise of longevity.  "That thy days
may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth
thee," sanctions " the first commandment with promise."
"Length of days" is a reward frequently proposed to
encourage the ancient piety and zeal. These are denominated " the days of heaven" upon the earth. I-Tow many
were the harms from which they were now protected
while sitting under their vine and their fig-tree! How
innocently jocund was youth, and how serenly meek
was age, " old men and old women" dwelling in " the
streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his
hand for very age; and the streets of the city full of boys
and girls playing in the streets thereof!"  And if " the
carcasses of them who believed not fell in the wilderness," and "with long life" they were blessed who
entered into the promised land, yet this was not an
invariable bestowment nor necessary good. Often was
it interrupted, and a " Jesse went for an old man in the
days of Saul."  It is in heaven that we shall " reign in
life." The immortality of the wicked is never called
"eternal life:" for it wants the honors, the joys, the
ends of life; and though they live, it is as they now are,
" they are dead while they live." But the righteous " go
into life eternal." And there is no stronger expression
that the Saviour can use; and though he speaks of present recompense to his self-denying follower as in the
measure of a " hundred fold," with compressed simplicity
and dignity he but promises, " and in the world to come,
eternal life."
That country was the seat of wrest. No more did the
tribes wander in the desert; no more were they harassed by march after march, still leaving the destined
goal; no more were they smitten before their enenlies,
but "Jerusalem was a quiet habitation," and ",Israel




376            The Heavenly Counitry.
dwelt safely."  " As a beast goeth down into the valley,"
invited after its labor by the cooling shade, " the Spirit
of the Lord caused him to rest."  And a "promise is
left us of entering into rest."  There are moments when
we should welcome, perchance, a retreat of any kind from
mortal bitterness, and even pointing to the grave might
say, " There the weary are at rest! " And this is true,
if we carry not a thought, if we wing not a hope, beyond
its margin. The grave-how still, how tranquil! Its
inmates suffer no adversity, foment no strife, harbor no
fear. They "know not any thing."  "Their tlhoughts
perish."  The rich and the poor meet together, the
proud and the mean are laid beside each other, captives
are as bold as conquerors, slaves are as attended as
kings, neither is there advance nor repulse, disdain nor
recrimination, the equality of mankind here adduces its
proof, and the spirit of leveling here gluts its rage;
without a distinction, an annoyance, a passion, they are
all at rest. There is the one house appointed for all
living; the bed on which all await their sure, their last,
and it may be, their only repose. Thither we may
escape from the din and bustle of the world; its follies
will not pursue us, its excitements will not agitate us,
its votaries will not disturb us. There only can we be
secured from the inroad of its cares, and be withdrawn
from  the jar of its discords. Thither we may escape
from the passions which consume all earthly peace, the
gnawing of envy, the canker of avarice, the sting of
remorse, the tumult of vengeance, the fang of despair.
The fever which parched our blood shall chill, the fierce
throbbings of desire shall subside, and the uproar of
contending lusts shall settle and hush into the quiet of
our kindred earth. Thither we may escape fiom each
skyey influence, the summer's drought and winter's cold
will fall alike unheeded on our dwelling, spring will not
mock.by its budding, nor autumn sadden us by its decay.




ThZe Heavenly Couzntry.         3 77
Tllithler we may escape from  the keen inflictiolls of
poverty; we shall all of us have the apparel, tenement,
Ipillow, and service we can want. Thither we may
escape fiom  the painful days and wearisome nights
appointed to us: our eyes will not be held wakiyng, nor
will our sleep depart from us. Thither we may escape
fiom the broken heart which bereavement has smitten;
a parent or a child may be let down into the grave
where we molder, and yet shall we not weep.  Thither
we may escape from  slander and detraction; their
rumor will not taint our peace nor reach our abode.
Thither we may escape from insensibility, unkindness,
and ingratitude; there can be no colder hearts than
those which then perish in our bosoms, to beat and
warm no more. It is a moody thing to say, "There is
rest!"  Can this be all?  It is a common lot. To all
our race the grave throws open such dreary refuge.
Thousands hide themselves in this sanctuary, loaded
with most direful guilt, pursued with most execrated.
memory. And is there no rest to which the spirit of
the Christian springs?  Is there no quiet reserved for it
but the undreaming sleep of the guilty dead?  Is this
the end of his faith-the cessation of remembrance, the
extinction of consciousness, the destruction of thought?
Is this the consummation of his hope-reduced to the
clay and the clod?  Shall not his spirit, when his flesh
rests in its bed, walk in its uprightness? Shall he not,
when he falls asleep in Jesus, awake in his image? Shall
not he who died in the Lord be present with the Lord?
0, beyond that dull, that common, that debasing stupor,
"there remaineth a rest for the people of God."  We
will not point to the grave, and welcome, as our rest,
the defense from trouble, and release from care, which it
affords; we will look to the heavens for the peace of our
sabbath, for the security of our refuge, for the endearment of our home! Nor let us imagine, when "we rest




378            T/he Heavenly C(z.unzti.
from our labors," that our minds shall become inert: or
that we shall cease to be creatures of duty. Obedience
must always be the happiest, and only happy, condition
of man. But many of our present obligations spring
out of our sinful state: we "war with the flesh," we
" watch lest we enter into temptation," we " resist the
devil "-that he may flee from  us. These exercises
must be painful.  But as in the heavenly country the
Lord will give us rest from our enemies round about,
there will be no danger demanding vigilance, nor evil
taking repulse.
And it is a " better country" than that which these
patriarchs now traversed, for it
3. Completes and perpetucates all the religious advantages and recommendations which they anticipated as
forming the true dignity of that lanzd.
"The excellency of Jacob" did not depend  upon
simply physical blessings. Its' trees were full of sap;"
honey dropped from its rocks; it was overspread with
" grass for the cattle, and herb for the service of man;"
it was "enriched with the river of God, which is full of
water;" "the outgoings " of its " morning and evening";ejoiced; " all the chief spices " perfumed its air, and "' a
plentiful rain" confirmed this "inheritance when it was
weary."  Beautiful was Tirzah, and comely was Jerusalem. But "glory dwelt in the land."  It was the one
which "God had chosen for himself."  He, when "he
divided to the nations their inheritance." set the bounds
of the people "according to the number of the children
of Israel." A " glorious high throne " was its sanctuary.
What nation was so great, who had God so nigh unto
them?  What nation was there so great, that had
statutes and judgments so righteous?  It was the high
place of sacrifice to the whole earth. It was the holy
precinct in which dwelt the symbols of the divine glory,
and in which were solemnized the ministrations of the




Ta/e Heavenly Counltry.          379
diville service.  And its characteristic glories werelth ose of purity and worship.
There was a distinctive holiness.  The very soil
claimed this appropriation; and when its inhabitants
denied this to it, then were " they scattered among the
heathen, that the land might enjoy her sabbaths."  The
people were incorporated into a church, which is repeatedly called  " the congregation;" and  our Saviour
acknowledged it as a " fold."  Paul, too, recognized its
members as sons and heirs " under tutors and governors,
until the time appointed of the Father." Periods were
enumerated to them  by a calendar of sacred feasts.
When filrst they entered that country, it was under
most solemn impressions.  "Israel was holiness unto
the Lord, and the first-fruits of his increase."  The
"dwelling-place" which Jehovah had "desired" for
his rest was a "habitation of justice and mountain of
holiness."  Inspiration expressly calls Canaan "the
holy land," (Zech. ii, 12;) and it deserved the title better when Immanuel "came unto his own," " came unto
his" temple. And, though poetry may have idolized,
and chivalry have profaned, the localities of " those
holy fields over whose acres walked those blessed feet,
which eighteen hundred years ago were nailed, for our
advantage, on the bitter cross,"*-still who could tread
it as common ground, and sternly dispel the visions
which hover around it?  And yet how much of the
sanctity which impressed itself on that land is extrinsic
and accidental-of the nature of association, and dependent on sentiment?   How stiff-necked was the people!
The prophets prophesied falsely! The offering of the
Lord was abhorred! The ways of Zion mourned'!
They spake all manner of blasphemy against the Son of
man! They crucified the Lord of glory! But the
holiness of that country which the patriarchs sought
* Shakspeare.




380             Thze Heavezly C'ouzztry.
was not imaginary antid mutable: it is silcere, p)erf(t't,
and abidilg.  It can never exhibit tile slot of defoilrnlity,
or the wrinkle of decay.  The happy people who inlhabit
it stand " without fault before the throne of God."
Tr1lhey can no more come into condemnlatioll, nor be
enllsnared by sin.  Exemption firom every kind of evil is
tleir reward.  Nothing can enter it " which defiletll."
T'l'he purity is resplendent as the sea of glass, and exhaustless as the river of life.  The mind cannot sliffer
tlhe momentary contaminatilon of vain thoughlt.  Trlhe
heart cannot waver withl momentary influence of an
irregular desire.  Each lbreath is praise, each feeling
love, each act obedience.  Nothing shall suggest doubt
of others, or demand jealousy over ourselves.  Thle
"people are all righteous."  That is the holy land!
And the country which formed the patrimony of Israel
was devoted to distinctive worshq?. It was occupied by
"'a kingdom of priests."  It was consecrated to "'ordilances of divine service."  Its gates were praise.  It
was " a house of prayer for all people."  Cloudcl followed
cloud of incense, oblation reeked after oblation of blood.
l'hey knew what they worshiped.  In His temple did
every one speak of His glory.  To enable them to take
posi..-ssion of it as the site of that fane in which IIe
should be "glorious in holiness, fearful in praises," tle
suin stood still on Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of
Aijalon.  Still often incense was an abomination; vaiu
was the oblation; it was "iniquity, even the solemn
meeting; ". "their fear" was "taught by precept of men."
Wl}ere are the true celebrants of such worship? of worship without pause and satiety?  It is remarkable that
while heaven is described by the similitudes of the
ancient Jerusalem, it is noted by the apocalyptical seer
that "he saw no temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb were the temple of it."  It was
only fitting that when praise is incessanit anid eterlnal,




The Heavenly Cozuntry.             381
lie who is its object and medium  should become its
sanctuary too, so that he "inhabits" as well as receives
it!  "They rest not day and night!"  "hIis servants
shall serve himn!"
And as Canaan was but the type, the sensible model
and imperfect specimen, of all the blessings which are
included in " the better country," so is it affirmed, what
indeed might be assumed, that it is "lheavenly."  The
original word not inaptly expresses the force of our own.
The first is derived fiom  an etymon signifying to excite; * the other from one wlich expresses height and
elevation.t  The lofty moves our admiration.  And it is
frequently used to denote another order of things friom
any we have known-a state of purer existence and
nobler joy. It tells us of that which we cannot learn
but on the testimony of Him  who is "the Lord from
heaven."  Our hope is "laid up in heaven."  Our inheritance is "reserved in heaven."  In heaven is our
"' better substance."  "The house not made with hands'
is " eternal in the heavens."  We admit that we cannot
unfold its import or seize its strength.  It is a term
which, however positive in itself, rather expresses our
ignorance than overcomes it.  All we know is what the
contrast teaches-" As is the heavenly, such are they
also who are heavenly: and as we have borne the image
of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly."
And it furnishes a pleasing illustration of the argument
couchled in the text, that the patriarchs are particularly
revealed to us as having entered into heaven, and as
holding in it a most distinguished place.  If they " ga ve
commandmlentl concerningi" their "bones," it was that
they might express their confidence in the reality of the
more glorious region which the place of their sepulcherse
adumbrated. The "Israelite indeed" tllought of "Ahbla-, Opec           j. ITealial, to Ileave, to raise.




382            T/he Heavenlly CouzLtry.
hamir's bosom:" and our Lord assured his hiearersi   that
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were in the kingdom of God.
Thllus are they defended on the highest authority; and
it is manifested that their hope was no idle dream, but
that "the steps of their faith" conducted them surely to
the reality of the "better country, that is, a heavenly."
It may be permitted to us to mark " the blessed hope"
whlich we thus obtain of sharing with them that possession, since "without us they could not be made perfect."
Wh at a contrast has every departing saint experienced who
lhas gone forth by death from this inferior, to that transcendent, state. They have only been "absent. from the
body to be present with the Lord." However "wrought
for the self-same thing," however meetened "for this inheritance," however foreordained " unto glory," yet the
transition from the extreme of weakness and suffering,
from the overwhelming abasement and rending struggle
of the mortal strife, into the sudden brightness and perfect rapture of the Vision, and this too in " a moment, in
the twinkling of an eye;" such a transition it is imIpossible to describe, for the single step appropriates heaven,
and the single moment commences eternity! Gaze on the
expiring, the glorified Christian! At one moment seized
by death; the next, free from its grasp forever! At one
moment filled with the deep consciousness of various
depravity; the next, standing unreprovable alln  unblameable in the sight of God! At one momellt racked
by pain and wasted by disease; the next, knitted into
the vigor of an eternally-renewing youth! At one nmoment what all must pity; the next, what all must ellvy!
At one moment surrounded with tears and sighs; the
next, with smiles and acclamations!  At one moment
lamented by mortals; the next greeted by angels! At
one moment gasping in agony and convulsion; the next,
poutring forthi the melody of a ceaseless sonlg! At one
momnent the nerveless emaciated hand jlust ralised by




The Heavenly Country.           383
attendants; the next, waving a palm of victory, and
striking a harp of gold! At one moment the parched lip
gently touched with moisture; the next, drinking "the
rivers of divine pleasures!" At one moment the darkened chamber accommodated to the shutting sense, and
concealing the ignominious form of death; the next, the
subject of such precaution shining out like a sun in the
kingdom of his Father!
Surely, if the children of the captivity forgot not their
own land, what sensibilities should our present expatriation, and our future return, awaken! "By the river
of Babylon," there they "sat down," yea, they wept,
when they "remembered Zion."  They "hanged their
harps upon the willows in the midst thereof."  Their
right hand had not "forgotten its skill" to rule the
chords, nor had their voices lost the power of inspired
song; but rather should it be forgotten, and their hand
fall lifeless by their side-rather should their tongue
cleave to the roof of their mouth than they forget Jerusalem-than they cease to prefer Jerusalem above their
most valued delight. They could not " sing the Lord's
song in a strange land."  They felt the cruelty of the
exaction which "required mirth" from them in their
mournful desolation. And "whenthe Lord turned again
the captivity of Zion," they "were like them who
dreamed."  Then was their mouth filled with laughter,
and their tongue with singing. The desert became a
"highway" for their trackless but certain course: patriotic instinct led them, and the wayfaring men, though
fools, could "not err therein:" age resigned its infirmities, weak hands were strengthened, and feeble knees
confirmed: original incapacity was overcome, "the eyes
of the blind" were "opened," and the "ears of the deaf"
were unstopped, and the "tongue of the dumb" sang:
external nature, in its grimmest forms, be ame propitious,
"the solitary place" was "glad for them, the desert"




384           Tze Heavenly Country.
blossomed abundantly, the "parched ground" became a
pool, and "the thirsty land springs of water:" the ferocity of serpents and beasts was subdued, "dragons"
left "their habitation," "no lion nor any ravenous
beast" crosseld their march: whatever were their perils,'"the ransomed of the Lord" returned and came "to
Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads:"
and amid those scenes of holy memory and historic
exultation, they obtained "joy and gladness, and sorrow
andc sighing" fled away!* And should we not evince
that this world is uncongenial to us, that it is a region
through which we only pass, that we are " strangers and
sojourners," that we have put on the gear of pilgrims,
that we are hastening homeward, that we have already
in sight our native land? "The world will love its own"
— ha\ve we secured its hate?  If we "are not of the
world," is the demarkation apparent?  Should not the
moan of the exile mingle with our song?  Should not
our strain swell more rapturously as we approach the
heavenly strand?  Earth is but our road, life but our
travel, and eternity but our destination! And still as
we advance let the lessening objects of sense be more
lightly esteemed by us; and as the heavenly country
opens on our view, let us speed forward, let us rejoice
thankfully-let its music warble fiom our tongue, and
its glory flash from our brow!
III. LET US REMAIARK THAT PLAN OF ULTIMATE HABITATION WHICH THESE PATRIARCHS WERE TO DISCOVER AND
ENJOY IN THE COUNTRY OF THEIR FOND DESIRE AND
EARNEST RESEARCH.
We cannot but shudder at infinite immensity. We
may be told of a boundless country, and though "a
heavenly," only be confounded and dismayed. Our feebleness, which has its " foundation in the dust," needs a
more minute and local settlement. The emigrant is dis* Isaiah xxxv, chap. passim.




The Heaveilly Couzntry.          385
heartened by the vastitude of the country which lie entels, uncertain whither to proceed, and where to stop.
And after the same manner, a fixed habitation is required
by the departed spirit, seeking rest and refuge in eternity. In the thought of that eternity, all its powers, its
very self, are lost. It desires, as it strives to conceive
of the length and breadth of even the heavenly country,
a particular allocation. And when it is separated from
the present sphere, an all-directing voice shall speak to
it; "Come up hither;" nor shall it wilder a forsaken and
homeless thing, but "enter through the gate into the
city."  Such a residence has every spirit found, "' knowiilng God, or rather, known of him."- "He has prepared
a city," and the Saviour has endeared it still more by
impressing on it characters still more tender: "'In my
Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."
The man who would refine away the materialism of the
celestial world has yet to learn the nature of the human
mind, must retract all belief in the properties of that
Incarnate Person the peculiarity of which consists in its
relation to space, distracts the attention with what is
inconceivable by being indefinite, and leaves to himself
-and others an abstraction cold as the moon-beam, and
as fickle too.
There is a city, " the heavenly Jerusalem!"   "God
has devised means that his banished ones be not expelled
from him." Long since the first pilgrimage commenced.
Tribe after tribe has gone forth from the house of bondage.  Column has pressed upon column through the
wilderness. Millions have still before them the struggle
of the outset; millions are toiling onward among the
briars and thorns of the way; millions have accomplished the journey, and are singing in the height of
Zion.  " They go from strength to strength; every one
of them in Zion appeareth before God."  And when we
25




386            The Hecavenly Colazty.
examine the reasons why such a figure is employed,
why this is called a city, two very obvious remarks suggest themselves.
1. Heaven is a commvn.ity. For the civic is a corporate
state of society, in which equal rights are enjoyed and
equal obligations are imposed. It presumes the strictest
agreement and fellowship.  The cities of Israel were
still more social than ordinary ones can be. They were allotted to kindreds and families. Each citizen could point
to his mural inheritance, and dwelt among his own people.
Even now the Christian is one with his brethren that
are in the world; he is one with " the whole family in
heaven and earth:'" he is no more a stranger and foreigner, but a fellow-citizeni "with the saints, and of the
household of God."  And his name is in "the book of
life," and his citizenship is in heaven, and he has "the
earnest of his inheritance."  "The Church of the firstborn " wait for their younger brethren, until all shall be
"made perfect in one!"
Excellence of the highest order just shows itself among
us to disappear. It is as though the bloom of paradise
were on it, and contact with earth would defile it.
Whither does it find its way? What collects the beautiful exhalation? How much holy influence is withdrawn!
How many precious examples set in our horizon! The
sun goes down while it is yet noon! The jewels are
only exhibited while the hand is making them up to set
them in the crown which fadeth not away! Treasure
after treasure is detached, pillar upon pillar falls! " The.
godly man ceaseth, the faithful fail from among the
children of men."  And often the preparations seem too
elaborate for the race, the munitions of war too mighty
for the victory. What education has been received, and
scarcely has a lesson been inculcated in return! What
presage has been signalized to perish unredeemed! But
not a fragment has been lost. All is stored up in heaven.




YlTe Heavelidy Cotuntry.        387
Worth and goodness feel its attraction, and tend to it as
their center. They " reach forth unto those things which
are before," and " seek those things which are above."
They there can find a congenial atmosphere, and acquire
a native growth. Deeply are we impoverished by the
loss; but death is their gain, and the acquisition of a
region which they were designed to adorn, and fitted to
enrich. True greatness and virtue are transplanted front
our waste into that soil. The fruits of holiness are deposited in that garner. From the first saint who passed
thither, until him who shall be the last, that city has
kept a "'feast of ingathering."  Hourly, momentarily,
have its inhabitants multiplied. One after another has
been joined to them. The pious have found the still
more devout, the zealous the still more fervent. They
who sowed, and those who reaped, rejoice together. Its
gates are not shut at all by day, and there is no night
there. From the four winds are accessions constantly
rendering' it more wealthy and blessed. Can it be a little
thing to " walk with the nations of the saved?"  Can
it be, —to commune with "'faithful Abraham," to see
"the end of the Lord" in Job, to listen to " the sweet
singer of Israel," to hail the " mother of our Lord " and
learn from her what she "'pondered in her heart," to
sympathize with the emotions of "the disciple whom
Jesus loved, and to'" fall on Paul's neck," not weeping
that we " shall see his face no more," but rejoicing that
he has now " received us forever?" A thousand avenues
open from earth into heaven, " thither the tribes go up"
for whom God has prepared this city, and soon that assemblage shall be complete. Then what was taken away
shall be restored; and the high, sweet qualities which
escaped from this unpropitious clime shall obtain the
favor they deserve, and take the station to which they
are entitled. Ah, that is " the holy city, New Jerusalem," and the residence of the holy!




388            The Heavenly Counlty.
And not only is it the ultimate abode and metropolis
of all the faithful, the "Zion" which collects and embraces all her " precious sons," but there they exist in
the most entire agreement of love. Consentaneous is
every thought and temper. With an endless modification of character, and as endless a diversity of reward,
no possible interruption can arise to their harmony.
The concord is absolute.  The bond of perfectness
excludes the most distant encroachment, or most subtle
insinuation, of envy, suspicion, and distrust.  Not only
is hate unknown, but every seed is destroyed from which
it could spring. The misconstructions of motive, the
dissensions of opinion, the alienations of habit, which
sever the righteous here, will be replaced by generous
confidence, unerring sentiment, and inseparable union.
There no forbearance can be exercised, nor forgiveness
exchanged. No wall of partition will divide, no contrariety of disposition repel.  Fellowships of mind and
sympathy will exist, now foretasted by few, and comprehended by none. There thought will flow into
thought, and feeling blend with feeling. The " city is
compact together."  Peace is "within its walls, and
prosperity within its palaces."
2. Heaven is an enduring place. With a city we
connect what is massive in foundation and structure.
The emporium of government, and the mart of trade, it
arises in strength. It seeks to fortify itself against time
as well as hostility. Architecture boasts its solid grandeur, and power entrenches itself in its sure defense.
The village may be rapidly overthrown or deserted, but
the towered state and might of the city look down
scornfully upon the threatened attack, nor heed the
stream of ages more than the river which skirts its
walls, and reflects its pinnacles. Yet where are those
things of a vaunted eternity? Where are the cities of
Nimrod, Cecrops, Nebuchadnezzar, and even Augustus?




The Heavezdy Cozintiy.           389
Vanished like a mountain-mist, past like a watch in the
night. But our city is not built on the sands of
earth, the waves of time-it is deep-based in the
rock of eternity! " Here have we no continuing city, but
we seek one to come."  As if to express its durability,
we are informed that it has "twelve foundations."
The crash of worlds would spend itself without marring a trace of its beauty, or shaking a stone of its
building.
Sometimes, indeed, the cities of the earth have survived their living populations. They have stood uninhabited like Thebes, or been scathed as Pompeii into a
city of the dead. But it is the ordinary law that 1" the
mourners " should " go about the streets." It is not
only from the " gate " of a Nain that " a dead man is
carried out." However the piles of earth defy the shock
and waste of ages, man "is of few days."  His own
works deride his little span of life. But the city which
God has prepared, is as imperishable in its inhabitants
as its materials. Its pearl, its jasper, its pure gold, are
only immortal to frame the abode of immortals. No cry
of death is in any of its dwellings.  No funeral darkens
along any of its ways.  No sepulcher of the holiest
relies gleams among the everlasting hills. Violence is
not heard in the land. There is no more death. It is
destroyed and obliterated.  Its last ensign has disappeared. Its very name has perished. It is " swallowed
up in victory."
And high is our dignity, and triumphant should be
our joy, if " grace hath been showed from the Lord our
God, to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God
may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in
our bondage."  Yonder is our city-home!  We carry
our muniments in our bosom.  In its archives our
names are enrolled. We are citizens " of no mean city."
As its battlements rest against the sky, what hands




390           The Heavenly Couiztry.
wave from  them, what anthems float over them, to
quicken our activity, and greet our approach! "We
hlave a strong city: salvation will God appoint for walls
and bulwarks!"  Certain is our present claim: but it
awaits the grandest avowal. And He who is "our
forerunner " will ratify the investiture, and write upon
us " the name of the city " of our God. Inaugurated
on the set thrones of that royal, presenting the censers
"filled with odors " of that templar, city-surveying,
on the one hand, its wealth, its magnificence, its robes
and crowns, its every inhabitant a king-encircled by
the holy memorials, on the other, the crystal laver, the
golden altar, the ark of the testament, the Lamb of the
sacrifice, each worshiper a priest,... ah! how may
we look down upon the proudest honors'and richest
treasures of the noblest city which ever oppressed
earth with its foundations, or emulated heaven with its
summits!
And can we be satisfied with any other portion?
Were the kingdoms of the earth, and the glory of them,
now shown and proffered to you, must you not " desire a
better country? " It is well that we " learn to be content;" a necessary lesson and an arduous attainment. But
this world contains not an element of satisfaction. Our
soul finds within all its breadth, no peace nor rest. It
knoweth us not. We are but journeying through it.
Thankful for a path, whether rugged or smooth, we still
pursue our way. We would be benefactors as we press
forward, and our invitation is to all, "Come with us
and we will do " you " good; for the Lord hath spoken
good concerning Israel."  Could we but make them feel
the urgency and grandeur of our enterprise! Could we
but induce them to abandon this place devoted to vanity
and doom! Shine out, 0 city of our God! Attract
their eyes, captivate their hearts, who now "mind
earthly things!')




The Heavenly Country.            391
For you, dear Christians, it only remains that you
keep your fixed resolve, and hasten toward the land
which God has promised, and the city which he has
prepared. Barter not your pilgrim's staff for a monarch's scepter! Put not off your sandals, though potentates would stoop to anoint your feet!. Be yourselves,
and their wealth will be no bribe, and their power no
temptation.  Spurn theiir dalliances!   Brave their
frowns! Your diadems will blaze forth when kings
are bound "with chains and nobles with fetters of
iron!
Strangers here, a stranger conflict will soon demand
your faith and patience. The last step of pilgrimage is
the most severe. It is still left for you to die. The
summons of this mortality resounds, and falls on many
a timid ear, chill and startling as that of old, " Go over
Jordan." Cold and dark is the wave we must pass.
Whether we cross it at the most shallow ford or the
most eddying depth, whether at its narrowest or broadest reach, it yet is to be past. But lo! the heavenly
country and holy city rise before you! Close they rise
upon the other margin! They mirror themselves on
the stream!  Sometimes, as it is ruffled, the reflected
image is broken, but as frequently restores itself; and
assures us that the imperfect view should be ascribed to
the agitation of the medium, while Reality exists in its
unwavering majesty, and even overhangs the waters
which waft us thither! Amen.




392     Deism no Refuge from  Judgmcent.
X.
DEISM NO REFUGE FROM JUDGMENT.
FOR THEN HOW SHALL GOD JUDGE THE WORLD.-Romans iii, 6.
THE abruptness of this inquiry sufficiently proves that
the fact, which is the subject of it, is established beyond
dispute. It is adduced as an essential and primary
truth. Other points might require adjustment and defense; but this is too plain an axiom, too sure an event,
to admit of argumentation. It is made a standard of
appeal; and in all such cases the appeal must be allowed,
on every side, to be valid and unexceptionable. The inspired writer, therefore, intended that there was nothing
more obvious than the appointment, more general than
the admission, more indispensable than the necessity, of
the Final Judgment.
Had occasion existed for discussion, had there been
need of reasoning, Paul would have exhibited his capacity to undertake either, or his masterdom of both.
Whatever he most cursorily touches, he arrays in light.
He seems to dismiss each topic exhausted, until he renews it. He loves the sublimely terrible. If there be
one chord more awfully sonorous than another, it is that
he strikes. On the introduction, for instance, of this
particular theme, he is wont to rise into his loftiest
majesty of sentiment and expression. Sometimes, in a
tone of clear dispassionate statement, he- affirms it to be
"a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation:"




Deism no Refuge frozm  7udgment.        393
Standing at the bar of Felix, he "reasoned of" it, poured
out in its vindication all the strength and opulence of
his mind; and though his well-directed proofs are not
recorded, they made the royal culprit "tremble."  It
was an intellectual sway ennobled with a moral triumph.
Summoned to account for his opinions before the high
court of Areopagus-encircled by the lights and ornaments of Grecian jurisprudence, eloquence, and logicraised as in mid air, while temple and statue gleamed
beautifully around him —he proceeded by a cautious,
and apparently incidental, train of remarks, into a powerful series of reasonings; reminds that judicature of another tribunal; by a rapid transition passes from that
pending investigation to a more solemn scrutiny; and
cites these functionaries, the very impersonations of an
awful justice, before a Dreader Judge. Was ever human
mind so susceptible of its impression, and capable of its
description?  His spirit seemed clothed with its pomp,
and resonant of its trumpet.  He only failed when the
thought and language of creatures must necessarily fail.
Could mortal power have embraced the realities of that
august transaction, his was the imagination to give them
a terrific vividness, his was the energy to set them forth
with a faithful certitude. But a single turn of interrogation better serves his purpose now. It carries conviction,
and compels assent. Tolerating no reply, brooking no
suspense-the truth, the justice, of the demand instantaneously, intuitively, flashes upon us!'"How, then,
shall God judge the world?" is, in other words, to say,
that it is a universal impression, an undeniable truth, an
inevitable conclusion, that God will, and even must,
judge the world!
It is the common device of infidelity to rest the truth
of such judgment upon the question of a particular revelation. It attacks the Gospel: now this Gospel presumes
the fact at issue: and the attack is supposed, if success



394     Deism no Refuge from  i7dgnent.
ful in the first case, to be invincibly so in the last. It is
not doubted by these adversaries but that both must fall
together. Let but Christianity be disproved, and they
hesitate not to affirm that the whole theory of a judgment is subverted. They covert, they hope to make a
deadly, thrust. But they sophisticate the matter. They
take for granted that this doctrine is a distinctive feature
of the Christian system. They hope to find this assumnption convenient, and the argument based upon it availing. But assumption cannot be more false, nor argument
more bootless. The religion of the Saviour presupposes
the judgment, but does not constitute its ground: it explains its nature, but does not give it existence. It imparts to the sinner hope and solace, amid his conjecture
of its horror, and his foreboding of its doom. But reject
it, repeal it! Still man is not released from duty, nor
exempted from retribution. These are elements of a
moral condition, which are primordial to all specific dispensation of divine government. These may be discerned
among the original characteristics which attach themselves to our nature itself. Rule, surely, precedes mercy
-and penalty, forgiveness. The mercy and the forgiveness cannot be the reason of the rule, or the cause of the
penalty. If criminals be arraigned, if an amnesty be declared to all who will accept it, how absurd would it be
to ascribe to the amnesty the previous arraignment!
That, manifestly, is something antecedent and independent: and though clemency had not interposed, still
would the law have remained the same, and would still
require for its support an administrative and executory
power.
So that we are willing to meet the skeptic on his own
ground. You need not be a Christian, to be a probationer for " eternal judgment."  You do not, on the refusal of any claims purporting to be those of a divine
revelation, cease to be accountable, or throw aside the




Deism no Refugefrolnm  _idgmnent.      395
candidateship for reward and punishment. This arises
out of an earlier relation, it is a predicament of moral
being.  You cannot, however you deal with any revealed pretension, make the last day a pendent to it:
you cannot, in any shipwreck of faith, engulf this consequent of the simplest admission of a first Cause:
prostrate, as you may, the pillar of inspired truth, and
establish the cheat of the inspired pages, you cannot
rend down the judgment which shall be set, nor blot out
the books which shall be opened. If you destroy all
that intervenes between you and that last great day,
that day must break. Had our God not come at any
time, had he never interrupted the silence of the ages,
he will then " come, and not keep silence.". This is due
to the constitution of things. Whatever else may be
controverted and escaped, this is alike infallible and
inevitable!
We must attempt, therefore, to place it on grounds
unconditional of our " professed subjection to the Gospel
of Christ."
I. THE MOST CORRECT IDEAS WE CAN ENTERTAIN OF
THE DEITY REQUIRE THAT THERE SHOULD BE A JUDGMIENT.
Holy Scripture does not take to itself the honor of
discovering that there is a God. It distinctly allows
that the evidence of this fact is in the works of his
hands. It would not be in the power of any book to
furnish it. The first notion, that there is a maker, must
be suggested by the things he has made. The rational
creature who infers not "the invisible things of God"
fiom the operations of his power, intelligence, and benignity, is "without excuse."  These "may be clearly
seen."  But it may be asked, Is it only "the fool who
hath said in his heart, There is no God?" Were not the
ancient sages also ignorant?  We must answer this to
the shame of their base artifice: "  hen," or although,




396     Deism no Refzug-e from  7zfudgfment.
"'they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither
were thankful."  The information which their perceptions could derive from the vast fabric of earth and sky
had once sufficed to convince them. That which might
"be known of God" was "manifest in them," for God
had " showed it unto them." The knowledge was lost
when they willfully blinded others, and in some degree
became the dupes of their own duplicity. But this was
a moral retribution-fittingg punishment following voluntary guilt-they "changed the truth of God into a
lie... they did not like to retain God in their knowledge."  Whatever was the corrupting influence of their
systems, each individual gazed forth on the same wondrous premises, and might have wrought out for himself
the same necessary conclusion.
Strength and skill are the two most early impressions
induced by a survey of creation. The greatness of the
act is unquestionable. The subservience of that act to
all the wants and habitudes of living beings is demonstrative. Such a combination of properties supposes an
active benevolence, directing all to purposes of happiness
and utility. But the impression of justice is not spontaneously obtained.  The course is not so much of
observation as reflection. We proceed with a more circumspect examination. We are compelled to admix
different ideas, to compare remote phenomena, and having reasoned, to pronounce our deliberations. Still there
are reasonings by no means abstruse, founded upon what
we see around us and feel within us, which cannot fail to
conduct to the assurance that there is " a God who judgeth in the earth."
WVe cannot regard mankind with any closeness of
investigation without finding that sentiments of duty,
and principles of conscience, actuate them. Hoodwinked
as their apprehensions, debased as their standards, of
religion may be, still they have universally exhibited a




Deism no Refuge from Yudg-ment.    397
religious bias and capacity. "Their thoughts" have accused or excised " one another."  They knew "the judgment of God."  They "'are a law  unto themselves."
None should be more ready to embrace such statements
than the impugners of revelation; and none, when such
statements are found convenient, do lay greater weight
upon them. For it is from the sufficiency of reason and
the moral sense they hope to invalidate the authority, by
showing the superfluousness, of any but natural religion.
Enough, they tell us, is already taught; the lessons are
plain to every eye, and the dictates to every ear!  They
ask no volume but that of nature, and wish no interpreter but that of man! Creation is their temple, and they
worship at the altar of no " unknown God!"  Such are
our common data-but how are they to be pursued?
We differently account for them; but as to their character and existence we have no dispute. Have all nations a fear of disobeying a higher power? Have they
a dread of punishment? Resort they to means of expiation? Then this is the collective suffrage of the species.
It proclaims that where there is guilt there is justice;
that the sinner awaits the execution of a sentence; that
there is a universal assent to the doctrine of a judgment
-our only present question, since the time, order, and
manner cannot affect its equity or reality!
As we can trace a general uniformity in the divine
procedure, an analogy between the various acts of the
Great Agent of all, so we find that however interrupted,
the original plan is speedily restored. The deviation is
partial and transient, and the disturbed machinery reverts to its more precise and regular movements. An
infinite care is extended toward the physical world.
The cloud-rack disparts, and the bright, calm heaven
glows above us; the chafed ocean rocks itself to rest.
If, therefore, this love of order, and perseverance of arrangement, govern the realms of matter, an equal vigi



398     Deism nuzo Refulge from  zcudgment.
lance will pervade the dominion of mind. But mind is
susceptible of certain disorder, and it may present to the
allseeing Eye a scene of frenzy and misrule. Should no
cognizance be taken of this violation inflicted on the
more precious harmonies of spiritual existence? Mechanical power is competent in the one case, for it is
unconscious matter on which it operates; but moral
nature is the subject of ascertained law and proper disposition —it must not be therefore coerced but regulated.
It may persist in this wrong, its will may lead it forward
in a succession of guilty conduct, and now what is left
even to the Supreme but to punish?  What other check
but punishment can be supposed? He who controls the
objects of sense, cannot be insufficient or indifferent to
control, agreeably to its own laws, that mysterious essence which constitutes all the value and all the character of man, whom He has set over the works of his hands!
The question is, whether the God who upholds each
atom, and enforces each law, of the universe, will suffer
the human spirit all its waywardness of folly and crime
without restriction-that is, with indulgence and impunity?
We are conscious, whatever may be our present state
of vitiation, (a state we do not ask our opponents to allow, but a belief in which we feel perfectly to comport
with the ensuing averment,) we are conscious of being.
differently affected by different kinds of conduct. It
will be impossible to portray certain excellence or vice
without exciting in the spectator esteem or disgust.
The most debased will not be wholly unimpressed. Something of an original taste survives in all, and it is scarcely
capable of an entire perversion. Reason, in every distinctive acceptation, must have perished if it be extinguished. Unbending integrity, melting charity, meek
simplicity, high-souled independence, the rescue of innocence, the resistance of oppression, these awe or charm,




Deism nzo Refuge from  7udagment.      399
raise our admiration or inspire our love. It is a law
almost irrepressible. Bodily distortion and deformity
do not more certainly move within us unpleasant feelings, than moral incongruities jar and pain. How is it
that these forms of virtue and vice produce such concurrent effects? How may we explain it, that men have at
all times united in these sentiments? What poet could
ever make vile and cruel passion agreeable; and what
painter could ever win, for the figure of infamy, our
complacent emotion?  The triumph of these masters
might be proudly successful-their spell might soften,
their composition might relieve-but the themes themselves could only displease. Say, that this is an essential
law of mind —say, that it is dictated by a fixed constitution of things-say, that it is an acknowledgment of a
proportion and scale as true in morals as a standard of
what is straight and crooked is in physics-what is such
law, such constitution, such proportion and scale? It
must be the divine will-its sympathy or aversion-impressing itself on each mind, and reflecting itself fiom
the general system. You shrink from evil, you are attracted by good, because your Creator has so constituted
you to be impressed. But then we cannot evade the
inference, that He must mark his displeasure, that He
must be consistent with these declarations of his purpose; and that, since He loves good and hates evil
infinitely more than we can do, He must call them to
account who thwart and disobey these primary perceptions. He cannot impel us in one way, and proceed
himself in the contrary!
All the preceding statements presume a rectitude in
the Deity. Is his government stretched over mind! Has
he made virtue beautiful? Then he respects no man's
person, then he elicits the qualities of conduct, he "look-.eth upon the heart," by him  "actions are weighed."
He must entertain an essential disposition to execute




400      Deism Izo Refoge from u'lgmrZoezt.
righteousness in approving or condemning; and will
make it plain to others, to all rational beings, that he is
not only invariable in this purpose, but that this purpose
is suggested by an equal invariableness of nature.
And surely our adversaries will not refuse us the right
to ascribe to the Supreme all known and conceivable
excellence. Whence, but from this " eternal Power and
Godhead," can the capacity to discriminate excellence
be derived?  Whence, but from this source, can excellence itself have emanated?  But we see it only in distinct, and often broken portions; and not in its perfection
of symmetry and fullness.  And as virtuous greatness
cannot consist without justice, so we must cause this attribute to inhere in every thought and representation of
the Deity, the denial of which to a creature leaves him
confessedly the bane and disgrace of his kind. And the
proof, that if God be infinite in ceny attribute he must
be in cll, is irrefragable; he is therefore just in a degree
and to an extent worthy of him who "'governs the nations
upon the earth."
Indeed, his justice is necessary to his less disputed
perfections. Is he wise? then the plan of his wisdom
must not be frustrated. Is he powerful? then the
temerity which trifles with it, and the hardihood which
scoffs at it, must be overthrown. Is he good? then his
beneficence must not be turned aside from  the objects
to which it is directed, nor be converted into a weapon
against himself. Justice is but the perseverance of his
wisdom, the determination of his power, and the victory of his love. It is the only security of his purpose,
protection of his character, and guardianship of his
creation.
But more will be granted by the intelligent Deist.
He will clothe the God whom he confesses with certain
relations. That God is a father: and the poet of nature
sang a truth, "We are his offspring."  Requires that




Deismn no Refuge fronm  7udgment.     401
family no discipline? Shall no difference be made
between the obedient andt the disobedient children?
That God is a governor: for it is presupposed by the
argument that such a law is now, and always has
been, extant, as to make a dogmatic revelation unnecessary.  Has that law no sanctions? is there no
honor, no self-respect, which obliges the lawgiver to
ellforce them?
The great rudiments of justice are widely and deeply
engraven on the present system; and the very exceptions to the universal rule, the very delays of the universal
administration, only render the doctrine more credible,
the fact more urgent, that there shall be a judgment, in
which man will receive " according to the things done
in the body." Invest the First of Beings with one
moral quality-the boast oSf this species of skepticismand not only cannot this event be disproved, but all our
reasonings on that one quality render it plausible, and
leave it imperative!
II. THE DIGNITY OF HUTMAN INTELLECT AND CAPACITY
ENFORCES IT.
Man is endowed with a capability of knowing different things, of distinguishing their properties, and of
choosing between their claims. He obeys no impact
like the material body, nor follows the instinct of the
simple animal: he prefers, he refuses, he outstrips his
fellow, he improves on himself. Who can limit his
power?  What can stop his progress?  The elements
are his tributaries. He can change their forms, and
invent new uses for them. He yokes the winds, and
lightning stays for his experiment. And he may be, as
yet, only in the infancy of his energies, and but at the
threshold of discoveries which no fancy can paint.
What realms may open for his invasion, and yield to
his sovereignty!
But why was he made? To eat, and drink, and
26




402     Deism no Refuge from  iudgment.
sleep? To care only for himself? To build houses,
and ply his different arts? While the majority evince
so feeble an activity of intellect, were they created to
aggrandize by contrast, what the few  master-spirits
have done, and what the mind they represent can always
achieve?  We cannot but notice the vanity of his common pursuits and their disparity to his character. None
can exceed our estimate of his faculties; but the fact is
as certain as it is mournful, that they are strangely
degraded.  And when we look upon " the vain show"
in which he acts his part, and "the pride of life," with
its gewgaw pageantry and tinsel pomp —when from
palaces we descend to the menial drudge, his hapless
lot and bitter privation —we demand, is this the nature
of which we vaunt? is this the creature whose brow
looks up to heaven, and whose spirit mingles with
divinity? What does man better than the thousand
tribes which fill the air, roam the earth, and cleave the
flood?  The hue of Paradise may vein the clod; there
may lie hidden in the spirit the imperfect sinew, and
callow down, of wings which could dispread themselves
for an immortal flight. The inquiry relates to what is;
and all must admit that human nature is the subject of
a lamentable perversion.
And that this idea of perversion may be duly considered, we should remember that we can apply it to
none other creature within this visible economy. When
we think of the sun, we never'suppose that it had a
nobler use; the stars keep their orbits and travel their
rounds; spring raises nature from  the grave of the
year; and the ordinances of heaven are established.
Still " all is very good;" and if " subject to vanity," it
is the folly to which it ministers, and not any taint upon
itself. It may be "' made to serve with" our iniquities,
but itself basks in the smile continually which erst
glanced on it. Man only has abused his nature, and




Deism;o Refuge from  _zidgJment.      403
corrupted his way. He is the solitary failure! His
powers give magnitude to his guilt and his perniciousness. He has fallen, and dragged down the pillars of
earth in his fall.
Of all terrestrial creatures he is the only religious one.
The scenes around him, and the feelings within him,
allow him no alternative.  The Deist confirms this impression, and speaks of a natural religion, suitable for
man and common to him. And if man be the only
religious creature, he is the only creature who can understand religion. You may, by hope and fear, arouse the
brute; you may teach it to interpret your looks and
tones; but a producing cause, a code of fitness, a spirituality of retribution, surpass any capacity it has to
understand. But why was man thus enabled to appreciate ideas of moral accountability? Is it not a distinction
of his being? M1ust it not denote the will of his Maker?
Hence arises the necessity of a judgment. For how
great a waste of intellect and moral feeling is included in
sin! What a depravation of heart is supposed in voluntary irreligion!  What is their guilt who throw off an
allegiance which they only can approve! For what
have they to answer! And can He, whose purpose these
endowments express, suffer all this perversion without
inquisition and rebuke? Can He behold himself mocked
in his plan, and robbed of his glory, without one frown
of his disapprobation? Can skepticism impute to its
God a leniency, or rather a supineness, like this?  The
doctrine of fial causes would, under such argument, be
an empty theory: design there could be none; law
must be repealed; government might break its scepter;
for man, constituted religious, susceptible of its influence,
and intelligent of its nature,jeers its supposition, spurns
its authority, withholds its service; while his God, who
required it, and should have received its homage, cares
not to notice the neglect, nor to resent the indignity!




404      Deism no Refuige frovm Yizdgzent.
III. THE PARTIALLY DEVELOPED CIIARACTER, AND THE
MIXED NATURE, OF THE PRESIENT SYSTEMI, INTIMATE
THAT THERE SHALL BE A JUDGMENT.
It would be difficult for any reasoning creature to
conclude that the present was a final state.  There is
so much of life passed in infancy and demanded for education-the period of the longest is so brief, and that of
each so uncertain-toil consumes so large a part, while
refreshment from toil one scarcely less-such buddings
of genius are prenlaturely blighted, and mind often
retains such freedom and triumph amid the dissolution
of the body —that every thing seems to intimate another
scene of existence, in which the highest aims and employments of the soul, in its earthly abode, may be
resumed. Were this world all-were all our mortal
life-how melancholy would be the wreck of its abortive enterprises. Sensuality and gain would best agree
with its littleness; and where men attempted better
things, we should be summoned to deplore the distorted
growth of intellect, the outspread wing of the soul beating against the bars of its cage. And if a reasoning
creature would infer that only an incipient character
belonged to the present state, the inference would still
more readily recur to him who exercised moral reflection. How  confused are those arrangements which
should distinctively belong to virtue and vice! Does not
crime frequently succeed? Is not excellence depressed?
Though enough exists to satisfy us that there is a plan
and rule of justice, is there not equal proof that this plan
and rule are never perfectly enforcedcl?  If they were
fully carried out, would not the effect be so great that
society would generally invert itself?  The "prosperity
of the wicked" has awakened the most masculine minds
to wonder, and the most holy hearts to mourn.
The view which best and alone relieves this strange
1,)sition of human affairs, is that which impresses a pro



Deism nlzo Refugefrom  yzg',zmenzt.     405
batiouary character on the present state.  Our Maker
will now "prove what is in" our heart. It is a necessary condition of such a discipline, that wickedness shall
be left to itself. Therefore it stalks so giantly, and uprears its towering front. Misery is entailed by its course,
and its success is founded upon suffering. Though "the
evil bow before the good, and the wicked at the gates
of the -righteous," they seek their extermination.  The
meekness, the forbearance, the rectitude of the pious are
thus established; there is a constant scrutiny of their
pretensions, an ordeal of their excellences. This mixed
state must continue, unless there be a constant interposition to repair andcladjust it; but then there could be
no liberty, no opportunity given for the collision of rival
principles, and the reaction of opposite characters. It
arises out of moral agency, and is inseparable from moral
probation. The consequence is, that " many are purified
and. tried; but that the wicked do wickedly."  There
are " the tears of the oppressed, and on the side of their
oppressors there is power."
If such a condition of things be found under the dominion of the Just One, whose " eyes behold the things
which are equal," it cannot be the whole of that system
which he aldministers: if its partial character be intended
for the regimen of a probation, then it must point forward to some period and mode of decision.  But this is
the very jucgm;et which we affirm, necessary to resolve
all temporary perplexities, and to balance all former
derangements.
Nor let it be objected to, that the delay is long: it
would be as reasonable to complain of the succession of
mankind. All are to be treated alike; and the system
must endure with the species. It proves not that " the
Lord hath forsaken the earth."  It warrants not the
wicked to "' contemn God, or to say in his heart, Thou
wilt not require it."  "' Sentence" may be promulgatecl




406      Deism;no Refug-e from  iudgwment.
"against an evil work," though it is not " executed
speedily." There can be no need of any addition to the
acts and resources of His government. There is no implication and ground of suspicion that any thing dubious
waits to be explained, any thing feeble to be enforced,
any thing vague to be defined. The patience of this
government may rather augur its efficiency. It is too
majestic to be provoked, too strong to be tempted from
its fixed arrangements. Its forbearance reveals its dignity. God ceases not to reign when he refuses to strike.
If the objection ever was powerful, it is hourly dinminishing.  We who are Christians, tell our antagonists
that the end is at hand. Judgment lingereth not. The
retribution, which has an eternity in which to expand,
wants not to precipitate its measures. It will be sufficiently early. None will complain that it was too tardy
then. Let not foolish men try to urge it on. Would
ye taunt it into haste? Such a God as the opponent
allows can suffer this delay without derogation: nor let
him turn from us when we declare from the Bible that
our God "knoweth how to reserve the unjust unto the
day of judgment to be punished."
These are facts which the Deist observes-how can he
escape, admitting as he does the existence of a Deity,
the pressure of the conclusion that he must judge his
creatures?
IV. THE TENDENCIES OF CONDUCT IN THE PRESENT
STATE WILL GREATLY INCREASE THE PROBABILITY OF A
JUDGMENT.
Particular consequences are perceived by all to attend
particular acts. We are happy or miserable according
to the nature of those acts. Exultation in crime is nearly impossible. It is true that men may exult in some
success which crime has accomplished, but there are few
who would not avoid thle crime itself. Theft was necessary to the acquisition, murder to the revenge; but the




Deism  izo Refuge from        udggmenlzt.      407
means are perhaps subjects of complacency  to  none.
Shame, misgiving, and remorse fill the guilty heart.
Something more than the fear of punishment tormentsit is the hideous aspect of the deed.  " Look on it again,
they dare not." Justice, on the other hand, integrity,
temperance, kindness, impart to the mind a cheerfulness,
a peace, a glosw of satisfaction, which no guilty excesses
bring.  It is the consciousness of being right.  But it is
more, it is the influence of that consciousness on an order
of natural sensibilities as adapted to  receive pleasure
from  it as the eye from  light, and the ear from  music.
It is not the loud plaudit which bids us rejoice: it is the
internal welling up of a native spring,*
And we may commonly discern that there is connection between sin and suffering besides that of the selfupbraiding mind.  Fraud overreaches, violence recoils
on, itself. One false step induces a second, and the entire life stumbles from. it.  This is the principle of distributive justice-we receive according to our works.
The most distant results are held by the attachment of
some most unconsidered and early act.  "Justice commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice to our own
lips."  In the abandonment of an evil course, we cannot
promise ourselves a reversal of its former consequences.
* This sentiment is well illustrated by Socrates, in his dialogue with
Hiippias: "Aypaqovs de rtvag otaOa, e-l, vorlovg; Tovg y' ev araon,
er, xapa icara  ravra vojtarojulvovg. EXotg av ovv eLtrev, ~cUl, OTt ot
avOptoirot avrovC O6Evro; Kat Aog av, eb, 6tXE oere uvveAEctv azravreC
dvv0e6tev, ov7E ojiokovot ett; Ttvac ovv, elb, vo/taetr, 7reOccevat rovf
voleove roV7rov; Eyo yev, eql, 0eovr otiat rovS vo/tovg rovrov  roOt
avPOporrotc Oetvat."  "Knowest thou not that there are certain laws
which are unwritten?"  He answered, "You allude to those which
are every-where in force."  "But you do not maintain that all men
agreed to constitute them? " " Surely not, for mankind could not meet
on one spot, or communicate by one language."  "How then were
these universal laws founded?"  "I cannlot but conclude that this
was the work of the gods."-XENOPHON, MEMORABILIA. Chap. 4.




408      Deism. 7no Refunge from  Yzudmgwmctt.
The retribution is often explicable from the nature of
things, which is only another mode of saying, from the
counsel of the divine will operating in so sure a way
that it may be constantly anticipated, and made a ground
of confident persuasion. But there is also much to show,
if not a more direct agency on the part of God, a more
immediate interference.  Who can shake from him the
belief that He has so acted and may so act?
We require not to be reminded that this argument
may, at first sight, appear conflicting with our purpose.
If even now "virtue is its own reward, and sin educes its
own punishment —if this system of moral tendencies be
now operative-bow can another adjudication be made
to seem necessary?  You have proved too much."  Our
answer is of two kinds. Thetfirst respects the possibility
of these consequences being defeated, and these tendencies warped, by particular circumstances. The audacious
sinner becolues, by as certainz c lawe of sin as that which'
binds up misery with it, ifactuated and harcdened. His
"judgment is fled to brutish beasts."  The very mercy
which makes it -a "bitter thing" is survived. He is'"past feeling."  He ceases to know'the proper anguish
of shame and remorse as he increases the number and
the enormity of his offenses. And has he his desert?
The self-inflicted punishment has long since failed. In
its suspension is there no voice which announces that the
earlier pain attendant upon sin was the preintimation of
a deeper and more poignant despair, when it can no
longer blind the mind and sear the conscience? that it
was the first stirring of "the worm which never dies,"
afterward chilled into torpor by the sinner's self-neglect
and scorn of all remonstrance from without and within,
but to warm itself into activity and fury, where nothing
can loosen its hold or soothe its bite? And the systems
of superstition which abound in our world give not a
chance to those punishments which depend upon the




Deism zno Refuzge fronz 7udonent.    4og9
reproof of the mind. Licentiousness raises no blush of
shame, for it enters into the orgies of some worship; the
mother feels a satisfaction in infanticide, because, whatever the pang, a superior power is supposed to ordain
the sacrifice; and the child applies the brand to the
fineral pile, on which his living mother lies, with all the.
strength of filial piety. Other sentiments fill the heart,
and turn aside the current of its best emotions. But
there is a second vindication of our argument.  The
traces of justice, or of that which deals with every -thing
and relation as it is, are not invariably apparent because
narrowed and impeded by sin. And that probationary
character, which we -have endeavored to prove belongs to
the present state, could not be sustained if justice were
uniform and instantaneous in its exercise. For virtue
would then at once claim its reward, without any necessity for the faith which now relies upon a promise of the
future, or for the patience which now meekly awaits it.
And then, too, the transgressor would be struck down
by the curse, without a power to accumulate his guilt, or
a hope of repenting it. There is a sufficiency of evidence
to prove that God is manifestly just, and to protect the
inference that he must be so when the manifestation is
withheld; and both cases combine to show that it is a
reasonable expectation, and an absolute dilemma, that
he shall "judge the world in righteousness."
And since man is now capable of forming these sentiments, and cherishing these feelings, can they be simply
related to the passing life? Do they abruptly expire at
death?  Is their possessor treated with no distinction
above the brute?  Are they the decorations and riches
of a vessel to be shivered by a blow?
V. THE VISITATIONS OF CALAMITY, PUBLIC AND PERSONAL, CONTRIBUTE MBUCH ILLUSTRATIVE EVIDENCE TO
THlE FACT.
Phenomena have, indubitably, occurred more than




41O      Deism no Refuge from Yudgment.
difficult to reconcile with the innocence of man, or the
indifference of his Creator toward his demerits. We
contend not for their judicial character in any invidious
sense, and assure the infidel that our Bible pointedly condemns any such interpretation. If a man be born blind,
it reminds us that there is no proof that he has particulaily and enormously' sinned, nor his parents;"* if a
tower fall on a company of persons, or a tyrant ruthlessly massacre those who are engaged in the very act
of religious worship, it warns us not to suspect that they
" were sinners above all men," but to keep in mind the
certainty, if impenitent, of a more tremendous perdition.t
We invite not the infidel to give credit to those prodigies of horror which we, upon the assertion of our Bible,
believe. He may deny-whatever profane history shall
allege, however awe-struck nature shall corroboratethat Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed with signal
vengeance, and tread the strand of Asphaltites, as of the
fairest lake which mountains embosom and lilies skirt.
He may deny that Euphrates and Tigris wash ruins of
any fearful import and prophetic ban; and listen unimpressed to their murmuring streams. He may deny that
any supernatural power has plucked the Edomite from
his rock, and bid the denationalized Hebrew wander over
the earth. He may deny that ever one surge of wrath
swept around our globe, and calmly survey its convulsed stratification, confusedly heaped and capriciously
dislocated, as he would the veins of some columned
marble. He may dissociate from every catastrophe, all
moral liability and all penal pursuance. But still there
have been vast and manifold natural evils. The storm,
the flood, the volcano entombing cities, the earthquake
swallowing alive the flying multitude, the pestilence
withering nations in its blast, are forms of confessed
evil, whatever be their relative cause. But they are
* John ix, 3.        t Luke xiii, 1, etc.




Deism no Refulge fron Yuzidgmienlt.  4I I
strictly just. They leave no impeachment on the divine
government. Yet how are they just? If they who have
suffered were thus dealt with, what millions have escaped?
Is there not a presumption here that these calamities are
but specimens and omens of a universal judgment, of
the quick and dead? It may be easy for philosophers
in their halls of science and museums of research to
speak of these visitations as following a physical order,
and resolvable into a material law. Phlegmatically, they
may tell that thus atmospheres are ventilated; and that
fires, pent up in central forges, thus scatter their ashes
and blow their flames. But the human mind will feel
that there is a notice taken by them of sin, and will deprecate of heaven their occurrence. We are wholly at the
sport of the elemental war, and our spirits are troubled
that something more is meant than nature's momentary
start and disturbance in the adjustment of itself. And
the partiality of these effects cannot be pleaded in reproof of our argument. Whatever might be the equipoise
between those who are implicated and exempted-though
"t-wo men should be in one bed, and the one be taken
and the other not;" though "two women should be
grinding together, and the one be taken and the other
left; " though "two men should be in the field, and the
one be taken and the other left;" yet this equal division
proves an unequal treatment. And, therefore, we conelude that there is a prospective arrangement which shall
explain the reason of what now seems severe, and shall
attach a universality to what is circumscribed-thus
establishing that all His scattered and partial inflictions
have shadowed out a general rule and pledged a final
arbitration!
VI. THE CLAIIMS OF UNIVERSAL CONSENT ARE ON THE
SIDE OF A JUDGMENT.
We popularly speak of conscience, and many a flattering title has been given to it.  Yet it is to be feared




412      Deism nzo Refu/ge from  7Tdg-venzt.
that the general opinion is fallacious.  For when we call
it monitor, the vicegerent of heaven, the inward oracle,
the starry ray-is there not an impression that it must
be right to follow its authoritative guidance? But what
can be more contradictory than the consciences of mankind?  It cannot be a distinct power of the soul, or a
state in which all souls may be expected to discover tlenmselves-it is nothing but the conception a man takes of
religious duty, the judgment of his mind on what involves the relations Awhich unite him to his Maker. Still
while it is the simplest mental act, it closes with an original capacity and law of our being.  We were made
accountable creatures. It does not glance over us as
do many indifferent opinions-it falls in with the primal
bias of our nature. Conscience, then, is man's judgment
about his religious obligations, he being designed and
impelled to form  one. And does not this, however
taught, by whatever creed it may be regulated, solemnly
assure us of such an issue? Does it not, with its steadiest index, denote it? Does it not, with its deepest knell,
forewarn it?  ~Why does it make cowards of us all, but
that it converts us all into candidates who shall be summonedcl to this dread tribunal?  He is but a sophist who,
though he does not reason against the common opinion
of material things which the progress of science often
corrects, derides the deeper sympathies and moral impressions of mankind.
Traverse the  earth-enter the gorgeous cities of
idolatry, or accept the hospitality of its wandering
tribes-go  where will-worship is most fantastic and
superstition most gross-and you will find in man " a
fearful looking for of judgment."  The mythology of
their Nemesis may vary-their Elysium  and Tartarus
may be differently depicted —the metempsychosis may
be the passage of bliss and woe —still the fact is only
confirmed by the diversity of the forms in which it is




D)eismz nzo Refuge from   %iudgment.             4I3
presented.   If this be an innatce &lw  of susceptibility,
then it must have been impressed by the Creator.  But
wasit a false expectation of which man was made the
dupe?  Or could his Creator thus sport with his happiness? *  If it be not innate, then it is a universal traclition. Still, whence did it originate? What was its
source?   Is it to be traced to an original pair, or any
other presumed stems of the human family?  It is, then,
what the earliest progenitors believed.  But there must
have been  an inducement and  a  ground.  Their conviction  may sustain  that of their posterity, but what
sustained  their  own?  The  cause  may  be  displaced
again and again; the fulcrum   may be shifted, the difficulty  may be  removed; but it is  only grown  more
serious  and  formidable  by  the  prevarication.   For
surely if man at his creation (and we hold  no  debate
with the asserters of an eternal succession of creatures!)
believed that God would judge the world, it was one of
the most simple and early lessons which His finger ever
traced on the table of the hnuman heart.  That which
was always believed by the species, though an Epicurism
of the few  has labored to resist, must have its basis in
what is settled and immutable.f
* Nature, whose dictates to no other kind
Are given in vain, but what they ask they find.-POPE.
{ Bayle, in his Dictionary, (Rotterdam, 1867,) has the following remarks, which are not the less weighty because he was not favorable
to Christianity: " Toutes les religions du monde. taut la vraye que les
fausses, roulent sur ce grand pivot, qu'il y a un juge invisible qui punit,
et qui recompense apres cette vie les actions de l'lhomme, tant exterieures qu'interieures.  C'est de la, que l'on supose que decoule la principale utilite de la religion; c'est le principal motif qui efit anime ceux
qui 1'auroient inventee. I1 est assez 6vident qu'en cette vie les bonnes
actions ne conduisent pas au bien temporal, et que les mauvaises sont
le moyen le plus ordinaire et le plls sur de faire fortune: atilt dolle
d'empeher l']lomme de se plonger dans le crime, et de le porter a la
vertu, il auroit te6 necessaire de'lhii proposer des peines, et des ie



414      Deism no Refuge from Yudgmnenzt.
The probable is the only kind of evidence we have
hitherto employed.  VWe, are not to be blamed for this,
because if the term be understood in the acceptation of
the schools, " probable" is the only kind of which any
moral subjects admit, not even excluding those which
are historical; and if only taken in the vulgar sense,
we have resorted to it in compliance with the necessity
of our argument, and the predicament of our opponent,
leaving our own " more sure word of prophecy."
But it must be felt that the greater part of what has
been already advanced implies the doctrine of a future
state. Though we have not formally propounded it,
almost all has necessitated the inference. For the judgment which we seek to argue as true and certain, does
not in any proper shape occur on the stage of this world,
or during the term of this life. It has to do with the
departed spirit; its review and sentence are reserved for
an invisible region, and its influence forms the character
of an immortal duration.  It is for others to contend
that an existence bounded by death is a complete
existence; that the awful enigmas which surround the
thinking being await no ultimate solution; that the
stewardship of so many trusts as are committed to man,
will not be required; and that Jehovah has ordained
no era at which he will vindicate his government, and
roll the clouds and darkness which have shrouded it
eternally away.  Our belief of a judgment forbids the
thought that this'is the only scene and life, and debars
the fell hazard of annihilation!
And an examination of the deistical writers cannot
fail to convince us that few, in any tangible sense, embrace the immortality of the soul. Herbert is an exception; but his natural theology is but a stolen likeness of
compenses apres cette vie. C est la ruse que les esprits forts attribuent a ceux qu'ils pretendent avoir dtd les premiers Autours da la religion."-Page 1087.




Deism no Refugefrom Yudgment.         415
Christianity. Others have been more consistent, and
forbear to put such extravagant assumptions into their
premises.  Shaftesbury  and Bolingbroke  constantly
intimate, that at most the doctrine is unsettled, that it
is indifferent; and that any reference to future rewards
and punishments is incompatible with a love of virtue.
The French Encyclopedists, if they belong not to a class
of deeper infidelity, openly explode it. Scarcely any of
the present day will allow for a moment the immateriality of the mind; and therefore it cannot be expected
that they should believe that it survives the stroke of
death.  The resurrection of the body it were foolish for
them to anticipate but on the voucher of a divine revelation. The nearest approach that the majority make
who believe at all in a future state, is that of a chemical
reproduction without consciousness; while the small portion who retain the doctrine of an escape, a preservation of
the intelligent principle at the deposition of the body,
stand like wrecked mariners on some slippery rock, with
the ocean constantly rising upon them. It is unquestionable that they, who repel with equal decision the
charge of Atheism and the profession of Revelation,
(and whom therefore we allot to the middle community
of them who avow a First Cause, and affect to decipher
fiom constituted nature His righteous will) —it is fully
proved that they, with very rare exceptions, believe not
in the immortality of the soul, nor in any future state
of retribution.
So far we speak to facts; but we do not wonder that
such immortality should be denied by the free-thinker.
It consists not gracefully with infidelity. It is too vast
a consummation for its system.  The point rises not
fiom its pyramid, the pyramid is built upon its point.
The Deist seems to watch his opportunity to shake off
the uiwieldly incumbrance. He cannot find use nor
solace in it. But we would remind him that a judgment




416      Deism izo Refuzge from  Zadpgml1ezt.
is not invalidated should Christianity be disproved, so
the immortality of the human soul is not falsified on the
same alternative. And yet how many shelter themselves
in this sophism from  the fear of immortality!  How
many think that they shall not live forever, if it can be
shown that a revealed religion is unfounded! Impotent
folly! like the hope of the hunted ostrich, burying its
eyes in the sand, that not seeing its danger, its pursuers
may not behold their prey!
It is only just that this inconsistency should be put
in its true light.  Christianity affirms our future existence as its postulate.  It is not the revelation of the
fact, but a description of its nature, and a provision for
its beatification.  And it is for him who impugns "the
werd of life," still to bear the burden of his own immortality as he can! The only difference between him and
his fellow-travelers toward eternity is, that he has thrown
away the torch and the staff, which the others acknowledge to enlighten and help them!
The argument must rest with the infidel: he must
prove that man is not immortal: for this is the obligation on any one who sets himself in defiance of general
consent.
Now whatever is may still be: a body impelled into
motion continues in motion: and the presumption is,
that man, who at present exists, will always exist, unless
the strongest reasons can be opposed.  Is such a contrivance likely to perish? And if he continue to exist,
should not his being, as it advances, become more grave?
extricated from its littleness of pursuit, and disciplined
of its frivolity in taste?  Is not his immortality the
pledge of a more solemn state of things?  Can the gyrub
of time be the butte7fly of eternity?
Death will, however, be urged as the palpable extinction of the being.  But no man will assert that then
a single atom of the body is destroyed.  The olganie.




Deism no Refugefrom Yudgment.        4I7
structure is altered; fiber and fluid are decomposed; the
whole enters into new combinations, but not a particle
is lost. Why may not the same be true of the soul?
It was held by the body-the body has been affected by
mechanical causes which could not reach the soul-the
soul has become disengaged. Many changes took place
in that body through life, and yet the soul was the same.
And to the last, amid the wreck of its corporeal vehicle,
how often does it triumph! I speak not of the hero, the
martyr, the patriot who kisses the block, the chief who
chants the death song, but of one whose springs of life
are all shivered, and all his vigors spent. There a lambent fire plays, which no chill and damp of death can
extinguish. There a might puts forth itself, victorious
in that grasp beneath which all things wither.  And
have we not witnessed the holy spectacle? The mind
rising in majesty, while all its barriers were falling from
around it! the gem flashing with new brightness, while
its setting was destroyed! It is then greatest when it
might be expected to yield; then freest when it might
be expected to waver; then boldest when it might be
expected to shrink! "Death is thus a spontaneous act,
a more ardent prayer of the mind."* Are not then the
probabilities strongly in favor of the soul's independence
and indestructibleness? And should a desire be felt to
confuse the properties of matter and spirit, of which the
human being in his present state is compounded, we
shall again remit the disputant to the common sense of
mankind. All allow them to be as different things as
differingl and inconvertible properties can prove them.
And whatever physiological hardihood has dared, we
wait with perfect composure for it to prove-that man is
a mere machine; that intellect is the result of organization and a modification of matter most subtilized and
attenuated; that thought is an effect of refined substance
* De Staul.
27




41I8     Deism no Refuge from 7iudgment.
and arrangement, even though it will allow that no more
of grossness enters into its nature than into the effluvium
of a rose, and the tone of a vibration. And if soul and
body be such foreign essences, how can it be supposed
that they are subject in themselves to the same accidents
or perish by the same fates?
And on the supposition that there is no immortality
for man, let the skeptic attempt to vindicate the character of his God.  It cannot be denied that it is the
fervid aspiration of our nature that the cessation of being is regarded by us as the greatest possible infliction,
and that each yearning of our bosom disposes us to
" give all that:we have for our life."  Something of this
feeling, we admit, may have been benevolently given,
though death were the last scene of all, as a precautionary instinct, that we might prize and guard so important a deposit. But this is a nobler tending of our
being. It cannot bear that its garner of affections and
its treasure of purest delights shall, in a moment, be
crushed. It cannot endure that its high studies and
wonderful acquirements shall be instantaneously blotted
into night. It cannot brook the sudden transition from
the intellectual soar, into the sleepless clod. And yet
the Theist must conceive that the Deity has raised
these hopes to crush them, and taught men to ascend
a mount whence they might descry the boundless prospect, that they might die on that mount.  And thus
represented cruel to man, he is described as equally
unjust to himself. His creatures, made capable of understanding him, are perplexed with his conduct, but confide in its destined explanation. They have seen only
"a part of him."  They have heard but a passage of
an infinite history, and beheld but a scene of the eternal
drama. They- "wait the great teacher, Death, and God
adore!"  But while their spirits are rapt in anxiety,
they perish in the suspense! ready to burst into the




Deismn  no RefZuge fro, Yzlidgmenzt.    419
song of wonder, love, and praise, their lips are sealed in
endless silence!
Let, then, the unbeliever consider his case. He is
hastening to judgment! He will soon enter eternity!
His rejection of Christianity does not, to the slightest
degree, alter these laws of his being. For him there is
no pause, no choice. He is borne resistlessly forward.
However his spirit may recoil, his step cannot. Each
moment, each pulse, testifies his progress. He is always
accountable, and shall live allways. Let him now look
into his futurity. Is he not aghast at the bleak, dreary
prospect? Little knows he of his Judge. He is just;
but may he not be capriciously so, since his operations,
as far as we have seen them, are not uniform? May he
not be relentless in his justice, since innocence, when
connected with any guilty party, has been frequently
destroyed in the same blast of wrath? If merciful, may
he not withhold it, for often the cry of misery has been
ungranted? He is invested with no fixed character, and
acts upon no assigned rule. Intimations and conjectures
are the only elements out of which he can gather to himself any manner of similitude.  Such a God is the creature's work: he is vanity, and cannot save! And is it
a light thing to meet a God at uncertainty? Is it a light
thing to stand before a God only hitherto recognized
fi'om the most contradictory appearances? Is it a light
thing to find the possible terror without the possible relief? And what is the immortality which such a person
may expect? Has he any proof that a future life may
not be far more painful than this? Has he any proof that
the pains from which death here releases us, may not
there perpetuate themselves without release? Has he a
presentiment how that duration is to be occupied? Does
he trace a way-mark along that mysterious road? The
Atheist has no appeal but to mechanical chance: the Deist
none but to moral fickleness. What, with their views,




420     -Deism no Refuge frovm   udgment.
may not await them! If there be no God, as the former
says, then the fortuitous power which happily composed
his form below, may in some far-off world leave him
as miserable as lurking poisons and gnawing griefs can
make him; the chance which caused this life to be agreeable, may render his immortality horrible-may drive it
where tempest only resounds and darkness dwells-may
exile it from all sympathy and intercourse to an impenetrable solitude-may abandon it to a despair so unutterably deep, that it cannot hope that a God exists to
finish its miseries! And if there be such a God, as the
second affirms, then there may be the severity of justice,
perchance the mildness of forbearance. But a darker
cloud may cross the prospect than that of a dread uncertainty. He has not disproved revelation to the confutation of millions: perhaps never unfailingly convinced
himself. Should Christianity be true; should it contain
the precise information our understandings require, and
the exact remedy our transgressions need; should it be
all that was wanted to unvail the character and purpose
of nature's God; then what must be the remorse of the
spirit that passed through its light without irradiation,
and walked beneath its pity without blessing! And be
it as he thinks: ah, what has infidelity, such as his, to
fill immortality! With his views of human nature and
divine government, how shall it not linger and fatigue'?
What transport has his religion ever awakened, what song
has it ever attuned, to swell through the compass of each
successive period? It knows nothing of gratitude for eternal deliverance, nothing of tender humility, nothing of
awe at the mysteries of one ceaseless agency to save the
sinner, nothing of sweet penitence. It has no assurance
of a congeniality between the condition of the immortal
and his abode. It has no pledge that the welcome of
his first greeting, beyond this present state, may not degenerate into cold neglect. It has no security that newl




Deism no Refugeefrom Y7tdgment.        421
creations may not divert the attention he now enjoys,
while he may be cast away as the refuse of a system
which has completed its ends. 0 bitter immortality, in
which no object relieves, no remembrance harmonizes,
no promise assures! 0 cold uncertain lengthening out
of a being which is vanity and vexation of spirit! In
vain ye call to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us! Ye
seek death and cannot find it; and desire to die, and
death flees from you! Rev. ix, 6.
And it may be added, that-be it a reduction to absurdity, or an argumentative appeal to shame-nothing
intervenes between a belief of revelation and a denial of
the Deity. The concession of such a being is inconsistent without a moral character; and his moral character is inconsistent without an assent to Christianity. The
Theist has no retreat, no stand; all that he knows of
God requires a future, all that he divines of the future
blasphemes a God. Painful as is the plea, we must urge
it; and we cannot but decide that the Atheist is the
more consistent of the two.
After this delay, tedious and even circumlocutory but
for the sake of the argument, it is our unspeakable satisfaction to introduce "the glad tidings" of Christianity.
And here we may, before we disclose all its blessed
intelligence, publish an argument implied in it against
the disputer of its claims. Twelve men promulgated it,
and even they were not secularly qualified to recommend
it. Let Christianity be. a fable! Then is it but a human
device. But it attests that all men believed in some
judgment; receiving, assuming this, if it were not so,
it would be a mockery on human nature. It could have
no success had it not met such dread foreboding; it could
never have undeceived the world of this universal impression.  Yet these impressions did, or did not preexist. If they did, then man is all this, agreeably to
-our argument, independently of any belief in revelation;




422     Deism no Refuge from  zuidgmernt.
if not, then must revelation, from the first promise until
now, have spread these unnatural impressions among
the human race. Either horn of the dilemma is fatal to
infidelity.
Christianity would appear founded upon an anticipation of our circumstanees as accountable and immortal
creatures. And there are those who thus reduce and
stint it. They have no more sublime conception of it than
that it explains our obligations, and certifies our prospects. They think it is only the light of reason made to
burn more brightly, and but the voice of nature speaking
with unprecedented distinctness. With them the Gospel
is but the re-enacted law. But is it good news to inform
the sinner of a code he has violated, and of an immortality; rather than endure which it were better that he
had not been born? Far other are its proclamations!
they declare the pardon of our guilt, the purification of
our nature, and the conversion, by these means, of an
undone eternity into an eternal good. On Mount Zion
is deliverance, and there is holiness.
And let him who will confess that he is something
more than a being religious and imperishable-that he
is a sinner-think of the importance which belongs to
the inquiry, "How can man be just with God?"  The
Christian doctrine calms the shudder of the culprit, and
assures him of pardon and acceptance.
Justification is a term of Scripture, and Scripture must
decide its own use of the term. It cannot be, according
to its conventional import, a vindication of rectitude, an
assertion of innocence, for it places " the whole world
guilty before God."  It cannot declare that which is not
true, nor constitute that which is not real; and therefore
it cannot declare nor constitute the sinner otherwise than
he is. But it may treat man as righteous without any
contradiction, or in other words, it may reverse his doom.
It does not "impute his trespasses unto him."  It does




Deism no Refuge from _rudgment.        423.
not exact their punishment. Now this manner of dealing
with the sinner is called " the righteousness of God." It
is a singular phrase, because righteousness is more naturally connected with the enforcement of a sentence upon
guilt. But it has thus enounced its glorious peculiarity.
It treats us as righteous on the ground of a righteousness.
Then it must be another's. And this righteousness must
be produced in obeying the precept, and enduring the
penalty, of the law. Can this, however, be a moral consideration, on the weight of which millions of millions
may be justified?  This depends upon a relative matter.
Who has " brought in" this " everlasting righteousness?"
" Jesus Christ the Rigllteous."  His infinite dignity of
person has stamped an equal character on his work.
And therefore its "righteousness" is contrasted with
" condemnation."  (2 Cor. iii, 9.)  0 wonderful provision!  Mercy employs a righteousness as the medium of
its exercise; but then that righteousness she herself has
yielded!
And as there is but one ground on which a holy God
can meet and receive the sinner-a righteousness-it
must be that of his Messiah or our own.  Nor can these
be confounded and admixed. Wholly must the business
proceed on the one or the other. WTe must be justified
by works, or without them. They must be reckoned to
us, or abjured. The law demands our love to God with
all our heart, and love to our neighbor equal to that we
possess for ourselves. It denounces punishment against
all disobedience. We may be assured that it cannot be
relaxed in its conditions or sanctions. In vain you think
that it is not in earnest, or that it contains in itself a
remedy. It is law! It is the law of God! Has he required too much?  Will he annul his statute?  Can he
change? Abide by your choice. If you demand a right,
no right shall you be refused. Let justice be your claim,
and never can this be denied to the creature lwhlo pleads




424      Deism no Refuge fron yudgoment.
it. But you must keep to the rigid, unblenching ideas
of right and claim. You must mean by them what God
intends. You stand forth and answer for yourself! You
sue acceptance! You challenge your personal title to
it! Have you a spotless obedience to adduce?  Perlhaps now you resort to evasion. You substitute sincerity.
You oppose good works to them which are evil. You
deprecate the strictest severity. You admit an imperfection, and seek a mitigation. But thus you recall your
appeal. Now you vary your process. Boldly you push
your way to the judgment-seat. Nothing has been cldone,
but according to your own urgency. You undertook
your defense. Blame us not if we carry you further
than your imagined restriction.  The deed is all your
own. The defiance you have sounded, the arena you
have selected, the scrutiny you have braved! You have
appealed unto justice; unto justice you shall go! Ah,
again consider, be of another mind, " humble yourselves
under the mighty hand of God." He will meet, can only
meet, you at the Cross! "He hath made Him to be sin
for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him." When He shall " call to
the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may
judge his people" —when all " these things shall be dissolved "-when shall roll along the heavens the dread
echoes of "the last trump"-say, whither then will you
fly? on what then will you lean? Will you rush on the
sword of justice, or into the embrace of mercy'? Will
high-crested pride then disdain this righteousness of
God by faith, " the garment of salvation," that there may
flutter around its own deformity but shameful tatters
and filthy rags? Jehovah will lack no attestation of
his uprightness; he will be "justified" when he speaketh,
and " be clear" when he judgeth; "the heavens shall declare his righteousness, for God is judge himself."  He
would have " declared even at that time his righteous



Deism zno Refuge from  Fudgment.        425
ness in the remission of sins," but the vain-glorious sinner
has " provoked him to jealousy," dared him to rigor, and
plucked the bolt from his hand!
But Christianity, addressing us as creatures of accountability and immortality, proposes another and an equal
benefit; and while justification blends itself with judgment as a forensic inquest, sanctification is not less important and essential to indicate and conduct the process of
a moral discrimination.  He will then gather his saints
unto him.  His elect will he bring from the four winds
of heaven.  His servants are sealed. If a man love
God, the same is known of him. The Lord knoweth
them that are his.
Suppose that a nian is pardoned, nay, more, is accepted;
that the sentence of a violated law is withdrawn, and
the thunder of the angry Deity sleeps; suppose that
every. legal restraint and barrier to his intercourse with
an infinitely holy God is removed, and that the light of
that God's revealed countenance is thrown with mildest
luster around him; still, with a contrariety of temper,
and repugnance of character, in what a tremendous
difficulty is he involved! And what is that?  Not of
guilt, we argue that to be canceled; not of punishment, we
presume that to be reversed. Yet is there a mountain he
cannot level, a great gulf he cannot pass. It is his unrectified nature, it is his unconquered self!  Though God
should not repel him, though heaven should not exclude
him, he carries in his own bosom the foul disqualification
for all goodl, for all use, for all happiness!'Did he attempt
to approach the altar before the throne and burn incense,
the leprosy would rise up in his forehead; nor would it
require the attendants of the temple to thrust him from
its courts, for, like the smitten monarch, he "'himself
would hasten also to go out."  Though he might still
be welcome to abide under his Father's roof; with the
restlessness of the prodigal he would soon once more




426      Deism no Refuge from  7zdlgment.
exile himself. How could he bear to meet that eye in
whose pure beam he read his shame? How could he
dwell upon those features in which he saw no reflected
image of his own disposition?  How could he clasp
those feet on which he had never let fall a tear of penitence? How could he listen to that voice whose accents
would only jar on his untuned soul? If the disqualification of the human mind for the divine service and
vision were but only a partial obliquity, it might retrieve
itself; if it were only an interspersion of the good with
a little evil, the evil might be subdued by the good; if
it were only the warm passion of youth, age and discipline might eventually control it. But it is an estrangement, an apostasy of the heart. It is-utter ungodliness.
Marvel not that we say unto you, "Ye must be born
again." Thus is imprinted a mark of holy distinctiveness, of a separation for a holy use, which the angels
shall recognize and respect when the final discrimination shall be made between the righteous and the
wicked, the wheat in their sheaves, and the tares in
their bundles!
What then are we?  "We must give account."  We
must live forever. This is the ordination, whether a
revealed religion accost us or not: whether or not
Christianity be a revealed religion. " God will bring
us into'judgment."  But if ever such revealed religion
could adapt itself to our necessities, what is comparable
with Christianity? It is one anticipation of our wants,
an entire answer to our forebodings. It is regulated
upon the principle of our condition. It prepares us for
the trumpet which otherwise would sound, and for the
tribunal which, in the most different circumstances,
would be equally erected. It meets us in the way by
which we approach this dread consummation with its
blessings.  For that assize it provides a plea —for
that discrimination a character. It goes with us to




Deism  no Refugefrom  _7udgmnent.         427
the bar, and accompanies us through immortality.
Like the Saviour, what it hath  " seen and heard,"
that it " testifieth;" like the Saviour, it hath gone "to
prepare" for us. Beneath its influence the tribunal
becomes a sanctuary, and immortality no longer dispreads away a cheerless blank or possible disgust of
being, but a prospect lovely as it is interminable-the
scene of a right activity and of a conscious progression.
Infidelity pulls down every refuge, repels each remedy,
and only interposes for the sinner to stand between him
and any help. It leaves him with " the works of the
law written in his heart," under all his self-convictionand  with  "the  wounded  spirit " unsoothed, which
"' none can bear "-but no peace does it suggest, no hope
call it impart. It serves but to exasperate the accusation of conscience, and to barb the sting of remorse. It
deepens the suspense of life, and haunts the bed of
death. It flings us on our destinies as unfeelingly as
hopelessly! * But Christianity is the religion which we
want.  It makes light of nothing.  It does not teach us
to lesson our estimate of judgment and immortality in
order more indifferently to meet them. It thi'ows all
its energy and pomp into their description. It excites
us to the measure of our faculty to muse, and to the
fullness of our capacity to feel. Of " that great and
terrible day of the Lord," it utters warnings only inferior
to the reality. It has no office of reducing and allaying
the scenery. It makes all that can belong to that
catastrophe most serious. It has heightened all. It
has enlarged our responsibility, and consequently
our account. The grandeur of Him who " cometh in
clouds," owes itself to this system of mediatorial grace.
*How justly might we exclaim with the poet, though not with his
impious sarcasm, when we describe infidelity,
"Tanturn religio potuit suadere malorum I "
LUORETTUS, DE RERUM NATURA. Lib. I.




428      Deism no Refugefrom  Yudgment.
M/Iuch of "the terrors of the Lord" arises from the very
love "which passeth knowledge."  It is not a small
thing to pass from evangelical overture and hope to
the irrevocable sentence.  The religion of the Cross
superadds to whatever is most rigorous and most
august in those transactions.  It gives a more piercing
clangor to' the trumpet; and burnishes, with a fiercer
magnificence, the judgment-seat.  And yet is there a
peace which it bestows so soft and sure, that even now,
with these portendings within us, " our hearts condemn
us not;" and there is a process, which it conducts, so
distinctive that we may say, " Now are we the sons of
God."  Let it come as " travail on a woman," as
"a thief in the night," as " the lightning which shineth
froam the east unto the west," "we, through the Spirit,
look for the hope of acquittal by faith."  "Wherefore
we labor, that whether present or absent, we may be
accepted of Him. For we must all appear before the
judgment-seat of Christ."  The " testimony of Jess "
teaches us how to "love his appearing." Leaving it in
all itsumajesty, it clothes it with whatever is attractive.
"All judgment is committed unto the Son."  He wears
our nature, and returns with "the sign of the Son of
man!"  The pierced  one, He comes again  "'unto
salvation! "  The thunder-blast is but "' the voice " of
your "Beloved! "  The rich garniture of heaven, as it
unfolds " the great white throne," marks but the lofty
midway which invites you "to meet the Lord in the
air! " And from the final conflagration you shall rise,
like the angel that appeared to Manoah, as from an altarflame, to the heaven whither he returned, wafted on the
very fire of the sacrifice, and amid the very breath of
the incense! Amen.




yesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.  429
XI.
JESUS CHRIST CREATOR AND LORD OF
THE UNIVERSE.
FOR BY HIM WERE ALL THINGS CREATED, THAT ARE IN HIEAVEN,
AND THAT ARE IN EARTII, VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE, WHETHER THEY
BE THRONES, OR DOMINIONS, OR PRINCIPALITIES, OR POWERS: ALL
THINGS WVERE CREATED BY HIM, AND FOR HIar.-Colossians i. 16.
IT is a solemnly bold adventure of mind to revert to the
period, deep hid among "the years of the right hand of
the Most High," when this world we inhabit-so prominent in interest, so vast in dimension, so ancient in date,
according to the manner in which such creatures must
be affected by all comparisons of feeling, size, and duration-yet such an atom to the revolving systems, such a
spark to the central luminaries of the universe —did not
exist. Inconceivable by us is the gulf of its void, the
midnight of its extinction.  Frightful solitude!  Its
darkness had never been irradiated, its depth never
sounded, its waste never explored. Unbroken had been
that long interval of silence, unrelieved that large field
of space. For we know that there could not but have
been a moment in which our earth was not; when the
question was between nothingness and creation; when
not a particle of matter and beam of light appeared to
denote that it should soon bend into convexity and burst
into splendor.  "Before the mountains were brought
forth, or ever he had formed the earth and the world,
even from  everlasting" there was a God. "The An



430   yeszs Creator and Lord of the Universe.
cient of Days" arose!  At his command accumulated
the elements of things-rude, huge, shapeless-into the
mass which he now prepared for the materials of our
habitation. But how unlike that pile, the abode which
it was destined to build! No life filled its caverns, no
vegetation mantled its surfaces, no beauty relieved its
horrors, no order compacted its parts. "The earth was
without form, and darkness was upon the face of the
deep."  What a confusion of substances! What a rush
of waters! What a deformity of aspects! What a
whirlwind of opposing causes and contending powers
sweeping over it, strewing desolation, bellowing rage!
What could still that uproar? subdue that anarchy? attune that jar? Again He arose, " even He that abideth
of old."  He declared "the end from the beginning, and
from ancient times the things that are noft yet done,
saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my
pleasure." Long lay the type of creation in his searchless bosom. From eternity it had there been revolved.
It now emanates in the perfection of beauty. It now
beams out with the self-furnished evidences of wisdom
and of love. Chaos hears and obeys! The work is
begun and swiftly hastens to its consummation. The
waters fall back to appointed channels; the solid masses
are fixed to sustain and bind a framework of a thousand
orders and kinds; the distorted twinklings of light are
embodied and find "their tabernacle in the sun;" the
rugged shapes swell into lovely forms, and melt away
into enchanting landscapes; the repulsive differences of
attraction, instead of agitating the globe to its center,
gird and balance it; the latent seeds of each fair flower
and luscious fruit break out along the river which flowed
in Eden to water the garden; and the wild war of discords hushes into the soft sunrise, and fragrant breath,
and holy calm of a Sabbath dawn, in which God rested
from his work and "was refreshed," (Exod. xxxi, 17,) in




?fesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.   43 I
which man, "made upright," stretched forth his hands to
his Father-creator, with songs of praise comely for one
so upright, and with the effectual fervent prayer of one
so righteous; in which higher intelligences took a holy
sympathy, and performed a benevolent part-while, hanging with wondering delight over the teeming scene, the
sons of God pressed into view and shouted for joy!
On one question there can be no dispute. This world
must have had an origin, that origin must have consisted with a cause, that cause must have been intelligent, that intelligence must have been ultimate, that
ultimate power must have been supreme, that supremacy
must have been divine, or what we call and know by the
awful name of God.  But we are unwilling to trust
further to reason when we can command the ground of
revelation.  Our convictions are not so much the deductions of argument as the results of faith. And when
scorn has spit its spleen-when infidelity has mooted its
cavil-when we have listened to each grave disquisition
on spontaneous outbirth and self-generative life-when
we have even attended to the last absurdity and closing
pretext of eternal matter-this is our reply: "Through
faith we understand that the worlds were framed by
the word of God."  "But this they willingly are ignorant of." *
* As the whole of the ensuing discourse attempts nothing but the
exposition of a doctrine which never could have been known but by
revelation, it may be well to let the reader understand how that revelation is regarded by some who boast their title to the Christian
name: "With tie Rationalist it is reason alone that decides in matters
of faith, and in the adoption of religious doctrine. The Scriptures are
to him nothing more than any other human book. He allows their
authority only when they coincide with his own convictions; and that.
not as the determining' grounds of those convictions, for these he regards as true on their own grounds of reason, but simply as an illustration that others also, wise men of former times, have thought and
believed in the same manner. The Rationalist considers the assumnption of a direct supernatural revelation as inadmissible and groundless.




432    _esus  Creator anld Lord of tha Univerise.
But why was this orb, stored as it is with inexhaustible resources, peopled as it is with swift successions of
inhabitants-why was it reared?  Was it just to circle
its mazy path?  Was it only to deck immensity with
another gem?  Was it simply to intersect the infinite
vault above, around, beneath us, with another beacon
and way-mark?  Were all the'mighty springs of this
complex machine wound up, all its wheels set in motion,
that the experiment might be concluded, All is vanity?
or that the complaint might be justified, Wherefore hast
thou made all men in vain?  No! it is appropriated to
a noble service, to a magnificent use.  Sooner shall it
wander from  its course and start from  its sphere, than
this purpose shall be frustrated and reversed.  And who
is the Claimant to the world's creation and the world's
design? Christians! He "whose worthy name ye bear;"
lie in whose " cross ye glory;" He " whom the nations
abhorred;"  He whom "we esteemed not,"-He is "the
Almighty!"  "He is Lord of all."  His voice woke up
universal existence, and his hand bound it to his purpose.
He uttered its fiat! He imposed its law! As the stage
of transactions at once most dread and benevolent; of
interests the most sublime and precious; He hung our
earth upon nothing! And when first this new and unknown Star arose, it pointed not, like that of Bethlehem,
the course of mercy to some other world over which it
bent and shone, but flashed from the brow of the firmameint as her chosen care, lher palace-home, and spread a
dayspring of salvation over the realms of heaven, and
the hosts of God.
He sees in the Scriptures nothling more than a human book, in which
noble and wise men of former times have laid up, entirely in the ordinary manner, the results of their reflection and investigation upon the
truths of religion "! I!-Letters on Rationalism, by Dr. Rohn, General
Superintendent and First Court Preacher, Weimar. This is Neology,
the fondlilg of Socinianism, and the more consistent of the two.




y7esus Creator and Lord of the Universe.  433
The text, clearly and strongly as words can serve,
propounds these facts of Christ's zoork and p]rop9erty —it
asserts him to be the efficient and fical cause of the entire creation. Such are the truths affirmed, and such are
the themes we propose for meditation.
I. THosE IDEAS WHICH WE ATTACH TO HIM WHO IS
OUR CREATOR ARE DUE TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, HE
HAVING PRODUCED THE UNIVERSAL SYSTEM OF BEING.
This is represented as no partial operation of his power-as employing itself in no contracted spot-or as
only developing itself in this earth, with the sky which
pavilions it, and the satellite which attends it, its oceans
and continents, its lakes and isles. It wanders not alone;
but a sweet fellowship of sister-spheres is bound together,
cheering each other from afar, and fiom one telling it to
all of a mutual law and indissoluble bond. Within the
limits of this smaller economy burns the sun, so that in
the act of creation, from which our abode arose, we
necessarily include all the planetary apparatus, knowing
that then the center was fixed, and that each globe was
launched in its circlings around it. The mundane and
sublunary form  only a little fiagment of the work, an
inferior department of the great transaction.  And what
are the few worlds which sweep with us about the same
source of life and light?  Massive, ponderous, in themselves; some of them  immensely larger than our own,
running wider revolutions, and drawing after them
brighter trains. But even this one solar family, recognizing and claiming members in the outskirts of spaceit is as nothing to what the eye can command, nothing
to the visible! What constellations are thrown over the
firmament in all the profusion of beauty and magnificence! And when the unaided sense has roamed to its
utmost ken, and gazed to its utmost strength, it may call
the instruments of science to its assistance; and it shall
look out on ampler territories, and take hold of larger
28




434  Yesus Cveator and Lord of the Universe.
notices. Now  we leave our nook. We speak in no
terms of exaggeration when we describe what we see as
beds, and floors, and clouds of stars. As we pierce the
awful altitudes we ascend to new wonders.  Apertures
constantly open, and we are just suffered a glimpse into
them. Heaven spreads above heaven, new arrangements
stand revealed, and celestial bodies, in shapes hitherto
undeveloped, flame as at the portal of the eternal throne,
to guard its access and proclaim its terribleness. Yet
even there are proofs that discovery has not closed its
researches; still avenue verges fiom avenue, and height
rises into height. And after all, this is but the outer
court of "His high and holy place." But how much
more of the universe is invisible 1 Matter may subsist
in forms of which we have no conception; nor can we
doubt that it may extend indefinitely. And a thousand
essences may inhere in the constitution of things that the
qualities by which we discriminate matter cannot denote,
and the senses by which we determine it cannot examine.
Spirit through all its rank, the instinct of the worm, the
wisdom of the angel, must be comprehended. It includes
the hierarchy of " thrones, dominions, principalities," and
"powers; " and not only " the elect angels," but " the
angels that sinned."  The summary of these operations
is, "all things that are in heaven and that are in earth."
It is not an unnatural inference that a divine interposition was necessary to produce this effect. What wisdom may be traced in the contrivance of all things!
their arrangement in system, their subserviency to utility-the appropriateness of the part, the perfection of
the whole. How little do we know of our own frame,
and yet what a workmanship is it, as far as we comprebend it, of wonderful designs and adaptations! How
much more are we perplexed when we apply our scrutiny to the mind, its connection with the body, its indepelndence of such connection, its power to invent and




yesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.  435
combine, its susceptibility of emotion, its challenge of
immortality! Who can conceive the intelligence which
measured all this subordination of agency, and adjusted
all this correspondence of result? Power is an attribute
as essential as wisdom to the consummation of this plan.
Understanding this in no lofty sense, attaching to it only
an executory idea, there are no known, no conceivable
modifications of created force and strength which could
originate the meanest atom. Mechanism may obviate
risk, save time, and economize labor; but it cannot add
a particle to the mass of the universe: it may most
strangely transform substances, but it cannot call one
into existence. In the accommodation of this dwelling
and its furniture to our capacities and wants, we read a
goodness equal to the wisdom and power which creation
demonstrates; nor is it unworthy evidence of a divine
act. For in this we see the end for which wisdom has
suggested, and power has constructed, the phenomena
of human nature, together with all the scenery and convenience of its abode. Nor can we fail to remark that
authority of the highest order is demanded for the right
of this stupendous work. It lies not within any prerogative of which we can conceive-less than divine-to break
the pause of eternity, to cover space with being, and to
place creatures not only beneath a constant protection,
but a moral rule.. It belongs only to Him whom none
can interrogate, " Vhat doest thou? "  To "' reason's
ear" one testimony is borne; and all things proclaim
that " the hand which made usis divine."
After all, revelation is the only authoritative standard
of appeal. The different theories which have been advanced of an energetic principle, and pregnant cause,
and mysterious incubation, are unsubstantial as the
shadows which brooded over the dark abyss ere the fabric of nature was deposited in it, while the sayings and
explanations of Scripture are firm and unyielding as the




436   7esus Creator and Lord of the Universe.'world" which, in comparison with its " generations,"
"abideth for ever."
In pursuing the argument, we admit that tile work of
creation does not necessarily prove, apart from the avermnents of inspiration, the absolute deity of him who accomplishes it. There are beings transcendently superior
to man, and yet they are but creatures. One of those
who "excel in strength " may surpass all our notions of
limitation and control; he may be " clothed with a
cloud," he may have "a rainbow upon his head," his
face may be " as the sun," he may " set his right foot
upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth."  It would
be presumptuous to say that a power to create could not
be delegated to them, unless we possess an infallible
contradiction. Besides, creation, whatever be its breadth,
and depth, and height, is but a finite effect. We talk of
infinite space; and as its supposed boundary must be in
space or not, it is easy to see that the boundary may be
removed, must retreat, for ever. This is, however, rather
metaphysical subtlety than solid truth; but our question
is not with space, whatever it be, but with a particular
occupation of it. We say that that occupation of it,
being but a finite result, does not indispensably prove an
infinite agent. Our concession is, therefore, twofold: that
we cannot, by any original reasoning, adjudge what trust
and task God may assign to a creature; and, that a determinate work cannot argue an omnipotent cause.
" What saith the Scripture? " WVe open it to ascertain
the-precise value, and the legitimate scope, of the creative act; and the character of Him who exclusively and
necessarily performs it. The following series of observations will elicit the bearing of the sacred volume on this
question.
1. Th/e creative act is uniformly ascribed to the Deity.
"God that made the world and all things therein,
seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not




yesus Creator aind Lord of the Universe.  437
in temples made with hands. He giveth to all life, and
breath, and all things. In Him we live, and move, and
have our being."  "In the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth."  "God rested on the seventh
day from all his works." "Now he that built all things is
God."  No language can be more precise, no suffrage
more concurrent. And this coincides with those features
of decisive energy which indicate Him who is " excellent
in working."  He "calleth those things which be not as
though they were."  And he educed them by direct
command, "so that things which are seen were not made
of things which do appear."
2. This act is the ground on, Zwhich the highest claimgs
and honors are required for the Divine NTctture.
A primary duty which we owe to God is the acknowledgment of his being and government by worship.
Nothing can be more reasonable and binding.  And
yet it is rested upon the announcement that he is
Creator. "Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the
inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.: for he
spake and it was done; he commanded and it stood
fast."  " Know ye that the Lord he is God; it is he
that hath made us, and not we ourselves; enter into his
gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name."  "Thou,
even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the
heaven of heavens, with all their hosts; the earth, and
all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is
therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of
heaven worshipeth thee." Nehemiah ix, 6. " Fear God,
and give glory to him; and worship him that made
heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of
waters."  This is the sanction of the Sabbath. He who
" in six days made heaven and earth " is entitled to our
homage, whoever he be: and a former proposition has
established that the creator is God. The faithfulness of




438   yesus Creator aznd Lorld of thze Unlivrese.
his declarations to his creatures lies at the basis of his
moral government over them; since, could a momentary
doubt arise in respect to his veracity, they would lightly
esteem  his law, with all its safeguards of reward and
punishment.  But it is upon the creating deed that he
suspends the certainty of what he promises and threat'
ens, thus urging our faith, because as he is the creator,
it is impossible for the creator to deceive.  "Thus saith
God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched
them out, he that spread forth the earth; and that which
cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people
upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein."  "For
thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it, he bath established it; he created it not in vain, he formed it to be
inhabited; I am the Lord, and there is none else. I
have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I
said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I
the Lord speak righteousness, I declaie things that are
right." " And the angel sware by Him that. liveth for
ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that
therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are,
and the sea, and things which are therein, that there
should be time no longer."' It follows, then, that whoever is our maker, may demand our most unqualified
credence, and that no credence can support itself on so
warrantable a hold. He who formed us from the dust,
and " speaketh to us from  heaven," is one and the
same. It is observable, that when the Supreme arrays
himself in his peculiar majesty, when the saints sing
most rapturously of his glory, the achievement of creation is mutually alleged. It is felt that an indubitable
pre-eminence must belong to him who could signalize it.
" To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal?
saith the Holy One.  Lift up your eyes on high, and
behold who hath created these things. Hast thou not




yesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.  439
known, hast thou not heard that the everlasting God,
the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth
not, neither is weary."  " For, lo, he that formeth the
mountains and createth the wind, and declareth unto
man what is his thought, the Lord, the God of hosts, is
his name."  "W Vhen I consider thy heavens, the work
of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast
ordained; what is man that thou art mindful of himrn?
and the son of man that thou visitest him."  None.
then, can be higher than the Creator; and He who is
" higher than the highest," alleges not a nobler boast.
The manner in which the grandeur of this operation is
adduced, to give terror to divine menace, and richness
to divine consolation, bespeaks it to be a divine act itself.
" Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker."  "The
great God, that formed all things, rewardeth transgressors."' "He that made them  shall have no mercy on
them, and he who formed them shall show them no
favor."..... "Thy Maker is thy husband."  "But
now, saith the Lord that created thee, 0 Jacob, and he
that formed thee, 0 Israel, Fear not;"  " The portion of
Jacob is not like them, for he is the former of all
things."  " I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who
art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that
shall die, and forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath
stretched forth the heavens, and hath laid the foundations
of the earth? " " I will not contend forever, neither will
I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me,
and the souls which I have made." It is therefore obvious
that the greatest distributive happiness or misery must
be awaited from the hand which fashioned the universe.
3. The creative act is invariably recorded ancld enforced
for the glory of the Being fromn whom it proceeded.
It is a monument of praise to none other but himself.
It stands for a witness to his skill and might. Whenever it is described, it is for the purpose of his aggran



440 fesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.
dizement. No intervening object is admitted, no superior is supposed. He who has devised and completed
this work shall receive its attestation and bear its
glory. And therefore we find that Jehovah is constantly
adorned for this " operation of his hands."  "Bless the
Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominions." It
is resolved into his will: "For thou hast created all
things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
Not only does it prove his absolute pleasure, but his
skillful arrangement: " The heavens declare the glory
of God, and the firmament showeth his handywork.
Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night
showeth knowledge."  Thus his wide dominion is proclaimed: " The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness
thereof; the world and they that dwell therein: for he
hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon
the floods."  The source, conservation, and tendency of
these works is identical: " For of him, and through him,
and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever."
And, indeed, we should be unable to sustain one pious
reflection, if creation did not express, and stand to
honor, its original. But now, in not severing the act
fiom the agent, we can exclaim, " 0 Lord, how great
are thy works, in wisdom hast thou made them all!"
" For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work.
I will triumph in the works of thy hands."  "The
works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that
have pleasure therein."  " All thy works shall praise
thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee!" We
refer from the building to the architect: we "rise firom
nature up to nature's God."
4. The creative act is the basis of nzatural religion.
Effect supposes cause; and that primary system  of
morals which " nature teaches," and which reason allows,
is but an inference from the one to the other. Can the
world have been constituted by a fortuitous concourse




yesus Creator and Lord of the Unziverse.  441
and dance of atoms? Can it have always been? We
are shut ap to one conclusion, that it is a work, that it
is a contrivance, and that the producing power still presides over it. The simple inquiry then is, What does this
Power require of us? what are our obligations to our
Creator, and those other creatures especially which
belong to the same kind? Natural religion but asks,
Who hath spangled that firmament? who hath made
this world? It then acknowledges Him as the ascertained object of worship and umpire of right. Now
this bright volume of heaven, and this fair spectacle of
earth, are unfolded with an adaptation and a design to
teach us the being and character of their Author. "Hath
it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not
understood from the foundation of the earth?"  "The
invisible things of him from the creation of the world
are clearly seen, being understood by the things which
are made, even his eternal power and Godhead." Men
saw an economy of things which could not be accidental; and that which might be known of God was
manifest in them, for God had showed it unto them.
Had they given it the thought which their trifling cares
engross, or had they liked to retain this knowledge,
they would have spurned any equivocation. Their soul
would have followed hard after God, and their inquiries
would have ended in adoration of his greatness, and in
obedience to his will. " God hath made of one blood all
nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.
That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel
after him and find him. Forasmuch then as we are the
offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art
and man's device." "Are there any among the vanities
of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens
give showers? Art thou not he, 0 Lord God? therefore will we wait upon thee, for.thou hast made all these




442   -esus Cfreator and Lord of' the Universe.
things." This is the resolve of impartial investigation;
but there is an end to natural religion, there remains
but irreconcilable confusion, if the Creator be not the
ultimate source, the supreme essence, of all. The only
dictate of our circumstances, as rational moral creatures,
is, that we obey Him who -has constituted us such
creatures.  Nor is there another right in God to govern
us, but that he made us; nor reason for us to obey
him, but that we were made by  him.   Our dependence and obligation  must rest on the same ground.*
" Where is God my maker?"  " This is the whole of
man."
5. Thle creative act is the general cargument emnployed
in the reprobation of idolatry.
In showing the folly of worshiping our own inventions, God has often resorted to the severest irony. He
has derided the image of human fabrication, because the
craftsman has of the same tree made the idol, burned
part in the fire, baked bread on it, and roasted flesh by
it. (Isa. xliv, 15, etc.) But a more refined polytheism
supposed an inferior race of agents; a class of eons,
* What our great Poet puts into the mouth of Sin, "the snaky
sorceress," when she addressed Satan, is the exact inferenee of
nature:
"Thou art my father, thou my author, thou
My being gavest me; whom should I obey
But thee, whom follow?"
And still truer to the argument are "the orisons " in which he
makes our progenitors adore:
"These are thy glorious works, Parent of good,
Almighty! Thine this universal frame
Thus wondrous fair: Thyself how wondrous then I
Unspeakable, who sitt'st above these heavens
To us invisible, or dimly seen
In these thy lowest works; yet these declare
Thy goodness beyond thought, and power divine."
PARADISE LosT, Books II and V.




_yesus Creator and Lord of the Universe. 443
who were the formers of particular works and presidents
of particular departments. These were interposed between man and God. These are swept away by a stroke.'I am the first and the last. Is there a God besides me?
yea, there is no God, I know not any."  The error was
in placing those who by " nature are no gods " in the
rank of creators, and yielding corresponding homage to
them. An exception was frequently made on behalf of
a first cause, but it quickly lost any practical influence.
They " worshiped and served the creature more than
the Creator, who is blessed forever." In this spirit the
Apostles subverted every system which encroached on
the exclusive prerogative and distinction of the Deity.
"We preach unto you that ye should turn from these
vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and
earth, and the sea, and all things therein: " and " left not
himself without witness."  And with the same spirit
the Prophets foretold the downfall of those fictitious
powers, since they had not the slightest claim to the
original ground of all worship, the constitution of the
universe; "the gods that have not made the heavens and
the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from
under these heavens."
6. [7le creative act is. adduced as the saccction and emphasis of those specific blessings which toe discover and
derive from the evangelic revelation.
Whatever are the truths we recognize in the scenery
around us, those which His written word discloses are of
another character. It is the Gospel of salvation.  God
magnifies his word above all his name. But while he
subordinates all things to this purpose, it is only because
he is creator that he is competent to act.  The right to
interpose for the rescue of the rebel-creature is in the
being to whom the creature owes existence, and therefore fealty. Who but he can treat and regulate his own
handiwork? Who can deliver out of his hand? Scrip



444    cesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.
ture therefore urges this idea: "He that is our God is
the God of salvation."  Our redemption is not only his
sufferance, but his doing. He whose temple of nature
we profaned, rears the altar for the expiation of the sacrilege. Read we of reconciliation? " All things are of
God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ."
Are the mediation and atonement exhibited? "It became
him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things,
in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain
of their salvation perfect through sufferings." Is spiritual
illumination described'?  "God, who commanded the
light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts,
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God,
in the face of Jesus Christ." Is divine protection recommended? " Wherefore, let them that suffer according to
the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to
him in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator." Is the
"heavenly calling" narrated?  "It pleased God, who
separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by
his grace, to reveal his Son in me."  Then if this coincidence be just; if he who created, also redeems; our
redemption must be indisputable as creative right, and
efficient as creative energy; but, for an instant, allow
that creation may be the work of an agent inferior to
God, and this redemption, henceforth attributable to an
inferior agent, is despoiled of its worth, and shorn of its
grandeur.
7. The creative act is alleged to have been znassisted
aCzd un2civicled.
" Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the
earth? " "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow
of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span? Who
hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor hath taught him?"  "I am the Lord that maketh
all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that
spreadeth abroad the earth by myself." "0  give thanks




yesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.  445
unto the Lord, who alone doeth great wonders; to him
that by wisdom made the heavens; to him that made
great lights; for his mercy endureth forever."   He
" alone spreadeth out the heavens," he "maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south."
" Other gods," and " strange gods," he covers with scorn
and blasts with vengeance.  He sought not aid of his
strongest, he consulted not with his wisest, creatures;
" behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels
he charged with folly."
Such are the revealed descriptions of the creative act;
it is a work appropriated to the Deity; it is discrinliuated
as a work most distinctive, and signalized as one most
transcendent. And it is now scarcely necessary to iepeat, that this work terminates in the fountain of all
power and life. If the greatest Being, the cause of every
other being, is not the Creator, then have we never heard
of him, nor been brought into contact with him. Then
have our conceptions been absorbed in some intermediate
object. Then has no clew been furnished to us that we
may find out " the true God, the living God, the everlasting King."  The scale which we have climbed has not
carried us further than the throne of some exalted creature.  Far off, in hopeless distance, the God of gods
may dwell, but there is no access to his presence-chamber. This mighty fabric is not his work; forms no ground
for his claim to worship, veracity, pre-eminence, and power to " kill and to save; " does not witness to the glory
of his skill and dominion; teaches no lesson of his character and will; justifies the idolatry of the secondary
being who planned and accomplished it; lends no authority to the message of salvation; and yet excludes any
possible demand on the part of another, because it was
a single-handed and unaided deed of might and fame.*
* The classical reader may be reminded of Evander's embarrassment, in Virgil: " Quis Deus, incertum est." 2Eneid 8.




446   yeszls Creator and Loerd of t/e Universe.
But without limit, reserve, or qualification, this creative act is ascribed to Jesus Christ: is attributed to him
with all the clearness which language can convey, and
all the force which reiteration can express. Two instances only dlo we select. "In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. All things were made by him. In him was life.
lIe was in the world, and the world was made by him,
and the world knewl him not. And the Word was made
flesh; and dwelt among us." John i, 1, etc. The identity
of this Word with the Lord Jesus Christ admits of no
rational dispute.  Whatever a spurious criticism  has
hardly asserted, the phraseology most positively declares
his formative interposition. And no tribute can be more
decisive and abundant than the language which the
Psalmist addresses to Jehovah: " Of old hast thou laid
the foundations of the earth: and the heavens are the
work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and
thy years shall have no end."  But the writer of the
Epistle to the Hebrews hesitates not to make an application of that sublime apostrophe to the Son of God. Psalm
cii, 25, 27; Heb. i, 10-12.
It will be, after all, the suggestion of some, that this
is but a delegation. We repeat that we will not go into
any abstract question of what organs and ministers of
his purpose the Deity may select and prepare. We renew our concession that a work of great power does not
prove an almighty agent, and a determinate result does
not demonstrate an infinite cause. Not that this can
avail any argument, for the work must be always inferior
to him who effectuates it. But the argument of revelation abides! And then, if Jesus Christ be not a Divine
Person, and only accomplished the creation in the capacity of an instrument, contradiction presses upon contradiction. A creature's act is said to be divine! on




/esus Creator and Lord of the Universe.   447
that service he rests his claim to divine honors'! the universe expands to manifest his divine perfections! all the
oracles of nature resound with his divine behests! idolatry changes its character, and he deserves to be surrounded with divine praises! evangelic mercy emanates
from him, and is consequently clothed with divine credentials! he shares the burden of the omnific decree,
and destroys the independence of divine avowals! The
proofs of omniscience, of irresistible energy, of paramount
authority, are devolved on the act of creation; if it bear
not out the proofs, then. we can never know that such
attributes exist; and if it does bear them out, then do
they converge in Christ. But such convergence in him
must be of right or of permission; the former supposition declares that he is their Infinite Possessor; the latter,
that he is deified by an actual communication of perfections, a creature made underived, a mortal constituted
self-existent, a being of frailty and want invested with
omnipotence! The Saviour constantly puts his claims
upon this-that he did what no other man had done, and
that he did the works of the Father.
The impossibility of delegation is not more glaring
than that of comprehending a created agent under the
general language of our text, and of other portions of
the inspired record. "By him were all things created."
"Without him was not any thing made that was made."
The terms are universal and unqualified.  There is not
an effect he did not produce; not a being whom he did
not originate. Then if a creature, he comes within his
own creation! He summons himself into existence! But
as this is absurd, the latitude of the ascription excludes
him from every order of creatures, however exalted, and
leaves him in the full and awful absoluteness of the God!
As it is inconceivable that Christianity can encourage
that plurality of gods which it has ever been the folly of
men to suppose and their bane to adopt, so a consistent




448  r7esus Creator and Lord of the Universe.
view must be presented by it in all its disclosures concerning the Deity. The Trine Subsistencies in the Divine Essence furnish that view. And it is in accordance
with the great plan of redemption that the principal
agency in creation was undertaken by the Lord Jesus.
As the Godhead is one and ineffably consentaneous,
while we predicate this work of the Son we cannot surmise the inactivity of the Father and the Spirit. "The
Father worketh hitherto."  "The Spirit of God moved
upon the face of the waters."  The reign of, Christ, his
present peculiar province, does not imply that God as
God ceases to reign. Nor is this an uncommon necessity
of interpretation. Our Lord says, " The Father judgeth
no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the
Son;" but all will admit that an invariable forbearance
cannot be meant, and that we must not insist on a rigid
exclusion.
All, then, that has ever been appropriated to the
Creator-all that inspired historians have narrated and
inspired instructors have taught, and inspired bards have
sung, is "the glory due" to the Saviour of mankind.
"By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens."  "He
fashioneth their hearts."  Can we, after this, be betrayed into an excessive tone?  Can we sing praises too
lofty? Does not nature first teach us that the Supreme
is our Maker? and does not revelation then inform us
that Jesus is that Supreme?
It is only equitable to remind you that Scripture has
been cited to lessen-and subdue these representations:
particular passages which are alleged to imply subordin]ation and instrumentality. " But to us there is but one
God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him;
and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and
we by him."  "God, who created all things by Jesus
Christ."  "By whom also God made the worlds."  The
(clitical answer is, that the prel.)osition by no melans ne



yesus Creator aznd Lorad of t/ze Universe.   449
cessitates the idea of subservient action, for it is applied
in cases which admit of no controverted application.*
And often it intends the efficient cause. f  The theological refutation is, that God is often said to do things by
God, or, as we think, one Person by-another Person of
the Deity, where the second cannot be instrumental in
any sense of inferiority to the first.  "Jehovah rained
down upon Sodom fire and brimstone from Jehovah out
of heaven."  "I will have mercy upon the house of
Judah, and will save them  by the Lord their God."
Hosea i, 7. Admit the personal distinctions, and how
simple is all! Deny them, and how every thing remains
inexplicable!
Let, then, the scriptural argument be reviewed-let
these difficulties, if they still be felt to continue such, be
arrayed against it- and what will justice demand for
the verdict?  Invert your position, take the difficulties
for your faith, and the faith for your difficulties-let
that which vou now cannot but believe for its resistless
weight, be sacrificed in behalf of the few scruples which
you cannot satisfy-have you gained a more argumentative advantage, or a more rational quietude?  Ts it
not rather the seat of the scorner, than the stronghold
of a triumphant assurance?
But even they whlo know the " mystery of God, and
of the Father, and of Christ," (Col. ii, 2.) who see in the
adorable distinction of Divine Persons the principle
which permeates and explains the whole scheme of salvation, may not, at once, perceive the reason of that
instrumentality which these few quotations of our opponents do, in some sense, most assuredly attach to Christ
in the creation of the world.  Be it, then, remembered
that long ere the created system  arose, the purpose of
Grace was established in the Divine mind, and was the
"Ot Er aiv0ro icai  AI' avtro' icai Eif aTri6v ra irdrTa. Rom. xi, 36.
l nzri O O6  Oe6r, A'i oab'k~iX re fIC. 7. aX."  Cor. i, 9.
29




450o    esus Creator anzd Lord (f the Ulziverse.
subject of a Divine arrangement. Jesus was the appointed Mediator, the Legate of the Father, the
Anointed of the Spirit: " the Lord God and his Spirit"
covenanted to "send him," (Isa. xlviii, 16.)  Creation
is, therefore, a mediatorial act and dispensation; and it
was an honor conferred on Christ, who was "set up of
old, from everlasting," to retrieve it when it should sink
into sin. Still mediation is officially subordinate; and
therefore creation may be considered as much in obedience to the will of the Father, who is invested with
official supremacy and headship in the covenant, as
redemption is often declared to be according to His
will. And the specific right in the creation, which is
the reward of "his obedience unto the death of the cross,'
is thus made consistent with his relative subordinationit was an honorable distinction to create, it was a dreadful part to redeem, and the possession of all things is
now founded upon the double right, that He gave them
their existence, and paid for them their ransom.
The context has, however, been urged as incompatible
with these claims of the Saviour. He is declared to be':the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of
every creature." The language is expressive of inheritance, the peculiar dignity of Him who is ruler of the
family. It alludes to his resurrection. It is desired, by
the adversaries of his divinity, to include him, from
this expression, among the creatures.  But this will
poorly help their wretched cause. The text is illative.
It will then be their outrage upon reasoning, which
they fain would foist upon Scripture-He is a creature,
"for by Himi were all things created, that are in heaven,
and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they
be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers:
all things were created by Him and for Him.  And lHe
is before all things, and by Him all things consist! " Is
this the way they take to establish their exclusive




yesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.   45 
rationalism? Or is it their method of evincing the
high veneration felt by them toward the inspired
volume? " *
We are at a loss to know  how  moral demonstration
can be more compact and overwhelming than that which
may be built up from  Scripture in favor of the truth, that
Christ is the Creator of the universe, and that, consequently, he is the Eternal God. If the Bible is to be compared with the responses of the Delphic Oracle, or with
the leaves of the Cumrean Sybil, then all its statements
may be vague and unldeterminate, and we may exercise
our ingenuity upon them; but if it be unerring as Israel's
pillar, and infallible as Urim  and Thummrim's sacred lot,
then let us never deviate fiom its course, nor prevaricate
with its decision.  Blessed Saviour!  It is no hard pass
to which we come, no painful conclusion to which we
are reduced, when on the brow which bent toward us: It is proposed by them, indeed, to resolve this system, which
Christ has created, into " thin air."   They would treat it as a figurative description of the Church on earth and in heaven. Christ was the
first member of it, and founded it!  With wondrous versatility they
can turn spiritual into material, and material into spiritual, things.
Literal or allegorical wait alike on their wand.  Macknight is at a loss
to know what is meant by " a new modeling of the angelic hierarchy,"
which he says is the version which some give of the text.  I cannot
help him out, unless the idea be taken from a batch of peerages, and
a list of promotions, on some national festivity. But were he living
now, he might save himself all trouble, for angels are generally voted
by this school among popular errors and vulgar superstitions.  Belsham draws a comparison between Jesus Christ and Napoleon Buonaparte, to illustrate the text.  And having shown that the Emperor of
France was "the creator of all new distinctions, high and low, whether
thrones or dominions," etc., adds, "the language which is true of
Buonaparte in a civil sense is applicable to Jesus Christ in a moral
view; but it no more implies pre-existence, or proper creative power,
in one case than in the other."   What a religion must that be which
needs such argument, and encourages such impiety!-LETTERS TO
CARPENTER.




452   Yesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.
we read thine infinite majesty-in the eye which melted
over our woe we discern thine infinite knowledge-and
when we behold thine arm, which brought salvation,
"lighlting down" among Ius, as much energized with
infinite power as laden with the blessings of infinite
love.! "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him,
and-he will save us! "
But if the Lord Jesus be the Maker of all things, he
must have a right of the most unqualified property inl
them: if by him were " all things created that are in
heaven and in earth," heaven is his throne, and the
earth is his footstool —" He is head over all things! "
And this the text establishes.  "All things were made
for him."
II. HAVING ATTRIBUTED ALL THOSE CONCEPTIONS TO
TIHE SON OF GOD WHICH ENTER INTO THE MOST ABSOLUTE SENSE OF HIS CREATIVE WORK, WE STILL FURTHER
MAINTAIN THAT THIS WORK MOST UNDIVERTEDLY CONTE3IPLATED HIS MEDIATORIAL POSSESSIONS AND GLORIES.
There are two species of foreknowledge ascribed to
God in the sacred volume which are the most wonderful forms of even foreknowledge. He is acquainted with
acts, however future, having their motive in the fieest
agency of man. We choose our own way: no coercion
forces our will, no restraint shackles our liberty. But
He ascertains what shall be that way, the object of that
will, and the fruit of that liberty. "I am sure that the
King of Egypt will not let you go." " I knew," he said
to his people, "'that thou wouldst deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb."
The murderous usurpation of Hazael was thus anticipated; Jesus " knew fiom  the beginning who should
betray him;" and though "the hands" were not the
less " wicked " which perpetrated his crucifixion, yet he
"was_ delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God," and " those things which God before




jesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.  453
had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ
should suffer, he so fulfilled." " Thou understandest my
thoughts afar off." But Jehovah can realize what would
be the issue of circumstances if totally different from
what they are. "'O  that Israel had walked in my
ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies the
haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves
unto him."  "Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee,
Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in
Tyre and Sidon which have been done in you, they had
a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and
ashes."  "And thou, Capernaum! which art exalted
unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell! for if the
mighty works which have been done in thee had been
done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day."
"Such knowledge is too wonderful" for us. "0 the
depth of the riches both of' the wisdom and knowledge
of God!"  Here is a twofold glory-prescience  of
what is determinable by the most unrestricted volition, and of what is contingent upon the most opposite
results!
These principles are now to be applied: these forms
of divine knowledge must now be traced in their operation.
We are assured that the universe was reared by the
Son of God for his own sake, his purpose and interest.
It exists by his will, and for his use. We are, moreover,
assured that this is not a supplementary and amended design upon a previous derangement.  It is not an appendage, something original having miscarried and failed.
Often in our disappointments, when some speculation is
defeated and some plan foiled, we avail ourselves of a second suggestion to redeem the mortifying discomfiture of
the first. We would repair the discredit. We would save
the wreck.  We turn ourselves to that which is next in
utility and importance.  We cannot endure that all our




454   yesus Creztol- and Lord of the Universe.
sanguine measures, all our collected materials, should be
reduced to confusion and converted to waste. The world
having apostatized, being abandoned, has Jesus our Lord,
in that crisis, consented to bend it to his cause? Thrown
aside, as a thwarted and alienated thing, did he then
first determine to take it up into his counsels and agencies? Did he only then stamp on it the characters of
his property, and impress on it the conditions of his employment? No: it is his workmanship, his instrument:
it was launched from his hand, it rolls in his service!
Here is the reason of its primeval construction and of its
perpetuated course. This is the only solution of its
varied phenomena, the only moral of its mysterious
scenery, the only scope of its massive architecture. This
is the cause which arrests the conflagration of the elements, and which detains the signal prepared to an
nounce "that time shall be no longer."  But for this,
the sun would cease to cheer us in our days and seasons;
earth would dispread one blasted waste of thorns and
briars; and every spot would disclose the bed of the
dying or the bier of the dead. This is the upholding
principle, the conservative element, the retrieving counter-check against the dreadful penalty, and the equally
dreadful tendency, which would hurry it to despair and
sink it in ruin!
But it is impossible for even the dullest apprehension
to overlook the difficulty which lies in these statements:
for if this world was raised for the exhibition of Christianity, for the development of its truths, and the distribution of its blessings, it renders certain (a more correct
term than inevitable) the introduction of sin. In some
sense it cdoes; but not by originating it; not by necessitating it; not with any complacency of adaptation; not
with any manner of connivance; not with any construction that it is a congenial agent, or disguised good. But
if such be the prologue of the awful drama, there is no




yesus Creator and Lord of the Unliverse.   45 5
more objection to it as a comprehensive anticipation of the
whole forward to its final catastrophe, than can be raised
against the prediction of its several parts. Many prophecies declare that such wicked men shall arise, and such
wicked acts shall be performed: it must be certain, then,
such shall be the event, but the event does not depend
upon the prophecies.  Besides, there is a class of futuritions which we may denominate negative certainties.
That a creature must be imperfect, and limited, and dependent, simply requires the proof that he is a creature.
That no creature can be otherwise formed, only wants
the proof of the self-evident fact, that no creature can
be independent of Him who formed him. That such a
creature is justly dealt with in being left to the necessary
laws of his nature, merely asks the proof which arises
from the inverse proposition that then it must be unjust
to form any creature at all. That no moral sustentation
is due to the creature, but seeks the proof that favor or
grace is no term  of justice, and can never be needed to
set it with an honorable aspect before the intelligent
universe. - And on these grounds the defection of man
was certain, as most justly treated, as most freely left,
as most infallibly foreseen!  For as little  can  these
negative certainties be questioned as the noblest demonstration of mathematical truth, which is, after all,
evolved from a point, a thing of no quantity, and really
a nothing.*
It will be objected that there is no variety of evil
which- God could not prevent. This is one of those
* I believe that greatest master of divinity, that more than Augustine of our age, the late Rev. Dr. Edward Williams, of Rotherham, has
somewhere in his writings a similar figure. I remember not where it
is to be found. It will be a happy bait to that man who will be content to seek it, though he should find it in the last sentence his mortal
hand ever impressed!  When lie is read and understood, the deterioration of the modern ministry (and some assert it) will be an ullsupported charge.




456    fesus Creator and Lord of the UniZverse.
views of omnipotence which we hold to be most unfounded. If it be intended that almightiness need not
have made rational creatures, what is the value of the
gratuitous remark?  If it be meant that such power can
interfere to change the necessary tendency, or can be
employed to alter the laws, of moral agents, we deny
that it ever existed in the Divine Being or ever can.
To say that power could have excluded sin from the
creation, is a most illogical and inapposite statement;
for it either denotes that it might have forbidden the
existence of accountable nature, or that, such accountable natule existing, it might have imposed violent restraint upon it. And therefore we feel ourselves justified
in avowing —harsh as the denial may sound, opposing
all the rules of thinking as many may deem it-that the
moral constitution of intelligent creatures being once
presumed, God could not, in their simply equitable regimen, and according to their unquestionably moral probation, prevent the entrance of sin!:Let us, then, consider the operation of that Infinite Intelligence concerning which we have spoken. He, "'in
whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," discriminated what the most perfect fireedom
would accomplish, and what the most inverted condition
of man's first nature would insure. These we propound
as facts. Moral rectitude and moral accountability are
our stays. WVhatever the apparent collision, both are
equally attested and equally credible. And foreseeing
these results, was the Divine Being to abandon his creation, to leave upon it "the line of confusion and the
stones of emptiness?"  Was it unworthy of his government, which undertakes our world as its trust and care,
to mark each crisis, overrule each perversion, and provide for each exigency? Should it be subject to surprise, and unprepared for dilemma?  Ought it not to be
ready to turn to its own advantage and vindication the
Y~~~~~~~~~~...




yesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.  457
malice of its foes? Can an entire dereliction of the race
to destruction be the only method in which it can disabuse itself of all connivance at human rebellion? Nor
is our ignorance solitary here. Many consequences are
certain, though we know not the reason or the medium
by which they are educed. Moral certainties, the most
general ground of confidence, are not easily explained:
the deductions of science it would be more than ardluous,
in fiequent instances, to connect with their elementary
axioms; while the relations of cause and effect, which at
first may appear so simple, still confound the keenest
speculations, and excite the most conflicting opinions.
After the saune manner, though in an infinitely higher
degree, we must forget our littleness alldcl exceed our
province when we attempt to define the awful intervals
between what divine omniscience clearly foreknew, and
divine purity must abhor, and divine government does
permit.
And though the hypothesis which conceives the bower
of Adam to be prepared as the abode of innocence, and
which asserts the race' that he federally represented to
possess in him the liberty of pursuing faultless immortal
excellences, is doubtless just and incontestably true;
yet we are warranted to rest on a purpose anterior to
formation, and more stable than the caprice, of man.
We know that man had the choice and power of good
and evil; we know that his freedom was not, to the
most imaginable point, interrupted and infringed; we
know that there is not a sophism more perverse and
guilty than that which the ancient transgressors employed: "We are delivered to do these abominations;"
we know that sin is what, we are most fully authorized
to say, God would not to exist and continue; we know
that nothing but its foresight, its hatred, and its determined counteraction, can be admitted into his councils
or allied to his plans; but we are also constrained to




458  y7esus Creator and Lord of the Universe.
acknowledge (sweet necessity that is laid upon us!) that
Christ created the world for himself, resolving to restore
what would be alienated, and to establish what would
be disputed; thus becoming its owner, and constituting
it a primary contrivance, an original vehicle, for that
great exercise of mercy which is denominated "the Gospel of the grace of God."  For if made by Christ in his
distinctive character, it must be for the distinctive transaction which that character supposes, having as little
reference to a state of innocence as it has to an award
of vengeance. He "' came not to destroy men's lives:"
he " came not to condemn the world, but that the world
through him might be saved." He therefore projected
its scale and drew its map; fixed the axis on which it
should turn, and the orbit within which it should travel.
Hence we read of "the eternal purpose purposed in Christ
Jesus our Lord;" of the " hope of eternal life which God,
that cannot lie, promised before the world began;" of
"the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the
world unto our glory; " of " the precious blood of Christ,
who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the
world." Did not these designs require a development?
and was not such development the plan after which this
fabric was hewn, the pattern according to which this
temple was constructed?
Fact, indeed, seems more opposed to the conclusion
that " all things were made for Christ," than even theoretic difficulty. The world, upon a most cursory recollection of history; upon a most superficial glance over
the present, stands forth in absolute contradiction. Its
race is in revolt, and " abased unto hell;" and itself is
abused to crime, and made subject to vanity. The phraseology of Scripture habituates and obliges us to speak
of it as a world whose course is sinful, whose repulsion
is to all goodness, and whose " friendship is enmity with
God."  It even compels us to stamp a stronger com



fesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.  459
plexion on our remarks; for this world has a prince and
a god of its own! It has formally thrown off its proper
allegiance, and apostatized from its proper devotion; it
has openly avowed its preference of that accursed spirit
who enthralls and defiles it, and has elaborately converted itself into the usurper's hold and the idol's house!
So fearful have been the crimes acted upon the stage
of our world-such have  been its convulsions and
plunges of iniquity-that we are told, though then its
days were young, "It repented God that he had made
man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." Yet
this only expresses his view of our nature's evil failure,
and his sense of the odiousness which marks its defection
from rectitude and obedience; and strong as is the language, it derogates nothing from his infinite complacency
in recovering that very nature, nothing from his delight
in that mercy he has exercised toward it, nothing from
"the good pleasure of his goodness" in that great
system of redemption which has swallowed up every
purpose, and superinduced itself upon every law, of the
creation-its  noblest bulwark and its concentrated
glory!
It may be tauntingly said, that scarcely a sign exists
of this appropriation of all things to Christ, that "all
things continue as they were from the beginning of the
creation."  We may select an illustration, by no means
inapt, from one portion of the earth; and thus we shall
reason from the particular to the general.  Canaan was
destined, when each circumstance was most unpropitious,
to be the goodly heritage and holy land devoted to the
ministrations of the divine worship, and consecrated by
the symbols of the divine presence. It was given by
promise unto Abraham. His descendants were to fori
the Israelitish Church. It was from that moment their's.
Its localities were described, together with their use,
ages before that Church had passed its frontier. Even




460   fesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.
Zion was noted in the sublime song of MIoses, though
he was never to enter the promised territory, and though
forty years transpired ere he caught its distant prospect:
" Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which
thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the sanctuary, O
Lord, which thy hands have established." Exod. xv, 7.
How was it, then, that they were so long excluded fiom
possession?  The iniquity of the Anolrites was not
yet full. But Judah was saved, and Israel dwelt safely, after the long term of centuries which had been
originally forewarned.  And then we behold them occupying that fair country-its citizens rather than its
conquerors. Yet still that " mountain " was impregnable
against them. Hundreds of years rolled on, and it was
still a fortress of their idolatrous enemies. And it was
in a far subsequent period, that fiom  the steep of that
long-allotted hill, "on the sides of the north," arose the
temple where Jehovah had of old determined to record
his name and find his rest. Was this a later consideration?  Or was the applicability of Palestine for the nation, and Zion for the temple, accidental?  Was it then
discovered that the area of the country was of the adclequate admeasurement; and that the mountains round
about Jerusalem did furnish a platform, a buttress-ledge,
most eligible for that awful pile?  We can answer these
questions in inspired strain: "When the Most High
divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the. people
according to the number of the children of Israel." For
this constitution of things regarded the religious benefit
of mankindcl.   Thus saith the Lord God, This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her." Ezek. v, 5. And Paul
reasons upon the same purport of the facts: "He hath
determined the times appointed, and the bounds of their




.esuis Creator anzd Lord of the Unliverse.  46 I
h.abitations, that they should seek the Lord," their opportunities favoring, and their vicinities assisting, so important an encl. Nor is it more improbable that earth shall
yield itself to the sovereignty of Immanuel, and that he
shall be Lord over its whole extent, than that the land
of the Amorite sholcld be filled with a people who " were
holiness unto the Lord," and that the citadel of Jebus
should be displaced for the temple to which kings brought
presents, and in which a nation adored!
And we are supported in this view of earth's first
design and final destiny by the manner in which the
" thoughts of peace and not of evil " were breathed to our
original parents. IWe had rebelled, and the clday of our
transgression declined apace. How do we shudder when
we think of its hurrying moments and falling shades!
How do we tremble with the fugitives, and seek out
their retreats!  The Lord God descends! His voice is
heard while he walks in the garden! Surely "the inclignation is accomplished!"  Surely the blow shall now
be struck! 0, wondrous reversal of the sentence! He
" will have mercy."  " He will abundantly pardon."  He
is " come to seek and to save that which is lost."  That
evening shall not close in despair. That sun shall not
go down on wrath.  " The cool of the day " brings with
it a token of pity, placid as its calm, soft as its twilight,
gentle as its dew, soothing as its lull, beautiful as its
western sky, fair as its vesper star! All was then ready
to be divulged. All was then adjusted for immediate
operation.  In that earliest promise all the rudiments of
human salvation were comprehended.  Every economy,
every fact, in the history of redemption, has only been
its enlarged construction and progressive fulfillment.
And we know that there was a heaven for the penitent
child of man even then provided, and that a " door was
opened in it" for his entrance, since " the kingdom was
Il)eparedfilom the foundation of the world." Matt. xxv, 34.




462   yesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.
And when we observe the absence of all surprise fiom
the  divine announcement, together with the undelayed disclosure of a plan which at once began to extend
its cheering influence, and took a grasp of all earthly
time and interest, we cannot withstand the proof that
redemption is the key to creation, and that "all things
were made by Christ and for him."
There is a species of proof very delicate in itself, but
yet capable of forming a strong addition to the evidence
that our earth was created to receive the mysterious
manifestation of the eternal Son. We all admit the
adaptation of the external system to human wants and
circumstances. We must all admit that-notwithstanding the moral defection of our race, and the consequent
change in the external system —much of this adaptation
is preserved. Nor is that change, so far as we can trace
it, of the extreme character which might have been
augured from the magnitude of the defection.  If we
may be allowed the remark, we should say that the very
conditions of innocence were fiamed with a reference to
a facility of transition from a former to the present state
of things. Why was man " taken out. of the ground?"
Why was not his material texture woven of finer and
more ethereal elements?  Can we evade the conclusion
of the expected and certain issue?  Can we doubt that
the creature who would die was constructed of materials so gloriously transformed that the workmanship
triumphed over their inferiority, yet of materials which
were fitted by *their own nature to corrupt, to resolve
into their first atoms, and readily to sink into all the
humiliations of death?  Thus did He, who made the
world, place our unfallen nature in perfect happiness;
but still, knowing its self-determined course, prepared a
natural order of punishment which should only, in the
least degree, disturb the general system; and raised a
fabric upon a plan so true to his foreknowledge, that it




IYeszIs Creator and Lord of the Universe.  463
could be left to settle-though modified, not deranged,
by the most fearful vicissitude!
The subserviency of his works to his purposes requires
a more distinct illustration; and we may trace in them
I. THE SCENES OF HIS TMEDIATION.
While many theories have been broached on the reasons of the Deity in selecting for the stupendous scheme
of mercy a world so diminutive, a race so insignificant,
-it is sufficient for us to state that we know not that
any others are involved in the guilt to require it. VWe
are quite willing to speak of our nature as most depraved,
but we must contest every imputation that it is mean.
Nothing intelligent, accountable, immortal, is- or can be
of little importance.  Against mind and eternity the
comparative smallness of our planet, and the absolute
feebleness of our corporeal structure, cannot be seriously
weighed. The argument of dimensions is gross and
blind. And this earth does take a rank of precedence,
even overlooking its moral interest; for it would seem
that from its original elements the sun was lighted up,
that it commenced the train in which other worlds were
fabricated, that it will implicate some in its destruction,
and " draw a part of the stars of heaven " after it. But
the safer exposition of the divine conduct is this: that
we being chiefly, if not exclusively, the objects, our globe
was most suitable for the transaction; that if there were
other purposes, it still contained facilities and offered
occasions which perhaps none other possessed; that any
system of mercy not immediately proposed, not expressly
adapted to our condition, must fall short of it; that
whatever expedient was capable of removing our guilt
and " countervailing our damage," may easily reach upward and spread widely, may embrace the most remote
varieties, may release the most intricate combinations,
of circumstances in which other creatures can be placed,
may bear on all orders of intelligence and all classes of




464   yesus Creator azid Lord of the Un&iverse.
being, may vibrate to the extremities of the universe.
And we know that this economy of grace, though it
descends not low enough to rescue fiends, rises sufficiently
high to unite and establish angels.  And, therefore,
whether it have ulterior intentions or not, the mediation
of Christ has adopted this earth as its principal scene
and center.
It uwas the stage of his acdvent.  He "came into the
world."  He "came in the flesh."  "He dwelt among
us."  His conception, birth, life, death, entombment,
were "of this building."  He was " the second Adam,
the Lord from heaven."  He who said, "Let us make
man," was "made of a woman."  And that track of
earth in which he drew his first breath and heaved his
last, hallowed by his agony and crucifixion, is therefore
denominated' Immanuel's land."   Thither he " descended " —"came down from  heaven."  In his human
nature it was an actual change of place and relation.
That He should walk our earth! be subject to the skyey
influences! be tossed by the raging waves! toil along
the dusty roads! suffer thirst and hunger! have a place
where he abode, (John i, 39,) only less a wonder thanl
that he should not have where to lay his head! O favored orb! What footsteps once impressed, what eyes
once surveyed, thee! Whom  didst thou bear, though
transfixed on a cross, and buried in a grave!
It is the site of his (JhYhurch. Here is the rock whence
it -is hewn, and the hole of the pit whence it is digged.
Heree too is the foundation laid, the precious cornerstone. It is gathered out.of all nations, and from the
four winds.  Other beginning it cannot have, though its
perfection is in those first-born members -who are written
in heaven. It must have its birth and nourishment in
the present state. From guilt andl depravity it is called,
redeemed and sanctified.  And well is it for the earth
that it contains this " peculiar people."  They are the




7esus Creator and Lord of the Universe.  465
dew, the salt, the light, the "everlasting foundation,"
the "substance," of it. Judgment is arrested for their
sake: "I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither."
"Hurt not the earth, till we have sealed the servants of
God in their foreheads."  And the language of Scripture
clearly expresses the subordination of all things to their
benefit: "And I have put my words in thy mouth,
and I hive covered thee in the shadow of mine hand,
that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations
of the earth; and say unto Zion, Thou art my people."
Isaiah li, 16.  Nor shall their dignities be long deferred;
but " the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of
the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to
the people of the saints of the Most High." Daniel
vii, 27.
It is the sphere of his iyfluence. Of the Spirit it is
said, "The world seeth him not."  He is the "Spirit of
Christ," and carries on the most singular operations.
And within the circuit of our earth, though millions
remain unconscious, he pours a spiritual light into the
understanding and infuses a divine light into the heart.
As there is a perpetual virtue emitted through the kingdoms of nature, molding new forms and repairing old
decays-putting forth energy and beauty;-so a virtue,
equally inscrutable, moves in the minds and consciences
of men, creative as well as restorative, by which all the
visions of moral loveliness are passing into reality-hidden seeds are swelling to fi-uits of holiness, and rising to
trees of righteousness, plastic powers begin to unfold
the fair scenery of the new heavens and the new earth!
It is the receptacle of his most complacenzt operations.
It is evident that creation must stand in the order of
means to an end. It is evident that the end can be the
only equivalent for the labor and expense of the means.
It is evident that this end is human redemption. This
is the treasure which enriches the field, the diadem which
30




466   fesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.
gives splendor to the palace, and the shrine which constitutes the holiness of the sanctuary. In comparison
with all other purposes, this is pre-eminent above them
all, as the temple is to the gold, and the altar to the gift.
It is "the pleasure of the Lord."  The principalities
and powers learn fiom the Church the manifold wisdom
of God.  This was the "joy set before" the Saviour.
This " satisfies " him for " the travail of his soul."  0!
not when he nerves the warrior's arm, not when he kinkles the statesman's ardor, not when he directs the
philosopher's research, does he rejoice in his noblest
workmanship, does he smile upon his dearest success;
but when he exhibits his grace in the renovation of
minds, the conversion of hearts, the salvation of soulsthen he bodies out his fullness of purpose-rests in his
love —and overlooking all meaner things, disdaining all
inferior spoils, leaves this vast result for " a name, an
everlasting sign, that shall not be cut off."
It is the arena of his )most gloriouts victories. Heaven
once rung with the shout of conflict, and Satan, with his
host, was hurled down to hell. It must Phave been a
momentary strife which demanded but one crushing
repulse of power. "Neither was their place found any
more in heaven."  But circumstances render the terrestrial war of another character and duration. And from
the moment, when "enmity was set" between the
woman's Seed and the Tempter in Eden, down to the
crisis of the final decision at Armageddon, the battle
has never failed, nor can the combatants be parted.
And He who has " girded his sword upon his thigh,"
has followed one career of triumph.  Success has he
made sure, and added to success. At intervals he has
cheered his soldiers, "As I have overcome."  He has
been seen by them at the different stages of the contest,
"Conquering and to conquer."  And long as earth shall
endure, the pedestal shall expand upon which his monu



fessus Creator and Lord of the Universe.  467
ment is built, and new trophies shall be brought in to
be hung around it!
It was only likely that when we were informed of the
use to which the Lord Jesus devoted his universe, that
the particular notice should be of our earth. But when
we recollect the transactions of infinite importance which
have occurred upon it, the improbability of similar
events in any other, the manner in which they engaged
the everlasting mind, their celebration in heaven and
through eternity, we need not wonder that it is a focal
point of interest and instruction to all beings and worlds.
Nor will it be reasonably objected that our planet is
comparatively small, and therefore cannot be thus
sublimely distinguished.  What has that to do with
the selection?  Is it not the method of divine conduct
to exalt them of " low degree? "  Is not such an experiment of awful principles independent of the platform?
And as the natal city of the Saviour was "the least
among the cities of Judah," and yet the new luminary,
the "consenting planet" of' heaven, gleamed a vertical
ray on its littlenesss, its trembling turret, and mouldering wall; —so, were our habitation reduced a thousandfold from its present dimensions, still would it be
great and illustrious in the lessons it has taught, in
the measures it has matured, and in the triumphs it
has unfolded 1
And not only is earth the principal scene of the
Saviour's mediation, heaven likewise sustains its part.
"Amid the glory which He had with the Father before
the world began," he expatiated in the prospect of the
world which should be formed, and "rejoiced in the
habitable parts of the earth."  "For our sakes he returned on high," but he "entered not without blood,"
but with it "purified the heavenly things themselves."
1" He maketh peace in high places." "' He ever liveth to
make intercession for us."  Redemption is the concen



468    yesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.
trating attraction to every order of the celestial inhabitants, and forms their "new song!"
Nor is there a spot of space but whichl he could command, if a vantage ground for his purpose. Is it
heaven? He is there! Is it the invisible world?  He
is there! Is it the uttermost part of the sea? He is
there! Is it the outer verge of space!  It is not outlawed from  his authority, nor rent from his control.
Every-where hecould fix the awful machinery to move
the moral universe, and all the stars of the firmament
would follow his Sun-banner, and' fight in their colrses
for him.
All things were " made for Christ," as they are
II. THE TRIBUTARIES TO HIS PRAISE.
This is not doubtful of " things in heaven," of the
heavenly orders. "Thrones" fall down before him,
"dominions" obey, "principalities " discrown themselves in his presence, " Powers" yield. "All the
angels of God worship him."  "All are made subject
unto him."
And it is worthy of notice, that when in the humblest
condition of humanity, when he "made himself of no
reputation," when " many were astonished" at his marred
image and form, there was always a contrast,.a redeeming might, which vindicated his superior nature and universal rule. He is born, and the choirs of heaven salute
the swaddled child. lie is presented in the temple, and
beneath a supernatural influence the aged saints confess
him, and then depart to die. He is tempted, and angels
minister to him. He is baptized, and the Holy Ghost,
in the bodily shape of a dove, rests upon his head. He
hungers, and feeds thousands at his will. He thirsts,
and turns water into wine. He slumbers, and awakes to
still the tempest. He weeps, and calls the corrupting
dead from  the grave.  He is in agony, and a voice
thunders from heaven that as he had been glorified, he,




yesus Creator and Lord of t/e Un~iverse.  469
shall be glorified again. He is taken captive, and more
than twelve legions of ministering spirits hover round
him, impatient to rescue him. He is put to death, and
throws open Paradise. He is laid in the tomb, and an
earthquake rolls away the stone to release him who
could not be holden of death, and whose flesh could
not see corruption.
And  "'all things" have owned, and served, and
glorified him! Especially may we notice the devotement of the visible system to him, in all its properties, agents, and operations.  Among these we may
enumerate
Natural symbols. We think there is nothing extravagant in the sentiment, that the most striking signs of
the external world were contrived on purpose to represent and recommend him, and were intended to construct
a language adapted to this principle, and not arbitrarily
wrested and constrained. And whither can we turn but
bright syllables are imprinted of a Saviour's worth? and
full-toned voices reach us, which enounce his glory?
Sun, and star, and tree, and rock, and river, are the
ready mediums of comparison, and are consecrated as
the universal speech, whose, " sound is gone out into all
the earth, and its words unto the end of the world."
" 0 Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the
earth!"  " They shall fear thee as long as the sun and
moon endure, throughout all generations."  The objects
of physical nature were not alone thus appropriated as
his shadows. He has called forth
Persocal representatives. They who had an individual
existence, and pursued an accountable history, were
often taken out of their own station, lifted above
their own sphere, and transformed into living types of
his office and character. Even Adam, the least probable
likeness of a deliverer and redeemer, does not pass into
hlis grave without having been exhibited for a " sign,"




470   yesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.
and was presented to his posterity, not only as -their
destroyer, but as " the figure of Him that was to come."
Nor do we properly conceive of this representation when
we place it upon a coincidence; the resemblance was
determined for the type, not the type determined upon
tile resemblance, as Melchisedec was " made like unto
the Son of God."  And still there are those who walk
our earth as his remembrancers and imitators-who are
his retrospective types-they are " the glory of Christ,"
"' because as he is, so are they in this world." But nature
inert, and even immaterial, yielded to his
Miraculous acc.thority. The material world was his
servant and ready instrument. A new luminary took its
place in heaven, and was the auspice of his birth. The
winds and sea obeyed him. The deaf heard his most
soothing whisper; the blind gazed after him'who had
given them sight; the dumb, with the ecstacy of their
new faculty, spake his goodness and sang his praise; the
loathsome crust of leprosy fell, and the ghastly array
of death unloosed, before him; and having thus made
matter and its laws passive to him, he not only gathered
an eclipse around his cross, and soared buoyant on "the
wings of the wind" to heaven, but he healed distempered
minds, commanded demons and they fled, recalled spirits
and they returned!  And we learn that there ascends
to him
Inceessantt homage. We want a finer sense, and then
we might perceive that there was a service, and a service
of praise extorted from his enemies. "For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose
have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in
thee, and that my name might be declared throughout
all the earth."  "Surely the wrath of man shall praise
thee." He "surnames" a Cyrus, though that prince
"had- not known him." The Assyrian, though "he
meant.not so, neither did his heart think so," was'" the




7esus Creator and Lord of the Universe.  47 1
rod of his anger." He hath " created the waster to destroy."  God puts in the heart of the ten kings " to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto
the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled."
And the effect of these combined agencies is stated to be
most harmonious; and one who stood in a more favorable position than ourselves, " heard every creature
which is in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth,
saying: Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be
unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the
Lamb for ever and ever."
But " all things" are " for Christ," since they are
III. THE ACCESSORIES TO HIS PURPOSE.
The great'events of science and art are left to the general operation of the human mind, though we' do not exclude the continued direction of Deity. But man, as
merely an intellectual being, is not chiefly the object of
his care. His interpositions take place in our moral
history, and for our religious good. And we may observe the subserviency of human inventions to these
superior purposes. Why were they not earlier? The
discovery of the compass? The revolution of the earth?
The expedient of printing? The moral sense of man
was not roused, the utility of these instruments of knowledge could not therefore be secured, and "the fullness
of times" was necessarily delayed. We deny not that
this delay is wrapped up in deep mystery. Yet the advocates of the natural sufficiency of reason in all affairs
of religion, gain nothing by advantageous comparison.
Have they outstripped revelation in the race? Did they
sooner read their volume of earth and sky?  But there
is one view of this delay which we think generally neglectedj though important. The loss of the first revelation of divine things is always pointed out by Scripture
to have been willful and most guilty, "Tlhe times of
this ignorance God winked at;" not by indifference, not




472   yesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.
by connivance-not in forbearing to punish, not in re-:
fusing to amend-but in positive retribution; punishing
by his most effectual manner of abandoning, "giving.
up," "letting alone," and "casting off;"" "suffering all
nations to walk in their own ways."  The delay was,
therefore, at least in'part, judicial. And as we know that:
" Christ is God over all," he superintended all those preliminaries, and allowed all those postponements, which
might be necessary to give men a clear idea of the Gospel, a just impression of its evidence, and so favorably
to usher it in before men, that it might be raised beyond
the most captious suspicion. And in these statements
we must not forget that "the Gospel was preached" ere
the garden of innocence was closed upon'us, and was
efficacious to "every one who believed" during the four
thousand years which preceded its more economical
establishment.
This world is therefore not " a wandering star," abandoned in wrath, discarded fiom use, rushing to destruction, but is still held for a design, and turned to an
~account the most glorious. Its Maker has not renounced
nor disowned his property.  It may be a rebel, but he
is still its Sovereign: it may be a recusant, but he is
still its Lord. And through the ancient story of our race,
we can mark satisfactory proofs of his continued control
and activity-apparent episodes of the great drama,
but really preserving its unity, and hastening its catastrophe! Where shall we go in quest of illustration?
Enter the harvest-field of Bethlehem. There is a
gleaner following the reapers, who is a subject of interest, not only to all that know her affliction, but to all
tlhat can anticipate her posterity.  "Her hap to light"
was the guidance of Providence and verification of
prophecy: "how the matter fell" was weighed in an
eternal balance.  And hence sprung a name which was
" famous in Israel," and the line is perpetuated " whose




yesus Creator and Lord of the Univer-se.  473
are the fathers, and of whom Christ came."  The Moabitess who left her land to put her "trust" under the
wings of the Lord God of Israel, is honored as the ancestral mother of the Redeemer; and not only could
boast of a David as her descendant, but David's Lord.
Enter the palace of Shushan. A vail is lifted up, and
we behold a new class of agencies employed to introduce
the Christian dispensation. There is an orphan maid:
she is next seen with the royal crown of Persia upon
her head; her foster-parent being privileged, in consequence, to sit in the king's gate, detects a conspiracy
against the life of the king; a proud courtier is offended
at the disrespect shown him  by this kinsman of the
queen; he seeks in his anger the destruction of the
Church; having well plotted it, he becomes intoxicated
by the favors heaped upon him; he consents to a means
of revenge, pitiful in its malignity; and then a restless
fever in the veins of the monarch leads to his bitter discomfiture in the triumph of his rival, and in his obligation to pronounce it; he is hurried on to his fate; the
covenanted race, which he would exterminate, are rescued and avenged; while even the heathen acknowledge
that " he has fallen before the seed of the Jews," and all
must allow that the bereft and captive daughter of that
people " came to the kingdom for such a time as this."
But it is unnecessary to trace the manifold ways in
which all things have been administered to promote the
cause of Christ. And now that "the government is
upon his shoulder," now that he is officially advanced to
the magistrature of the universe —the activities of intellect, the discoveries of enterprise, the accumulations of
wealth, the vicissitudes of empire, the revolutions of
time, the assaults of infidelity, the machinations of lell,
shall fall into his plan, and be made occasions of his
glory. All things must be " gathered together in Christ."
All his enemies shall be made his "footstool."  And he




474   yesus Creator and Lord of the (Universe.
shall at last exclaim, in assertion of his complete subjection of every adverse power to his sway, "It is done: I
am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the
first and the last."
And here He will erect his final monarchy. We disclaim any aggrandisement but that which is spiritual.
And as "he was the Desire of all nations," as "the
powers of heaven were shaken" for his manifestation,
so all things shall contribute to introduce him. "He
shall reign whose right it is."  "He shall take to himself his great power, and reign."  He shall have
" dominion from sea to sea."  "Yea, all kings shall fall
down before him, all nations shall serve him." And
when every government shall but reflect divine justice,
and every subject shall but obey true religion-then,
when the Gospel is written in every law, and is seated
in every breast-when Christianity is the only standard
of jurisdiction and the only measure of allegiance-then,
when the temper of Jesus shall be the spirit, and the
testimony of Jesus shall be the letter, of every codewhen authority is without pride, fealty without distrust,
and love without dissimulation-then, when holy truth
has spread its leaven through the entire mass, as well as
each separate element of civilized life and social being —
then voices shall be heard in heaven, saying, " Now is
come the kingdom of our God, and the power of his
Christ."  " The kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ."  The heathen
are his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth
are his possession.  And that we might not despair,
he left not our world ere he had proclaimed, "All
power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."
And, did we not fear too large an extension of the
discourse, we might argue the CONNECTION between the
Saviour's creation and the proprietorship of all things:
justice to the subject forbids its total neglect.




yesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.  475
A more important inquiry cannot arise: Is our Miaker
also our Saviour?  Does He, whose command filled
Nothing with matter, and gave beauty to the Formless
mass, bear our nature, and "plead our cause? "  Does
He, who spread abroad the heavens as a curtain, and as
a tent to dwell in, build the refuge of our hope? It is a
joyous hour when we can conclude, "He that is our
God is the God of salvation."
And at once we are impressed with the difficulty of
our salvation. Constituting the design of this created
system, it must be a more worthy deed than creation
itself. Yet can we imagine no power greater than is
necessary to create, and Scripture does not encourage
and warrant us to do so. Then that energy which is
the highest in our conception, and which, according to
inspired authority, is ultimate, is demanded to recover
us fiom the effects of sin. What must be that " abominable thing! "  How appalling must be the ruin which
it has entailed upon us! If that " very word of grace "
which saves us were not "strong as that which built
the skies;" * if that " arm" did not bring "salvation," on
which universal nature hangs its weight; our case were
hopeless, our doom inevitable, our species lost! The
crisis came; and " where sin abounded, grace did much
more abound!"  A moral creation sprung up in its own
loveliness; man stood once more erect " after the image
of Him who created him;" our fallen nature beamed
forth again as "His workmanship in Christ Jesus;" and
that Power which peopled immensity with being, an'd
illuminated it with a thousand suns, still operates with
its fullest energies in the production of spiritual light,
vitality, and beauty.
And not less distinctly are we taught, by this connection, the efficiency of the "great salvation."  The
heart has its tremors and misgivings, and will sometimes
* Watts.




476   yesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.
inquire whether there be put forth all that strength to
save which was required to create us? whether there
be all that earnestness and determination of purpose
which the prodigious monuments of constituted nature
attest? But what should be the heart's relief when we
discover that our salvation is the cause of all that the
universe contains of vast, and fair, and radiant; that it
impresses the law of every atom, and the motion of every
world; that the Creator stamps his seal upon it, and
enforces it equally with his most tremendous mandates;
that he bids the spirit go in peace, undisturbed as the
sublime emanations which constantly spread from him
through his works; that He prescribes the holy liberty
of the regenerate, who sustains the moon when she
walks in brightness with her sisterhood of stars; that
He ordains the life of the soul who is the author of existence so multifarious and boundless, that the difficulty
is to show what is not living entity and structure; that
" the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation." This
is "a propriety none can feel," "but who can smiling
say, My Saviour made them all! "   0 ye who tremble
because He is omnipotently great, because he doeth
wonders, because yon heavens with their hosts are his,
because he can kill both body and soul, because he
can blast with a breath and wither with a fiown —never
did his might unfold itself as in this operation of
mercy; and though the fact of " Christ crucified"
may appear to vail and frustrate "the exceeding
greatness of this power," it is its noblest medium, its
grandest proof, its brightest spectacle. "It is the Power
of God."
A fitness is apparent in this arrangement. Our earth,
being dishonored, the measures to avenge or purify it
must be with him who had made it. The cause is his.
No interposition could be suggested to him, much less
* Cowper.




yesus Creator and Lord of the Universe. 477
forced upon him. He alone can act. But if he so
determine, we cannot fail to admire the moral propriety
of his agency. He had "dedicated this house," and he
now will see whether the dedication has been respected.
No other power could have the right to cast it down,
or to renew its original intention. He has resolved to
rescue our world. Hence arises the meetness of deriving the reparation from him who is aggrieved, and the
pardon from him with whom it was to punish. Surely
the Creator knows the value of his works and the nature
of his laws; what can retrieve the wrong done to the
one, and expiate the insult offered to the other; and if
he be " well pleased," whence can arise demur? "It
is God that justifieth."  "If God be for us, who can
be against us? "  He is therefore described as claiming
his people: "I will say to the north, Give up: and to
the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and
my daughters from the ends of the earth: even every
one that is called by my name: for I have created
him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made
him." And inanimate nature is-represented as rejoicing
with sympathy in the redemption of man: and as invoked
by Him to expressions of a jubilant gladness: " Sing,
O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye
lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye
mountains, 0 forest, every tree therein, for the Lord hath
redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel." " Drop
down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour
down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them
bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up
together: I the Lord have created it."
And thus a parallelism and analogy is constituted
between the material an-d moral systems; and signs are
borrowed from the one to denote the other. "He who
sitteth on the throne saith, Behold, I make all things
new." A sun of righteousness bursts out to dispel




478   fesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.
spiritual darkness; the troubled sea, which cast up mire
and dirt, is hushed and cleansed; earth yields her
increase; instead of the thorn there comes up a fir-tree,
and instead of the briar the myrtle-tree; man is a new
creature in Christ Jesus; the law of the Spirit of life
stirs a sweetly freshening balm; the new heavens and the
new earth are so resplendent that the former cannot.
" be remembered nor come into mind."  Nor is this all:
the world of nature ministers to the world of grace, and
to it at once owes its existence and its respite from the
final doom.
And it is worthy of notice that in those strongest
passages where the Deity challenges any rival, where he
assures us that "he is the Lord, and that there is no
God beside him," where he calls upon his creatures to
"know from the rising of the sun, and from the west,
that there is none beside him," the Lord Jesus is certainly intended.* "I have sworn by myself, That unto me
every knee shall bow, every tongue swear."  So that
his supreme divinity and personal distinction are at the
same time unequivocally-averred.
And most rightful is his possession of all things.
"His hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, and
his right hand hath spanned the heavens: when he
called unto them, they stood up together."  " They were
made for him." He built our earth to be an ark of
safety, and a sanctuary of mercy. He spread over it the
covering of his atonement, and will sway it with the
scepter of his grace. "-The people shall fall under him."
"Every thought shall be brought into captivity to his
obedience."  And the world, which he created and
which- he saved, shall confess his title, and bring forth
its diadem of many crowns to place upon the head of
Him who is "the Efficient Cause of the creation of
God!"  When, therefore, we are engaged in promoting
* Isaiah xlv, 6, compared with Rom. xiv, 10, 11; Phil. ii, 10, 11.




yesus Creator and Lord of the Universe.  479
the "knowledge of Christ," and seek that he may be
"the head of the heathen," how perfect must be our confidence that it is an authorized and agreeable course of
action. Our Creator and our Saviour alike commands
us, we carry out tile primary intentions of the natural
and moral constitutions, we co-extend with the already
laid foundation, the already adapted superstructure, we
but sanctify the material'scaffolding by building within
it a holy temple unto the Lord, and consummate each
physical law with the triumphs of revelation!  Well,
when we "go out" with such an errand, may "the
mountains and the hills break forth before us into singing, and all the trees of the field clap their hands:" we
are their legitimate interpreters, faithful votaries, and
appointed heralds! We publish the reason of the incomprehensible mystery which shrouds the sensible
phenomena around us; and, as with the mighty voices
which echo from height and depth, resound the glad
tidings of a pardoned race and ransomed world!
And what does the adversary of Christ the Son of
God in a world sacred to the cause for which it was
fashioned out of nothing, and which has drank in the
blood of the covenant? Sacrilegious intruder, what
dost thou here? What mean those evil eyes, and desecrating footsteps? Comest thou to dispute thy Maker's
purpose, and thy Saviour's claim? Thou art in the
most guarded province of his creation and dominion!
The apparatus of his redemption was here deposited!
Here stood the cross! And is it here that thou breathest
out thine impious rebellions? And is it here that thou
wouldest disturb each scene and each dispensation?
But before thou canst invalidate the expiatory sacrifice
of Christ, before thou canst smite in pieces his altar, begin thy havoc on the walls of the temple! Blot out the
sun!' Tear clown the firmament! Spurn the pavementearth beneath thy feet! Thou must demolish the uni



480   yesuls Cre'ator andu Lord of the Univearse.
versal frame of nature ere thou canst prevail against
that Messiah whose voice first bade it rise, and whose
interests can alone account for its long existence!
Alas! what a world now turns round to Heaven its
cities and populations! What cries of defiance rise from
it! What spectacles of shame are exhibited upon it!
It is the star of each idol-god —it is the star-wormwood
of bitter ingratitude and treason to the only Living
One! "How long, 0 Lord, holy and true!"  Set it,
Thou who "'bringest out the host of heaven by number,"
the holiest among those orbs! Thou who "callest them
all by their names," appropriate to it Thine own. And
when "the morning stars sing together," may the music
of our redeemed sphere be sweetest, fullest, loudest, of
them all! Amen.
THE END.