CONVERTED / s 
 
 yk 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 University of California. 
 
 Mrs. SARAH P. WALSWORTH. 
 
 Received October, 1894. 
 Accessions No.O^..O'70- Class No. 
 
^^•:>r6 
 
SALVATION BY CHRIST. 
 
 A SERIES OF 
 
 DISCOURSES 
 
 ON SOME OF THE MOST 
 
 IMPORTANT DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL. 
 
 FRANCI S WAY LAND. 
 
 aOULD AND T. INOOLN 
 
 59 WASHINGTON STREET. 
 
 NEW YORK: SHELDON, BLAKEMAN & CO. 
 
 CINCINNATI : GEORGE S. BLANCIIARD. 
 
 1859. 
 
K/3 
 
 Entered, according to Art of Congress, in the year 1858, by 
 
 FRANCIS WAYLAND, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of 
 
 Rhode Island. 
 
 7^ 
 
 STEREOTYPED AT THE 
 BOSTON TYPE AND STEREOTYPE POUNDRT. 
 
 PRINTED BT 
 OBOKOE C. KAKD & AVERT. 
 
USI7EESIT7J/ 
 PREFACE. 
 
 Shortly after the appearance of the "University 
 Sermons," the publishers desired that the title should 
 be changed, inasmuch as the work was addressed no 
 more to students in college than to inquirers after 
 religious truth in general. I then declined to make 
 any alteration. Of late, however, they proposed that 
 I should modify the volume, in order the better to 
 adapt it to the present state of religious feeling in 
 many parts of our country. I saw that by the course 
 which they suggested, the volume might be rendered 
 more unique, and perhaps more useful. I have, 
 therefore, omitted two discourses on the " Kevolu- 
 tions in Europe," and added six never before pub- 
 lished, on subjects of greater practical importance. 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 The volume thus revised and greatly enlarged, appears 
 under a title which the publishers consider appro- 
 priate. ' In this form it is now presented to all 
 who feel the need of salvation by Christ, no less 
 than to those whom it has been my pleasure, in 
 former years, to instruct. 
 
 F. W. 
 Providence, December 16, 1858. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 THEORETICAL ATHEISM. 
 'The fool hath said iu his heart, There is no God.'" — P^ate liii. 1 1 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 PRACTICAL ATHEISM. 
 'The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." — Psalm liii. 1 16 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 THE MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 " For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." — Romans iii. 23. 
 " 1 know 3'ou, that ye have not the love of God in you." — John v. 42. 
 
 SERMONIV. 
 
 THE MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 •Even as they did not like to retain God iu their knowledge, God gave them over 
 to a reprobate mind." — Romans i. 28 47 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 THE MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO MAN. 
 
 And the second is like unto it, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" 
 — Matthew xxi. 36 65 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 THE FALL OF MAN. 
 ' By one man's disobedience, many were made sinners." — Romans v. 19 80 
 
 * 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 JUSTD'ICATION BY WORKS IMPOSSIBLE. 
 
 "Therefore by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight." 
 — Romans iii. 20 94 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 PAST I. 
 
 " When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son." — Oalatians iv. -L 
 — " The world by wisdom knew not God." — 1 Corinthians i. 21 106 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our 
 God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be 
 made low ; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain, 
 and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, 
 for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." — Isaiah xl. 3, 4 122 
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 PAKT I. 
 
 "God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them 
 that were under the law." — Oalatians iv. 4, 5 137 
 
 SERMON XI. 
 
 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 PAET II. 
 
 *' Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive, thou hast received 
 gifts for men, yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell 
 among them." — Psalm Ixviii. 18 157 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 
 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 
 " A man is justified by faith, without the works of the law." — Romans iii. 28. . . 17.1 
 
CONTENTS. Vll 
 
 SERMON XIII. 
 
 CONVERSION. 
 
 " Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord 
 Jesus Christ." — Romans y. 1 187 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 IMITATORS OF GOD. 
 "Be ye therefore followers of God." — £pAesia7W v.l 204 
 
 SERMON XV. 
 
 GRIEVING THE SPIRIT. 
 <* lie shall take of mine and shall show it unto you." — John xvi. 15 218 
 
 SERMON XVI. 
 
 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. 
 
 " And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done," 
 etc. — Luke ix. 10-17 235 
 
 SERMON XVI I. 
 
 THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE GOSPEL. 
 
 " And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it ; or one member 
 is honored, all the members rejoice with it." — 1 Corinthians xii. 26 251 
 
 * SERMON XVIII. 
 
 THE FALL OF PETER. 
 '* And when he thought thereon, he wept." — Mark xiv. 72 266 
 
 SERMON XIX. 
 
 CHARACTER OF BALAAM. 
 
 " Following the way of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unright- 
 eousness."— 2 Peter ii. 15 283 
 
VIU CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON XX. 
 
 VERACITY. 
 
 " For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, 
 and his lips that they speak no guile." — 1 Peter iii. 10 299 
 
 SERMON XXI. 
 
 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 
 
 " Neither pray I for these alone, hut for them also that shall believe on me through 
 their word; that they all maybe oue, as thou, Father, art in me and I in 
 thee, that they also may be one in us ; that the world may believe that thou 
 hast sent me." — John xvii. 20, 21 313 
 
 SERMON XXII. 
 
 THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 " Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also that shall believe on me through 
 their word ; that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, 
 that they also may be one in us ; that the world m.ay believe that thou hast 
 sent me." — John xvii. 20, 21 836 
 
 SERMON XXIII. 
 
 THE DUTY OF OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 Render therefore unto Cassar the things that are Ca?sar's, and unto God the 
 things that are God's." — Matthew xxii. 21 346 
 
 SERMON XXIV. 
 
 THE DUTY OF OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 PAKT II. 
 
 "Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the 
 things that are God's." — Matthew xxii. 21 358 
 
 SERMON XXV. 
 
 THE DUTY OF OBEDIENCE TO THE ClVlL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 PAET III. 
 
 "Render therefore unto Cjesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the 
 things that are God's." — Matthew xxii. 21 371 
 
SALYATIOJ^ BY CHRIST. 
 
 THEORETICAL ATHEISM 
 
 "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." 
 
 Psalm liii. 1. 
 
 It is scarcely possible for us to converse, even for a few 
 Tfnoments, with another human being, without instinctively form- 
 ing an opinion respecting his intellectual capacity. Although 
 we may be unable definitely to express the reason for our judg- 
 ments, yet every one has formed for himself a standard by which 
 he estimates the ability of others. We readily and often rashly 
 assign to the men whom we meet, a place among the ordinaiy, 
 the distinguished, or the highly gifted ; or among the inferior, 
 the weak, or the very weak in intellect. These differences, 
 however, may all exist within the normal conditions of the 
 human understanding. We sometimes, however, meet with a 
 man whose mind does not obey those laws which govern the 
 operations of ordinary intelligence. We find ourselves in 
 the presence of one with whom we can hold but partial and 
 imperfect communion. We perceive that the being before us 
 does not form his judgments in the same manner as the rest 
 of mankind. He will believe, for instance, with unquestioning 
 confidence, an assertion which to other men seems absurd. 
 He will, on the other hand, refuse his assent to the plainest 
 statement of fact, and hold out unconvinced against an accu- 
 mulation of evidence of which a tithe would satisfy a man of 
 sober undei'standing. A person of this character, I think, we 
 always designate as a fool. 
 
 But this is not the only form in which folly exhibits itself. 
 1 
 
2 THEORETICAL ATHEISM. 
 
 We sometimes observe men who are convinced of the ex- 
 istence of a physical or a moral law, and yet act as if that 
 which they believe to be true they certainly knew to be false. 
 An idiot, though he may have been burned by the fire, will 
 immediately expose himself to the danger of being burned 
 again. He will learn wisdom neither from observation nor 
 experience. Thus also we see men, for the sake of a mo- 
 mentary gratification, deliberately do an act which must work 
 the wreck of character and the loss of reputation, and subject 
 them through life to the gnawings of unavailing remorse. 
 Thus the inebriate surrenders himself to a habit which he 
 knows to be destructive of all peace of mind, and which must 
 render him inevitably both loathsome and contemptible. Thus 
 also we sometimes observe a young man, endowed with pronT- 
 ising abilities, for whom parents and friends are making 
 innumerable sacrifices, before whom the path to honorable 
 distinction is plainly set open, basely squandering his time, 
 associating with tlie frivolous, the reckless, and the profligate, 
 and choosing for his portion poverty, remorse, and contempt, 
 instead of affluence, conscious rectitude, and elevated standing. 
 When we see men thus acting in deliberate defiance of the 
 dictates of their own understanding, and in direct opposition to 
 their clearly apprehended interests, I believe we always refer 
 them to the class of fools. Though endowed with the power 
 of forethought, they act as though they were deprived of it ; 
 and hence we number them with those on whom the power of 
 forethought has never been bestowed. The former of these 
 classes may be denominated theoretical, and the latter practi- 
 cal, fools. 
 
 It is, however, to be remarked, that the element of folly 
 does not, by necessity, pervade the whole intellectual charac- 
 ter. There seem to exist, in this respect, what may, perhaps, 
 not inappropriately be denominated mental idiosyncracies. 
 The man not unfrequently, on some subjects, reasons and 
 judges like other men, w^hile, upon other subjects, he is liable 
 to the charge of incorrigible folly. In some cases, he may 
 
THEORETICAL ATHEISM. 6 
 
 respect the precepts of practical wisdom, while in others he 
 seems, surrendered up to the dominion of hopeless fatuity. 
 
 Whatever may be the manner in which folly is displayed, 
 the feelings with which we contemplate it are marked with 
 sufficient distinctness.. Where a man is a hopeless idiot, we 
 pity him. The finger of God has touched him, and we are 
 bound, by every tie of brotherhood, to treat him with thought- 
 ful commiseration. When, however, we behold folly of a 
 mixed character, — when a man is endowed with intelligence, 
 and acts as if he were an idiot, — I think we are conscious of a 
 veiy different emotion. The man can see some things clearly 
 enough, while other things, equally evident, he utterly refuses 
 to see. He will believe what he chooses, though it be ever so 
 destitute of proof, while he refuses to believe that which 
 displeases him, though established on the most irrefragable 
 evidence. We cannot but believe that his state of mind is 
 owing to some hidden and by no means commendable bias, and 
 we can contemplate him neither with respect for his intellect 
 nor confidence in his integrity. 
 
 The same sentiments, in most respects, are awakened by the 
 exhibition of practical ^olly. If an idiot, who has never been 
 able to appreciate the relation of cause and effect, throws 
 himself a second time into the fire, from which, at imminent 
 peril to ourselves, we have rescued him, we pity his sad 
 calamity. But when a man possessed of a reasonable soul acts 
 again and^ again in opposition to his acknowledged and most 
 vital interests ; when he sacrifices all that renders life a blessing 
 for a contemptible gratification ; when, in defiance of the plain- 
 est dictates of his understanding, he repeatedly calls down 
 upon himself the direct penalties of inexorable law, — we may, 
 it is true, pity him, but our pity is mingled with feelings nearly 
 allied to contempt. 
 
 Indeed, I do not remember any emotions more universal 
 than those with which we contemplate the intellectual charac- 
 ter of our fellow-men. We admire, nay, we almost venerate, 
 a powerful understanding united to vast reach of thought, and 
 
4 THEORETICAL ATHEISM. 
 
 clear sighted, steadfast continuity of purpose. The very fact 
 that we hold intellectual fellowship with a mind thus endowed 
 creates within us, at times, an emotion akin to that of sub- 
 limity. On the contrary, as universal and deep-seated is the 
 disgust awakened within us by striking exhibitions either of 
 theoretical or practical folly. I do not know but we feel an 
 emotion of self-esteem arising even from the contempt with 
 which we never fail to regard it. Nay, " 'tis not in folly not to 
 scorn a fool." The theoretical fool laughs at the practical 
 fool. The practical fool despises the theoretical fool. Thus 
 human nature, whether wise or unwise, bears testimony to the 
 estimation in which this attribute is held throughout the uni- 
 verse of God. 
 
 Such, then, is the nature of the epithet by which the pen 
 of inspiration designates the intellectual character of him who 
 denies the existence of a God. It declares him to be a fool. 
 Observe also the force of the expression. It does not make 
 this affirmation solely of him who unblushingly avows his 
 atheism, but even of him who cherishes it in the solitude of 
 his own bosom — "The fool hath said in his hearty There 
 is no God." Let us, then, during the remainder of this 
 discourse, attempt to illustrate the truth of this sentiment of 
 inspiration. 
 
 From what I have already said, it will at once appear that 
 the denial of the existence of God may be either theoretical or 
 practical. It is theoretical when we affirm that no such being 
 as God exists. It is practical when, professing to believe that 
 he exists, we act in all respects as though we believe that he 
 did not exist. In the present discourse, we shall treat of the 
 first of these errors. 
 
 I have already intimated that theoretical folly may manifest 
 itself in two forms, either in that of absurd credulity, or of absurd 
 incredulity. I think that in the denial of the existence of God 
 both of those- demerits of folly may be discovered. 
 
 1. It is surely an evidence of absurd credulity to believe 
 an assertion, respecting any subject whatever, when no evidence 
 
THEORETICAL ATHEISM. 5 
 
 is brought forward to sustain it; and especially when, from, 
 the necessity of the case, the evidence, if it did exist, is beyond 
 the reach of the human understanding. There have frequently 
 appeared impostors, who have affirmed that they should never 
 die. Men have been found, who, without any evidence, have 
 believed their assertions. Has not the whole world united 
 in declaring them to-be absurdly credulous ? Have they not 
 always been believed to be, so far as this subject was con- 
 cerned, fools, on whose judgment, in future, no reliance could 
 safely be reposed ? Men have frequently predicted that, on a 
 particular day, the world would be burned up, and they have 
 found persons who believed that such would be the fact, simply 
 on the ground of these predictions. Mankind have laughed at 
 them as credulous simpletons, merely because, in a matter 
 of importance, they believed an assertion unsupported by the 
 shadow of evidence. Suppose that, on the ground of your 
 affirmation, you could make a man believe that molten lava 
 would not consume him, and that, relying on your declaration, 
 he resolved to throw himself into the crater of a volcano ; in 
 what estimation would you hold his understanding ? Or sup- 
 pose that it were asserted that every star in the firmament is 
 a glorified spirit, placed there to gaze forever on the events 
 transpiring on this little earth. Were a man to believe this 
 assertion, sustained by no evidence — nay, where, if the asser- 
 tion were true, the evidence is infinitely beyond the reach of 
 the human faculties, — could we believe him to be in possession 
 of a sound understanding ? We see, then, in general, that with 
 the exception of intuitive propositions, the human mind, in the 
 proper exercise of its faculties, can never believe, unless 
 through the medium of evidence, and that, if it believe any 
 assertion without evidence, we always consider it to be ab- 
 surdly credulous. 
 
 Now, the atheist declares to us that there is no God. 
 
 What is the proof of his assertion ? By what syllogism does 
 
 he demonstrate it? What is his major, and what is his minor 
 
 premise ? He tells us that he has never seen, nor felt, nor 
 
 1* 
 
6 THEORETICAL ATHEISM. 
 
 heard God ; and, therefore, that God does not exist. But docs 
 nothing exist on earth which has never manifested itself 
 either to his senses or to his consciousness? How does he 
 know but, among the truths which have thus far escaped his 
 notice, one may be the existence of God ? Has he Uved for- 
 ever, and been present from eternity, throughout the immensity 
 of space? Where was he when the morning stars sang 
 together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? How 
 does he know but that God may have existed where and when 
 he was not ? On this subject, I take pleasure in introducing 
 to your notice a remarkable passage from Foster's Essays — 
 a volume of such inestimable value, that no young man should 
 consider his education truly commenced, unless • he has given 
 it an attentive and thorough perusal. 
 
 " The wonder then tums on the immense intelligence by 
 which a man could know that there is no God. What ages 
 and what lights are requisite for this attainment ! This intelli- 
 gence involves the very attributes of divinity, while a God is 
 denied. For, unless this man is omnipresent, unless he is at 
 this moment in every place in the universe, he cannot know 
 but there may be in some place, manifestations of a Deity, by 
 which even he would be overpowered. If he does not know 
 absolutely every agent in the universe, the one that he does 
 not know may be God. If he is not himself the chief agent 
 in the universe, and does not know what is so, that which is so 
 may be God. If he is not in absolute possession of all the 
 propositions that constitute universal truth, the one which he 
 wants may be, that there is a God. If he cannot with certainty 
 assign the cause of all that he perceives to exist, that cause 
 may be a God. If he does not know every thing that may 
 have been done in the immeasurable ages that are past, some 
 things may have been done by a God. Thus, unless he 
 knows all things, — that is, precludes the idea of another Deity 
 by being one himself, — he cannot know that the being whose 
 existence he rejects does not exist. But he must know that he 
 does not exist, else he deserves equal contempt and com- 
 
THEORETICAL ATHEISM. 7 
 
 passion, for the temerity with which he avows his rejection 
 and acts accordingly." 
 
 Such, then, my brethren, is the absurdity of the assertion 
 that there is no God. It is an assertion not only unsustained 
 by evidence, but one, the truth of which could not be certainly 
 known, unless the assertor were himself endowed with the 
 attributes of the Deity. In a word, I think that any one who 
 reflects for a moment upon the fewness and feebleness of the 
 faculties of man, and then upon the boundlessness of the uni- 
 verse, must be convinced, that the assertion that God does 
 not exist, involves within itself all the elements of the most 
 revolting absurdity. 
 
 I have, thus far, endeavored to show that atheism is absurd 
 in its credulity. I shall next attempt to show that it is equally 
 absurd in its unbelief Not only does it believe without the 
 shadow of evidence, nay, where evidence is by necessity im- 
 possible, but it disbelieves a proposition of which the evidence 
 is interwoven with the very structure of the human under- 
 standing. 
 
 Before entering upon this part of our subject, allow me to sug- 
 gest a single explanation. I am not about to prove to you the 
 existence of God, as though it were to you a matter of doubt. 
 You need no such proof. You all believe this all-important 
 truth, and no illustration of mine could render it more evident. 
 The belief in a First Cause, a superintending Providence, is one 
 of the ideas common to our race, as soon as the mind is quick- 
 ened into even incipient activity. So necessarily is this belief 
 generated among the first forms of human knowledge, that it 
 presses through the thick covering of ignorance which com- 
 monly overspreads our faculties when man is unenlightened 
 by revelation. The mind of the creature needs the idea of a 
 Creator, and it will associate this idea with the sun, the moon, 
 or the planets, nay, with four-footed beasts and creeping things, 
 rather than live destitute of a belief which is demanded by the 
 necesshies of our intellectual nature. It is not, then, ray design 
 to prove to you the existence of a God, but to illustrate to you 
 
8 THEORETICAL ATHEISM. 
 
 the process by which the belief in his existence has become 
 univei'sal. In doing this, I hope also in another respect to 
 exhibit to you the absurdity of atheism. 
 
 1. In the first place, the idea of power, of cause and effect, is 
 the universal and spontaneous suggestion of the human intelli- 
 gence. It springs up unbidden and irrepressible from the first 
 perception of a change. We cannot conceive of a change 
 without being conscious immediately of the notion of a cause by 
 which it was effected. This law of the human mind is univer- 
 sal, and its operation may be as readily perceived in the case 
 of a child as of a philosopher. You may easily make the 
 experiment for yourselves. Remove a child's toy from one 
 room to another, and he will instantly ask you who did it. 
 This change of its place immediately suggests to him the idea 
 of a cause. Tell him that no one did it, that it took place 
 without the exertion of any sufficient power, and see if you 
 can make him believe you. Let him burn his hand in the 
 fire, and see if you can induce him to repeat the experiment. 
 His own infantile intelligence has attained the conviction that 
 like causes produce like effects, and no argument can possibly 
 eradicate it. But suppose it were otherwise ; suppose that 
 you observed a child to be entirely destitute of this suggestion, 
 that the notion of cause and effect never seemed to govern its 
 conduct, but that it would place its hand in a flame as often as 
 an opportunity, occurred, without being able to arrive at the 
 notion that the fire was the cause of its pain. You would 
 decide at once that the child was an idiot ; and you would not 
 be mistaken. You see that a human mind cannot be deprived 
 of this suggestion, without losing an essential element of its 
 original intelligence. 
 
 The truth which I wish to illustrate was forcibly taught by 
 Dr. Beattie, when he wished to impress upon his son the fact 
 of the existence of God. Tracing the letters of the child's 
 name in the fresh mould of the garden, he sowed in the lines 
 some ordinary seeds. Very soon the son discovered his own 
 name distinctly growing out of the ground, and demanded of 
 
THEORETICAL ATHEISM. 9 
 
 his father the cause of it. Dr. Beattie at first told him it was 
 produced by chance ; but the child would not believe it, nor 
 could he be persuaded by all his father's ingenuity that it was 
 not the work of some intelligent agent. From this incident, 
 he was taught the idea of a universal cause. I think that 
 eveiy one who reflects upon this occurrence will declare that 
 this child, in insisting upon the necessity of a cause, spoke the 
 language of human nature. 
 
 Now, we are encompassed on every side by changes spring- 
 ing up around us in infinite variety. Eveiy season of the 
 year, every month, every day, and every night, nay, every 
 hour, is crowded with them in numbers without beginning and 
 without end, and every one, when we reflect upon it, by 
 the constitution of our minds, suggests to us the idea of a 
 cause. The necessity of this idea is, therefore, pressed upon 
 us, by the verj'- constitution of our minds, as soon as we begin 
 to observ^e the changes continually occurring in the universe 
 around us. 
 
 2. Secondly, when we examine this notion of cause and 
 eflect, we perceive that at first it is satisfied with observing 
 the relation of antecedent and consequent combined with the 
 idea of power. It is not long, however, before the mind proceeds 
 farther, and asks not only for a cause, but for a sufficient 
 cause. The child of Dr. Beattie could not be made to 
 believe that the wind and the rain had by accident deposited 
 the seeds in the order in which he perceived them. He knev/ 
 that this must have been done by a cause that knew his name, 
 and could spell it, and form the letters of which it was com- 
 posed. Until such a cause could be suggested, his mind could 
 not rest satisfied. So, when we are asked what causes the 
 growth of vegetation, we reply, heat and moisture, the rain 
 and the sunshine. At first, this explanation may seem satis- 
 factory ; but soon the elements of our intelligence require us 
 to proceed a step farther. We observe the innumerable forms 
 of beauty and utility springing up every where around us ; we 
 examine the wonderful laws by which eveiy process of vege- 
 
10 . THEORETICAL ATHEISM. 
 
 tation is governed ; we trace the relations existing between the 
 vegetable and animal kingdoms ; we pursue our inquiries into 
 the higher ranks of being, and learn the habitudes, the in- 
 stincts, the uses of brutes, and the faculties, the intelligence, 
 and the development of man. We at once conclude that our 
 first conception of cause is wholly inadequate to account for 
 the changes which we perceive. The drop of water and the 
 beam of sunlight could never in .strictness be the cause of the 
 matchless beauty with which the earth is overspread. We 
 cannot ascribe to senseless matter a power infinitely transcend- 
 ing that of the highest human intelligence. The most pro- 
 found philosopher would be pronounced insane were he to 
 attempt the formation of a blade of grass ; and can we ascribe 
 to brute matter the power to subject the elements of nature to 
 complicated and mysterious law, or to create the blushing 
 loveliness of spring or the rich abundance of autumn ? We at 
 once determine that, hidden behind these visible antecedents, 
 there must exist an adequate cause, an intelligent power, com- 
 petent to the production of all these changes, and to which all 
 that we see is, from necessity, subordinate. We are thus 
 led to conceive of an underived and absolute cause. When 
 the mind arrives at this idea, it rests satisfied. It demands 
 nothing more ultimate. The mind of the creature reposes 
 upon the conception of a self-existent, all-potverful, and all- 
 wise Creator, and it is henceforth at rest. 
 
 3. But, supposing that we have arrived at the notion of 
 underived causation, the question may still be asked, May not 
 several independent causes originate the changes which are 
 taking place around us ? This question is readily answered by 
 examining the facts in the case. Every thing that we behold 
 is manifestly a part of one universal whole. Every law is 
 found to be in perfect harmony with every other law. Were 
 the various forces which regulate the motions of our system 
 in the smallest degree modified, universal ruin would ensue. 
 Every thing teaches us that the universe, with all its changes, 
 is nothing more than the realization of one single conception. 
 
THEORETICAL ATHEISM. 11 
 
 This fact excludes the idea of a muUipUcity of causes, and 
 teaches us, that the cause of causes, the absolute causation, is 
 every where one and the same. We thus arrive at the idea 
 of a universal cause, a sufficient reason why all things are, 
 and why they are such as they are ; that is, of a Creator infi- 
 nite in power and unsearchable in wisdom. 
 
 4. When we reflect upon human conduct, we find that we 
 always connect the outward act with the spiritual disposition, 
 or intention, from which it proceeds. Observing them in this 
 light, we perceive in every action the quality of right or vir- 
 tue, or of its opposite wrong or vice. We know that the con- 
 stitution of the moral beings around us is similar to our own. 
 We refer their outward manifestations to their appropriate 
 spiritual dispositions, and hence, from their actions, we judge 
 men to be either virtuous or vicious. Virtue we cannot but 
 esteem and venerate ; vice we cannot but despise and abhor. 
 These, I think, must be universally considered as the proper 
 judgments of all moral intelligences. Let us now refer these 
 obvious principles to our judgments respecting the first and 
 universal cause. We observe by our own experience that our 
 virtuous actions are always followed by happiness and that 
 self-approbation which is, in itself, an exceeding great reward. 
 We, on the contrary, observe that vicious actions are followed 
 by pain and remorse, and a fearful looking-for of judgment. 
 We observe that the same consequences follow the cor- 
 respondent actions of others. We trace the vicissitudes of 
 nations, and observe that they are regulated by the same law. 
 We see that, iiTespective of all human power and human 
 foresight, nay, in despite of all the wisdom of man, virtue is 
 indissolubly connected with happiness, and vice with misery. 
 Here, then, is an order of sequence established, and it must 
 have been established by the universal, the all-pervading 
 cause. Here, then, we behold the perpetual acting of the 
 Almighty ; and from it we learn the moral attributes which 
 compose his character. We thus are taught that he loves 
 virtue and abhors vice, and we conclude that his moral, like his 
 
12 THEORETICAL ATHEISM. 
 
 natural, attributes are infinite. We thus arrive at the concep- 
 tion of an Almighty Cause who is infinitely holy. Thus our 
 intellectual and moral natures unite in ascribing to the Creator 
 eveiy perfection of which we can conceive in an infinite 
 degree. Such, it seems to me, is the result to which the 
 unbiased faculties of the human mind would naturally arrive. 
 
 That mankind have generally arrived at this result is by no 
 means asserted. The apostle Paul declares that men did not 
 like to retain God in their knowledge, and, therefore, they 
 exchanged him for false gods, and worshipped and served the 
 creature rather than the Creator. What I intend to affirm is, 
 that this is the result to which the faculties of the human mind 
 arrive, whenever they are employed in the earnest and honest 
 inquiry after God. Nay, more, this is the result to which 
 they actually have in some cases arrived, even when deprived 
 of the light of revelation. Thus saith the apostle to the 
 Komans : " The invisible things of God, even his eternal power 
 and Godhead, are clearly seen, being understood by the things 
 that are made." Thus also saith the Psalmist : " The heavens 
 declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth forth 
 his handy work." Accordingly, many of the heathen philoso- 
 phers, but, above all, Socrates, from an observation of the 
 works of creation and of the providential dealings of God, 
 arrived at a conception of the character of the First Cause very 
 similar to that which I have described. They attained to this 
 knowledge without the assistance of revelation ; and hence 
 we learn that this attainment is within the reach of the unas- 
 sisted human faculties. If, then, men have not commonly 
 discovered these truths, or if, having discovered, they have not 
 retained them in their knowledge, the reason is to be found, 
 not in the inadequateness of their intellectual faculties, but 
 in some cause of an entirely different character. 
 
 Now, the atheist, in defiance of this universal suggestion 
 of the human intelligence, affirms that there is no God. He 
 thus excludes from the human mind the idea of cause and 
 effect, without which the essential nature of mind would be 
 
THEORETICAL ATHEISM. 13 
 
 changed. Abolish this suggestion, and I do not say that we 
 should be destitute of mind, but it would not be the mind of a 
 man. Again, admit the idea of cause and effect, and suppose 
 that absolute causation resides in mere physical antecedents, 
 and we utter an assertion from which the mind even of child- 
 hood revolts. Again, admit the idea of absolute causation, that 
 is, of almighty power and omniscient ^visdom, and deprive 
 it of all its moral attributes, — let such a being be neither holy, 
 nor good, nor merciful, nor just, — and you have created a con- 
 ception from which the nature of man recoils in unutterable 
 dismay. Thus, atheism, in any form in which it can be pre- 
 sented, leads us at once to intellectual or moral absurdity. 
 Thus, he who denies the being of God not only refuses to 
 believe what is proven on incontrovertible evidence, but he 
 denies the existence of the elementary principles of human 
 intelligence. Were he thus to deny a fact in history, or a 
 doctrine of philosophy, he surely could not escape the imputa- 
 tion of egregious folly. 
 
 In thus stating the necessity of the idea of a Deity to the 
 human mind, as soon as its faculties are at all developed, I 
 think I do not overstate the fact. A remarkable illustration of 
 the truth of what I have said has been presented in modern 
 history. You know that, during the French revolution, the 
 national assembly decreed that there was no God, and that 
 death was an eternal sleep. There speedily followed a disso- 
 lution of the elements of society, an anarchy baptized in 
 blood. The authors of these blasphemies were soon alarmed 
 at the results of their own labors, and quailed before the 
 tempest which they had themselves excited. Robespierre 
 himself was anxious to restore the worship of the Supreme 
 Being, profoundly remarking, "Were there no God, it would 
 be necessary for us to form one." The nation rejoiced to 
 welcome back a belief demanded by the principles of our 
 nature, and without which civil society could not long exist. 
 
 But, lastly, the belief of the atheist is wholly inoperative 
 for the purpose for which it is intended. His object is, by 
 2 
 
 'V^ Of rHM^^< 
 
 nriTBEsiT^ 
 
14 THEORETICAL ATHEISM. 
 
 denying the existence of God, to banish the idea of immortaUty 
 and of a state of future moral retribution. Thus, in the case 
 to which I have just alluded, the assertion that death is an 
 eternal sleep immediately followed the denial of the existence 
 of God. But, even were atheism true, it furnishes no argu- 
 ment whatever against either of these all-important truths. It 
 is very obvious that we exist now, and the atheist asserts that 
 we exist while there is no God. Why, then, though there be 
 no God, may we not continue to exist forever .? It is manifest 
 that, in the present life, individuals and nations are the subjects 
 of moral government, misery follows the gratification of law- 
 less desire, and happiness attends upon self-denying virtue. 
 The atheist asserts that all this occurs on earth, while there is 
 no God ; why, then, even were there no God, might not the 
 same system of moral government be carried on through 
 eternity ? To these questions no answer can be returned ; and 
 hence, were atheism true, it would present no reason what- 
 ever why we should not exist forever, and forever reap the 
 due reward of our moral actions. 
 
 We see, then, the absurdity of atheism. It asserts that 
 which canncft be known to be true by any finite intelligence. 
 It denies what cannot be disbelieved without denying the 
 essential laws of human thought. It does this for a reason 
 which would remain unaffected whether the assertion were 
 true or false. 
 
 In conclusion, young gentlemen, let me urge you to place 
 this truth at the foundation of all your knowledge, and to 
 make it the ever-present idea by which all your moral charac- 
 ter is formed. Eschew every system of ethics or philosophy 
 that does not adopt as its elementary truth the existence and 
 attributes of God, and our moral accountability to him. From 
 this truth learn to draw succor in the hour of adversity, 
 deliverance from the assaults of temptation, counsel in the 
 day of prosperity, and sustaining grace in the article of death. 
 Thus, by the teachings of the Spirit, shall you grow up into the 
 stature of perfect men in Christ Jesus. And remember always 
 
THEORETICAL ATHEISM. 15 
 
 to shun, as you would your most dreaded enemy, the man who 
 either by precept or practice would diminish the power of this 
 truth over your conduct. Remember that it is the fool who 
 hath said in his heart there is no God, and observe that inspira- 
 tion has assigned the reason of his unbelief — "Corrupt are 
 they ; they have done abominable works." Thus was it three 
 thousand years ago, thus is it now, and thus will it be forever. 
 
PRACTICAL ATHEISM 
 
 "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." 
 
 Psalm liii. 1. 
 
 In the preceding discourse, I attempted to illustrate the 
 folly of theoretical atheism. I there intimated that this folly- 
 existed in another form — that, whilst we believe in the exist- 
 ence of God, we may yet act as though there were no God. 
 This I termed practical atheism. To the consideration of this 
 exhibition of folly let me now request your attention. 
 
 We are all, I trust, satisfied of the absurdity of theoretical 
 atheism. Our reason imperatively demands a First Cause ; our 
 moral and intellectual nature imposes upon us the belief in his 
 infinite perfections. But in your case this is not all. This 
 belief has been instilled into your minds from your earliest 
 infancy. As soon as you opened your eyes upon creation, 
 you were taught that " the heavens declare the glory of God, 
 and the firmament showeth forth his handy work." The first 
 lesson that you learned was the prayer that your mother taught 
 you. Night and morning, as you knelt by her side, you have 
 lisped out your infantile petition to " Our Father who art in 
 heaven." I trust that the influence of these blessed instruc- 
 tions has been obliterated neither by the turbulent sports of 
 boyhood, nor the graver temptations of youth. I feel conscious, 
 then, that I address a company of believers in the existence 
 of God. Whatever may be your errors, theoretical atheism is 
 not to be numbered among them. No argument could shake 
 your belief in this great elementary fact which lies at the 
 foundation of all true knowledge. 
 
PRACTICAL ATHEISM. 17 
 
 But while all this is so, may you not be justly liable to the 
 charge of practical atheism ? You believe that there is one 
 God. You do well. But do your works correspond with your 
 belief? If they do not, and just in so far as they do not, you 
 are guilty of practical atheism. In order to examine this 
 question more accurately, let us proceed to unfold the concep- 
 tion which you have formed of the existence and attributes 
 of God. 
 
 1. We all, I presume, involve in our conception of God the 
 idea of personality. One of the first lessons of science 
 teaches us that qualities cannot exist without a subject, nor 
 energies without an agent. Black, white, hot, cold, cannot 
 exist of themselves, but only as there is something in which 
 they inhere. So we can form no conception of the actual ex- 
 istence of power, wisdom, goodness, or justice, unless there be 
 some being to whom these attributes belong; that is, some 
 agent who is powerful, and wise, and good, and just. To 
 speak of the First Cause, the real and sufficient reason of all 
 things, as a collection of attributes without any actual essence 
 to which they belong, is absurd. Equally absurd is it to speak 
 of the First Cause as an abstract notion. An abstract notion, a 
 generalized idea, has no existence whatever, but in our own 
 thoughts. The abstract idea of power or goodness, as of 
 whiteness or blackness, is a mere conception, a state of our 
 own minds. To speak, then, of the all-sufficient cause as an 
 abstraction, without personality, without positive existence, is, 
 as it seems to me, to ascribe creative power and wisdom to 
 the changing states of our own intellect. I do not know that any 
 thing can possibly be more absurd than such a notion — for le- 
 lief it can scarcely be called. In opposition to all such teach- 
 ings we conceive of the Deity as an actual existence, an infinite 
 being, whom, by the analogy of language, we term person, to 
 whom all the attributes of Divinity by necessity belong. 
 
 2. To this Infinite Being we involuntarily ascribe self-exist- 
 ence. He is the cause of causes, the ultimate reason why 
 every thing exists. If he be the all-sufficient cause for all 
 
 2* 
 
IS PRACTICAL ATHEISM. 
 
 Other existence, he must be the ultimate cause, or else there 
 must be a succession of causes without beginning or end. 
 which is absurd. As soon as we reflect upon such a suppo- 
 sition, we are conscious that it is, if I may be allowed the 
 expression, an unthinkable conception. When, on the con- 
 trary, we attain to the idea of an underived and self-existent 
 cause, the craving of our intellect is satisfied. It is as such a 
 being that the Scriptures alw^ays speak of God. " Thus saith 
 the Lord, I am the first and I am the last, and besides me 
 there is no God. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the begin- 
 ning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, 
 and which is to come, the Almighty." 
 
 This one truth admitted, we immediately perceive that there 
 must exist an infinite difference between the Creator and the 
 creature. Creation is derived, contingent, accidental. The 
 Creator is underived and necessary. Creation might or might 
 not have existed. The self-existent must always have been. 
 Every thing else is from its nature changeable. He is essen- 
 tially unchangeable. Were creation multiplied a hundred fold, 
 he would be still the same. Were it all annihilated, he would 
 still remain the unalterable, independent I AM. 
 
 3. Intimately associated with the attribute of self-existence 
 is that of eternity, which reason, as well as revelation, teach us 
 to ascribe to the Deity. The idea of eternity arises spon- 
 taneously in our minds, as soon as we begin to think upon 
 duration. We know that we have existed but for a very few 
 years, and that duration existed before we were created. 
 When did it commence ? We go backward to the origin of 
 our race, we ascend to the dawn of the creation of our system, 
 — still our idea of duration is unexhausted. We begin with 
 the star that was last created ; we think back to the moment 
 of the creation of that which next preceded it ; we go back to 
 the era when one and another was not, until we arrive at the 
 period when all was darkness, ere yet God had said, " Let there 
 be hght," — and we have not yet even diminished our conception 
 of duration. We have exhausted our powers of measurement, 
 
PRACTICAL ATHEISM. 19 
 
 but duration still stretches backward to infinity. We have 
 traced creation to its origin ; but when did the Creator begin to 
 exist ? What Hmits can we assign to his duration ? We feel 
 at once that to affirm beginning to the uncreated one is absurd. 
 We bow down in humble adoration, and exclaim with the 
 Hebrew lawgiver, " Before the mountains were brought forth, 
 or ever thou hadst formed the earth or the world, even from 
 everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." 
 
 This is, however, only our notion of the eternity of the past. 
 We turn and look forward towards an eternity that is to come. 
 We go onward, in imagination, until we arrive at the perioa 
 when our system, having finished its appointed course, shall be 
 dissolved. Star after star, in the long lapse of millions of 
 ages, goes out in darkness. The last light in the firmament 
 flickers and is extinguished. The heavens have passed away 
 as a scroll, and the material universe has ceased to be. Our 
 power to measure the eternity to come is exhausted, but what 
 shall measure the being of Him at whose word it was created, 
 and at whose word it became nothing ? When can underived 
 existence end ? We cannot even conceive of his liability to 
 change or variableness, for this would involve the idea either 
 of original imperfection or of force impressed from without. 
 Either of these suppositions is absurd. "A thousand years " 
 (the period of all created things) " in his sight are but as yes- 
 terday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." " Of old 
 hast thou laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are 
 the works of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt en- 
 dure ; yea, all of them shall wax old as doth a garment ; as a 
 vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed ; 
 but thou art the same, and thy years have no end." 
 
 4. To the Deity we cannot but ascribe infinite and absolute 
 power. 
 
 Our conceptions of created power are by necessity limited. 
 The beings with which we are conversant are endowed with 
 it in different degrees. We readily observe the difference 
 between feebleness and strength, but we soon arrive at a limit 
 
20 PRACTICAL ATHEISM. 
 
 beyond which both sink to the level of equality. The insect 
 that floats in the sunbeam, and " behemoth, chief of the ways of 
 God," are alike powerless to heave the mountain from its foun- 
 dations, or to uphold the earth in its orbit. Created power is 
 limited in kind as well as degree. Leviathan, " when he raiseth 
 himself up, may cause the mighty to be afraid ; " but he is a 
 brute, for God hath denied to him understanding. The loftiest 
 intellect that the world has seen, can neither protect the body 
 which it inhabits from the poisonous miasma of the marsh, nor 
 avert the death which is instilled into our veins by the venom 
 of the gliding reptile.. But no such limits restrict our conceptions 
 when we reflect upon the omnipotence of the Creator. His 
 power extends equally throughout infinite space, and every 
 where it is measureless. 
 
 Nor does the power of the Creator resemble that of his 
 creatures more in kind than in degree. Our power is ever 
 relative. We can no more create the atom that floats in the 
 sunbeam, than the planet that moves in the firmament. The 
 changes which we seem to effect in the world around us, are 
 nothing but the exhibitions of God's wonder-working power. 
 The husbandman prepares the earth and scatters abroad the 
 seed, but it is " God who giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, 
 and to every seed his own body." But let man attempt by his 
 own will to originate a single change in the creation, and he 
 finds himself as powerless as the clods of the valley. To the 
 Creator, on the contrary, we ascribe absolute and essential 
 efficiency. By his simple will all things were created. " God 
 said. Let there be light, and light was. By the word of the Lord 
 were the heavens made, and all the hosts of them by the breath 
 of his mouth. For he spake and it was, he commanded and 
 it stood fast." And the God that in the beginning created, sus- 
 tains and governs all ; upholding all things by the word of his 
 power, and doing his will in the armies of heaven and among 
 the inhabitants of the earth. 
 
 5. Again : To God we ascribe omniscient wisdom. Traces 
 of this attribute are recognized in man. Having an end in 
 
PRACTICAL ATHEISM. 21 
 
 view, we can, with various degrees of skill, so adjust our means 
 as to accomplish our purposes. But the profoundest wisdom 
 of man reveals nothing so clearly as its own inherent feeble- 
 ness. By what strange infatuation are its ends selected, and 
 how sadly inadequate are the means by which it hopes to 
 attain them ! How puerile have been most of the objects of 
 research of the wisest of men ! How small is the amount of 
 truth which can now be sifted out from the labors of the human 
 intellect through the long range of by-gone ages ! The plans 
 of statesmen and conquerors have resulted in almost universal 
 failure. The military and administrative talents of Napoleon 
 were perhaps greater than those ever bestowed upon any other 
 man. The means at his disposal were such as human intellect 
 never before wielded. Yet, before his death, the lines which 
 he had traced on the map of Europe were already effaced, 
 and the political edifice which he had erected had crumbled 
 into ruins. Thus must it be always with a creature of yester- 
 day, blind to the future, and ignorant of the purposes of Him 
 who doeth all things according to the counsel of his own will. 
 Infinitely dissimilar from our knowledge is that possessed 
 by the Deity. Our knowledge is limited to time ; his pervades 
 eternity. We know nothing more than the relation which 
 objects sustain to us; he knows all things absolutely. We 
 know nothing but the outward act, the visible seeming; he, 
 the motive hidden in the deepest recesses of consciousness. 
 We know not beyond the present ; to him the most distant 
 future is open as the day. Our plans are continually thwarted 
 by the interference of others ; he, while allowing every created 
 moral agent the unrestrained exercise of his free will, without 
 variableness or the shadow of a turning, accomplishes those 
 designs which were formed from the outgoings of Eternity. 
 In conformity with these views are the teachings of the Scrip- 
 ture on this subject. " There is no darkness nor shadow of 
 death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves." 
 " Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight ; 
 but all things are naked and open to the eyes of- him with 
 
 f4^ OF THl'*^CSf&^ 
 
 1JHI7BESITr| 
 
22 PRACTICAL ATHEISM. 
 
 whom we have to do." " He disappointeth the desires of the 
 crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. 
 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness, and the counsel of 
 the froward is carried headlong." " Surely the wrath of man 
 shall praise thee, and the remainder of wrath shalt thou 
 restrain." 
 
 6. To the Deity we ascribe every moral attribute in infinite 
 perfection. He is the Holy One. By this we mean that his 
 nature is spotlessly pure, not by accident, but by the necessity 
 of his being ; not only that he never did wrong, but that he 
 could no more do wrong tlian cease to exist. Nor is this all. 
 The holiness of God is not a mere negative quality, rendering 
 it impossible for him to do wrong, but a positive attribute, ren- 
 dering it equally necessary for him to do right. And, besides, 
 with this perfection we always associate a moral affection, a 
 love of goodness, and a hatred to sin, intense and ever opera- 
 tive. Virtue, throughout his moral universe, always meets his 
 approving smile, while vice is every where confronted by his 
 withering and all-consuming frown. 
 
 The immaculate purity of the divine nature is every where 
 revealed, as we reflect upon the relations which he sustains to 
 his creatures. The existence of moral agents, endowed with 
 the power of aifecting for good or for evil the destinies of each 
 other, presupposes the necessity of government. There must 
 exist a Judge of the earth, who will control the injurious and 
 punish the wicked, as well as protect the innocent and reward 
 the righteous. It is when we look up to God in this relation, 
 that we adore him as a being of spotless justice. Never has an 
 emotion been indulged, a word spoken, or an action performed, 
 in the slightest degree tinged with virtue or vice, but he has, 
 with perfect exactness, estimated its moral quality. He has 
 thoroughly known either the palliations or aggravations by 
 which it was attended. He has observed the degree of liofht 
 which we hav6 followed, or from which we have turned away ; 
 and the strength of the temptation which we have successfully 
 resisted, or by which we have been overcome. He thus is 
 
PRACTICAL ATHEISM. 23 
 
 perfectly acquainted with the desert of every action, and to 
 every moral agent he metes out the retribution justly due to 
 obedience or transgression. Nothing is too high to be reached 
 Dy his award, nothing is so humble as to be neglected in his 
 adjudication. From eternity to eternity, among the numberless 
 ranges of existence that people the universe, this attribute has 
 ever been exerted without the variableness or the shadow of 
 a turning. " He is a rock, his way is perfect ; for all his ways 
 are judgment ; — a God of truth and without iniquity, just and 
 right is he." " The Lord reigneth ; let the earth rejoice ; let the 
 multitude of the isles be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness 
 are round about him, justice and judgment are the habitation 
 of his throne." 
 
 7. But again : God is re\ealed to us not only as the Judge, 
 but as the Father of the cre&.tures whom he has made. Viewed 
 in this relation, we behold him clothed in every attribute of 
 parental goodness, desiring, with infinite love, the happiness of 
 us his children. Every thing within us and around us bears 
 witness to the existence of this perfection of the Godhead. 
 Our senses and the objects which quicken them into enjoy- 
 ment, the laws which govern the universe around us, the won- 
 derful fabric of the intellect within us, our moral nature, its 
 capacity for endless happiness, and its near relation to him 
 whose image it bears, the provision which has been made for 
 its ceaseless progress in virtue as it is changed from glory to 
 glory, all teach us that God is love. But this is only a distant 
 view of his beneficence. A more affecting conception of this 
 attribute is derived from considering the relation which our 
 Father who is in heaven sustains to every one of his individual 
 children. By him the very hairs of our head are all num- 
 bered. He hears the cry of the raven, and scatters crumbs in 
 the pathway of the sparrow. He invites you, and me, and 
 every creature capable of knowing him, to approach him in 
 all the confidence of filial affection, to unbosom to him all our 
 sorrows, to spread before him all our wants, and, by intimate 
 communion with him, to be transformed more and more into 
 
24 PRACTICAL. ATHEISM. 
 
 his moral likeness. He is the Father of the fatherless, the 
 Judge of the widow, the Helper of the helpless, and the Com- 
 forter of those that be cast down. " How excellent is thy lov- 
 ing kindness, O God ! Therefore the children of men put their 
 trust in the shadow of thy wings." 
 
 The most astonisliing manifestation of the goodness of God 
 is, however, made to us in the remedial dispensation. We are 
 taught in the Holy Scriptures that our whole race is in rebellion 
 against this holy and most merciful God, and that, had justice 
 awarded to us the demerit of our sins, we must have been 
 consigned to eternal banishment from his presence. The 
 thoughts of our hearts were evil continually. We did not like 
 to retain God in our knowledge, but said unto him, Depart from 
 us, for we desire not a knowledge of thy ways. He had but 
 to leave us to our own choices, and our everlasting dwelling 
 must have been with the angels that kept not their first estate, 
 to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. But 
 even here the tender mercy of our Father did not abandon us. 
 When all the conditions of our first probation had been vio- 
 lated, he provided for us a second probation, established upon 
 better promises. He accepted a prophiation for our offences, 
 and offered again to receive us to his favor. " God so loved the 
 world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever be- 
 lieveth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 
 Jesus Christ, having obtained eternal redemption for us, is now 
 exalted a Prince and a Savior to grant repentance unto Israel 
 and remission of sins. And now the God and Father of all is 
 beseeching us, by every sentiment of duty and gratitude, to be 
 reconciled to him. In every form of language, and by every 
 affecting similitude, he assures us that he is not willing that any 
 should perish, but that all should come to the knowledge of the 
 trutli. Though we have wandered far off into a strange land, 
 the eye of our Father in heaven is still bent upon us in com- 
 passion. From time to time, his invitations to return fall upon 
 our ear through the ministrations of his Spirit ; and if he dis- 
 cover within us the feeblest emotion of penitence, he cultivates 
 
PRACTICAL ATHEISM. 25 
 
 and strengthens it ; and, as soon as we form the resolution, I 
 will arise and go to my Father, — while we are yet a great way 
 off, he hastens to receive us with the joyful welcome — " This my 
 son was dead, and is alive again ; he was lost, and is found." 
 
 Such are some of the conceptions which right reason, as 
 well as revealed religion, present to us of the character of 
 God. Every man must, I think, at once perceive that his 
 moral nature could worship no other being without doing 
 violence to itself. And yet more : as soon as we become 
 acquainted with the existence and attributes of such a God, we 
 become immediately conscious that it is our highest duty to 
 love, to obey, and adore him. The capacity for such com- 
 munion with God allies us to his moral nature. Destitute of it, 
 we should be but in a small degree distinguished from the 
 brutes. 
 
 But, if such be the character of God, and if we be his 
 accountable creatures, that he exists must be infinitely the 
 most important fact that can come within the range of our 
 knowledge. If he is the universal, all-sufficient, and inde- 
 pendent cause, upon him by necessity depend all that we now 
 enjoy, and all that in the future we can hope for. If he is 
 eveiy where present, beholding the evil and the good, and has 
 known our thought afar off, our whole history, as it essentially 
 is, is perfectly spread out before his omniscient eye. If he be 
 not only the omniscient but the impartial Judge, in whose sight 
 the wicked cannot stand, we must at his hand receive the due 
 reward of all our deeds, meted out by unspotted holiness. If 
 he is all goodness, we are bound to render to him a tribute of 
 gratitude as ceaseless as the stream of his beneficence ; and 
 the failure to do this is sin. If we must soon come into the 
 unveiled presence of the Lord God Almighty, we can never 
 behold him in peace unless our moral natures are in harmony 
 with his. If he have so loved us as to give his well-beloved 
 Sonibr our offences, and we have refused his offer of eternal 
 life, there remaineth no other sacrifice for sin, and we must 
 meet our Father in heaven guilty of having treated with con- 
 tempt the message of redeeming love. 
 3 
 
26 PKACTICAL ATHEISM. 
 
 From these considerations it is, I think, evident that the 
 existence of God, and specially of such a God as the Scrip- 
 tures reveal, is by far the most practical truth of which we 
 can possibly conceive. It is most intimately related to every 
 action which we perform, every emotion in which we indulge, 
 and every motive by which we are governed throughout our 
 whole existence. We cannot conceive of a situation in which 
 it is possible for us to exist where this truth ought not to exert 
 an unlimited control over our conduct. It is the foundation of 
 all that we hope for and of all that we dread. Were all other 
 truth abolished, let this only remain, and the foundatioas of the 
 moral universe would continue unmoved. Were every other 
 being annihilated, let God and our individual selves only 
 exist, and no essential source of our happiness would be dried 
 up. Were the existence of God to cease, all other things, 
 were it possible, remaining, this universe would become a hell. 
 Hence you see that religion is not only a reasonable, but that 
 it is infinitely the most reasonable, exercise of the powers of 
 an immortal soul. All other obligations are finite ; they bind 
 us to duties of time, and place, and circumstances ; this duty 
 binds us always and every where, and the results that issue 
 from it transcend all finite conception. 
 
 What, then, must be the condition of the man who believes 
 in the existence of such a God, and yet suflers not this belief 
 to exert any practical influence upon his conduct .'* He believes 
 that he is dependent, and God all-powerful, and he acts as 
 though God were powerless, and himself omnipotent. He 
 believes himself to be ignorant, and God omniscient ; he acts 
 as though he were all-wise, and God incapable of knowledge. 
 He believes that God beholds the inmost recesses of every 
 spirit ; and yet he acts as though he could conceal even the 
 deeds of noonday from his all-seeing observation. He be- 
 lieves that God is a being of all-consuming holiness ; and he 
 acts as though the Eternal might be made his coadjutor in 
 wickedness. He believes that every secret thing will be 
 brought into judgment, and that the consequences of every sm 
 are solemn beyond the reach of finite conception ; and yet lie 
 
PRACTICAL ATHEISM. 27 
 
 labors assiduously to treasure up wrath against the day of 
 wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. He 
 believes himself under infinite obligations to reverence and 
 love his Father who is in heaven ; and yet he says to the Most 
 High, Depart from me ; I desire not a knowledge of thy ways. 
 He knows that the pleasures of sin are unsatisfactoiy and 
 degrading, polluted and polluting ; and yet, for the most 
 insignificant of them all, he barters away the precious hope 
 of glory, honor, and immortality. I ask, then, What folly can 
 be compared with the folly of him who believes that all this is 
 true, and then acts as though all of it were false ? Language 
 has no epithet which can adequately designate the madness of 
 him who affirms the existence of the Deity, and yet lives 
 without God in the world. 
 
 But now, turning from this general view of the subject, 
 allow me to bring it at once to a personal application. Are 
 there not among us this afternoon many young men whose 
 lives have presented a practical illustration of this very folly ? 
 You all believe in the existence of God precisely as I have 
 endeavored to set it before you. It is a belief from which you 
 cannot escape, for it is interwoven with your intellectual and 
 moral nature. In the moment of sinful excitement, tormented 
 by the struggle between your passions and your conscience, 
 you may wish there were no God ; but it is not in your power 
 to believe it. You know that, if God exists, his attributes are 
 such as I have attempted to indicate ; and yet I fear that many 
 of you are living the life of the practical atheist. 
 
 While, however, I say this, I do not think harshly of you. 
 Far be it from me to accuse you either wrongfully or unkindly. 
 That we may bring this subject to a definite issue, let me 
 suggest a few inquiries which eveiy one may answer for 
 himself in the solitude of his own bosom. Every one may 
 thus decide the question whether the sin of practical atheism 
 does not lie upon his conscience. 
 
 It will be remembered that I address you as believers in the 
 existence and attributes of God, and the solemn consequences 
 
28 PRACTICAL ATHEISM. 
 
 which result from this infinitely important truth. I would then 
 inquire, Is there not in this assembly one, at least, who fre- 
 quently passes days, and weeks, and months, without ever 
 devoutly thinking of his God and his Redeemer ; na , by 
 whose lips the name of God is never pronounced, unless it be 
 to point a jest or give emphasis to an assertion ? This young 
 man surely is a practical atheist. Is there not another, who, at 
 the transient solicitation of passion, or even from the dread of 
 being considered precise, will do, and who is forming the habit of 
 doing, that which he knows the eternal God to have forbidden ? 
 This young man is a practical atheist. Is there not one who left 
 the home of his parents rich in all the instructions which piety 
 could impart, and resolved that, in the new circumstances in 
 which he was to be placed, he would seek first of all the favor 
 of God, who is already living in the daily neglect of his soul's- 
 salvation, and on whom every religious truth is rapidly losing 
 its wonted effect ? This young man is a practical atheist. Is 
 there not another, who professes himself a disciple of Christ, 
 who has felt the powers of the world to come, and been, as he 
 supposed, a partaker of the Holy Ghost, who has long since 
 forgotten to bow the knee in prayer, who seeks neither the 
 blessing of God upon his labors nor the pardon of God foi his 
 transgressions, who is fast forgetting his religious impressions 
 and becoming recreant to his most solemn vows ? This young 
 man is a practical atheist. In a word, whoever there may be 
 among us, who is living without respect to his obligations to his 
 Creator and Redeemer, who is not, by patient continuance in 
 well-doing, seeking for glory, honor, and immortality, what- 
 ever be his profession, he is a practical atheist. 
 
 Whence has arisen this atheisni in the intelligent, responsi- 
 ble, and highly-favored creatures of God ? How is it that 
 thinking beings should deny the existence of their Maker, and 
 that immortal and accountable spirits, convinced of the reality 
 of his existence and attributes, should act as though these 
 truths were a fiction of the imagination ? To this question I 
 think but one answer can be given, and it is found in the 
 
PRACTICAL ATHEISM. 29 
 
 words of the apostle Paul — Because they did not like to 
 retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over. It is 
 because we do not love the moral attributes of God that we 
 first refuse submission to his authority, and then either deny 
 his existence or say unto him. Depart from us, for we desire 
 not a knowledge of thy ways. Thus, as in other cases, we 
 yield obedience to our passions rather than to our reason and 
 our conscience, and testify to the truth of the assertion of holy 
 writ — The carnal mind is enmit>" against God. Is not this true 
 of every one of us who is living without God in the world ? 
 Would you not think of God if you loved him ? Would you 
 not obey him if you loved him ? Retire within your own 
 bosoms, and let each one decide for himself whether these 
 things be so. 
 
 ' And, if this be so, whither, I pray you, doth it tend, and 
 what must be the end thereof? When you put aside this 
 tabernacle of flesh, how will you stand before God, v/ith the 
 temper of fixed enmity to his character unchangeably inter- 
 woven with your spiritual nature ? What means do you pos- 
 sess for carrying on this warfare ? Can you contend with 
 omnipotence ? Can you deceive omniscience ? Can you sus- 
 tain yourself under the frown of all-consuming holiness ? Do 
 you not perceive that enmity with God involves within itself 
 the essential elements of unutterable woe ? 
 
 What, then, remains for us but eternal death, unless our 
 spiritual nature be transformed from enmity to love ? Ye must 
 be born again, is the dictate of reason as well as revelation. 
 We are thus shut up unto the faith. We are, however, still in 
 a state of probation. God, in the gospel of his Son, is offer- 
 ing to us reconciliation. I will, saith he, take from you the 
 heart of stone, and give you a heart of flesh. To him, then, 
 let us all approach in the temper of humble penitence and 
 filial aflTection. Great as are our off*ences, our Father who is 
 in heaven does not desire our destruction. He is not willing 
 that one of us should perish. He has exalted his well-beloved 
 Son as a Prince and a Savior to grant to every one of us 
 3* 
 
30 PRACTICAL ATHEISM. 
 
 repentance and remission of sins. Pardon and eternal life are 
 freely offered to us in the gospel. Look unto me, saith the 
 Lord, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth, for I am God, 
 and there is none else. Let us, then, hearken to his merciful 
 invitation, and let us do it now. Why should we continue to 
 grieve him by our rebellion? Why should we harden our 
 hearts against all the entreaties of redeeming love ? Let us. 
 then, now give to him our hearts, for now is the accepted 
 time, now is the day of salvation. 
 
THE MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. 
 LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God '• 
 
 Moma7is iii. 23. 
 
 I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you." 
 
 John V. 42. 
 
 In a preceding discourse, I had occasion to allude to the 
 moral attributes of God. I then stated that reason and revela- 
 tion unite in ascribing to the Deity almighty power, omniscient 
 wisdom, spotless holiness, and infinite love. We cannot escape 
 from the conviction that such a Being presides over the des- 
 tinies of the universe, and that he is and ever must be inti- 
 mately present to every one of us. 
 
 When we speak of the attributes of God, we always conceive 
 of them as ever-acting energies, as the principles by which all 
 his acts are, from necessity, governed. When we speak of his 
 almighty power, we mean that he is ever acting, and when we 
 speak of his omniscient wisdom, we mean that he is always 
 directing. And, more than this, when we conceive of his 
 moral perfections, we always suppose that his power and wis- 
 dom are governed by justice, and holiness, and love ; that he 
 is every where throughout the universe, rewarding virtue and 
 punishing vice, and that he must, from the necessity of his 
 nature, continue to do so forever. Thus the very concep- 
 tion of the character of the Deity involves the conception of 
 an all-wise, all-powerful, and all-holy government, to which 
 
32 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 every moral creature is, from the conditions of his being, 
 responsible. 
 
 If we be the moral creatures of God, it is then a matter of 
 great consequence to us to ascertain the relation in which we 
 stand to such a government. Are our desires in harmony with 
 the laws by which we are encompassed ? Is our character 
 such, that, in conformity with the essential elements of his 
 nature, God can make us happy } We are moral, voluntary 
 agents ; we can never take pleasure in any obedience, unless 
 we obey from love. Do we then love the objects which God 
 loves ? do we hate the things that he hates ? and, above all, 
 do we love our Father in heaven, from whom comes to us 
 every good and perfect gift ? In a word, it is most reasonable 
 to inquire whether or not our moral nature is in harmony with 
 that of the Deity, for, if it be not, we must at last be miserable. 
 
 And these questions derive additional interest from the fact, 
 that the present is with us a state of probation, and that it is 
 the only probation which will ever be allotted to us. Every 
 action is connected with consequences which attach to us for- 
 ever. Every action is forming in us the habit of love or of 
 enmity to our Creator. And besides, this being a state of pro- 
 bation, it is also a state of change. We may here prepare 
 ourselves for either happiness or misery, by the formation of a 
 moral character, and we may here reform our character, if we 
 find that by any means whatever it has lapsed into sin. From 
 all these considerations, it will, I think, be manifest, that the 
 question. What is the moral character of the human race ? is 
 one of the greatest practical importance. Each one of us is an 
 individual of that race, and is distinctly marked with the essen- 
 tial moral lineaments by which it is distinguished. Let us, 
 then, candidly, and yet solemnly, inquire, what is the truth on 
 this subject. 
 
 In considering the moral character of man, it is important to 
 remark, in the first place, that there are two classes of beings 
 to whom we stand in moral relations. These are our fellow- 
 men and our Creator. It cannot for a moment be doubted 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 33 
 
 that, in respect to both of these, we are under obhgations to 
 some courses of conduct in preference to others. Every one 
 knows the difference between justice and injustice, truih and 
 falsehood, gratitude and ingratitude in our deahngs with our fel- 
 low-men ; and that we are morally obliged to cherish the one class 
 of affections and to eradicate the other. It is yet more evident 
 that wfe must be under obligations greater than we can con- 
 ceive, to exercise suitable affections towards our Father in 
 heaven. If this be so, it will follow by necessity, that our moral 
 character is to be determined by the manner in which these 
 obligations are fulfilled. He who fulfils them is deserving of 
 praise. He who fails to fulfil them is deserving of blame : 
 how much more, he who cherishes moral dispositions to which 
 they are directly opposed ! 
 
 In order, then, to ascertain the moral character of man, it is 
 essential to ascertain what are the moral dispositions which arc 
 required of him by his Creator. This is readily learned from 
 the volume of inspiration. The moral law, under which we ars 
 created, is expressed in these words : Thou shalt love the 
 Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbor as thyself. 
 To this rule, as soon as it is conceived, our conscience responds. 
 Our whole moral nature bears testimony to its rectitude. No 
 one can either pretend that it is unjust, or offer any other as a 
 substitute for it, without involving himself in absurdity. This 
 rule, then, being once admitted, we are provided with a criterion 
 by which the moral character of man may be estimated. If it 
 be found that men do iove God with all their hearts, and their 
 neighbor as themselves, then is their moral character perfect, 
 and they may justly claim the reward of innocence. If, on the 
 contrary, it be found that these affections are either imperfect 
 cr absolutely wanting, then must we abandon all pretensions 
 to innocence, and we are exposed to the desert of wrong-doing. 
 
 It would be easy, in examining this subject, to spread before 
 you the opinions of men, in all ages, who have reflected upon 
 the moral character of our race. I might multiply quotations 
 without number, from poets, satirists, and philosophers, to 
 
34 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 whose decisions, in all that concerns human nature, we are 
 accustomed to yield the profoundest deference. These all 
 unite in aiFirming that man is, in a great degree, ignorant of 
 his duty, both to God and man ; and that, when his duty is 
 perceived, he is by no means inclined to perform it. I might 
 also refer to the universal consciousness of guilt which pervades 
 our race, and its natural consequence, the dread of fqrturity, 
 and the fear of retribution, as evidences that our own con- 
 sciences testify to the fact of our guiltiness. I might review 
 the history of our race from the beginning, and point you to 
 the instances of cruelty, oppression, treachery, and impiety, 
 with which every page is filled, as illustrations of the moral 
 bias of our nature. I might examine the systems of law which 
 have been enacted in all nations, and of which the sole object 
 is to defend the weak against the unhallowed aggressions of 
 the mighty. But all these must be passed by for the present. 
 They may seem too general and indefinite for the purposes of 
 conviction, and moreover they all fail to teach us the origin 
 from which all these evils emanate. Let us, then, turn from 
 these human authorities, and inquire for the teachings of the 
 Scriptures upon this subject. If God himself has revealed to 
 us the moral character of man, we have the means of arriving 
 at the truth with absolute certainty. 
 
 In appealing to the Scriptures in order to ascertain the moral 
 character of man, you will, I trust, believe me, when I say, that 
 I have no desire to teach you the doctrine of any particular 
 sect. We desire to teach not what the sects have inculcated, 
 but what the Bible reveals. Nor shall I attempt to illustrate or 
 confirm the views of any class of theologians ; this they are 
 abundantly able to do for themselves. The Scriptures of the 
 Old and New Testaments are our ultimate and only authority in 
 all questions touching our moral relations to God. If we can 
 ascertain what they teach us, we shall arrive at pure truth. If 
 we present to you the dogmas of men, we shall at best set 
 before you the truth, commingled with the results of human 
 infirmity and error. 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 35 
 
 Nor have I the least design to defend the terms used by 
 many writers on this subject. We desire to deal not with 
 names, but with things ; not with words, but with matters of 
 fact. It has, sometimes, for instance, been the custom to 
 designate the moral corruption of man by the term " total 
 depravity." Definitions, I know, may be given of this phrase 
 which would render it not inconsistent with what I suppose to 
 be the revealed truth ; still I think that this truth might be 
 expressed by more fitly chosen words. When we modify an 
 adjective by the epithet " total," we mean, I think, to declare 
 that the quality pei-vades the subject without admixture or alle- 
 viation. That thing is not totally black which presents any inter- 
 mingling of colors. If depraved mean sinful, totally depraved 
 would seem to mean sinful in such a sense as to exclude the 
 existence of virtue. Now, I do not perceive that such a 
 character is ascribed to man in the Scriptures. If, on the 
 other hand, this expression indicates that though there may be 
 virtue in human action irrespective of divine grace, yet that in 
 no case it fulfils the conditions of the laws of God, this may 
 be true, but the truth might, as I think, be expressed by more 
 appropriate terms. 
 
 Ruined and helpless as the moral condition of man is repre- 
 sented to be in the Scriptures, they do not assert that there is 
 m his nature none of the elements of goodness. So far as 
 we can discover, they nowhere assert that filial or parental 
 affection, patriotism, generosity, or benevolence, are either 
 vicious, or to be classed with the instinctive and therefore 
 morally neutral impulses of brutes. The principles of ethics 
 would teach us that such a view was erroneous. The inten- 
 tional fulfilment of a moral obligation must, as it seems to me, 
 be virtuous. It may not be as virtuous as it ought to be. It 
 may be wanting in some of the elements necessary to a per- 
 fect moral action, and, therefore, it may come short of the 
 praise of God. So far, however, as it is the intentional 
 fulfilment of a moral obligation, it is virtuous, and I think that all 
 men correctly honor it as such. There are surely gradations 
 
36 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 in moral character irrespective of tlie transforming influences 
 of the grace of God. When the young ruler came to inquire 
 of Christ, there was much that was wanting to render him 
 acceptable to God ; yet the Savior looked upon him and loved 
 him. Our Lord clearly beheld in him a character very differ- 
 ent from that of the scribes and Pharisees who surrounded 
 him. 
 
 Let us, then, while we attempt to examine this subject, 
 endeavor to cast aside our prejudices, and inquire for the sim- 
 ple truth. Let us deal with facts, instead of words. On the 
 one hand, let not our natural indisposition to find ourselves in 
 the wrong render us blind to our real condition ; and, on the 
 other hand, let not our adherence to preconceived opinions 
 lead us to deny what is obvious to our own observation. It 
 becomes us to allow to human nature all that it can reasonably 
 claim, and, at, the same time, to state the facts concerning it 
 precisely as they exist. No benefit can ever arise from ad- 
 herence to error, under what guise soever it may be concealed. 
 
 1 have already remarked that the standard by which the 
 moral character of man is to be judged is the law. Thou shalt 
 love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbor as 
 thyself. He who obeys this rule is innocent ; his moral char- 
 acter is perfect ; he will receive praise from God. He who 
 fails to obey it is imperfect, sinful, and is shut out from all 
 claim to justification on the ground of the law. We shall 
 proceed, on this occasion, to examine the declarations of revela- 
 tion respecting the character of man, in view of the first part of 
 the precept. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. 
 
 From the multitude of passages that might be offered to 
 illustrate this subject, I have chosen the two which form the 
 text of this discourse, as among the most definite and explicit. 
 The apostle declares that all men, the whole human race, 
 have sinned ; and, if we examine the context, we shall see 
 that he means also to affirm they are sinners. He adds, as a 
 consequence of this, they have come short of the glory of God. 
 " Glory," in this place, means " praise," the praise of well- 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 37 
 
 doinor. " To come short of" is to fail of obtaininj^. The 
 text, then, asserts that all men, by sinning, have failed to ob- 
 tain the divine favor. The truth therefore, revealed, is this : God 
 has given us a perfect rule of conduct ; we have not obeyed 
 it, and hence we have lost all claim to his approbation. That 
 this is his meaning is evident from the conclusion which he 
 draws from these premises ; " therefore, by the deeds of the 
 law can no flesh be justified." 
 
 The words of our Savior also affirm distinctly what is our 
 moral character in respect to our obligations to^ God. " I know 
 you," said he, " that ye have not the love of God in you." That 
 this assertion was not intended to refer exclusively to his imme- 
 diate hearers, but that it is universally true, is evident from his 
 declaration on another occasion. " This is the condemnation," 
 said he, " that light is come into the world, and men loved dark- 
 ness rather than light, because their deeds are evil." 
 
 In attempting to illustrate this doctrine, I remark, first, that 
 the Scriptures always proceed upon the admission that the 
 great moral relation of man — that which involves and infinitely 
 transcends every other — is his relation to his Creator. In com- 
 parison with this, every other dwindles into insignificance. All 
 others, in comparison with it, are as finite to infinite, as time to 
 eternity. The love of God throughout the moral universe is 
 the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, of all essen- 
 tial and permanent goodness. The presence or the absence 
 of this attribute constitutes the difierence in this world between 
 the saint and the sinner, and in the unseen world that between 
 an angel and a demon. All other relations change, and the 
 obligations and duties thence arising cbange with them ; this 
 relation alone is changeless and immutable as the throne of the 
 eternal. God cannot be otherwise than he is, and hence the 
 duty to love him supremely must be unalterable. From this 
 afiection all essential goodness, throughout the universe, ema- 
 nates, and by this alone is it sustained and invigorated. This 
 alone would create universal love ; withdraw it, and every 
 passion would tend to universal hatred. Without it, the 
 4 
 
38 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 creature is fallen, shut out from the companionship of the holy, 
 delivered over to the blindness of his own ignorance and the 
 turbulence of his unrestrained desires. Like the principle of 
 gravitation in the material world, while it exists in its native 
 energy, the mightiest planet in its remotest orbit performs with 
 unerring rectitude its appointed revolution, whilst the veriest 
 mote that floats in the sunbeam finds unbidden its appropriate 
 place. Abolish it, and suns, and stars, and planets, would rush 
 in wild confusion through the abyss; and though here and 
 there a crystal or a gem might for a while retain its fair pro- 
 portions, yet all things would be rapidly crumbling into void 
 and formless chaos. 
 
 Now, the Bible charges it upon man, with the most emphatic 
 precision, that of this element — the supreme love to God — he is 
 utterly and entirely destitute. The messages of the prophets 
 to the Jews repeated in every form this appalling announce- 
 ment. " They say unto God," saith Job, " Depart from us, for 
 we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." " A son honoreth his 
 father, and a servant his master ; if, then, I be a father, where 
 is my honor ? and if I be a master, where is my fear ? saith the 
 Lord of hosts." Lest, however, it should be said that these 
 expressions are the figurative language of poetry, our Lord, in 
 the words of the text, in terms that cannot be misunderstood, 
 declares, with an emphasis that cannot be mistaken, " I know 
 you, that ye have not the love of God in you." 
 
 Here, however, a distinction may be taken. It is not charged 
 upon man, that he may not love his own conceptions of the 
 Deity. It is not said that a Greek or Roman might not have 
 loved the fabulous creations of his own mythology, if their 
 attributes were in harmony with the tendencies of his own 
 corrupted nature. The text simply affirms of both Jew and 
 Gentile, that they had no love for the holy God whom the 
 Messiah came more perfectly to reveal. Nor would the 
 Scriptures deny that we, at the present day, might love the 
 natural attributes of the true God. We may admire a poetical 
 conception of the Creator, as the Author of all that is sublime 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 39 
 
 and beautiful, the God of sunshine and of storms, of spring- 
 time and of autumn, " who bringeth forth Mazzaroth in his sea- 
 sons, and guideth Arcturus and his sons," while we have no one 
 proper affection towards the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ. Our Lord addresses us not as tasteful but as moral 
 r.reatures ; not as admirers of the beautiful, but as responsible 
 agents, every one of whom must give account of himself imto 
 God. It is with reference to the moral attributes of the Most 
 High, his spotless holiness, his unchanging truth, his boundless 
 love, and his paternal goodness, that our Savior speaks, when 
 he declares, " I know you, that ye have not the love of God 
 in you." 
 
 2. But the Scriptures go further than this. It is evident that, 
 under the present constitution, it is the will of our Creator 
 that we should derive happiness from a great variety of exter- 
 nal objects. Things sensual, social, and moral, things of time 
 and of eternity, are designed to furnish for us sources of pleas- 
 ure as well as impulses to action. So long as these were en- 
 joyed within proper limits, and in due subordination to the will 
 of the Creator, the happiness of man was perfect and his virtue 
 untarnished. The love of God was the all-controlling principle 
 of his action, and to this affection every other rendered homage. 
 But when the love of God was banished from his bosom, the love 
 of some created object immediately occupied its place. The re- 
 straining powers of his moral affection being removed, his affec- 
 tions were surrendered to the things that perish. Hence we be- 
 came sensual, carnal, having not the spirit. We obey the desires 
 of the flesh, without regard to the will of God. We seek the pres- 
 ent, regardless of the future. We ask, " Who will show us any 
 good .? " instead of asking what is right and well-pleasing to our 
 Father who is in heaven. Thus was it in the garden of Eden. 
 God had said of the tree of knowledge, " Thou shalt not eat of it 
 nor touch it." But when the woman saw that the tree was good 
 for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be 
 desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof and did 
 eat." " Thus saith the Lord by the prophet Jeremiah, Be aston- 
 
40 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 ished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid ; be very 
 desolate, saith the Lord. For my people have committed two 
 great evils ; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living 
 waters, and have hewn them out cisterns, broken cisterns, 
 which can hold no water." 
 
 Hence, as man obeys his appetites in the place of God, the 
 Bible charges upon us universal sinfulness. We are told not 
 only that the love of God is not in us, but that we practically 
 disobey him. " When God looked down upon the children of 
 men to see if there were any that did good, they had all gone out 
 of the way, they had all together become sinful." The apostle 
 Paul, in treating upon this subject, declares concerning Jew and 
 Gentile, — that is, the whole human race, — "There is none 
 righteous, no not one, there is none that understandeth, there 
 is none that seeketh after God, there is none that doeth good, 
 no, not one." After stating in detail the various forms of this 
 sinfulness, he concludes as follows : " Now we know that what- 
 soever the law saith, it saith to those that are under the law, 
 that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world become 
 guilty before God." The love of God being withdrawn, no 
 action can proceed from this motive, but all must proceed from 
 motives sensual and earthly. Or, if we act from higher and 
 more worthy, as, for instance, from social motives, or the 
 dictates of moral obligation to man, the love of God being 
 absent, we are shut out from communion with the Holy One, 
 and come short of the praise of God. 
 
 3. Let us proceed to another consideration. While this 
 change has taken place in man, the law of God has remained 
 unaltered. The command, holy, and just, and good, continues 
 as at the beginning : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all 
 thy heart." Man has fixed his affections on the creature, instead 
 of the Creator, and finds his only happiness in enjoyments 
 which God has forbidden. The creature is thus placed in 
 direct opposition to the Creator, and hence there arises in his 
 bosom a dislike to God and the government of God. Man 
 does not love the divine omniscience, because it looks into the 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 41 
 
 secret recesses of his heart. He does not love the divine holi- 
 ness, because it is opposed to the courses which he chooses to 
 pursue. He does not love the divine justice, because it will 
 assuredly recompense to every man the due reward of all his 
 deeds. He does not love the divine goodness, because it will 
 make only the holy, obedient, and penitent happy. We can 
 easily conceive what must be the result of so universal an 
 opposition — an opposition that encompasses us every where 
 and at all times, and which must reveal itself without a cover- 
 ing in the world of truth, to which we are tending. 
 
 This result must be hostility. We cannot but dislike a 
 power which is every where thwarting our plans and uttering 
 its solemn rebuke at the moment when we are revelling in our 
 choicest gratifications. Hence the Scriptures charge upon us 
 not only dislike, but even enmity to God. Our first parents 
 fled from the presence of God, to hide themselves among the 
 trees of the garden. The apostle Paul declares that men do 
 not like to retain God in their knowledge, and that so intense 
 is this dislike, that they shut out the idea of the true God, by 
 substituting in his place the most degrading objects of idolatry. 
 "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and 
 changed the glorious and incorruptible God into an image 
 made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, 
 and creeping things." Thus also saith he in another place, 
 " The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject 
 to the law of God, neither indeed can be ; " that is, so long as a 
 man is carnal, determined to derive his happiness from sources 
 forbidden by his Creator, he must from necessity be at enmity 
 with God. Nor is this all. The Scriptures teach us that this 
 enmity is capable of resisting the strongest conviction of the 
 understanding. Thus saith the Savior : " Light has come into 
 the world, and men have loved darkness rather than light, 
 because their deeds are evil." Nay, more, this enmity is un- 
 affected by the longest experience of the goodness of God. 
 " Despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, 
 and long-suffering ; not knowing that the goodness of God 
 4* 
 
42 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 leadeth thee to repentance ? " But, above all, the inflexible 
 nature of this hostihty has been illustrated in the reception 
 which has been given to the message of mercy by Jesus Christ. 
 In the gospel, God draws near, beseeching us to be reconciled 
 to him ; but his offer is universally rejected. Men, with one 
 consent, begin to make excuse. They deliberately choose to 
 remain at enmity with him, rather than to confess their sins, 
 renounce their idols, and be received as his children, through 
 faith in his well-beloved Son. 
 
 Here, however, let it be observed, I do not assert that this 
 enmity against God is a sentiment of which either you or other 
 men are of necessity conscious. You may, on the contrary, 
 be shocked when you hear that the Scriptures charge such a 
 degree of wickedness upon us. You will then naturally ask, 
 " How can this enmity exist without manifesting itself to our 
 consciousness .'' " The answer, I think, is obvious. We cherish 
 affections directly opposed to the law, and at variance with the 
 character of God ; but we have learned so habitually to banish 
 the thought of God from our minds, that the hostility which 
 really exists does not become a matter of reflection. We 
 shut out the light, and choose to abide in darkness, and are 
 at ease ; but this by no means proves that we shall remain at 
 ease when the light of day shall burst upon our sin-distempered 
 vision. The Scriptures, when treating on this subject, always 
 speak of our moral condition as it actually is, and as it must of 
 necessity manifest itself, whenever the proper opportunity shall 
 arrive. We cherish feelings directly at variance with the holy 
 government of God ; but he reveals himself to us at present, not 
 as a God doing justice, but as a God desiring to be reconciled. 
 He is long suffering, and not willing that any should perish. 
 He is striving by his goodness to lead us to repentance. But 
 this cannot continue always. He must render to every man 
 according to his deeds. When the veil of flesh shall be re- 
 moved, the full blaze of all his perfections must burst upon us, 
 and then must the opposition of our character to his, reveal 
 itself in all its intensity. 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 43 
 
 Once more, and I have done. The Scriptures teach us that, 
 by steadfast continuance in sin, we are forming for ourselves a 
 fixed and unalterable ^character. It is the law of habit, that, 
 whether we will or will not, the frequent repetition of an act 
 produces upon us a permanent effect, creates a stronger and 
 stronger tendency to this act, and renders a change of charac- 
 ter more and more difficult, and, at last, practically impossible. 
 Such is the efTect of the indulgence in sin. That it should be 
 so is according to all the analogies of our probationaiy state. 
 That this effect has been produced upon us, every one may 
 learn from his own experience. 
 
 I might easily refer to various passages of Scripture in which 
 this truth is clearly set forth. Thus saith the prophet, " Can 
 the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots .^ 
 Then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil." 
 This whole subject is, however, set forth by the apostle Paul in 
 the seventh chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, with a graph- 
 ic power, which leaves no room for misconception. He had 
 before shown that we are all sinnei-s, and hence under con- 
 demnation for our past offences. He here teaches that, by 
 sin, our moral nature is so disordered, that we are moreover 
 helpless in our iniquity. In illustrating this truth, he uses the 
 first person, for the purpose of designating the universal con- 
 dition of man. " We know," saith he, " that the law is spiritual ; 
 but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow 
 not, for what I would, that I do not, but what I hate, that I do. 
 I find, then, a law that when I would do good, evil is present 
 with me. I delight in the law of God after the inward man ; 
 but I find another law in my membei-s, warring against the law 
 of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin 
 in my members. O wretched man that I am ! who shall 
 deliver me from the body of this death ? " In such language as 
 this does he describe the internal warfare between the con- 
 science and the passions, and the constant failure of man to 
 live in obedience to the law which he acknowledges to be 
 right. Such, then, is the condition in which we find ourselves 
 
44 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 after the habit of sin has been formed. We are not only- 
 guilty, but helplessly guilty. Hence, by the deeds of the law 
 can no man be justified. 
 
 We learn from this discussion what is briefly the charge 
 which the Scriptures bring against man, so far as his moral 
 relations to God are concerned. They declare that he is 
 destitute of love to God ; that his affections are given to things 
 which God has forbidden, or in degrees that he has forbidden ; 
 hence, that there has arisen in the bosom of man a sentiment 
 of hostility to his Maker; and lastly, that, by a course of cease- 
 less transgression, this hostility has become the fixed habit of 
 his soul. If such be the facts, we must perceive that every 
 act of man must come short of the praise of God. God de- 
 mands and deserves our supreme affection. Every one of our 
 actions is destitute of this element ; nay, more, it acknowl- 
 edges the supremacy of the passions to the conscience, and of 
 the creature to the Creator. Thus saith the text, " All have 
 sinned and come short of the praise of God." 
 
 If this be so, we must be aware that we can present no claim 
 of innocence, on the ground that there yet may be discovered 
 some traces of virtue in man when his relations to his fellows 
 alone are concerned. That such virtues do exist in different 
 degrees among us, is not denied. The Scriptures do not deny 
 it. But this admission in no way invalidates the truth of the 
 doctrine in question. The charge in the text has respect to 
 our relations to God. But it would be easy to show that as 
 our duty to God is involved in every action of our lives, the 
 action, how right soever in other respects, yet wanting in this 
 essential element, is eminently faulty. No one of us can 
 therefore conclude that his life is right in the sight of God on 
 account of the existence in his character of much that is lovely, 
 and excellent, and of good report, in his relations to his fellow- 
 men. 
 
 Again : No one of us is warranted in the belief that he loves 
 God because he is not conscious of the sentiment of hostility 
 towards him. Our Father in heaven is not satisfied with this 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 45 
 
 negative moral condition, were such a condition possible, in 
 his children here on earth. His command, the obedience to 
 which is essential to our happiness both here and hereafter, is, 
 " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart ; " and this 
 command cannot surely be obeyed by merely refraining from 
 hating him. But can we be convinced that we are entitled to 
 the praise of even this negative virtue ? Is it not the fact that 
 we have no consciousness of hostility to God because we really 
 think nothing about him ? " The wicked," saith the Psalmist, 
 " through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after 
 God ; God is not in all his thoughts." We cannot indulge in 
 hostility to a nonentity ; and what is not in all our thoughts 
 is truly a nonentity to us. But if we could conceive of the 
 character of God as it really exists, and behold him scru- 
 tinizing every thought, registering every word, and observing 
 every action, bringing every secret thing into judgment, and 
 justly offended at every thing unholy, is it at all certain that 
 we would not instantly feel that God and ourselves were at 
 irreconcilable variance .'' 
 
 But we shall all very soon behold God as he actually is. 
 When we lay aside this earthly tabernacle, our spirits will be 
 at once in the presence of the omnipresent Spirit. Then we 
 ourselves, as well as all things around us, will appear as they 
 are. What then must be our condition, if we find ourselves 
 destitute of love to God, hostile to all his perfections, and by 
 our own act fixed in this condition forever.^ God is immu- 
 table. We have hardened ourselves in unchangeable oppo- 
 sition to his character and law. What result can possibly 
 ensue but eternal banishment from his presence ? And who 
 could be so appropriate associates for us as those whose moral 
 feelings harmonize with our own ? Our own consciences must 
 approve of the sentence by which we are consigned to the 
 dwelling-place of those who kept not their first estate. What 
 can we say when he shall punish us ? 
 
 If these things be so, I am sure that every one of us must 
 be convinced of the necessity of a radical moral change in the 
 
46 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 character of man before he can meet God and be at peace. 
 Reason reechoes the saying of the Messiah — " Unless a man 
 be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Whatever, 
 then, may be our hopes, unless we have been renewed in the 
 spirit of our mind, we are still enemies to God by wicked 
 works. Are we willing to cherish this enmity, and reap its 
 results forever.? No one would dare to choose for himself 
 such a doom. Let us, then, escape it by penitence and faith 
 now, while change is possible. Penitence, even were it possi- 
 ble beyond the grave, would there avail us nothing. " Let, 
 then, the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his 
 thoughts, and turn unto the Lord, for he will have mercy upon 
 him, and unto our God, for he will abundantly pardon." 
 
THE MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. 
 LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 " Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledgi.^ 
 God gave them over to a reprobate mind." 
 
 Romans i. 28. 
 
 In the preceding discourse, I attempted to exhibit the 
 teaching of the Scriptures in respect to the moral character 
 of man. I suppose that the Bible charges us with being desti- 
 tute of love to God, alienated in our affections from him, and 
 enemies to him by wicked works ; it also declares that we are 
 steadily pursuing a course which must render these moral dis- 
 positions fixed and unalterable so long as we exist. I propose, 
 on the present occasion, to pursue this subject somewhat 
 further, and to show that these declarations of the word of God 
 are perfectly in accordance with the facts that have been dis- 
 closed in the history of our race. 
 
 That man at first was created in his present moral condition 
 has not generally J^een deemed probable. It seems scarcely 
 credible that a holy and most merciful God would have made 
 originally a creature, and specially a probationary creature, 
 with such a proneness to evil as man has every where dis- 
 played. Hence the opinion that there has come over our 
 race some great moral change, has been almost imiversal. 
 The classical mythology represented the progenitors of our 
 race as guileless, virtuous, and pious, the inhabitants of a 
 world where the curse came not, but where all things minis- 
 tered to their happiness. Man, however, soon degenerated. 
 
48 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAX. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 The golden age gave place to the age of brass, and this in 
 turn to the age of iron ; thorns and thistles mocked the labors 
 of man, who had become a sinner ; diseases cut short his 
 days ; the box of Pandora was opened, and mourning, lamen- 
 tation, and woe became the inheritance of our apostate race. 
 
 This idea, thus dimly shadowed forth in heathen mythology, 
 is clearly" and definitely presented in the Holy Scriptures. 
 They teach us that God created man upright, with moral 
 powers holding such a relation to his sensual appetites that he 
 was fully prepared to enter upon his probation with every 
 prospect of success. " God created man in his own image, in 
 che image of God created he him." " And God saw every 
 thing that he had made, and behold it was very good." Under 
 these circumstances there was nothing to restrict the intercourse 
 between the Creator and man, any more than between the 
 Creator and any other holy being whom he had made. 
 Hence the communion of heaven with earth was free and 
 unrestrained. God revealed himself personally to man, made 
 known to him his will, and taught him the consequences which 
 must result both from obedience and disobedience. Thus we 
 learn that, at the beginning, man was well instructed in the 
 knowledge of the character and law of his Creator. 
 
 But man, having been created a moral agent, in addition to 
 reason and conscience, and appetites and passions, was en- 
 dowed with the awful power of will. The motives for his 
 conduct having been presented, he was left in absolute free- 
 dom to choose between them.* But man, being in honor, 
 
 * «• I made him just and righ.t, 
 
 Sufficient to have stood, tliougli free to fall. 
 
 Such. I created all the ethereal powers 
 
 And spirits, both them who stood and them who failed : 
 
 Freely they stood who stood, and fell who fell. 
 
 Not free, Avhat proof could they have given sincere 
 
 Of true allegiance, constant faith, or love, 
 
 Where only, what they needs must do, appeared, 
 
 Not what they would ? A\^iat praise could they receive ? 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 49 
 
 abode not. He chose to disobey God, led astray by the 
 allurements of sense, and fell from the high dignity in which 
 he had been created. Renouncing his allegiance to God, he 
 became of necessity the slave of his passions. The supreme 
 affection of man having been withdrawn from God, it was 
 bestowed upon the creature. Conscience was dethroned, and 
 her sceptre was surrendered to appetite. Yet, though the 
 just subordination of his powers among themselves was thus 
 overthrown, the powers themselves remained. Neither con- 
 science, nor passion, nor reason, nor taste, nor memory, nor 
 will, had been annihilated. Sin neither abolished our knowl- 
 edge of God, nor our capacity for recognizing his attributes 
 as they are displayed in the things that are made. Hence, 
 notwithstanding his fall, man was still capable of a true con- 
 ception of the character of God, and a clear conviction of the 
 obligations by which we are bound to obey him. 
 
 Under these conditions, the results of this early trial of our 
 race were abundantly disastrous. The wickedness of man be- 
 came so intolerable, that, whh the exception of a single family, 
 God swept away from the face of the earth its entire popula- 
 tion. " God saw that the wickedness of man was great upon 
 the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his 
 heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that 
 he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at the heart. 
 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created 
 from the face of the earth." Such was the character and such 
 the destiny of the antediluvian fathers of mankind. 
 
 After the race had been thus destroyed by the flood, a 
 second parentage was, if I may use the expression, granted to 
 mankind, and granted under the most favorable circumstances. 
 
 What pleasure I from such, obedience paid, 
 When will and reason, (reason also is choice,) 
 Useless and vain, of freedom both despoiled, 
 Made passive both, had served necessity, 
 Not me?" 
 
 Paradise Lost, Book III. 98—110. 
 
 5 
 
50 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations. And 
 Noah walked with God. " Thee have I seen righteous before 
 me in this generation." It seems as though God had selected 
 the most virtuous man on earth to be the second father of our 
 race, in order that our probation might proceed with every 
 prospect of success. After the catastrophe, in which the mil- 
 lions of his contemporaries were swept away, God revealed 
 himself to Noah, and made to him most gracious promises of 
 favor and protection. There is reason to believe that, for a 
 long period after this event, mankind enjoyed a clear and ex- 
 tensive knowledge of the character and law of God ; a knowl- 
 edge rendered the more impressive by the recent vindication 
 of his justice. We find that the patriarchs, in their extensive 
 migrations, met among different nations the devout worshippers 
 of the true God. Abraham, the father of the Hebrew com- 
 monwealth, paid tithes to Melchizedek, as to a person more 
 pious than himself; and was afterwards rebuked by the right- 
 eous king of Gerar for base equivocation. A similar event 
 occurred in the history of the patriarch Isaac. Very distinct 
 traces of a knowledge of the true God may be discovered 
 among the Gentile nations at as late a period as that of the 
 entrance of the Jews into the land of Canaan. None of the 
 inspired prophets have spoken of the character of the Most 
 High in sublimer language, or have been more fearfully im- 
 pressed with the vision of his holiness, than Balaam, the mys- 
 terious seer of Moab. And even at the present day, as the 
 enterprise of our missionary pioneers is discovering new tribes 
 of the human family, we occasionally perceive clear indications 
 of traditionary knowledge, which could have descended from 
 none other than an inspired source. That such is the fact in 
 respect to the Karens, a people scattered throughout the jungles 
 of Burmah, I fully believe. These ignorant barbarians, desti- 
 tute of a priesthood, and without a written language, had 
 retained among themselves a collection of moral precepts, 
 which for purity and beauty surpass every thing that has come 
 down lo us from the most refined nations of antiquity ; and 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. ol 
 
 which are intimately aUied to the teachings of revelation itself. 
 Whether, therefore, we take the Holy Scriptures or profane 
 tradition for our authority, we are, I thinlv, justified in believing 
 that the race of man commenced the second period of its pro- 
 bation with a competent knowledge of the existence, attributes 
 and moral requirements of the Creator. 
 
 But, although this knowledge of God remained in the pos- 
 session of man, his moral nature continued unchanged. His 
 passions were still at war with his conscience, and in every con- 
 test they came off victorious. The ever-present idea of a holy 
 God gave energy to the moral sense, and rendered its rebukes 
 more intensely painful. The man would sin in spite of his 
 knowledge, and he suffered at every transgression the pangs 
 of remorse. Thus the knowledge of God became a source 
 of incessant moral anguish, and it was natural that he should 
 endeavor to escape from it. He did not like to retain God in 
 his knowledge. God, justly indignant at the wickedness of tlie 
 creature, gave him over to a reprobate mind ; that is, he left 
 him to his own choices, and suffered him to work out the 
 inevitable results of his deliberate transgression. 
 
 The manner in which these results were accomplished may, 
 I think, be observed by a reference to the moral histoiy of 
 man. 
 
 We have seen that, as long as man yielded himself up to the 
 dominion of passion, the knowledge of God must have been 
 painful. But his intellectual nature demanded the acknowl- 
 edgment of a first cause, while his moral nature required some 
 object of veneration. As the idea of the true God had become 
 painful, he naturally sought to satisfy these primary wants of his 
 spiritual constitution by providing for himself some object of 
 veneration, which might be worshipped without giving addi- 
 tional power to the stings of conscience. To accomplish this 
 has been the object of mankind from the earliest ages to the 
 present moment. 
 
 The first, and perhaps the most natural, step in the path of 
 moral degradation, was to deify the distinguished dead. While 
 
52. MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 living they had conferred benefits on man, and received iho 
 tribute of his grateful homage. The feeUngs of the human 
 heart could not consign them to forgetfukiess. If the dead 
 existed in another state, they might there exert some power in 
 behalf of the living. If to this we add the susceptibility of 
 the heart under sorrow, and the disposition to praise when 
 applause can awaken no envy, it is not unreasonable to sup- 
 pose that the custom of deifying deceased men would become 
 extensively prevalent. 
 
 Such, I think, seems to have been the origin of the my- 
 thology, both of classic and barbarian antiquity. The original 
 deities of heathen idolatry were manifestly, I think, distin- 
 guished monarchs or remarkable benefactors. Jupiter, the 
 father of the gods, was, as we are told, born in the Island of 
 Crete, and the names of his parents are even indicated. Ceres 
 was the first instructor of the human race in the arts of agri- 
 culture. Vulcan was the discoverer of the uses of iron. The 
 same idea may be traced throughout the Egyptian and Hindoo 
 mythology. Such were the dii majores, the original deities 
 which men first received to a participation in the worship due 
 only to Jehovah. 
 
 The same fact is further illustrated by the multiplication of 
 demigods which succeeded this first deification. Hercules, 
 Castor and Pollux, the Muses, Esculapius, Achilles, and a 
 thousand others, were the dii minores^ the lesser gods, the 
 offspring of a deity and a human being. This parentage 
 indicates, I think, the origin of the gods themselves, since 
 deified men would naturally be connected by the ordinary 
 ties of passion with those from whom they sprang. Hence 
 arose the universal disposition ^o claim consanguinity with the 
 gods, until, at last, the relationship became so universal as to 
 confer no title to honor. At the time of Alexander the Great, 
 these notions had passed into desuetude, and his claims of 
 descent from Jupiter were laughed at by his contemporaries. 
 
 Here, however, I think it important to remark, that these 
 deities were not originally introduced as substitutes for the true 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 53 
 
 God. They were merely intercessors, mediators, who might 
 mfluence the supreme Divinity to be favorable to us. Some- 
 thing approaching nearer to the frailty of humanity seemed a 
 more desirable object of worship than the holy God himself. 
 Soon, however, this preference gradually excluded God from 
 the conception of man, and the deified hero, at first only an 
 intercessor, was at length worshipped in the place of the 
 supreme Divinity. Still the original conception was not com- 
 pletely blotted out, and hence we observe that Jupiter and all 
 the gods were governed by an invisible and overruling fate, to 
 which they were obliged to yield unquestioning obedience. 
 This tendency may, I think, be distinctly observed in all the 
 phases of idolatry. 
 
 This was the first step in human degradation ; it was, how- 
 ever, a descent from heaven to the abyss. It was exchanging 
 the Creator for the creature. It was taking from the object 
 of worship all that was peculiar to the Deity, and all that gave 
 to our conception of him legitimate authority over the con- 
 science. It was removing the incorruptible God from the 
 throne of the universe, and substituting in his place a fiction 
 of our own imagination, a being like to ourselves, debased by 
 sensual appetites, delighting in polluted gratifications, liable to 
 sorrow and disappointment, and grieving over misfortune like 
 any one of us. 
 
 While, however, I suppose that such was the more common 
 manner in which the creature, as an object of worship, was 
 substituted for the Creator, I would by no means assert that it 
 was universal. I have said that men were deified on account 
 of the benefits which they had conferred. The same princi- 
 ple would lead to the deification of things as well as persons. 
 In this manner everj' external object that is capable of doing us 
 good may become a deity. Such would be the case in sparsely 
 settled communities, where the passions of men are less power- 
 fully excited, and among an agricultural people, where suc- 
 cess in labor depends upon agents which we cannot control 
 The Persian object of adoration was the sun or fire, whicl 
 5* 
 
54 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 they believed to be the source of life, both animal and vege- 
 table. The Egyptians worshipped the Nile as the cause of 
 fertility, and, on the same principle, the ichneumon that de- 
 stroyed the crocodile, the ox that tilled the land, and at last 
 the leek and the onion, which were their favorite articles of 
 food. Our aborigines worshipped several animals of the 
 chase. And, in general, among idolatrous nations we find 
 that animals frequently are held sacred, either on account of 
 the benefits which they confer or the injuries which they in- 
 flict. It is for this latter reason that many of the inhabitants 
 of the islands of the Pacific hold the shark in religious ven- 
 eration. 
 
 Let us here pause for a moment, and observe what must 
 be the effect produced upon the moral condition of man by 
 this substitution of the creature for the Creator. I think it 
 evident that the conscience of man can never maintain its 
 supremacy over the passions, unless its decisions are en- 
 forced by a belief in the existence of such a Deity as the 
 Scriptures reveal ; an omnipotent Being, of almighty power, 
 boundless goodness, immaculate purity, and inflexible justice. 
 Nothing less than this will hold in check the violence of hu- 
 man passion, and repress the all-grasping tendency of human 
 selfishness. But by this change in the object of worship 
 all this restraint is removed, and conscience is left single- 
 handed to struggle against the united strength of sensual and 
 selfish impulses. I say single-handed, but this does not ad- 
 equately express the truth. The unseen powers to which con- 
 science looked for aid have more commonly become treach- 
 erous friends, who were themselves in league against her. 
 The deities above were the patrons of crime and the exem- 
 plars of impurity. They, in the hour of trial, took part with 
 her adversaries, and hence the triumph of the passions was 
 complete. 
 
 But other results flowed from the increased intensity thus 
 given to human passion, which rendered the moral degra- 
 dation of man yet more hopeless. When the passions are 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. OO 
 
 vehemently excited, desire for gratification absorbs every other 
 idea. At such a moment man specially feels his own impo- 
 tence, and perceives that the future is wholly beyond his 
 control. After having done his utmost to command success, 
 he naturally looks upward to some higher power to render 
 the means which he has chosen effectual. The warrior, on 
 the eve of a battle, knows that the victory which shall lead to 
 dominion cannot be rendered certain either by the penetra- 
 tion of his own sagacity or the prowess of his own arm. Af- 
 ter his last order has been issued, he is conscious that the 
 result is in the hands of some power higher than himself. 
 His mind naturally turns to some being whose aid he may 
 invoke in directing, for his advantage, the unseen events of 
 the morrow. His soul, agitated by contending emotions, 
 turns to some one of the conceptions with which his im 
 agination is filled, and to it he commends himself and his 
 fortunes. Should he prove victorious, the object of his wor- 
 ship will henceforth be to him and to his army the god of 
 war. In the same manner the glutton and the drunkard would 
 wish for a deity who might mitigate the paroxysm of fever 
 or avert the stroke of apoplexy. The miser, devising schemes 
 of unrighteous gain, would need a deity to grant him success, 
 and the robber would sacrifice to a god before he proceeded 
 on his errand of burglary. 
 
 You see thus that man, having assumed to himself the 
 power of creating gods, would naturally multiply them al- 
 most without number. No passion can be conceived of, so 
 base that it did not desire a deity whose aid it might invoke ; 
 and its desire was rarely for a long time unsatisfied. Profli- 
 gacy, ambition, and sensuality in every form, readily created 
 deities, who were their especial patrons. Hence vice appeared 
 on earth armed with the authority of the Divinity. Yet even 
 here the voice of conscience was not altogether silent. There 
 would yet remain some to whom these excesses would appear 
 morally odious. Even licentious men, when the storm of 
 passion had subsided, might doubt whether a life of violence 
 
56 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 and sensuality must not meet its appropriate rewaid. It was 
 necessary to advance a step fartlier, and silence the moni- 
 tions of tlie moral sense, by bringing them into harmony with 
 the will of the deities. When this was done, the reign of 
 passion must be absolute. 
 
 This step was easily taken. If the gods above presided 
 over the human passions, and taught men the means by which 
 they could be gratified, the acts which passion dictated would 
 of course be their most acceptable worship. As there was 
 a god devoted to every passion, it only remained to ordain 
 for each such rites as were in accordance with his attributes. 
 Thus the veneration for the gods, which conscience itself 
 teaches, would be the very means of sanctioning the most 
 shocking immoralities. Conscience and passion would hence- 
 forth teach the same lesson, and no obstacle would exist to 
 the universal indulgence in unblushing licentiousness. To 
 aid in working out this result, temples were erected without 
 number to every conceivable divinity, and to preside over 
 the rites of each, a numerous and well-fed priesthood was 
 appointed. The most exquisite artistical skill was lavishly 
 employed to surround the worship of sensuality with the most 
 attractive charms. Shrines, the admiration of all succeed- 
 ing ages, crowned every hill-top and adorned every grove. 
 Statuary of exquisite beauty realized in marble the most 
 revolting conceptions. Every grotto and fountain acknowl- 
 edged its tutelary divinity, and sent forth its priests to sum- 
 mon the people to its idolatrous rites. The slavery of man 
 to the senses and the passions was fast rivetted upon him, as 
 it seemed, forever. The secret chamber and the solemn tem- 
 ple, the distant grove and the thickly-peopled city, resounded 
 with nothing but the struggle for mastery and the revel of 
 licentiousness. Men did not like to retain God in their knowl- 
 edge, and God gave them over to a reprobate mind. 
 
 These remarks, as you perceive, have been made with 
 special reference to the nations of classic antiquity. But the 
 same principles have wrought out the same results, wherever 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 57 
 
 the progress of civilization has cherished their natural devel- 
 opment. This fact is illustrated, for instance, in the history 
 of the Hindoo mythology. The early divinities of the religion 
 of Brama were, as I have suggested, deified men. These, 
 in the process of time, were greatly multiplied. Next were 
 added gods to preside over the human passions. Worship 
 was made to conform to the character of the deity to whom 
 it was offered, until, at the present time, there is not a crime 
 so nefarious that you may not commit it as an act of devo- 
 tion to some one of their millions of deities. Hence the moral 
 character of the people is, in many respects, intimately 
 allied to that of Greece and Rome at the period of their deep- 
 est degradation. The modern traveller cannot describe to us 
 the scenes depicted on the walls of Herculaneum and Pom- 
 peii ; and the missionary returning from Bengal refuses to 
 utter the abominations that are witnessed by assembled thou- 
 sands as the most acceptable sacrifice to the gods, on the 
 days of their solemn devotion. 
 
 Now, if man had possessed no other knowledge of God than 
 that derived from tradition, this downward tendency in our 
 race would surely have seemed remarkable. We might have 
 expected that intelligent and moral creatures would have cher- 
 ished a knowledge of their Creator as a most invaluable treas- 
 ure, and transmitted it unimpaired from generation to genera- 
 tion. But, during all this period, " God did not leave himself 
 without a witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from 
 heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and 
 gladness." That knowledge of God which might be obtained 
 by the study of his works is in all ages open to mankind. 
 " The heavens ever declare the glory of God, and the firma- 
 ment showeth forth his handy work. Day is uttering speech 
 unto day, and night unto night is showing knowledge : and 
 there is no speech nor language where their voice is not 
 heard." The writings of Socrates indicate to us the extent 
 to which the knowledge derived from this source may be 
 attained, and the facts from which he reasoned were spread 
 
58 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 before all men. Notwithstanding this, there was none that 
 was seeking after God. No one was asking, Where is God 
 my Maker ? unless as a question of metaphysical speculation. 
 They remained, even in the days of the intellectual glory of 
 Greece, the slaves of a debasing and abominable idolatry. 
 I do not know that any clearer illustration can be presented 
 of the truth of the assertion in the text than that which these 
 facts exhibit. If men had liked to retain God in their knowl- 
 edge, such a tendency, working out such results, could not 
 have existed. The moral histoiy of man bears witness to the 
 truth of the divine declaration, that all men have sinned and 
 come short of the glory of God ; and that, as they changed 
 the true God into a lie, and worshipped and served the crea- 
 ture more than the Creator, who is blessed forever, — for this 
 cause God gave them over to vile affections. If there be a 
 God, and we have thus forsaken him, surely no other result 
 than this could reasonably be expected. 
 
 Thus far 1 have attempted to exhibit the moral tendency 
 of man when he has been destitute of a written revelation. 
 The subject, however, is capable of yet further illustration. 
 
 It was when the whole world was lying in the wickedness 
 of which I have spoken, that the Messiah appeared to take 
 away sin by the sacrifice of himself. By the light of nature 
 we might have discovered the justice and goodness of God, 
 and our own deep and inherent sinfulness ; but we could 
 never discover a way in which he could be just, and justify 
 the guilty. But Jesus Christ came to reveal to us God in the 
 character of a Father, willing to be reconciled, offering to us, 
 as a free gift, pardon, reconciliation, and eternal life. " As 
 Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so was the Son 
 of man lifted up, that whosoever believed on him might not 
 perish, but have everlasting life." The thick cloud which 
 veiled the mercy-seat was dispersed, and every man might in 
 humble confidence approach our Father in heaven, through 
 the mediation of his well-beloved Son. The gospel of Jesus 
 (/hrist is a message from God, beseeching men to repent of 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 59 
 
 their sins, and yield to him that affection which is his most 
 righteous due. 
 
 It is not needful that I here refer to the manner in which 
 this offer of pardon was received, or the enmity which its pro- 
 mulgation excited in the breasts both of Jew and Gentile. It 
 is, however, difficult to account for the fact, that an offer of 
 restoration to piety and holiness should excite men to wrath, 
 unless they were intensely sinful. But passing by this con- 
 sideration, I proceed to remark, that this declaration of the 
 willingness of God to receive us again to his favor, was made 
 in a language at that time universally accessible, and thus it 
 was rapidly disseminated throughout the civilized world. The 
 written revelation was accompanied by the living preacher, and 
 the good news of salvation was proclaimed in every city and 
 village of the Roman empire. The truth thus promulgated, 
 after centuries of persecution, aroused the slumbering con- 
 science of man, and revealed the absurdity of the rites of 
 heathenism. It banished the classical mythology from the 
 earth, and among all the nations of the then known world, 
 established its claim as a revelation from the Most Fligh. 
 Multitudes of men, in every place, were the examples and the 
 witnesses of its transforming power. Now, it might well be 
 asked. Could such a revelation, committed to writing, univer- 
 sally disseminated, and enforced by the precepts of the dis- 
 ciples of Christ, be again hidden from the eyes of men.? 
 Could the worship of God, which it taught, be exchanged for a 
 sensual idolatry, and the pure doctrines of Jesus be made the 
 ministers of sin ? If all this were done, it would surely pre- 
 sent a still stronger illustration of the truth of the text, — they 
 did not like to retain God in their knowledge. 
 
 What have been the facts in this case ? We are obliged to 
 answer, that the downward moral tendency of our race, even 
 under these circumstances, was, in a remarkable manner, 
 analogous to that which we have already described among the 
 heathen. 
 
 The church of Christ had scarcely escaped froni the perse- 
 
60 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 cution of centuries, before tlie priesthood began to lay claim to 
 the authority of mediating between God and man. This 
 claim, strange as it may seem, was admitted, and an order of 
 men, united under an infallible head, was acknowledged to be 
 the only medium through whom any spiritual blessing could be 
 conveyed to mankind. Their teachings were alone held to be 
 obligatory upon the conscience, and in their hands were de- 
 posited the keys of heaven and hell. Where such an institution 
 existed, the Scriptures, of course, could be of no practical im- 
 portance ; for of what value can be a written law, in the pres- 
 ence of the infallible lawgiver ? The word of the living God 
 was thus exchanged for the doctnnes and commandments of 
 men, and salvation was to be looked for, not from the Re- 
 deemer himself, but from him whom he had appointed to be 
 his vicegerent on earth. 
 
 This was the first step in the progress of Christianized 
 idolatry. It did not, however, remove man far enough from 
 God to silence the voice of conscience, or render him t}\e 
 sufficiently passive slave of an ambitious hierarchy. Heav- 
 enly intercessors were proposed, who might present our prayers 
 to the all-seeing God, and through whose influence A\e might 
 be rendered acceptable to our Father in heaven. The Virgin 
 Mar}% as the mother of God, was first proposed for the adora- 
 tion of the faithful. Peter and the rest of the apostles soon 
 shared in this modified homage. To them very soon were 
 added beatified martyrs, confessors, bishops, and saints, good 
 and bad, without number, until the calendar was crowded with 
 the names of those whom Christian men were commanded to 
 worship. These were at first introduced merely as interces- 
 sors ; but, as they were recognized as the immediate authors 
 of our blessings, prayer w^as soon addressed to them, instead 
 of to God himself. As in ancient paganism, so here, again, the 
 cloud of inferior deities rendered the divinity invisible to man. 
 The beatified saint took the place of the deified hero, or the 
 half-mortal demigod ; the true God was again exchanged for a 
 false one, and the professed disciples of Christ worshipped and 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 61 
 
 served the creature rather than the Creator. Nor did this in- 
 fatuation stop here. Images, pictures, relics, became objects 
 oi worship, and thus the works of men's hands, or the moulder- 
 ing relics of his earthly tabernacle, were adored in the place 
 of the ever-blessed God. 
 
 In this case, as in the other, the passions formed an alliance 
 with the natural tendency of man to seek for aid from some 
 supernatural power. As the ancient pagan selected his demi- 
 god, so the paganized Christian selected his saint, who should 
 aid him in the accomplishment of his purposes, or avert from 
 him the retribution which he had deserved. Even at the 
 present day, the Greek pirate invokes his patron saint as he 
 leaps on board the vessel which he has devoted to destruction ; 
 he mutters his prayers as he does the deed of murder, and, 
 returning home, offers a portion of his spoils to the Virgin, in 
 thankfulness for her aid in his nefarious enterprise. The 
 Italian assassin repeats his pater noster as he whets his sti- 
 letto, and devoutly crosses himself as he withdraws it, reeking 
 from the bosom of his rival. Nor was this all. If God have 
 established a vicegerency on earth, and man has power to 
 forgive sins, he may well be supposed to have power also to 
 dictate the terms on which forgiveness may be obtained. Nay, 
 more ; it is going but a single step farther to assert that the 
 authority which could absolve from guilt after the commission 
 of crime, might also remit the penalty in anticipation. Now 
 all this was, at one time, actually believed throughout Chris- 
 tendom. It is easy to perceive that a licentious age would 
 gladly avail itself of such a doctrine to silence the voice of 
 conscience, and that an ambitious priesthood would eagerly 
 inculcate it as a means for the attainment of universal power. 
 Such were the results that actually followed. At the time of 
 the reformation, Christianity was supposed merely to consist 
 in the performance of rites, and in obedience to the priesthood, 
 without holding the most remote connection with purity of 
 manners or holiness of life. It was conceded that a man 
 might be spotless in piety, and yet live in the practice of the 
 6 
 
62 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 most revolting immorality. Thus, not only was the idea of 
 God excluded from human thought, but the moral power of the 
 world to come was nothing better than a scourge in the hands 
 of the hierarchy. There was nothing left to arrest the down- 
 ward and sensual tendencies of our nature. The corruption 
 that reigned tiiumphant in city and country, in church and 
 state, among ecclesiastics and laymen, was almost without a 
 parallel, except in the grossest periods of pagan idolatry. 
 Thus, again, was the truth illustrated, that men did not like to 
 retain God in their knowledge, and God again gave them over 
 to a reprobate mind. 
 
 He who will duly consider these facts, will, I think, scarcely 
 fail to arrive at the conclusion that there is in the heart of man 
 a moral temper averse to the character of God ; that he natu- 
 rally strives to substitute a fiction of his own, as an object of 
 worship, in the place of the true God ; that, this having been 
 done, all safeguards of virtue are removed, man is given over 
 to a reprobate mind, and becomes the willing slave of passion 
 and sensuality. 
 
 But has this tendency in human nature been even yet eradi- 
 cated ? I wish that there was sufficient reason for answering 
 this question in the affirmative. At the reformation, the 
 Scriptures were again given to the people, and the pure light 
 from heaven shone once more among the nations. Yet, even 
 in Protestant Christendom, if I mistake not, undeniable traces 
 of the same idolatrous bias have from time to time discovered 
 themselves. The priesthood, in some instances, has again 
 asserted its claim to the right of mediating between God and 
 man; of behig the exclusive interpreters of the holy oracles, 
 and the only medium through which the grace of Christ can be 
 conferred upon his disciples. Nay, more ; we have been told 
 that our acceptance with God does not depend absolutely on 
 faith in Christ and holiness of heart, but also on the reception 
 of ordinances from the hands of men whom God has intrusted 
 with the monopoly of salvation. I cannot but regard these 
 arrogant assumptions, and the passive acquiescence with whicn 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 63 
 
 they are so frequently received, as another ilkistration of the 
 tendency to which I have alluded. Nor would I confine the 
 application of these remarks to any period or to any sect. 
 Wherever the ministry assumes to be lords over God's heritage, 
 instead of being ensamples to the flock ; wherever rites and 
 ceremonies of any sort whatever are exalted above holiness of 
 heart and a humble walk with God; wherever the Christian 
 pastor claims for himself exemption from that law which Christ 
 has imposed upon all, or assumes the right of modifying that 
 law for his own convenience ; and whenever these doctrines 
 are believed and these claims allowed by the people, — then and 
 there the seeds of idolatry have been sown, and they will bear 
 the fruit of apostasy from the faith. While, however, I affirm 
 all this, I would by no means speak lightly of the honesty or 
 the piety of many who believe to be true what I believe to 
 be most lamentably false. God alone can determine the point 
 beyond which error becomes incompatible with piety. That 
 which is false can never be made true by the piety of him who 
 affirms it ; it only derives greater power to deceive from his 
 blameless life and devout conversation. 
 
 I have thus far spoken of this tendency of man, as it has 
 been exhibited in the history of nations and communities. 
 But the subject admits of a more personal application. If 
 such be the character of man, it is the character of every 
 individual, and every one of us may discover its lineaments 
 engraven upon his own moral nature. Let, then, every one 
 of us answer for himself the question, Is the love of God 
 within me ? In order to do this, we must appeal to our own 
 consciousness. Are we conscious of any love to the God 
 revealed to us in the Scriptures.? Nay, I will go further. 
 Can none of us recollect the time when we would have rejoiced 
 beyond measure, could we have satisfactorily demonstrated that 
 an all-seeing and all-holy Lord God Almighty never existed ? 
 When the claims of God upon our universal love and obedi- 
 ence have been pressed upon us, do none of us remember how 
 our whole nature has revolted against them ? Have we never 
 
 ^^^^ 
 
64 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO GOD. 
 
 been conscious of a settled dislike to such an all-pervading 
 government, and wished that there was some other universe, 
 over which God did not reign, that we might flee to it, and 
 escape the notice of his all-seeing eye ? Our own conscious- 
 ness, therefore, bears witness to the truth of the text, and con- 
 fesses that, by nature, we did not like to retain God in our 
 knowledge. 
 
 If such, then, be the facts disclosed by the histoiy of man, 
 they abundantly confirm the truth of the assertion in the text. 
 Man by nature does not like to retain God in his knowledge, 
 and he resorts to idolatry in every form, in order to escape 
 from the presence of his Maker. Shutting out God from his 
 thoughts, he of necessity surrenders himself to the dominion 
 of the passions and the senses, and is thus given up of his 
 Creator to a reprobate mind. If such be the facts, let every 
 one of us ask himself what must be the end thereof. 
 
THE MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN, 
 LOVE TO MAN. 
 
 "And the second is like unto it, namely, Thou shalt loye 
 
 THY neighbor AS THYSELF." 
 
 Matthew xxii, 36. 
 
 I HAVE, in previous discourses, attempted to illustrate the 
 first commandment of the law, and to prove that, judged by- 
 it, every man must stand guilty before God. I suppose it to 
 have been shown that we do not like to retain God in our 
 knowledge ; that this dislike is so intense as to lead us, by the 
 most absurd idolatry, to violate the dictates of our understand- 
 ing, in order to escape from the idea of an all-seeing and most 
 holy God. 
 
 Taking these facts for granted, we proceed to consider the 
 second commandment of the law, and to inquire whether man 
 can plead innocence on the ground of obedience to its re- 
 quirements. 
 
 Before, however, proceeding to consider this part of the 
 subject, a preliminary truth deserves a passing reflection. It 
 is obvious to every one who bears in mind our relations to God, 
 that our obligation to obey him extends to every action of our 
 lives. We ourselves, our possessions, our faculties, our fellow- 
 men with whom we are conversant, are not our own. God is 
 the universal Proprietor of all, for in him we live, and move, 
 and have our being. He is the Father of all, and he justly 
 requires us to treat our brethren, who, equally with us, are his 
 children, as he shall command. And yet more, he is entitled 
 6* 
 
66 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO MAN. 
 
 not merely to obedience in the outward art, but to filial obedi- 
 ence ; that is, the obedience which springs from love. Hence, 
 in all our transactions with our fellow-men, we are required to 
 recognize the existence of both these commandments — " Thou 
 shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," and, " Thou shalt love the 
 Lord thy God with all thy heart." This latter principle, filial 
 obedience to God, must enter as a motive into every action 
 before it can either lay claim to innocence, or deserve the praise 
 of the Creator. It is this sentiment alone that can sustain virtue 
 when assaulted by temptation, or unite us by any tie of moral 
 sympathy with our Father who is in heaven. 
 
 You perceive, then, that every moral act, in order to merit 
 the praise of God, must be pei*vaded by the element of love 
 to him. If this element be wanting, I do not say that the action 
 is destitute of virtue, but I say that it is destitute of piety, and 
 that it would have been performed in just the same manner if 
 there were no God. Such an action could never be pleasing 
 to God ; nay, more, by the amount of all this deficiency it 
 would be displeasing to him. Suppose, then, a man to obey 
 perfectly the second commandment of the law, while he was 
 wholly indifferent to the most blessed God, nay, while he was 
 deliberately cultivating in himself the habit of settled opposi- 
 tion to his law — must not the displeasure of the Most High rest 
 most justly upon him ? But we have already shown that this 
 latter is actually the moral condition of man ; that the love of 
 God is not in him, and that he does not like to retain God in 
 his knowledge. Hence it is, I think, evident that, were the 
 second precept of the law faithfully obeyed, yet so long as man 
 was at enmity wdth God, he would still remain a sinner by reason 
 of the absence from all his actions, of the element of piety. 
 
 We always judge in this manner respecting any other case. 
 The keeping of one precept is no excuse for the violation of 
 another. If a man obey the precept, " Thou shalt not kill," 
 this can in no manner justify him in the violation of the 
 precept, " Thou shalt not steal." Much less is the keeping of 
 a minor and subsidiary precept a justification of the violation 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO MAN. 67 
 
 of a universal and all -control ling precept. If a man be guilty 
 of treason against his country, can he lay claim to perfect 
 innocence because he has always paid his debts ? The chief 
 magistrate of a nation is under paramount obligations to con- 
 form his whole conduct, both public and private, to the dictates 
 of justice, veracity, and patriotism. But suppose his whole 
 administration is disgraced by acts of oppression, violence, and 
 treachery, — can he be held innocent because he is proved to be 
 a kind husband and an affectionate parent ? When, in years 
 long gone by, it was urged against a monarch of Great 
 Britain, that he had repeatedly, and on deliberation, violated his 
 coronation oath, and conspired to overthow the constitution of 
 the realm, it was never held to be a justification of his conduct, 
 to assert that he had taken his little children on his knee, and 
 kissed them. 
 
 I think, then, it may easily be granted, that while the love 
 of God is excluded from the heart of man, even though he 
 should love his neighbor as himself, he would still fall under 
 the condemnation of the law to which he was rendered 
 amenable by his Creator. 
 
 And here we may pause for a moment to observe that this 
 general truth affords an easy explanation of the passage in the 
 Epistle of James — " Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and 
 yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." By this he means 
 simply to assert that a single deliberate violation of any par- 
 ticular precept of the law of God sets at nought the authority 
 of the Lawgiver, and demonstrates that the creature has usurped 
 the place in our affections due only to the Creator. The love 
 of God is not in him, for, if it truly exist at all, it must be 
 supreme, and hence, all his actions, being destitute of this ele- 
 ment, are in the sight of God sinful, and, of course, deserving 
 of his displeasure. 
 
 Leaving this preliminary consideration, we proceed to in- 
 quire what is the character of man when subjected to the test 
 of obedience to the second precept of the law, " Thou shalt 
 love thy neighbor as thyself." 
 
68 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO MAN. 
 
 Our Lord himself has explained the meaning of the terra 
 neiglibor in this passage. It means man, eveiy man, every 
 child of Adam, the being to whom we are connected by no 
 other tie than this, that he is a brother of the human family. 
 
 We are commanded to love such a one as ourselves ; that 
 is, not as we do love ourselves, but as we may rightfully 
 love ourselves. To enter upon a complete analysis of this 
 precept, and illustrate the various classes of actions which it 
 renders obligatory, would transcend the limits of this discourse. 
 It will be sufficient to observe that self-love incites us to love 
 our own happiness upon the whole, and to desire the uninter- 
 rupted enjoyment of those means which God has given us, in 
 order to secure it. It causes us to feel injured and aggrieved 
 if the full enjoyment of these means is in any manner cur- 
 tailed by our fellow-men. All this is innocent and proper. 
 Now, in this manner we are commanded to love our fellow- 
 men. We must as intensely desire that our neighbor may, 
 without interruption, enjoy the means of happiness which God 
 has bestowed upon him, as we desire to enjoy them ourselves ; 
 and we must feel the same sense of wrong when he is injured 
 as we feel when we ourselves are injured. We can claim 
 for this precept no less comprehensive signification than this ; 
 and I think that every man's conscience will bear witness that, 
 thus interpreted, it really expresses the obligation existing be- 
 tween man and his fellow-men. 
 
 With respect to the natural disposition in man to obey this 
 second precept, the Scriptures do not speak as definitely as in 
 respect to the first and great commandment of the law. They 
 have nowhere declared that the love of man is not in us, or 
 that we do not like to retain man in our knowledge. While 
 they speak of our obedience to it as universally deficient, they 
 do not definitely find the limit of that deficiency. This would 
 be impossible, since, in respect, to this precept, our obedience 
 falls short of the praise of God in very dissimilar degrees. The 
 Bible presents us with nistances of men who have made 
 various attainments in virtue, all, however, by acknowledg- 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO MAN. 69 
 
 ment, imperfect ; and also of men who have been in various 
 degrees guilty of crime, but of none as so bad that they could 
 not wax worse. It clearly teaches us that the tendency of man 
 is to vice rather than to virtue ; that there is not a just man 
 on earth that sinneth not; that the attainment which individ- 
 uals and nations have made in virtue has been owing to 
 gracious influences bestowed on us from on high ; and that the 
 moral degradation to which society universally tends is the 
 natural consequence of the bias towards evil which has existed 
 in us since the fall. To define, however, the extent of our 
 sinfulness, it has not attempted ; it only asserts that all men 
 have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. 
 
 Nor, indeed, is a definite statement on this subject in any 
 manner necessary. Our fellow-men are every where around 
 us. In almost every action of our lives, we have the opportu- 
 nity of testing both their dispositions and our own, in respect to 
 this precept. We have to deal with this matter practically. 
 Every man can judge for himself whether or not his fellow 
 men are inclined to obey the law of reciprocity when they can 
 make gain by disobeying it. Every one arrived at years of 
 discretion knows whether the ordinary and applauded max- 
 ims of business do or do not proceed upon the principle, that 
 men actually love their neighbor as themselves. Every parent 
 knows whether children, at a very early age, do or do not 
 manifest this tendency. Nay, we can all determine this ques- 
 tion, each one for himself, by referring to the testimony of his 
 own consciousness. We can easily tell whether selfishness or 
 disinterestedness is the natural bias of a human soul, and 
 whether it does or does not require an effort to do justice to 
 our neighbor when we can only do so by the sacrifice of our 
 own interests. We all know whether pure and impartial 
 justice, in the dealings between man and man, is the rule or 
 the exception ; and whether he who should describe a per- 
 fectly good man as an actual existence, would not be looked 
 upon as a retailer of fiction. Nay, were such a man to appear 
 on earth, we could be by no means sure that he would escape 
 
70 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO MAN. 
 
 the fate of Aristides, who was banished from Athens for the 
 reason that his fellow-citizens could not bear to hear hirn 
 always denominated the just. 
 
 Such is, I believe, the universal testimony of man. The 
 Scriptures eveiy where confirm it, though they never deny 
 that some portion of justice exists among men ; nor do they 
 designate the particular degree in which man has, in this 
 respect, gone astray from original righteousness. I shall, in 
 the remainder of this discourse, attempt to present some con- 
 siderations which may tend to illustrate these declarations of 
 the word of God. 
 
 In treating this subject, I shall not set before you particular 
 instances of wickedness exhibited in the conduct either of 
 individuals or of nations. These, it might be said, are extreme 
 cases, owing to particular circumstances, and not therefore 
 justly to be laid to the charge of men universally. We shall, 
 therefore, draw our argument, not from particular cases, but 
 from facts of the most general character, which meet the eye 
 wherever it is turned thoughtfully upon actions of mankind. 
 
 I think, then, it is evident, that the moral disposition of man, 
 in this respect, must, by necessity, determine the form of 
 social organization wherever individuals unite in a community. 
 In establishing the principles by which a society of moral and 
 intelligent creatures should be governed, you would proceed in 
 one way if every one of them loved his neighbor as himself, 
 and- in a very different way if every one of them loved him- 
 self better than his neighbor. Safeguards, limitations, punish- 
 ments, would be necessary in one case that would be unneces- 
 sary in the other. Thus, also, by observing the framework of 
 any society, it would not be difficult to discover what was 
 the kind of beings for whose benefit it was constructed. In 
 examining a machine, there is little difficulty in determining 
 whether it is designed to float in the air like a balloon, or tear 
 up the greensward like a plough. So, by examining the prin- 
 ciples on which human society is formed, it will not be difficult 
 to ascertain whether it was intended for beings who were by 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO MAN. 71 
 
 nature disposed to obey, or for those by nature disposed to ■ 
 disobey, the commandment in the text. 
 
 I. I remark, then, in the first place, that our first conception 
 of social organization proceeds upon the supposition that men 
 are naturally inclined to violate this law. 
 
 Every man is endowed by the Creator with the perfect right 
 to the enjoyment of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness ; 
 that is, with a perfect right to use as he will the means which 
 God has placed in his hands for the attainment of his own hap- 
 piness, provided he do not interfere with the same perfect 
 and equal right which every other man enjoys in common with 
 himself. To act in obedience to this elementary principle, is 
 to obey the law of reciprocity ; that is, to love our neighbor as^ 
 ourselves, in the sense which I have already explained. Were 
 men naturally inclined to obey this precept, they would need 
 no organization to prevent them from violating it. It is ab- 
 surd to take pauis to prevent men from doing that which they 
 have no disposition to do. We make no provision for obliging 
 men to eat when they are hungry, or to restf when they are 
 weary. When there exists a natural disposition to any par- 
 ticular course of conduct, we leave it, if it be innocent, to 
 itself, never attempting to do what nature can do so much 
 better without us. 
 
 But, if we will attentively consider, we shall perceive that 
 the first, and by far most important object for which human 
 society is established, is to prevent the violation of the law of 
 reciprocity. It proceeds upon the principle that every man 
 will, if he can, employ for his own happiness not only the 
 means which God has given him, but also those which God has 
 given to his neighbor. But it is evident, that, were this prin 
 ciple admitted, it would lead to universal and interminable war, 
 until the race was exterminated. And, besides, although every 
 man is disposed to mfringe the rights of his neighbor himself, 
 he is by no means disposed to concede this power to another. 
 The moral sense acts correctly when it is not biased by self- 
 ishness. Hence men instinctively combine together for the 
 
72 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO MAN. 
 
 purpose of obliging each other to obey the law of reciprocity. 
 If any one attempt to infringe the rights of his neighbor, the 
 rest of the community, with one voice, command him to 
 forbear. They find that human society cannot exist without 
 employing the power of the whole in favor of right, and thus 
 obliging every individual, by the authority of the whole, to 
 respect the rights of his fellows. It is from this function of 
 society that all law emanates. Society confers no rights; it 
 only guaranties to every man the enjoyment of those rights 
 which have been conferred upon him by his Creator. 
 
 We see, then, that the first conception of human society is 
 that of an instinctive arrangement for the purpose of prevent- 
 ing the violation of the rule in the text. Civilization advances, 
 and the happiness of man, both individual and social, is pro- 
 moted, just in the proportion that this purpose of society is 
 more and more perfectly accomplished. So soon as this pur- 
 pose of society is abandoned, right is universally violated with 
 impunity, and a nation becomes a prey to universal wicked- 
 ness. The power of society to repress crime being "withdrawn, 
 anarchy ensues — a word which instantly suggests to us all the 
 misery which man can suffer from violence and injustice. It 
 is the rule of might uncontrolled by right. It is a condition in 
 which every man is at liberty to seek his own gi'atification, 
 however small, in violation of the rights of his neighbor, how- 
 ever sacred. A partial illustration of this condition of human- 
 ity was presented by the city of Paris in some periods of the 
 first French revolution. An illustration yet more striking was 
 several times exhibited during the Peninsular war, when cities 
 taken by assault were delivered up to the will of the soldiery 
 by the orders both of the French and British commanders. 
 An innocent and unarmed population — men, women, and 
 children — were in these instances left, without law, entirely to 
 the tnercy of their fellow-men. The victors might do with 
 the vanquished precisely as they chose. The atrocities of 
 such a scene, as I have been informed by eye-witnesses, are 
 too horrible for recital. Men, under such circumstances, are 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO MAN. 73 
 
 transformed from human beings into demons, and a city sur- 
 rendered up to their lusts, presents a more vivid picture of 
 hell than can be found elsewhere on earth. If, then, the 
 elementary conception of a social organization assumes as a 
 fact the selfishness of man ; if the great object of this organiza- 
 tion is to protect the individual from the infringement of his 
 rights ; if the most horrible condition of humanity of which we 
 can conceive is that of men left without control to do exactly 
 as they choose, and seek their own gratification without re- 
 gard to the happiness of their neighbors, — it would seem that 
 there can be no question respecting the natural disposition of 
 man. Such things could never exist among beings who were 
 by nature disposed to love their neighbor as themselves. 
 
 In the second place, — 
 
 II. The history of the various forms of human government 
 illustrates the truth that man does not love his neighbor as 
 himself. 
 
 Suppose a society to be organized for the purpose I have 
 specified above, — it is necessary that its power be confided to 
 the hands of comparatively few individuals. The whole of 
 the society cannot act in every case that requires its inter- 
 ference. The authority of the whole must be delegated to a 
 part, who thus become what we call the government or magis- 
 tracy. The object, therefore, for which a magistracy is ap- 
 pointed, is so to administer the power of the whole, that every 
 individual shall be confirmed in the enjoyment of every right 
 bestowed upon him by his Creator ; that is, that every individ- 
 ual shall be obliged to obey the law of reciprocity. 
 
 Now, I need scarcely remind you that the best talent of the 
 human race has from the beginning been employed in the 
 attempt to devise a form of government which shall accomplish 
 this object, and that thus far (unless our republic shall prove 
 an exception) the attempt has signally failed. It has been 
 found practically impossible so to balance the various powers 
 of the state that the individual shall be free to do right, whiie 
 he is at the same time restrained from doing wrong. It has 
 7 
 
74 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO MAN. 
 
 taken ages of reasoning and reflection, and it has cost torrents 
 of blood, to ascertain, with any thing like precision, even what 
 are the limits within which society has any right to interfere 
 with the actions of the individual. And after this limit has 
 been discovered, how shall we construct a government which 
 will not transgress it ? If we bestow too much or too irre- 
 sponsible power upon rulers, they become tyrants, and the 
 government is overthrown by reason of its oppression. If 
 we bestow upon them too little power, violence will neither 
 be prevented nor injury redressed, and the individual, de- 
 spairing of redress or of protection from society, seeks it for 
 himself ; and thus ensues universal anarchy. 
 
 Hence it has happened, I think, that the most stable gov- 
 ernments on earth have been civil or spiritual despotisms. 
 When the rulers form an intelligent and vigilant caste, and 
 can withhold from the people a knowledge of their rights ; 
 or when a priesthood can persuade them that their eternal 
 salvation depends upon unquestioning obedience to the man- 
 dates of a hierarchy ; and specially when these two forms 
 of despotism can be united, — that is, when you can deprive 
 men of the exercise of reason and conscience, until, in some 
 of the most important respects, they cease to be men, — then 
 they may be governed in quietness. If you can turn men 
 into brutes, you may govern them like brutes. But restore 
 them to their rank, as the intelligent and responsible creatures 
 of God, and their passions, stimulated by liberty, defy re- 
 straint, and render a permanent government almost impossi- 
 ble. Hence it has been so often remarked, that the civil 
 institutions of man have, in all ages, trodden, with greater or 
 less rapidity, the same invariable circle from anarchy to des- 
 potism, and from despotism again to anarchy. The forms of 
 government which have endured the longest, have been those 
 which have vibrated, from time to time, between these oppo- 
 site extremes. When this invariable circle has been trodden 
 slowly, the changes have been less violent, and mankind have, 
 at intervals of peace, been permitted to enjoy the blessings 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO MAN. 75 
 
 bestowed upon thSm by their Creator. Where, on the other 
 hand, this circle has been rapidly passed over, and civil in- 
 stitutions, by the turbulence of passion, have been frequently 
 overturned, the race of man, worn out with the struggle, has 
 ceased from the earth ; and thus it has happened, that whole 
 regions, once the abode of wealth and civilization, are now a 
 wilderness ; and the remains of once populous cities have 
 become the lair of the lion and the hiding-place of the jackal. 
 
 Or, if we pass by the interior history of civil societies, the 
 same truth is illustrated in the principles which have generally 
 governed the intercourse of nations with each other. Where 
 is the nation to be found that ever treated other nations, spe- 
 cially if they were weaker, on the principles of reciprocity ? Do 
 men ever even expect it ^ Nay, do they not frequently applaud 
 the successful violation of right .'' Who has ever reaped so 
 abundant a harvest of human applause as the military con- 
 queror ? What, besides his incomparable talent for war, has 
 crowned with imperishable renown the name of the late em- 
 peror Napoleon ? When a battle has been fought, which has 
 covered the earth with slain, and carried mourning, and widow- 
 hood, and orphanage, to every village throughout the land, 
 the only question that we ask is. Which of the armies has 
 been victorious.? Alexander, Csesar, and Napoleon, are 
 celebrated as the heroes of our race ; but we never think of 
 the millions who were slaughtered to glut their lust of power. 
 Now, I ask, if we loved the rights of our neighbors as our 
 own, could such things be done ? or, if they were done, could 
 they fail to awaken a universal sentiment of intense moral 
 indignation ? Can we conceive of a more atrocious crim(j 
 than that of butchering our fellow-men for the sake of in- 
 creasing our fame or advancing our personal interests, or th(; 
 interests of a political party ? And yet, we not only do such 
 things, but have pleasure in those that do them. 
 
 It may be asked, Is not our country an exception to these 
 remarks ? In the formation of our civil constitution, I sup- 
 pose that the law of reciprocity has been more thoughtfully 
 
76 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. liOVE TO MAN. 
 
 considered than in the formation of any other that history has 
 recorded. The principle of the universal eqiialily of human 
 rights, with one lamentable exception, has here been fully 
 recognized. But does any one believe that our constitution 
 can endure, if it rely for support on nothing but the natural 
 love of justice in the human bosom ? Thus far, owing to the 
 religious principles in which we have been educated, it has 
 stood. This, however, is a superinduced influence ; it is the 
 result of the teaching of revelation accompanied by power 
 from on high. But, I ask, was there ever before a people 
 among whom such a government as ours could have been 
 maintained even for a single year ? Nay, abstract from this 
 people the influences diflused abroad by the religion of Christ, 
 abolish the Bible, the Sabbath, the instructions of the sanc- 
 tuary-, abandon us all to the natural workings of the human 
 heart, and let any one ask himself how long such a gov- 
 ernment as oui*s could possibly exist. 
 
 III. I do not know but any additional proof on this subject 
 may seem superfluous. I am, however, unwilling to close the 
 argument without suggesting another consideration, nearly 
 allied to this last, to which I have alluded. 
 
 Were men universally, or even generally, inclined to obey 
 the precept in the text, it is manifest that the making of laws, 
 and the carrying them into execution, would be the easiest 
 labor imaginable. Infringement of right, if it existed at all, 
 would result simply from imperfection of the understanding, 
 and never from pravity of the heart. The legislator need 
 not, in any case, do more than merely to indicate to his fellow- 
 citizens the rule of right, so that those less well informed 
 than himself might not fall into error. Every man would re- 
 ceive with gratitude any instructions which would enable liim 
 to avoid doing wrong to his neighbor. And, if any one, 
 through inadvertence, had infringed the rights of his fellow, of 
 all the men in the community, he would be the most anxious to 
 acknowledge his error, and make all the reparation in his power. 
 We should, in such a state of society, stand in no need of 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO MAN. 77 
 
 penal enactments, since every one would, of his own choice, 
 do all that justice could prescribe. Law would be nothing 
 else than instruction in our duty, unaccompanied by the threat 
 of punishment for disobedience. Sheriffs and constables, 
 prisons, penitentiaries, and executions, would have been 
 unheard of among men. The just and disinterested dispo- 
 sition which ruled in the heart, would render all these sad 
 mementoes of our depravity utterly without use and without 
 object. 
 
 But what do we observe to be actually the fact ? No one 
 is so childish as not to know that a law without a penalty 
 would be deemed the greatest of practical absurdities. The 
 legislator who should propose the enactment of such a code, 
 would, by universal consent, be esteemed insane. And then 
 reflect upon the number of laws necessary for the govern- 
 ment of the human race. In all civilized countries, a large 
 portion of men, reputed to be preeminent for intelligence, is 
 constantly employed in the labor of legislation; that is, in 
 framing enactments whose object it is to prevent man from 
 doing injury to his neighbor. It is, moreover, found that the 
 greatest practical skill is required in order to construct a law 
 so that it shall not be rendered inoperative by evasion. Even 
 such skill can but imperfectly, and for a short period, resist 
 the pressure of human selfishness. The most perfect rule 
 that man could devise for to-day, would," in a few years, need 
 addition, alteration, or amendment, in order to protect the 
 innocent from modes of injury which, at the beginning, would 
 never have been dreamed of. Hence, in every country which 
 has made any considerable progress in civilization, laws and 
 commentaries upon them, form, of themselves, libraries of 
 appalling magnitude. The laws, for instance, of Great 
 Britain constitute, of themselves, the study of a lifetime. 
 And yet, even these are insufficient to prevent an extent of 
 crime which we cannot look upon without dismay. These 
 laws are enforced by the severest punishments ; and yet 
 prisons and penitentiaries are crowded, transport ships are 
 7* 
 
78 MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO MAN. 
 
 loaded, the gallows groans under its sad burden ; yet crime 
 increases, though not one out of ten who deserve it, ever comes 
 within the reach of the officer of justice. 
 
 In addition to this, consider the talent that is daily employed 
 in the administration of the law. Judges, jurors, counsellors, 
 and executive officers, are laboring incessantly throughout the 
 length and breadth of the land. They toil on without inter- 
 mission ; but the burden, like the stone of Sisyphus, returns 
 upon them, year after year, with redoubled weight. The phi- 
 lanthropist and the Christian aid the efforts of the legislator by 
 all the eloquence of love. Education is scattered broadcast 
 among the people. The pulpit and the Sabbath school unite 
 their energies in the attempt to prevent crime and reform the 
 criminal ; but the work of violence and dishonesty still goes 
 forward. We seem surrounded by a pestilential moral atmos- 
 phere, which cannot be excluded, unless life itself be ex- 
 tinguished. At last, every one but the disciple of Christ, gives 
 up, in despair, the effort to reform the race ; and it is acknowl- 
 edged that unless the moral nature of man can be changed by 
 power from on high, the all-grasping selfishness of the human 
 heart can never be reduced to obedience, to reason, and to 
 conscience. 
 
 Such being the acknowledged facts, I think there can no 
 longer remain any doubt on this subject. The conclusion is 
 pressed upon us on every side, that mankind is guilty of the 
 violation of the second precept of the law as truly as of viola- 
 tion of the first. Such are the truths revealed by our moral his- 
 tory. They belong to that class of general facts which need not 
 be established by argument, but which meet us at once as soon 
 as we open our eyes upon the condition of the world around us. 
 
 It would seem, then, from a review of the facts which we 
 have endeavored to establish, that, in the words of the apostle, 
 all men have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. In- 
 stead of loving God with all his heart, the love of God is not 
 in man ; and, more than this, he is cherishing those moral hab- 
 its which must issue in direct, and intense, and endless enmity 
 
MORAL CHARACTER OF MAN. LOVE TO MAN. 79 
 
 to his Maker. Instead of loving his neighbor as himself, his 
 love to his neighbor easily yields to the demands of selfishness 
 or passion ; and the result has been, that, from the beginning, 
 notwithstanding all the monitions of conscience, and all the 
 restraints of society, the earth has been filled with violence. 
 Mankind must, therefore, plead guilty to the charge of dis- 
 obedience to both of the great commandments of reason and 
 revelation. 
 
 Suppose all this to be so,- and men to enter the unseen 
 world with this very moral character unchangeably rivetted 
 upon them for eternity. They would find themselves at en- 
 mity forever with infinite holiness and goodness, sustained by 
 almighty power and guided by omniscient wisdom. This in 
 itself would create despair, rendered more agonizing by the 
 reproaches of conscience — that worm that dieth not, that fire 
 that cannot be quenched. Nor is this all. They have delib- 
 erately refused to submit to the law of God, and God with- 
 draws and leaves them to a state in which there is no law. 
 They preferred the government of their passions, and God 
 surrenders them to the rule which they have preferred. Sup- 
 pose then, that, intelligent creatures, knowing no law but passion, 
 and each one seeking his own gratification, at the expense of 
 the happiness of all the rest, to be separated, from the other 
 moral creatures of God, and left to the indulgence of uncon- 
 trolled desire. The result must be enmity growing more and 
 more intense and terrific, and this must be forever. 
 
 Such is our condition by nature, and such the destiny for 
 which, if divine grace prevent not, we are preparing. The 
 wages of sin, that which it deserves, and to which it by neces- 
 sity tends, is death. The gift of God, that which proceeds 
 from his boundless and unmerited love, is eternal life, through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
THE FALL OF MAN 
 
 "By one man's disobedience many ^verb made sinners." 
 
 Romans v. 19. 
 
 I HAVE, in previous discourses, attempted to place before 
 you the scriptural account of the moral character of man. 
 The question here naturally arises. How could a race of 
 sinners have been created by a holy and most merciful God ? 
 The answer to this question is contained, in part, in the words 
 of the text. By one man's disobedience many, or " the many," 
 became sinnei-s. That is, the Scriptures teach us that the 
 race of man was created upright, that our first parents sinned, 
 and that, in consequence of that sin, their descendants are 
 found to be universally depraved. My object, in the present 
 discourse, is simply to present the statement of the Scriptures 
 on this subject, and to consider some of the objections that have 
 been urged against it.. 
 
 1. The Bible asserts that God created our first parents per- 
 fect. " God created man in his own image ; in the image of 
 God created he him. And God saw every thing that he had 
 made, and behold it was very good." By this 1 understand 
 that God created man with a perfect moi*al nature, such that 
 every impulse and affection was in harmony with the relations 
 in which he was placed. But man was endowed with the 
 gift of free agency. He had the same power to disobey the 
 law of God as to obey it. Without such power he could have 
 l>een neither virtuous nor vicious. The consequences of obedi- 
 
THE FALL OF MAN. 81 
 
 cnce and disobedience were placed before him, and thus his 
 destiny was left in his own hands. 
 
 2. It pleased God, at an early period in the history of man, 
 to place before him a trial of his obedience. " And the Lord 
 God commanded man, saying. Of every tree of the garden thou 
 mayest freely eat ; but of the tree of knowledge of good and 
 evil thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest 
 thereof thou shalt surely die." Whether this narrative be 
 understood literally or figuratively, its lesson is precisely the 
 same. It teaches the all-important truth, that there is a moral 
 limit affixed to the gratification of human desires ; that under 
 our present constitution, we have the power to enjoy objects 
 which God has forbidden, and to pursue the gratifications 
 which he has allowed, beyond the limit which he has assigned ; 
 and that the perfect subjection of all our desires to the holy 
 will of God is made the test of our moral character, and the 
 universal means of our improvement in virtue. This is my 
 interpretation of this history. I look simply at the moral 
 lesson which it teaches. The drapery with which it is clothed 
 is a matter of inferior consequence. 
 
 3. The Scriptures proceed to inform us, that our first parents 
 were tempted by Satan to disobey the plain commands of God. 
 " The woman said unto the serpent, VVe may eat of the fruit 
 of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is 
 in the midst of the garden, God hath said. Ye shall not eat of 
 it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent 
 said unto the woman. Ye shall not surely die ; for God doth 
 know, that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall 
 be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing both good and 
 evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for 
 food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be 
 desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and 
 did eat, and gave also to her husband, and he did eat." 
 
 How other men may look upon this narrative, I know not. 
 To me it presents a perfect analysis of every act of sin against 
 God. In the first place, there is a conviction, more or less 
 
82 THE FALL OF MAN. 
 
 distinct, that the act is a violation of the known will of 
 God. Then there is a dallying with temptation, and a contem- 
 plation of the pleasure which we may enjoy by sin. This is 
 succeeded by obtuseness of conscience and the hope that the 
 desire may be indulged, and yet the consequences which God 
 has threatened be averted. Then follows an intenser desire 
 for pleasure, the power of passion waxes stronger, and the 
 power of conscience waxes weaker. At length, the balance 
 between these opposing forces is destroyed, the will consents, 
 the act is done, the sin is committed. I do not know that the 
 literature of our race presents a more accurate account of the 
 process of wilful transgression than is here recorded in the 
 first pages of our history. They speak a language that finds a 
 response in every human bosom. 
 
 4. This one act changes at once the moral condition of the 
 creature. It is not merely a sin, — it is a fall, a fall into a 
 fathomless abyss. It is a victory of the passions over the con- 
 science, a defeat that can never be retrieved. It is a declara- 
 tion of rebellion against God, a deliberate preference of the 
 pleasures of sense to the favor of our Father who is in heaven. 
 With the change of the object of his supreme affection, the 
 man himself is radically changed. God, who is unchangeably 
 opposed to this new choice of the creature, ceases to be lovely 
 and adorable in his eyes. Henceforth, he becomes an object 
 of suspicion and dread. Adam and his wife hid themselves 
 from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden, 
 just as their children ever since have endeavored to hide them- 
 selves from the gaze of omniscience. Instead of confessing 
 their sin, they strove to impute their guilt to each other. 
 Henceforth all their character becomes tinged with moral 
 corruption. 
 
 5. After this, the Scriptures always speak of the race of 
 man as corrupt and sinful. The first-born of our common 
 parents was the murderer of his brother. Soon " God saw that 
 the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that 
 every imaginat'.on of the thought of his heart was wholly evil 
 
THE FALL OF MAN. 83 
 
 continually." Throughout the volume of inspiration man is 
 every where spoken of as morally depraved, a sinner against 
 God, and, in consequence of this sin, under the condemnation 
 of his most holy law. 
 
 But the Scriptures go farther. Unless I wholly mistake their 
 meaning, they assert that there is a definite connection between 
 this sin and the consequent sinful character of our first parents, 
 and the sinful character of their posterity. By one man's 
 disobedience, the many were made sinners. " By one man, sin 
 entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed 
 upon all men, in that all have sinned." The Bible, however, 
 does not assert that we committed Adam's sui, or that we are 
 guilty of Adam's sin, or that we shall be punished for it, or 
 that we had any part or participation in it. It, on the con- 
 trary, declares that every man shall be judged for what he has 
 himself done. Every man shall give an account of himself 
 to God. But the Bible does, nevertheless, inform us that such 
 a connection exists between us and our first parents ; that we 
 become sinners in consequence of their transgression. Of the 
 manner of this connection, it gives us but little information ; yet 
 some important light may possibly be discovered if we dili- 
 gently reflect upon the truth which has been revealed to us. 
 
 Such is a brief statement of the doctrines of the Scriptures 
 on this subject. Are they in any respect at variance with 
 right reason ? Is there in them a single assertion repugnant to 
 the human intelligence and conscience ? To these questions 
 let us now direct our attention. 
 
 The substance of the Scripture statements may be, I think, 
 expressed briefly as follows : — 
 
 I. Our first parents were created free agents, that is, moral 
 intelligences. 
 
 II. They were placed under circumstances in which their 
 virtue was subjected to trial. 
 
 III. By the constitution under which our race was created, 
 the conditions of our probation were so interwoven with theirs, 
 that, if thev became sinful, we should become sinful also. 
 
84 
 
 THE FALL OF MAN. 
 
 Let us briefly consider each of these statements, for the 
 purpose of inquiring whether in eitlier or all of them there is 
 any thing revoking to an enlightened conscience, or at variance 
 with the moral attributes of God. 
 
 I. Can any objection be urged against the truth that our first 
 parents, and all the race of man, have been created free agents, 
 that is, moral and accountable beings ? 
 
 I might here observe, that the doctrine of man's free 
 agency is not a doctrine of revealed religion, or, in fact, of 
 religion at all. It is the simple dictate of the human con- 
 sciousness. To object to it is just the same absurdity as to 
 complain because God has given us hands or feet, a heart or a 
 brain, or a reasoning soul ; it is, in fact, to revile the great 
 Giver on account of his gifts. 
 
 But, farther : a moral agent differs from a brute mainly in 
 this — that he is capable of distinguishing right from wrong, 
 and of choosing freely between them ; that he is capable of 
 deserving moral praise and blame, and is held responsible for 
 his actions before the tribunal of a righteous and all-seeing 
 Judge. Brutes are endowed with none of these powers, and 
 are charged with none of this responsibleness. 
 
 Now, can any one impugn either the justice or the goodness 
 of God, because we, and all the orders of higher intelligences, 
 were not created brutes ? Would it have been more consistent 
 with the perfections of the Holy One to fill creation witli beings 
 unable either to admire or adore his goodness, who could nei- 
 ther love him or be loved by him, who were, by the necessity of 
 their existence, incapable of virtue — sensual, irrational, brutish 
 Or would it be good or wise for the Deity at this moment to 
 withdrav/ from all created inteUigences the gift of moral 
 agency, and transform men and angels, cherubim and sera- 
 phim, into brutes that perish.? Should we desire that ourselves 
 or our friends should become oxen of the stall or swine of the 
 sty ? We cannot, then, make any objection to the goodness 
 of God because he has created us and other of our fellow- 
 creatures moral agents. 
 
THE FALL OF MAN. 85 
 
 But, in this veiy idea of moral agency, there is involved, as 
 we have already intimated, the power of choice, the absolute 
 freedom of the will. When the good and evil are set before 
 us, we must be left entirely free to choose and to refuse^ or 
 there could be no moral desert, and we could not justly be the 
 subjects either of reward or of punishment. To the truth of 
 this every man's consciousness bears witness. We do not feel 
 deserving of either praise or blame for' the pulsations of the 
 heart or the heaving of the lungs, or for being either hungry or 
 thirsty, but only for those acts which we know to be dependent 
 on our own volitions. As soon as an act is placed beyond our 
 own control, we disclaim all responsiblity both for it and its 
 results. 
 
 Again : I think that our notion of moral agency involves the 
 additional idea that there are certain limits established beyond 
 which the Deity does not interfere with the actions of his 
 creatures. If he have conferred upon him the power of free 
 choice, he does not interfere with that power, nor retract the 
 gift which he has bestowed. He places before men motives, 
 and leaves them free to act, in view of them, as they will. 
 Having created a man or an angel, he ever treats him as a 
 man or an angel, and neither as a brute nor a stone. Hence, 
 if God have created man free, and fixed the just limits beyond 
 which he will not interfere with his actions, the Deity is not 
 responsible for the result. An invaluable source of happiness 
 is placed in the power of the creature, and he is at liberty to 
 use or to abuse it. Let him do either, the character of the 
 Most High is unsullied.* 
 
 Is it said that thus far the exercise of this power has been 
 productive of misery, rather than happiness, inasmuch as our 
 whole race has abused it ? I answer, this world occupies an 
 
 * I do not here bring into view the doctrine of the agency of the 
 Holy Spirit. This is a free gift, the resvilt of the mediation of Christ, 
 to which we could lay no claim, and which, under a system of law, 
 has no place. Besides, even this agency is exerted in perfect har- 
 mony with the free agency of man. 
 8 
 
86 THE FALL OF MAN. 
 
 almost infinitely small space in the whole universe of God 
 It may be that this is the only spot, in the whole creation, in 
 which this constitution has produced any thing but happiness. 
 Incomparably the greatest portion of the creation we believe 
 to be holy and happy ; and wherever there are holiness and 
 happiness, they are the result of this very gift of moral agen- 
 cy. It is this which has filled heaven with myriads of spirits, 
 who have passed through their probation without sin, and are 
 now rejoicing before the throne, clothed in a holiness that 
 cannot be sullied. Let us, then, learn to look upon the ways 
 of God with humility ; and, least of all, let us speak lightly 
 of that endowment by which we become specially allied to 
 the divine nature. 
 
 II. If, then, it was just and merciful in God to create a 
 race of moral intelligences, was there any thing at variance 
 with his perfections in the circumstances in which our first 
 parents were placed ? 
 
 They were created innocent, in the image of God. 
 
 They were endowed with moral powers capable of appre- 
 ciating their obligations to the Creator, and an intellect by 
 which they became aware of the consequences of their 
 actions. All the conditions which were necessary to influ- 
 ence their decision, were within the sphere of their vision, 
 and they were endowed with the unrestrained liberty of 
 choice. 
 
 The trial to which they were subjected was by no means 
 unreasonable for beings thus endowed. The preponderance 
 of motives was such as might naturally be expected to lead 
 them to choose the path to virtue and happiness. The word 
 of the tempter was set against the word of the Creator. A 
 momentary sensual gratification was opposed to the displeas- 
 ure of the eternal Father. The finite was put in comparison 
 with the infinite. It was under such circumstances thart man 
 was required to hold fast his integrity during the brief period 
 of his probation, with the promise, if he were found faithful, 
 of immortal felicity. More favorable conditions of probation 
 
THE FALL OF MAN. 87 
 
 can scarcely be conceived. If there must be a moral trial, 
 it could not take place under more favorable auspices. 
 
 Still, it is to be remembered that the result is left depend- 
 ent upon man's free will. After all, he is, and from the 
 necessity of his nature he must be, liable to sin. He may act 
 in opposition to every noble and generous motive, and yield 
 himself up to the seductions of sense. Unless there existed 
 this liability, he would be as incapable of virtue as of vice. 
 
 Do you ask me how a being so constituted and so con- 
 ditioned could ever sin ? This question can be answered in 
 no other manner than by an appeal to the observation and 
 consciousness of every man. Why is it that we see such 
 things done every day ? And why is it that every thoughtful 
 man feels himself liable continually to just such moral 
 disasters ? Why is it that men, by a single vicious indulgence, 
 or the gratification of a single unholy desire, cover them- 
 selves with infamy ? Why is it that men, perfectly convinced 
 of the truth of the gospel, reject the offer of salvation, and 
 prefer those very sensual pleasures which they confess are 
 empty, vain, and absolutely despicable ? Can^ any man tell 
 us why such things should be .? And yet, every one knows 
 them to be matters of daily occurrence. 
 
 If, then, any one will calmly consider these facts, I think 
 that he will be persuaded that the conditions of probation, 
 under which our first parents were placed, were eminently 
 favorable. In all this there seems nothing at variance with 
 the perfections of God. 
 
 III. But an important question yet remains to be considered. 
 The Scriptures teach us that the conditions of our probation 
 were affected by the conduct of our first parents. " By one 
 man's disobedience, many were made sinners." It is said that 
 such a constitution is inconsistent with the justice of God. 
 
 Suffer me here to repeat what I have before asserted. The 
 Scriptures never assert that we are guilty of the sin of Adam, 
 or that we are punished for it. They every where declare 
 that every man is guilty simply of his own voluntary trans- 
 
88 
 
 THE FALL OF MAN. 
 
 gressions of the law, and that the guilt of every man is to be 
 estimated by the degree of moral light which he has volun- 
 tarily resisted. Every man is thus held responsible for just 
 so much moral illumination as he has enjoyed, and no more. 
 Nothing, surely, can be more equitable than this. 
 
 What, then, is it that the Scriptures assert respecting the 
 connection between us and our first parents.? To me it 
 seems to be simply this : If they had kept the law, of God 
 perfectly, their children would have passed through their pro- 
 bation under more favorable circumstances than themselves ; 
 and thus, through successive generations, the conditions of 
 man's probation would have become more and more favorable. 
 If they disobeyed God, the conditions of the probation of 
 their children would be less favorable than their own ; and it 
 would, through successive generations, become less and less 
 favorable. In the one case, there would be created a ten- 
 dency to holiness, and in the other, a tendency to sin, each 
 growing stronger as long as the succession continued. In 
 both cases, however, it is to be remembered that the moral 
 character of each individual is subject to the power of his 
 own free will.* 
 
 Now, I think it obvious that there is no practical injustice 
 in such a constitution as this. It is manifestly the fact that 
 our subsequent condition depends upon our present acts. He 
 who does a conspicuously good or evil act, feels its conse- 
 quences ever afterwards. If, then, our good or evil condition 
 is made to depend upon the act of another, and if the cir- 
 cumstances, in which the trial was made, were decidedly in 
 his favor, as well as ours, there seems no practical injustice 
 in making the trial in his person instead of our own. We 
 
 * I wish, it to be remembered, that I here speak of this tendency 
 as a fact, without discussing the manner in which it is produced. 
 On this subject, various opinions have been held by theologians, 
 some believing in a physical change ; others, in a spiritual bias ; others, 
 again, in the power of external circumstances. Into this controversy 
 it did not suit my purpose, in this place, to enter. 
 
THE FALL OF MAN. 89 
 
 should have realized the benefit if he had acted worthily, as 
 we suffer the injury from his acting unworthily. 
 
 But the question still returns, Why was such a constitution 
 established ? Why were moral agents so connected in des- 
 tiny with those who have gone before them ? or, in other 
 words. Why is our probation rendered either more or less 
 favorable in consequence of actions in which we had no 
 agency ? 
 
 I answer. This is a universal principle of the divine gov- 
 ernment, and we never object to it except in this particular 
 instance. 
 
 Who of us is ignorant of the fact, that the conditions of 
 his probation have been influenced most materially by the 
 character of his parents ? Their virtue, their self-denial, 
 their example, has given you a position which, under oppo- 
 site circumstances, you never cou4d have held. Had your 
 parents been dishonest, intemperate, degraded, would not 
 your condition have been far less favorable than it is .? I do 
 not say that in either case your destiny would have been 
 taken out of your own hands ; I only say that the circum- 
 stances which I have mentioned, would have rendered the 
 conditions of your probation either more or less favorable. 
 But what had you to do with their character or actions ? 
 Manifestly no more than you had with the character or 
 actions of Adam. 
 
 Again : let any man cast his eyes over our beloved country. 
 Let him survey its fields loaded with harvests, its villages 
 resounding with the hum of industry, its harbors crowded with 
 shipping, and its cities becoming the markets of the world, and 
 every where the rights of person and property protected by 
 equal laws, and still more by a moral sentiment which has 
 become a part of our social nature. Let him enter the family, 
 and observe how closely virtue clings to the domestic hearth, 
 and how strongly filial and parental affection bind together 
 the members of the same household. Let him enter our 
 schools, academies, and colleges, and take notice that the door 
 8* 
 
90 
 
 THE FALL OF MAN. 
 
 is thrown wide open to intellectual improvement, and that fa- 
 cilities in abundance are every where afforded for the cultiva- 
 tion of meritorious talent. Let him frequent the house of God, 
 and observe in what manner, throughout our land, every man 
 is engaged in the worship of his Creator according to the dic- 
 tates of his own conscience ; that the Bible is found in every 
 house, and that the Sabbath school and the Bible class are 
 instilling its blessed truth into minds of those of every age and 
 of every condition. Having observed all this, let us ask why 
 is it that our probation has been granted to us under circum- 
 stances so favorable to moral improvement, and from the mil- 
 lions of New England there will arise but one answer, — we 
 owe it all to the piety, the intelligence, the earnest faith, and 
 the self-denying energy, of our Puritan forefathers. But what 
 had you or 1 to do with the character or actions of the Puri- 
 tans ? Nothing. Yet it is owing to that character and those 
 actions that our probation is passed under circumstances so 
 eminently favorable. 
 
 The illustrations of this principle are innumerable, for its 
 application is universal. Our probation has been materially 
 affected by the printing press. But what had we to do with the 
 invention of the printing press? The present age derives 
 innumerable blessings from the invention of the mariner's 
 compass. But who of us had any agency in the invention of 
 the mariner's compass ? We all enjoy the advantages result- 
 ing from the invention of the steam-engine. But what agency 
 had any one living in the labors of the marquis of Worcester, 
 of Watt, or of Fulton ? In fact, the conditions of our proba- 
 tion, in instances that defy enumeration, are materially af- 
 fected by the acts of those who have preceded us, while with 
 these acts we have no more connection than with that act of 
 our first parents by which we became sinners. 
 
 Such, then, is the law of our constitution. It is manifestly a 
 merciful law. On it alone depends our capability of social 
 progress. Abolish it, and every generation of men, without 
 advancing a single step, would stand immovably fixed in the 
 
THE FALL OF MAN. 91 
 
 footprints of that which preceded it. Advancement in the arts 
 and sciences, in weahh, power, and civilization, would l)e 
 impossible. All our relations both with the past and the future 
 would cease. History would become an unmeaning word. 
 Society would be dissolved, and every human being become 
 an isolated and solitary unit. ' Let it once be granted that no 
 man's condition shall be affected by the actions of any other 
 being, and the whole constitution under which we exist must 
 be abolished ; and in what manner a better one could be 
 established the objector himself must inform us. 
 
 Such, at all events, is the law under which we are created. 
 It seems to me a good and merciful law, absolutely necessary 
 to our social and individual well-being. But you will observe 
 that the conditions under which we were made sinners are 
 only a particular instance under this general law. If, then, 
 the law be wise, and good, and merciful, absolutely necessary 
 to our well-being, why should we object to it in this particular 
 instance ? 
 
 Here, however, let me recur again to the distinction which 
 I would ever bear in mind. We are not either virtuous oi 
 happy simply because those who went before us were so. 
 We are not either ignorant, vicious, or miserable, simply in 
 consequence of the character of our ancestors. The law of 
 which I speak merely asserts that our condition for becoming 
 either the one or the other is more or less favorable in conse- 
 quence of the acts and character of those who have preceded 
 us. Every individual is still free to resist or conform to the 
 tendencies by which he is surrounded. Our free agency is in 
 neither case either destroyed or even affected. The New 
 Englander is just as free to choose as the Hottentot. The 
 descendant of the Puritans may resist all the influences that 
 v/ould train him to virtue, and become preeminently vile, while 
 an example of virtue that shall attract the admiration of the 
 world, may be produced on the banks of the Amazon, in the 
 deserts of South Africa, or among the islands of the Pacific. 
 The conditions of our probation alone are affected by this law ; 
 
92 THE FALL OF MAN. 
 
 our own chai-acter remains by necessity dependent upon our 
 own free will. 
 
 Such, then, as it seems to me, is the explanation which the 
 Bible offers of the acknowledged fact of man's universal sin- 
 fulness. It teaches us that God created man innocent. He, 
 however, created him a moral agent, and placed him on earth 
 to form a character for eternity under circumstances as favor- 
 able as could be conceived for attaining to everlasting life by 
 his own obedience ; and he established a constitution by which 
 the conditions of the probation of those who should succeed 
 should be rendered either more or less favorable by the acts 
 and character of those who preceded them. Under these cir- 
 cumstances our first parents sinned ; and the conditions of our 
 probation are rendered less favorable than theirs at the begin- 
 ning ; less favorable, indeed, to such a degree, that every one 
 of us, as soon as he becomes capable of moral action, becomes 
 a sinner. 
 
 It may, however, be asked. Why did not the Deity, by some 
 merciful agency, so influence man that his fall might have 
 been prevented ? To this I know not that any answer can be 
 returned. It is not to be expected that we shall be able to 
 fathom the depths of the wisdom and goodness of the Eternal. 
 It may be that this could not have been done without infringing 
 upon the limits of the free agency with which he has endowed 
 us. It evidently did not originate in any want of love to man. 
 The same page that records the history of our fall and the 
 sentence of our condemnation, reveals to us the wonderful fact 
 that " God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten 
 Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but 
 have everlasting life." " He that spared not his own Son, but 
 delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely 
 give us all things ? " Here, surely, a devout mind may rest 
 satisfied. 
 
 What, then, in conclusion, are the practical reflections that 
 this discussion should bring home to the bosom of every 
 individual ? 
 
THE FALL OF MAN. 93 
 
 1. While I have been speaking of the probation of Adam, 
 has it not occurred to every one of you that his condition and 
 ours are similar in more respects than we had at first supposed ? 
 The law of God, the free agency of man, the nature of 
 temptation, and the motives to holiness, are the same in the 
 circumstances of both. One all-important fact alone distin- 
 guishes the character of his probation from oui*s. Under the 
 dispensation of law, to which he was amenable, one sin was 
 decisive of his destiny. To us, under the dispensation of the 
 gospel, a way of salvation is revealed which extends the hope 
 of eternal life throughout the whole period of our probation. 
 No matter how much we have sinned, — we have a High Priest 
 who is able to save even to the uttermost. " He that believeth 
 on the Son hath everlasting life." It is under such merciful 
 conditions that we are now passing our probation. 
 
 2. How infinitely momentous is the condition of an immor- 
 tal being endowed with the gift of free will ! The good and 
 the evil are set before him. Eternal life and eternal death are 
 both placed within his reach, and, as he puts forth his hand 
 either to the one or to the other, he seals his destiny forever. 
 Such is the condition of every child of Adam. When we 
 urge you to seek the salvation of your souls, to turn from the 
 love of the world to the love of God, to become new creatures 
 in Christ Jesus, we know that the weight of this solemn re- 
 sponsibility rests upon each one of you. Let each one of us 
 bring this thought home to his own heart, and cherish it there 
 until it bring forth its legitimate results. A being thus situ- 
 ated has no right to trifle with himself. Procrastination under 
 such circumstances, when our probation may close at any 
 moment, is suicide far worse than madness. Be not, I pray 
 you, guilty of such wickedness. Arouse yourselves to a true 
 conception of your condition, your responsibility, and your 
 infinite destiny. Say not, " Go thy way for this time ; when 
 I hjive a convenient season, I will call for thee. " " Behold, 
 now is the accepted time ; behold, now is the day of salva- 
 tion." 
 
JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS 
 IMPOSSIBLE. 
 
 "Therefore by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh 
 be justified in his sight." 
 
 Romans iii. 20. 
 
 * 
 
 These words express the conclusion at which the apostle 
 arrives after a full investigation into the character and condi- 
 tion of man. 
 
 In the previous portion of his Epistle, he had exposed the 
 universal and intense sinfulness both of the Jews and Gen- 
 tiles, and the utter inexcusableness of both, inasmuch as all 
 had sinned against clear and adequate light. He sums up the 
 argument in the words of the text — " Therefore by the deeds 
 of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight ; for by 
 the law is the knowledge of sin." 
 
 By the term " deeds of the law," we are to understand 
 those deeds which the law commands. By " flesh " is meant 
 human nature, the whole race of man. The word "justified" 
 is susceptible of two meanings. It may indicate that he who is 
 accused is declared innocent of crime, " rectus in curia,'''' as 
 by a judicial tribunal, when he has been proved guilty of no 
 wrong. Secondly, it may mean, to be treated as though he 
 were just, although he be not innocent ; as, for instance, when 
 a man is freely pardoned, all proceedings against him being 
 quashed, and he is restored to the standing of a just man. . It 
 is in this sense that the word is used, when men, who by 
 acknowledgment are guilty, are declared to be justified by 
 
JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS IMPOSSIBLE. 95 
 
 faith. The text evidently uses the word in the former of these 
 two significations. It speaks of justification through the deeds 
 of the law, that is, through the doing of those deeds which the 
 law requires. If a man does all that the law requires, he may 
 manifestly plead the law in justification. He may demand 
 that it declare him innocent on his own merits. It can have 
 no further demand upon him, and he is as free of it as though 
 it had never existed. The assertion of the text, then, is, that 
 our whole race, and, of course, every individual of it, is inca- 
 pable of ever being justified on the ground of havmg kept the 
 requirements of the moral law of God. 
 
 This assertion of the apostle may be easily illustrated by a 
 brief reference to some of those declarations of the Scriptures 
 which we have previously considered. 
 
 1. The Bible declares that the moral law, under which we 
 have been created, commands us to love the Lord our God 
 with all our heart, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. This, 
 as we have reason to suppose, is the law which is extended 
 over the whole moral universe. Sin is the transgression of this 
 law. The wages of sin — that is, what it deserves — is death. 
 Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, are upon every 
 soul of man that doeth evil. This law is declared to be holy 
 and just, and good; that is, in perfect harmony with the 
 attributes of the most high God. 
 
 2. The Scriptures assert that man is destitute of that love 
 which the law of God requires ; and that, in the place of it, 
 he cherishes a spirit of enmity to his Maker. " I know you," 
 saith Christ, '• that ye have not the love of God in you." We 
 do not like to retain God in our knowledge. Nay, more : " the 
 carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the 
 law of God, neither indeed can be." Instead of being filled 
 with the love of man, we are declared to be filled with envy, 
 deceit, malignity, and every evil passion." The constitution of 
 civil society every where proceeds upon the assumption that 
 men are selfish, faithless, violent, and cruel, and laws are 
 every where made to counteract these hateful tendencies. 
 
96 JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS IMPOSSIBLE. 
 
 3. The Scriptures go farther, and reveal to us our moral 
 condition with still greater precision. They teach us that the 
 conditions of our probation were made contingent upon the 
 obedience or disobedience of our first parents. They diso- 
 beyed God, and their character became sinful. The condi- 
 tions of our probation became thus less favorable, so that we 
 find man every where a sinner as soon as he begins to act 
 under moral responsibility. Thus we see that sin is not an 
 accident to which a part of mankind are exposed, but a uni- 
 versal fact in human nature. " By one man, sin entered into 
 the world, and death by sin, and so death has passed upon all 
 men, in that all have sinned." 
 
 Such are the declarations of Scripture, and to the truth of 
 them our own consciousness bears undoubted testimony. As 
 soon as any one of us begins to compare himself with the 
 law under which he is created, or even with the imperfect 
 moral standard held forth by his own conscience, he ac- 
 knowledges himself a sinner, coming short of the praise of 
 God. Nor does any one find himself alone in this condition. 
 He is surrounded by just such beings, an inhabitant of a world 
 lying in wickedness. Examples of sin abound on every side. 
 Men find their passions too powerful for the control of con- 
 science ; they are led captive by sin, and are clearly destitute 
 of those affections which are justly required of us by our 
 Father who is in heaven. So deeply rooted is the conviction 
 of our universal sinfulness, that if a man, in any age or coun- 
 try, should believe himself entirely free from sin, we should 
 either look upon him as a superhuman being, or else, by uni- 
 vereal consent, pronounce him insane. 
 
 And, if any man entertain any remaining doubt on this 
 subject, we would suggest a single practical test, by which he 
 m.ay easily satisfy himself Let him reflect upon the character 
 of God, and our relations and obligations to him, as they 
 are revealed in the Scriptures, or even indicated by natural 
 religion. Let him form some conception of the love, the ven- 
 eration, the obedience, which such a creature should exercise 
 
JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS IMPOSSIBLE. 97 
 
 towards such a Creator, and then let him honestly make tlie 
 attempt to exercise these affections. Let him retire from the 
 business of the world, enter his closet, and hold with his 
 Creator such communion as is meet for a child of the dust to 
 hold with his Father in heaven ; and let him maintain this 
 temper through life. Let any man fairly make this experi- 
 ment, and I think he will have but little reason to entertain a 
 doubt respecting the moral character of his heart. With the 
 apostle, he will exclaim in despair, " The law is holy, but 1 am 
 carnal, sold under sin." 
 
 Now, such being the statements of the Scriptures respecting 
 the law of God and the moral characjter of man, the conclusion 
 in the text is irresistible. The law requires that he love God 
 with all his heart. How can it declare him guiltless, when he 
 has not the love of God in him, much less when his mind is at 
 enmity with God ? The law declares that the wages, the equi- 
 table desert of sin, is death. How can it, in the same breath, 
 declare him, who is by acknowledgment a sinner, innocent, 
 and therefore deserving of eternal life ? You see that these 
 two assertions are absolute contradictions. If the law justly 
 require us to love God with all our heart, and we are at 
 enmity with him, we must be under condemnation. In this 
 direction, then, there is no possibility of escape. Every 
 mouth must be stopped, and the whole world lie guilty 
 before God. 
 
 So much as this, I think, has, with different degrees of dis- 
 tinctness, been very generally conceded. Men, both pagan 
 and Christian, confess themselves sinners, if they admit a single 
 moral principle. Hence the universality of the feeling of 
 human guiltiness, and the dread of the judgments of God, as 
 the desert of transgression. But here the question arises — Are 
 there not some means in our power by which we may make 
 reparation for our sins, so that, although we are guilty, we may 
 yet, by our own doings, escape the condemnation to which we 
 are exposed ?■ Since we cannot be justified on the ground of 
 innocence, may we not by our own merits, or sacrifices, 
 9 
 
98 JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS I3IP0SSiBLE. 
 
 present a claim to be treated as jnst, and thus inherit ever- 
 lasting life ? 
 
 This question, from the beginning, has deeply agitated the 
 human soul. The confession of sinfulness is the unbidden 
 utterance of every man's conscience. The agitated spirit was 
 hence impelled to devise some means by which the conscious- 
 ness of guilt might be removed and the fear of retribution 
 allayed. The first expedient, which seems universally to have 
 suggested itself, was the offering of expiatory victims. Hence, 
 among the fathers of our race, sacrifices were numbered among 
 the duties of almost daily observance. Thus Abel offered to God 
 of the firstlings of his flocks. Job, when his children had been 
 feasting, offered a sacrifice for each one of them. Abraham, 
 wherever he pitched his tent in his pastoral migrations, builded 
 an altar, and offered upon it a victim. Thus, when, by the 
 command of God, the Jewish theocracy was established, almost 
 all things were purified with blood, and without the shedding 
 of blood there was no remission. Morning and evening the 
 sacrifice smoked upon the altar for the daily offences of the 
 people, while the trespass of every individual was acknowl- 
 edged by an expiatory offering. The idea shadowed forth in 
 all these observances was the same. The worshipper acknowl- 
 edged that he was a sinner. He offered, as a victim, the most 
 valuable thing that he possessed, in the place of himself, in the 
 hope that the Deity would accept of the substitute, and that the 
 wrath which he had incurred might be appeased by the immo- 
 lation of a brute. 
 
 This idea, however, was by no means confined to the 
 children of Abraham. It seems to have been as universal 
 as our race itself. You all remember the hecatomb offered 
 by the Greeks, when they desired to appease the wrath of 
 Apollo whose priest, Agamemnon, their king, had insulted ; and 
 throughout the whole range of classical poetry, from the epic 
 of Homer to the lyrics of Horace, nothing more frequently 
 meets us than allusions to sacrifices intended to render placa- 
 ble the gods when offended by the past, or to propitiate their 
 
JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS IMPOSSIBLE. 99 
 
 favor when their aid was deemed specially needful for the 
 future. Jupiter, Apollo, Bacchus, Juno, Minerva, and Mars, 
 had each his appropriate offerings and appointed priesthood, 
 and each was worshipped with mingled feelings of doubt or 
 confidence, and, it may possibly be, in some cases, with some 
 imperfect sentiment of solemn adoration. 
 
 But this feeling of the human heart did not even thus exhaust 
 itself. On occasions of more than usual solemnity, and in 
 times of unwonted emergency, even human victims were 
 sometimes offered up. Such was the case in seasons of 
 wasting pestilence, always supposed to be an indication of the 
 divine displeasure. Sometimes a captive, taken in battle, was 
 deemed a sufficient atonement. At other times, the choicest 
 specimen of humanity that the nation could select was doomed 
 to bleed upon the altar. Thus the history of the early age of 
 the Hebrew commonwealth records the sad narrative of the 
 sacrifice of Jephtha's daughter ; and Grecian tragedy has select- 
 ed for one of its most affecting representations the intended 
 offering up of Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon. 
 
 But such an expedient as this inevitably loses its efficacy as 
 soon as man listens to the voice of his own consciousness. 
 He then feels that guilt is a personal thing, an affection of the 
 spirit, and that he himself is a sinner. It is he, in his own 
 person, that must answer at the bar of offended justice. Guilt 
 cannot be transferred to a brute, nor can it at will be laid upon 
 the conscience of another. The brute has no moral life ; it 
 can neither keep the law nor break it, and can never assume 
 the responsibility which belongs solely to an immortal spirit. 
 Hence the worshipper returned from the sacrifice unsatisfied 
 and unblessed. The Jew, though performing the rites appointed 
 by the Most High, confessed that h was not possible that the 
 blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin. The pagan 
 retired from the flowing libation and the smokinjjr hecatomb 
 bearing about within him a conscience still burdened with the 
 guilt of unpardoned sin. The controversy between the spirit 
 and its Creator was still unadjusted. The power of sin 
 
100 JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS IMPOSSIBLE. 
 
 remained unbroken within him, and his soul was, as before, 
 self-condemned and despairing. 
 
 And hence it came to pass that, long before the time of 
 Christ, confidence in the whole system of sacrifices was mpidly 
 passing away, before the progress of intellectual culture. I 
 do not say that sacrifices were not offered. Unless this had 
 been done, the nations had sunk into atheism. They had, 
 however, lost all moral power over the minds of thinking 
 men. The educated classes externally conformed to the 
 popular belief for the sake of enforcing upon the common 
 people the notion of a superintending Providence. The com- 
 mon people worshipped as their fathers had worshipped before 
 them. At the era of the introduction of Christianity, the moral 
 efficacy of such sufferings had ceased, and their inability to 
 restore peace to a wounded spirit was universally felt. 
 
 This, however, belongs to a time that has passed away. A 
 reference to it is, however, not without its utility, inasmuch as 
 it reveals to us a universal human sentiment, and illustrates the 
 course of action to which that sentiment so generally led. 
 
 Another view of this subject has been frequently taken by 
 those who have been conscious of the guilt of sin. They have 
 supposed that reparation to the violated law might be made by 
 repentance and reformation. This idea would naturally sug- 
 gest itself to a thoughtful mind, earnestly inquiring for recon- 
 ciliation with God. It has at all times sought to ingraft itself 
 upon Christianity, and thus render needless the atoning sacri- 
 fice of Christ. As the consequences, both theoretical and 
 practical, which result from it, are important, I will examine it 
 with as much care as the remaining time allotted to this dis- 
 course will allow. 
 
 The doctrine in question is, I suppose, essentially this : 
 Although man be a sinner, as the word of God declares him 
 to be, yet, by repentance and reformation, he may make 
 such reparation as will entitle him to be treated as just or 
 innocent ; and thus he may become justified by the works of 
 the law. 
 
JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS IMPOSSIBLE. 101 
 
 Repentance is the temper of mind whicli is appropriate to a 
 moral agent who has done wrong. If a man have violated a 
 good and righteous law, it becomes him to regret his action, to 
 take the blame of it upon himself, to acknowledge the justice 
 of the bw, and submit himself, without reserve, to its enact- 
 ments. He dislikes the act, not on account of the conse- 
 quences which follow it, but on account of its own essential 
 turpitude. 
 
 Repentance towards God is nothing other than the exercise 
 of these tempers of mind in view of our relations to him. 
 We have sinned against him, and violated his holy law. If we 
 repent, we regret our fault sincerely, and without reserve ; we 
 take the blame of our conduct upon ourselves ; we abhor our- 
 selves for our wrong doing, and acknowledge the equity of the 
 law which condemns us. "Against thee, thee only have I 
 sinned and done evil in thy sight, that thou mightest be justi- 
 fied when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest." 
 Now, if I understand the doctrine which we are considering, it 
 declares that he who exercises this temper of mind is thereby 
 justified, and, on this ground, may claim to be treated as 
 though he had been innocent. 
 
 On this subject 1 would offer a few obvious considerations. 
 
 1. If this doctrine be true, it must proceed upon an entire 
 change of the moral law. The law which the Scriptures have 
 revealed is, that the wages of sin is death. This is its equita- 
 ble desert. To declare, however, that if a man repents of his 
 sin, he is entitled to justification, is to introduce another law, 
 and to declare not that sin of itself is deserving of death, but 
 only sin unrepented of. Now, I ask, where do we find the 
 authority for announcing such a law ? Revelation does not 
 teach it. The laws of civil society do not present any analo- 
 gies which would lead us to believe it true. No government 
 on earth could be administered upon this principle. I know 
 well that the Scriptures abundantly promise that he who 
 repents of his sins shall find mercy; but to me they seem 
 with the utmost precision to declare that repentance is not the 
 9* 
 
102 JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS IMPOSSIBLE. 
 
 procuring cause of pardon, and that it can give the offender no 
 claim to the remission of sins. " We are justified freely by 
 Ms grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." 
 " In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the 
 forgiveness of sins." " He hath made him to be sin (a sin- 
 offering) for us, who himself knew no sin, that we might be 
 made the righteousness of God" (righteous in the sight of 
 God) " in him." Pardon for the race of man having thus 
 been made possible by the work of the Messiah, Jt is freely 
 offered to all who will repent and believe in the Lord Jesus 
 Christ. Repentance itself has no power to justify us ; it is 
 only the condition on which the atonement of Christ is made 
 available to the sinner. 
 
 2. This doctrine would, as it seems to me, lead to new 
 views of divine justice. If a sinner can claim justification at 
 the hands of God in virtue of repentance, then there would 
 seem but little distinction to exist between innocence and guilt. 
 He who had kept the whole law without fault, and he who had 
 broken every commandment through life, and at last repented 
 of his sins, would both stand in the same moral condition 
 before God ; both, on the ground of their own doings, being 
 entided to be treated as innocent. Now, if this be true, the 
 desert of sin could not be death, but only of sin unrepented of. 
 Sin repented of, and innocence, would both deserve the same ' 
 treatment. I cannot persuade myself that the Scriptures pre- 
 sent this view of our relations to God. 
 
 3. If this doctrine be true, we should, I think, believe that 
 God himself entertained no moral displeasure against sin, but 
 only against sin unrepented of. The announcement of his 
 law would seem to be, that holiness and sin repented of were 
 equally lovely in his sight, inasmuch as they were by his law 
 entitled to the same reward. The Deity would thus seem to 
 entertain less abhorrence to sin than the penitent himself. 
 The penitent acknowledges that his whole life has been mor- 
 ally loathsome ; that, on account of it, he deserves to suffer the 
 penalty of the law ; while, upon this supposition, God is repre- 
 
JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS IMPOSSIBLE. 103 
 
 sented as assuring him that there is nothing desei-ving of 
 punishment in sin, but only in unrepented sin ; and that now, 
 since he has repented, he may make the same claim to justifi- 
 cation as if he had ever been innocent. I by no means 
 suppose that these sentiments are entertained by those who 
 believe the doctrine in question. I merely assert that these 
 are the consequences to which, as it seems to me, the doctrine 
 by necessity leads. 
 
 And, lastly, were this the law of the divine dispensation, I 
 think that it would defeat its own object ; for, were this the 
 law, repentance would be impossible. 
 
 Repentance can only arise from a conviction of the moral 
 turpitude of sin ; it is an abhorrence of the act purely on 
 account of its moral wrong. But, upon the supposition in 
 question, sin itself is not wrong, or odious in the sight of God, 
 but only sin unrepented of. But, if the act itself be not mor- 
 ally detestable, of what is there for us to repent.'' We are to 
 be peniti.'nt not for the act, but for our impenitence, while 
 penitence itself is impossible, because the act is not in itself 
 worthy of condemnation. 
 
 As soon as we abstract from an act its desert of the 
 displeasure of God, there is no need of any change of mind 
 towards it ; and sorrow for it cannot possibly exist. It may 
 be said that we may be sorry for the consequences ; but then 
 this is not repentance, nor is it at all a moral exercise. To 
 expect that this would justify us, would be to declare that a 
 man should be treated as innocent, as soon as he became 
 afraid of the consequences of his crime. 
 
 To me, then, the Scriptures seem to assert that repentance 
 can offer no atonement for sin. If the law be holy, and just, 
 and good, it is holy, and just, and good, that it be enforced. 
 If a man repent of his sins, this is right, and he shall have 
 the advantage of it ; but under a system of law, this can 
 make no reparation for past transgression. The man con- 
 fesses that the law is just ; but this confession does not rendei 
 It less just. He acknowledges that he deserves to perish : 
 
104 JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS IMPOSSIBLE. 
 
 but this does not alter his desert. He still desei^'es the jus! 
 award of his past guilt. " Therefore, by the deeds of the 
 law can no flesh be justified, for by the law is the knowledge 
 of sin." 
 
 Such seems to me to be the result to which revelation leads 
 us, considered as a system of law. Such was the dispensa- 
 tion under which we were originally created. But the con- 
 ditions of this form of probation were violated originally by 
 our first parents, and they have been violated by their descend- 
 ants ever since. Hence, were there in the Scriptures no 
 other announcement, the Bible would be to us nothing else 
 than a sentence of universal condemnation. But, blessed be 
 God ! it contains something else than condemnation. It is an 
 offer of universal pardon to the race of man, through the 
 mediation of Him who " loved us, and gave himself for us." 
 As the conditions of our first probation were rendered void, 
 and the commandment, which was ordained unto life, was 
 found to be unto death, God provided for us a second proba- 
 tion, established upon better promises. " God so loved the 
 world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever 
 believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 
 This is the great message of eternal love to the lost and 
 perishing race of man. It is in virtue of this atonement, made 
 by the Messiah, that pardon and eternal life are now freely 
 offered to every penitent believer. 
 
 To reveal this great and astonishing truth is the great 
 design of revealed -religion. Natural religion intimated to us 
 our sin, and dimly foreshadowed the doom of our transgres- 
 sion. But from natural religion itself, — merely a system of 
 law, — no news of reconciliation could proceed. It is the 
 gospel of Jesus Christ'alone that brings life and immortality to 
 light. It is by Jesus Christ that we are justified from all 
 things from which we could not be justified by the law of 
 Moses. For the announcement of this great central truth, the 
 whole previous history of our world was one magnificent 
 preparation. For this end, empires arose, flourished, and fell. 
 
JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS IMPOSSIBLE. 105 
 
 To prepare the way for the Desire of all nations, seers fore- 
 saw, and prophets foretold ; "for the testimony to Jesus is the 
 spirit of prophecy." And when the second Adam, he who 
 was thus, by his life and death, to change the terms of our 
 probation, appeared, the blind saw, the lepers were cleansed, 
 the dead were raised, the elements were stilled, and malig- 
 nant spirits were obedient to his all-powerful word. All 
 things, material and spiritual, did homage to him, " the bright- 
 ness of the Father's glory," who had come by himself to 
 purge away our sins. 
 
 Although, then, by the deeds of the law no flesh can be 
 justified, though of ourselves we are helpless and undone, 
 yet we may not despair, " for our help is laid upon one that 
 is mighty," one who is able to save to the uttermost every one 
 that believeth. " This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all 
 acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save 
 sinners." The way of life is just as open to us as the way 
 of death. The blessed message to every one of us is, 
 " Whosoever will, let him come and take of the fountain 
 of the water of life freely." If, then, any of us should finally 
 perish, it will not be because we are sinners, nor because we 
 had ruined ourselves, but, in addition to all this, because wo 
 have rejected the gift of eternal life freely offered to us in the 
 gospel. 
 
PREPARATION POR THE ADVENT OF 
 THE MESSIAH. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 •'"When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son." 
 
 Galatians iv. 4. 
 
 " The world by wisdom knew not God." 
 
 1 Corinthians i. 21. 
 
 The Scriptures, my brethren, distinctly teach us that our 
 race was at the beginning placed under a system of proba- 
 tion ; that the conditions of that probation were not only 
 equitable, but merciful ; that these conditions were violated 
 by our first parents ; and that, in consequence of that event, 
 every one of their descendants has been voluntarily sinful ; 
 and hence, that, by the deeds of the law, — that is, on the 
 ground of our obedience to its precepts, — no flesh can be 
 justified ; but that every one of us is, on account of his own 
 transgressions, justly exposed to its righteous condemnation. 
 
 Viewed in this light alone, nothing can be more appalling 
 than the condition of humanity. We are all sinnei-s. We 
 choose to be sinners. Not liking to retain God in our knowl- 
 edge, we have surrendered ourselves to the dominion of our 
 own passions. We do this in opposition to all the instructions 
 and all the warnings both of nature and revelation. " We 
 know our duty, but we do it not." The moral law, under 
 which we were created, and which, in every act, we have 
 /iolated, is holy, and just, and good ; and therefore it is 
 
PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 107 
 
 unchangeable. Its requirements cannot be abated, nor can its 
 sanctions be abrogated. Supposing, then, that no other terms 
 of probation could be offered to us, the law must take its 
 course, and we must sink without remedy under its unmiti- 
 gated curse. 
 
 Were this all, were we still " under the law," — to use the 
 language of St. Paul, — sad would be the revelation presented 
 to us in the Holy Scriptures. It could do nothing more than 
 make manifest to us the wrath of God " revealed from heaven 
 against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." Like 
 the roll of the prophet Ezekiel, it would be " written within 
 and without with mourning, and lamentation, and woe." It 
 could do nothing more than lift that veil which hides from our 
 view the dwellings of the lost, and bid us listen to the despair- 
 ing blasphemies which ascend without ceasing from the bot- 
 tomless abyss. 
 
 Such would be to our sinful race a revelation of simple 
 law. But, thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift, such 
 is not our hopeless case. God has revealed himself to us, in 
 the gospel of his Son, as a " God forgiving iniquity, transgres- 
 sion, and sin." In infinite mercy he has granted to us a new 
 probation, and has provided for us a new covenant, established 
 upon better promises. To a race by their sin shut out from 
 all hope of eternal life, — " for by the deeds of the law shall no 
 flesh be justified," — he has made the offer of free, full, univer- 
 sal pardon. To men steeped in sin he has made known a 
 way of restoration to purity, holiness, and eternal life. I say 
 restoration^ but this word expresses but a part of the truth, for 
 God has done infinitely more. He has promised to raise those 
 of our race, who accept of the terms of reconciliation freely 
 offered to all, to blessings vastly greater than those which have 
 been lost by our apostasy. " God so loved the world that he 
 gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him 
 should not perish, but have everlasting life." The believer 
 enters heaven, not in the image of the first, but of the second 
 Adam. He pauses not at the outer court of the temple made 
 
 
108 PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 
 
 without hands, but entereth within the veil, " whither tlie fore- 
 runner has for us entered, even Jesus, made a High Priest 
 forever after the order of Melchisedek." 
 
 The great object of the New Testament is to teach us the 
 means by which this change in the conditions of our probation 
 was effected, and the manner in which we may avail ourselves 
 of its advantages. 
 
 But the inquiry will readily suggest itself to every thought- 
 ful mind. Why was not this way of salvation made known to 
 man as soon as he had apostatized ? Why was not the remedy 
 administered as soon as the existence of the disease was dis- 
 covered? I answer. The purpose to redeem our race was 
 formed in the counsels of Eternity. A mysterious intimation 
 was given in the garden of Eden, that though all was lost, yet, 
 in the unfathomable wisdom and mercy of God, all was not 
 irrecoverably lost. " Her seed shall bruise thy head," were the 
 enigmatical words in which were wrapped up the promise of 
 our final victoiy over all the powers of evil. To the parents 
 of our race they must have been but imperfectly understood ; 
 yet they shed down a ray of hope upon the thick darkness 
 which enveloped us. He who uttered them, alone compre- 
 hended the fulness of the blessing which he purposed to con- 
 fer upon our race, and he then commenced, and he has ever 
 since continued, that course of administration which has for 
 its object the regeneration of our world, and the giving unto the 
 Messiah " the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost 
 parts of the earth for his possession." 
 
 Ages now rolled away. A world was drowned by a flood. 
 A second parentage was selected for our race. Empires rose, 
 flourished, declined, and were forgotten. Other empires, to 
 whom even the record of the existence of their predecessors 
 had never been handed down, arose upon their ruins. These 
 again flourished, declined, and were forgotten. Age after age 
 stumbled on in darkness, and, in quick succession, groped their 
 way downward to the regions of despair. Four thousand 
 years had each presented its myriads before the bar of God, 
 
PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 109 
 
 and yet the destiny of our race, to all but an insignificant 
 tribe, remained shrouded in impenetrable darkness. Sages 
 and philosophers had looked on every side for light, but still 
 they gazed upon nothing but starless midnight. At length 
 " the morning star took his station over the stable of Bethle- 
 hem." The day dawned. The Sun of righteousness arose 
 with healing in his beams, and discovered to an astonished 
 world the gates of heaven thrown wide open to every one 
 that belie veth in Jesus. 
 
 But, even here, we naturally ask, Why was this delay ? Why 
 did not the Messiah appear at an earlier period, and at once put 
 away sin by the sacrifice of himself? To this question various 
 satisfactoiy answers might, I think, be returned. It might be 
 said that this was a question to which our reason offered no 
 means of solution ; or it might be suggested that he who, in 
 boundless mercy, provided for us such a way of salvation, would, 
 also, in the exercise of the same mercy, select the most 
 appropriate time, for revealing it to us. Or, again, it might be 
 said that perhaps God chose to exhibit to the moral universe 
 the evils of sin, and hence he suffered it for ages in our world 
 to work out its legitimate results. The text, however, suggests 
 a reason at once definite and satisfactory ; it teaches us that 
 when the fulness of time was come, or, as perhaps we, using 
 another illustration, should say, when every thing was ripe 
 for this august event, God sent forth his Son. From these 
 words we learn that before the Son of God could be sent, there 
 must be a preparation made for his appearing. A connected 
 series of intellectual, social, and moral changes must take 
 place, before the coming of Christ could produce its intended 
 results. Until these preliminary events had transpired, the 
 Messiah could not, in accordance with the all-wise purposes 
 of God, appear. When, however, this preparatory work had 
 been accomplished ; when, in the words of the text, the ful- 
 ness of time had come ; at the very moment selected by 
 infinite wisdom, — " then God sent forth his Son, made of a 
 woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were 
 10 
 
110 PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 
 
 under the law, that we might receive the adoption of 
 sons." * 
 
 If now we consider this subject somewhat more attentively, 
 several views will readily present themselves. 
 
 In the first place, then, we observe that the word of God 
 had proclaimed the universal sinfulness of man, and the moral 
 corruption of our whole race, and had declared that by the 
 deeds of the law no flesh could be justified. It seems to have 
 formed a part of the plan of the Deity to subject mankind to 
 the test of experiment ; so that it might be evident to the 
 whole universe that his assertion was true ; and that thus a 
 practical demonstration might be given of the necessity of the 
 work of redemption in order to our salvation. 
 
 For this purpose man was left in general to the light which 
 he had received from the beginning. To this was added, in 
 the Gentile world, the teaching of natural religion ; while to 
 the Jews was superadded the teaching of a written revelation. 
 For four thousand years our race was left to these moral 
 influences, that it might be seen whether any would " feel after 
 God, though he was not far from any one of them." The ex- 
 periment showed conclusively that the word of God was true to 
 the letter, that men " did not like to retain God in their knowl- 
 edge ; " and, yet more, that " the thoughts of the imaginations 
 of their hearts were only evil continually." 
 
 During these four thousand years, there appeared, as I have 
 
 * When I here speak of the necessity of prepai-ation in order to 
 accomplish a purpose of the Almighty, I trust I am understood. 
 There is nothing here said which is intended to signify any limita- 
 tion to the absolute power of the Almighty. He might, if he had 
 chosen, have abolished all the intellectual and social laws to which 
 man was subjected, and have established new ones. This would, 
 however, have been to create man anew. What is meant is simply 
 this — that, the laws existing as they were at the beginning, such a 
 preparation was necessary in order to the accomplishment of the 
 purposes supposed. It is not, therefore, meant that God co\ild not 
 have done otherwise, but that he could not have done otherwise 
 without abolishing the laws which he had established. 
 
PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. Ill 
 
 said, no tendency in man to grow better. There had been 
 formed no true or even rational conception of the Godhead. 
 The ignorance of the character of the Deity, and of our 
 relations to him, which overspread our race, became, age 
 after age, more profound. Moral corruption, at once the cause 
 and the effect of this ignorance, became more and more 
 intense, until, at the time of the advent of the Messiah, the 
 world had attained to a preeminence in wickedness such as 
 no period, either before or since, has ever witnessed. 
 
 I do not, however, affirm that this course of moral dete- 
 rioration was in the line of straight and uniform descent. 
 From the nature of the case, this could not be, since, then, the 
 Ya.ce would have perished from the unrestrained indulgence 
 of every evil passion. The process was in fact something 
 like the following. In infancy, poverty, and feebleness, nations 
 are comparatively virtuous. They cannot be othenvise, since 
 the struggle for existence leaves no leisure to listen to the 
 seductions of vice, and consciousness of inferiority renders 
 successful aggression hopeless. But, with progress of wealth 
 and power, the means of vicious gratification stimulate the 
 passions of the human mass. Sensuality, even to loathsome- 
 ness, corrupts the sentiments of the entire people, and gradu- 
 ally expels every generous impulse. Selfishness usurps the 
 place of patriotism. The insane love of pleasure, utterly 
 reckless of consequences, becomes the ruling passion of the 
 soul. The body politic is enfeebled by moral corruption, and 
 the nation becomes the prey of some barbarous but less vicious 
 horde. These, again, erect the standard of empire, and flourish 
 on the ruins of a slaughtered or enslaved people. But they 
 breathe an atmosphere already tainted with moral infection. 
 They draw their nourishment from a soil poisoned by intense 
 sensuality. The conquerors are in turn subdued by the vices 
 of the conquered, and, by a quicker transition, become the 
 slaves of luxury and vice ; until they themselves become the 
 victims of another people, destined to pursue the same sad 
 round of wickedness and retribution. Such was the history 
 
1 12 PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 
 
 of the world for ages. Such would it be forever »vere not 
 some moral force introduced from without to arrest its down- 
 ward tendency. 
 
 But, besides this general fact, it deserves more particularly 
 to be remarked, that this experiment upon the moral character 
 of man was made under every possible variety of circum- 
 stances. In the first place, the legislators of antiquity were 
 not unaware of this propensity in man to evil ; and they strove, 
 by all the means which they could devise, to correct it. For 
 this end, they constructed every conceivable form of govern- 
 ment. Monarchy, aristocracy, democracy, were all tried, 
 under every modification that the wit of man could suggest. 
 Power over man was lodged in the hands of the one, of the 
 few, or of the many. All these expedients were found equally 
 and totally ineffectual. There seemed but little difficulty in origi- 
 nating a form of government, which, under favorable external 
 circumstances, might raise a poor and industrious people to 
 power and wealth ; but the attainment of this very object 
 seemed to render their downfall inevitable. The moral ten- 
 dency was towards deterioration. The mass gravitated to the 
 earth, and by no change in its form could you either check its 
 progress, or arrest the operation of that law by which it was 
 evidently governed. 
 
 Legislation, then, during this long interval, seemed to have 
 ended in nothing but failure. It could offer no successful 
 resistance to this propensity to evil. Thus it became evident, 
 that no system of laws, and no constitution of government, had 
 power either to elevate the tone of private morals, or to foster 
 such attainments in public virtue, as could save them from 
 dissolution. Hence it was demonstrated that hope from the 
 principles of our social nature was not to be expected ; and 
 that, unless help should arise from some other source, the con- 
 dition of our race was desperate, and our moral reformation 
 impossible. 
 
 But this was not the only trial to which the moral character 
 of our race was subjected. During these ages of political 
 
PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 113 
 
 change, the human mind, in many nations, had made aston- 
 ishing acquirements in the power of philosophical research. 
 From the time of Pythagoras to that of Socrates, especially 
 among the Greeks, men had ceased not to inquire for the rea- 
 son of the facts, physical, intellectual, and moral, which were 
 transpiring around them. Questions were continually asked 
 concerning the character of the Deity, and our relations and 
 obligations to him. During this long interval, however, while 
 an increasing multitude of educated men were directing their 
 attention to subjects of spiritual philosophy, they continued, age 
 after age, to wander farther and farther from the truth. This 
 downward tendency reached its lowest level at the period of 
 the intellectual reign of the sophists, — a name which has ever 
 since been synonymous with treachery and falsehood. Setting 
 aside, as worse than useless, all questions of practical duty, 
 their only object was to cultivate the intellect to the highest 
 refinement of subtlety, that so it might become more exqui- 
 sitely skilful in the arts of deception and intrigue. They 
 boasted of their ability to prove the same act to be either 
 right or wrong, wise or unwise, true or false, as occasion might 
 require. Hence they baptized the intellect itself in falsehood, 
 and subverted, at their foundation, the very principles of virtue. 
 Thus philosophy, which was designed to lead men to truth, to 
 goodness, and to piety, became the unblushing pander to vice. 
 It not only darkened counsel by words without knowledge, but 
 it steeped the conscience itself in corruption, — a corruption the 
 more incurable, because it seemed to flow from the sources 
 which Nature herself had opened in the fountains of the human 
 understanding. 
 
 It was at this eventful period that Socrates appeared, who, 
 with a self-sacrificing earnestness which indicated a pure love 
 of virtue, combatted the enormous errors of his age. From 
 the things that are made, he proved the existence and attributes 
 of their Maker. From the character of God, he taught men, 
 in many respects, the relations which they sustain to him. 
 Attacking the sophists of Athens, sometimes by argument and 
 
1 14 PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 
 
 sometimes by ridicule, he was exposing them to the contempt 
 which they merited, when his hfe was cut off by an act of 
 judicial murder. The philosopher died, but his sentiments 
 still lived. They inspired with new life the mind of Plato, a 
 name destined to enduring immortality. The intellect of this 
 remarkable person was perhaps more preeminently gifted than 
 that of any man who has ever devoted his attention to spiritual 
 inquiry. To an acuteness which nothing could elude, a taste 
 which found its models in its own faultless conceptions, he 
 added an imagination, which, in the opinion of the first critic 
 of antiquity, has entitled him to the rank of the Homer of 
 prose. His discourses are, at the present day, to be numbered 
 among the choicest specimens of composition that the human 
 mind has produced. But, if I do not mistake, he was wanting 
 in the simple humility and virtuous earnestness of his master, 
 and hence his splendid talents were too much directed to the 
 purpose of displaying their own magnificence. Truth, virtue, 
 duty, nay, the character of the Deity itself, became matters of 
 refined, abstruse, though glorious, speculation. The guide- 
 post which Socrates had erected, was entwined so thickly with 
 roses, that it was difficult to discover the direction in which it 
 pointed. The path which he had opened was planted so 
 densely with shinibbery, it was adorned so profusely with 
 statues and shrines, that the wayfarer was bewildered in a 
 labyrinth of beauty ; and, pausing so frequently to admire, 
 forgot the object for which his journey had been commenced. 
 To Plato succeeded Aristotle, a name which ruled the 
 human mind with undisputed sway, in many departments of 
 science, from his own- era to that of Bacon, and of which the 
 influence is acknowledged even to the present day. Endowed 
 with but little imagination, he was, perhaps, the most clear-sighted 
 reasoner the world has ever seen ; while in amplitude of learn- 
 ing, exactitude of inquiiy, and power of philosophic generali- 
 zation, succeeding ages have rarely furnished his equal. He 
 so expounded the doctrines and perfected the sciences of 
 logic and rhetoric, that, as they fell from his hand, so they 
 
PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 115 
 
 have remained, almost without addition or alteration, through 
 the lapse of more than two thousand years. The existing knowl- 
 edge of physical science was moulded into shape by his plastic 
 hand, while it received vast additions from his scrutinizing 
 investigations. But while Science thus gratefully acknowledges 
 her obligations to the philosopher of Stagira, religion owes him 
 no homage. In no respect, that I am aware of, did he enlarge 
 our knowledge of God, or of our relations and obligations to 
 him. It is true he taught the world wisdom. He explained 
 to us the laws in obedience to which the mind advances in the 
 pursuit of truth or in the detection of error ; and he unfolded 
 those canons of criticism which enter even now into our course 
 of collegiate study ; but he taught us nothing concerning the 
 way of deliverance from sin. He scattered light upon every 
 path but that which leads us to God. If it had been in the 
 power of the human intellect to regenerate the moral character 
 of man, this regeneration would have been effected by Aris- 
 totle. No man was ever possessed of a surer or wider mental 
 vision. No man had ever a greater power of moulding the 
 mind of following ages into the form of his own conceptions ; 
 yet, in respect to religion, he left the race just where he found 
 it. None of his precepts have ever, by their transforming 
 energy, regenerated the souls of his disciples. No change 
 from vice to virtue was ever known to follow the teaching of 
 his doctrines. His works have been the chosen study of Pagan 
 and Mohammedan, of Protestant and Catholic ; and every 
 where they have stimulated the intellect, but they have left the 
 moral nature untouched. They satisfied every aspiration of 
 the understanding; but when the sinner inquired. How shall 
 man be just with God ? they gave him no answer. They found 
 man under the bondage of sin, the slave of passion, drunk 
 with sensuality; and they left him having no hope and with- 
 out God in the world. 
 
 I might easily pursue this subject farther, by presenting 
 illustrations from other periods of civilization. But it is 
 useless. The experiment, under what circumstances soever 
 
116 PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 
 
 it has been tried, has led to the same result. Had it been 
 possible to deliver man from the moral condition in which he 
 is every where found, by any exertion of the human intellect, 
 it would have been done by the men to whose labors I have 
 just alluded. But it was not possible. The direction which 
 the human intellect has always taken, confirms the truth of 
 the declaration of St. Paul, — " The world by wisdom knew not 
 God." Nay, we see, from the instances to which we have 
 referred, that a true conception of the character of God, and 
 of our relations and obligations to him, is distasteful to the 
 human mind. Socrates taught more important truth on these 
 subjects than all the other heathen writers combined. For 
 doing this the common people persecuted him to death, and 
 the philosophers whom he had taught, instead of pursuing his 
 doctrines to their natural results, treated them merely as the 
 starting-point for metaphysical speculations. Thus is also 
 confirmed that other declaration of the apostle, " They did 
 not like to retain God in their knowledge, but when they 
 knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thank- 
 ful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish 
 heart was darkened." It thus became manifest that man did 
 not sin by reason either of ignorance or of mental imbecility, 
 and that no attainment of intellectual power could change his 
 propensity to evil. Here, then, from another point of view, 
 was made evident the helplessness of our moral condition ; 
 and thus it was shown that, without some special effort of 
 divine mercy, we must ever abide under the condemnation 
 which we had incurred. 
 
 But one other hope remained. It has been said that the 
 moral and aesthetic elements of the human character are 
 nearly allied, if, indeed, they be not identical ; that, at least, 
 the beautiful and the good are twin sistei*s ; and hence it has 
 been conjectured that the cultivation of the taste must lead to 
 reformation in the moral nature of man. 
 
 The period that elapsed previously to the advent of the 
 Messiah, furnished an opportunity for the trial of this form 
 
PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 117 
 
 of the moral experiment, of which we have been speaking. 
 The age of Socrates, and Plato, and Aristotle, was the golden 
 age of the arts of Greece. Neither before nor since this 
 time, has the marble been ever chiselled into forms so instinct 
 with majesty and loveliness. It is probable that painting had 
 attained to similar perfection, though, unfortunately, none of 
 its productions have come down to us. Architecture then 
 had exhausted, in one direction at least, all the forms of 
 beauty and grandeur of which the mind can conceive. Poetry 
 had already furnished those faultless models of verse on 
 which all succeeding generations have gazed with reverential 
 despair. Eloquence then, with a power which has never 
 since been equalled, 
 
 "Wielded at will that fierce democracie, 
 Shook the arsenal, and fulmined over Greece 
 To Macedon and Artaxerxes' throne." 
 
 But had this wonderful development of the taste any power 
 to reform the moral character of man ? Far from it. Taste 
 became itself the pander to vice. The very fountains of 
 literature were defiled. Poetry became at last the stimulant 
 to undisguised licentiousness. Painting and statuary lent 
 their aid to render unblushing vice attractive, and to fascinate 
 the taste with whatever could defile the conscience. The 
 eye could scarcely be opened in any street of a Grecian or a 
 Roman city, without resting upon some finished specimen of 
 art, which filled the imagination with all that was morally 
 revolting. Taste, revelling in licentiousness, presided over 
 every department of the arts. Its dominion w£is not confined 
 to places of public resort. It painted the walls of dressing- 
 rooms and chambers ; it sculptured the statuary of private 
 gardens ; nay, it fashioned personal ornaments of the young 
 and old, of the daughter and the matron. And thus it became 
 evident that taste, far from exerting any power of moral 
 reformation, tainted with our own corruption, disseminates 
 more widely, and renders yet more intensely fatal, the poison 
 with which it is itself infected. 
 
118 PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 
 
 Scholars and arrists have mourned for ages over the almost 
 universal destruction of the works of ancient genius. I sup- 
 pose that many a second-rate city, at the time of Christ, pos- 
 sessed a collection of works of surpassing beauty, which 
 could not be equalled by all the specimens now existing 
 that have yet been discovered. The Alexandrian library is 
 believed to have contained a greater treasure of intellectual 
 riches than has ever since been hoarded in a single city. 
 These, we know, have all vanished from the earth. The 
 Apollo Belvidere and the Venus de Medicis stand in almost 
 solitary grandeur, to remind us of the perfection to which the 
 plastic art of the ancients had attained. The Alexandrian 
 library furnished fuel for years for the baths of illiterate 
 Moslems. I used myself frequently to wonder why it had 
 pleased God to blot out of existence these magnificent pro- 
 ductions of ancient genius. It seemed to me strange that 
 the pall of oblivion should thus be thrown over all to which 
 man, in the flower of his age, had given birth. But the 
 solution of this mystery is found, I think, in the remains of 
 Herculaneum and Pompeii. We there discover that every 
 work of man was so penetrated by corruption, every produc- 
 tion of genius was so defiled with uncleanness, that God, in 
 introducing a better dispensation, determined to cleanse the 
 world from the pollution of preceding ages. As when all 
 flesh had corrupted his way, he purified the world by the 
 waters of a flood, so, when genius had covered the earth 
 with images of sin, he overwhelmed the works of ancient 
 civilization with a deluge of barbarism, and consigned the 
 most splendid monuments of literature and art to almost 
 universal oblivion. It was too bad to exist ; and he swept it 
 all away with the besom of destruction. 
 
 You see that for four thousand years this experiment was 
 continued upon the moral character of man. The point to 
 be determined was, as we have supposed, whether man, left 
 to the conditions of his first probation, would ever recover 
 himself from his apostasy from God. The experiment was 
 
PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 119 
 
 tried under every form of government, under the most favor- 
 able conditions for intellectual culture, and during the period 
 of the most perfect development of human taste. But under 
 none of these influences was there exhibited the remotest 
 tendency to moral reformation. Hence it was practically 
 demonstrated that " the world by wisdom knew not God ; " 
 and that, without some merciful divine interposition, the con- 
 dition of man was hopeless. It was at the close of this pro- 
 tracted experiment, when Rome, following the example of 
 Greece, had sunk into gross licentiousness ; when men had 
 not only lost the knowledge of God, but had become univer- 
 sally corrupt beyond all previous example ; when, as it would 
 seem, nothing further remained but for God to destroy our 
 race and blot out the memory of man forever, — it was then 
 that the ''' fulness of time had come," that God sent forth his 
 Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to announce 
 that a new probation had been granted to us, and to utter that 
 astonishing truth, " God so loved 'the world that he sent his 
 only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should 
 not perish, but have everlasting life." 
 
 It was my original intention to have illustrated, at some 
 length, the results of the moral trial to which the Jews were 
 subjected previously to the advent of the Messiah. I have, 
 however, already occupied the time ordinarily allotted to a 
 discourse, and I will therefore allude to this part of the sub- 
 ject in verj' few words. 
 
 The same experiment was made upon the Jews as upon the 
 Gentiles, but it was made under vastly more favorable cir- 
 cumstances. They were selected and set apart from the 
 idolatrous nations around them ; they were rendered a pecu- 
 liar people by a burdensome but imposing ritual ; they were 
 the sole depositaries of the law which God had given to our 
 race ; and their history, from the time of the call of Abraham, 
 was replete with most astonishing illustrations of the attributes 
 of God, whether exhibited in judgment or in mercy. It was, 
 however, essentially a dispensation of law. It declared the 
 
120 PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 
 
 precept and the penalty, the reward for obedience and the 
 punishment for sin. Its language was, " Indignation and 
 wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that 
 doeth evil ; but glory, and honor, and peace, to every man 
 that worketh good." Having given these precepts, there it 
 rested. I know that it also foreshadowed the blessings of the 
 new dispensation ; but its teaching, in this respect, was enig- 
 matical, and could have taken no permanent hold upon the 
 national mind. It did not reveal the manner in which " God 
 could be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." 
 Hence, like the dispensation of natural religion, it was a dis- 
 pensation of law, yet of law plainly and evidently set forth. 
 It left man with a clear knowledge of his duty, to act with 
 no other impulse than that derived from the consequences 
 of his action. The failure that ensued cannot, as in the case 
 of the Gentiles, be learned from the volumes of contempo- 
 raneous literature, for in the case of the Hebrews such works 
 do not exist. The apostle Paul, however, declares that, at 
 his time, they had become even more corrupt than the hea- 
 then themselves. While they boasted of their knowledge of 
 the law, " through breaking the law they dishonored God," 
 insomuch that " through them, the name of God was blas- 
 phemed among the Gentiles." Thus it became evident that 
 our whole race — Jew and Gentile — was under sin ; that 
 hope of reformation, from any power within ourselves, was 
 groundless ; and hence, in the words of the apostle, that 
 " by the deeds of the law no flesh could be justified." 
 
 From this view of the subject, I think, then, that a reason 
 may be discovered why the Messiah did not appear in the 
 beginning to take away sin. The delay of his advent was 
 for the purpose of rendering it practically evident that our 
 moral condition, under a system of law, was helpless ; that 
 there existed in our nature no recuperative energy; that 
 having broken loose from his obligations to God, the course 
 of man was in the line of perpetual retrocession ; and that, 
 without the introduction of some new condition into the 
 
PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 121 
 
 elements of his probation, there remained for him nothing 
 but a fearful looking for of judgment. When this had been 
 made evident, under every phase, both of civilization and 
 barbarism, under every form of government, and under 
 every degree, both of intellectual and aesthetic development, 
 then " the fulness of time had come, and God sent forth his 
 Son." 
 
 11 
 
PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OE 
 THE MESSIAH. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 " Pbepabe ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert 
 a highway for our god. every valley shall be exalted, and 
 every mountain and hill shall be made low ; and the crooked 
 shall be made straight and the rough places plain, and the 
 glory of the lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall 
 see it together, for the mouth of the lord hath spoken it." 
 
 Isaiah xl. 3, 4. 
 
 In the last discourse, I attempted to illustrate the doctrine 
 that the advent of the Messiah could not have occurred imme- 
 diately after the apostasy. Various events must have trans- 
 pired before the fulness of time could come. Before God 
 publicly interfered, if I may so say, with the conditions of the 
 first probation, he chose to show by experiment that such inter- 
 ference was necessary. It thus became evident that neither 
 in the social, intellectual, nor aesthetic departments of human 
 nature, did there exist the elements adequate to restore us to 
 virtue and piety. Under all forms of government, through 
 every grade of intellectual progress, and in the midst of the 
 most successful cultivation of taste, man's moral tendency was 
 ever downward, until he had arrived at so universal depravity, 
 that the Deity, in ushering in a new dispensation, consigned to 
 oblivion by far the greater part of the intellectual labors of 
 preceding generations. 
 
 In this manner was it practically demonstrated that a reme- 
 
PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 123 
 
 dial dispensation was absolutely necessary. But these sugges- 
 tions have by no means exhausted the subject. If we look at 
 it from another point of view, we shall see that a positive 
 preparation of the race itself was necessary, before the plan of 
 redemption could be successfully revealed. This preparation 
 was gradually going forward at the same time that our moral 
 helplessness was so amply illustrated. It is to this series of 
 events that the prophet alludes in the beautiful language which 
 I have selected for the text. He represents the Messiah as a 
 conquering prince appearing to take possession of his newly- 
 acquired dominions. It was customary among Oriental nations 
 to render such an occasion in the most signal manner impres- 
 sive. Every road by which the conqueror was to proceed was 
 put in perfect repair ; obstructions were all removed ; the 
 valleys were exalted and the hills were levelled ; the crooked 
 were made straight and the rough places smooth, so that, when 
 the triumphant procession appeared, its progress might be 
 wholly uninterrupted. Under this figurative language the 
 prophet conveys to us the idea that before the glory of the 
 Lord shall be revealed, all things must be put under requisition 
 for the purpose of rendering the event more illustrious and its 
 results more universal. In other words, we are thus taught 
 that the previous history of our world was overruled by infinite 
 wisdom with special reference to this event ; and that when the 
 revolutions of four thousand years had completed this mighty 
 preparation, the fulness of time arrived, and God sent forth 
 his Son. 
 
 In order to obtain a correct view of this subject, it will be 
 proper to observe the conditions which seem necessary * to the 
 successful promulgation of the gospel, and the manner in 
 which these conditions were fulfilled in the history of the world 
 previously to the advent of the Messiah. 
 
 If we reflect upon the nature of the Christian revelation, I 
 
 * The meaning of necessity, as here used, is explained in a note to 
 the preceding sermon, p. 110. 
 
124 PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 
 
 think we shall be convinced that its conceptions belong to an 
 advanced period of civilization. It addresses itself, I may say, 
 exclusively to the spiritual nature of man. But, in the earlier 
 periods of our race, our conceptions are all from without ; they 
 have to do almost exclusively with sensible objects. This is 
 evident from the history of all language. Conceptions from 
 within belong to a later period, and only appear in the progress 
 of civilization. Hence the ideas made known to us in the 
 New Testament could scarcely have been comprehended, 
 until man had passed from the region of objective and become 
 familiar with the region of subjective thought. The gospel has 
 to do with thought, feeling, sentiment, motive, and all their 
 various attributes ; and it could not be well understood until the 
 mind of man had become somewhat at home in these con- 
 ceptions. 
 
 Nor is this all. The Christian religion addresses itself to the 
 moral nature, the conscience of man. It is to this faculty that 
 its commands are specially addressed. The harmony of its 
 precepts with the law, originally written there, is one of the 
 universal proofs of its authenticity. It is for the purpose of 
 providing a remedy to the moral disorders of the soul, that the 
 gospel is revealed. The nefed of this remedy can only be 
 made evident as the universality and intensity of this disease are 
 discovered. Hence 1 think it will be seen that a remedial dis- 
 pensation would naturally be delayed, until the moral character 
 of man, both individual and social, had been fully displayed ; 
 and mankind had become in some degree capable of appre- 
 ciating the facts thus presented to their notice. 
 
 But, besides this, the gospel is a revelation communicated to 
 man by language, and its authenticity, as is meet, is attested 
 by miracles. Now, I think that considerable progress must have 
 been made in civilization before such testimony could be given 
 as we would be willing to receive on a question of so vital 
 importance. Until the laws of nature are to some extent 
 known, we cannot determine whether the Creator has or has 
 not in a particular case departed from them. Savages, in these 
 
PREPARATION' FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 125 
 
 respects, possess but the intellect of children. They seem 
 almost to court deception, and we admit their testimony with 
 doubt and hesitation. Hence we pay very little respect to the 
 early history of the primitive nations. An ignorant age is 
 governed by the imagination rather than by the reason, and we 
 look upon its traditions rather as allegorical pictures than indu- 
 bitable statements of matters of fact. The fact here to be 
 substantiated is no other than this — the Messiah, God manifest 
 in the flesh, appeared on our earth to teach us the way of life, 
 and to offer himself up as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind. 
 I ask. Could any one believe so stupendous a statement as this, 
 upon the testimony of a barbarous age ? 
 
 And this leads us to observe, again, that a revelation from 
 God to man, informing him of this wonderful change in the 
 conditions of his probation, — a revelation designed for all ages 
 to the end of time, and destined to work a perfect transformation 
 in the moral character of our race, — could not have been com- 
 pleted until language, that most mysterious of all the products 
 of the human intellect, had arrived at a considerable degree of 
 perfection. It was necessary that the doctrines and motives 
 peculiar to the new dispensation should be promulgated with 
 all possible explicitness, and yet guarded from all tendency 
 either to incompleteness or excess. No medium of communi- 
 cation would be competent to the transmission of such all- 
 important truth, but a language capable of expressing the most 
 delicate modifications of human thought ; and so perfect in its 
 construction, that its meaning, in subsequent ages, might be 
 determined by the most definhe laws of exegetical inquiry. 
 
 To understand the necessity of which we speak, it is only 
 requisite to remember the ordeal through which the Christian 
 revelation has passed during the period that has elapsed since 
 the days of the apostles. There is scarcely a doctrine which 
 it contains that has not frequently been made the subject of 
 earnest, 1 had almost said of bitter controversy. Its enemies 
 have denied the truth of every one of its assertions, and its 
 professed friends have, in countless instances, endeavored to 
 11* 
 
126 PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 
 
 interpret its doctrines in such manner as to gratify their iasi 
 of civil or ecclesiastical power. Every atrocity, which has 
 for ages been perpetrated by either lay or clerical despots 
 throughout Christendom, lias claimed the authority of some 
 passage from the word of God. And, on the contrary, men 
 have always been delivered from despotism by stripping off 
 from the Scriptures the covering by which they had been 
 veiled, and making them to speak out plainly the simple 
 truth of the Most High. Now, unless the gospel had been 
 revealed in a language capable of expressing the truth, the 
 whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and of so expressing it 
 that the meaning of every word could be verified, it would 
 surely, at this distance of time, have been scarcely possible for 
 even a candid man to discover what had been really revealed. 
 Suppose that, eighteen hundred years since, the Gospels had 
 been written in a language similar to that of our aboriginal 
 Indians, — who, at this age, would pretend to be able to interpret 
 it ? Nay, I doubt if the doctrines of the New Testament could 
 have been given to all subsequent ages, even in the ancient 
 Hebrew. How could the subtle reasoning, and the wide 
 generalizations of the apostle Paul, have been conveyed in a 
 language which had attained its highest perfection in the time 
 of Moses and of Job. and which was adapted only to an age 
 of primitive manners and objective thought.? Nay, had the 
 revelation for all ages been delivered in Hebrew, 1 doubt 
 whether, at this late period, its meaning could be verified. The 
 Hebrew possessed no literature save that which existed in the 
 sacred books themselves. Hence, when a difficulty in inter- 
 pretation occurred, there would have been no contempora- 
 neous authority to which we might appeal for illustration. I 
 think that these considerations will be suflScient to convince us 
 that this language was an inadequate medium for the trans- 
 mission of a revelation that was destined to endure to the end 
 of time, and, thus enduring, to regenerate a world. 
 
 If we reflect upon these plain conditions, I think it will be 
 evident that at no era preceding that of the advent could the 
 
PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 127 
 
 new dispensation have been with so much propriety ushered 
 in. And still more, I think that, by a sUght reference to pre- 
 vious events, we shall be led to believe that the hand of God 
 may be distinctly traced in directing the course of civilization 
 with respect to this great transaction. 
 
 Amidst all the agitations of society, throughout all the over- 
 turnings of empire, the human mind, during this long period, 
 had been gradually attaining maturity. Each nation, during 
 its brief existence, had either added something to the stock of 
 human knowledge, or made some contrioution to the materials 
 for human thought. Every revolution had illustrated in some 
 new phase the principles of conduct, and had bequeathed the 
 lesson to succeeding generations. Prosperity and adversity, 
 war and peace, despotism and freedom, anarchy and order, 
 had tended to widen and deepen the course of philosophical 
 speculation. The very wickedness of man, overturning em- 
 pires and dissolving the cement by which the elements of 
 society are held in cohesion, had obliged men to reflect more 
 or less upon moral cause and effect. Patriotism, as well as 
 natural virtue, nay, self-interest, as well as the love of right, 
 had, to some extent, forced men to turn their eyes upon this 
 changeless plague-spot of our common nature. The very love 
 of power, so rife in all ages, had directed attention to those 
 spiritual impulses by which all outward action is modified, and 
 from which alone it frequently proceeds. From all these 
 sources, the mind of man, at the time of our Savior, had be- 
 come a subject of very general investigation ; and its various 
 processes had been examined with acumen and earnestness. 
 It is also probable that this kind of inquiry was prosecuted with 
 greater vigor on account of the existing state of religious opin- 
 ion among the ancient nations. The system of mythology 
 had long since lost its power over the public mind ; and hence 
 the priesthood dared not protect it from contempt by the exer- 
 tion of physical force. Let a man believe what he chose, or 
 advocate what he pleased, in matters of pure science or intel- 
 lectual speculation, the mythology had little to do with it. 
 
128 PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 
 
 Hence the mind, left mainly to its own impulses, puisuea 
 thought wherever it led ; and hence arose that prodigious 
 mental activity, that far-reaching love of research, that fearless 
 range of speculation, which distinguished the Augustan age of 
 Rome, but more especially the age of Pericles in Greece. 
 Nay, Greece and Italy, during the universal prevalence of 
 pagan idolatry, enjoyed the blessing of soul-liberty in a much 
 higher degree than they have done for ages under the domin- 
 ion of the (so called) Christian hierarchy, by which these 
 nations have so long been enslaved. 
 
 But while this progress was so rapidly made in the intel- 
 lectual development of the ancient nations, specially of the 
 Greeks, this latter people was, at the same time, cultivating, 
 with unparalleled success a language which has been for ages 
 the admiration of the human race. It is a language which 
 scholars have ever since considered the most perfect vehicle 
 of thought that human intelligence has yet invented. Com- 
 bining the opposite extremes of strength and flexibility ; 
 capable alike of fixing with precision the most refined dis- 
 tinctions in metaphysics, and of giving utterance to the ten- 
 derest emotions of sentiment; bursting forth now in all the 
 thunder of resistless eloquence, and now warbling in numbers 
 softer than the breathings of maternal love ; afibrding free 
 scope to the giant spirit of Demosthenes, and yet yielding 
 itself up to utter, as if in sport, the songs of Anacreon ; in its 
 youth pouring forth in matchless verse the epic of Homer, 
 and in its manhood clothing the conceptions of Sophocles and 
 Pindar with perennial beauty ; unexhausted by the boundless 
 imagination of Plato, and yet laying down with mathematical 
 exactness the canons of Aristotle, — it seems to have been 
 created for the purpose of transmitting to all coming time that 
 spiritual truth by which a world should be created anew. 
 And yet more : This language had naturally so attracted to 
 itself whatever was valuable in science or delightful in litera- 
 ture, that many of its greatest works could not be lost. 
 Hence, whatever has at any time been written in it can even 
 
PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 129 
 
 at the present day be definitely interpreted. Hence, also, 
 wherever in the old world the human mind has awaked from 
 the slumber of ignorance, the knowledge of this language has 
 been revived. And it deserves to be remarked, that those 
 remains of it that have come down to us, are specially rich in 
 the expression of spiritual conceptions — in terms which are 
 most readily adapted to illustrate the truths of revelation. 
 Hence, when the new and astonishing doctrines of the gospel 
 were to be promulgated, hardly a term required to be modi- 
 fied in order to adapt this language to the purpose. St. Paul 
 was esteemed by Longinus as one of the most distinguished 
 of Grecian orators ; and the discourses of many of the earlier 
 Christian writers are numbered among the purest specimens 
 of this remarkable tongue. Thus was the language prepared 
 in which the gospel of our salvation was to be written, and by 
 which it was to be transmitted to succeeding generations to the 
 end of time. 
 
 And here, in passing, let us pause, for a moment, to inquire, 
 by whom was this language enriched by every form of ex- 
 pression, and endowed with so remarkable a power of exact- 
 ness and precision ? It was by poets who sung of barbarian 
 wars, of the contests of fabulous gods, and the loves of unholy 
 sensualists ; by historians who wrote for fame, and orators who 
 contended for power; by philosophers who inquired not for 
 truth, and sophists who taught falsehood for hire. Even these 
 last, by their endless disputations, their subtile distinctions, 
 and their crafty sophistry, gave a fixedness to language which 
 it could by no other means have attained. Thus is it ever in 
 the government of God. He makes the wrath of man to praise 
 him, and the remainder of wrath he restrains. Thus, while 
 men, utterly forgetful of him, were following each one the 
 desires and devices of his own heart, they were accomplishing 
 his purposes, and preparing the way for the coming of Him who 
 was the desire of all nations. Thus, while God allows all his 
 moral creatures to act as they will, by far-reaching wisdom, he 
 overrules all things for his glory, and causes wicked, sensual, 
 
130 PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 
 
 and atheistic men to subserve the purposes of virtue and riglit- 
 eousness and true godliness. 
 
 Such was the preparation necessary in order to prepare a 
 language in which God should reveal to us the doctrines of tlie 
 new dispensation, and usher in the hope of everlasting life. 
 But this was not all. It was also necessary that this language 
 should be diffused throughout the civilized world. This was 
 also accomplished. 
 
 At the period in which the Greek language had attained to 
 its highest perfection, Alexander, frequently called the Great, 
 was born. This remarkable man, perhaps the most remarka- 
 ble conqueror whose history has yet been written, immediately 
 after his accession to the throne of Macedon, having subdued 
 the states of Greece that had dared to resist his sway, com- 
 menced that series of victories which have rendered his name 
 immortal. Having overrun that portion of Europe that lay to 
 the eastward of Greece, he carried his conquests into Asia ; 
 and, in a few years, Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, 
 Assyria, and Persia, were his tributary provinces. He even 
 penetrated into India ; and, but for the resistance of his own 
 soldiers, would have planted his standards upon the banks of 
 the Ganges. The theatre of these conquests comprehended 
 by far the most populous and highly civilized portions of the 
 then known world. Every where throughout these vast 
 regions, he established the Grecian authority, and by conse- 
 quence introduced the Greek language. Every where he 
 brought the science and intelligence, the courage and freedom, 
 the manners and arts of Greece into contact with the puerile 
 thought, the servile timidity, and barbarian wealth of Oriental 
 civilization. Power and wisdom, when they strike their roots 
 into such a soil, are not easily eradicated. Greek, in all 
 these regions, soon became the language of intelligence, rank, 
 and station. From the higher classes it was gradually dissem- 
 inated among the middle ranks of society ; and hence, among 
 these countless millions, it had soon established a universal 
 sv/ay. Of the extent to which it had prevailed we may learn 
 
PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 131 
 
 from the fact, that as early as the year 285 before Christ, it 
 had become necessary to translate the Old Testament Scriptures 
 into Greek, for the use of the Jews residing in Alexandria. 
 Greek had already become more familiar to them than the 
 language of their ancestors, and, lest they should lose their 
 knowledge of the word of God, it was rendered, for their bene- 
 fit, into a tongue that had become to them vernacular. Flour- 
 ishing schools of Grecian philosophy were established in 
 several of the cities of Asia Minor. Among these. Tarsus, the 
 birthplace of the apostle Paul, at an early period, obtained no 
 inconsiderable preeminence. These, like so many centres of 
 illumination, diffused on eveiy side the light of western civili- 
 zation, and rendered a knowledge of the Greek language a 
 necessary attainment for every educated man. These remarks, 
 however, as you will perceive, have respect principally to the 
 countries to the eastward of Greece. 
 
 With the death of Alexander, the political preeminence of 
 Greece was nearly at an end. She, however, still continued 
 immeasurably in advance of the surrounding nations, in the 
 arts, in science, and in civilization. As the Roman empire 
 was rising in the west, her citizens felt the necessity of intel- 
 lectual cultivation as well as of martial gloiy ; and they began 
 to resort to Athens, the seat of knowledge and the cherished 
 abode of eloquence and philosophy. Thus the poets and ora- 
 tors of Rome first imbibed a taste for elegance of language and 
 refinement of thought. At last Greece was subdued by the 
 arms of Italy, and Achaia was added to the catalogue of Roman 
 provinces. From this time, there was nothing to prevent the 
 universal influx of Grecian literature into Rome. The statues, 
 the paintings, the poetry, the eloquence, and the philosophy of 
 Greece, were transferred from the banks of the Ilyssus to the 
 banks of the Tiber. Roman authors aspired to little else than 
 to copy into their own language those models which they ceased 
 not to study with an almost idolatrous admiration. In fact, 
 Roman literature became almost a mere reproduction of those 
 
132 PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 
 
 works which were universally acknowledged to have attained 
 the perfection of aesthetic excellence. 
 
 The result of all this is very easily conceived. The Latin 
 language was itself modified by the literature which it imitated, 
 and became the second in power of the languages of antiquity. 
 But this was not all. Greek, throughout the Roman empire, 
 became the language of educated men. Hence, when Paul 
 addressed the Roman governor, Claudius Lysias, in this lan- 
 guage at Jerusalem, it was at once perceived that he was a 
 person of consideration, and not the lawless freebooter for 
 whom he had been at first mistaken. Thus, also, Csesar 
 relates, that on one occasion, when he wished to communicate 
 important private intelligence to one of his lieutenants, in a 
 besieged city, he wrote a letter in Greek, and directed his 
 messenger to attach it to an arrow, and shoot it over the walls. 
 This language, he knew, would be unintelligible to the Gauls, 
 but would be well understood by the officers of his own army. 
 
 In this manner, during the gradual progress of Rome to uni- 
 versal dominion, this language came into general use tlirough- 
 out the civilized world. It was spoken and read in all the 
 countries bordering on the Mediterranean, in Europe, Asia, 
 and Africa. In all these regions, it became the language of 
 educated men. Whatever was written in Greek was accessi- 
 ble to millions, and these millions comprehended all the men 
 who gave character to their age, or conferred distinction upon 
 their nation. 
 
 We see, then, in the second place, that God not only pre- 
 pared a language in which this revelation for all coming ages 
 could be written, but he diflfused that language over the civil- 
 ized world. He created a suitable vehicle for the truth, and he 
 made that vehicle, as far as was necessary, universal. And 
 this work, let us observe, was accomplished by means of the 
 ambition of Alexander, and the all-grasping love of dominion 
 of the citizens of Rome. Men ignorant of the existence and 
 character of the true God, bowing down to the senseless images 
 
PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 133 
 
 which their own hands had fashioned, indulging without re- 
 straint their own corrupt passions, were thus advancing his 
 purposes, and opening the way for the advent of his Son. Thus, 
 again, was that saying verified, " He maketh the wrath of man 
 to praise him, and the remainder of wrath he will restrain." 
 
 One other condition remains yet to be observed. You well 
 know that the nations inhabiting the shores of the Mediter- 
 ranean were originally distinct in government, dissimilar in 
 origin, diverse in laws, habits, and usages, and almost per 
 petually at war. To pass from one to the other, without 
 incurring the risk of injur)^, nay, even of being sold into sla- 
 very, was almost impossible. A stranger and an enemy were 
 designated by the same word. Beginning with Spain, and 
 passing through Gaul, Germany, Italy, Greece, Asia Minor, 
 Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and Carthage, until you arrive again 
 at the Pillars of Hercules, eveiy state was most commonly the 
 enemy of every other. It was necessary that these various 
 peoples should all be moulded by the same pressure into one 
 common form ; that one system of laws should bind them all 
 in harmony ; and that, under one common protection, a citizen 
 might be able to pass through all of them in security. This 
 seems to have been needful, in order that the new religion 
 might be rapidly and extensively promulgated. 
 
 In order to accomplish this purpose, as I suppose, was the 
 Roman empire raised up, and intrusted with the sceptre of 
 universal dominion. Commencing with a feeble colony on the 
 banks of the Tiber, she gradually, by conquest and conciliation, 
 incorporated with herself the many warlike tribes of ancient 
 Italy. In her very youth, after a death-struggle of more than 
 a century, she laid Carthage, the former mistress of the Medi- 
 terranean, lifeless at her feet. From this era she paused not a 
 moment in her career of universal conquest. Nation after 
 nation submitted to her sway. Army after army was scattered 
 before her legions, like the dust of the summer threshing-floor. 
 Her proconsuls sat enthroned in regal state in eveiy city of 
 the civilized world ; and the barbarian mother, clasping her 
 12 
 
134 PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 
 
 infant to her bosom, fled to the remotest fastnesses of the wil- 
 derness, when she saw, far off in the distance, the sunbeams 
 glittering upon the eagles of the republic. 
 
 Far different, however, were the victories of Rome from 
 those of Alexander. The Macedonian soldier thought mainly 
 of battles and sieges, the clash of onset, the flight of satraps, 
 and the subjugation of kings. He overran ; the Romans 
 always conquered. Every vanquished nation became, in turn, 
 a part of the Roman empire. A large portion of every con- 
 quered people was admitted to the rights of citizenship. The 
 laws of the republic threw over the conquered the shield of 
 her protection. Rome may, it is true, have oppressed them ; 
 but then she delivered them from the capricious and more 
 intolerable oppression of their native rulers. Hence her con- 
 quests really marked the progress of civilization, and extended 
 in all directions the limits of universal brotherhood. The 
 Roman citizen was free of the civilized world ; every where 
 he might appeal to her laws, and repose in security under the 
 shadow of her universal power. Thus the declaration, " Ye 
 have beaten us openly and uncondemned, being Romans," 
 brought the magistrates of Philippi suppliants at the feet of the 
 apostle Paul ; his question, " Is it lawful for you to scourge a 
 man that is a Roman and uncondemned ? " palsied the hands 
 of the lictors at Jerusalem ; and the simple words, " I appeal 
 unto Csesar," removed his cause from the jurisdiction even of 
 the proconsul at Csesarea, and carried it at once into the 
 presence of the emperor. You cannot but perceive, that this 
 universal domination of a single civilized power must have 
 presented great facilities for the promulgation of the gospel. 
 In many respects, it resembled the dominion of Great Britain 
 at the present day in Asia. Wherever her red cross floats, 
 there the liberty of man is, to a great extent, protected by ihe 
 constitution of the realm. Whatever be the complexion or the 
 language of the nations that take refuge beneath its folds, they 
 look up to it eveiy where, and bid defiance to every other 
 despotism. 
 
PREPARATION FOR THK ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 135 
 
 Yon see, then, in conclusion, that an extensive work of 
 preparation v/as needed before the glory of the Lord should he 
 revealed, and tliat new dispensation ushered in, which should 
 endure to the end of time, and transform the kingdoms of this 
 world into the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. It 
 was requisite that the powers of the human mind should arrive 
 at vigorous manhood, that a language should be created capa- 
 ble of enunciating the message from on high with a distinct- 
 ness that should bear the scrutiny of all coming ages ; that 
 this language should come into universal use, and that the 
 civilized world should be united under a uniform government. 
 After four thousand years, all this was accomplished. The 
 fulness of time had come, and God sent forth his Son. 
 
 If this be so, we perceive that the overturnings of forty 
 centuries were required in order to prepare the world for the 
 advent of the Messiah. The same omniscient wisdom has 
 ever since been engaged in cariying forward the work which 
 was then commenced. Not only the revolutions of empire, 
 but the astonishing changes in civilization produced by the 
 discovery of America, the invention of the prhiting press, the 
 6team engine, the railroad, and the electrical telegraph, have 
 all been ordained with reference to the same grand result. 
 The wrath of man still praises God, and the remainder of 
 wrath he restrains. Centuries may roll away before the uni- 
 versal reign of the Messiah shall commence ; but, if so ex- 
 tended be the work of preparation, what limit can be imagined 
 to the duration of that kingdom which Christ shall establish 
 over a redeemed and emancipated world ? Ages of peace and 
 righteousness may be confidently anticipated, in comparison 
 with which the preliminaiy ages of sin and misery will in the 
 retrospect dwindle to an almost invisible point. The number 
 of the lost will be to the number of the saved as the small dust 
 of the balance ; the victory over sin will be triumphant ; and 
 this earth will again become a glorious light in the moral 
 firmament of God. 
 
 Do I read the past history of our world aright ? Is this the 
 
136 PREPARATION FOR THE ADVENT OF MESSIAH. 
 
 true unveiling of the mystery that has covered so large a 
 portion of the history of the human race ? How astonishing 
 a conception, then, is here presented of the far-reaching wis- 
 dom of the Deity ! The myriads of our race, in the untram- 
 melled exercise of all their powers, each one carrying forward 
 the purposes of his own heart, and working out the problem of 
 his probation for eternity, have been, at the same time, accom- 
 plishing the will of Him " who is wonderful in counsel,'* " in 
 whose sight a thousand years are as one day, and one day is 
 as a thousand years." " The weakness of God is stronger 
 than man, and the foolishness of God is wiser than man." 
 " The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice ; let the multitude 
 of isles be glad thereof." This is the God against whom 
 every sinner is in rebellion, and with whom every one of us 
 " has to do." Can there be any hope in such a contest ? Can 
 we oppose ourselves to such a God, and hope to prosper? 
 "Be wise, then, O ye kings; be instructed, ye judges of the 
 earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice wilh tn-embling. 
 Kiss the Son, lest he be angiy, and ye persh fnvr the way 
 when his wrath is kindled but a little. Bk.jivv'j 7V? -^^l they 
 that put their trust in him." 
 
THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH 
 
 PART I. 
 
 " God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under tub 
 law, to redeeai them that were under the law." 
 
 Galatians iv. 4, 5. 
 
 The apostle Paul, in the chapter preceding that from which 
 the text is taken, illustrates the superiority of the gospel 
 revealed to us by Christ over the law dehvered to the Israelites 
 by Moses. In accomplishing this purpose, he teaches us that 
 the law, being merely preparatory, was, of course, an inferior 
 dispensation, which ceased as soon as that to which it was 
 introductory commenced. It accomplished, however, an im- 
 portant purpose, during the long interval that elapsed between 
 the calling of Abraham and the appearance of the Messiah. 
 *'The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ." 
 When, at last, every preparation had been fully made, — when 
 the time, the set time, to favor Zion had come, — then " God sent 
 forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to 
 redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive 
 the adoption of sons." 
 
 These words, my brethren, seem to me to unfold to us some 
 of those remarkable conditions under which the Messiah 
 visited our world to do away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 
 In the attempt to direct your meditations at this time, I propose 
 simply to illustrate and develop the sentiment which they 
 contain. 
 
 12* 
 
138 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 1. The text asserts that "God sent forth /i is 5o?i." Who 
 is intended to be designated by the term Sow, I need scarcely 
 pause to inform you. It is that divine Being wlio is elsewhere 
 called " the Word," " who was in the beginning with God, who 
 was God," " by whom all things were made, and without 
 whom not any thing was made that was made." 
 
 2. God sent forth his Son, " made of a womany The term 
 " made of a woman " intends, as I suppose, to assert that the 
 Son appeared on earth a human being ; that he took upon 
 himself a human, in opposition to an angelic or any other 
 nature. If this be true, then the Messiah possessed a perfect 
 human constitution, endowed with all the powers and faculties 
 belonging to such a constitution, just like any one of us. He 
 possessed an understanding, a taste, a conscience, a will, appe- 
 tites, passions, senses, just like our own, save only that they 
 were not defiled with the stain of sin. " Wherefore he is not 
 ashamed to call us brethren." 
 
 The same idea is frequently expressed in other passages of 
 the Scriptures. Thus we are told, John i. 14, " The word 
 became Jiesli and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth." 
 Thus, also, 1 Tim. iii. 15, 16 : " The pillar and ground of the 
 truth, and without controversy, great is the myster}'- of godli- 
 ness ; God was manifest in the flesh." So, also, Romans ix. 
 5 : " Whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the 
 flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever." 
 Thus, also, Philippians ii. 5 — 7 : " Christ Jesus, who, being in 
 the form of God, made himself of no reputation, and took 
 upon liimself the form of a servant, and was made in the 
 likeness of men, and, being found in fashion as a man, he 
 humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even the death 
 of the cross." And lastly, for I need not multiply quotations, 
 Hebrews ii. 14 : " For as much then as the children are par- 
 takers of flesh and blood, (that is, of a human nature,) he also 
 himself likewise took part of the same, that through death he 
 might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the 
 devil." The meaning of these and similar passages, I sup- 
 
THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 139 
 
 pose. to be the following: The divine Being designated by the 
 term Worcl^ or Son of God, was united with a perfect human 
 nature, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth ; and this mys- 
 terious being was Christ, the Messiah, the anointed One, God 
 manifest in the flesh, by whose obedience, sufferings, and inter- 
 cession alone, the race of Adam can hope for eternal life. 
 
 3. God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, 7nade under the 
 law. What is the meaning of this last phrase — " made undei 
 the law " ? 
 
 The law spoken of here must be either the ceremonial or 
 the moral law. 
 
 The word law is used twice in the sentence which, forms 
 the text. In both cases it must have the same signification. 
 It is said, in the latter clause, Christ came to redeem those who 
 were under the law. The word here cannot mean the cere- 
 monial law, since this exposition would restrict the blessings 
 flowing f'*om the atonement of Christ to the Jews, who were 
 the only \ teople under this law ; and would also make the sal- 
 vation of the gospel nothing more than a deliverance from 
 ceremonial observances. It would thus teach us that the whole 
 purpose for which Christ came upon earth was to emancipate 
 the Jewish nation from the thraldom of the Mosaic ritual. 
 Besides, in the clause succeeding the text, the meaning of the 
 words " redeem those who were under the law " is explained by 
 adding, " that we might receive the adoption of sons." Now, 
 our receiving the adoption of sons could not be consequent 
 upon the subjection of Christ to the ceremonial law ; nor could 
 it mean emancipation from that law, since, of those who received 
 this adoption, the greater part never were under its domin- 
 ion. I think it clear, then, that, in this case, the word law 
 means, not the ceremonial, but the moral law. If such be its 
 meaning in the one case, it is also its meaning in the other. 
 When we say, therefore, that Christ was made under the law, 
 we mean the moral law, that under which the human race 
 was created, which they are bound to obey, and by which they 
 will all be judged in the day of final account. 
 
140 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 What, then, does the apostle mean, when he declares^ that 
 Christ was under the moral law ? You observe that Christ 
 was made under the law " to redeem those that are under the 
 law." It is evident that the expression in these two places has 
 the same signification. We cannot, then, escape the conclusion 
 that Christ was made under the law in the same sense that we 
 are under the law. 
 
 When we say that we are under the law, we, I think, mean 
 that we are under a constitution such that we suffer or enjoy in 
 consequence of our disobedience or obedience to a law that has 
 been made known to us. The assertion may be explained in 
 a few words, thus : We were endowed, at our creation, with all 
 the requisite powers, and surrounded with all proper induce- 
 ments for keeping the law of God. We were gifted with an 
 intellect to know, a conscience to admonish, and a will to 
 determine ; and sufficient motives were set before us to incline 
 us to act virtuously. The law of God which we were required to 
 obey was briefly this : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
 all thy heart, and thy neighbor as thyself." Under these cir- 
 cumstances we were placed in a state of probation, and our 
 eternal destiny was suspended upon our obedience or disobe- 
 dience. If we had kept the law, eternal life would have been 
 bestowed upon us through the merciful ordinance of God. If 
 we failed even for once, our claim to salvation on the ground 
 of law was forever annulled, and we became exposed to the 
 righteous penalties of the precept which we had violated. But 
 this is not all. It is manifestly an element of the constitution 
 under which we are placed, that those who come after us must 
 suffer or enjoy in consequence of our acts — acts with which 
 they could have had no personal connection. Such is the con- 
 stitution under which we all find ourselves to have been created, 
 and to which Adam was in a particular manner subjected. 
 Had Adam passed through his probation without sin, no one 
 can tell in how far the moral peril of the probation of his pos- 
 terity would have been diminished. He sinned, and invclved 
 
THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 141 
 
 all who came after him in the catastrophe of his trans- 
 gression.* 
 
 Now, when we say that the Messiah was made under the 
 moral law, it seems to me the same as to assert that he ap- 
 peared upon earth, and lived, and died, under these same con- 
 ditions. He placed himself under the same moral constitution 
 as that under which the race of man was placed ; or, in other 
 words, the same as that under which Adam was originally 
 placed in the garden of Eden. 
 
 When, however, I assert this, it is proper to remark that the 
 Messiah voluntarily placed himself under this constitution. He 
 was, in his divine nature, infinitely removed from the moral 
 law proper for human nature. " He was before all things, and 
 by him do all things consist." " The Word was in the begin- 
 ning with God, and the Word was God." " Being in the form 
 of God, he thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but 
 made himself o^ no reputation, and took upon him the form of a 
 servant." The Creator cannot, from his nature, be subject to 
 the law of the creature. He, of his own incomprehensible 
 benevolence, placed himself under the law which he had ap- 
 pointed for the creature in order to work out our redemption. 
 
 After, however, the Son of God had placed himself under the 
 law of human nature, he became subject to it, in the same 
 manner as that nature ; that is, specially as Adam was subject 
 to it, when he commenced his probation.! He was exposed to 
 all the consequences of disobedience, and entitled to all the re- 
 wards of obedience, just as we suppose our first parent to have 
 been before his fall. This, however, includes several partic- 
 ulars, which may properly be stated somewhat more explicitly. 
 
 On this part of our subject I would remark, first, he took 
 upon himself a nature liable to sin. Were it otherwise, it would 
 not have been a human nature ; and he would neither have 
 
 * Sec Sermon p. 80. whore this subject is more fully illustrated. 
 
 t This is manifestly the appropriate condition of human nature. 
 The sinful condition of our race is an accident, and is evidently no 
 part of the constitution under which oiir race was originally created. 
 
142 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 been under the law, nor would he have been of the seed of 
 Abraham. Had he not been liable to sin, I do not see in what 
 would have consisted his virtue, either in resisting temptation 
 or in triumphing over evil. What may be the forms of virtue 
 in other states I know not, but, under the conditions of human 
 nature, I think we never attribute virtue to an action unless the 
 two courses, right and wrong, are both open before a man, and 
 with entire freedom of will he chooses the one in preference to 
 the other. The way of sin is therefore as fully open before a 
 human being as the way of holiness ; and from the conditions 
 of his being, he is as liable to the one as to the other.* 
 
 Secondly. It follows, I think, from what I have said, that, if 
 the Messiah had sinned, the consequences to himself would 
 have been the same as to any one of us. The words of the 
 law are, " Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon 
 every soul of man that doeth evil," and " glory, and honor, and 
 peace to every man that doeth good." And " we know that what 
 things soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the 
 law.'''' This was the law under which the Son of God was made. 
 
 * It may be proper here to remark, that in every case of human 
 action there maybe both a physical and a moral possibility or impossi- 
 bility. Thus a man of tried virtue and goodness has it physically as 
 much in his power to commit murder or theft as any other man. He 
 has by nature passions and appetites wliich may be gratified by these 
 or any other sins. His hunger, for instance, may be appeased by for- 
 bidden food. There is nothing to restrain him but his virtue. But 
 that virtue may be so superior to this temptation, that, were it pre- 
 sented before him forever, he would never be overcome. We say, in 
 such a case, that it is morally impossible for him to commit this sin. 
 We recognize this distinction every day in our ordinary conversation. 
 If a man is, from sickness, unable to move, he is incapable of crime in 
 the one sense. If he be so virtuous that temptation is unable to 
 seduce him, we say that he is incapable of crime in the other sense. 
 Thus we frequently say of a good man, that he is incapable of lying ; 
 of a kind man, that he is incapable of cruelty. We suppose, then, 
 that the Messiah was physically capable of sin, and liable to tempta- 
 tion, and that the only reason why he did not sin was his transcend- 
 ent virtue. 
 
THE V;ORK OF, THE MESSIAH. 143 
 
 By keeping it, he would, in his inferior nature, have been 
 entitled to all its rewards ; by disobeying it, he would have been 
 exposed to the punishments which it threatened. If, however, 
 it be here asked. How could punishment be inflicted on this 
 mysterious Being, in whose person were united the divine and 
 human nature .'' I willingly confess that I cannot explain it. 
 There seems, however, to have been recorded various facts in 
 his life which show that even this was not impossible. When 
 on earth, without sin, his soul was exceedingly sorrowful even 
 unto death. His nature, then, even here, was capable, as also 
 we see in the garden of Gethsemane, of the direst extremity 
 of pain. When on the cross, his Father's face was hidden 
 from him. If his nature were capable of such a condition as 
 this for an hour or a moment, it was capable of it for any 
 period whatever. 
 
 Thirdly. But far other consequences than those that came 
 upon himself were to result from the probationary existence of 
 the Messiah. I have alluded to the element of the constitution 
 under which our race was created by which we suffer or enjoy 
 in consequence of acts in which we have had no participation. 
 In virtue of this law, our first parents became, from the neces- 
 sity of the case, in some sort representatives of their race. 
 They fell. " By one man sin entered into the world." Their 
 posterity have ever since been sinners. " By one man's diso- 
 bedience, the many were made sinners." In what manner 
 these consequences become entailed upon us, it is not necessary 
 here to inquire. It is sufficient for us to observe the fact that 
 results directly from what is here asserted, namely, that, in 
 consequence of the sin of our first parents, the door of eternal 
 life became practically closed to the whole of that race which 
 came after them. 
 
 Now, it seems that this very element of the constitution under 
 which we were created, and by which our race was ruined, is 
 precisely that by which we are redeemed. By the sin of 
 Adam, his posterity became sinners, the law of God was dis- 
 honored, the paternal authority of God set at defiance, and thus 
 
 ^^^^^^^^ 
 
 f^ Ot TUB 
 
144 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 the way of life to man became closed. It was necessary, in 
 order to our salvation, that this law should be perfectly obeyed 
 by one in human nature ; and obeyed in such a manner, and 
 by one of such a character, as would reflect more honor on the 
 purity of the law, and illustrate more gloriously to the universe 
 the holiness of God, than we could have done by our obe- 
 dience, or even by suffering forever the penalty which we had 
 mcurred. This was the great purpose for which Christ was 
 manifest in the flesh. " He took not hold of the nature of 
 angels, but he took hold of the seed of Abraham ; wherefore 
 in all tilings it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren." 
 The Messiah then came as the second Adam, to obey the law, 
 which, in consequence of the disobedience of the first Adam, the 
 whole race of man had broken. The possibility of the salvation 
 of the whole race was conditioned upon his obedience. If he 
 kept the law spotless and without blemish, if he magnified the 
 law and made it honorable, God the Father would be well 
 pleased for his righteousness' sake. If he passed triumphant in 
 virtue through all the moral trials to which our nature could be 
 exposed, a way of escape from eternal wrath was provided ; 
 the gate of heaven, before closed by our sins, was thrown wide 
 open to ever}" child of Adam ; justice and mercy would meet 
 together ; God could be just, and yet the justifier of him that 
 believeth in Jesus ; the throne of God would be encircled with 
 a more venerable and yet more lovely effulgence ; and a man- 
 ifestation of the attributes of the Eternal, more august than 
 cherubim and seraphim had yet beheld, would burst forth upon 
 principalities and powers in heavenly places. But if, on the 
 other hand, the Messiah had sinned, — if the wickedness of 
 man, or the temptations of Satan, had seduced him by word, or 
 thought, or deed, from the line of perfect obedience to the holy 
 law of God, — all this would have been reversed. The Messiah 
 himself must have borne, with ourselves, the curse of that law 
 under which he, in common with the race of man, had placed 
 himself. The gate of heaven, closed a second time to our 
 race, would have been sealed without the possibility of hope ; 
 
THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 145 
 
 and our whole apostate family, not one exempt, would have 
 peopled the regions of despair. Nay, more : the plan of 
 redemption, on which the wisdom of Omniscience had been 
 exhausted, would have proved abortive. That effort of infinite 
 compassion, by which it was intended to save a race of perish- 
 ing sinners, would have only rendered their perdition more 
 hopeless by the very sacrifice of his well-beloved Son. The 
 counsel of Heaven would have been covered with confusion. 
 Infinite mercy would have wrought nothing but misery. * 
 
 On this conflict, then, we may well suppose that the des- 
 tinies of the universe were suspended. By the obedience of 
 the Messiah was it to be determined whether sin or holiness 
 should be henceforth in the ascendant. Well may we sup- 
 pose that our earth, at that moment, presented a spectacle on 
 which all intelligent creatures were gazing with all-absorbing 
 interest. Well might the Holy Spirit descend in a visible form 
 on the head of Him who was first girding himself for this 
 mighty contest. Well might the Eternal Father cheer him 
 with his presence, and declare to the universe, " This is my 
 beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." Well might Moses 
 and Elias seize an opportunity on the mount of transfigura- 
 tion to speak with him respecting the decease which he should 
 accomplish at Jerusalem. Well might angels be seen minis- 
 tering to him, when his nature, exhausted by fasting, or pressed 
 
 * It may be objected to the view here taken, that I have not duly- 
 considered the class of passages which lay a peculiar stress on the 
 blood of Christ as a sacrifice for sin, the death of Christ as procuring 
 our redemption, the offering up of Christ, &c. To this I would reply, 
 that I by no means have forgotten these passages, nor am I disposed, 
 in the least degree, to attenuate their meaning. No view of any 
 subject of revelation can be correct if it do not allow the full and 
 obvious meaning of every class of passages which treat upon that 
 subject. It may, therefore, be proper to remark that, in treating of 
 the work of Christ, the Scriptures seem to me to develop two ideas — 
 the one, the obedience of Christ to the law ; the other, the offering up 
 of himself as a sacrifice for sin. It is to the first of these alone that 
 the attention of the reader is directed in the present discourse. The 
 subject is further considered in the following sermon. 
 13 
 
116 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 down by the weight of a world's redemption, was sinking 
 beneath its burden. No wonder that the earth quaked, and 
 the rocks rent, and the sun was shrouded in darkness, on that 
 fearful hour in which was decided the fate of the whole moral 
 universe. But, if all the powers of heaven were thus inter- 
 ested in the event of this conflict, we may well believe that the 
 powers of hell beheld it with the intensest apprehension. By 
 the result of the Messiah's mission was it to be decided 
 whether they were to defeat the purposes of the Holy One, or 
 be covered with tenfold confusion, and made the scorn and 
 abhorrence of the universe of God. Hence all their hosts 
 were summoned to the onset. A peculiar and unusual power 
 over the race of man seems at this time to have been conceded 
 to them. This was, no doubt, exerted to the uttermost. Nor 
 this alone. The Messiah himself seems to have been exposed 
 more directly than any of us to the temptations of the hosts of 
 Satan. Every means that infernal cunning could suggest, oi 
 desperate malignity direct, was plied to the uttermost, in order, 
 if possible, to seduce the Messiah into sin, and thus defeat the 
 purposes of infinite goodness. Well was it for our race that 
 our help was laid on one that was mighty. What created 
 virtue could have passed through such a trial unscathed ? None 
 but God manifest in the flesh could have accomplished the 
 work which was given to the Redeemer to do. And hence do 
 we see how immeasurable a meaning is given to the words, 
 " God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son.'* 
 Eternity itself will fail to explore the length, and breadth, and 
 depth, and height, of the love of God, which passeth knowl- 
 edge — that love which so put in jeopardy the whole interests 
 of the universe, to save from perdition a race of creatures who" 
 had rebelled against a holy and most merciful law.* 
 
 * If the vie-\v here taken of the conditions of the Messiah's mission 
 be correct, it will, I think, throw some light upon the question so 
 frequently asked, In lohat manner did Christ's appearing upor earth 
 have any effect upon our moral relations ? To this various replies 
 have been presented. It has been said that his unparalleled humii 
 
THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 14? 
 
 II. Let us now survey tliis transaction from another point of 
 view, and endeavor to form a conception of the life of Christ 
 under the conditions which we have endeavored thus imper- 
 fectly to explain. 
 
 1. Every one of us may possibly know, from experience 
 how oppressive is the weight of solemn and important respon- 
 sibility. There are critical moments in the life of almost 
 every man, when the whole color of his destiny has been 
 determined by a single decision. He who remembers these 
 eras in his history needs not to be reminded of the fear and 
 trembhng with which he approached them. The soul, in such 
 circumstances, bowed down beneath the responsibility under 
 which its decision must be pronounced, feels distinctly that it 
 could not possibly exist, were this anxiety to be long con- 
 tinued. So intolerable is the pressure of this overwhelming 
 care, that men generally hasten to almost any decision in 
 order to be relieved from it, preferring any consequence what- 
 ever to the torture of insufferable doubt. 
 
 The case, however, becomes vastly more oppressive when 
 
 iation, or liis lowly and painful life, his bitter death, were of the 
 nature of a suffering of the penalty of the law. I, however, appre- 
 hend that this explanation has not always been satisfactory to those 
 who have borne in mind the character of the law which we have 
 violated, and the awful holiness of the Being against whom we have 
 Binned. Besides, the suffermgs of Chiist, considered by themselves, 
 were not severer, nor was his death, in itself, more excruciating than 
 that of many martyrs, confessors, and missionaries. And yet, again, 
 when the question is asked, how does such a life, if this be all, meet 
 the demands of the law ? how is it in so special a manner a moral 
 victory ? I think we generally feel that this transaction is a mystery 
 of which we would like to see a clear solution. If, however, we go 
 beyond this outward appearance, and consider that this life was 
 really spent under a liability to all the consequences of sin, and that 
 this virtue, thus exhibited, did really triumph over every attack that 
 could be made upon it by all the hosts of hell, we seem, to mc, to 
 approach nearer to an answer to these questions ; w^hilc, at the same 
 time, the whole transaction assumes a moral grandeur, in. comparison 
 with which every other fact in the history of the world turns pale. 
 
148 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 not only our own des'.inles, but those of others, are deep]y 
 affected by our decisions. I can conceive of no situation more 
 intensely painful to a benevolent mind than that in wliich tlie 
 happiness or misery of multitudes is suspended upon the 
 deliberations of our own finite intelligenc3. A crisis of this 
 kind, happily, does not frequendy occur in the ordinary wallvs 
 of life. There are, however, rare situations, in which men are 
 called habitually to act under the pressure of such responsi- 
 bility. Where this is the case, the heart, unless sustained by 
 the highest attainments in virtue, becomes callous and indiffer- 
 ent to the result ; or else the intellect itself gives way beneath 
 a burden of anxiety too heavy to be borne by human nature.' 
 Politicians and statesmen, more directly than other men, are 
 placed in the circumstances to which I have referred ; and 
 hence it is that their annals are so replete, on the one hand, 
 with instances of remorseless and revolting selfishness, and, 
 on the other, with those of derangement, suicide, and sudden 
 death. 
 
 In the case of the Messiah, however, not temporal but eter- 
 nal interests were suspended upon his decisions. It was not 
 merely the result of his actions upon his own happiness or 
 misery, but their result upon the happiness or misery of innu- 
 merable millions that pressed with overwhelming anxiety upon 
 his holy soul. It was not merely the happiness or misery of 
 created beings, be they ever so numerous, or how largely 
 soever susceptible of pleasure or pain ; it was the honor of that 
 holy law which, in the presence of the universe, he had under- 
 taken to magnify, which was perilled upon the condition of his 
 sinless obedience. And yet more : these stupendous conse- 
 quences were not suspended upon a single hour, or day, or 
 year of the Messiah's life, but upon evciy action, every word, 
 every thought, every motive, throughout his whole probation- 
 ary existence. Every moral bias, during his continuance 
 under the law, was put forth under the pressure of this infinite 
 responsibility. Had he but once disobeyed God ; had he acted 
 from one guilty or even one imperfect motive had he, for a 
 
THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 149 
 
 Single moment, exercised any thing less than the full measure 
 of that love which was due to his Father in heaven, and to his 
 brethren of the human race, — all would have been lost; the 
 scheme of man's redemption would have stood recorded in 
 the annals of eternity a solemn failure, and the cunning and 
 malice of hell would have triumphed over the wisdom and 
 holiness of heaven. 
 
 To spend a life on earth, with a full knowledge of the con- 
 sequences which were thus suspended upon every moment, 
 must have been awful beyond any thing of which the human 
 mind can adequately conceive. There were, however, circum- 
 stances in the life of the Messiah which must have aggravated, 
 beyond description, the agony which he suffered. 
 
 It will assist us to form a conception of the life of Christ, 
 if wc, for a moment, in the first place, compare it, in 
 this respect, with that of Adam. Adam is styled, in the 
 Scriptures, the type or emblem of Him who was to come. 
 The reason of this designation is obvious. Our first parent 
 stood in a relation to the race similar to that held By the 
 Messiah. Had our progenitor kept the law inviolate, and 
 passed through his probation without sin, the course of human 
 life would have commenced, and perhaps would have con- 
 tinued, sinless ; just as, " by the transgression of one," on the 
 other hand, " the many were made sinners." So the Messiah, 
 the second Adam, standing in the same relation to our race, 
 on his obedience or failure, the destiny of us all was a second 
 time contingent. But how immeasurably different were the 
 conditions of these our two representatives ! The soul of Adam 
 awoke to consciousness in a pure and holy world. Nothing 
 Avas reflected back from every object around him but the 
 unsullied image of the Creator. God himself was his 
 instructor and his companion. There was no example of sin 
 to corrupt him. There was no infliction of injustice to exas- 
 perate him. There was no act of ingratitude to grieve him. 
 Every thing around him was very good ; and every thing was 
 created with the express intention of fostering the principle of 
 13* 
 
150 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 holiness within him. And, moreover, he entered upon this 
 state without ever having seen any thing more glorious. It 
 was comparatively easy for him to pass through his probation 
 unharmed, and thus to impress the seal of righteousness upon 
 his whole posterity. 
 
 The Messiah, on the contrary, entered a world lying in 
 wickedness ; a world without God. Every face that he saw 
 had been marked with the image of the prince of darkness. 
 The very elements of its society had received their form and 
 pressure from the enemy of all righteousness. What a con- 
 trast did it form with the world that he had left ! He had 
 exchanged the peace and harmony of heaven for the war 
 and discords of earth ; the anthems of seraphim for the 
 blasphemies of men. The adoration of the hosts of heaven, 
 who accompanied him to the confines of our world, had 
 hardly ceased, when he was assailed by the scornful revilings 
 of the worms upon his footstool. 
 
 Again : when men are placed in circumstances of peculiar 
 trial, tliey are of necessity intimately associated together. 
 The chief actor in a momentous enterprise unites with him- 
 self others who sympathize in his motives, comprehend his 
 plans, carry forward his designs, and who would cheerfully 
 sacrifice their lives in behalf of the cause in which all are 
 equally engaged. How much this tends to alleviate anxiety, 
 and soften the ])ressure of otherwise intolerable care, I surely 
 need not remind you. 
 
 None of these ameliorating circumstances, however, re- 
 lieved the anxieties of Jesus of Nazareth. Of all the beings 
 who have dwelt upon our earth, none was ever so emphatically 
 a lone man as the Messiah. In the prophetic language of 
 Isaiah, " he trode the wine-press alone, and of the people 
 there was none with him." At the commencement of his 
 public ministry, all his family, his mother only excepted, dis- 
 carded him as a madman. Though he selected liis immediate 
 companions from his most promising disciples, yet not one of 
 them could comprehend his plans, or form even a remote 
 
THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 151 
 
 conception of the nature of his mission. Even after his 
 resurrection, their views of the result of his advent reached 
 not beyond the establishment of a temporal sovereignty, and 
 the conferring of universal dominion upon the descendants of 
 Abraham. " Lord," said they unto him, " wilt thou at this 
 time restore the kingdom to Israel ? " Nay, on the very 
 night in which he was betrayed, when, about to enter upon 
 his bitter passion, he was attempting to prepare them for the 
 coming events, they interrupted him by an altercation arising 
 out of the question, who should be the greatest in the ap- 
 proaching revolution. Thus, without sympathy, wholly with- 
 out a helper, he bore the weight of his own sorrows ; while 
 he was working out, unaided, the deliverance of a world from 
 the condemnation of the law. 
 
 But while thus destitute of friends, who were capable of 
 sympathizing with him, he suffered, as no other being on earth 
 ever suffered, the unmitigated infliction of this world's enmity. 
 If any thing could have moved him to wrath, he must have 
 been so moved by the treatment which he received from 
 those whom he came from heaven to seek and to save. He 
 came to suffer the will and obey the law of God, to rescue 
 us from eternal perdition ; and how was he welcomed ? In 
 infancy his life was sought for by Herod. As he travelled 
 on foot over the plains of Judea and the mountains of Gali- 
 lee, the common hospitalities of life were denied him. " The 
 foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the 
 Son of man hath not where to lay his head." If he did not 
 work miracles, his authority was denied ; if he wrought them 
 on the Sabbath, he was accused of breaking his Father's 
 commandment ; if he wrought them on any other day, his 
 power was ascribed to collusion with the prince of devils. 
 If he taught plainly, he excited the malice of the scribes, and 
 they conspired against his life ; if he spoke in parables, they 
 scoffed at him as a madman and a demoniac. Every truth that 
 he revealed was uttered in the presence of avowed enemies, or 
 of treacherous friends, who, with fiendish ingenuity, wrested 
 
152 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 his words and strove to distort his holy precepts into blas- 
 phemy. To have refrained from speaking would have dis- 
 pleased his Father, for he came from heaven to be a light 
 unto the world. To speak was to arouse that ceaseless 
 enmity which was only awaiting a fit occasion to raise the 
 universal cry, " Crucify him ! crucify him ! away with such 
 a fellow from the earth ! " Every act, which fiendish inge- 
 nuity could invent, was plied to the uttermost to tempt him 
 to sin ; and had he but once sinned, his tempters, with their 
 whole race, would have been consigned to remediless 
 perdition. 
 
 But this is not all. I have already remarked that he w^as 
 incessantly exposed to the most subtle temptations of all the 
 powers of darkness. Of the manner of these temptations 
 we have a recorded example in two of the evangelists. 
 From this single instance, we may learn that every circum- 
 stance of his eventful life was employed with consummate 
 address to lead the Messiah into sin. In the extremity of 
 hunger and exhaustion, he was pressed to put forth his 
 miraculous power in a manner not permitted by his Father, 
 that so he might betray impatience to the allotments of Provi- 
 dence. In his loneliness and humiliation, when, his mission 
 not having been confided to a single soul, he was a solitary 
 being on earth, all the kingdoms of the world are offered 
 him as the reward of a single act of transgression. And 
 when, strong in holy confidence, he had repelled every temp- 
 tation, even this confidence is employed to tempt him to a 
 mode of reliance on God not warranted by his dealings with 
 men. 
 
 This, however, is but a single incident in the Messiah's life 
 from which the veil has been removed by the hand of inspi- 
 ration. But if the acts of the tempter were thus phed in 
 loneliness, in the wilderness, when the Savior had retired for 
 the purposes of devotion, with what earnestness must tliey 
 have been redoubled in the city, among the multitude, when 
 the successive incidents of his life afforded incomparably 
 
THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 153 
 
 better hope that they might be tried with advantage ! What 
 must liave been the suggestions of the adversary, when the 
 malignity of enemies and the ingratitude of friends tried his 
 tender spirit to the uttermost? And let us not forget that 
 thus tempted from without, and assauUed from within, every 
 action of his life was performed under the fearful respon- 
 sibility of a world's salvation. Who, but the Son of God, 
 was equal to such a trial ? Had not our help been laid on 
 One that was mighty to save, where could have been the 
 shadow of hope for any of our race ? 
 
 Such was the life of Christ. But he had yet a baptism to 
 be baptized with, in comparison with which all that he had 
 yet undergone was tolerable. In view of this, he prayed his 
 Father that, if it were possible, this cup might pass from him. 
 He prayed thus three times. The anticipation of the trial 
 through which he must pass, so overwhelmed his physical 
 nature, that the blood gushed from, every pore, forced out by 
 agony too great for human endurance. 
 
 In order to estimate the intensity of the Messiah's suffering, 
 consider, for a moment, the elements of agony that were con- 
 centrated in the crisis of his passion. The slight consolations 
 that he had received from human sympathy were withdrawn, 
 and he was delivered up into the hands of merciless ruffians. 
 His disciples leave him alone, and one, the oldest and the 
 most zealous, denies, with imprecations, that he had ever 
 even known him. Human malice is unchained, that it may 
 exert upon him its whole power without control. The Lamb 
 of God is smitten with the fist, spit upon, and crowned whh 
 thorns. All this is but the prelude to death in its most ago- 
 nizing form. The immaculate Son of God must endure the 
 public death of an ignominious felon. What death is, no one 
 of us can know from experience ; much less can we know 
 what is endured in a violent, lingering, and cruel death by 
 murder. But every one, who has stood by the bedside of a 
 departing friend, can form some, though it be an inadequate, 
 conception of that hour when the powers of the mind are pros- 
 
154 
 
 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 trated by disease, and the soul, environed on every side by 
 the extremity of suffering, feels the power of self-government 
 giving way under the pressure of intolerable anguish. If such 
 be death to any one of us, what must it have been to pass 
 through this hour as the Messiah did, with the destinies of 
 the world suspended on his sinless obedience ? 
 
 But this was not all. The infernal ^irits had thus far 
 tempted him utterly in vain. The warfare was nearly accom- 
 plished, and as yet they had achieved no victory ; one conflict 
 only remained. The last effort was now to be made, and with 
 better prospect of success than they had before dared to hope 
 for. They had succeeded in isolating the Savior from every 
 human aid. The moment of nature's weakness was the time 
 of their chosen opportunity. The Messiah must come specially 
 within their power, as he was delivering the race of man from 
 it forever. " It was their hour, and the power of darkness.'* 
 Every earthly support ha^ been withdrawn from him. Tlie 
 very power of self-control was trembling under the pressure of 
 agony too great to be endured. The will could scarcely retain 
 its authority amidst the struggles of expiring nature. Now, 
 now, could the Messiah be tempted to sin ; now, could he be 
 made to yield even to an unholy thought, or put forth an im- 
 patient desire, their whole work would be accomplished. The 
 v/hole power of hell was therefore concentrated to overwhelm 
 him at this awful crisis. Under such conditions did the Savior 
 pass through the hour of death. 
 
 But lastly : up to this hour, the Spirit had been poured out 
 without measure upon him. Thus far he had been upheld by 
 constant and reciprocal communion with his Father and our 
 Father, with his God and our God. But at this moment, even 
 this light, that had thus far cheered him, was withdrawn, and 
 he passed through the valley of the shadow of death in utter 
 darkness. All support, created and uncreated, was removed, 
 and he was left to the unaided strength of his own personal 
 virtue. What an hour was that in the annals of eternity ! The 
 endless destiny of countless myriads, the honor of the law of 
 
THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 155 
 
 God, the decision of that contest which must end in the triumph 
 of heaven or the triumph of hell, the question whether Messiah 
 should sink under the curse of the law to which he had sub- 
 jected himself, or be raised in his assumed nature to the throne 
 of the universe, — all were suspended upon the strength of the 
 Savior's virtue under this awful trial. He cried, " My God, 
 my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? " There was darkness 
 over all the land. There was silence in heaven. Seraphim 
 and cherubim, awe-struck, looked down upon this unparalleled 
 moral contest. On its issue there seems to have depended the 
 happiness or misery of the moral universe of God. 
 
 The moments of agony slowly rolled away. The powers 
 of hell had gained no advantage. The Messiah, strong in his 
 own unaided virtue, had baffled every attack of earth and hell, 
 and shone glorious in untarnished holiness. His last moment 
 has arrived. Doth he yet maintain his integrity .? Doth he, 
 amidst these unfathomable trials of his benevolence, still love 
 his neighbor as himself? Hearken to the prayer that quivers 
 upon his parched and feverish lips : " Father, forgive them, for 
 they know not what they do." Although forsaken of his 
 Father and his God, doth he yet trust in him with filial 
 confidence.? Hearken again: "Father, into thy hands I 
 commit my spirit." The warfare was accomplished. The 
 victory was won. He said, " It is finished, and gave up the 
 ghost." 
 
 The work was done. The victory was achieved. He had 
 sustained his unparalleled trial, holy, harmless, and undefiled. 
 The law of God was magnified and made honorable. An 
 illustration of the holiness of God had been made, so glorious 
 that the condemnation of the race of man would have been as 
 nothing to it. The subtilty of the hosts of hell was turned to 
 foolishness. The malignity of Satan was covered with eternal 
 shame. The seed of the woman had crushed the head of the 
 serpent. The race of Adam was delivered from the curse of 
 the law, and a way, even into the holiest of holies, was opened 
 to us, through the blood of the everlasting covenant. " Mercy 
 
156 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 and truth had met together, righteousness and peace had 
 kissed each other." Every attribute of God shone forth upon 
 the whole moral universe with a new and more resplendent 
 effulgence. And all this was accomplished by means of the 
 Messiah's holiness. " Wherefore, also, God hath highly ex- 
 alted him, and given him a name which is above every name ; 
 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, whether of 
 things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the 
 earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ 
 is Lord to the glory of God the Father." And hence, also, as 
 he ascended to his native heaven in triumph over all the pow- 
 ers of darkness, a new song burst forth from the redeemed of 
 every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and from 
 all the angels round about the throne, saying, with a loud 
 voice, " Worthy is the Lamb, that was slain, to receive power, 
 and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and gloiy, 
 and blessing;" while this song was reechoed from eveiy 
 creature in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth,.saying, 
 " Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, to him that 
 sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb, forever." 
 
THE WORK OP THE MESSIAH 
 
 PART II. 
 
 " Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive, 
 thou hast received gifts for men, yea, for the rebellious 
 also, that the lord god might dwell among them." 
 
 Psalm Ixviii. 18, 
 
 In the last discourse, I endeavored to present a conception 
 of the manner of life of the Messiah on earth. I then took 
 occasion to show that he perfectly fulfilled that law under 
 which he had voluntarily placed himself; he triumphed over all 
 the powers of darkness, and, having accomplished his whole 
 work on earth, he said, " It is finished," bowed his head, and 
 yielded up his spirit. He, in human nature, obeyed the law 
 which we had violated, in the words of the apostle, " con- 
 demned sin in the flesh," "and spoiled principalities and 
 powers, making a show of them openly." 
 
 This, however, was only a part of his work as the Messiah. 
 He took upon himself human nature. He was made of a 
 woman, made under the law. It behoved him to pass through 
 all the changes to which those born of women are subjected. 
 Until all this was accomplished, his work, as our represent- 
 ative, was not completed. Let us see whether we are able, by 
 the light of revelation, to trace out his work any further. 
 
 The Scriptures, I think, teach us that the human race must 
 
 exist in three successive states. First, in the state of a spirit 
 
 united to a mortal body — such are we at present ; secondly, in 
 
 the state of spirit disconnected with a body ; and thirdly, that 
 
 14 
 
158 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 of Spirit united with a glorified, or, as the apostle terms it, a 
 spiritual body. 
 
 Our blessed Lord, during his residence on earth, had passed 
 through the first of these conditions of human nature. " He 
 was in all points like as we are, yet without sin." 
 
 At death, the Messiah entered upon the second state to which 
 we are appointed. His body was laid in the tomb of Joseph, 
 and it continued there from the evening of the sixth to the 
 morning of the fii*st day of the week. The body was actually 
 dead, the executioners themselves being witnesses. And to 
 make assurance yet more sure, a soldier, by a wound in the 
 Savior's side, that must have severed organs essential to life, 
 rendered all deception or error impossible. The spirit or soul 
 of the Messiah was then separated from his mortal body. It 
 dwelt in the place of departed spirits. All this is stated in the 
 first sermon that was preached after the resurrection. Quot- 
 ing from the sixteenth Psalm, the apostle Peter says, " I fore- 
 saw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right 
 hand, that I should not be moved; therefore did my heart 
 rejoice, and my tongue was glad ; moreover, also, my flesh " 
 (my human body) " shall rest in hope, because thou wilt not 
 leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy holy One to 
 see corruption," (to suffer decay ;) " thou hast made known to 
 me the ways of life," (thou wilt bring me to life again,) " thou 
 wilt make me full of joy with thy countenance," (thou wilt 
 raise me to the fulness of joy at thy right hand.) The apostle 
 shows that these words could never have been true of David, 
 since he never rose again, but his flesh saw corruption and 
 decay, like that of any other human being. They are, how- 
 ever, perfectly true of the Messiah. " David," said he, " being 
 a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath, to 
 him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he 
 would raise up Christ to sit upon his throne, he, seeing this 
 before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was 
 not left in hell, neither did his flesh see corruption." 
 
 The word translated hell here is " hades,'''' a word signifying, 
 
THE WOKK OF THE MESSIAH. 159 
 
 originally, the invisible^ and used, commonly, for the invisible 
 world, the place of the departed. It differs generically from 
 the word gehenna, which is used invariably to designate the 
 place of future punishment reserved for the ungodly. You 
 see, then, that the apostle does not teach us that the soul of the 
 Messiah, at death, entered heaven ; but merely hades, or the 
 abode of separate spirits. 
 
 But what do we know of the residence of Messiah in this 
 unseen world ? I must confess our knowledge on this subject 
 to be but limited. We know that this invisible world is a place 
 either of pleasure or of pain. The apostle speaks of being 
 absent from the body and present with the Lord. He says, 
 that so far as his own choice was concerned, he would rather 
 be thus transferred from the present state of trial to that of 
 eternal rest. Our Savior promised to the thief on the cross, 
 " This day shalt thou be ivith me in paradise.'''' It was a 
 promise to a dying penitent. It spoke to him of consolation, 
 and of future happiness. It could have meant neither annihi- 
 lation, nor unconsciousness, but exceeding joy. It was, then, 
 to the bliss of this invisible state that the Messiah was himself 
 drawing near. He was about to conduct this first-born of the 
 redeemed to the mansions which he was going to prepare for 
 all those that love him. 
 
 On the other hand, this same hades, the place of the de- 
 parted, is spoken of as a place of hopeless misery. " The 
 poor man died, and was carried of angels to Abraham's 
 bosom." " The rich man also died, and was buried, and in 
 hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abra- 
 ham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom." From such passages 
 as these, we may, I think, learn that there is a state into which 
 all men pass between the hour of death and the morning of 
 the resurrection ; a state in which the soul exists separate from 
 the body ; a state of joy unuttemble to the pious, and of 
 sorrow intolerable to the wicked ; and that into this state the 
 Messiah entered, and continued there until, by his own power, 
 he rose again from the dead. 
 
160 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 What was the object of the Messiah in entering this state ? I 
 must confess myself unable fully to answer this question. We 
 shall all be satisfied on this subject when we ourselves have 
 entered it. In our present state, there is much about it that is 
 mysterious. One or two suggestions may, however, throw 
 some light upon this interesting inquiiy. 
 
 The Scriptures, as you must all have perceived, speak with 
 great emphasis of the death of Christ, of his offering up him- 
 self, and being by his death specially the means of our re- 
 demption. It may be that there were some parts of this great 
 transaction that could be perfected only at or after his death. It 
 may be that in death he offered himself up as an expiatory sac- 
 rifice, ready and wilUng to bear all that the law of God might 
 require as the price of our redemption. This may be the 
 meaning of the apostle when he says, " If the blood of bulls 
 and of goats sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, how much 
 more shall the blood of Christ, who, through the eternal 
 Spirit," (in his eternal spiritual nature,) " offered up himself 
 without spot to God, purge your consciences from dead worlds 
 to serve the living God ? " Here the apostle seems to refer to the 
 oflering up of himself afler he had shown himself to be with- 
 out spot. This would lead us to believe that a part of this 
 great work of the Messiah was to be performed after death. It 
 seems to intimate that after his obedience on earth was com- 
 plete, he surrendered himself up, to suffer in our behalf all 
 that was necessary in order to render our pardon and redemp- 
 tion consistent with infinite holiness. His obedience, however, 
 had been so transcendent in virtue, he had so triumphantly 
 vanquished all our spiritual enemies, and put to shame all the 
 powers of darkness, that I know not whether any thing more was 
 demanded. " The Lord was well pleased for his righteousness' 
 sake," (his obedience,) " for he had magnified the law and made 
 it honorable." That this was the case would seem probable, 
 because there is no reference in the Scriptures to his suffering 
 after death. This offering up of himself, however, may have 
 belonged to the invisible world. Earth had no theatre on 
 
THE WORK OF THE' MESSIAH. 161 
 
 which ^such a scene could have been enacted. It belonged to 
 the sph'itual world ; it had respect to the whole creation of 
 spiritual intelligences, and before them alone could it bo 
 appropriately displayed. 
 
 Again : the unseen world is the place in which the race of 
 man spend by far the greater portion of their existence prior to 
 the resurrection. Christ had established his dominion on earth 
 by triumphing over all our enemies. It may be that it was 
 necessary for him to establish his dominion in that other state, 
 through which also we must pass. In what manner his resi- 
 dence and triumph, there, will affect our condition, I know not 
 that I am able to affirm. I can, however, very well conceive 
 that it would have been a very different state for the believer, 
 if Christ had not entered it, and thus triumphed over all our 
 enemies, as our forerunner, representative, and head. I know 
 that where he went, there it will be safe and glorious for the 
 believer to follow. I know that where he established his do- 
 minion, there it will be blissful for a holy soul to rest. I know 
 that where he has prepared a place for us, there we shall be 
 iilled with joy unspeakable and full of gloiy. 
 
 Besides, we all know and feel that, in consequence of the 
 mission of Christ to our world, the race of man, in its present 
 state, is brought immeasurably nearer to God. God becomes 
 our Father, and believers are his children. His spirit dwells 
 on earth, and holds communion with the spirits of the contrite. 
 We may thus hold direct and filial intercourse with God. 
 Nothing but our worldliness and sin prevents him from mani- 
 festing himself to us here, perhaps as unresei-vedly as he did 
 to our first parents before they transgressed. Heaven has thus 
 been opened to us, and the angels of God are now ascending 
 and descending upon the son of man. The meaning of this 
 symbolical language is, I think, apparent ; Messiah is the 
 medium of intercourse between earth and heaven. 
 
 Now, it may be that the abode of the Messiah in the place 
 of departed spirits, and the accomplishment of his work there, 
 may have brought that state also into more intimate com- 
 14* 
 
162 THE WORfe OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 niunion with Heaven, and rejoiced thf» spirits of the juf^, ith 
 new displays of the character of the Most High. Wr » can 
 tell how much more brightly the beams of eternal love shine 
 upon that spiritual world, in consequence of the veil which he 
 drew aside, Avhen he burst the bars of death, and rose trium- 
 phant over the grave } 
 
 I know not but this may also explain to us the passages in 
 Avhich believers, at death, are said to be present with the 
 Lord. It may be, that, in consequence of his tiiumph there, 
 the communication between heaven and the believing soul is 
 so fully and unreservedly established, that it is even as though 
 he were there continually present. It may be, that, in conse- 
 quence of his work there, he is able, through the long period 
 of separate existence, to manifest himself to the spirits of the^ 
 redeemed by such immeasurable outpouring of his Spirit as 
 could not else have been possible. Thus his abode there once, 
 would render it the same to the believer, as though he were 
 always present. Again : we are infoi-med of the triumph which 
 attended his entrance upon his work of humiliation. Who can 
 tell how glorious in holiness and love must his manifestation of 
 himself have been there, when his work of sorrow was com- 
 pleted, and he had begun to taste the joys of his well-earned 
 victory ! How delightful would it be could we here on earth 
 listen to the histoiy of the Savior's life, from the lips of those 
 who were eye-witnesses of his acts, and who, with their own 
 eai-s, had received his instructions ! But how much more 
 glorious may we expect will be the narrative of his appearing 
 from all the company of the redeemed, who consorted with 
 him during the period of his residence in the spiritual state ! 
 The few words which have come down to us of his teaching on 
 earth have furnished matter for profoundest contemplation to 
 the most gifted and holy men who have lived since his advent. 
 How wonderful may we suppose to have been the light which 
 Christ in his spiritual state has shed upon all that has gone 
 before in the lapse of ages, and all that shall follow in the 
 cycles of eternity ! 
 
THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 163 
 
 But I must turn from this subject to another. Before leav- 
 ing it, however, I beg to say that I do not offer all these sug- 
 gestions as a part of revealed truth. I offer them rather as 
 probable suppositions. They may be all, or some, or none 
 of them, true. But one thing, I am sure, is true ; we shall 
 find, when we enter the spiritual state, that the reasons for the 
 Savior's existence there were both more numerous, and more 
 glorious than we, in our present state, can possibly conceive. 
 
 Whatever may have been the reasons for the abode of the 
 Messiah in the separate state, which we denominate death, it 
 was not possible that he should be holden of it. When liis 
 work there was accomplished, it was appointed that he should 
 enter upon the third state to which our nature is to be raised. 
 Of his own power he returned to life, for he " had power to 
 lay down his life, and he had power to take it again." 
 
 The reason given in the Scriptures for his appearing again 
 in human nature is twofold. " He died for our sins," saith 
 the apostle Paul, " and was raised again for our justification." 
 The terms " for our justification," I do not suppose, mean, that 
 we may be justified, but that the evidence might be given, that 
 our justification had been effected. Jesus Christ had predicted 
 to his friends and his enemies that he should rise again. 
 " Destroy this temple," said he, speaking of the temple of his 
 body, " and in three days I will raise it again." " After I am 
 risen again, I will go before you into Galilee." If he had 
 not risen as he had said, there would have been wanting proof, 
 notwithstanding all his miracles, that he was the Messiah. 
 We should have known that a divine pei*sonage had come 
 upon earth to teach us, and that he had undertaken, by his 
 mediatorial work, to accomplish our redemption ; but whether 
 his undertaking had been successful would have been ever 
 doubtful. Who could tell whether his mediation had been 
 accepted, and whether a way into the holiest of holies had yet 
 been opened to every one that believeth } But, by his resur- 
 rection, all these questions were answered. It was now evi- 
 dent that he was all that he claimed to be, and that God was 
 
164 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 well pleased for his righteousness' sake. He had triumphed 
 over death, the result of our transgressions ; and hence it was 
 evident that, as our nature had vanquished death, it had become 
 to us a conquered enemy, ana that sin, which was the cause of it, 
 might now be pardoned, and sinners of the human race justified. 
 
 But this was not all. Thus far, there had been no clear 
 revelation, either of the fact or the manner of man's immor- 
 tality. The ancients generally had a belief of the existence 
 of the human spirit after death. The Hebrews, as we have 
 seen, called it hades, the place of the invisible. They also 
 believed that it was a condition of rewards and punishments. 
 A most magnificent poetical description of this state is found 
 in the triumphal song of the Hebrews over the king of As- 
 syria, in the fourteenth chapter of the prophecy of Isaiah. But 
 how long this state would continue, whether it was to extend 
 without change forever, or to be terminated at some remote 
 period, by the return of the soul to this world, they knew not. 
 It seems to have been necessary, by a visible illustration, to 
 bring life and immortality to light ; and thus to abolish death, 
 by showing that the power of Death had been destroyed, and 
 his sceptre broken forever. 
 
 Now, this was accomplished by the resurrection of the 
 Messiah. He subjected himself to death. His mangled corpse 
 was laid in the tomb of Joseph. A great stone was laid over 
 the door of the sepulchre. The seal of the governor was 
 placed upon it. A Roman guard was stationed around it, for 
 the express purpose of preventing deception. " We remember 
 that this deceiver said while he was yet alive. After three 
 days, I will rise again: command, therefore, that the sepul- 
 chre be made sure until the third day." Eveiy means that 
 power or ingenuity could devise, was em])loyed to retain the 
 body of the Messiah in the grave, and thus baflle the hopes 
 of his bewildered disciples. 
 
 On the morning of the third day, when his followers were 
 covered with shame, because they had expected that this had 
 been he who was to redeem Israel, while his few remaining 
 
THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 165 
 
 friends were already preparing spices to embalm the corpse 
 of the teacher whom they loved, that body underwent a most 
 miraculous transformation. That change passed upon it which 
 we have ever since called a resurrection. The spirit was 
 again reunited to it. It became once more instinct with life. 
 Remarkable prodigies attended the event. There was a great 
 earthquake, " for the angel of tlie Lord descended from heaven, 
 and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat 
 upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment 
 white as snow, and for fear of him the keepei's did shake, and 
 become as dead men." Henceforth the Messiah appeared as 
 the first fruits of them that slept. 
 
 But what is the meaning of the words, " the ^rsi fruits of 
 them that slept " ? How was the Messiah the ^'-jirst fruits'''' > 
 Several cases had before occurred in which the dead had been 
 restored to life, and the spirit recalled to inhabit again its tab- 
 ernacle of clay. The young man whose dead body touched 
 the bones of the prophet Elisha, arose again to life. The 
 prophet himself restored from the dead the son of the Shu- 
 nammite woman. Our Lord had raised to life the son of the 
 widow of Nain. In a more solemn and public manner, in the 
 presence of a multitude, he had recalled the spirit of Lazarus, 
 who had lain four days in the grave. These were all cases in 
 which the spirit had been reunited to the body after they had 
 been for a greater or less time separated from each other. In 
 what sense, then, was it true that the risen Messiah was the 
 first fruits of them that slept.'* 
 
 I answer : the difference between the two cases is exceed- 
 ing great. Those which I have spoken of were merely 
 instances of revivification. The spirit was recalled to inhabit 
 again a mortal body, still under the power of death, and, by 
 the conditions of its being, again, by necessity, to die as it had 
 died before, and crumble back to its original dust. In these 
 cases, the power of death was only for a time arrested. It 
 was demonstrated that there was a being who had authority, 
 when he chose, and in particular instances, to loosen for a 
 
166 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 moment the bands of death. But in these cases, Death again 
 resumed his dommion. Those who had been raised to Hfe, 
 were raised only to a mortal life, and were still subject to 
 corruption. It was not by these instances shown that an 
 immortal life was in reserve for us, and that we were at last 
 to come off victorious over the grave. 
 
 But with .the resurrection of the Messiah, the case was far 
 otherwise. This was not a revivification; it was a resurrec- 
 tion. The mortal body was changed into a glorious, an 
 immortal, an incorruptible body, no more liable to death ; and 
 with this body the spirit of Christ was again united. It was in 
 this glorified body that he appeared after his resurrection. It 
 was in this that he ascended. It is this that he wears on the 
 right hand of God. It is in this that he is the head over all 
 things to his church ; and thus will he continue, until he shall 
 have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father. It is 
 in tliis respect that he is the fii*st fruits. And as he, our 
 representative and head, has been clothed with this body, so 
 shall every one of us be clothed with a similar, an incorrupti- 
 ble body. 
 
 But what is this spiritual body ? I confess I cannot tell. 
 There is nothing like it among things material. Neither I nor 
 any one on earth has ever seen it ; nor, probably, could we 
 cognize it by any of our senses. The apostle Paul, who, in 
 the fifteenth chapter of the First of Corinthians, has treated on 
 this subject more at large than it is elsewhere treated of, 
 speaks of it as a mystery. He pretends not to describe it, but 
 reasons analogically to show that our inability to cognize it is 
 no proof that it does not exist. All the information which he 
 gives is summed up in these words : " It is sown in corruption, 
 it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised 
 in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is 
 sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body." 
 
 Now, with this description, — if indeed description it may be 
 called, — the body borne by the Messiah, so far as we can see, 
 corresponded. It seems to have changed all its relations to 
 
THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 167 
 
 matter. The stone at the mouth of the sepulchre could not 
 confine it. That stone was rolled away, not to allow the spirit- 
 ual body of the Messiah to come forth, but to allow the weep- 
 ing disciples, who had come to embalm him, to see the place 
 where their Lord had lain. Bolts and bars could not exclude 
 it, for when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assem- 
 bled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus, and stood in the midst, 
 and saith unto them, " Peace be unto you." 
 
 It seems to have been a body henceforth incapable of suffer- 
 ing from any form of material injury. It yet bore, unharmed, 
 the print of the nails in its hands, and that ghastly wound 
 m the side, made by the spear of the soldier. " Then saith he 
 to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and 
 reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not 
 faithless, but believing." But these wounds created neither 
 pain nor suffering to this glorified body. Nay, are we not 
 taught that the spiritual body of the Messiah yet bears those 
 scars which it received in its last conflict with our spiritual 
 enemies ? " I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne, stood 
 a Lamb, as it had been slain. And I heard the voice of many 
 angels round about the throne, saying with a loud voice, 
 Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and 
 riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and 
 blessing." 
 
 This body of the Messiah seems to have been in all respects 
 subject to the will of the spirit which inhabited it. It could, at 
 pleasure, be present or absent, in the upper chamber at Jeru- 
 salem, or in the mountains of Galilee, or on the shore of the 
 lake of Genesaret. Even its outward manifestations to others 
 seemed to depend wholly upon the volition of the spirit with 
 which it was united. Now, the Messiah seems to his disciples 
 as an humble wayfaring man, on the road to Emmaus ; on 
 the instant, he appears to them in his proper person, and 
 vanishes out of their sight. Sometimes he is not only visible, 
 but tangible, so that they can have no doubt of his identity. 
 All these manifestations are wholly inconsistent with the ordi- 
 
168 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 nary laws to which matter is subjected. They belong not to a 
 natural, but to a spiritual body. 
 
 All this, I know, is profoundly mysterious. We know of 
 nothing on earth like it. We must receive it as a matter of 
 testimony, and we can go no farther. I do not suppose that 
 in our present stat^, we possess the faculties for obtaining any 
 more perfect knowledge on the subject. The apostle Paul 
 does not pretend to explain it. He, however, teaches us, that 
 this doctrine finds its analogy in the ordinary process of vege- 
 tation. We plant a seed ; it decays in the ground. Soon it 
 germinates, and appears in a form wholly unlike the grain 
 which we had planted ; " God having given it a body as it 
 hath pleased him." So, now, in the autumn of the year, a 
 dry and unsightly seed falls, and is buried in the earth. It lies 
 for months beneath the snows of winter. At length, the sun, 
 emblem of the Sun of righteousness, warms it with his beams, 
 and it rises from its lowly bed in a new and beautilul form, 
 resplendent in color, and refreshing in fragrance, to show forth 
 the praises of Him who hath clothed it by an act of his omnip- 
 otent power. Thus the body of the Messiah was laid in the 
 grave, mortal and corruptible ; but soon it appeared clothed 
 in the garments of immortality, prepared to ascend and take 
 Its appointed place at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 
 where he ever liveth to intercede for us. 
 
 It was in this glorified body that 1 suppose our Savior to 
 have dwelt for some weeks on earth, showing himself alive by 
 many infallible proofs. In this body, as he was blessing his 
 disciples on a mountain in Bethany, " he was parted from 
 them, and carried up into heaven, and a cloud received him 
 out of their sight." In this body he si\\\ lives to intercede for 
 his people. In this body he will come to judge the world. 
 For, said the angels at his ascension, " This same Jesus, who 
 is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner 
 as ye have seen him go into heaven." When this last act 
 shall have been performed, the mystery of redemption will 
 have been completed, the history of this world will be closed, 
 
THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 169 
 
 and the Messiah will surrender up the mediatorial kingdom 
 uiito the Father, tliat God may he all in all. 
 
 We see, thus, the nature of the mediatorial Avork of tlie 
 Messiah. He took upon liim our nature; he suhjected himself 
 to the law appointed for humanity ; he, by his obedience unto 
 death, magnified the law which we had dishonored ; he offered 
 himself without spot in our stead; he entered that spiritual 
 state which is appointed for us ; there he established his domin- 
 ion, and prepared a. place for us ; he left the abode of the 
 dead, bearing with him a glorified body, like to that in which 
 his disciples shall be clothed ; he ascended to his Father and 
 our Father, to his God and our God, as our foreiimner and 
 head, to take possession, in our behalf, of that glorified state, to 
 which all his members shall, after the final judgment, be 
 introduced. 
 
 • If this be so, we can well perceive that the advent and 
 work of the Messiah is the one great event in the histoiy of 
 our world. It is the visit to our globe of Him " before whose 
 face the heavens and the earth shall flee away, and there 
 shall be no more place left for them." It is the pivot on 
 which the destiny of man was turned from everlasting despair 
 to immeasurable and inconceivable hope. It is the act by 
 which the condemnation of the second death is lifted off from 
 our race, and the way is laid open for us to enter into the 
 holiest of holies, through the blood of the everlasting cove- 
 nant. If this be so, well may all the previous history of our 
 world have been one series of preparations for the coming 
 of the Son of man. Well may we anticipate that all its sub- 
 sequent histoiy will be so ordained as to unfold the results of 
 this great transaction. " The heathen have been given to the 
 Son for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth 
 for his possession." He is now rapidly unfolding his pur- 
 poses, and claiming the promise that was made to him of 
 universal dominion. " Because he was made obedient unto 
 death, the death of the cross, God hath highly exalted 
 liim, and given him a name that is above every name ; that 
 15 
 
170 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, and eveiy tongiKJ 
 confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the gloiy of God the 
 Father." 
 
 A few reflections naturally arise from this subject, to which 
 I would call your attention before 1 close this discourse. 
 
 I remarked just now that Jesus Christ is called the first 
 fruits of them that slept ; that is, he is the first of those born 
 of woman who has passed through all the changes to which 
 humanity is appointed. In all this, he is the representative 
 of our race. Every one of us must therefore pass through 
 all the changes to which I have alluded. We are now in the 
 condition of earthly humanity. Soon we all shall lay aside 
 these tenements of clay, and enter upon the state of the 
 departed. There shall we reside until the morning of the 
 resurrection, " when the Lord himself shall descend from 
 heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and 
 with the trump of God ; and the dead in Christ shall rise 
 first ; then shall we which are alive be caught up together in 
 the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever 
 be with the Lord." Every one of us will then be clothed 
 with an incorruptible body. Death can no more have do- 
 minion over us. The seal of immortality will be impressed 
 upon us, never to be erased forever. Such are the changes 
 that await every one born of woman. Such is the life and 
 immortality which Jesus Christ has brought to light. Irre- 
 spective of the truth which he has taught us, all beyond the 
 grave is shadows, clouds, and darkness. The light which 
 shines from the cross of Christ, under which the believer 
 reposes, streams through the dark valley of the shadow of 
 death, until it is reflected back from the throne of the King 
 eternal, immortal, and invisible. But this is not all. While 
 we are thus taught the nature of the changes through which 
 humanity must pass, we are also taught that, at death, an 
 eternal separation must take place between the righteous and 
 the wicked. In the spiritual state, the rich man and Lazarus 
 were separated from each other by an unpassable gulf. At 
 
THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 171 
 
 the final judgment, Jesus Christ will say to those on liis right 
 hand, " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom 
 prepared for you from the foundation of the world," and to 
 those on the left hand, " Depart from me, ye cursed, into 
 everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." 
 " And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but 
 the righteous into life eternal." 
 
 It was because we were all exposed to the condemnation 
 of the second death, that the Messiah came to our earth, 
 assumed our nature, and undertook the work of our redemp- 
 tion. For this purpose, he left the glory which he had with 
 the Father before the world was ; was born of a woman ; 
 was made under the law ; endured the contradiction of sin- 
 ners ; was made obedient unto death, even the death of the 
 cross ; under the hiding of his Father's face, he triumphed 
 over our enemies, and said, " It is finished," and gave up the 
 ghost ; for us, he entered the place of the departed, and 
 there prepared a place for us ; for our justification, he rose 
 again, in an immortal body, like unto that with which we 
 shall be clothed ; for us, he ascended and is " seated on the 
 right hand of the Majesty on high, having obtained eternal re- 
 demption for us." This work was accomplished for the whole 
 race of man. The conditions of our probation have thus 
 been reversed. Irrespective of the work of the Messiah, the 
 announcement from the throne of God was, " Cursed is he 
 that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law 
 to do them ; " " but now God can be just and the justifier of 
 every one that believeth in Jesus." " Whosoever believeth 
 in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." 
 
 The offer of eternal life, through the merits of a crucified 
 Redeemer, is freely made to every child of Adam. " It is a 
 faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ 
 Jesus came into the world to save sinners." *' The Spirit 
 and the bride say. Come. And let him that heareth say, 
 Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whoso- 
 ever will, let him take the water of life freely." "• inow. 
 
172 THE WORK OF THE MESSIAH. 
 
 then, we are ambassadors for Christ ; as though God did 
 beseech you by us, we pray you, in Clirist's stead, be ye 
 reconciled to God." Such is the most merciful invitation of 
 the gospel. The gate of lieaven, through the mediation of 
 Christ, is as wide open to us as the gate of helL If, af^er 
 all this, we clioose the pleasures of sin, and refuse the mercy 
 of God in Christ Jesus, our doom must be inevitable, for 
 there remaineth no other sacrifice for sin. We ourselves 
 must confess that we are without excuse, and unite with the 
 whole moral universe in pronouncing the sentence of our 
 own condemnation. " He that despised Moses' law, died 
 without mercy under two or three witnesses ; of how much 
 more punishment shall he be thought worthy, who hath trod- 
 den under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood 
 of the covenant, with which he was sanctified, an unholy 
 thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace.*' 
 
 Can we endure an eternity under such a condemnation as 
 this ? Let us, then, now, while it is an acceptable time, seek 
 to escape from it. Let us now turn to God by repentance, 
 and surrender our whole souls unto him. Like the returning 
 prodigal, let us arise and go to our Father, and say unto him, 
 " Father, I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight, and 
 am no more worthy to be called thy son." While we are 
 yet a great way off, our Father in heaven will see us, and 
 meet us in love, and say, " Bring forth the best robe, and put 
 it on him, for this my son was dead, and is alive again, he 
 was lost, and is found." 
 
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH 
 
 "A MAN IS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, WITHOUT THE WOBKS OF THE LAW." 
 
 Rotnaiis iii. 28. 
 
 To be justified, as I have elsewhere said, may have two 
 meanings. It may signify that a man has committed no 
 crime, and therefore the law has no demand upon him ; or 
 that, though he be guilty, yet he is treated as though he were 
 innocent ; the demand of the law against him having been, 
 for some cause, set aside. That it is used in the context, in 
 the second of these senses, is manifest. The apostle is here 
 speaking of those whom he has shown to be sinners exceed- 
 ingly, and of whom justification, on the ground of the works 
 of the law, — that is, of obedience to the law, — could in no 
 manner be predicated. It is while speaking of such men, 
 who have " sinned and come short of the glory of God," 
 that he uses the words of the text, — " therefore we conclude 
 that a man is justified by faith, without the works of the law." 
 
 The meaning of the phrase, " without the works of the 
 law," may be easily explained. It clearly does not mean 
 that there is no connection between justification and keeping 
 the law, or between salvation and obedience. Such a senti- 
 ment as this would be utterly at variance with every word 
 uttered by Christ and his apostles ; nay, with the whole tenure 
 of the Scriptures. " He that keepeth my commandments," 
 saith the Savior, " he it is that loveth me ; and he that loveth 
 me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will 
 manifest myself unto him." " Whosoever hearcith these 
 15* 
 
174 JL^STIFICATION BY FAITH. 
 
 sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him to a wise 
 man, which built his house upra a rock." " And every one 
 that heareth these sayings of, mine, and doeth them not, shall 
 be likened to a foolish man, which built his house upon the 
 sand." So, also, the apostle Paul : " What shall we say then ? 
 Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound ? God forbid. 
 How shall we, who are dead to sin, continue any longer 
 therein ? " " Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized 
 into Jesus Christ were baptized nito his death ? Therefore we 
 are buried with him by baptism into death, that, like as Christ 
 was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even 
 so we also should walk in newness of life." " Knowing this, 
 that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin 
 might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." 
 In fact, the whole object of the apostle, in the sixth, seventh, 
 and eighth chapters of the Epistle to the Romans, is to show 
 that holy obedience is by necessity the result, and the result 
 only, of faith in Christ. 
 
 When the text, then, asserts that we are justified without the 
 deeds of the law, it cannot mean to teach us that the connection 
 between justification and good works is severed by the gospel. 
 The passages which I have quoted show, beyond question, that 
 good works are essential both to justification and faith ; that 
 without good works faith is impossible, and the hope of justifi- 
 cation a fallacy. Their meaning, then, must be, that good 
 works, the works of the law, are not the ground of our justifi- 
 cation in the sight of God, but that the ground of our justifica- 
 tion is faith in Christ. It is by virtue of faith in Christ that we 
 are pardoned and justified ; and the result of this change in our 
 moral condition is a new life, which, by necessity, manifests 
 itself in works acceptable to God. The order of these acts is 
 then the following : In consequence of faith in Christ we are 
 justified, that is, pardoned, treated by God as just ; by faith, 
 also, a new life is commenced in the soul ; and this life ever 
 makes itself known by corresponding actions. Thus saith the 
 apostle : " For what the law could not do, in that it was weak 
 
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 175 
 
 through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness 
 of sinful flesh, and by " (a sacrifice for) " sin, condemned sin 
 in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled 
 in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit." 
 
 If this be true, it follows that it is of the utmost importance 
 for us to ascertain, as accurately as possible, the nature of 
 faith. This is the subject which I propose to consider in the 
 present discourse. It is my desire to present it before you 
 with the greatest simplicity, ^o that eveiy one of us may be 
 the better able to determine for himself whether he be, or be 
 not, a believer in (Christ Jesus. 
 
 I think it must be evident, on inspection, that faith can 
 be no one external act. It is spoken of in the Scriptures in 
 connection with acts of the most dissimilar character. It is 
 referred to, from the commencement to the close of the Bible, 
 as that alone which is well pleasing to God under every 
 variety of dispensation by which the Most High has made 
 himself known. Thus, we are told of the faith by which we 
 understand that the worlds were- made ; of the faith by which 
 Abel oflered a sacrifice, by which he obtained witness that he 
 was righteous ; of the fahh by which Enoch had the testimony 
 that he pleased God ; of the faith by which Noah prepared an 
 ark to the saving of his house ; of the faith by which Abraham 
 obeyed the call to go out into the place which he should after 
 receive for an inheritance, and by which he sojourned in the 
 land of promise as in a strange country ; of the faith by which, 
 when he was tried, he offered up Isaac ; and of the faith by 
 which " Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's 
 daughter, choosing rather to suffer aflliction with the people 
 of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." We 
 read also of the faith of Rahab, of Gideon, of Barak, of 
 Samson, of Jephtha, of David, of Samuel, and the prophets. 
 In the New Testament we read of the faith by which miracles 
 were performed, as well as of that faith by which a sinner is 
 justified, and made a new creature in Christ Jesus. 
 
 Now, from these examples, it is manifest that faith cannot 
 
176 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 
 
 be any particular act ; for the acts by which it is exemplified 
 are as diverse as any of which we can possibly conceive. The 
 faith of the Scriptures must then be some temper of mind per- 
 vading tdl tJiese acts, which distinguishes them from other acts 
 of the same external character ; a temper of mind of a nature 
 sufficiently comprehensive to embrace them all, how diverse 
 soever they may appear outwardly ; and which shall render 
 them all, under all these various external circumstances, ac- 
 ceptable to God. It becomes us to inquire. What is this 
 temper of mind ? To this question, let us, in the next place 
 then, direct our inquiries. 
 
 In order to illustrate this subject, allow me to call youi 
 attention to the fact, that all the social relations existing among 
 men give occasion to the exercise of various and dissimilar 
 afiections. The relation of parent and child renders impera- 
 tive, on the one part, the feeling of affectionate guardianship, 
 and, on the other, of filial love and obedience. The relation 
 of brethren of one family imposes upon every member the 
 duty of mutual aid, forbearance, and sympathy, and the uni- 
 versal feeling from which such acts proceed- The magistrate 
 is bound to protect the citizen in the exercise of his rights ; 
 the citizen to obey the magistrate in the performance of his 
 duty. And, in general, the tempers of mind, emanating from 
 these relations, spontaneously arise in our bosoms as a part of 
 our common nature. 
 
 Take, for instance, the filial relation. Every one knows 
 that the child is bound to love, reverence, and obey its parent. 
 We cannot conceive of the character of a parent worthy of the 
 name, without feeling that these affections are his rightful due. 
 We, on the other hand, ascribe to a child who displays them 
 in an eminent degree, a high attainment in virtue. Were 
 filial obedience the controlling motive in the bosom of a child, 
 we perceive that all his acts, of what kind soever, would 
 be pleasing to his parent, considered simply as a parent 
 Whether they were important or unimportant, wise or unwise ; 
 whether they had reference to his own happiness, or the 
 
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 177 
 
 happiness of others ; if they were done from simple, unafFecteo 
 filial love, the parent could not but look upon them with 
 respect, and, in some important sense, with approbation. 
 
 Now, God stands to us in the relation of a heavenly Parent, 
 the Creator and Preserver of all, endowed with every moral 
 excellence of which we can conceive. His parental character 
 demands from us the temper of filial obedience, or the obe- 
 dience of love ; wdiile every one of his attributes demands 
 from us some especial form of moral affection. It is manifest 
 that he being such as he is, and we being such as v/e are, it 
 becomes us, from choice, to regulate our entire conduct by his 
 most blessed will. And, besides this, tl\p veracity of God 
 demands that v/e repose the most implicit confidence in his 
 promises. The goodness of God should awaken within us 
 unceasing gratitude. The justice of God should create witliin 
 us unwavering trust in the success of virtue. The holiness of 
 God should fill us with profound vcnemtion, and an earnest 
 desire to be transformed into his image. All these, and 
 various other moral affections, are manifestly incumbent upon 
 us as die children of our Father who is in heaven, who has 
 formed us in his likeness, and who designs that we should be 
 made partakers of his moral nature. They may all be appro- 
 priately comprehended under the simple temper of filial love ; 
 for of this affection they are all the different manifestations. 
 It is this affection, or temper of mind, which I suppose the 
 Scriptures to designate under the term faith. 
 
 But it may be asked, How does this affection differ from 
 that which exists among the glorified beings in heaven ? They 
 continually exercise these moral dispositions ; and yet faith is 
 never spoken of in the Scriptures as a grace of the heavenly 
 rest. Faith is an affection of this present probationary state ; 
 and the field for its exercise is limited to the constitution which 
 exists on this side the grave. 
 
 All this is true, and it serves still further to illustrate the 
 subject. In the upper world, where we see as v/e are se^n 
 and know as we are known, there is no opportunity for th« 
 
178 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 
 
 exercise of any other affection than perfect love, unmodifiea 
 filial obedience. In the present state, however, this affection is 
 modified by the circumstances under which it is called into 
 exercise. Here every thing around us is continually tending to 
 counteract the exercise of this holy affection. If a man will live 
 godlily, he must suffer persecution. The world around us com- 
 mands one thing, and God commands another. The punish- 
 ments which the world will inflict, if we disobey it, are visible 
 and present. The rewards of obedience to God are invisible 
 and distant. God, in the present state, reveals his will and 
 makes known his promises, and then retires, and leaves us to 
 contend with the counteracting influences that surround us. 
 Faith is the exercise of filial love, successfully resisting the 
 pressure of things present, sensual, and unholy. It is acting 
 as God would have us, not when all things incite us to obe- 
 dience, but when all things around us incite us to sin. It is 
 tbiC temper of mind which thus gives to things unseen their 
 appropriate mastery over things seen ; it is the overcoming of 
 the world by the power of holy trust in God ; reliance upon 
 his perfections, when every dictate of human wisdom would 
 lead us to distrust him. 
 
 If we review the illustrations of the victories of faith pre- 
 sented in the eleventh of Hebrews, I think that we shall find 
 them all to be pervaded by this element. Thus it was the 
 commonly-received opinion, at the time of the apostle, that 
 matter was eternal. In opposition to this, it is by faith, simple 
 confidence in the testimony of God, that " we know that the 
 worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which 
 are seen are not made of things that do appear." It was by 
 virtue of this filial disposition, that Abel offered to God a more 
 excellent sacrifice than Cain. It was by trust in the word of 
 God, in defiance of the sneers of an unbelieving world, that 
 Noah prepared an ark to the saving of his house. And thus 
 Abraham left his father's house, and all the allurements of 
 home, and went out, not knowing whither he went, sojourning 
 in tabernacles in a land of which he was not permitted to 
 
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 170 
 
 occupy more than a cave for a burial-place. But I need not 
 to multiply instances. In these, and all the other instances of 
 triumphant faith, you will ever observe the same element. It 
 IS the temper of filial love, confidence, and obedience, triumph- 
 ing over the counteracting influences arising from our present 
 state of ignorance and sin, whether they proceed from the 
 passfons that agitate us within, or the trials that disturb us from 
 without. 
 
 And still further : I think that, in the dispensations of his 
 providence, God honors the principle of faith, under what cir- 
 cumstances soever it may be exhibited. Whenever a creature, 
 even though he may not be in other respects obedient, yet on 
 any particular occasion, acts from simple confidence in the 
 perfections of the Most High, — in that particular case, God 
 fulfils to him his promises, and grants to him the benefit of that 
 single act of confidence. In this manner Rahab and Gideon, 
 and Samson and Jephtha, obtained the rewards of faith. It is 
 not necessary, in order to understand the declarations concern- 
 ing them in the Epistle to the Hebrews, to suppose that they 
 were persons of real piety ; though they may have been really 
 pious. All that we need to believe is, that they, under particu- 
 lar circumstances, reposed special confidence in the promises of 
 God, and acted accordingly. This would insure to them, in a 
 particular instance, the benefit of faith ; and hence their suc- 
 cess may be enumerated among the triumphs that belong to 
 this moral attribute. 
 
 The view of faith which I have here taken is beautifully 
 illustrated by an anecdote from Cecil's Remains. His little 
 daughter was one day playing with some beads, which delighted 
 her wonderfully. He told her to throw them into the fire. 
 "The tears," said he, "started into her eyes. She looked 
 earnestly at me, as though she ought to have a reason for 
 such a cruel sacrifice. • Well, my dear, do as you please ; but 
 you know I never told you to do any thing which I did not 
 think would be good for you.' She looked at me a few mo- 
 ments longer, and then, summoning up all her fortitude, her 
 
180 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 
 
 breast heaving with the effort, she dashed them into the fire. 
 ' Well,' said I, ' there let them lie ; you shall hear more about 
 them another time ; but say no more about them now.' Some 
 days after, I bought her a box full of larger beads and toys of 
 the same kind. When I returned home, I opened the treasure, 
 and set it before her. She burst into tears with ecstasy. 
 ' Those, my child,' said I, ' are yours, because you believecTme, 
 when I told you it would be better for you to throw those two 
 or three paltry beads into the fire. Now, that has brought you 
 this treasure. But now, my dear, remember, as long as you 
 live, what faith is.' " I know of nothing that could more 
 clearly illustrate my idea of faith than this beautiful incident. 
 Had the father brought the larger toys first, and told the child 
 to exchange the smaller ones for them, she might have been 
 obedient and grateful ; but she would have manifested no faith. 
 It was when the spirit of filial love overcame every other 
 impulse, and enabled her to act in view of things unseen, that 
 her faith revealed itself. To act towards God, in any case, as 
 she acted towards her father, is faith. 
 
 God has taught us in the Scriptures that when a sinner 
 cherishes this disposition towards him, he pardons his sins, and 
 receives him into the number of his children. It must, how- 
 ever, be a feeling which pervades his whole nature, and over- 
 comes every opposing impulse. It is the temper of universal 
 filial obedience. Having broken the law of God ; on the 
 ground of having kept that law, justification is impossible. 
 We are, therefore, said to be justified without the deeds of the 
 law. God, in virtue of the work of the Messiah in our behalf, 
 pardons us, and treats us as just, as soon as he perceives in us 
 this filial disposition. And still more : this disposition can 
 manifest itself in no other manner than by performing those 
 acts which, by necessity, emanate from it ; that is, by good 
 works and holy affections. Thus the very disposition, on 
 account of which we are justified, insures, by necessary con- 
 sequence, that change of character without which we could 
 never be acceptable to God. 
 
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 181 
 
 Such, then, is the nature of faith. It is, as we immediately 
 perceive, the essential element of piety. It at once places our 
 moml nature in harmony with the moral character of God ; 
 and thus triumphs over the impulses to evil arising from our 
 present probationary and sinful state. And yet more : as it is a 
 temper which places us in harmony with every attribute of the 
 divine nature that has been revealed to us, it may exist under 
 every form of dispensation, and with every degree of spiritual 
 illumination. The patriarch Abraham is held forth for our 
 imitation as the model of a faithful man, although his knowl- 
 edge of the way of salvation must have been obscure, and his 
 knowledge of preceptive duty comparatively imperfect. As, 
 in subsequent ages, God revealed his character and his will 
 more clearly, the same disposition manifested itself in devout 
 submission to all the requirements of the Mosaic ritual. It is 
 the principle of correspondence in the creature with the moral 
 nature of the Creator ; and it is unfolded more and more per- 
 fectly with every new revelation which God makes of himself 
 to us, the humble dwellers upon his footstool. 
 
 Hence we see at once in what manner the manifestation of 
 faith must be affected by the wonderful truths of the new dis- 
 pensation. It must transform the soul into practical con- 
 formity to the truth which God has revealed concerning his 
 Son. Let us, then, observe the effects which the revelation of 
 the gospel must have upon a believing soul. 
 
 1. Jesus Christ died to save sinners justly condemned, and, 
 therefore, unable by their own works to justify themselves. 
 " God commendeth his love to us, in that, while we were yet 
 sinners, Christ died for us." " When we were withou* 
 strength, Christ died for the ungodly." Faith teaches us to 
 place ourselves in precisely the condition which the word of 
 God assigns to us ; to confess ourselves helplessly sinful and 
 justly exposed to the righteous condemnation of the law of 
 God. Thus saith the apostle, under the full impression of 
 this truth, " O, wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me 
 from the body of this death ? " 
 ]6 
 
182 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 
 
 2. To sinners in this condition God makes known the ofFer 
 of salvation through Christ Jesus. " God so loved the world 
 that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth 
 in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Faith 
 would teach us, then, renouncing all hope of saving ourselves, 
 to confide our souls to Christ as our only and all-sufiicient 
 Savior. " That I may," saith the apostle, " be found in him, 
 not having mine own righteousness, which is by the law, but 
 the righteousness which is of God by faith. 
 
 3. Christ is the revealer of the Father's will. " He is the 
 brightness of his gloiy, the express image of his pereon." 
 Faith teaches us to yield up ourselves without reserve, in holy 
 obedience to the precepts which Christ has given us. To 
 them we must conform our wills, our thoughts, our words, our 
 actions, . our whole being. " We are not our own ; we are 
 bought with a price, that we should glorify him in our bodies 
 and spirits, which are his." Nor this alone. The revelation 
 which he has made to us is replete with exceeding great and 
 precious promises. Faith teaches us to give to them the 
 power of a present and vivid reality. It is thus that it gives 
 "substance to things hoped for, and evidence to things not 
 seen." 
 
 4. The Father has given to us the Son as our example. 
 " He took upon him the form of a servant, and was found in 
 fashion as a man." " He was made under the law." Yet he 
 was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. In all 
 the various trials of a most persecuted and tempted life, he 
 was ever the same spotless Redeemer, victorious over every 
 spiritual enemy. Thus was there exhibited to us an illustra- 
 tion of what the law of God requires of each of us ; thus are 
 we taught the manner in which we should live so as to please 
 our Father who is in heaven. The temper of filial obedience 
 would, then, lead us to strive with our whole spiritual might to 
 copy the example which Christ has set before us, to love the 
 world as he loved it ; to be crucified to it as he was crucified 
 to it ; and, under all the circumstances of a human proba- 
 
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 183 
 
 lion, to esteem it our meat and drink to do the will of our 
 Father who is in heaven. 
 
 5. And yet more : while we are maintaining this conflict 
 with all the powers of evil, and fighting the fight of faith, it is 
 by the aid of Christ alone that we can come off conquerors 
 He has promised, if we do his will, to dwell with us and to b( 
 in us. He is not only the way, and the truth, but the life, th( 
 source, and sustainer of life, to eveiy true believer. Fait) 
 would, then, teach us, renouncing all dependence upon ou. 
 selves, to rely wholly for spiritual strength on the grace that a 
 in Christ Jesus. Thus the apostle declared, " When I j.»n 
 weak, then am I strong ; I can do all things through Je >'is 
 Christ, which strengtheneth me." And thus every belit /er 
 knows that he has power to overcome his spiritual enei lies 
 only as, in deep self-distrust, he learns to confide in the aid 
 bestowed upon him by the Captain of his salvation. 
 
 If it be demanded what are the counteracting influences 
 which oppose themselves to prevent a sinner from thus be-* 
 lieving in Christ, I answer, they arise sometimes from without, 
 m the form of allurement or of menace ; but always from 
 within, in the resistance of a fallen and sensual nature to the 
 holy and spiritual doctrines of the gospel. We do not like to 
 acknowledge ourselves in the wrong ; the gospel teaches us 
 that without this acknowledgment we cannot come to Christ. 
 We do not like to surrender ourselves without any claim of 
 merit to the pure mercy of God in Christ ; but, until we thus 
 surrender ourselves, we are under the law. Nothing is more 
 difficult than to renounce our own will, and submit oui-selves to 
 the will of another ; but until we thus subject our whole 
 nature to the will of Christ, we are not his disciples. And, 
 finally, there is not a corrupt, proud, selfish disposiiion in our 
 whole character, to which the example of Christ is not in 
 direct opposition. All these must be crucified, if we would 
 follow his example, and imitate his fife. It is the spirit of filial 
 obedience triumphing over every unholy passion, that consti- 
 tutes a man a new creature in Christ Jesus, and makes him a 
 
184 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 
 
 partaker of the peace that passeth all understanding. Thus, 
 in general, we find, I think, tliat all the scriptural instances of 
 faith by which we must be saved, are pervaded by the same 
 element ; it is every where the spirit of heaven gaining vic- 
 tory over the opposing influences of earth, subduing every 
 eensual passion and every selfish affection of a human soul. 
 
 1. If, now, the above explanation of the nature of faith be 
 correct, it will teach us the inaccuracy of some of the notions 
 which have commonly prevailed on this subject. It has, for 
 instance, been frequently affirmed, that faith is the belief of 
 the individual that Christ died for him in particular. If he can 
 by any means persuade himself that he is included in the 
 number of those for whom an atonement is made, then he is 
 included in that number ; he is an heir of everlasting life and a 
 partaker of the glory that is to be revealed. But, if faith be 
 what I have supposed it to be, such a belief as this has not the 
 most distant resemblance to it. It has, in fact, no moral quality 
 whatever ; it places us in no new moral relations to God, and 
 is not productive of any change in character. All that is 
 necessary to produce it, is a determined resolution to believe a 
 proposition, whether the evidence in support of it be or be not 
 sufficient. And hence, when we would direct the anxious 
 inquirer into the way of salvation, our effort should not tend to 
 produce in him the belief that he is accepted, but to lead him 
 to that state of true submission to God and love to his charac- 
 ter, in which faith originates, and which is the essence of all 
 real piety. To urge a man to the belief that he is saved 
 without this temper of heart, is to practise upon him a gross 
 deception. If his moral affection to God be right, peace of 
 mind will be its necessary result ; while peace of mind with- 
 out it is a lamentable delusion. 
 
 2. If the preceding remarks be correct, we easily learn what 
 is meant by the prayer of faith, and the efficacy that is 
 ascribed to it. Faith is a moral disposition of the creature in 
 harmony with the divine character. The prayer of faith is 
 the prayer of a soul in whom this moral disposition predomi- 
 
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 185 
 
 nates, and is such prayer just in so far as our desires are 
 in harmony with the attributes of God. That prayer shall 
 be answered in proportion to its conformity to the will of God, 
 is a matter of necessity. That prayer, then, which God 
 promises to answer, is the prayer which proceeds from 
 ardent love to him, and unshaken reliance on the perfections 
 of his character, no matter how dark and discouraging 
 may seem the circumstances that surround us. It is at onco 
 obvious, that the promise of God to answer such prayer, is 
 a very different thing from the promise to answer our prayers 
 if we only persuade ourselves that he will certainly hear us. 
 
 3. The view which I have here taken will, I think, enable 
 us to understand all the various passages in the Scriptures, in 
 which faith is the subject of discourse. The faith of Abel, 
 of Abraham, of Moses, of Samuel and the prophets, and of 
 Paul and the apostles, as well as of the humblest Christian at 
 the present time, all are comprehended under the same idea. 
 In every case, it is the temper of filial love triumphing over 
 the opposing influences of sin ; and, under the new dispen- 
 sation, it is this same disposition exalted and rendered more 
 all-pervading, in consequence of the infinite love of God 
 revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Thus the 
 company of the faithful, on earth and in heaven, are all per- 
 vaded by one spirit ; all are in fellowship with God and his 
 Son Jesus Christ ; all are members of one body, of which 
 Christ is the head, and all heirs of God and joint heirs whh 
 Christ, to an " inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and 
 that fadeth not away." Such are the members of the church 
 of the first born whose names are wntten in heaven. 
 
 4. We learn from the nature of faith, the reasonableness 
 of the terms on which salvation is offered to sinners. God 
 requires of us, in order that we be saved, nothing more than 
 would be our duty if no salvation were promised — nothing 
 more than the exercise, on our part, of filial love towards 
 our Father who is in heaven. This he deserves on account 
 of the excellence of his own nature, no less than of his 
 
 16* 
 
186 JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. 
 
 exceeding compassion towards us. He surely couid demand 
 no less of his intelligent and moral creatures ; and \vc surely 
 could desire to exercise no other feelings towards the infi- 
 nitely Good, the Giver of every good and perfect gift. And 
 yet, through the abounding mercy of the gospel, he offers to 
 all who exercise such an affection, and through it triumph 
 over the allurements of sin, eternal life. I do not see how it 
 is possible to conceive of more merciful terms of salvation 
 than those which are offered to us in the gospel. Well saith 
 the apostle, " As ambassadors of Christ, as though God did 
 beseech you by us, we beseech you, in Christ's stead, be ye 
 reconciled to God." 
 
 And if this be so, if God has made the most merciful offer 
 of salvation of which we can conceive, this must be his final 
 tender of reconciliation. No man can surely either desire 
 or expect that Almighty God would do more than he has 
 done to save the guilty from the condemnation which they 
 have merited. After this, " there remainelh no more sacrifice 
 for sin, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and 
 fiery indignation, that shall devour the adversary." 
 
 It is under these fearful conditions that our probation is 
 now passing away. We have merited eternal banishment 
 from God. He has given his Son for our offences, and now 
 proclaims that " whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, 
 but have everlasting life." We ourselves must confess that 
 no more favorable conditions could be offered. The only 
 requirement which he makes is, that we exercise towards 
 him a filial, obedient disposition ; that we love, with all our 
 heart. Him who is infinitely worthy of our love ; and obey, 
 from affection, him who is infinitely deserving of all our 
 service. If we refuse, and prefer to continue in causeless, 
 unprovoked rebellion against our Father who is in heaven, 
 we are condemned of our own consciences. When he shall 
 enter into judgment with us, every mouth must be stopped. 
 What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee ? 
 
CONVERSION 
 
 «* thererorb, being justified by faith, "we have peace with 
 God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 Romans v. 1. 
 
 There is, if I mistake not, a very perceptible difference to 
 be observed between the examples of piety recorded in the 
 Scriptures and those which we now meet with in the ordinary 
 intercourse of life. With such men as the apostles, martyrs, 
 and confessors of old, unshaken trust in Christ, full assurance 
 of salvation, and an abiding consciousness of the indwelling 
 of the Savior, formed the foundation on which their reli- 
 gious character was built. These very confident beliefs led 
 them to sacrifice every thing for Christ, and gain such aston- 
 ishing victories over the world. They knew in whom they be- 
 lieved ; they were confident that they were pardoned sinners ; 
 they were assured that they were children of God, and heirs 
 of eternal life, and that their light afflictions, which were for 
 a moment, were actually working out for them a far more ex- 
 ceeding and an eternal weight of glory. The joy of the Lord 
 was their strength. They were as confident of their coming 
 salvation, as they were of the veracity of God, who had said, 
 I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, nei- 
 ther shall any man pluck them out of my hand. Nor was 
 this steadfast expectation of future glory confined to the apostles 
 and their immediate associates. They always spoke of it as 
 something attainable, and generally attained, by their brethren 
 to whom they wrote. We know, said the apostle, that if 
 
 (187) 
 
188 CONVERSION. 
 
 this earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, we have a 
 building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the 
 heavens. Ye took joyfully, said he to the Hebrews, the 
 spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have 
 in heaven a better and an enduring substance. The same 
 apostle prays in behalf of the Ephesians, that they may be 
 strengthened mightily by the Spirit, in the inner man, that 
 so they might know the love of Christ which passeth knowl- 
 edge, and be filled with all the fulness of God. 
 
 I doubt whether this individual confidence in our good es- 
 tate could be affirmed of Christians in general at the present 
 day. I rather fear that the full assurance of faith has come 
 to be the exception rather than the rule. We have a hope, 
 frequently a very feeble one, that our sins are pardoned, 
 and that we are the children of God. We have occasional 
 glimpses of the prospect before us, but too commonly clouds 
 and darkness rest upon it. We strive to keep the law of God, 
 we continually come short of our expectations ; we do wrong, 
 and our hope of final salvation is obscured. We plead for 
 pardon and strength, and we are helped ; but again our vigi- 
 lance fails, and our faith falters. We hope and fear, trust 
 and distrust ; we seem to rely in part on Christ, and in part 
 upon ourselves ; hence our course is wavering and unsteady, 
 and we make little moral progress. We seem, in fact, to be 
 vibrating between the law and the gospel, and thus fail to re- 
 ceive the fulness of the blessing purchased for us by the sac- 
 rifice of Christ. The same remark quite commonly applies 
 to the case of recent converts to Christianity. After the first 
 flush of religious joy has subsided, and they begin to look for 
 the evidences of piety in their own hearts, they discover so 
 much that is imperfect, they come so far short of the mark to 
 which they had hoped to attain, that they fall back in discour- 
 agement, and doubt whether they have ever been accepted 
 of God. 
 
 It is evident that this is a state of mind not anticipated by 
 the gospel of Jesus Christ. He came to deliver us not only 
 
CONVERSION. 189 
 
 from the curse of sin, but from the fear of the curse. It is 
 the will of Christ that we should be strong in faith, giving 
 glory to God. There is in the gospel every ground for 
 firm confidence to those who have fled for refuge to lay hold 
 on the hope set before them. Can we do nothing to encour- 
 age the faith of the weak believer ? Will there not be some- 
 thing accomplished, if we can, in the plainest and most direct 
 manner, set before him an intelligible outline of the way of 
 salvation ? In regeneration there is a personal dealing of the 
 soul with God. There are acts of the soul with God, and 
 there are acts of God with the soul. God has made unchange- 
 able promises : when the soul believes, he fulfils them, and 
 by the power of his Spirit creates the soul anew in Christ 
 Jesus. If we can see these truths clearly, and apply them to 
 our own individual case, it may help us to discover more 
 distinctly the evidences of our adoption, and enable us to rely 
 with more confident assurance on the promises of God. To 
 attempt this is the object of the following discourse. 
 
 The whole doctrine of regeneration takes its rise from the 
 fact that every man is a sinner against God, helplessly and 
 hopelessly guilty. The law of the moral universe, under 
 which we were created, is holy, and just, and good. It re- 
 quires that we shall love the Lord our God with all our 
 heart, and our neighbor as ourselves. It requires of us, as of 
 necessity it must, perfect obedience. To such obedience 
 God has granted the promise of eternal life. But the law 
 makes no allowance for any wilful transgression. Cursed is 
 he that continueth not in all things written in the book of 
 the law to do them. 
 
 But our whole race has broken this law, and risen up in 
 rebellion against God. In thought, and word, and deed we 
 have violated every commandment. All have sinned and 
 come short of the glory of God. There is no man that 
 liveth and sinneth not. We love our sin, and deliberately 
 prefer it to holiness. We are convicted by our own con- 
 sciences as transgressors. Every right affection to God has 
 
190 CONVERSION. 
 
 vanished from the soul. We prefer our will to his. We de- 
 liberately obey the impulses of our passions and appetites, in 
 direct violation of his commandments. Our whole moral 
 nature is in opposition to the character of our Father in 
 heaven. The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not 
 subject to the law of God, neither, indeed, can be. Here, 
 then, we behold a race of moral and intelligent beings in re- 
 bellion against God, enemies to him by wicked works, defy- 
 ing his authority, and exposed to the righteous curse of his 
 violated law. This is the character of the race, and of every 
 individual of it, so that every mouth is stopped, and the whole 
 world is guilty before God. 
 
 Such being our condition, salvation through obedience to 
 the law is manifestly impossible. The commandment, which 
 was ordained unto life, has become death to us by our wilful 
 violation of it. Under these circumstances our ruin seemed 
 inevitable. A most favorable probation had been granted to 
 us, but we had failed utterly in complying with its conditions. 
 To make reparation for our wrong was impossible, for our 
 moral power had become fatally prostrated. Nay, we had no 
 desire to make any reparation, for we preferred sin to holi- 
 ness, time to eternity, the indulgence of our passions to the 
 love and service of God. A moral helplessness more com- 
 plete cannot be imagined. Within the limits of created 
 power we were utterly without hope. God could not pardon 
 us unless his law was made honorable. We could not make 
 it honorable ; and we loved to violate it. No created power 
 could help us. We must perish, or the justice of the Most 
 High be trampled under foot. There remained for us noth- 
 ing but a fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indigna- 
 tion, which must devour the adversary. 
 
 Now, these are not mere theological dogmas, to be intel- 
 lectually comprehended, they are the simple statement of 
 the facts concerning our relations to God, revealed to us with- 
 out the least ambiguity. As soon as a soul has been made 
 aware of its condition by the illumination of the Spirit, they 
 
CONYEKSION. 191 
 
 become the most vital truths of which the mind can conceive. 
 The moment the eyes of the understanding are opened to see 
 things as they are, the man perceives that all this is true of 
 himself. It is he himself that is just such a sinner, and thus 
 exposed, and justly exposed, to the wrath of God. No mat- 
 ter what the estimation is in which he has been held among 
 men, or what may have been his views of his own desert, — 
 no sooner does he compare himself with the holiness of God, 
 than he discovers his helpless misery. Thus said Job, Though 
 I wash myself with snow water, and make myself ever so 
 clean, thou wilt plunge me in the ditch, and my own clothes 
 shall abhor me. Thus Paul declares, I was alive without 
 the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, 
 and I died. 
 
 It was for our race, thus overwhelmed in helpless guilt, that 
 our Father in heaven provided a way of restoration. His 
 law must be honored, and he gave up his well-beloved Son to 
 magnify and make it honorable. That divine Being, who 
 was with God and was God, took upon him our nature, was 
 made flesh, and dwelt among us. He honored the law by 
 his perfect obedience in our stead, and took it out of the way, 
 nailing it to his cross. He bore every thing that infinite ho- 
 liness could require, so that we might be pardoned, and the 
 purity of the Godhead be unspotted ; or, in the words of the 
 apostle, that God might be just, and the justifier of him that 
 believeth. God so loved the world, that he gave his only be- 
 gotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him might not perish, 
 but have everlasting life. The whole race of man, from be- 
 ing under hopeless condemnation, was henceforth placed in a 
 salvable state. Every obstacle to our pardon arising from 
 the holiness of God was removed ; and from henceforth it 
 became a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that 
 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. The con- 
 ditions of the old probation had been violated, and it was 
 taken out of the way. A new probation is set before us 
 through the ofTering up of Jesus Christ once for us all. This 
 
192 CONVERSION. 
 
 is the one great stupendous truth which the Scriptures reveal. 
 To it every ceremony points, and to illustrate it every 
 prophet has spoken, for the testimony to Jesus is the spirit of 
 prophecy. 
 
 The Scriptures teach us that the atonement of Jesus 
 Christ was made for the sins of the whole race of man. The 
 whole of our apostate family is considered as one, and for 
 all that family is the salvation provided. The remedy was 
 as extensive as the disease. All had broken and dishonored 
 the law, and in behalf of all was the law magnified and 
 made .honorable. The effect of this sacrifice reached as far 
 and as wide as the ruin that had been caused by sin. Its 
 benefit extended from our first parents to all their posterity. 
 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. 
 As by the oflfence of one, judgment came upon all men to 
 condemnation, so by the righteousness of one, the free gift 
 came upon all men unto justification of life. And in harmo- 
 ny with this declaration is the universal offer of pardon 
 through Christ. Go ye into all the world, and preach the 
 good news to every creature. The Spirit and the bride say, 
 Come ; and let him that heareth say. Come ; and whosoever will 
 let him come, and take of the water of life freely. It mat- 
 ters not, then, where or when a child of Adam has sinned" 
 against God ; it matters not how vast the number, or how 
 great the enormity of his sins; Christ Jesus came into the 
 world, said St. Paul, to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 
 When writing to the Corinthians, after enumerating some of 
 the most atrocious crimes which have ever disgraced and 
 defiled humanity, he adds. And such were some of you ; 
 but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, 
 in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 
 A fountain has been opened for sin and iniquity, and every 
 individual of the race of man may wash and be clean. 
 
 Thus far we have contemplated two facts which enter into 
 the plan of salvation. One is the guilt and moral helplessness 
 of man, the other the abundant provision which has been 
 
CONVERSION. 193 
 
 made for his pardon. It becomes us, in the next place, to 
 inquire what are the conditions on which man may avail him- 
 self of this provision. On this subject the Scriptures are 
 full and explicit. The conditions are repentance towards 
 God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 Repentance towards God. — The case here stands on this 
 wise. Man has broken, times whhout number, the great 
 moral law on which the happiness of the universe depends. 
 He has preferred his lusts to God. He has loved and 
 obeyed every one, and every thing rather than God. He has 
 lived to himself rather than to humanity. He has set at 
 nought the authority of God, and is engaged in rebellion 
 against him ; and this opposition goes to the deepest recesses 
 of his nature, for the carnal mind is enmity against God. 
 
 But all this while God has been absolutely in the right, 
 and man absolutely in the wrong. God has required of man 
 nothing that was not holy, and just, and good. The man has 
 causelessly injured and grieved his Father in heaven. It is 
 right that he should come to God and confess his guilt, ac- 
 knowledge that he deserves just what the law denounces as 
 the punishment of transgression, even if the full penahy of 
 the law be exacted of him. It is meet that he take all the 
 blame upon himself, declaring from his heart that throughout 
 this controversy God has been always in the right, and he 
 always in the wrong. He has been engaged in rebellion 
 against God ; it is proper that he submit himself wholly, body, 
 and soul, and spirit, to the will of his Maker ; resolving, from 
 his inmost spirit, that he will henceforth make the service of 
 God the great business of his life. All this, I say, is the 
 duty of man, irrespective of any hope of pardon. It is the 
 temper of the returning prodigal, who could not have been 
 received, had he come to his father in any other spirit. This 
 is repentance towards God. This he requires of every one 
 born of woman, before he can become a partaker of the 
 blessings purchased by the sacrifice of Christ. 
 
 Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. — The sacrifice of \ 
 17 
 
19^ CONVERSION. 
 
 Christ was made for the purpose of reconciling mercy with 
 justice ; so that the abhorence of God to sin might be manifest 
 to the universe, at the same time that he pardoned the sinner, 
 and received him to favor. The penitent sinner, as I have 
 said, acknowledges his guilt, and confesses that if the penalty 
 of the law were enforced, it would be just. How then can 
 -' he be justified ? As the case now stands, he is utterly without 
 hope. But Christ has obeyed the law in his stead, and by 
 his atonement taken away every obstacle to his pardon. God, 
 through Christ, can now be just, and justify him. His only 
 hope must rely, not on any thing that he can do, but on what 
 Christ has done in his stead. If he ever is saved, he must 
 receive salvation as a free gift, purchased by Him that died 
 for our sins, and was raised again for our justification. He 
 must come renouncing all merit, acknowledging his own ill 
 desert, and casting himself as a perishing sinner on ihe mercy 
 of God in Christ Jesus. This is faith in Christ — the other 
 condition on which our pardon and salvation depend. 
 
 Now, to every penitent and believing sinner our Father in 
 heaven holds out the offer of unconditional pardon. No mat- 
 ter how deep may have been the stain of his guilt, no matter 
 how long-continued the life of rebellion, — a pardon is offered 
 to all who thus come to God, trusting in the merit of his 
 Son. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanse th from all sin. 
 The promise is, Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall 
 be as wool ; though they be red like crimson, they shall be 
 whiter than snow. There is henceforth no condemnation to 
 those that are in Christ Jesus, and whosoever cometh unto him 
 he will in no wise cast out. Such is the offer of eternal life 
 made to every penitent sinner ; an offer of free, unconditional 
 pardon, and an inheritance among them that are sanctified. 
 
 Here, then, we have a sinner convinced of his guilt, and 
 acknowledging the justness of his condemnation, an atone- 
 ment for sin, through which a full and free pardon is offered, 
 and the terms made known by which every one may avail 
 himself of this offer of pardon ; and these terms are the 
 
CONVERSION. 195 
 
 most reasonable, the most merciful, the most compassionate 
 that could be conceived. What, then remains in order that 
 a sinner may be saved ? 
 
 One thing is now needful. It is that he come before the 
 God against whom he has sinned, and acknowledge all this to 
 him. It will not do that a man know it all, and feel it all, 
 and keep it all within his own bosom. Religion is not a series 
 of emotions, shut up within ourselves ; it is a transaction be- 
 tween ourselves and God. The man has sinned against God, 
 and he himself must, as an individual sinner, be reconciled 
 to God. It is just as much a transaction between himself and 
 God, as though he and his Maker were the only beings in ex- 
 istence. The prodigal son was first convinced of his wretch- 
 edness ; but this did not help him. He resolved to arise and 
 go to his father. This did not bring about his reconciliation. 
 He arose -and icent to his father. This was the point on 
 ^vhich his destiny was suspended. When he arose and went, 
 and not till then, his father had compassion, and when he was 
 yet a great way off, ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 
 Thus is it with us. We may know that we are sinners, 
 guilty and justly condemned ; this will not do. We may re- 
 solve that we will break off from sin ; this will not do. We 
 may know that we can have no peace of conscience until our 
 wills are in subjection to the will of God ; this will not do. 
 We may believe that there is salvation in no other name but 
 the name of Christ ; this will not do. We must go, each one 
 for himself, before God, and act out our beliefs at his feet. 
 We must acknowledge our sins before him, and confess to 
 him our guiltiness. We must surrender up our whole selves 
 to him, desiring hereafter to do nothing but that which shall 
 please him. We must renounce all hope of saving ourselves 
 by any thing that we can do, and plead for a free and full 
 pardon for the sake of Him that loved us and gave himself 
 for us. This is submission to God. This is faith in Christ. 
 The sinner acknowledges himself to be just what God has de- 
 clared him to be, and in child-like obedience, comes to his 
 
196 CONVERSION. 
 
 Father in heaven, bows before him in penitence^ and looks 
 for pardon to the blood of the everlasting covenant. 
 
 Now, to such a one the promise of God is in words like 
 these: Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out. 
 Repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted 
 out. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 
 even so is the Son of man lifted up, that whosoever belie veth 
 in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And 
 God fulfils this promise to the letter. Whenever a sinner thus 
 penitently draws near to God, looking for salvation to the 
 blood of the atonement, that moment God does pardon him. 
 He places him at once beneath the shelter of the atonement, 
 and gives him a title to all the blessings which that atonement 
 has purchased. The law in his stead has been satisfied. It 
 has no more claim upon him, that being dead by which he 
 was held. To every one of its demands he can now plead 
 the finished obedience of Christ, who for him magnified the 
 law, and made it honorable. He has from his heart accepted 
 the terms of the new probation, and is entitled to all its bless- 
 ings. From being an enemy he has become a child of God. 
 God can be more honored in pardoning than in condemning 
 him. He is one with Christ, and his life is hid with Christ in 
 God. He is received into the family of the redeemed, and 
 there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over another 
 sinner that has repented. Being justified by faith, he has 
 peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom 
 he has received the atonement. 
 
 And now, concerning this act of our Father in heaven, I 
 remark, it takes place at the moment when a sinner repents 
 of his sin, and casts himself without reserve on the sacrifice 
 of Christ. God has promised that if the sinner will repent and 
 believe, he shall be saved ; the sinner repents and believes, and 
 God saves him. There may be yet about him much imper- 
 fection and evil ; this will be cleansed away in the work of 
 sanctification. Day by day he gains victory over the sin that 
 dwelleth in him, as he is made more and more meet to be an 
 
CONVERSION. 197 
 
 inheritoi' with the saints in light. The progress may be 
 gradual, but this has nothing to do with the fact that his rela- 
 tions with God are changed for eternity. He has already be- 
 come an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. 
 
 And again, it is a/wZZ justification. It covers all his sins. He 
 is delivered forever from the curse of the law. He has cast 
 himself on the righteousness of Christ ; he has been received 
 and placed under the shadow of the atonement, and for the 
 sake of the Redeemer he is, in the sight of God, as though he 
 had never sinned. And it is difree salvation. He has noth- 
 ing wherewith to purchase it, and he offers nothing. He ac- 
 cepts it as the free gift of God to the most undeserving. 
 His whole salvation, is thus the work of God in Christ, and 
 hence his song will ever be " Unto Him that loved us, and 
 washed us from our sins in his own blood, be glory, and honor, 
 and power, forever and ever." 
 
 But an anxious inquirer may perhaps suggest, All this is 
 very encouraging, and 1 delight to think of it ; but how shall 
 I ascertain that this is my portion. What you have told us is 
 concerning an act of God. He does thus pardon sins and 
 receive the returning penitent ; but how can I know that he 
 has pardoned and received mel I will endeavor to answer 
 this question as distinctly as I am able. 
 
 In the first place, when a soul thus repents of sin and casts 
 itself for salvation on Christ, this very act frequently is blend 
 ed with a confident trust that God has done as he has said 
 The soul relies with full faith in the promises, and the con 
 sciousness that we have really submitted to God creates the 
 assurance that He has received us into the number of his chil 
 dren,and thus the awful dread of the judgment to come is ex 
 changed for the peace that passeth understanding. 
 
 But some one will say. This consciousness is a mere emo 
 tion ; it is liable to pass away, and leave the man in a condi 
 tion in no manner improved. At best it is but evanescent 
 and seems hardly a foundation on which to build for eternity 
 Is there no other evidence of pardon bestowed upon a peni 
 17* 
 
198 CONVERSION. 
 
 tent sinner ? I answer, There is another and more infallible 
 evidence ; it is the change which a man perceives in his own 
 moral affections. When God pardons a sinner, and receives 
 him into the family of the holy, he puts his mark upon him, 
 the image of Christ, engraved upon his inmost spirit. The 
 Holy Spirit, by his almighty power, transforms the affections 
 of the soul so that the man feels within himself that he is an- 
 other creature ; old things have passed away, and all things 
 have become new. He was the slave of passion and appe- 
 tite ^now his love for the things that perish is subdued, and he 
 is conscious that he is delivered from the bondage of sin. He 
 was living for himself; now he lives only to please his Savior. 
 The pleasures of the world have lost their attraction, for his 
 affections are taken from things below, and fixed on things 
 above. The objects that were once most distasteful are now 
 the sources of his most refined enjoyment. He loves the 
 word of God ; he loves to pour out his soul in secret prayer 
 and praise ; he loves to bear hardness and endure suffering 
 for Christ, and takes joyfully the loss of all things, for the 
 sake of Him who died to redeem him. He has now no pleas- 
 ure in the company of sinners ; but his chosen companions 
 are the men in whom he sees most evidently the image of 
 Christ. And from such a change of moral affections there 
 results, of necessity, a change in his manner of life. This is 
 the law of Christ that we keep his commandments. The 
 frivolous and unsatisfied child of fashion is transformed into 
 the thoughtful, earnest, heavenly-minded saint. The faithless 
 man becomes truthful, the vindictive forgiving, the passionate 
 man becomes meek, the sensual temperate, the selfish man 
 self-denying, and the habitually-profane would rather die than 
 utter an oath. Such are some of the fruits of the Spirit — 
 the outward evidences of that inward change wrought in the 
 soul by the almighty power of God, when he pardons and 
 accepts it for the sake of the Beloved. He who is conscious 
 of such an inward change, and observes its transforming 
 power upon his whole character, cannot but know that he is 
 
eON VERSION. 199 
 
 a new man. He is ceftain that such a change can have been 
 wrought by nothing but the power of God, and he knows 
 that God exerts this power only in those who are called to be 
 saints. This change in his moral affections is the unmistaka- 
 ble evidence that he is a child of God. Thus he that believ- 
 eth hath the witness in himself. This change of our spiritual 
 affections, manifesting itself in our outward conduct, is the 
 evidence, not only to ourselves, but to others, that we have 
 passed from death unto life. 
 
 Such, then, as I suppose, are the essential elements enter- 
 ing into the change which we denominate conversion, change 
 of heart, being born again, or regeneration ; the change with- 
 out which, our Savior declares, we cannot see the kingdom 
 of God. I say these are, as I suppose, the essential elements. 
 I do not say that they can always be recognized in this pre- 
 cise order, or that the several spiritual changes are manifest- 
 ed to our own consciousness always in the same manner. 
 Sometimes light breaks in upon the soul suddenly ; at other 
 times it is revealed to us almost insensibly. Sometimes con- 
 version is attended by great mental distress ; at other times 
 the goodness of God leads us to repentance. Whh one the 
 change in moral affections seems at once universal, and sud- 
 denly transforming ; with another it seems to display itself 
 gradually, as from time to time the occurrences of daily life 
 call it into exercise. In all these respects the Spirit of God 
 acts with great diversity of operation. What is essential to 
 conversion is, that we do really submit ourselves, without any 
 reserve, to the whole will of God, that we renounce from the 
 heart every thing sinful, that we acknowledge his justice in 
 our condemnation, and as lost sinners look for pardon through 
 Jesus Christ. If we do this, God does really pardon us ; 
 and the evidence that he has done it is found in the spirit 
 which he has given us — a spirit of active, filial obedience, an 
 honest, prevalent desire to bear hardness for Christ, and under 
 all circumstances to prefer his favor to all that this world can 
 offer, and in defiance of all that it can threaten. If we can 
 
200 CONVERSION. 
 
 recognize within us such elements as these, it matters not how 
 they have arisen, or when they first appeared ; they are the 
 evidences, according to the Scriptures, that we are the chil- 
 dren of God. 
 
 And now, let me inquire, is there not in these truths much 
 ground for consolation to many a trenibling believer ? You 
 may be doubting your acceptance with God, because your 
 religious experiences are unlike those of many around you ; 
 or because the intensity of your emotions is less than theirs ; 
 or because you see such imperfection in the discharge of your 
 religious duties, and gain so few victories over the world, 
 which is ever alluring you. Let me then ask. Do you really 
 repent of sin ? Do you desire with your whole heart to be 
 delivered from it ? Do you, in practice as well as in theory, 
 submit yourself to the whole will of God, and rely for par- 
 don entirely on the great sacrifice of the gospel ? And is it 
 your sincere desire to please Christ, taking up your cross and 
 following in his footsteps, and bearing hardness for his sake ? 
 If such be your character, then God has pardoned you, and 
 received you into the number of his children. You are a re- 
 deemed soul, purchased by the blood of Christ, and you may 
 humbly, and yet confidently, take to yourself all the blessing of 
 the promises. Your salvation is not the work of your own 
 hands, but the result of the righteousness of Christ. You may 
 go to God as your reconciled Father in Christ. Your best 
 obedience is imperfect ; you frequently err, and grieve your 
 Savior; but if you make no allowance for sin, and really 
 strive to be holy, as he is holy, you have an Advocate with the 
 Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous. Rely with child-like 
 and affectionate confidence upon him. Be assured that he 
 loves you, and is touched with the feeling of your infirmities. 
 You may seem to yourself to be fighting this warfare alone, 
 forgotten and neglected by your Savior ; but it is not so. He 
 is every moment watching over you, delighted to see in you 
 every struggle against evil, and every victory over the sin 
 that besets you. He never forgets a single cross you bear. 
 
CONVERSION. 201 
 
 or a single pain you suffer for hina. Go to him with all your 
 trials, and all your unbelief, and plead with him as one of the 
 redeemed ones, for whom he has died, and to whom he has 
 promised eternal life. Thus you will honor him by confi- 
 dence in his promises, and the joy of the Lord will be your 
 strength. 
 
 And the same remarks may be addressed to those who are 
 convinced of their lost condition, and, so far as they know, 
 have submitted themselves to God, but yet have no hope of 
 pardon and salvation. They are expecting some miraculous 
 manifestation, or some overwhelming emotion, or some over- 
 powering consciousness of acceptance ; and experiencing 
 none of these, they are in painful doubt and sore perplexity. 
 It may be that the view which we have here taken of conver- 
 sion may shed some light upon the path of such a one. 
 
 Let us, however, in the first place, be honest with you 
 Have you really renounced your sins, submitted your whole 
 being to God, and asked for mercy through Christ, as a free 
 gift from him ? It is not enough that you know yourself to 
 be a sinner, overwhelmed in helpless guilt. You must go 
 to God, and acknowledge it to him. You must confess 
 your ill desert at his feet, and while you tell him that he 
 would be just if he never heard your prayer, plead with him 
 for mercy for the sake of his well-beloved Son. You must 
 arise and go to your Father. Nor is this a distinction with- 
 out a difference. It is by no means uncommon to meet with 
 persons who are thus fully aware of their guilt, but who have 
 never bowed the knee to God in prayer. In such cases, 
 frequently after a long season of most agonizing distress, the 
 very first time the sinner has bowed himself before God, his 
 burden has been removed, and he has felt that his deadly 
 wound has been healed. Nor is it enough to do this theoreti- 
 cally ; it must be a real acting of the soul. We sometimes 
 meet with anxious inquirers, who have been long in darkness, 
 who tell us that they have submitted their hearts to God, and 
 yet have no hope of salvation. They, in feeling, submit them- 
 
202 con^t:rsion. 
 
 selves to God, but they are not doing his will. They mean to 
 ohey him when he shall reveal himself to them ; but they sup- 
 pose that until this has been done they are under no obliga- 
 tion to serve him. They are, in fact, making a compromise 
 with God ; they will serve him, if he will first pardon and 
 save them. Hence there is much within them which is not 
 yielded up to God, and they suppose it is not to be yielded up 
 until they receive assurance of pardon. Now, all this is an 
 error, and it may be fatal. We are not only to say that we 
 submit our whole selves to God ; we are actually and without 
 reserve to do it. We are not only to be willing to renounce 
 every thing at variance with his will ; we are actually to re- 
 nounce it. We are not only to be willing to. serve him ; we 
 are, at once, to do whatever we believe will please him. We 
 are not only to believe that Christ is a complete Savior ; we 
 are to come, renouncing every merit of our own, and cast 
 ourselves on him alone for salvation. Now, I would say to 
 such an inquirer, Hast thou sincerely and from thy heart not 
 only thought about all this, but actually done it ? If so, the 
 promise of God standeth sure to thee — " Him that cometh 
 unto me I will in no wise cast out." Christ has not cast thee 
 out ; he has pardoned and received thee. It is not a thing to 
 be done at some future time ; it has been done already. 
 And thou wilt find the witness in thyself if thou wilt but look 
 for it. Thou wilt discover, if thou wilt compare thy present 
 with thy former character, that thy moral affections are even 
 now transformed. Thy desires, thy aversions, thy pleasures, 
 the object for which thou art living, have all been changed. 
 The process may have seemed gradual. The time when it 
 commenced may not have been evident to thy own conscious- 
 ness, but it is apparent, if thou wilt only observe, that thou 
 art not the same person thou wast a short time since. Old 
 things have passed away, and all things have become new. 
 This is the evidence which God has bestowed upon us, that 
 he has received us. Accept it with thankfulness, do his will 
 from the heart, and go on thy way rejoicing. 
 
CONVERSION. 203 
 
 And now, lastly, let me ask, is there in all this, any thing 
 mystical, mysterious, or incomprehensible ? Does it not, on 
 the contrary, approve itself to the common sense and com- 
 mon conscience of every thoughtful man ? If we have done 
 wrong, if we have abused confidence, if we have trampled 
 on rightful authority, if we have grieved our best friend by 
 the basest ingratitude, ought we not to be deeply sensible of 
 it, and from our hearts regret it ? If we have done all this 
 to God, should we not go to him with our confession, and, 
 each one for himself, cast ourselves at his feet, disavowing 
 our conduct, and humbly asking that he will forgive us ? If 
 we can make no reparation for our conduct, but are helpless- 
 ly guilty, and God has provided a way, at the cost of an in- 
 finite sacrifice, by which he can pardon us without sullying his 
 holiness, ought we not thankfully to accept of his mercy, and 
 cast ourselves for salvation upon the merits of his well-be- 
 loved Son ? And he has promised that, if we will do this, he 
 will accept us as if we had never sinned, and bestow upon 
 us the gift of eternal life. Can any terms be imagined more 
 full of compassion, or better adapted to our sad and helpless 
 need ? I call, then, upon every man at once to repent, and 
 believe in Christ, and to do it now. There is no time to be 
 lost. God will not always continue to offer to you salvation. 
 If you despise and wonder, you will certainly perish. If you 
 do nothing but delay, and day by day put off" the work of 
 conversion until to-morrow, you will just as certainly perish. 
 This controversy with your Maker must come to a crisis at 
 some time or other. You may be reconciled to him now, 
 while it is an acceptable time. You may delay until death 
 shall seize you at a time when you are not aware, and then 
 it will be settled at the day of judgment, when the books are 
 opened, and the sentence goes forth upon every impenitent sin- 
 ner, " Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the 
 devil and his angels." From such a doom may God, for 
 Christ's sake, deliver us. 
 
IMITATORS OF GOD 
 
 "Be ye therefore followers of God." 
 
 Ephesians v. 1. 
 
 To beings like ourselves, heirs of immortality, shortly to 
 be judged according to the deeds done in the body, the culti- 
 vation of our spiritual nature must be the great end of our 
 probation. We can carry beyond the grave no distinction 
 except that founded on moral character. At death the prince 
 puts off his purple, and the beggar his rags ; the judge lays 
 aside his ermine, and the convict his chain ; the rich man 
 bids adieu to his banquet, and the pauper to his crust. The 
 flashing diamond and the snow-white pearl no longer adorn 
 the child of luxury as she sleeps her dreamless sleep, and the 
 worm riots no more daintily on her than on the unknown 
 peasant girl that slumbers at her side. The dust of both is 
 scattered without distinction to the winds of heaven. The 
 places that once knew them shall know them no more for- 
 ever, and their record is quickly blotted out from the memory 
 of man. 
 
 All this is of the earth, earthy. The dust returns to the 
 earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 
 The soul, distinguished only by its moral lineaments, appears 
 without disguise at the bar of eternal justice. Every one of 
 us must give account for himself before God. By the moral 
 character which we have formed on earth will our destiny be 
 determined forever. Every one of us will then stand con- 
 fessed the friend or the enemy of God. Classes so intensely 
 
 (204) 
 
IMITATORS OF GOD. 205 
 
 unlike must, by necessity, be separated from each other. 
 *' Then shall the King say, Come, ye blessed of my Father, 
 inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of 
 the world ;" or, " Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, pre- 
 pared for the devil and his angels. These shall go away into 
 everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal." 
 
 That every one of us must thus die, be forgotten on earth, 
 and be judged by God for the deeds done in the body, I pre- 
 sume you all believe. Did I not, then, say truly, that the 
 cultivation of our spiritual nature is the great end of our 
 present existence? All else that men seek after, — wealth, 
 rank, political power, social position, nay, even learning, and 
 intellectual improvement, — are, in comparison with the prep- 
 aration of our souls for heaven, but as the small dust of the 
 balance. " What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world, 
 and lose his own soul ? " Nay, " What shall a man give in 
 exchange for his soul ? " 
 
 But how shall our spiritual nature be cultivated ? I answer. 
 By doing our duty. We are not prepared for the awards of 
 eternity by the accumulation of wealth, by the enjoyment of 
 pleasure, by the attainment of position, or the exercise of 
 power ; but by keeping the commandments of God, and thus 
 being transformed into his image. He is our Father, our Law- 
 giver, and our Judge. His favor is life, and his loving kind- 
 ness is better than life. If our moral character is in harmony 
 with his, if we love him with child-like afliection, and serve 
 him with filial obedience, every where, in this world or the 
 next, throughout all duration, whether now or millions of ages 
 hence, we must, from necessity, be happy ; for we are 
 always surrounded by the presence of a loving Father, and 
 we are ever greeted by his approving smile. 
 
 Hence we learn the unspeakable importance of those 
 teachings respecting our duty which he has scattered so pro- 
 fusely around us. The heavens above and the earth beneath 
 speak to us of his boundless wisdom and irresistible power, 
 and present before us innumerable indications of his will. 
 18 
 
206 IMITATORS OF GOD. 
 
 The dealings of his providence, both with individuals and with 
 nations, teach us his love of righteousness and his hatred of 
 wrong, and clearly intimate that though he hears the sigh of 
 the penitent, he will in no wise clear the guilty. We may 
 thus, from the things that are made, understand much of his 
 eternal power and Godhead ; so that, if we had no other 
 teaching, we should be clearly without excuse. Had our 
 Father in heaven, having bestowed upon us our various en- 
 dowments, given us no other light than the light of nature, he 
 would have dealt with us justly. With these means alone of 
 knowing our duty and becoming imitators of him, we should 
 have been under imperative and solemn obligations to love 
 and serve him. 
 
 But such was not his will. Our condition was too momen- 
 tous to be left to the least contingency. Hastening as we were 
 to eternity, — an eternity depending for its happiness or misery 
 wholly on our moral resemblance to him, — he condescended, 
 by a written revelation, to make us acquainted with our duty. 
 Age after age he spoke to us by prophet and by seer, and 
 thus made known to us spiritual truth. For this purpose he 
 appeared to Moses amidst the lightnings and thunderings of 
 Mount Sinai. He touched the lips of Isaiah with fire from the 
 altar, and revealed himself to Daniel, the man greatly be- 
 loved, and to other inspired men, in the visions of the old dis- 
 pensation. Last of all, he spoke to us by his Son, who is the 
 brightness of his glory and the express image of his person. 
 Lest his will should be misunderstood, when made known to 
 us by men weak and fallible like ourselves, God was made 
 flesh and dwelt among us to reveal the pure light from 
 heaven, unobscured by transmission through the medium of 
 a sinful and finite intelligence. The will of our Father in 
 heaven is thus made known to us so clearly that we cannot 
 mistake it, unless we love darkness rather than light. And 
 lest, even then, we should still remain thoughtless and un- 
 moved, he has sent his Spirit to take these truths and present 
 them before us, so that we cannot help knowing both our 
 
IMITATORS OF GOD. 207 
 
 duty and our danger. Behold, then, the boundless compas- 
 sion of our Father in heaven. He knew, as no finite intelli- 
 gence can know, the infinite importance of the preparation 
 of our souls for heaven, and he has left no conceivable 
 means untried, to give us a perfect knowledge of his will, and 
 teach us how, by being made like him, we may dwell in his 
 presence forever. I put it to your consciences, my fellow- 
 men — could our Father in heaven do more for us than he has 
 done .? He has taught us by men like ourselves, and has 
 sent his beloved Son to be our instructor, and has enforced 
 his instructions by the enlightening of his Holy Spirit. If, 
 now, we will not learn our duty, our case must be desperate, 
 and we must fail under the condemnation of those that knew 
 their duty, but they did it not. 
 
 And here we cannot but observe what seems a peculiarity, 
 if not an infirmity,* of our nature. Precept alone rarely pro- 
 duces upon us the impression which might justly be expected. 
 We may acknowledge the authority of the teacher, we may 
 comprehend the reasonableness of the command ; but not un- 
 frequently our spirit rises in resistance simply because it is a 
 command. " When the commandment came," said the apostle, 
 " sin revived." We wait to see the precept exemplified by the 
 obedience of others before we yield to it the practical control 
 over our conduct. Hence the wonderful effect of example in 
 swaying the affections and directing the opinions of mankind. 
 Without any precept whatever, example frequently accom- 
 plishes what the naked commandment could never hope to 
 effect. John Howard might have spent his life in discoursing 
 upon criminal jurisprudence, and have died, without seeing the 
 woe of a solitary prisoner alleviated. He, however, took the 
 opposite course, and chose to act by example. He set him- 
 self at work to reform the prison in his own immediate 
 neighborhood, and when this was done he proceeded to the 
 regions beyond ; nor did he cease from his labor until he had 
 fathomed the depth of misery that existed in every prison 
 house of Europe. It was in this manner that he inculcated 
 
208 IMITATORS OF GOD. 
 
 the precept, " Remember those that are in bonds as bound with 
 them," and so inculcated it as to work a change in the opin- 
 ions of mankind. Robert Raikes wrote no works, that I ever 
 heard of, on the rehgious education of the young, or the obU- 
 gation of Christians to instruct the children of the poor in the 
 knowledge of God. He established a Sabbath school, how- 
 ever, in the city of Gloucester, and the consequence has been 
 that Protestant Christendom is, at this moment, covered with 
 Sabbath schools. In this manner he inculcated the precept, 
 " Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is 
 old he will not depart from it." 
 
 My brethren, do you not perceive the lesson that is to be 
 learned from all this ? Do you not see that a power for the 
 accomplishment of good has been bestowed upon you which 
 you never yet apprehended ? When the duty is pressed upon 
 you of doing good to your brethren, one of you replies, " I am 
 not learned ;" another, " I am not wealthy ;" another, " I cannot 
 write a book ;" another, " I am not eloquent ;" and another, " 1 
 have no influence." All very well ; but what of it ? You have 
 hands, and feet, an understanding, and a conscience. Em- 
 ploy them, just as God has given them to you, in doing some 
 good thing, no matter how small it may seem to human ap- 
 pearance. Put your own heart into it, and labor at it in deep 
 humility, and with child-like faith. Do not ask others to help 
 you until you have set an example of doing all you can your- 
 self. Do not wait until an opportunity presents itself of 
 doing some great thing a thousand miles off; but take the 
 first thing that presents itself at your very door. Labor 
 at it until God, by his providence, shall command you to 
 cease, and see what will come of it. If it be a seed which 
 the Lord has planted, it will assuredly spring up and bear 
 fruit ; and though the beginning be small, the latter end will 
 greatly increase. And, even if nothing comes of it beyond 
 the immediate good which you do with your own hands, be 
 not discouraged ; you will have received a rich blessing in 
 
IMITATORS OF GOD. 209 
 
 your own soul. *' Inasmuch as ye have done it to the least of 
 these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." 
 
 Intimately allied to this is another peculiarity of our moral 
 nature. The idea of law, as indicating restraint, is specially 
 distasteful to the human mind, unless the legislator is himself 
 subjected to the enactment which he enforces upon others. 
 We require that he who makes the law shall himself pre- 
 sent the first example of submission to it. When this is 
 done, our repugnance generally vanishes. We look at it as a 
 rule made for all of us in common, and feel assured that it 
 was intended for the public good, inasmuch as the legislators 
 themselves are the very first to bow to its authority. 
 
 Now, even for these peculiarities of our nature our Father in 
 heaven has mercifully made provision. In infinite conde- 
 scension, he has practically exemplified obedience to every 
 precept which he has imposed upon us. 
 
 The laws under which he has placed us are substantially 
 two. The first is the law of simple benevolence and univer- 
 sal love. We are commanded to love him with all our hearts, 
 and our neighbor as ourselves. This commandment was im- 
 posed upon our first parents on the day of their creation. It 
 binds us to child-like and supreme affection to God, and im- 
 partial love to universal man. It bids us look upon every hu- 
 man being as our brother, no matter how stolid may be his 
 ignorance, how brutal his degradation, and how causeless 
 the injury which he may have inflicted upon us. We are to 
 treat all men, simply because they are men, the children of 
 one common Parent, with fraternal good will, ever desiring 
 to minister to the happiness and alleviate the sorrow of our 
 brethren, so that each one of us may be a centre of social 
 endearment to every circle by which we are surrounded. 
 For this reason God has placed in our hands, in different pro- 
 portions, the blessings of this life. He has made some rich 
 and others poor, and long ago he announced to us that the poor 
 should never cease out of the land. We are to consider 
 every possession as a sacred trust, placed in our hands, not 
 18* 
 
210 IMITATORS OF GOD. 
 
 for our own benefit, but for the benefit of all. Such is the 
 rule which our Father in heaven most mercifully has laid 
 down for the government of our conduct. 
 
 And he who enacted this law has enforced it, first of all, 
 by his own example. Creation, from its first conception to 
 ts last result, is one unceasing act of love to man. This 
 goodly heritage was prepared for us, by omniscient wisdom, 
 before the morning stars sang together, or ever the sons of 
 God shouted for joy. Man was not placed upon the earth 
 until every arrangement had been made, not only for his 
 reception, but for the sustentation and well-being of all 
 the myriads that ever should inhabit it. Year after year, 
 through the long lapse of ages, has he visited the earth with 
 the inexhaustible loveliness of spring, the maturing heat of 
 summer, the abundant gifts of autumn, and the solemn repose 
 of winter, filling our hearts with food and gladness. But this 
 universal provision did not satisfy the infinite benevolence of 
 our heavenly Father. His eye rests with compassion on 
 every single intelligent being. These countless millions through 
 the ages have been individually dependent upon his bounty ; 
 day by day he has sent a portion to every household, and 
 spread a table for every family. Nor does he limit his bene- 
 fits to those that love and adore him. The bold blasphemer 
 and the humble penitent share alike in his daily bounty, and 
 at night are soothed to rest under the shadow of his protec- 
 tion. Even the tribes of irrational beings seek their meat 
 from God. What he giveth them they gather; he openeth 
 his hand and satisfieth the wants of every living thing. He 
 hears the young ravens when they cry, and stoops down to 
 scatter crumbs in the pathway of the sparrow. 
 
 And now, having given us such a precept, and set before 
 us such an example, God calls upon us not only to obey, but 
 to imitate him. " Be ye therefore followers [imitators] of God." 
 Speaking to us by the lips of his well-beloved Son, he saith to 
 every one of us, " Love your enemies, bless them that curse 
 you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that 
 
IMITATORS OF GOD. 211 
 
 despitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the 
 children of your Father who is in heaven ; for he maketh his 
 sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the 
 just and on the unjust. Be ye therefore merciful, as your 
 Father in heaven is merciful." 
 
 But this world has been ruined by sin. Every child of 
 Adam has corrupted himself, and in consequence of rebellion 
 against God, is exposed to the condemnation of everlasting 
 death. It was the purpose of God to redeem our race, and 
 transform it again into his own image. To accomplish this, 
 God made a most gracious provision for the pardon of our 
 sins. The way of escape from the doom which we deserved 
 was thrown wide open. God could be just, and justify him 
 that believeth. Nay, more, he sent his Holy Spirit to show 
 us the things which respect our salvation. And having done 
 all this, he committed the work to the ministration of men 
 themselves. He requires that every one of his children 
 shall be a co-worker with him, and make it the business of 
 his life to rescue men from everlasting death, and thus carry 
 forward his purposes of mercy towards our lost and sin- 
 smitten race. " Ye are," said the Savior, " the light of the 
 world." 
 
 But it seems to be an established law in the government of 
 God, that we are never permitted to confer great blessings 
 upon our brethren except through the medium of suffering 
 and self-sacrifice. The patriotism that has rescued nations 
 from oppression, presents itself before us scarred and gory 
 from the battle field and the scaffold, scorned by the few, neg- 
 lected by the many, but opening a new career of liberty and 
 honor to the very men who could not comprehend the great- 
 ness of its undertaking. And thus the religion of Christ has 
 won its most signal victories in dungeons and at the stake, 
 and its holy champions, who by faith subdued kingdoms, had 
 trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds 
 and imprisonment ; they were stoned, they were sawn. asunder, 
 were tempted, were slain with the sword, and wandered about 
 
212 IMITATORS OF GOD. 
 
 in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, and tor- 
 mented, of whom the world was not worthy. 
 
 The great work of the disciple of Christ is to subdue the 
 world to his Master ; and this work he can hope to perform 
 only by self-sacrifice. The faith of the gospel is then some- 
 thing more than trust in Christ, and grateful love for his par- 
 doning mercy. It involves nobler, and higher, and sterner 
 elements than these. It calls upon us to universal self- 
 sacrifice for the salvation of men. It has nothing that it calls 
 its own ; all is laid on the altar, and all is consecrated to the 
 service of the Master. Immortal souls for whom Christ died 
 are at stake, and there is nothing that we must not cheerfully 
 suffer, nothing that we must not relinquish, that we may be 
 the means of conferring on them the boon of eternal life. 
 Does the work of Christ require our property, we must give 
 it. Is our personal service demanded, we must render it ; 
 nay, we must seek for occasions in which to employ it. Do 
 the pleasures of sense, or of taste, or of literature, or of social 
 distinction impede us in our labor we must surrender them. 
 If a right eye causes us to offend, — and a right eye is very 
 dear, — we must pluck it out. If a right hand interferes 
 with our entire consecration to Christ, — and a right hand is 
 very useful, — we rriust cut it off*. The path of duty may 
 lead through the valley of humiliation, — we must follov/ it 
 fearlessly. We may be called to suffer reproach and have our 
 names cast out as evil, — let us bear it exultingly, rejoicing 
 that we are counted worthy to suffer reproach, for the name 
 of Jesus. A service may be laid upon us which can only be 
 performed at the peril of our lives, — we must willingly peril 
 them to save the souls for whom Christ died. " He that 
 saveth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his life for my 
 sake shall find it." Such are the precepts of Jesus. 
 
 But, as I have said, our Father in heaven imposes upon us no 
 precept, obedience to which he has not himself first exempli- 
 fied. In condescension such as finite mind can never com- 
 prehend, he loves us with the affection which he requires 
 
IMITATORS OF GOD. 213 
 
 US to cherish towards him> He commands us to love him 
 with our whole heart ; and " God so loved the world that he 
 gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him 
 should not perish, but have everlasting life." He forbids us to 
 make any reserve, or to withhold from him the dearest ob- 
 jects of our affection. But he has done thi^ for us all. 
 When he gave up his well-beloved Son, he gave him up 
 wholly, and shrunk back from nothing that wa^ needful for 
 our redemption. He yielded up the Son of his love to hunger 
 and thirst, to cold and nakedness, to persecution, shame, and 
 reproach, to the temptations of Satan such as no created 
 being had ever undergone, nay, to the hiding of his face in 
 the hour of his deepest agony, that such sinners as we are 
 might be brought back to the family of the holy. Well might 
 there be silence in heaven when this purpose of mercy was 
 first revealed to the angelic hosts. They had for ages con- 
 ffemplated the unspeakable love of God ; but when it was an- 
 nounced that he would make such a sacrifice for such a race, 
 they were struck dumb in holy amazement. A new and 
 transporting view of the condescension and love of God burst 
 upon the sight of the seraphim. No finite mind could fathom 
 its depth or explore its immensity. It was love to a race of 
 rebels, guilty, odious, and despicable, who had trampled on his 
 laws, and did not even like to retain him in their knowledge. 
 And remember, redeemed sinner, this love reached even 
 unto thee. God so loved thee that he gave his well-beloved 
 Son ; and if he so loved us, surely we ought to love one 
 another. I put it to your own hearts, beloved — ought we not 
 to be followers of God ? 
 
 But there is another aspect of this subject, slightly difTering 
 from that which we have taken. We hear much in the New 
 Testament about giving up our whole selves to the Savior, of 
 being constrained by the love of Christ, and doing, not our 
 own will, but the will of him that loved us. He requires us 
 to give up ourselves, our affections, a living sacrifice to him 
 for time and eternity. But remember he first set us the 
 
214 IMITATORS OF GOD. 
 
 example by giving up himself wholly for us. And what a sac- 
 rifice was this ! Here was self-sacrificing benevolence that 
 must stand forever without a parallel in the history of the 
 universe. He thought it not robbery to be equal with God. 
 By him were all things created, visible or invisible, whether 
 they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, 
 all things were created by him and for him. Yet, when the 
 fulness of time was come, he emptied himself of his glory, and 
 took upon him the form of a servant. When he had put his 
 hand to the work of our redemption, there was no sacrifice 
 which he did not make, there was no humiliation which he did 
 not undergo, in order to accomplish it. He, whose arm up- 
 held the universe, subjected himself to the law of humanity. 
 The high possessor of heaven and earth had not where to 
 lay his head. He, before whom the mightiest created intel- 
 ligences bowed down in lowly adoration, condescended to be 
 railed at as a madman. The Holy One of Israel was accused 
 of collusion with the chief of the devils. His life was worn 
 out in labors, and watchings, and fastings, while he was ever 
 putting forth miraculous power to relieve the woes of others, 
 though never to relieve his own. Follow him to the last 
 supper, and see him, like the humblest menial, washing the 
 begrimed feet of fishermen and publicans. Go with him to 
 the garden of Gethsemane ; remark the bloody sweat, the ago- 
 ny of that thrice-repeated prayer, " Father, if it be possible, let 
 this cup pass from me ; " observe the arrest by the mob, the 
 flight of the disciples, the blows and mockery of the soldiery ; 
 hearken to the preference for Barabbas, while the air is rent 
 with the cries, " Crucify him, crucify him ; " see the crown of 
 thorns, the nails driven home through those hands and feet 
 that sin had never polluted ; and listen to his cry, " My God, 
 my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? " Think of this, ye 
 who have washed your robes and made them white in the 
 blood of the Lamb, and if the Holy Spirit condescend to help 
 you, you shall know something of the love of Christ which 
 passeth knowledge. He withheld nothing from you, and 
 
IMITATORS OF GOD. 215 
 
 can you withhold any thing from him ? Does not your heart 
 melt within you as you think of his love ? and does not every 
 power of your soul cry out and shout, " I will be an imitator 
 of Jesus." " We love him because he first loved us." 
 
 And when you are thinking of all this, do not lose your- 
 selves in vague generalities, but take each element of this 
 transaction, and meditate upon it singly. Jesus Christ was no' 
 imaginary character, but, in his human nature, a man like 
 any one of us, exposed to all the pains, and moved by all 
 the impulses, of humanity, yet without sin. Endowed with 
 an intellect of incomparable power, and capable of teaching 
 the sages of this world as if they were children, he spent his 
 life in imparting instruction to a few illiterate peasants. His 
 taste was surpassingly exquisite, yet he so spoke that the 
 common people heard him gladly. With eloquence such as 
 to prompt the exclamation, " Never man spake like this man," 
 his common audiences were rustic Galileans. His social sym- 
 pathies were refined and delicate ; yet his chosen companions 
 were not the highly bred and illustrious, but those of every 
 rank, who did the will of his Father in heaven. Borne 
 down under the weight of his mighty undertaking, like any 
 other man, he yearned for companionship ; but there was not 
 a being on earth who could comprehend his character, or 
 understand his mission, or to whom he could unbosom his 
 cares. He trod the wine press alone, and of the people, 
 there was none with him. When, indeed, was there a single 
 precept for the cultivation of Christian character which he did 
 not exemplify in his own life ? O, what shame does the life of 
 Christ cast upon the pride, and vanity, and self-indulgence of 
 multitudes of us who claim to be his disciples ! 
 
 And here, my brethren, you observe the appropriateness 
 of the exhortation, " Run with patience the race set before 
 you, looking unto Jesus.'''* Look to him as the interpreter of 
 his own precepts. He has told us how to live, and he has 
 exemplified every precept in his own life. You are fre- 
 quently in doubt as to your duty. You may, perhaps, with- 
 
216 IMITATORS OF GOD. 
 
 out difficulty, discover the precept, but you doubt as to the 
 mode of its application. There is a worldly and a spiritual 
 mode of understanding it, and you hesitate between them. 
 In every such case look unto Jesus. See how he understood 
 it, and how he put it in practice, and all your doubts will 
 readily be dissipated. And even when you do not readily 
 discover the rule of conduct, you never need be long in 
 uncertainty. Look unto Jesus. Ask yourself in simplicity 
 of heart, " What will best please my Savior?" and you will 
 find small room for hesitation. The love of Christ furnishes 
 the surest and simplest rule of duty. Giving our affection 
 to him, we shall always do the things that are pleasing in his 
 sight. 
 
 Let us look to Jesus for moral impulse. The path of 
 duty, though a safe, is a rough one. Think of it as we may, 
 when we come to the actual trial, to bear reproach, to be 
 sneered at and neglected, to have men separate us from their 
 company, in a word, to lose caste with our fellows, is by no 
 means pleasant to flesh and blood. Specially is this the 
 case in youth, when the social impulses are the strongest, 
 and the power of resistance to public opinion the weakest. 
 When, under the pressure of all these influences, the faith 
 of the believer begins to falter, then is the time to look unto 
 Jesus. Consider the example which he has set before us, and 
 let us plant our feet in his footprints. Think how he tri- 
 umphed over the world by scorning its delights, and meekly 
 bearing all that it could inflict. Did the Son of God set thee 
 such an example, and hast thou neither the courage nor love 
 to follow it? Did he do all this for thee, and dost thou refuse 
 to bear so light a cross for him ? Keep thine eye fixed on 
 Christ, and as thou gazest upon him thou shalt be strengthened 
 by might, through his spirit, in thy inner man. As thou fillest 
 thy soul with devout conceptions of the example of Jesus, the 
 world will dwindle into insignificance, and, emancipated from 
 its thraldom, thou shalt walk abroad in the noble liberty of the 
 sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty. 
 
IMITATORS OF GOD. 217 
 
 And, my "brethren, let us look to Jesus if we would estimate 
 the reward of those that follow his example. As Messiah, 
 the Mediator between God and man, the incomparable glory 
 to which he is exalted is ever spoken of as the reward of his 
 sufferings and humiliation. It was because he thus humbled 
 himself that he was raised to the right hand of the Father. 
 And the rule is the same for him and for all who imitate 
 him. Every reproach endured for him, every self-denial 
 suffered rather than grieve him, every labor distasteful to 
 flesh and blood performed simply to please him, will render 
 that crown the brighter which the Lord will give to them 
 that love his appearing. When fainting under trial, and 
 harassed by temptation, look unto Jesus, the author and fin- 
 isher of your faith, who, for the joy that was set before him, 
 endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now set down 
 at the right hand of the throne of God. Let this mind, my 
 brethren, be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, 
 being in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal 
 with God ; but made himself of no reputation, and took upon 
 him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of 
 man, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled him- 
 self and became obedient unto death, even the death of the 
 cross. Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given 
 him a name that is above every name, that at the name 
 of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and 
 things in earth, and things under the earth ; and that every 
 tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory 
 of God the Father. Wherefore, beloved, comfort one an- 
 other with these words. 
 19 
 
 » 
 
GRIEVING THE SPIRIT. 
 
 "He shall take of mine and shall show it unto you." 
 
 John xvi. 15. 
 
 The Being referred to in these words is the Comforter, 
 which is the Holy Ghost. The work which he accomplishes 
 is also defined. All things, saith the Savior, that the Father 
 hath are mine^ therefore he shall take of mine^ and shall show 
 it unto you. That is to say, the Son possesses all the knowledge 
 of the Father. As the Father knoweth me, so I know the 
 Father. The Holy Spirit also possesses all the knowledge 
 of the Godhead, for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the 
 deep things of God. This knowledge in such measure as he 
 pleases he reveals unto us. He communicates with the spirit 
 of man, and teaches us truth which we could not otherwise 
 know ; and enables us to comprehend, and receive, and apply 
 to ourselves truth which, without his aid, would be sterile and 
 unproductive. The power of truth over the mind of sinful 
 man is thus ascribed to the agency of the blessed Comforter. 
 
 It is manifest that a fact of this nature must be a matter of 
 revelation. Reason could never discover it. Natural re- 
 ligion could never discover it. Our senses could never per- 
 ceive it. As it acts, except in the case of miraculous in- 
 spiration, in perfect harmony with all the faculties of the 
 mind, our consciousness could not recognize it. All the 
 knowledge we possess concerning it must come directly 
 from God himself We must therefore go to the Scriptures 
 exclusively, if we would learn all that can be known on 
 this subject. In such a case, to affirm what can be, and 
 
 (218) 
 
GRIE^TLXG THE SPIRIT. 219 
 
 what cannot be, must evidently be to darken counsel by 
 words without knowledge. 
 
 In considering at this time some of the aspects in which 
 the work of the Spirit is made known to us, it is my intention 
 to confine myself entirely to the teachings of the word of 
 God. It is not my purpose to treat of the work of the 
 Spirit in general, but only of that part of it which has re- 
 spect specially to the soul of man in regeneration. If such 
 an agency is exerted, and if it be the source of all spiritual 
 illumination, it is important that every man should under- 
 stand it, who is seriously asking the momentous question, 
 What must I do to be saved ? 
 
 I shall therefore take it for granted, that there is a divine 
 Being, termed in the Scriptures the Holy Spirit, whose special 
 office it is to reveal to the mind of man that truth which 
 relates to our spiritual nature and eternal destiny. It was 
 this Spirit which inspired the prophets of old. It was by 
 the illumination of the same Spirit that the apostles and 
 evangelists made known to us the will of God in the New 
 Testament. Nay, the Messiah, on earth, spake not by him- 
 self; the Spirit was poured out upon him without measure, 
 and thus he revealed to us truth pure and transparent, as 
 it flowed through his lips from the bosom of the ever-blessed 
 God. Nor is the influence of the Spirit confined to prophets, 
 apostles, and holy men of old. The Scriptures represent 
 the Comforter as dwelling in the hearts of all the children 
 of God. We are told that the submission of our wills to 
 the monitions of the Spirit is the evidence of our adoption 
 into the family of the redeemed, for as many as are led 
 by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Ye are 
 not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit 
 of God dwell in you. If any man have not the Spirit of 
 Christ, he is none of his.* 
 
 Nor is the ijifluence of the Spirit upon the soul of man con- 
 fined exclusively to the children of God. The Scriptures 
 represent bad men as resisting the Spirit, grieving the' Spirit, 
 
220 GRIEVING THE SPIRIT. 
 
 and turning a deaf ear to all his monitions. Such was the 
 case under the old dispensation. This truth is, however, made 
 known to us more emphatically in the New Testament. Men 
 are there addressed directly, and told that they are at this 
 moment resisting the Holy Ghost. The sin against the Holy 
 Ghost is also singled out, as the sin for which there is no 
 forgiveness. A man may speak against the Son of man and 
 be forgiven ; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, 
 it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the 
 world to come. It would seem, then, that the influences of 
 the Holy Spirit are very generally bestowed upon man. Both 
 good and bad men are, in some sense, taught by him. The 
 one obey and the other disobey his instructions. 
 
 While, however, I thus speak of the universality of the 
 Spirit's agency, I would remark that, under the old dispensa- 
 tion, this blessing seems to have been bestowed almost exclu- 
 sively upon the Hebrews. It was given only in rare and ex- 
 ceptional cases to the Gentiles. With the Christian dispensa- 
 tion a new era commenced. The Gospel was to be preached 
 to all nations ; the promise was given that the Holy Ghost should 
 attend upon the faithful preaching of the news of salvation. 
 We are all living in the full enjoyment of this promised bless- 
 ing. Christ is preached to us every Sabbath day, and every 
 one of us has beheld the power, if he has not felt, in his own 
 soul, the strivings of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 It is of importance here to remark that this gift is always 
 spoken of, in the New Testament, as the crowning proof of 
 the love of God to man, and his last eflbrt to redeem us from 
 the curse of sin. If this fail, the case of the sinner is hope- 
 less. If the Spirit is grieved and withdraw from the soul, the 
 man is lost beyond the possibility of redemption. 
 
 Nor is this without reason. We were justly condemned 
 for our sins. Had God made no provision for our pardon, 
 but left us to the consequences of our transgressions, his 
 throne would have still shone spotless in holiness. The fallen 
 angels were left, for their transgression, in chains under dark- 
 
GRIEVING THE SPIRIT. 221 
 
 ness. to the judgment of the great day. But for man God 
 provided a way of escape, at the cost of an infinite sacrifice. 
 He so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, 
 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have 
 everlasting life. The atonement made for our sins was as 
 extensive as the ruin by the fall. A pardon, free, full, and 
 universal, was offered to all who would penitently and in faith 
 come and accept of it. Jesus Christ came to seek and to 
 save that which was lost; if any man, therefore, be lost, he 
 may be assured that Christ came to seek and to save him. 
 A pardon is provided for him, if he will, in a right temper 
 of heart, come and ask for it. The door of heaven is 
 thus thrown wide open, and whosoever will may come and 
 take the water of life freely. 
 
 But men, with one consent, begin to make excuse. They 
 prefer sin to holiness. They do not choose to have God to 
 reign over them. The eyes of their understanding are 
 blinded, so that they have no suitable appreciation of spiritual 
 things. The coming, the invisible, the eternal is shut out 
 from their thoughts by the present, the visible, the temporal. 
 In this our hopeless exigency, our Father in heaven makes one 
 more effort to save us.- He sends the Holy Spirit to arouse 
 us from our moral lethargy, and direct our attention to our 
 relations to him, and the fearful danger of our present po- 
 sition. More than this, he has promised that this Spirit shall 
 abide ever with those who sincerely desire it, to guide them 
 into all truth, confirm them in all goodness, and lead them in 
 safety to his kingdom in heaven. If we reject this last proof 
 of the love of God, what can remain for us but to be left to 
 the result of our own choices, and thus perish without remedy ? 
 
 It is in view of ibis heavenly influence upon the minds of 
 both saints and sinners, that our Lord declares, " It is expedi- 
 ent for you that I go away ; for if I go not away, the Com- 
 forter will not come unto you ; but if I depart, I will send 
 him unto you." In these words our Lord teaches us, not 
 only the infinite importance of the presence of the Com- 
 19^ 
 
222 GRIEVING THE SPIRIT. 
 
 forter, but intimates that this blessing is one of the resuhs of 
 his atoning sacrifice, and his ascension to the right hand of 
 the Father. 
 
 We may thus learn something of the solemn responsibility 
 which rests upon us who live under the new dispensation, and 
 are partakers in this last and most astonishing proof of our 
 heavenly Father's love. He has provided for us a way of 
 salvation ; he has freely offered to us eternal life ; he has 
 sent his Holy Spirit to persuade us to accept of the blessings 
 purchased by the death of his Son. If, under such circum- 
 stances, we perish, who can tell the inexcusableness of our 
 guilt ? who can measure the solemnity of our doom ? 
 
 But it may be important to inquire. What is the object of 
 the agency of the Holy Spirit upon the minds of men ? 
 
 I would answer, in the first place, the Holy Spirit is not 
 given in order to furnish us with any new revelation. " Holy 
 men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 
 Under both dispensations they were inspired to reveal to us 
 the will of God, and the authenticity of their message was 
 attested by miraculous gifts. All that we receive as a rev- 
 elation is the result of such inspiration. But with the 
 teachings of those who were personally commissioned by 
 Christ, we believe that the communications of God to us, con- 
 cerning our salvation, have forever ceased. To the Scriptures 
 which he has given to us no man may add, and from them 
 no man may take away. God has here revealed to us all 
 that he desires us to know of his dealings with man, and 
 then closed the book forever. The Spirit of God speaks no 
 more to us by way of inspiration. It is to the Bible alone 
 that we must go, if we would learn his will concerning us. 
 The voice of the Spirit is not heard in the floating, contradic- 
 tory, and baseless fables of tradition. He speaks not to us 
 in bulls of popes, the decrees of councils, or synods, or con- 
 vocations, in the resolutions of conventions, or in the words of 
 any man, or any association of men, claiming power over 
 the conscience. To the law and the testimony : if they speak 
 
GRIEVING THE SPIRIT. 223 
 
 not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. 
 If we yield up the direction of our consciences to such guides, 
 we do it at our peril, and it may be to our eternal undoing. 
 What the Spirit has taught is to be found in the Scriptures of 
 the Old and New Testaments ; all else is the teaching of 
 men. No man can claim for his utterances authority over 
 the conscience, unless he authenticates his message by the 
 manifestation of miraculous power. 
 
 Secondly. The Holy Spirit is not bestowed upon men in 
 order to place them under any new obligation to love and 
 obey God, and repent and believe the Gospel. These duties 
 are forever binding upon us from the fact that Jehovah is our 
 God, and such a God, and that we are his intelligent. and ac- 
 countable creatures. " He hath showed it [his eternal power 
 and Godhead] unto them," saith the apostle Paul ; " therefore 
 I they are without excuse." Every moral intelligence is bound 
 by the strongest obligations to love God with the whole heart, 
 and serve him with filial obedience. Every such intelligence 
 who has sinned, is, in the same manner, bound to repent and 
 humble himself before God. These obligations are fixed and 
 unalterable as the throne of Jehovah. And this duty is not a 
 thing of time or place — it presses upon us under all circum- 
 stances, and at every instant. There can be no moment in the 
 existence of an intelligent creature, in which it can cease from 
 loving God without being guilty of atrocious wickedness. 
 There cannot be a moment in the existence of a sinner in 
 which it is not his duty immediately to repent. God and him- 
 self are the only beings concerned in this controversy, and 
 it is the first duty of his existence to draw near in humble 
 acknowledgment, and ask for forgiveness of Him against 
 whom he has sinned. Hence we see how greatly men err 
 who suppose that they are under no obligation to repent, be- 
 cause they have never been visited by the influences of the 
 Holy Spirit. Let them remember that if it was not their 
 duty to repent until the Holy Spirit were sent to awaken 
 them, it would never be their duty at all ; for the Spirit of 
 
224 GRIEVING THE SPIRIT. 
 
 God creates no new obligation. Let such a man, then, know 
 that by this subterfuge he is deceiving his own soul ; he is 
 hardening his heart, and rendering his condition daily more 
 hopeless. Instead of slumbering in this false security let 
 him arise and call mightily upon God, lest, peradventure, he 
 perish not. The Holy Spirit bestows no new faculties — 
 it creates no new obligations. We must come to God just 
 such sinners as we are, with just the powers we possess, or 
 we can never come at all. Any reasoning, which teaches us 
 that we may safely continue for a moment impenitent, and 
 enemies to God, is from the father of lies, and if we believe 
 it, we do it at the peril of our souls. 
 
 But you will ask, If such be the case, what is the need 
 of any agency of the Spirit in our conversion and sanctifica- 
 tion ? I reply, There is no reason whatever for such an 
 agency that is not found in our own hardness of heart, and 
 our deep and sinful insensibility to spiritual truth. The facts 
 which concern our relations to God do not affect us like any 
 other well-known truth. Every act of sin, by a natural ten- 
 dency, stupefies the conscience, and renders the soul less sus- 
 ceptible to spiritual impressions. We have been sinners from 
 the beginning, and thus this insensibility has become fixed and 
 immovable ; and it furnishes one of the most significant evi- 
 dences of our incorrigible depravity. 
 
 Let me illustrate my meaning by a few plain examples. 
 You are humbled and ashamed if ever you have been guilty of 
 ingratitude to man ; but your unceasing ingratitude to God 
 never has awakened in your bosom a single emotion of pen- 
 itential sorrow. We fear for the result when we have justly 
 deserved punishment at the hands of man ; we know that 
 we are exposed to the righteous judgment of God, and re- 
 main utterly unmoved. To escape the most trifling inconven- 
 ' ience, or vsecure the most momentary gratification, we delib- 
 erately defy our Maker, and knowingly incur his extreme 
 displeasure. Self-sacrificing benevolence naturally fills us 
 with admiration ; but we can contemplate the sacrifice of 
 
GRIEVING THE SPIRIT. 225 
 
 Christ, who, though he was rich, for our sakes became poor, 
 without a single throb of grateful affection. In other cases, 
 when we know that danger is impending, we leave no means 
 unattempted by which we may avert if. Your dwellings and 
 warehouses are liable to be consumed by fire, and your ships to 
 founder at sea, and you take every precaution to have them 
 fully insured. You know that your souls are exposed to ever- 
 lasting woe, and that the irrevocable sentence may go forth 
 against you at any moment, and you have never yet put forth 
 one honest effort to escape the wrath to come. When an 
 opportunity occurs of making an unusually favorable invest- 
 ment, we mortgage our property, we strain our credit to the 
 utmost, that we may secure as large a share as possible of 
 the benefit, and men praise our boldness and forethought. 
 But when mansions in heaven, when seats at the right hand 
 of Christ, when glory such as eye hath not seen nor the 
 heart of man conceived, are offered to us as a free gift, we 
 will not abandon a single lust, we will not endure a single 
 self-denial, nay, we will not make a single effort, in order to 
 appropriate these blessings to ourselves. 
 
 All this, beloved, you know to be the truth. In what we 
 have thus said, we bring not against you any strange accusa- 
 tion. We only repeat what many of you have deliberately 
 told us. When I have urged you to seek first of all the 
 salvation of your souls, you reply, that the truths of religion, 
 for some cause or other, do not affect you like other truth, and 
 that, in this respect, you only resemble all other men. It must 
 surely be very wicked for you to live thus, and to have hard- 
 ened your conscience against the solemn reproofs and the mer- 
 ciful invitations of your Maker and Redeemer. But the infinite 
 goodness of God has not been exhausted by your long-contin- 
 ued contumacy. It is because he cannot bear to see you per- 
 ish, although you are just so unreasonable, obdurate, and un- 
 grateful, that he has sent his Spirit to arouse you from the 
 slumber of sin, and persuade you to lay hold on everlasting 
 life. Our Father in heaven knows how the habit of doing 
 
226 GRIEVING THE SPirvIT. 
 
 wrong has stupefied our consciences, and enslaved us under 
 the dominion of the senses, and therefore he has sent his 
 Holy Spirit to convince us of sin, and of righteousness, and of 
 the judgment to come. If we persist in our rejection of all 
 these offers of mercy, what can save us from destruction ? 
 God does not interfere with the freedom of will with which at 
 our creation he has endowed us. If, in spite of all that he 
 has done to save us, we still choose to disobey him, we must 
 be lost, and our ruin must rest upon our own heads. 
 ■ But you will very naturally ask. What is the nature of 
 that influence which the Holy Spirit exerts upon a human 
 soul. With the metaphysical topics involved in this question, 
 I have nothing to do. I confine myself to the facts concern- 
 ing it which have been revealed in the Scriptures. These 
 alone concern our moral nature, and these alone can affect our 
 eternal destiny. 
 
 Our Lord, when speaking on this subject, gives us, I think, 
 all the knowledge which we can ever obtain concerning it. 
 " When the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, is come, he 
 shall take of mine, and show it unto you." By mine^ he 
 means the truth common to him and the Father. The office 
 of the Holy Ghost is, then, in some manner peculiar to him- 
 self, to set before us the truth. He withdraws the veil 
 which our sinful habits have spread over spiritual facts, and 
 we see them in their naked reality. I have said that whilst 
 the truth which respects only the present world produces upon 
 us its legitimate effect, the truths of the world to come lie in 
 our minds powerless as though we knew them to be fables. 
 Now, the Holy Spirit is given for the purpose of restoring to 
 spiritual truth its natural and reasonable efficiency. It is as 
 though we had our eyes fixed on a book in the deep gloom of 
 twilight. We believe that the page reveals truth, we know 
 the language in which it is written ; but the light is so imper- 
 fect, that, though here and there we can distinguish a capital 
 letter and now and then decipher a word, yet we arc unable 
 to make out distinctly a single sentence. But let light now 
 
GRIEVING THE SPIRIT. 227 
 
 fall upon the page, and every word and every letter is instant- 
 ly revealed, the thought of the writer beams upon our under- 
 standing, and the channel of communication between his mind 
 anjd ours is, for the time, fully established. Very similar to this 
 is the case before us. We read and we hear about God, the 
 Judge of all, and Christ, the Redeemer of men, about sin and 
 repentance, heaven and hell, the wages of guilt and the re- 
 ward of holiness, and we care so little about them that the 
 words hardly awaken a thought, or leave a trace upon our 
 recollection. But let now the Holy Spirit show these things 
 of Christ unto us, and they are at once invested with the ter- 
 rors or the joys of a most solemn reality. God, who, a little 
 while since, seemed a mere powerless abstraction, now appears 
 to us the hving God, spotless in holiness, immutable in justice, 
 a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, before 
 whom all things are naked and open. The sinner's life, 
 which seemed to be sullied only here and there by a few 
 venial transgressions, now appears nothing but one long act 
 of unpardonable guilt, for which he can make no reparation. 
 Eternity, which before was only a wonderful metaphysical 
 conception, now spreads out before him as an overwhelming 
 verity, which he cannot think of without a shudder ; for it is 
 not simply eternity, but an eternity of woe, that now appears 
 before him in all its dread solemnity. The Holy Spirit thus sets 
 the things of Christ, the truths of revelation, distinctly before 
 the mind of the sinner, and, so long as this influence is 
 exerted, he feels, intensely, the powers of the world to come. 
 On this subject I need make no reference to the experience 
 of the disciples of Christ. They know full well, that for all their 
 true knowledge of God, for all their convictions of sin, for 
 every emotion of penitential sorrow, for every act of faith, for 
 every glimpse of the glory that is to be revealed, they are in- 
 debted to the influence of the Holy Spirit. They have abundant 
 occasion to know that the reading, or the hearing, of the word 
 of life, is utterly powerless without the illumination of the 
 Spirit of God. Hence the reason of their incessant prayer, 
 
228 GRIEVING THE SPIRIT. 
 
 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things 
 out of thy law. Hence their supplication for that heaven- 
 ly teaching, which alone can make them wise unto salva- 
 tion. Hence their frequently bitter cry, Cast me not away 
 from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. 
 Hence the earnestness with which they plead for an outpour- 
 ing of the Spirit upon themselves, their children, their con- 
 gregation, the whole Israel of God, and a world perishing in 
 sin. Hence, also, the reason why our Lord so often incul- 
 cates upon us this duty, and teaches us that God is more 
 willing to bestow upon us this last, best gift than any other. 
 " If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your 
 children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give 
 the Holy Spirit to them that ask him ! " 
 
 It is not, however, of Christ's people that I here desire to 
 speak. I wish to address particularly those persons who 
 have, for many years, listened to the preaching of the gos- 
 pel ; who, perhaps, habitually read the Scriptures ; who, in 
 the Sabbath school and the Bible class, have studied the mean- 
 ing of the oracles of God. There are many who, while they 
 are doing all this, remain unchanged in their love of the 
 world, and have never yet taken the first step in the path of 
 preparation for heaven. Some of you who now hear me, know 
 this to be your own case, and may possibly be congratulating 
 yourselves that you have none of this sin to answer for — 
 that the Holy Spirit has never been sent to arouse your con- 
 science or call you to repentance. You may possibly derive 
 some satisfaction from the belief that though you have not yet 
 obeyed the gospel, you have not incurred the still greater 
 guilt of grieving the Holy Spirit. 
 
 Should it be as you say, thoughtless fellow-sinner, you 
 have small cause for self-gratulation. I should be most un- 
 willing to believe that it is as you suppose. Can it be that 
 there is here a single soul that has been from the beginning 
 forsaken of God, on whose moral darkness the Holy Spirit 
 has never poured a single ray of light T Is there here a con- 
 science so obdurate that no warning of the Spirit has ever 
 
GRIEVING THE SPIRIT. ^29 
 
 awakened in it a single religious emotion ? How sad beyond 
 expression must be the condition of such a soul ! What hope 
 can remain of its salvation ? Like a tree twice dead, plucked 
 up by the roots, the sun may shine upon it with meridian 
 warmth, the rain may descend with refreshing moisture, but 
 they tend only to hasten its decay. Its vitality is extinguished ; 
 it is good for nothing but the burning. 
 
 But I will not, I do not, believe this of any one of you. I 
 believe that the Holy Spirit is even now striving with you. 
 Look back with me over some of the events of your past 
 history, and determine for yourselves, whether you have not 
 frequently been visited by the Holy Spirit, and whether you 
 have not as often grieved him by your neglect. 
 
 I would have you remember that you have, from child- 
 hood known the Holy Scriptures, and have long been familiar 
 with the conditions of the plan of salvation. For the most 
 part, you think of these solemn truths without any emotion 
 whatever. The favor of men moves you to action, rather 
 than the fear of God ; the present, the visible and tangible, 
 seem to you the real, while the spiritual and the eternal are 
 to you the shadowy, the uncertain, the valueless. This I 
 think you will admit to be the common and ordinary condition 
 of your soul. 
 
 But, if I do not greatly mistake, there have been occasions, 
 brief parentheses, as it were, in your existence, when it has 
 been otherwise. You can recall the time and the place when 
 the truths which were as familiar to you as household words 
 were clothed with a power before which you trembled in 
 moral agony. It may have been while hearing the oft-repeat- 
 ed message of salvation, or when some friend has told you of 
 a Savior's love, or in the solitude of your own thoughts, or 
 even while the shout of boisterous hilarity was dying away 
 upon your ear, that eternity, with all its realities, burst sud- 
 denly on your affrighted vision. The bottomless pit seemed 
 to yawn before you, and the next step might plunge you into 
 the abyss. Imagination placed you already in the presence 
 20 
 
GRIEVING THE SPIRIT. 
 
 of your Judge, and you heard beforehand the awful sentence, 
 Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the 
 devil and his angels. While you acknowledged the sentence 
 to be just, you shrank back from your doom, shrieking in 
 agony. How can I dwell with devouring fire ? how can I lie 
 down in everlasting burnings ? The world, with its pleas- 
 ures and cares, its hopes and its fears, seemed to you less 
 than nothing and vanity, and an interest in Christ the only 
 thing needful in all the wide universe. 
 
 What produced this transient difference in your moral sen- 
 sibilities ? The truths which at such a time so deeply affected 
 you, were the same that you had known from childhood. 
 You have listened to them Sabbath after Sabbath, until you 
 have grown weary of hearmg them. You have a hun- 
 dred times been placed in precisely the same external cir- 
 cumstances, and no emotion has been awakened within 
 you. Nay, you have frequently, since then, remembered 
 these very moral feelings with a heart as hard as ada- 
 mant. What was it that then clothed well-known truth with 
 so overwhelming a power > Think, and judge for yourself. 
 It was surely none of your own doing. You could not recall 
 these feelings at will. The surrounding circumstances did 
 not thus awaken you, for in them there was nothing peculiar. 
 It was the Holy Spirit, taking the things of Christ and show- 
 ing them to you. God, who caused the light to shine out of 
 darkness, by his Spirit shone into your heart, and made known 
 the gulf that was lying directly across your path. The view 
 was too appalling. You closed your eyes upon it. When 
 you opened them again, the light was withdrawn, and you 
 were again groping in your former darkness. 
 
 Sometimes, however, the Holy Spirit awakens our atten- 
 tion with scarcely any appeal to our emotional nature. He 
 makes use of our understanding to teach us our danger and 
 our duty. The truths which we have ever acknowledged 
 assume to us an unwonted practical character. The man, 
 without any particular excitement, calmly compares time with 
 eternity, and he at once i>erceives the littleness of the one and 
 
GRIEVING THE SPIRIT. 231 
 
 the vastness of the other. He looks upon all that he is now 
 pursuing, and confesses to himself that, were it all attained, it 
 would be but a miserable portion for an immortal spirit ; nay, 
 he not only confesses it, but he feels, that it is true. To 
 secure the salvation of the soul appears to him the most 
 reasonable thing of which he can conceive, and he wonders 
 that it should ever have seemed otherwise. At the same 
 time, the world and the things of the world have lost their 
 attraction, and the chains that bound him to the earth are 
 relaxed, if they be not severed. There is not, and he sees 
 that there is not any reason worthy of a moment's consid- 
 eration, why he should not seek first of all the kingdom of 
 heaven. It is as clear to him as a mathematical demonstra- 
 tion. It was not always so. This peculiar conviction, how- 
 ever, passed away, and it is not so now. What was it that, 
 at that time, so strangely affected him ? It was the Spirit 
 taking the things of Christ and showing them unto him. 
 
 Such visits of the Spirit may recur several times and the 
 man remain unchanged in moral condition. As a general rule, 
 they become less frequent and less impressive, until at last 
 they cease altogther. Sometimes, however, they assume a 
 more definite character. The realities of eternity and the 
 frivolities of time, the claims of God and the allurements of the 
 senses, are placed before the soul in deliberate contrast, and the 
 man feels that he must determine which he shall choose, and 
 that he must do it now. The strait gate and the broad way 
 stand visibly open before him, and he must enter either the 
 one or the other, and the choice is for eternity. At such a 
 time as this, there is no opportunity for procrastination. The 
 Holy Ghost saith, to-day the decision must be formed. The 
 man must now choose, and, in such a case, I believe he actu- 
 ally does choose. Most frequently he cannot resist the plead- 
 ings of the Spirit ; he surrenders himself to God, and lays hold 
 on the hope set before him. But it is not always so. Some- 
 times, under all this moral pressure, the love of sin gains 
 the victory ; the man succumbs to the power of his lusts, 
 chooses the way of death, and deliberately bids the Spirit 
 
2S2 GRIEVING THE SPIRIT. 
 
 depart from him. He is taken at his word ; the Spirit retires, 
 and, alas ! too often retires forever. 
 
 You see, then, beloved, the nature of the operation of the 
 Spirit of God upon a human soul. It consists in showing 
 to us, with distinctness, the things of Christ. It enables us 
 to appreciate the truths of religion, just as we appreciate 
 every other truth. Its visits are brief, and are easily interrupt- 
 ed. We may heed its monitions or reject them, as we choose. 
 It reveals to us our danger, and suggests to us a way of 
 escape. It is with us, free and independent creatures of 
 God, to choose for ourselves eternal life or eternal death. 
 
 Have I, in these remarks, brought to recollection any facts 
 in the history of any of you who now hear me ? Has not the 
 Spirit taken of the things of Christ and showed them to many 
 of you here ? You have, then, shared in these blessed influ- 
 ences the last gift of your Father in heaven. What has 
 been the result.? Have you yielded yourselves to the influ- 
 ences of his persuasive love ? Have you turned your eyes 
 to the light, or have you turned them away towards the dark- 
 ness ? For all this you must give an account. It is a solemn 
 thing to turn away from the manifestation of a Savior's love, 
 but it is still more solemn, besides all this, to grieve the Spirit 
 of the living God. 
 
 Need I add that the soul which has thus far grieved the Spirit 
 of God is at this moment in imminent peril .? God hath said, 
 " My Spirit shall not always strive with man." If you, by your 
 neglect, or procrastination, or love of sin, grieve the Holy 
 Comforter, he will leave you to the darkness which you have 
 chosen. The decree will go forth, " Ephraim is joined to his 
 idols ; let him alone." Your doom will then be irrevocably 
 sealed. No tear of penitence will ever moisten your eye. No 
 emotion of godly sorrow will ever agitate your bosom. No view 
 of a Savior's love will ever kindle in your soul the flame of 
 adormg gratitude. Nay, the soul thus deserted of God can 
 look even upon the reality of a lost eternity with stolid in- 
 difference. Henceforward there is no hope. " Hadst thou 
 known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things that 
 
GRIEVING THE SPIRIT. 233 
 
 belong to thy peace — but now they are hid from thine 
 eyes." 
 
 In view of all this, may I not hope that some of you are 
 already inquiring, How shall I escape this impending doom ? 
 To such an inquiry I would answer, briefly, as follows : — 
 
 First. It is against God that you have sinned, and it is to him 
 that you must seek for reconciliation. You have broken Ms 
 law, you have rejected his mercy, you have grieved his Spirit. 
 No other being can pardon you, no other being can save you. 
 You must settle this controversy with him, for you and he alone 
 are the parties concerned in it. Retire to your solitary cham- 
 ber, banish every distracting thought, and concentrate every 
 power within you upon the concern of your soul's salvation. 
 Fall prostrate before your Father in heaven, confess to him all 
 your guilt, and beseech him once more to bestow upon you 
 the gift of his oft-rejected Spirit. Beseech him to reveal to 
 you your sins, and by his divine energy to quicken your tor- 
 pid conscience. Ask him for strength to look up to that Re- 
 deemer who is exalted a Prince and a Savior, to grant repent- 
 ance unto Israel and remission of sins. Look up to him in 
 humble trust, and repent of your whole life of guilty disobedi- 
 ence and ingratitude. You are utterly lost unless he appear 
 for your salvation. He would be just though he never should 
 hear your prayer ; acknowledge that it is so, but still, in 
 trembling hope, plead his promise, " Him that cometh unto 
 me I will in no wise cast out." 
 
 Secondly. You must obey the very first teachings of the 
 Spirit, if you desire him to lead you to life everlasting. What- 
 ever he makes known to you, do it, and do it immediately, and 
 do it at any sacrifice. His command is, " Seek ye first the king- 
 dom of God ; " and do it now. Obey him implicitly. Give 
 your undivided attention to the securing of your soul's salva- 
 tion. Withdraw from all company, deny yourself every amuse- 
 ment, put aside every business that would interfere with this, 
 the most important concern of your existence. Be not afraid of 
 the sneer of your companions. You have not been ashamed 
 20* 
 
234 GRIEVING THE SPIHIT, 
 
 for so many years to offend your Father in heaven and grieve 
 his Holy Spirit ; why should you be ashamed to acknowl- 
 edge that you are seeking to be reconciled to him ? And 
 resolve in your inmost soul, that, God helping you, you will 
 seek until you find, you will knock until it be opened unto 
 you. Be thoroughly in earnest on this subject. Give up 
 yourself wholly to it. Begin to obey the first intimations of 
 the Spirit, and though the light that shines upon you be fee- 
 ble, he will increase it ; continue to do his will, and it will 
 shine more and more unto the peifect day. 
 
 And, thirdly, do not waste your time and peril your soul 
 in any attempt to make yourself better. Come to him ac- 
 knowledging your guilt and ill-desert, and rely for pardon 
 and eternal life solely on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. 
 You can never make any compromises with the Most High. 
 You can never, by any thing that you may do, bring him 
 under any obligation to pardon you. You are a sinner justly 
 under condemnation, and the fact cannot be denied. As a 
 sinner helplessly guilty, trusting in the sacrifice of Christ, 
 with the returning prodigal say, I will arise and go to my 
 Father. Do more than resolve, and as he did, arise and go 
 to your Father. Even when you are a great way off, your 
 Father will see you, and have compassion, bestow upon you 
 a free and full pardon, receive you into his redeemed 
 family, and clothe you in a Savior's righteousness. 
 
 All this is freely offered to every one of you. What will 
 you do ? The Holy Ghost saith, " To-day, if you will hear 
 his voice, harden not your heart." If you do not hear it, 
 your guilt will be rendered more inexcusable by this ad- 
 ditional act of disobedience. There is no reason why you 
 should not now, this very day, return to your Father in 
 heaven, and be accepted of him. On your own souls does 
 the responsibility of this decision rest. The gate of heaven 
 is thrown wide open. The Spirit and the bride say. Come, 
 and whosoever will, let him come, and take of the waters 
 of life freely. 
 
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF 
 NAZARETH. 
 
 "And the apostles, -when- they -were retttrneb, told him all 
 that they had done," etc. 
 
 Luke ix. 10-17. 
 
 It was the sagacious opinion of, I think, the late Professor 
 Person, that he would rather see a single copy of a daily- 
 newspaper of ancient Athens, than read all the commentaries 
 upon the Grecian tragedies that have ever been written. The 
 reason for this preference is obvious. A single sheet, similar 
 to our daily newspapers, published in the time of Pericles, 
 would admit us at once to a knowledge of the habits, man- 
 ners, modes of opinion, political relations, social condhion, 
 and moral attainments of the people, such as we never could 
 gain from the study of all the writers that have ever attempted 
 to illustrate the nature of Grecian civilization. 
 
 The same remark is true in respect to our knowledge of 
 the character of individuals who have lived in a former age. 
 What would we not, at the present day, give for a few pages 
 of the private diary of Julius Caesar, or Cicero, or Brutus, or 
 Augustus ; or for the minute reminiscences of any one who 
 had spent a few days in the company of either of these dis- 
 tinguished men ? What a flood of light would the discovery 
 of such a manuscript throw upon Roman life, but especially 
 upon the private opinions, the motives, the aspirations, the 
 moral estimates, of the men whose names have become 
 household words throughout the world ! A few such pages 
 might, perchance, dissipate the authority of many a bulky 
 
 
236 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. 
 
 folio on which we now rely with implicit confidence. Not 
 only would the characters of these heroes of antiquity stand 
 out in bolder relief than they have ever done before, but the 
 individuals themselves would be brought within the range of 
 our personal sympathy; and we should seem to commune 
 with them as we do with an intimate acquaintance. 
 
 It is worthy of remark, that we are favored with a larger 
 portion of this kind of information, respecting Jesus of Naz- 
 areth, than almost any other distinguished person that has 
 ever lived. He left no writings himself; hence all that we 
 know of him has been written by others. The narrators, 
 however, were the personal attendants, and not the mere 
 auditors or pupils of their Master. The apostles were mem- 
 bers of the family of Jesus ; they travelled with him, on foot, 
 throughout the length and breadth of Palestine ; they partook 
 with him of his frugal meals, and bore with him the trial of 
 hunger, weariness, and want of shelter ; they followed him 
 through the lonely wilderness and the crowded street ; they 
 saw his miracles in every variety of form, and listened to his 
 discourses in public as well as to his explanations in private. 
 Hence their whole narrative is instinct with life ; a vivid 
 picture of Jewish manners and customs, rendered more defi- 
 nite and characteristic by the moral light which then, for the 
 first time, shone upon it. Hence it is that these few pages 
 are replete with moral lessons that never weary us in the 
 perusal, and which have been the source of unfailing illumi- 
 nation to all succeeding ages. 
 
 The verses which I have read, as the text of this discourse, 
 may well be taken as an illustration of all that I have here said. 
 They may, without impropriety, be styled a day of the life 
 of Jesus of Nazareth. By observing the manner in which 
 our blessed Lord spent a single day, we may form some 
 conception of the kind of life which he ordinarily led ; and 
 we may, perchance, treasure up some lessons which it were 
 well if we should exemplify in our daily practice. 
 
 The place at which these events occurred was near the 
 
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. 237 
 
 head of the Sea of Galilee, where it receives the watei^s of the 
 upper Jordan. This was one of the Savior's favorite places 
 of resort. Capernaum, Chorasin, and Bethsaida, all in this 
 immediate vicinity, are always spoken of in the Gospels as 
 towns which enjoyed the largest share of his ministerial labors, 
 and were distinguished most frequently with the honor of his 
 personal presence. The scenery of the neighborhood is wild 
 and romantic. To the north and west, the eye rests on the 
 lofty summits of Lebanon and Hermon. To the south, there 
 opens upon the view the blue expanse of the lake, enclosed by 
 frowning rocks, which here and there jut over far into the 
 waters, and then again retire towards the land, leaving a 
 level beach to invite the labors of the fisherman. The people, 
 removed at a considerable distance from the metropolis of 
 Judea, cultivated those rural habits with' which the simple 
 tastes of the Savior would most readily harmonize. Near 
 this spot was also one of the most frequented fords of the 
 Jordan, on the road from Damascus to Jerusalem ; and thus, 
 while residing here, he enjoyed unusual facilities for dissemi- 
 nating throughout this whole region a knowledge of those 
 truths which he came on earth to promulgate. 
 
 Some weeks previously to the time in which the events spoken 
 of in the text occurred, our Lord had sent his disciples to 
 announce the approach of the kingdom of heaven, in all the 
 cities and villages which he himself proposed to visit. He 
 conferred on them the power to work miracles, in attestation 
 of their authority, and of the divine character of him by whom 
 they were sent. He imposed upon them strict rules of con- 
 duct, and directed them, to make known to every one who 
 would hear them, the good news of the coming dispensation. 
 As soon as he had sent them forth, he himself went immedi- 
 ately abroad to teach and to preach in their cities. As their 
 Master and Lord, he might reasonably have claimed exemption 
 from the personal toil and the rigid self-denials to which ihey 
 were by necessity subjected. But he laid claim to no such 
 exemption. He commenced without delay the performance 
 
238 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. 
 
 of the very same duties which he had imposed upon them. 
 He felt himself under obligation to set an example of obedi- 
 ence to his own rules. " The Son of man," said he, " came 
 not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life 
 a ransom for many." " Which," said he, " is greater, he that 
 sitteth at meat, or he that serveth ? but I am among you as he 
 that serveth." Would it not be well, if, in this respect, we copied 
 more minutely the example of our Lord, and held ourselves 
 responsible for the performance of the very same duties which 
 we so wiUingly impose upon our brethren ? We best prove 
 that we believe an act obligatory, when we commence the 
 performance of it ourselves. Many zealous Christians employ 
 themselves in no other labor than that of urging their brethren 
 to effort. Our Savior acted otherwise. In this respect, his 
 example is specially to be imitated by his ministers. When 
 they urge upon others a moral duty, they must be the first to 
 perform it. When they inculcate an act of self-denial, they 
 themselves must make the noblest sacrifice. Can we conceive 
 of any thing which would so much increase the moral power 
 of the ministry, and rouse to a flame the dormant energy of 
 the churches, as obedience to this teaching of Christ by the 
 preachers of his gospel ? 
 
 It seems that the Savior had selected a well-known spot, at 
 the head of the lake, for the place of meeting f<;r his aposdes, 
 after this their first missionary tour had been completed. 
 " The apostles gathered themselves unto Jesus, and told him 
 all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught." 
 There is something delightful in this filial confidence which 
 these simple-hearted men reposed in their Almighty Redeemer. 
 They told him of their success and their failure, of their wis- 
 dom and their folly, of their reliance and their unbelief We 
 can almost imagine ourselves spectators of this meeting be- 
 tween Christ and them, after this their first separation from 
 each other. The place appointed was most probably some 
 well-known locality on the shore of the lake, under the shadow 
 of its overhanging rocks, where the cool air from the bosom 
 
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. 239 
 
 of the water refreshed each returning laborer, as he came 
 back beaten out with the fatigues of travel, under the burning 
 sun of Syria. You can imagine the joy with which each drew 
 near to the Master, after this temporary absence ; and th(; 
 honest greetings with which every new comer was welcomed 
 by those who had chanced to arrive before him. We can 
 seem to perceive the Savior of men listening with affectionate 
 earnestness to the recital of their various adventures ; and 
 interposing, from time to time, a word either of encouragement 
 or of caution, as the character and circumstances of each 
 narrator required it. The bosom of each was unveiled before 
 the Searcher of hearts, and the consolation which each one 
 needed was bestowed upon him abundantly. The toilsome- 
 ness of their journey was no longer remembered, as each one 
 received from the Son of God the smile of his approbation. 
 That was truly a joyful meeting. Of all that company there 
 is not one who has forgotten that day ; nor will he forget it 
 ever. With unreserved frankness they told Jesus of all that 
 they had done, and what they had taught; of all their acts, 
 and all their conversations. Would it not be better for us, if 
 we cultivated more assiduously this habit of intimate inter- 
 course with the Savior .? Were we every day to tell Jesus of 
 all that we have done and said ; did we spread before him our 
 joys and our sorrows, our faults and our infirmities, our 
 successes and our failures, we should be saved from many an 
 error and many a sin. Setting " the Lord always before us, 
 he would be on our right hand, and we should not be moved." 
 " He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall 
 abide under the shadow of the Almighty." 
 
 The Savior perceived that the apostles needed much in- 
 struction which could not be communicated in a place where 
 both he and they were so well known. They had committed 
 many errors, which he preferred to correct in private. By 
 doing his will, they had learned to repose greater confidence 
 in his wisdom, and were prepared to receive from him more 
 important instruction. But these lessons could not be delivered 
 
240 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. 
 
 in the hearing of a promiscuous audience. Nor was this all. 
 He perceived that the apostles were worn out with their labors, 
 and needed repose. Surrounded as they were by the multi- 
 tude, which had already begun to collect about them, rest and 
 retirement were equally impossible. " There were many 
 coming and going, and they had no leisure, even so much as 
 to eat." He therefore said to them, " Come ye yourselves 
 apart into a desert place, and rest a while." For this purpose, 
 he " took ship, and crossed over with his disciples alone, and 
 went into a desert place belonging to Bethsaida." 
 
 The religion of Christ imposes upon us duties of retirement, 
 as well as duties of publicity. The apostles had been for some 
 time past before the eyes of all men, preaching and working 
 miracles. Their souls needed retirement. '• Solitude," said 
 Cecil, " is my great ordinance." They would be greatly im- 
 proved by private communion both with him and with each 
 other. It was for the purpose of affording them such a season 
 of moral recreation, that our Lord withdrew them from the 
 public gaze into a desert place. Nor was this all. Their 
 labor for some weeks past had been severe. They had trav- 
 elled on foot under a tropical sun, reasoning with unbeliev- 
 ers, instructing the ignorant, and comforting the cast down. 
 Called upon, at all hours, both of the day and night, to work 
 cures on those that were oppressed with diseases, their bodies, 
 no less than their spirits, needed rest. Our Lord saw this, 
 and he made provision for it. He withdrew them from labor, 
 that they might find, though it were but for a day, the repose 
 which their exhausted natures demanded. The religion of 
 Christ is ever merciful, and ever consistent in its benevolence. 
 It is thoughtful of the benefactor as well as of the recipient. 
 It requires of us all, labor and self-sacrifice, but to these it 
 afiixes a limit. It never commands us to ruin our health and 
 enfeeble our minds by unnatural exhaustion. It teaches us to 
 obey the laws of our physical organization, and to prepare 
 ourselves for the labors of to-morrow by the judiciously con- 
 ducted labors of to-day. It was on this principle that our Lord 
 
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. 241 
 
 conducted in his intercourse with his disciples. " He knew 
 their frame, and remembered that they were dust." 
 
 May we not from this incident derive a lesson of practical 
 instruction ? I well know that there are persons who are 
 always sparing themselves, who, while it is difficult to tell 
 what they do, are always complaining of the crushing weight 
 of their labors, and who are rather exhausted with the dread 
 of what they shall do, than with the experience of what they 
 have actually done. It is not of these that we speak. Those 
 who do not labor have no need of rest. It is lo the honest, 
 the painstaking, the laborious, that we address the example 
 in the text. We sometimes meet with the industrious, self- 
 denying servant of Christ, in feeble health, and with an 
 exhausted nature, bemoaning his condition, and condemning 
 himself because he can accomplish no more, while so much 
 yet remains to be done. To such a one we may safely pre- 
 sent the example of the blessed Savior. When his apostles 
 had done to the utmost of their strength, although the harvest 
 was great, and the laborers few, he did not urge upon them 
 additional labor, nor tell them that because there was so much 
 to be done they must never cease from doing. No ; he tells 
 them to turn aside and rest for a while. It is as though he had 
 said, " Your strength is exhausted ; you cannot be qualified for 
 subsequent duty until you be refreshed. Economize, then, 
 your power, that you may accomplish the more." The Savior 
 addresses the same language to us now. When we are worn 
 down in his service, as in any other, he would have us rest, 
 not for the sake of self-indulgence, but that we may be the 
 better prepared for future effort. We do nothing at variance 
 with his will, when we, with a good conscience, use the liberty 
 which he has thus conceded to us. 
 
 Jesus, with his disciples, crossed the water, and entered the 
 desert ; that is, the sparsely inhabited country of Bethsaida. 
 Desert, or wilderness, in the New Testament, does not mean 
 an arid waste, but pasture land, forest, or any district to which 
 one could retire for seclusion. Here, in the cool and tran- 
 21 
 
242 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. 
 
 quil neighborhood of the lake, he began to instruct his dis* 
 ciples, and, without interruption, make known to them the 
 mysteries of the kingdom. It was one of those seasons that 
 the Savior himself rarely enjoyed. Every thing tended to 
 repose : the rustling leaves, the ripphng waves, the song of 
 the birds, heard more distinctly in this rural solitude, all served 
 to calm the spirit ruffled by the agitations of the world, and 
 prepare it to listen to the truths which unveil to us eternity. 
 Here our Lord could unbosom himself, without reserve, to his 
 chosen few, and hold with them that communion which he was 
 rarely permitted to enjoy during his ministry on earth. 
 
 Soon, however, the whole scene is changed. The multi- 
 tude, whom he had so recently left, having observed the 
 direction in which he had gone, have discovered the place of 
 his retreat. An immense crowd approaches, and the little 
 company is surrounded by a dense mass of human beings 
 pressing upon them on every side. These are, however, only 
 the pioneers. At last, five thousand men, besides women and 
 children, are beheld thronging around them. 
 
 Some of these suitors present most importunate claims. 
 They are in search of cure for diseases which have baffled 
 the skill of the medical profession, and, as a last resort, they 
 have come to the Messiah for aid. Here was a parent bring- 
 ing a consumptive child. There were children bearing on a 
 couch a paralytic parent. Here was a sister leading a brother 
 blind from his birth, while her supplications were drowned by 
 the shout of a frenzied lunatic who was standing by her side. 
 Every one, believing his own claim to be the most urgent, 
 pressed forward with selfish importunity. Each one, caring 
 for no other than himself, was striving to attain the front rank, 
 while those behind, disappointed, and fearing to lose this im- 
 portant opportunity, were eager to occupy the places of those 
 more fortunate than themselves. The necessary tumult and 
 disorder of such a scene you can better imagine than I can 
 describe. 
 
 This was, doubtless, by no means a welcome interruption 
 
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. 243 
 
 The apostles needed the time for rest; for they were worn 
 out in the public service. They wanted it for instruction; 
 for such opportunities of intercourse with Christ were rare. 
 But what, did they do .? Did our Lord mform the multitude 
 that this day was set apart for .their own refreshment and 
 improvement, and that they could not be interrupted? As 
 he beheld them approaching, did he quietly take to his boat, 
 and leave them to go home disappointed ? Did he plead his 
 own convenience, or his need of repose, as any reason for not 
 ittending to the pressing necessities of his fellow-men ? 
 
 No, my brethren, veiy far from it. The providence of God 
 had brought these multitudes before him, and that same 
 providence forbade him to send them away unblessed. He at 
 once broke up the conference with his disciples, and addressed 
 himself to the work before him. His instructions were of 
 inestimable importance ; but I doubt if even they were as im- 
 portant as the example of deep humiUty, exhaustless kindness, 
 and affecting compassion which, he here exhibited. When the 
 Master places work before us which can be done at no other 
 time, our convenience must yield to other men's necessities. 
 " The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to 
 minister." You can imagine to yourself the Savior rising from 
 his seat, in the midst of his disciples, and presenting himself 
 to the approaching multitudes. His calm dignity awes into 
 silence this tumultuous gathering of the people. Those who 
 came out to witness the tricks of an empiric, or listen to the 
 ravings of a fanatic, find themselves, unexpectedly, in a 
 presence that repels every emotion but that of profound 
 veneration. The light-hearted and frivolous are awe-struck 
 by the unearthly majesty that seems to clothe the Messiah as 
 with a garment. And yet it was a majesty that shone forth 
 conspicuously most of all, by the manifestation of unparalleled 
 goodness. Every eye that met the eye of the Savior quailed 
 before him ; for it looked into a soul that had never sinned ; 
 and the spirit of the sinner felt, for the first time, the full 
 power of immaculate virtue. 
 
244 A DAT IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. 
 
 Thus the Savior passed among the crowd, and "healed all 
 that had need of healing." The lame walked, the lepers were 
 cleansed, the blind received their sight, the paralytic were 
 restored to soundness, and the bloom of health revisited the 
 cheeks of those that but just now were sick unto death. 
 
 The work to be done for the bodies of men was accom- 
 plished, and there yet remained some hours of the summer's 
 day unconsumed. The power and goodness displayed in 
 this miraculous healing, would naturally predispose the people 
 to listen to the instructions of the Savior. This was too val- 
 uable an opportunity to be lost. Our Lord therefore pro- 
 ceeded to speak to them of the things concerning the kingdom 
 of God. We can seem to perceive the Savior seeking an 
 eminence from whence he could the more conveniently 
 address this vast assembly. You hear him unfold the laws 
 of God's moral government. He unmasks the hypocrisy of 
 the Pharisees ; he rebukes the infidelity of the Sadducees ; 
 he exposes the folly of the frivolous, as well as of the selfish 
 worldling ; he speaks peaceably to the humble penitent ; he 
 encourages the meek, and comforts those that be cast down. 
 The intellect and the conscience of this vast assembly are 
 swayed at his will. The soul of man bows down in rever- 
 ence in the presence of its Creator. " He stilleth the noise 
 of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the 
 people." As he closes his address, every eye is moistened 
 with compunction for sin. Every soul cherishes the hope 
 of amendment. Every one is conscious that a new moral 
 light has dawned upon his soul, and that a new moral universe 
 has been unveiled to his spiritual vision. As the closing 
 words of the Savior fell upon their ears, the whole multitude 
 stood for a while unmoved, as though transfixed to the earth 
 by some mighty spell ; until, at last, the murmur is heard 
 from thousands of voices, " Never man spake like this man." 
 
 But the shades of evening are gathering around them. 
 The multitude have nothing to eat. To send them away 
 fasting would be inhuman, for divers of them came from far, 
 
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. 245 
 
 and many were women and children, who could not perform 
 their journey homeward without previous refreshment. To 
 purchase food in the surrounding towns and villages would 
 be difficult ; but even were this possible, whence could the 
 necessary funds be provided ? A famishing multitude was 
 thus unexpectedly cast upon the bounty of our Lord. He 
 had not tempted God by leading them into the wilderness. 
 They came to him of themselves, to hear his words and to 
 be healed of their infirmities. He could not " send them 
 away fasting, lest they should faint by the way." In this 
 dilemma, what was to be done ? He puts this question to his 
 disciples, and they can suggest no means of relief. The 
 little stock of provisions which they had brought with them 
 was barely sufficient for themselves. They can perceive no 
 means whatever by which the multitude can be fed, and they 
 at once confess it. 
 
 The Savior, however, commands the twelve to give them 
 to eat. They produce their slender store of provisions, 
 amounting to five loaves and two small fishes. He com- 
 mands the multitude to sit down by companies on the grass. 
 As soon as silence is obtained, he lifts up his eyes to heaven, 
 and supplicates the blessing of God upon their scanty meal. 
 He begins to break the loaves and fishes, and distribute them 
 to his disciples, and his disciples distribute them to the multi- 
 tude. He continues to break and distribute. Basket after 
 basket is filled and emptied, yet the supply is undiminished. 
 Food is carried in abundance to the famishing thousands. 
 Company after company is supplied with food, but the five 
 loaves and the two fishes remain unexhausted. At last, the 
 baskets are returned full, and it is announced that the wants 
 of the multitude are supplied. The miracle then ceases, 
 and the multiplication of food is at an end. 
 
 But even here the provident care of the Savior is mani- 
 fested. Although this food has been so easily provided, it is 
 not right that it be lightly suffered to perish. Christ wrought 
 no miracles for the sake of teaching men wastefulness. That 
 21* 
 
246 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. 
 
 food, by what means soever provided, was a creature of God, 
 and it were sin to allow it to decay without accomplishing the 
 purposes for which it was created. " Gather up the frag- 
 ments," said the Master of the feast, " that nothing be lost." 
 "And they gathered up the fragments that remained, twelve 
 baskets full." 
 
 Dissimilar as are our circumstances to those of our Lord, 
 we may learn from this latter incident a lesson of instruction. 
 
 In the first place, as I have remarked, the Savior did not 
 lead the multitude into the wilderness without making pro- 
 vision for their sustenance. This would have been presump- 
 tion. They followed him without his command, and he found 
 himself with them in this necessity. He had provided for 
 his own wants, but they had not provided for theirs. The 
 providence of God had, however, placed him in his present 
 circumstances, and he might therefore properly look to Prov- 
 idence for deliverance. This event, then, furnishes the rule 
 by which we are to be governed. When we plunge ourselves 
 into difficulty, by a neglect of the means or by a misuse of 
 the faculties which God has bestowed upon us, it is to be 
 expected that he will leave us to our own devices. But 
 when, in the honest discharge of our duties, we find our- 
 selves in circumstances beyond the reach of human aid, we 
 then may confidently look up to God for deliverance. He 
 will always take care of us while we are in the spot where 
 he has placed us. When he appoints for us trials, he also 
 appoints for us the means of escape. The path of duty, 
 though it may seem arduous, is ever the path of safety. We 
 can more easily maintain ourselves in the most difficult posi- 
 tion, God being our helper, than in apparent security relying 
 on our own strength. 
 
 The Savior, in full reliance upon God, with only five loaves 
 and two fishes, commenced the distribution of food amongst 
 this vast multitude. Though his whole store was barely 
 sufficient to supply the wants of his immediate family, he 
 began to share it with the thousands who surrounded him. 
 
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. 247 
 
 Small as was his provision at the commencement, it remained 
 unconsumed until the deed of mercy was done, and the wants 
 of the famishing host were supplied. Nor were the disciples 
 losers by this act of charity. After the multitude had eaten 
 and were satisfied, twelve baskets full of fragments remained, 
 a reward for their deed of benevolence. 
 
 From this portion of the narrative^ we may, I th"nk, learn 
 that if we act in faith, and in the spirit of Christian Jove, we 
 may frequently be justified in commencing the most impor- 
 tant good work^ even when in possession of apparently inade- 
 quate means. If the work be of God, he will furnish us with 
 helpers as fast as they are needed. In all ages, God has 
 rewarded abundantly simple trust in him, and has bestowed 
 upon it the highest honor. We must, however, remember 
 the conditions upon which alone we may expect his aid, lest 
 we be led into fanaticism. The service which we undertake 
 must be such as God has commanded, and his providence 
 must either designate us for the work, or, at least, open the 
 door by which we shall enter upon it. It must be God's 
 work, and not our own ; for the good of others, and not ft)r 
 the gratification of our own passions ; and, in the doing of it, 
 we must, first of all, make sacrifice of ourselves, and not of 
 others. Under such circumstances, there is hardly a good 
 design which we may not undertake with cheerful hopes of 
 success, for God has promised us his assistance. " If God 
 be for us, who can be against us ? " The calculations of the 
 men of this world are of small account in such a matter. It 
 would have provoked the smile of an infidel to behold the 
 Savior commencing the work of feeding five thousand men 
 with a handful of provisions. But the supply increased as 
 fast as it was needed, and it ceased not until all that he had 
 prayed for was accomplished. 
 
 Perhaps, also, we may learn from this incident another 
 lesson. If I mistake not, it suggests to us that in works of 
 benevolence we are accustomed to rely too much on human, 
 and too little on divine, aid. AVhen we attempt to do good, 
 
248 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. 
 
 we commence by forming large associations, and suppose 
 that our success depends upon the number of men whom we 
 can unite in the promotion of our undertaking. Every one 
 is apt thus to forget his own personal duty, and rely upon the 
 labor of others, and it is well if he does not put his organiza- 
 tion in the place of God himself. Would it not be better if 
 we made benevolence much more a matter between God and 
 our own souls, each one doing with his own hands, in firm 
 reliance on divine aid, the work which Providence has placed 
 directly before him ? Our Lord did not send to the villages 
 round about to organize a general effort to relieve the famish- 
 ing. In reliance upon God, he set about the work himself, 
 with just such means as God had afforded him. All the 
 miracles of benevolence have, if I mistake not, been wrought 
 in the same manner. The little band of disciples in Jerusa- 
 lem accomplished more for the conversion of the world than 
 all the Christians of the present day united. And why ? Be- 
 cause every individual Christian felt that the conversion of 
 the world was a work for which he himself, and not an 
 abstraction that he called the church, was responsible. Instead 
 of relying on man for aid, every one looked up directly to 
 God, and went forth to the work. God was thus exalted, the 
 power was confessed to be his own, and, in a few years, the 
 standard of the cross was carried to the remotest extremities 
 of the then known world. 
 
 Such has, I think, been the case ever since. Every great 
 moral reformation has proceeded upon principles analogous to 
 these. It was Luther, standing up* alone in simple reliance 
 upon God, that smote the Papal hierarchy ; and the effects of 
 that blow are now agitating the nations of Europe. Roger 
 Williams, amid persecution and banishment, held forth that 
 doctrine of soul-liberty which, in its onward march, is disen- 
 thralling a world. Howard, alone, undertook the work of 
 showing mercy to the prisoner, and his example is now 
 enlisting the choicest minds in Christendom in this labor of 
 benevolence. Clarkson, unaided, a young man^ and without 
 
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. 249 
 
 influence, consecrated himself to tlie work of abolishing the 
 slave trade ; and, before he rested from his labors, his country 
 had repented of and forsaken this atrocious sin. Raikes saw 
 the children of Gloucester profaning the Sabbath day ; he set 
 on foot a Sabbath school on his own account, and now millions 
 of children are reaping the benefit of his labors, and his 
 example has turned the attention of the whole world to the 
 religious instruction of the young. With such facts before us, 
 we surely should be encouraged to attempt individually the 
 accomplishment of some good design, relying in humility and 
 faith upon Him who is able to grant prosperity to the feeblest 
 effort put forth in earnest reliance on his almightiness. 
 
 Such were the occupations that filled up a day in the life of 
 Jesus of Nazareth. There was not an act done for himself; 
 all was done for others. Every hour was employed in the 
 labor which that hour set before him. Private kindness, the 
 relief of distress, public teaching, and ministration to the wants 
 of the famishing, filled up the entire day. Let his disciples 
 learn to follow his example. Let us, like him, forget our- 
 selves, our own wants, and our own weariness, that we may, 
 as he did, scatter blessings on every side, as we move onward 
 in the pathway of our daily life. 
 
 But no matter how onerous or incessant were the duties that 
 pressed upon our Lord ; he always found leisure for private 
 devotion. " When he had sent them away, he departed into 
 a mountain to pray." My brethren, does not our Lord's con- 
 duct on this occasion suggest to us an important monition ? 
 We frequently suppose that the earnest discharge of a Chris- 
 tian duty renders communion with God less necessary to our 
 spiritual improvement. This supposition finds no support in 
 the example of the Savior. Though mind and body were 
 weary in the labor of doing good, yet every moment of the 
 day had been spent in the company of the disciples, or in a 
 crowd, and he needed to be alone with God. Wearied as he 
 was, he might have been seen toiling up the steep mountain 
 side, that he might spend the silent hours of the night in 
 
250 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH. 
 
 secret devotion. Let every Christian, and specially every 
 minister, remember this. The holiness of our calling 
 and our active labor in it, do not render private prayer 
 at all the less needful to our souls. Irreligious labor in 
 religious things exposes the soul to the most subtile power of 
 temptation. Let every day's labor close with prayer, confes- 
 sion, and thanksgiving, if we would with renewed strength 
 enter upon the labors of the morrow. 
 
THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE GOSPEL. 
 
 «And whether one member suffer, all the members suffeb 
 "with it ; or one member is honored, all the members re- 
 joice with it." 
 
 1 Corinthians xii. 26. 
 
 In this passage the apostle is enforcing the truth that God 
 bestows upon us nothing merely on our own account. Every tal- 
 ent with which we are intrusted is committed to us rather for 
 the good of others than ourselves. This doctrine, so essential 
 to every true conception of Christianity, he illustrates by a 
 reference to the uses of the several members of the human 
 body. Neither the eye, nor the ear, nor the hand, is made 
 for itself; all are made for each other and for the whole. If 
 any one of them acted for itself, and not for the body, all 
 would suffer injury, and the offending member would bear its 
 full part of the mischief which it had brought upon the rest. 
 On the contrary, the action of each part for the whole pro- 
 duces universal health, in which each member participates. 
 In a word, the union of the several members is so intimate, 
 the sympathy which pervades them is so intense and vigilant, 
 that whatever affects one member, by the necessity of our 
 constitution, affects all the others. If one member suffer, 
 all the members suffer with it ; if one member is honored, all 
 the members rejoice with it. 
 
 The apostle is here speaking of a Christian church, and in 
 this verse he teaches us an important lesson. We thus may 
 learn the obligations which every Christian owes to every other 
 
 (251) 
 
252 THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE GOSPEL. 
 
 Christian brother. Every believer is a member of that body 
 of which Christ is the head. One bond of affection unites 
 every disciple to the whole brotherhood of saints, and unites 
 the whole body to the same Redeemer, who has purchased us 
 with his blood. We should all sympathize in the sorrows, and 
 rejoice in the joys, of each other, as if they were our own. 
 No matter how wide the distance which separates us from 
 each other ; no matter how great the difference in our exter- 
 nal circumstances ; no matter how much we may believe a 
 brother to be in error ; if he be a brother, we must love him 
 with an earnest and unswerving Christian affection. We 
 must rejoice in his prosperity, sympathize in his adversity, 
 bearing each other's burdens, and so fulfilling the law of 
 Christ. Each is a member of the same body ; all are pervad- 
 ed by the same spirit; all are beloved by the same Redeemer; 
 and every one is bound to live, not for himself, but for his 
 brethren for whom Christ died. 
 
 But is this principle of action peculiar to the church of 
 Christ ? or is it common to humanity ? Manifestly the latter. 
 The assertion is true, in some sense, whenever we associate 
 ourselves with our fellow-men. It enters into the very idea 
 of a society, that we confide some portion of our happiness to 
 the keeping of others. We and they are reciprocally affect- 
 ed by whatever affects every member. It is just as true of 
 humanity as of Christianity, that if one member suffer, all 
 the members suffer with it ; if one member is honored, all 
 the members rejoice with it. It is the law under which we 
 are created, that we cannot really benefit ourselves without 
 also benefiting others ; we cannot injure others without also, 
 in some way, and at some time, inflicting injury upon our- 
 selves. We are as truly social as we are individual beings. 
 We find ourselves members of various societies as soon as 
 we exist. To these we add voluntary associations of our own. 
 Isolate ourselves as much as we please, we are still members 
 of the brotherhood of man ; we and our fellow-men recipro- 
 cally influence each other, and no being but God can tell 
 what power the very weakest of us inay exert over the desti- 
 
THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE GOSPEL. 253 
 
 nies of humanity. We are bound together by ties which we 
 cannot sever if we would, and we can neither suffer nor enjoy 
 without awakening an emotion of pleasure or of pain in the 
 bosom of others. 
 
 Take, for the sake of illustration, that domestic circle which 
 we designate the family. In this society we find ourselves at 
 the first dawning of consciousness, and we never leave it 
 until we enter upon eternity. Let, now, one member of this 
 body suffer, though it be the youngest and the least consider- 
 able, and what a shade of sadness is spread over the whole 
 household ! What nights of sleeplessness and what days of 
 anguish are consumed in watching over the suffering infant ! 
 When, at last, every eflfort has proved fruitless, and Death has 
 impressed his seal upon that face so lately radiant with inno- 
 cent joy, how sadly earnest is the gaze of parents, and broth- 
 ers, and sisters upon the placid loveliness of that beautiful 
 corpse ! Long afterwards shall that image remain deeply em- 
 bedded in the memory, when these brothers and sisters have 
 become men and women, gray-headed and care-worn ; and 
 this first bereavement will ever hold a conspicuous place in 
 their calendar of sorrows, until they themselves have put on 
 immortality. 
 
 Let, now, this family grow up to maturity, and each mem- 
 ber enter upon the appropriate duties of his individual calling. 
 It might, at first, seem as though the chain which once bound 
 them so closely together had been severed, and that any one 
 of them might suffer or enjoy, without affecting, either for 
 good or for evil, the destiny of any of the others. They rare- 
 ly meet, they but occasionally correspond, and the thought of 
 each other rarely breaks in upon the pressing cares of each 
 one's daily occupation. But let any of these brothers, by the 
 display of unusual talent, or the manifestation of surpassing 
 character, attain to high distinction, and what a lustre is at 
 once - reflected on all who bear his name ! Their con- 
 nection with him is enough to raise them from obscurity to 
 renown, and their fellow-citizens confer upon them honors, 
 22 
 
^54 THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE GOSPEL. 
 
 not for what they have done themselves, but on account of 
 theu' relationship to a public benefactor. 
 
 Or let it be otherwise. Be it that a member of a family- 
 has disgraced himself by crime, nay, by crime with which 
 no relative whatever has had the remotest connection. Ob- 
 serve how mournfully the disgrace settles down upon parents, 
 and brothers, and sisters, and kindred. No one accuses them 
 of any participation in the wrong doing, and yet they all feel 
 that, whether justly or unjustly, their hold upon society has 
 been loosened, if not broken. They dread to meet the gaze 
 of their fellow-citizens. The very pity which their condition 
 awakens, only reminds them of the calamity which has fallen 
 upon their lineage. They may flee to foreign climes, they 
 may strive to hide their degradation under a change of name, 
 but it is all in vain. Nothing can obliterate the fact that a 
 brother is a felon. The barbed arrow rankles in the wound, 
 and it cannot be extracted. It clings to them in their flight, 
 and the poison drinks up their spirit. They have done noth- 
 ing wrong ; nay, they have labored to the utmost to correct 
 those evil tempers from which the wrong doing has proceeded. 
 All this is true, all this may be known, but yet it avails not. 
 The law cannot be broken ; if one member suffer, all the 
 members suffer with it. 
 
 But we are members of a larger society, the community in 
 which we live. Our happiness here is subject to the same law ; 
 and we can enjoy the gifts of God's providence in no way so 
 well as by making others the sharers with us in his bounty. 
 If our fellow-men around us suffer, we shall suffer also, un- 
 less we do all in our power to relieve them. We may be 
 living luxuriously, surrounded by all that can render life de- 
 sirable. We understand the laws of health, and we obey 
 them. We do more than this ; we deal out our bread to the 
 hungry, but we go no farther ; for we leave the poor around 
 us to grow up unblessed by our personal care. There are in- 
 temperance, and ignorance, and filth in our vicinity; our 
 brethren are herding together in squalid cabins, breathing air 
 
THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE GOSPEL. 255 
 
 loaded with foul miasmata, unconscious of the laws of their 
 being as the brutes that perish. The social chasm which 
 divides them from ourselves is so wide and so deep that we 
 seem to have escaped the operation of this universal law. 
 But let now a deadly epidemic be borne on the wings of the 
 wind, and we shall see it alight with inevitable certainty upon 
 this forlorn and neglected neighborhood. It strikes down at 
 first the bloated and gorged inebriate ; then his poor but tem- 
 perate and industrious neighbor sickens and dies. Soon the 
 disease nestles in this unclean and repulsive hamlet, and 
 breathes its unseen poison into the surrounding atmosphere. 
 It is wafted by the passing breeze to the dwellings of the opu- 
 lent, the virtuous, and the intelligent. The foremost man in 
 the whole community is borne to his grave, followed by a 
 neighborhood in tears. A strong rod is broken and withered, 
 and every man feels that the state has suffered a loss which 
 no survivor is able to supply. The plague spreads from house 
 to house until the town falls prostrate under the pressure of a 
 universal calamity. And all this sorrow sprang from a few 
 neglected hovels, whose population seemed hardly of suffi- 
 cient importance to sully the fair reputation of the smiling 
 village in its vicinity. Neglected and forgotten as these 
 paupers were, they were a part of our common humanity ; and 
 the pestilence which they first attracted, and then scattered 
 abroad, utters in solemn accents the words of the text — if one 
 member sufTerj all the members suffer with it. 
 
 Or we may take an illustration from a more extensive 
 field. How often has the form of social organization been 
 constructed for the sole benefit of the few, rather than the 
 whole ! The titled, the wealthy, and the refined assume to be 
 the favorites of Heaven, whose rights must be guaranteed and 
 their happiness provided for, while the masses remain unpro- 
 tected by law and unbefriended by benevolence. You will 
 see the face of the land here and there beautified by the man- 
 sions of the proprietors, whose broad acres overspread the 
 landscape, while the million, the children of ignorance and 
 
256 THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE GOSPEL. 
 
 vice, herd together in cabins like brutes, and uncheered by 
 any hope of improving their condition, and " hammered to 
 the galling oar for life," know of no higher enjoyment than 
 sensual gratification. All this goes on quietly, it may be, for 
 many generations. At last, some general famine drives the 
 multitude to despair, or some giant act of oppression maddens 
 them to frenzy, or the infection of revolution is caught from 
 some neighboring nation, and some plebeian, endowed by na- 
 ture with power to command, sets before his brethren the his- 
 tory of their wrongs, and points out to them the means of 
 redress. At once the underlying stratum is upheaved, and 
 a social convulsion crumbles into dust the fabric of govern- 
 ment which ages had cemented. Prince and peasant, wise 
 and unwise, the rude and the refined, the innocent and 
 the guilty, are overwhelmed in a common catastrophe ; and, 
 after ages of untold calamity, they may not yet have 
 found a solid basis on which the foundations of the social 
 edifice shall rest. And they will never find it, until they 
 shall learn to reverence and love the humanity of the New 
 Testament, and practically to obey the precept, " Thou shalt 
 love thy neighbor as thyself." And if oppression always re- 
 coils with redoubled violence upon the head of the oppressor, 
 our own country may, from such instances as these, learn a 
 lesson of solemn instruction. It will be well if we learn it in 
 season. 
 
 Or we may, if you please, observe the relations of a sin- 
 gle individual to a whole nation. Suppose that a government 
 lays its hand unrighteously upon the smallest portion of the 
 property of a citizen, — it matters not whether he be rich oi 
 poor, high-born or lowly. It may be, for instance, the ship- 
 money of Hampden, or the trifling tax on tea that inaugu- 
 rated our revolution. The act of oppression is resisted, and 
 the case is carried up from court to court until a decision is 
 had from the highest authority in the land. The unjust claim 
 is enforced by the whole power of the government. At once 
 the shock is felt by the remotest citizen of the realm. One 
 
THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE GOSPEL. 251 
 
 member has suffered, and all the members have suffered with 
 it. Every man feels that his rights are prostrated by the 
 blow which has struck down the rights of his neighbor. The 
 property of every man is henceforth placed within the grasp 
 of arbitrary power. By inflicting injustice on a single citi- 
 zen, the government has outraged the moral sentiment of the 
 nation. And it must retrace its steps, and acknowledge its 
 own submission to social law ; or else, unless the love of lib- 
 erty be wholly extinguished, a revolution must ensue which 
 will trample the throne and altar in the dust, and scatter the 
 minions of despotism like the dust of the summer threshing 
 floor. 
 
 And lastly, I will take an illustration from a still wider 
 field. Were I to ask any one of you to-day. What concern 
 have we, in this country, and at this time, with Warren Has- 
 tings and his conquests in British India ? your reply would 
 naturally be. None at all. We pity the sorrows of the nations 
 and their rulers, and are shocked at the barbarity with which 
 vast regions were devastated for the sake of gold ; but in what 
 respect we, or ours, are either the better or the worse for all 
 that was then done and suffered, we cannot tell. But we are 
 all more intimately connected with these events than we might 
 at first suppose. It is said, and I believe truly, that the 
 cholera, that scourge of our race, was generated in Bengal 
 in that awful famine so eloquently described by Burke ; and 
 thus it is the direct result of the oppressions of which I have 
 spoken. In Bengal it has established its permanent abode, 
 and from time to time sets out from the banks of the Ganges 
 on its mission of wrath, encircling the earth with the voice of 
 mourning, lamentation, and woe. Thus we and those whom 
 we love suffer at this day from deeds done on the other side 
 of the globe, by a man whose name has long since passed 
 into history. Thus we see that there is not a being on earth 
 whose actions may not be a source of sorrow or of joy to us 
 or to those that come after us. 
 
 We perceive, then, that if such be the law under which we 
 22-^ 
 
258 THE BENEVOLENCE O^? THE GOSPEL. 
 
 are created, the proper love of our own happiness would lead 
 us, first of all, to seek the happiness of our brethren. If each 
 one rejoices in the happiness of the whole, then the greater 
 the happiness of the whole, the greater must be the happiness 
 of each. If every member suffers in the suffering of all, 
 every one will shield himself from suffering by alleviating 
 the sufferings of humanity. The intelligent and opulent 
 neighborhood would have saved itself from epidemic by 
 transforming the filthy hovels of the hamlet into comfortable 
 dwellings, and imbuing the minds of their inhabitants with the 
 principles of temperance, piety, and self-respect. The he- 
 reditary nobility of France would have averted that most 
 fearful of revolutions, had they, instead of living basely to 
 themselves, lived to minister blessings to those who, in the 
 social scale, occupied a position beneath them. If the mon- 
 arch of England, eschewing the fallacy of kingly prerogative, 
 had risen to the true conception of his office as the chief magis- 
 trate of a nation of freemen, and, in utter self-forgetfulness, 
 sought only the highest good of the people committed to hj^ 
 charge, he might have prevented the catastrophe which brought 
 him to the block, and transmitted his sceptre, wreathed with 
 imperishable glory, to his remotest descendants. Had Warr^ 
 Hastings treated the nations of Hindostan like brethren of the 
 human race, and, instead of visiting them with exterminating 
 warfare, scattered broadcast among them the benefits of 
 knowledge and the blessings of religion, to say nothing of 
 the late sepoy mutiny, mankind might have escaped that fear- 
 ful pestilence which has so often swept the earth with the 
 besom of destruction, and consigned millions after millions 
 to an untimely grave. 
 
 We see, then, in a word, that happiness in a human bosom 
 is a reflection from the happiness we have created in the 
 bosom of another. We are made to be happy, not by selfish- 
 ly seeking after personal gratification, but by laboring to 
 promote the well-being of our brethren. That family is the 
 happiest in which every member, in entire forgetfulness of 
 
THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE GOSPEL. 259 
 
 self, is earnestly seeking the highest interests of the whole. 
 That town, or state, or nation is the happiest in which the 
 largest amount of talent, and capital, and influence is devoted 
 to the benefit of the community. Acting upon this principle, 
 every individual augments the happiness of all, and, in so 
 doing, is attaining, his own highest gratification. Acting on 
 opposite principles, we care nothing for the happiness of our 
 brethren, and suffer in our own persons the misery reflected 
 from the manifestation of our mean and degrading selfish- 
 ness. Such is evidently the law of our social constitution. 
 God has made us for such a law, and his enactments can never 
 be repealed. 
 
 But, if such be the fact, another truth, equally important, 
 springs directly out of it. If God has made our happiness to 
 depend upon the course of life here indicated, he has done so 
 to teach us his will. Whenever he has indissolubly associated 
 our own happiness with any manner of living, he thus teaches 
 us that such a manner of living is prescribed for us by him, 
 our Creator. Hence the ground of a moral obligation. We 
 must live, not for ourselves, but for others ; not only because 
 it is expedient for us, but because it is right, because it is the 
 command of our Father in heaven. A moral necessity is thus 
 laid upon us. We cannot live to ourselves without doing vio- 
 lence to our conscience and incurring the consequences of dis- 
 obedience to God. We bury our talent in the earth instead of 
 improving it, and incur the doom of the unprofitable servant. 
 
 But, in a matter of so much importance, we are not obliged 
 to ascertain our duty by the unassisted light of natural re- 
 ligion. The Bible teaches us this doctrine on every one of 
 its pages. God is here represented to us as the God of love, 
 pouring forth a flood of happiness over the whole universe, 
 and rejoicing in the well-being of creatures, rational and irra- 
 tional, that he has made. But the Bible informs us that God 
 has gone much farther than this. When our race, insignifi- 
 cant as it is, had offended him by sin, and were at universal 
 enmity against him, he gave up his well-beloved Son to redeem 
 
260 THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE GOSPEL. 
 
 US from the doom which we had merited. When the fulness 
 of time was conie, we behold him who is the brightness of 
 the Father's glory, by whom all things were created, whether 
 they be visible or invisible, taking upon him the form of a 
 servant, bearing our sins in his own body on the tree, be- 
 coming obedient to death, the death of the cross, that he 
 might open for us the door of everlasting life. Every as- 
 pect of the plan of salvation presents to us our Creator and 
 Redeemer, by every means which infinite love could devise, 
 laboring at inconceivable sacrifice to save us from merited 
 destruction, and confer upon us the blessing of a heavenly 
 inheritance. 
 
 Our Father in heaven, as I have elsewhere said, imposes 
 upon us no duty of which in his own person he has not set us 
 the example. We are to imitate his boundless beneficence, 
 by using the talents of every kind which he has committed to 
 us for the good of others. We are to imitate his self-sacri- 
 ficing love in the plan of redemption, by reclaiming the 
 vicious, relieving the unfortunate, raising the fallen, and 
 carrying the good news of salvation to the lost and abandoned 
 in the highways and hedges, to those whose souls no man has 
 cared for. Such was the Spirit of Christ, and we are told 
 that unless we have the Spirit of Christ we are none of his. 
 No one of us liveth unto himself, and no one dieth unto him- 
 self. In utter self-renunciation, we must, first of all, live 
 unto God, and we cannot live unto him without following his 
 example. At the last day, those only will be numbered with 
 the blessed of the Father who have manifested their love to 
 him by love to their brethren. Then shall the King say unto 
 them at his right hand, " Come, ye blessed of my Father, in- 
 herit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of 
 the world. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat ; 
 I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink ; I was a stranger, and 
 ye took me in ; naked, and ye clothed me ; I was sick, and ye 
 visited me ; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Verily I 
 say unto you. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of 
 these my brethren, ^-e have done it unto me." 
 
THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE GOSPEL. 261 
 
 Such, then, my brethren, is the teaching of our blessed 
 Lord on this subject. Such is the law under which we were 
 originally created. Such is this law spiritualized by the 
 revelation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. By the 
 law of our constitution we are taught, as we love our own 
 happiness, to care for the well-being of our neighbor. By the 
 law of Christianity we are commanded to do this, not for our 
 own advantage, nor yet solely for the love of our neighbor, 
 .but from the love of God, who receives this as the most ac- 
 ceptable sacrifice that we can render unto him. Christianity 
 elevates and expands the natural affections, until they embrace, 
 not only the clique, the caste, the sect, the nation, but the whole 
 family of man. It ennobles charity by elevating it to piety, 
 and raises those graces which endear men to each other into 
 the evidences of our union to Him who came from heaven to 
 earth to seek and save that which was lost. God is love, and 
 he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 
 He that loveth not knoweth not God ; for God is love. 
 
 You see, then, at a glance, the difference between a selfish 
 and a religious life. In the one we live directly to gratify 
 ourselves. We labor for wealth, for power, for pleasure, for 
 social position, or political eminence. We ask, day by day, 
 What shall we eat, what shall we drink, and wherewith shall 
 we be clothed ? From centre to circumference our sphere of 
 action is bounded by selfishness, or if it extends beyond that 
 narrow circle, it comprehends only those who are bound to us 
 by the ties of personal relationship, or instinctive affection, or 
 the little clique to whom we are affianced by the bond of 
 mutual admiration. We live unto ourselves, and we die 
 unto ourselves. We have made sacrifices for no one ; we 
 nave advanced no single interest of humanity. We have 
 lived on earth, and have conferred on it no benefit. It is in 
 no respect either happier or better for our having lived in it. 
 It has no cause to remember us, and it consigns us to oblivion. 
 We have consumed our probation in cultivating our appetites 
 for the things that perish, until, hardened in selfishness and 
 
THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE GOSPEL. 
 
 Stupid insensibility, we have not a single desire for that which 
 is not of the earth earthy, and a holy God has become an 
 object too dreadful for contemplation. Death solidifies our 
 characters into adamant, and separates us forever from the 
 only objects in the universe which we have learned to love. 
 Our hearts are fixed in enmity to God, and we must meet 
 him at the bar of judgment, to receive the just desert of a 
 life of sin. We have hidden our talent in the earth, and we 
 must bear the doom of the unprofitable servant. 
 
 The Christian life proceeds upon wholly dissimilar princi- 
 ples. The very first act of such a life, as I have said, is the 
 surrender of the whole man, body and soul and spirit, to the 
 will of God. Henceforth the man's will, his desires, and his 
 affections, become subject to the holy and all-wise will of his 
 Father who is in heaven. From being his enemy he is hence- 
 forth his loving and obedient child. As a redeemed sinner 
 he yields himself up joyfully to Him who has purchased him 
 with his own blood, thus judging, that those that live shall not 
 live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them and is 
 risen again. The Spirit takes up his abode in the heart of the 
 man who is now a new creature in Christ Jesus, and it is 
 henceforth his delight to do the will of God. His desire is, 
 to do, in his feeble and imperfect manner, as his Father in 
 heaven is doing with all the wisdom and love of the Godhead. 
 The world becomes to him an object of interest, not because 
 it furnishes the means of selfish gratification, but because it 
 presents a field for boundless usefulness, a sphere for the ex- 
 ercise of every benevolent affection. The whole brotherhood 
 of man stands before him, suffering all the miseries entailed 
 upon it by sin. Jesus Christ has appeared to put away sin by 
 the sacrifice of himself, and open wide the door of heaven 
 to every one that believeth. He has put forth his own hand 
 to the work, and, by the sacrifice of himself, has insured its 
 entire accomplishment. He has conceded to every disciple 
 the privilege of being a co-worker with him in this his great 
 labor of love. He has promised his almighty aid to every 
 
THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE GOSPEL. 26S 
 
 one who, in humility and faith, devotes himself to the per- 
 formance of any good work. It is in this belief, and ani- 
 mated by these assurances, that the disciple of Christ goes 
 forth to the labor of his life. In the name of the Lord God 
 he lifts up his banner. Forgetful of his own gratification, he 
 seeks, first of all, the happiness of others, and mainly that 
 happiness which springs from the renewal of the soul in the 
 image of Christ, the only preparation for the enjoyment of 
 heaven. In every effort to promote the highest interests of 
 man, he takes his place in the front rank of earnest, faithful, 
 and self-sacrificing laborers. In him the young find a coun- 
 sellor, the oppressed a defender, the poor a benefactor, the 
 cast-down a comforter, and the children of infamy and vice a 
 sympathizing brother, who will pity their sorrows, and lead 
 them into the path of purity and eternal life. His course 
 through life may be traced by the blessings that have been 
 sown in his footsteps. The name of the wicked shall rot, but 
 the righteous shall be held in everlasting remembrance. The 
 blessing of him that is ready to perish shall come upon him 
 and his children after him, for he delivered the poor when he 
 cried, the fatherless and him that had no helper, and so an 
 entrance shall be abundantly ministered to him into the ever- 
 lasting kingdom of his God and Savior. 
 
 My hearers, we are spending our probation under the most 
 solemn of all possible conditions. The choice between these 
 two modes of life is presented to every one of us. Each 
 one of us must individually decide whether he will live to 
 himself or to God, for time or for eternity. Which of the 
 two do you choose, nay, which have you already chosen ? If 
 you have made an unwise choice, your decision is not yet ir- 
 revocable. You may yet retrace your steps, surrender your 
 heart to God, believe on his Son Jesus Christ, and receive 
 into your soul the renewing influences of his blessed Spirit. 
 What will you do ? Will you live unto yourself, and lose 
 your own soul, or will you live unto God, and enter into the 
 rest that remaineth ? Now is the time for decision. Decide, 
 
264 THE BENEVOLENCE OF THE GOSPEL. 
 
 I pray you, in view of time and eternity, of the love of God 
 in Christ Jesus, and of the great day of account, when you 
 shall stand before the throne of your Redeemer and your 
 Judge. 
 
 You see, my brethren, that the religion which saves the 
 soul is something more than a mere profession. It is not the 
 performance of rites and ceremonial observances. It is not 
 a belief in doctrines, however true or however solemn. It is 
 not the mere indulgence of emotions, however pleasurable or 
 however self-satisfying. It is a radical change in our moral 
 nature, by which our selfishness is eradicated, and we are 
 transformed, truly and in fact, into imitators of Christ. " If 
 ye love me, keep my commandments. He that hath my com- 
 mandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; he 
 that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love 
 him, and will matiifest myself unto him." Religious joy and 
 and a religious life are thus inseparable. If we do the will of 
 God, and follow the example of his Son, he will manifest his 
 love to our own consciousness. Let us try ourselves by such 
 tests as these, if we would assure our hearts before him. 
 " Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, to whom I 
 will testify, I never knew you." 
 
THE FALL OF PETER, 
 
 "And when he thought thereon, he wept." 
 
 Mark xiv. 72. 
 
 Few narratives in the gospel history are more deeply im- 
 bued with practical instruction than that which relates the fall 
 and the repentance of Peter, the apostle. The character of 
 the man, his ardent zeal, and yet too fluctuating purpose, the 
 circumstances of the case, its intimate connection with the 
 sacred supper, the agony in the garden, the hall of Pilate, the 
 betrayal and the crucifixion of the Redeemer, all conspire to 
 bring this portion of the sacred writings frequently and vividly 
 to our recollection. And yet, my brethren, I am not sure that 
 we are disposed to view this subject in so practical a light as 
 it manifestly deserves. We naturally consider an apostle, in 
 many respects, as a peculiar man, and the circumstances in 
 which this apostle was placed as peculiar circumstances ; and 
 thus we see in the whole case so much of peculiarity that each 
 one escapes from that practical application of the history, 
 which the Holy Spirit intended to carry home to the bosom of 
 every disciple who reads it. 
 
 I freely grant that there is much of this sad story that may 
 be considered peculiar. You are not the apostle Peter. Thl 
 city is not Jerusalem. Your place of daily occupation is not 
 the hall of a Roman magistrate. You are never in the per- 
 sonal presence of Jesus Christ. Here, however, if I mistake 
 not, the peculiarity of the case ends. Though not an apostle, 
 you are, it may be, by public profession, a disciple of Jesus 
 23 
 
2^6 THE FALL, OF PETER. 
 
 Christ. Though you are not Peter, yet your heart is proba- 
 bly as deceitful as his. Though this city be not Jerusalem, it 
 is a province of that world which lieth in wickedness. Your 
 placce of business • is not the hall of Pilate ; yet it may 
 surround you with as insidious temptations as those which 
 there encircled the apostle Peter. It is, perhaps, on this 
 account that the Holy Spirit has marked the various circum- 
 stances attending this event with a particularity which allows 
 us to apply every part of it to our own instruction. If, there- 
 fore, we look upon this history in its true light, I think we 
 shall discover that, far from presenting us with an isolated and 
 solitary case, which might possibly be of use to us only on rare 
 and uncommon occasions, it presents us with precisely the 
 reverse. It teaches many a lesson which we must practise 
 every day ; it utters notes of warning to which it becomes us 
 continually to give heed, if we would escape the sorrows which 
 fell upon the head of this falling and penitent apostle. 
 
 My object in the present discourse will be to place before 
 you some of the lessons which may be derived from a con- 
 templation of this portion of scriptural history. May the 
 Holy Spirit carry home to each heart the instruction which it. 
 contains, so that our repentings may be enkindled within us, 
 and that, looking backward over our past wanderings, we also 
 may think thereon and weep. 
 
 With all the facts connected with the fall of Peter I suppose 
 you to be already familiar. I need not, therefore, consume 
 your time by recapitulating them, but may, at once, proceed 
 to consider them in their order. 
 
 Commencing, then, with the narrative in the Gospels, I 
 remark, in the first place, — 
 
 Peter was forewarned of his danger. He thought the 
 warning needless, and slighted it. " All of you," said the 
 Savior, " shall be offended because of me this night." Peter 
 answered, "Though all men should be offended because of 
 thee, yet will I never be offended." Jesus said unto him, 
 *' This night, before the cock shall crow twice, thou shalt deny 
 
THE FALL OF PETER. 267 
 
 me thrice," " But he spake the more vehemently, If I should 
 die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise." 
 
 We, like Peter, are commonly forewarned of the approach 
 of moral danger. Conscience, especially when enlightened 
 by the teachings of the Spirit of truth, admonishes us of the 
 peril before it becomes immineijj;. It puts to us the solemn 
 questions, Can this be right ? Will this be well pleasing to God ? 
 Can I expose myself to this temptation unnecessarily and be 
 innocent ? If I am called by my convictions qf duty to walk 
 amidst temptation, have I armed myself by humility, faith, and 
 prayer ? Happy is the man whose conscience, habitually void 
 of offence, is many times a day whispering in his ear such 
 questions as these. But happier far is that man to whom they 
 aro never addressed in vain, who, without demur and without 
 parley, instinctively, and with his whole soul, flees from the 
 very appearance of evil. 
 
 Peter was self-confident, and deemed the warning needless. 
 But, blind to futuritj'-, who, under the same circumstances, 
 would not have been self-confident? As the immediate 
 family of Jesus, they had just partaken of the sacramental 
 supper. They had just listened to the parting words of the 
 Savior. They had been melted into tears at the announce- 
 ment of his approaching and mysterious departure. At no 
 moment of their discipleship had he seemed so peculiarly 
 dear to them. If the question had then been directly put to 
 Peter, whether he would deny Christ or die, I believe that he 
 would instantly have chosen death. After rising from supper, 
 they walked together to the garden of Gethsemane, that they 
 might spend the remainder of the night in prayer. Jerusalem 
 was wrapped in slumber. It was impossible to discern the 
 remotest indication of danger. Only a day or two had elapsed 
 since their Master had entered Jerusalem amidst the shouts of 
 grateful and exulting multitudes. The moral danger of hypo- 
 critically professing attachment to Christ seemed far greater 
 than that of denying him. 
 
 As they threaded their way through those quiet streets, and 
 
268 THE FALL OF PETER. 
 
 clustered together to hear ever}^ syllahle that fell from the lips 
 of their Master, and marked the fixed melancholy, the exceed- 
 ing sorrowfulness, even unto death, which, without any visible 
 cause, settled upon his countenance, how strangely must have 
 come over their souls the recollection of his recent warnino;, 
 "Verily I say unto you, that^all of you shall be offended be- 
 cause of me this night " ! To which of us, under these cir- 
 cumstances, would not such an event have seemed incredible ? 
 Who could ha^ foreseen the trials that were already impend- 
 ing ? Who could have believed that the warm affection which 
 now glowed in his bosom, could, by any possibility, be so sud- 
 denly chilled ? Surrounded as they were by acquaintances, 
 who of them could seem capable of such hardihood as to deny 
 that he was a disciple of Christ ? 
 
 Peter, as well as the rest of the apostles, could foresee no 
 danger, and therefore felt himself in no special need of pro- 
 tection. He went forth that night in his own strength, an 1 the 
 result was such as might have been expected. 
 
 The enemy of souls did not, however, directly assail the 
 virtue of Peter. He first stimulated his self-confidence until it 
 exploded in folly, and exposed him to public disgrace. The 
 moral power that is built upon natural self-reliance, crumbles 
 into dust when self-reliance is smitten with confusion. It was 
 on this principle that Peter was assaulted with the first tempta* 
 tion. It resulted in his second error. 
 
 The sad company, listening to the solemn instructions of our 
 Lord, pursued their way to the garden of Gethsemane — a place 
 to which they, together with their Master, often resorted for 
 the purpose of quiet and secluded devotion. As soon as they 
 had arrived there, Jesus desired them to sit down and pray, lest 
 they should enter into temptation, while he went somewhat 
 beyond them, and prayed also. Taking with him Peter, and 
 James, and John, he retired into a more unfrequented part of 
 the garden. Here he began to be sorrowful and very heavy, 
 and said to these, his confidential friends, " Tarry ye here 
 and watch with me while I go and pray yonder." All that he 
 
THE FALL OF PETER. 269 
 
 asked of them was, that they would protect him from interrup- 
 tion while he was preparing himself by prayer for the awfui 
 events that were approaching. 
 
 Soon the Lord was overwhelmed with his sore agony. Fall- 
 ing to the ground, his body bathed in blood, he cries, " Father, 
 if it be, possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, 
 not as I will, but as thou wilt." He rises and approaches these 
 selected disciples, and they are already asleep. He arouses 
 them, exhorts them to pray, and again retires to agonize in • 
 prayer. This was done thrice before the arrival of Judas. 
 How sad a change has, within a few minutes, been wrought in 
 this apostle ! But just now, and he seemed to love Christ better 
 than life. Already has the tide of affection ebbed so low that 
 he cannot keep watch for the Savior even for one hour. Thus 
 sadly does mere emotion wither away when exposed to the test 
 of self-denying reality. Almost the last occasion in which it 
 was possible for him to testify love to his Master, has passed 
 away unimproved. The Savior, in this hour of his dire neces- 
 sity, might as well have relied upon strangers, as upon his 
 choseh disciples. 
 
 But the time for prayer and watching had now passed by. 
 The time for action had arrived. The soldiery, with lanterns 
 and torches, broke in upon the stillness of the scene. Jesus 
 arouses the sleepers, and informs them of the approach of the 
 betrayer. Starting suddenly from his guilty and unfeeling 
 slumber, Peter desired to recover himself at once from his false 
 position. Finding himself surrounded with armed men, the 
 recollection of his Master's warning flashed upon his mind. 
 He supposed that this was the trial to which Jesus had alluded, 
 and that this was the occasion on which it had been predicted 
 that he should deny his Lord. Strong in his own strength, he 
 resolved boldly to meet the danger. He would show to Christ, 
 and to his brethren, that he feared neither soldiers nor swords, 
 neither wounds nor death. Anxious to give immediate proof 
 of his courage, and to demonstrate that, though just now asleep, 
 he was already quite prepared for any emergency, he draws 
 23* 
 
270 THE FALL OF PETER. 
 
 hL5 sword, smites a servant of the high priest, and cuts off his 
 ear. In how few moments may an act be conceived, resolved 
 upon, and committed, of which the consequences may affect our 
 destiny forever ! Before he had become aware of his danger, 
 pride, vain-glory, nay, perhaps anger and revenge, had swept 
 with unresisted force over his soul. This was his^ second 
 error. 
 
 Observe, my brethren, the connection of these events. The 
 self-confidence of Peter led him to spend this hour in sleep, 
 w^hich he should have spent in guarding his Master from inter- 
 ruption, and in earnest prayer for divine assistance during the 
 unknown trial that was approaching. Had he been awake and 
 in prayer, he would not have been so abruptly surprised by the 
 appearance of Judas with the soldiery. Had he been at this 
 moment humble, watchful, and devout, his ardent temper, 
 calmed by solemn reflection, would not have precipitated him 
 into an act which had so important a bearing upon all his future 
 conduct. My brethren, we are never in greater danger than 
 when our own passions become mingled with religious emotion. 
 There are few states of mind on which God looks dowi^with 
 sterner displeasure. 
 
 The Savior rebuked the rash zeal of this disciple, healed the 
 wounded man, and submitted himself to arrest. " Put up thy 
 sword into its sheath," said the Lamb of God. " The cup 
 which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it ? " These 
 words were sufficient to discover to Peter his error, and fill him 
 with regret and shame. He had displeased his Lord, he had 
 prejudiced his cause, he had incensed the soldiery. He had 
 made no friends, he had made many enemies, and his con- 
 science testified to him that he had done wickedly. He had, 
 by his sin, rendered the subsequent trial through which he must 
 pass severer ; while he had, at the same time, enfeebled the 
 moral power with which he must meet it. Nothing awakens 
 fear like the consciousness of guilt. His self-confidence fled, 
 and with it all his boasted fortitude. This sudden explosion of 
 impetuosity was instantly succeeded by trembling cowardice. 
 
THE FALL OF PETER. 271 
 
 Seeing that Jesus offered no resistance, but suffered himself to 
 be bound and led away like any other prisoner, he, with the 
 rest, forsook him and fled. This man, who, but an hour before, 
 had said, " I am ready to lay down my life for thy sake," and 
 " though all men should be offended because of thee, yet 
 will I never be offended," is already fleeing from the sight of 
 the guard, and skulking in darkness amid the trees of the 
 garden. This was his next error. Such, my brethren, is 
 always the end of pride. A haughty spirit goeth before a 
 fall. Such is the result of confidence in ourselves. Nothing 
 will prepare us for the hour of trial like heartfelt humility. 
 Nothing will sustain us amidst appalling dangers, but unshaken 
 confidence in God. 
 
 The guards soon disappeared with their prisoner. The 
 glare of lanterns and torches faded away in the distance. 
 Gethsemane was again as still as when they entered it. Peter 
 groped away from his hiding-place. He had escaped the 
 present danger and eluded the gmsp of the soldierJ^ His alarm 
 began to subside, and he reflected upon his condition. His 
 affection partially revived. His Master was on his way to the 
 hall of the high priest. Not a single disciple was in his company. 
 Was it right that the compassionate Jesus should thus be left in 
 the midst of his enemies ? Should no friend be near him to 
 utter a word in his defence ? Should no disciple stand forth to 
 testify to his holy life, and bear witness to his deeds of mercy ? 
 The heart of Peter relented, for, though a rash and impetuous, 
 he was also a kind and humane, man. Again he felt the throb 
 of gratitude. He remembered his Master's love, his Master's 
 warning, and his late and bitter agony. He cannot forsake his 
 Savior altogether. He sees the glimmer of the torches on the 
 road to Jerusalem. He turns his steps in that direction, and 
 slowly follows the crowd that was bearing his Lord to the 
 judgment seat. But what can he now do ? Shall he go at 
 once among the soldiers, and avow his inviolable attachment to 
 Christ ? This will expose him to more imminent danger than 
 that which he has just escaped. The effects of his recent 
 
272 THE FALL OF PETER. 
 
 rashness spread themselves out before him in all their appallmg 
 reality. Yet he could not persuade himself wholly to abandon 
 his Master. Distracted to the uttermost by contending emo- 
 tions, he resolved to do as probably many of us, in the like cir- 
 cumstances, would have done. He pursued a neutral course — 
 a couree which would enable him to act according to circum- 
 stances. He followed Christ afar off. This was another and a 
 fatal error. He had already begun to repent ; but his repentance 
 was baffling, undecided, and half-hearted. Had he even now 
 resolved to surrender all for Christ, could he have brought 
 himself manfully and publicly to confess his error, had he 
 dared to take only one decided step, even now the ground 
 which he had lost might have been retrieved. But he hesitated, 
 he doubted, he trembled, until the time for action was past. 
 He did not take that step, and the result proved that, in cases 
 of moral trial, no man can come to a more fatal decision than 
 that which fixes him upon neutral ground, and allows him to 
 act for the future according to circujnstances. 
 
 Whenever we hesitate about performing a clearly appre- 
 hended duty, trials multiply around us. Thus was it with Peter. 
 Since the last setting sun, with a heart melted in love and 
 gratitude, he had sat, with his brethren, around the sacramental 
 supper, listening to the farewell address of our Lord. Within 
 two or three hours, he had declared that he would die rather 
 than deny him. How changed from all this is his present con- 
 dition ! He had disregarded the warning of his Master. He 
 had been publicly reproved for his rash impetuosity. He had 
 basely deserted the Savior at the first approach of danger. He 
 was now, under cover of the darkness, following the Lord afar 
 off, not daring to avow his discipleship, and prepared only to 
 change his position when circumstances favored ; that is, when 
 nothing was to be risked by his fidelity. And in this hapless 
 condition, with every moral principle quivering, and bowing 
 before the whirlwind of contending emotions, he was approach- 
 ing a trial under which the stoutest resolution might well nigh 
 have quailed. 
 
THE FALL OF PETER. 273 
 
 In this state of fearful indecision, he approaches the palaco 
 of the high priest. Well would it have heen for him if he 
 had never entered it. The apostle John, however, offered to 
 gain him admittance ; and he, like any other man in this condi- 
 tion, obedient to any impulse from without, accepts the invita- 
 tion, and immediately finds himself in the common hall sur- 
 rounded by servants and soldiers. He takes his seat among 
 them like any unconcerned spectator, and, warming himself by 
 the fire, waits at his leisure to see the end. 
 
 The trial of the Son of God had already commenced. The 
 Holy One was accused of blasphemy, and appealed to those 
 who, had heard him in proof of his innocence. Peter said not 
 a word. He was accused of threatening to destroy the tem- 
 ple. Peter well knew all the circumstances to which this 
 accusation alluded, yet he offered no explanation. There was 
 not a being present who was so minutely acquainted as Peter 
 with the whole history of the Savior's life, and whose evidence 
 could so fully have disproved every charge alleged against 
 him ; but yet he uttered not a word. His testimony, offered in 
 boldness and sincerity, might have baffled the malice of the 
 Savior's accusers, and would at least have shown that those 
 who knew him best believed him wholly harmless, undefiled, 
 and separate from sinners. All this Peter knew. But his lips 
 were strangely sealed in silence. Terrified, doubting, and 
 guilty, he suffered the opportunity for doing his duty to pass 
 by forever. 
 
 The Savior was condemned, not for the doing of evil, but 
 for revealing himself in his true character as the Son of God, 
 the Savior of the world. He was mocked at and spit upon. 
 He was surrendered up to the brutality of heathen soldiers. 
 They blindfolded him, and, in ridicule of his claims to super- 
 natural knowledge, cried out, " Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, 
 who is he that smote thee ? " Was there no one present who 
 would offer his own body to shield the Lamb of God from 
 insult, pain, and indignity ? Yes ; there sat one of his chosen 
 apostles, who was tamely beholding the whole of this atrocious 
 
274 THE FALL OF PETER. 
 
 outrage. It was he who, a few hours before, had said, " I am 
 ready to lay down my hfe for thy sake," but who now had 
 resolved to act according to circumstances. The circum- 
 stances surely called loudly enough for the expression of his 
 affection. But this resolution had been fatal. Every moral 
 energy within him had vanished. He was trembling in every 
 nerve, in a paroxysm of cowardice and guilt, incapable of 
 making successful resistance to the slightest temptation. 
 
 While in -this condition, a more decisive trial awaited him. 
 As the light of the fire shone upon his pale and ghastly coun- 
 tenance, a little maid, coming up, said, without apparently much 
 intention, " Thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth." He^felt 
 at once the inconsistency and sin of his situation. Here he 
 was, associated with the servants and soldiers, looking like an 
 unconcerned spectator upon the injuries heaped upon his Lord. 
 To confess himself a disciple of Christ under such circum- 
 stances would have been to plead guilty to inexcusable ingrati- 
 tude, and would, moreover, have exposed him to personal 
 danger. And yet he was not quite prepared to deny his Master 
 in full. He adopted the usual expedient of a weak, irresolute, 
 and double-minded man. He sought to escape detection by 
 equivocation. " I know not," said he, " what thou sayest ; " 
 and immediately the cock crew. Equivocation is at best a 
 poor refuge for guilt. Least of all will it avail in a disciple 
 of Christ. He who resorts to it will speedily be put to shame. 
 It would have been far better, even now, for Peter, had he at 
 all hazards humbly confessed his sin, and boldly acknowledged 
 ihe truth. 
 
 Fearing lest the same accusation should be pressed upon 
 him again, he escapes from the hall, and retires to the porch. 
 Here he hoped at least to elude detection. But where can a 
 guilty conscience hide ? Where shall a soul find rest that has 
 been false to the Savior.^ His very change of place only 
 gives rise to further inquiiy. Another servant met him with 
 the same tormenting message, " This fellow also was with 
 Jesus of Nazareth." He was advanced too far for retreat. 
 
THE FALL OF PETER. 275 
 
 To confess the truth would now convict him both of ingrati 
 tude and falsehood, for every one understood his former answer 
 as a denial of Christ, and he well knew that he meant it to be 
 so understood. He was now prepared to go still farther. A 
 simple denial would now hardly suffice. He declares with an 
 oath, " I know not the man." He escapes in haste from the 
 porch, and, harrowed by an accusing conscience, he again 
 enters the hall, and finds himself in the immediate presence 
 of Christ. But even here his sin finds him out. Again the 
 tormenting accusation is brought against him, not by a little 
 maid, but by the whole company of the soldiers. One cries 
 out, " Surely thou art a Galilean, for thy speech betrayeth 
 thee." Another, steadfastly beholding him, asks, in the hear- 
 ing of them all, " Did not 1 see thee in the garden with him ? " 
 Surrounded on all sides by the evidences of his guilt, agitated 
 with shame and remorse, every unholy passion within him 
 burst forth into ungovernable rage. " He began to curse and 
 to swear, saying, I know not the man." This was the con- 
 summation of his crime. Immediately the cock crew. 
 
 The deed was done. But, as the storm of passion subsided, 
 who can conceive of the agony that rent the bosom of that 
 miserable, fallen, old man ? He had heard his master falsely 
 accused, and had not uttered a word in his defence. He had 
 tamely looked on, while Jesus was smitten and spit upon, and 
 neither came near to succor nor console him. Once, twice, 
 thrice, he had denied him in the presence of a multitude who 
 knew that he spoke falsely. He had dishonored his gray hairs 
 by indecent passion and shameful profanity. In spite of his 
 denials, he was well known to be a disciple of Jesus of Naza- 
 reth. Who would not condemn the teacher, if such were the 
 effects of his doctrines ? This chosen disciple, this intimate 
 friend of the Savior, has inflicted an infinitely greater injury 
 on the Lamb of God than the soldiers who bound him, the 
 mob who reviled him, or even the High Priest who condemned 
 him. Brethren, it is an evil and a bitter thing to sin against 
 God. I suppose that, amid all the varieties of wretchedness 
 
276 THE TALL OF PETER. 
 
 which this world then witnessed, there was not a man under 
 the face of the whole heaven whose agony would not have 
 been light in comparison with that which pressed upon the 
 soul of this much-loved and highly-favored apostl'e. 
 
 Where should he look for consolation ? His denial had 
 stupefied his brethren. His profanity had astonished the 
 soldiery. Gazing around in horror, he turns towards the • 
 judgment seat, and his eye meets the eye of his Savior. The 
 self-condemned disciple, with the oath yet quivering on his 
 lips, bending under the weight of remorse, overwhelmed with 
 astonishment at his own atrocity, looks upon the face of the 
 immaculate Jesus. That face revealed even now nothing but 
 unchanged benevolence. Those features were not darkened 
 by a single cloud of reproach. They were as placid as when 
 he stood in glory on the holy mount. There beamed forth 
 from that countenance nothing but love; yet it was love 
 saddened unto death, not by the buffeting,^ the shame, and the 
 spitting, but by the ingratitude of his chosen disciple. That 
 look of love subdued him. It recalled the whole history of 
 the Savior's life. The solemn warning, the last supper, the 
 farewell address, the intercessory prayer, the garden of Geth- 
 semane, the bloody agony, — all came with one overwhelming 
 gush to his recollection. That knitted brow is smoothed. That 
 wrathful eye is quelled. That angiy flush is followed by a 
 deadly paleness. His knees smite one against another. The 
 fountains of his grief are opened. He could not look again. 
 He went out and wept bitterly. 
 
 Thus ends this sad narrative. Every portion of it is filled 
 with practical instruction. To some of its lessons I have alluded 
 in the progress of the discourse. Let us endeavor, before we 
 close, to impress them yet more deeply upon our recollection. 
 
 1. The first error of the apostle was confidence in the 
 strength of his own virtue, followed by its natural result, — the 
 want of watchfulness. This was the commencement of his 
 aberration, and the origin of all his subsequent sorrow. Wg 
 have within ourselves no power to resist the assaults of tempta- 
 
THE FALL OF PETER. 277 
 
 tion. Our only strength is in humble and earnest reliance 
 upon the grace of Christ. St. Paul understood this when he 
 said, " I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth 
 me," " for when I am weak, then am I strong." It is rare, my 
 brethren, that an humble and watchful soul is overcome by 
 temptation. Never did a careless and proud man overcome it. 
 And it would be well for us to remember that we are fre- 
 quently in the greatest danger when we think ourselves most 
 secure. Temptations are seldom nearer than when we suppose 
 them most distant. On the evening of this sad night, Peter 
 was sitting at the sacramental table, filled with devout and 
 tender affection to Christ. Who could have foretold that such 
 moral perils were closing around him, or that, by a series of 
 indirect temptations, he could, before the morning light, be led 
 into sins which then seemed to him far more terrible than 
 death. Let this teach us the importance of constant watchful- 
 ness unto prayer. Let us enter upon no day without com- 
 mending its duties, its trials, its cares, its conversations, to the 
 all-seeing and all-sustaining grace of the Savior. If we com- 
 mit our way unto the Lord, he will direct our steps. If, 
 conscious of our own weakness, and earnestly desirous to be 
 delivered from all sin, we look to the hills from which cometh 
 our help, the God in whom we trust will never deliver us up to 
 the will of our enemies. What misery would Peter have 
 escaped had he thus acted ! What miseries should we have 
 escaped had this been the habit of our lives. 
 
 2. The first sinful act of Peter arose from vain-glory. He 
 wished to make a display of his courage. The occasion 
 which gave power to this temptation was, his inexcusable 
 slumber at the solemn hour of the Savior's agony. Desirous 
 in any manner whatever to escape the imputation of want of 
 affection, the emotion of love to his Master was intimately 
 commingled with the fiery impetuosity of his. natural temper. 
 Such is the natural action of an ill-disciplined heart. Let this 
 teach us the necessity of frequently and prayerfully scrutinizing 
 our motives. How much of our religious zeal, when weighed 
 24 
 
278 
 
 THE FALL OF PETER. 
 
 in the balances of the sanctuary, would be found alloyed with 
 pride, sectarianism, vanity, and evil temper ! Thus are we, 
 like Peter, constantly liable to injure the cause of our Master, 
 at one time by sloth and indifference, and at another by rash 
 impetuosity. Peter was really doing no more for Christ, when, 
 in his anger, he smote off the servant's ear, than when, 
 stretched at length in the garden, he slumbered while Jesus 
 was at prayer. 
 
 One extreme is always liable to be succeeded by its oppo- 
 site. Rashness is naturally followed by cowardice. He who 
 smote off the servant's ear was seen, in a few minutes, hiding 
 himself in the darkness among the trees of the garden. But 
 two extremes of wrong, though ever so closely united, never 
 lead to rectitude. If we have sinned against Christ in one 
 way, this can form no excuse for sinning against him in 
 precisely the opposite way. If we find that our efforts in the 
 cause of Christ have been mingled with pride and vain-gloiy, 
 does this make it right for us to fold our hands in indolence, 
 and resolve that we will do nothing ? Much less does it justify 
 us in forsaking him entirely, and being found associated with 
 his avowed enemies. 
 
 3. The vacillation of Peter produced its natural result — 
 insufficient and undecided repentance. He could not forsake 
 his Master entirely. He dared not openly confess his fault, 
 and meet the consequences of doing right. He followed Christ 
 afar off. Thus difficult is it to do right, after we have once 
 commenced the doing of wrong. Yet, after all, the bold, 
 manly, and immediate forsaking of sin is the only safe course 
 that can be taken. A course only half way right, is as peril- 
 ous a one as can be chosen. Hence, let us learn, then, never 
 to allow sin unrepented of to remain upon the conscience. 
 At the last, it will bite like a serpent and sting like an adder. 
 It will wither our spiritual strength, and inevitably lead us to 
 aggravated transgression. Nothing could have restored to 
 Peter the moral courage of innocence, but going at once to 
 Christ, confessing his sin, and avowing his attachment, no 
 
THE FALL OF PETER. 279 
 
 matter what the avowal might have cost him. The rule is the 
 same for every one of us. We may be surprised into sin. 
 Our only safety consists in forsaking it immediately. If we 
 hesitate, our conscience will become defiled and our resolution 
 weakened. It is also of the utmost importance that our 
 reformation be bold, manly, and universal. A mere formal 
 return to our duty, lip-service, shame, regret, desire to repent, 
 like Peter's, following Christ afar off, will only lead us into 
 greater moral dangers. 
 
 4. Peter heard Jesus falsely accused, and he uttered not 
 a word in his defence. The Son of man was buffeted and 
 spit upon, yet Peter never rebuked the ruffians who were 
 insulting him. This was a grievous and inexcusable sin. 
 Yet, observe, it was not his doing, but his not doing, that was 
 guilty. He was the friend and the witness of Christ. It was 
 his duty to act, and to act promptly. By quietly looking on, 
 when he ought to have acted, Peter prepared himself for all 
 the guilt and misery that ensued. There can be no doubt 
 that this friend and apostle of Christ, by standing there in 
 silence, was doing a far greater wickedness than the very 
 soldiers who were torturing him with every refinement of 
 barbarian malignity. 
 
 Hence let us learn the danger of being found in any com- 
 pany in which the cause of Christ is liable to be treated with 
 indignity. If we enter such company from choice, we are 
 accessory to the breaking of Christ's commandments. If our 
 lawful duties call us into society, where the name of Christ 
 is not revered, we can never remain in it innocently, for a 
 moment, unless we promptly act as disciples of Christ. When- 
 ever our love to Jesus demands it, we must, without flinching 
 or shamefacedness, boldly defend his cause. Whenever his 
 name is reviled, we must meekly, yet boldly, rebuke the trans- 
 gressor. Every where, and at all times, we are required to be 
 ready to offer our testimony in favor of that Savior by whose 
 blood we hope to be redeemed. To fail in the performance of 
 this duty, is a grievous sin, and it always exposes us, m the end, 
 
280 THE FALL OF PETER. 
 
 to inextricable embarmssment and overwhelming temptation. 
 Thoughtless and irreligious men themselves look upon such a 
 disciple with contempt. They quickly apprehend the incon- 
 sistency of his conduct, and not unfrequently put to him the 
 taunting question, "Did I not see thee in the garden with 
 him ? " 
 
 5. Peter attempted to escape from the embarrassments of 
 his situation by equivocation. " I know not," said he, " nor 
 understand what thou sayest." This only in the end rendered 
 his embarrassment the more inextricable. It soon reduced him 
 to a situation in which he had no alternative except confession 
 of Christ, under still more disadvantageous circumstances, or 
 the open and violent denial of him altogether. Let this part 
 of the history teach us the importance of cultivating, on all 
 occasions, the habit of bold and transparent veracity. Equivo- 
 cation is always a sort of moral absurdity. It is an attempt to 
 make a lie answer the purpose of the truth. He who does this 
 when his attachment to Christ is called in question, has already 
 fallen. He denies his Lord in the sight of his all-seeing 
 Judge, though his cowardice will not permit him to do it 
 openly. He cannot, however, long maintain this dubious 
 position. His next step in sin will be open and avowed apos- 
 tasy. The Lord, whom we serve, is a jealous God. He will 
 not long suffer us to wear his livery when we are in heart 
 united to his enemies. The man who has gone thus far will 
 soon be brought into circumstances which will openly reveal 
 his guilt. 
 
 6. Peter was rapidly led on to the commission of crimes 
 in themselves most abhorrent to his nature, and crimes of 
 which, at the commencement of his wrong-doing, neither he 
 nor any one else would have believed him capable. He 
 began by nothing more guilty than self-confidence and the 
 want of watchfulness. He ended with shameless and repeated 
 lying — the public denial of his Master, accompanied by the 
 exhibition of frantic rage, and the uttering of oaths and blas- 
 phemy in the hearing of all Jerusalem. And how is this 
 
THE FALL OF PETER. 281 
 
 sudden and awful transformation to be accounted for ? My 
 brethren, it may all be explained in the most simple manner 
 possible. The first step in sin placed him in a position in 
 which he must either humble himself in penitence, or, by a 
 second step, plunge still deeper in guilt. He did not repent, 
 but took that second step. Here, again, the same choice was 
 offered to him, but with increased difficulty of repentance, 
 and diminished moral power of resisting temptation. Thus, 
 step after step, Jie plunged headlong into more and more 
 atrocious guilt, until, without the power of resistance, he sur- 
 rendered himself up to do the whole will of the adversary 
 of souls. 
 
 From this, let us learn the danger of little sins, and espe- 
 cially of sinning against God in the temper of our hearts. 
 If, in any case, we find ourselves cherishing wrong disposi- 
 tions, let us learn immediately to repent of them. Still more 
 imperative is this necessity, if we have gone so far astray as 
 to sin against God by the actual commission of wrong. In 
 such a case, we are always in imminent peril. Our only way 
 of escape from impending moral danger, is immediate and 
 sincere repentance. If this be neglected or delayed, we may 
 be sure that more formidable temptation will soon surprise us, 
 and that, while sin unrepented of palsies our conscience, we 
 shall most surely be overcome. Nothing but penitence will 
 either remove us beyond the reach of temptation, or with the 
 temptation make a way also for our escape. 
 
 In closing this sermon, what need have we of application ? 
 If you have not already brought these truths home to your 
 own consciences, all that I can say will be unavailing. Are 
 there not some of us here present who are under those 
 circumstances which the history of Peter illustrates ? Is 
 there no one here slumbering in false security, and saying to 
 himself, " Though all men should be offended, yet will I never 
 be offended " ? Is there no one here who, by his boisterous 
 and misplaced zeal, has brought dishonor on the cause of 
 Christ .'' Is there no one here who, for some time past has 
 24* 
 
 inriviR^T 
 
 m. 
 
282 THE FALL OF PETER. 
 
 been following Christ afar off, in darkness, hardly knowing 
 whether he shall number himself among the friends or the 
 enemies of his Redeemer ? Is there no one here who, 
 though cherishing a hope of acceptance with Christ, is found 
 habitually in company with those who reject and revile him, 
 and who yet never offers a word in favor of religion ? Is 
 there no one here who has, by word and action, once, twice, 
 thrice, brought dishonor on the profession which he has made, 
 who is fast sinking under the power of temptation, and deny- 
 ing the Lord that bought him ? Professor of religion, thou 
 art the man to whom this sermon is addressed. 
 
CHARACTER OP BALAAM 
 
 "FOLLO-WING THE WAY OF BaLAAM, THE SON OF BOSOR, "WHO 
 LOYED THE -WAGES OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS." 
 
 2 Peter ii. 15. 
 
 In the history and character of Balaam every one of us 
 must frequently have felt a peculiar interest. Among the 
 prophets of the Gentile world, he holds a high, if not the very 
 highest position. His conceptions of the character of God 
 may challenge comparison with those of the most gifted writ- 
 ers of the Old Testament. The knowledge and the prac- 
 tice of duty were, however, in his life, strangely contrasted. 
 While his intellect dwelt in the regions of inspiration, his heart 
 revelled in all the abominations of paganism. The deal- 
 ings of God with him in the great act of his life,, the attempt 
 to curse the children of Israel, were in many respects re- 
 markable. God permitted him to go with the princes of 
 Moab, and yet was displeased with him for going. He uttered 
 his prophecy precisely according to the divine commandment, 
 and yet he is spoken of as by way of eminence a sinner. 
 These seemingly inconsistent facts are at first view irrecon- 
 cilable with our moral conceptions. There is a mystery en- 
 veloping the whole transaction, which we do not satisfactorily 
 penetrate. We are struck with the graphic power of the 
 narrative ; we are deeply moved by the sublimity of Balaam's 
 apprehension of the character of God ; we perceive that his 
 life was a continual struggle between conscience and. passion ; 
 we doubt not that there is much to be learned from his histo- 
 
 (283) 
 
284 CHARACTER OF BALAAM. 
 
 ry ; but we do not find the practical instruction as apparent as 
 we might reasonably expect. 
 
 It may, perhaps, be profitable to examine this passage of 
 Scripture history afresh. We may possibly discover the rea- 
 son for the dealings of God with this Gentile prophet, and 
 we may also learn from it some lessons that may tend to our 
 own spiritual improvement. In fact, my brethren, the 
 history of Balaam is more analogous to our own, than we 
 might at first suppose. There must of course be much re- 
 specting events which occurred three or four thousand years 
 since, which we of the present day cannot adequately explain. 
 All that we know of this personage is contained in a few 
 chapters of the book of Numbers, with brief references to 
 them in other passages of the Old and New Testaments. 
 Enough may, however, be learned from the narrative to fur- 
 nish us with the materials for profitable reflection. 
 
 Balaam, a contemporary with Moses, was a native of Pe- 
 thor, supposed to be a town of Mesopotamia, on the bank of 
 the Euphrates. He had acquired a high reputation, which 
 extended to the surrounding nations, as a diviner, or one en- 
 dowed with the power of foreseeing the future. It was even 
 supposed that the future was subject to his will, at least that 
 prosperity was created by his blessing, while inevitable ruin 
 waited on his curse. It is in this character that he is intro- 
 duced to us in the history of the Israelites. The king of 
 Moab, alarmed at the progress of the Hebrews, and con- 
 vinced that they were led by supernatural power, inferred 
 that they could not be resisted by merely human agency. In 
 this trying emergency, he sought the aid of Balaam. He 
 desired this powerful diviner to curse these hitherto invincible 
 invaders, in the hope that thus he might possibly arrest their 
 progress, and save his nation from inevitable destruction. 
 
 And here, at the commencement, there is, I confess, some- 
 thing apparently mysterious. Balaam seems to have been 
 favored with intimate communion with the Most High, and to 
 have received from him distinct and sublime revelations 
 
CHARACTER OF BALAAM. 285 
 
 concerning the future ; and yet he died a very wicked man. 
 It may have been that his character changed, and that late in 
 life he became an apostate. At the time of his first corre- 
 spondence with Balak, his piety was, however, at best, but am- 
 biguous, and he, before long, became an open enemy of God. 
 Here, then, we behold miraculous gifts of the most extraor- 
 dinary description, conferred on a man whose end was 
 destruction. 
 
 There is, clearly, in such a bestowment of supernatural 
 powers, something at first view inexplicable ; and yet the 
 Scriptures record many cases in no material respect unlike it. 
 In the old time, God frequently chose men to be the deliver- 
 ers of his people, and held with them special communication, 
 who, so far as we can discover, exhibited at the best but dubi- 
 ous evidences of piety. We have no reason to doubt that 
 the power of working miracles was bestowed as liberally 
 on Judas as upon any of the apostles, though he was a thief 
 and a traitor. Our Lord teaches us that miraculous gifts may 
 be bestowed when no saving grace has been imparted. " Many 
 will say unto me at that day. Lord, Lord, have we not prophe- 
 sied in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils, and in thy 
 name done many wonderful works ? and then will I profess 
 unto them, I never knew you ; depart from me, ye that work 
 iniquity." And, saith the apostle, " Though I have the gift of 
 prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, 
 and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, 
 and have not charity, I am nothing." If, then, God did en- 
 dow with miraculous power this wicked man, there is nothing 
 in the fact at variance with the analogy of Scripture. If is 
 evident that no extent of religious knowledge, no possession 
 of extraordinary gifts, no degree of usefulness in the church, 
 can furnish adequate evidence that our hearts are right with 
 God. ■ Without charity — love — we are but sounding brass and 
 a tinkling cymbal. How often has it occurred that ministers 
 of the gospel, distinguished by eminent abilities, fascinating 
 eloquence, and remarkable success in the conversion of 
 
286 CHARACTER OF BALAAM. 
 
 sinners, have shown by their subsequent lives that they them- 
 selves have been fast held in the bonds of iniquity ! " Let him 
 that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." 
 
 One fact, however, deserves to be specially remarked, be- 
 cause it does much to dissipate the mystery that seems to 
 hang around this mode of God's dealing with men. Mira- 
 cles are the universal credentials, by which the Most High 
 authenticates a communication from himself to men. When 
 he bestows this power upon an individual, he holds himself 
 responsible for the truth of the message which, under such 
 circumstances, shall be delivered in his name. If God per- 
 mits the worker of miracles to utter nothing but the simple 
 truth, then, how corrupt soever may be the heart of the 
 prophet, men are in no danger of deception. So was it with 
 Balaam. He had been endowed with supernatural power, 
 and his utterances were to be received as the teachings of 
 God. Hence the impressive and oft-repeated warning, What- 
 soever I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou speak. But the 
 care of God in this respect was not confined to admonitions. 
 He held this wicked prophet fast in the grasp of his omnipo- 
 tence, so that, much as he might desire it, he was actually un- 
 able to utter a single syllable either more or less than God 
 put into his mouth. It is on this fact that the explanation of 
 the subsequent narrative essentially depends. 
 
 The endowments of Balaam placed him in the rank of the 
 foremost men of his time. His conceptions of the character 
 of God are scarcely inferior in clearness and sublimity to 
 those of the most gifted of the prophets. Nor did his 
 knowledge of God pertain merely to his natural attributes. 
 No one has spoken in more impressive language, or with 
 more awful reverence, of the veracity, justice, and faithful- 
 ness of Jehovah. His mind dwelt naturally in the region of 
 the loftiest contemplations, and he spoke in strains of match- 
 less eloquence, such as became the man who had heard the 
 words of God, and knew the knowledge of the Most High, 
 and had seen the visions of the Almighty. 
 
CHARACTER OF BALAAM. 287 
 
 The conscience of this prophet was as remarkable as his 
 intellect. His moral preceptions were distinct and discrimi- 
 nating, revealing to him clearly the moral sublimity of piety. 
 His convictions of duty were almost irresistible, but they 
 wrought within him nothing but anguish. He knew too well 
 the character of God to dare directly to disobey him, but his 
 obedience — if obedience it may be called — acknowledged no 
 higher motive than the trembling fear of a slave. The clear- 
 est teachings of conscience awakened within his agitated bo- 
 som neither a sincere love of virtue, nor a single sentiment 
 of holy obedience. He knew himself to be encircled by a 
 power which it was absurd to resist, and wise to propitiate, 
 and he crouched before it in hypocritical obeisance, while his 
 heart was meditating falsehood and rebellion. 
 
 The whole course of the narrative teaches us that Balaam was 
 a man of ungovernable passions. In his character were unit- 
 ed towering ambition, insatiate love of power, a ravenous ap- 
 petite for sensual pleasure, and a rapacious greediness of gain. 
 His conscience and his passions grew up side by side, each in 
 turn-claiming the ascendency, but neither for a while gaining 
 the undisputed mastery. Under ordinary circumstances, the 
 balance was so well maintained that to outward seeming his 
 conduct was correct, if not exemplary. If even for a time 
 he was overcome by passion, the splendor of his abilities and 
 the availableness of his talents Ccisily pleaded his excuse 
 among his admiring contemporaries. And then, again, con- 
 science, in turn, asserted her supremacy, and he would be 
 known as the preacher of righteousness, the eulogist of virtue, 
 and the stern and eloquent rebuker of every form of evil do- 
 ing. But with all this, there was no stable foundation on 
 which a right moral character could be built. He had never, 
 without reserve, submitted his whole heart to the teachings of 
 conscience and the government of God. A being endowed 
 with those mighty energies cannot long maintain a neutral po- 
 sition ; he must act, and his action must tell powerfully on 
 the destiny of coming generations. If these noble capacities 
 
288 CHARACTER OF BALAAM. 
 
 are consecrated to the service of God and humanity, they will 
 create a Luther, a Howard, or a Washington. If the voice 
 of conscience is silenced, and these glorious endowments are 
 made the venal slaves of selfishness and passion, the man is 
 known as the scourge of nations, sacrificing the dearest inter- 
 ests of man to the gratification of his own ungovernable lust. 
 
 A being of so remarkable a character is always beset by 
 temptations unknown to ordinary men. Such was the case 
 with Balaam. The king of Moab sent to him the elders of 
 his people, with the reward of divination in their hands, say- 
 ing, " Come now, therefore, I pray thee, curse me this peo- 
 ple, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out 
 of the land ; for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, 
 and he whom thou cursest is cursed." At this time Balaam 
 seems to have been ignorant of the character and destiny of 
 the children of Israel. The ordinary rewards of divination 
 were also as yet insufficient to arouse him to ungovernable 
 cupidity. He, as was at this time his wont, retires to ask the 
 Lord what he shall say to the messengers. Here he learns, 
 probably for the first time, that the people are blessed of 
 God, and he is peremptorily forbidden to curse them. He 
 knew from the character of God that this decision was irre- 
 versible. " God," said he at another time, " is not a man, that 
 he should lie, neither the son of man, that he should repent ; 
 hath he said, and shall he not do it ? or hath he spoken, and 
 shall he not make it good ? " Impressed with these convictions, 
 whatever may have been the secret wish of his heart, he 
 obeyed the voice of God, and refused to go with the messen- 
 gers. 
 
 Before long, however, the temptation is renewed with 
 greatly additional allurement. Balak sent yet again princes 
 more and more honorable than they. A splendid retinue, 
 clothed in oriental magnificence, stood before the humble 
 dwelling of the Gentile prophet, bearing an urgent message 
 from a mighty monarch. " And they came to Balaam, and 
 said unto him, Thus saith Balak, the son of Zippor, Let noth- 
 
CHARACTER OF BALAAM. 289 
 
 ing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me ; for I will 
 promote thee to very great honor, and I will do unto thee 
 whatsoever thou sayest unto me. Come, therefore, I pray 
 thee, and curse me this people." 
 
 Balaam requests the messengers to tarry until he had in- 
 quired the will of the Lord. But what was there to ask of 
 the Lord ? The Lord had already pronounced an irrevocable 
 decision, and he would not reverse it. Balaam knew that it 
 was impossible to obtain the divine permission to curse Israel, 
 and therefore, if he wished to obey God, there was no con- 
 CQivable object for going. Notwithstanding all this, he still 
 desired to go, that he might feast his eyes and stimulate his 
 cupidity by gazing on the rewards, which could only be ob- 
 tained by disobedience to God. He had, perhaps, an idea by 
 no means uncommon, that the guilt of sin is modified by the 
 presence of extraordinary temptation ; he was, therefore, de- 
 sirous to be tempted, so that, if he sinned, he might escape in 
 some manner, at least the severity of punishment. Besides, 
 he well knew the character of the ancient oracles, and prob- 
 ably supposed that by uttering some equivocal prophecy, he 
 might satisfy the king of Moab, and obtain the promised re- 
 wards, without literally disobeying the command of God. If 
 I do not mistake, these are forms of self-deception by no 
 means uncommon. Men who would not resolve to disobey 
 God, will frequently place themselves in circumstances where 
 the temptation to disobedience is so great that they have no 
 hope of resisting it, and think to escape the penalty, because 
 they did not resolve to sin, but only to place themselves in the 
 way of temptation. My brother, does memory recall no 
 facts in thine own history which bear an analogy to this sin 
 of Balaam ? Hast thou never, of thine own deliberate choice, 
 gone into the very thickest of temptation, silencing the voice 
 of conscience with the suggestion that thou didst not intend 
 to yield to it ? And when, overcome by temptation, you 
 have plunged deeply into iniquity, have you never comforted 
 yourself with the hope that God would not deal with you 
 25 
 
290 CHARACTER OF BALAAM. 
 
 severely, because the temptation was so great that it was im- 
 possible to resist it ? The conduct of Balaam has in e very- 
 age found many imitators ; it is well if there be not many 
 of them here in this congregation. 
 
 In answer to his urgent request, God gave him permission 
 to go to the king of Moab, forbidding him, at the same time, 
 to utter any thing but the simple verhy. The words in the 
 narrative do not, as I suppose, express a command ; for no 
 command was evidently necessary ; they denote merely a 
 concession to his earnest desire. God, in this respect, dealt 
 with him just as he deals with us. He allows us to go 'in ijie 
 way of temptation if such be our choice. He, by conscience 
 and his written word, makes known to us his will, but at the 
 same time, he gives us an opportunity to disobey him. Men 
 must of necessity have the power to break the commands of 
 Cod, for otherwise there could be no probation. Every act 
 of sin is an exertion of this power, for without it sin could not 
 exist. So, in this case, it is as though God had said to Ba- 
 laam, You know my will ; you are forbidden to curse them ; 
 there can be no virtuous reason for going, and by going you 
 expose yourself to temptation, where you can ask for no aid 
 from my protecting grace. Go if you choose, but the conse- 
 quences must rest upon your own soul. Hearer, has the voice 
 of God never uttered these monitory words in thine ear ? 
 Didst thou heed or disregard them ? Hast thou to record, in 
 this respect, none of the experiences of Balaam ? 
 
 Such, then, was the moral condition of Balaam, when he 
 set forth on his journey to meet the king of Moab. His lust 
 of power and wealth was stimulated to the utmost. He de- 
 sired to find some possible means by which he. might secure 
 the wages of sin, and revel in the delights that could only be 
 enjoyed by transgression. He was going to expose himself 
 to temptation, and place himself in a position in which he 
 must, almost of necessity, be overcome, and utter a lie in the 
 name of the God of truth. 
 
 Any one of us, if we could have looked into his heart, 
 
CHARACTER OF BALAAM. 291 
 
 would doubtless have said that, in such a moral state, to resist 
 temptation was almost impossible. It was precisely for this 
 reason that an angel was sent to meet him in the way. God, 
 by granting to him miraculous power, had rendered himself 
 responsible for all that he should utter. Though Balak was 
 a wicked man, yet the Lord would not suffer him to be in- 
 snared by a prophet that spoke in his name. It was there- 
 fore necessary to arouse the conscience of Balaam by another 
 and sterner monition. The permission to go is not recalled, 
 but the warning is again most solemnly repeated, " Only that 
 which I say unto thee, that shalt thou speak." 
 
 We see the condition to which he is now reduced. He 
 dares not, from the fear of impending judgments, utter any 
 thing which God has not commanded. He must not speak a 
 syllable that is not true ; while to do this must inevhably de- 
 feat the whole object of his journey. Under such circum- 
 stances, what possible object could a good man have for going 
 at all ? He must not disobey God, while without disobeying 
 him, the attainment of promotion and wealth was absolutely 
 hopeless. Reason and conscience must both have counselled 
 him at once to return home. But the wages of unrighteous- 
 ness were too tempting to be relinquished without an effort ; 
 and he resolved to go, in the hope, I presume, that something 
 would occur, which, in some way or other, he might turn to 
 his advantage. 
 
 The result was such as might have been expected. He 
 who is allured by temptation at a distance will surely suc- 
 cumb when directly within its power. Balaam, with all his 
 knowledge of God, was probably tinged with the oriental su- 
 perstition, that by incantations and offerings it was possible 
 to subject the Creator to the will of the creature. Nor let 
 this surprise us. These intense moral contrasts are among the 
 most common exhibitions of our fallen nature ; and they are 
 most frequently seen when a wicked heart and an enlightened 
 conscience meet in the same individual. Balaam commences 
 by offering sacrifices first at Kirjath Uzzoth. From thence 
 
292 CHARACTER OF BALAAM. 
 
 he removes to the high places of Baal, as though he would " 
 enlist an idol god on his side, in this controversy with Jehovah. 
 Here he builds seven altars, and offers a sacrifice upon each 
 of them. But God commands him to bless Israel, and he 
 dares not, however unwillingly, refuse to deliver the message 
 put into his mouth. Next he removes to Pisgah, to the field 
 of Zophim, and here again builds seven altars, and offers a 
 bull and a ram upon every altar. Again the blessing of Israel 
 is put into his mouth, and he is compelled to utter it. Not 
 yet satisfied, he selects another more elevated position, 
 and ascends to the top of Peor, as it looketh to Jeshimon ; and 
 here again he offers his accustomed sacrifice. This also 
 proving unavailing, he went not, as at other times, to seek for 
 enchantments, but set his face towards the wilderness. All 
 these sacrifices, you see, were not offerings to God, but only 
 the means used in unholy divination. Neither thus could he 
 accomplish his purpose. He could by no means oblige God 
 to permit him to curse the people, but was forced, in a most 
 remarkable manner, to predict their future and unexampled 
 prosperity. 
 
 Here let us pause for a moment, and reflect upon the moral 
 condition of this man during these memorable transactions. 
 He had been blessed with a knowledge of God such as had 
 been granted to but few of his contemporaries. He knew 
 that the Israelites were the people of God acting under his 
 immediate supervision, while the Moabites were the enemies 
 of God, idolaters of the basest type, cruel, sensual, and vin- 
 dictive. Knowing all this, it was his earnest desire to destroy 
 the children of God, and aid in the triumph of their enemies. 
 By every device in his power, by sacrifices without number, 
 and by every art of divination, he sought, with perseverance 
 worthy of a better cause, to accomplish his object. And all 
 this was done for the infamous purpose of rising to power 
 and revelling in wealth. Gladly would he have deluded Ba- 
 lak by a lie, or destroyed the Israelites by a curse ; but his 
 lips were sealed to the utterance of every thing but the truth. 
 
CHARACTES OF BALAAM. S93 
 
 He obeyed the letter of the command simply because he 
 could not help it ; but his heart revolted from the words which 
 he uttered. At the very moment when he was blessing the 
 children of Israel, he longed to take part with their enemies, 
 and wage war against the Almighty himself. 
 
 Thus, though in outward act Balaam formally obeyed 
 the commandment, his heart was the seat of ungovernable 
 ambition and inextinguishable love of gain. He would have 
 sinned in act if he dared, but he durst not, and thus lost the 
 poor rewards for which he was bartering his soul. His obe- 
 dience was destitute of virtue, and hence he lost the peace of 
 mind and self-sustaining energy of piety. This state of mind, 
 in which external service is combined with determined love 
 of sin, cannot long continue. The mind ere long yields itself 
 to the dominion of its chief affection. Thus Balaam, finding 
 even external obedience incompatible with the gratification of 
 his passions, resolved to abandon it altogether. The charac- 
 ter of a prophet failing to serve his purposes, he seems to 
 have laid it aside, and the ^rue disposition of his heart hence- 
 forth acted without control. He openly united with the 
 Moabites in their attempt to destroy the people of God. Here 
 his previous knowledge of religion gave him great advantage. 
 He knew that it was impossible to compass the ruin of the 
 Israelites, so long as they retained the favor of God. The 
 only course that remained was, by alluring them into sin, to 
 expose them to the judgments of Jehovah. If by their wick- 
 edness God should be made their enemy, they would be as 
 easily overcome as any other people. By his advice, there- 
 fore, the Moabites cast off the appearance of hostility, and, 
 under the guise of friendship, spread before the people the 
 allurements of idolatry and the seductions of lust. This 
 stratagem succeeded when hecatombs of offerings had failed. 
 The Hebrews united in sacrifice to the gods of Moab, Israel 
 joined himself to Baal Peer, and the encampment became a 
 scene of universal and unblushing licentiousness. As Balaam 
 had anticipated, the anger of the Lord was kindled against 
 25* 
 
294 CHARACTER OF BALAAM. 
 
 Israel ; a plague broke out in the camp, and twenty-four 
 thousand of the people died. Thus, what could not be ef- 
 fected by open hostility, was accomplished by the blandish- 
 ments of sin. The wicked prophet seemed to have triumphed, 
 and the nation, for their sins, to have been deserted of God. 
 
 But God is not slack concerning his promises, as some men 
 count slackness. He remembered his covenant with Abra- 
 ham ; and had he spoken, and should he not make it good > 
 Though he punishes his people for their sins, his faithfulness 
 endures to a thousand generations. By fearful judgments he 
 recalled the Hebrews to their allegiance, and broke up their 
 alliance with idolatry. War was again proclaimed between 
 his friends and his enemies. There was now no ambiguity in 
 the position of Balaam. His choice was irrevocably made. 
 He joined the Moabites with his whole heart in their attack 
 upon the Israelites, and, in the battle that ensued, was found 
 among the slain. His name has been handed down to suc- 
 ceeding generations to designate a man of preeminent abil- 
 ity, destitute of principle, given over of God to work all man- 
 ner of wickedness with greediness. 
 
 How different might have been the result, had Balaam con- 
 secrated his distinguished talents to the cause of truth, of con- 
 science, and of God ! Resisting the allurements of appetite, 
 mortifying the lust of power, subduing the greed of wealth, 
 and allying himself to the cause of God, he might have shone 
 resplendent in that constellation of patriarchs and prophets 
 of whom the world was not worthy. Had he chosen to suffer 
 affliction with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleas- 
 ures of sin for a season, he might with Moses have become 
 a leader of the Israelites, with Joshua entered the promised 
 land, and his name might have come down to us laden with 
 the benedictions of ages. Indeed, of the distinguished men 
 of antiquity, I know of none whose moral trials were so anal- 
 ogous, and whose end was so dissimilar, as those of Moses 
 and Balaam. Both of them took rank among the most gifted 
 of their race. Both were in a remarkable degree taught by 
 
CHARACTER OF BALAAM. 295 
 
 the Spirit of God. To both were the allurements of the pres- 
 ent world presented in the largest nneasure. Both were equal- 
 ly free to choose between virtue and vice^ duty and pleasure, 
 time and eternity. The one resigned without a murmur the 
 luxuries of wealth and the companionship of princes, to unite 
 himself with the enslaved people of God ; and he received a 
 hundred fold in this present life. God. communed with him 
 as a friend ; he became the founder of the only people that 
 has come down to us, through the wrecks of time, praising 
 Jehovah in the identical words that were used by their fathers 
 four thousand years ago ; and his name is enrolled high on the 
 list of those who have conferred blessings on humanity. The 
 other meanly shrunk back from the trials of virtue ; for a 
 while he hesitated, then yielded to the seductions of passion, 
 became the associate of those whom God had abandoned, and 
 perished ignominiously, a scorn and a by-word to all coming 
 time. " The name of the wicked shall rot, but the righteous 
 shall be held in everlasting remembrance." 
 
 Of the many moral lessons which this narrative suggests, 
 I will select only a few. 
 
 Some of you, in the vigor of youth, are naturally aspiring 
 after eminence in the occupation which you have chosen. 
 This is well ; for why should we not wish to accomplish a noble 
 destiny ? He is a weak and a base man who wraps his tal- 
 ent in a napkin, and buries it in the earth. Let this discourse 
 remind us that there are two paths by which men may seek for 
 distinction. In the one, to the very best of our ability, in 
 spite of every obstacle, we honestly do our duty, leaving 
 the result to God, and receiving thankfully whatever reward 
 he shall graciously bestow. In the other, without any settled 
 principle, we grasp at the prize, indifferent to the means by 
 which our end may be attained. The latter was the choice 
 of Balaam. It was not successful, and it never will be, for it 
 ignores the fact that omniscience, omnipotence, and holiness 
 govern the world. The end is rarely attained, and if attained, 
 
CHARACTER OF BALAAM. 
 
 the sou! is corrupted by the effort, and success becomes as 
 the apples of Sodom and the grapes of Gomorrah. On the 
 other hand, the faithful, disinterested doing of duty has ever 
 been found the most direct road to eminence. In proof of 
 this, 1 might summon the testimony of all history ; but why 
 should I do this, so long as on the annals of our country are 
 inscribed the names of George Washington and Benedict 
 Arnold ? 
 
 Let us now apply this lesson more directly to our relations 
 to God. 
 
 Among those who have been educated in a Christian land, 
 and have enjoyed the teachings of the fireside and the sanctu- 
 ary, there are many who are, at this moment, undergoing es- 
 sentially the same trial as Balaam. There are, I doubt not, 
 many in this assembly, who believe every truth revealed in 
 the Bible, whose conscience is yet susceptible, who are per- 
 fectly aware of the consequences of a life of impenitence, in 
 whom, nevertheless, the love of wealth, or pleasure, or social 
 position, is uncontrollable. They cannot be persuaded to 
 yield their affections to God, and yet they dare not openly 
 and contumaciously disobey him. Whenever they refrain 
 from doing what he has forbidden, they act only from fear. 
 It is a service into which filial love never enters. They even 
 listen gladly to any reasoning which teaches that the re- 
 straints of the law of God may be cast off with impunity. 
 But this ambiguous moral condition cannQt long continue. Its 
 natural tendency is to hardness of heart and stupidity of con- 
 science. If it does not terminate in sincere submission to 
 God, the Holy Spirit will withdraw and leave us to our own 
 choices. A man in this condition has not a moment to lose. 
 What he does must be done quickly. If he delay until the 
 power of the passions is increased, and the power of con- 
 science is diminished, what hope can he have of salvation ? 
 If now the love of pleasure be strong enough to resist 
 successfully all moral progress, when it increases to a 
 flood, what shall prevent him from being carried down 
 headlong ? « 
 
CHARACTER OF BALAAM. 297 
 
 Or, again, we frequently find men who have passed this 
 dubious position, and whose power of resistance to evil is al- 
 ready beginning to yield. The man has begun to inquire 
 how near he may approach to wrong without being guilty of 
 wrong doing. He is ever pressing upon the extreme limit of 
 right, that he may look over it, and gaze upon the tempta- 
 tions beyond. You will see him at questionable places of 
 amusement, in the company of the wicked, if thus he can 
 gratify a desire or subserve a purpose. In his intercourse 
 with others, he will readily find some end that shall sanctify 
 the means, until at last neither end nor means is capable of 
 sanctification. The man is ever running after temptation, 
 fooling himself with the belief that he is in no danger, and 
 that there is no harm in taking fire into our bosom if our 
 clothes are not burned. Now, what is all this but acting over 
 again the scenes of the life of Balaam ? What is it but going 
 to Balak to feast our eyes upon the wealth, and gloat upon 
 the delights which we may obtain by sinning against God > 
 He who of his own choice places himself in the power of 
 temptation, secretly wishes that he may be overcome. He 
 who is allured towards forbidden pleasure at a distance, can- 
 not surely hope to deny himself when it stands before him 
 in all the power of a present and fascinating reality. If the 
 unseen attraction of the whirlpool turns aside the mariner 
 from his course, how shall he resist its power, when he is al- 
 ready ingulfed in its vortex ? 
 
 And let this example teach us that we can never walk se- 
 curely unless we walk uprightly. We can never escape the 
 moral perils that beset us, except by yielding prompt obedi- 
 ence to the monitions of conscience. Formal service, from 
 which the heart is excluded, will never confirm us in virtue. 
 God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him 
 in spirit and in truth. No man ever obtained the rewards of 
 piety without being really pious. The word of God is quick 
 and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to 
 the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and 
 
298 CHARACTER OF BALAAM. 
 
 marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the 
 heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in 
 his sight, but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of 
 him with whom we have to do. Keep, therefore, thy heart 
 with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. 
 
VERACITY. 
 
 *• For he that will love life, and see good days, let him 
 refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak 
 
 NO GUILE." 
 
 1 Peter iii. 10. 
 
 One of the attributes by which the Most High specially de- 
 sires himself to be known by his intelligent universe, is, abso- 
 lute and unchanging veracity. Whatever he reveals to us, 
 he would have us receive as the pure and simple verity. 
 Whatever he has promised, though heaven and earth should 
 pass away, he will assuredly perform. Whatever he has 
 threatened, he will execute to the very letter, and at the very 
 moment which he has fixed upon for judgment. It is in lan- 
 guage such as this that he has revealed himself to us : " He 
 is the rock, his way is perfect ; for all his ways are judg- 
 ment." " A God of truth, and without iniquity, just and 
 right is he." " The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for- 
 ever ; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous alto- 
 gether." " The word of the Lord is right, and all his works 
 are done in truth." " Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled 
 in the heavens, thy faithfulness is unto all generations." "Jus- 
 tice and judgment are the habitation of his throne ; mercy 
 and truth go before his face." And one of the songs of the 
 redeemed in the heavenly Jerusalem is, " Just and true are 
 thy ways, thou King of saints." 
 
 It is in virtue of this attribute, to the existence of which the 
 history of the universe, from the outgoings of eternity, has 
 borne witness, that God claims of his creatures implicit and 
 
 (299) 
 
300 "\TEIIACITY. 
 
 unquestioning belief. " Hath he said, and will he not do it ? 
 hath he spoken, and will he not make it good ? " To give no 
 credence to his declarations, or place no reliance upon his 
 promises, he esteems one of the most insulting forms of hu- 
 man wickedness. An apostle has said, " He that believeth not 
 God hath made him a liar ; " and this is no poetic exaggera- 
 tion — it is nothing but the simple verity. VVe cannot disbe- 
 lieve what God has spoken, unless we suppose that he has 
 promised what he did not intend to perform ; that is, that he 
 is capable of falsehood. And of this defiant iniquity the 
 whole race of man has, ever since the fall, been preeminently 
 guilty. Neither the promises nor the threatenings of God 
 enter any more into the practical motives of the multitude of 
 men, than the laws of Menu, or the sayings of Confucius. 
 Is it wonderful, then, that the Most High has a controversy 
 with our race ? Must he not, at some time, vindicate his ve- 
 racity, and teach an assembled universe, that though heaven 
 and earth may pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall pass 
 from the law until all be fulfilled ? 
 
 In this attribute of inviolable truth, God commands us to be 
 imitators of him. He wills us never to utter any thing but 
 the exact verity. In the commandment given to our race by 
 Moses it is written, " Thou shalt not bear false witness." In 
 the text, as in other places, he has promised his special favor 
 to those that speak no guile. He has taught us that " all liars 
 shall have their portion in the lake which burneth with fire, 
 which is the second death." Our Lord himself has declared 
 that liars are the children of the devil ; for he is a liar, and 
 the fattier of lies. 
 
 It is manifest that these teachings have not been with- 
 out effect, wherever the Bible has been openly and plainly 
 spread before the people. Wherever the word of God is 
 freely circulated, and generally read, a barefaced and habit- 
 ual liar is rarely to be met with among men who lay any 
 claim to the respect of their fellow-citizens. In this country, 
 for instance, we do not often find a man who will deliberately 
 
VERACITY. 301 
 
 and daily utter what he knows to be false, or make a promise, 
 which he feels himself under no obligation to perform. lie who 
 thus disgraces himself is at once banished from the society 
 of honorable men ; he is branded as a knave ; and we pay 
 no regard to his word, unless it be accompanied by a 
 bond which he must recognize at the bar of a judicial tri- 
 bunal. 
 
 While, however, such cases are rare, I fear that indirect, 
 and what are termed minor variations from strict veracity, 
 are by no means uncommon. I cannot but believe that one 
 of the causes of this moral dereliction is to be found in the 
 fact that men do not adequately understand the requirements 
 of the law under which they are created. They form the 
 habit of looseness of statement and thoughtlessness of 
 engagements, and thus, without consciousness of sin, violate 
 the plain principles of the law of God. Men professing god- 
 liness are liable to a similar peril. To do wrong, with even 
 imperfect knowledge, grieves the Spirit, paralyzes our piety, 
 and perils our souls. It may therefore be proper to devote 
 the time allotted to this service to a brief consideration of this 
 subject. I speak to you all, my brethren, but especially to 
 the young of this congregation. I would have you, my young 
 friends, know the moral law under which you live, and by 
 which you must be judged, that I may warn you of some of 
 the dangers by which you are environed. 
 
 The law of absolute veracity would require that we should 
 utter nothing but the perfect verity. We are, however, lim- 
 ited in comprehension, and imperfect in knowledge. We 
 know but in part, and hence are liable to mislead when we 
 have no intention to deceive. To this our imperfection the 
 law of God has respect, and it requires of us no more than 
 our nature can perform. It is supposed that we have a belief 
 of what is the truth concerning an event. We are required, 
 if we speak, to utter that belief precisely as it lies in our 
 minds, without exaggeration, disguise, or subterfuge. We 
 profess, when we speak, to convey to another the concep- 
 26 
 
302 VERACITY. 
 
 tion which exists within us ; if we convey to him some 
 other conception, we violate the law of veracity and disobey 
 the command of God. 
 
 I have said it is supposed that we have a belief of what is 
 the truth concerning any event. I here use the word helief 
 in its strict acceptation, meaning by it a conviction founded 
 on sufficient evidence. Hearsays, guesses, and suppositions 
 are not such evidence. He who asserts any thing as a fact 
 is responsible for the truth of his assertion, and is under obli- 
 gation to take sufficient means to assure himself that the 
 ground of his belief is legitimate. To assert as the truth 
 what we do not know to be true, justly exposes us to the 
 charge of falsehood. 
 
 But some one may ask. Are we obliged to tell every one 
 whom we meet all that we know and all that we are thinking 
 about ? Do we violate the law of veracity because we do not 
 make a confidant of every companion, or reveal all our thoughts, 
 even to our most intimate friends ? I reply, that what I have 
 said has no reference whatever to any of these questions. 1 
 have not uttered a word concerning the law of not saying ; 
 I have only spoken about the law of saying. I have merely set 
 before you the rule which should govern us when it is our duty 
 to speak. I have not considered the question. When shall we 
 speak, and when shall we be silent } This latter may be de- 
 cided by the principles of duty or by the simple dictates of 
 practical wisdom ; but in neither case has it any thing to do 
 with the law of veracity. We may ask ourselves, and it would 
 be well if we asked ourselves much oftener, whether it is or 
 is not our duty to speak. If we decide, either from moral or 
 prudential reasons, that it is our duty to be silent, it is clear 
 that the law of veracity has no command to utter. If we, on 
 the other hand, decide that it is our duty to speak, then the 
 law pronounces its decision, and forbids us to speak any thing 
 but the truth. 
 
 But the inquiry may arise, Are we always obliged, when we 
 speak, to speak the whole truth ? Are we guilty of falsehood 
 
VERACITY. 303 
 
 when we declare what is true as far as we go, but keep back 
 a part which we might communicate if we chose ? I reply, 
 If we intend to convey the impression that what we say is the 
 whole truth, when we know that it is only a part^ we violate the 
 law of veracity. If we have no such intention, but merely 
 relate the fact as a fact, without any design to create any 
 other impression, then we are innocent. If I mention to 
 another that I walked half a mile, I violate no law of veracity 
 by not telling him the name of every man whom I met, or 
 the number of carriages that passed me on the road. If, 
 however, I professed to give him a minute account of all that 
 I saw, or if,- in any manner, I intended to convey the impres- 
 sion that I saw no one, I spoke falsely. A man may thus 
 speak what is strictly true, and yet be guilty of uttering an 
 untruth. He tells what is true, but tells it with the intention 
 of creating a false impression ; that is, he wilfully deceives ; 
 and wilful deceit is falsehood. 
 
 The same law applies to promises. A promise is the ex- 
 pression of our intention to do something, with the design of 
 creating in another the expectation that it will be done. Sim- 
 ply to express an intention is not to make a promise. If, in 
 the course of ordinary conversation, I happen to mention my 
 purpose to leave town to-morrow, this is not a promise, for I 
 did not intend to create an expectation. If I not only say 
 that I am going, but enter into an engagement with another to 
 accompany him, this constitutes a promise. We are morally 
 bound to fulfil the expectation which we have voluntarily cre- 
 ated. I say which we have voluntarily created, for a man 
 may expect what we never intended to promise. For his 
 erroneous or injurious interpretations we are not held answer- 
 able. We are accountable, not for the expectation which he 
 may have formed, but for that which we ourselves voluntarily 
 created. 
 
 In such cases as these, it is evident that our intentions may 
 easily be misunderstood, and we ourselves also tempted to sin. 
 On the one hand, men are prone to mistake a conditional for 
 
304 VERACITY. 
 
 an unconditional engagement, and thus hold us to the per- 
 formance of what we never intended to promise ; and, on the 
 other hand, we are too often disposed to consider a slight 
 change of circumstances a sufficient reason for the violation 
 of an agreement. The moral question in such a case is, I sup- 
 pose, simply this : when the engagement was made, would the 
 present condition of things have been considered by both 
 parties a valid reason for terminating it ? If such be the fact, 
 it terminates, of course. But, in deciding such a case, we 
 are bound to act on the principles of high disinterestedness, 
 and in the fear of God. If a moral obligation exists, it must 
 be fulfilled. If a doubt remains, we must decide against our- 
 selves, or leave the question to the decision of others. In no 
 other manner can we retain our love of veracity unimpaired. 
 By the habit of deciding doubtful cases in our own favor, self- 
 ishness gains the victory over our love of truth, and, before 
 we are aware of it, we become reckless of our obligations 
 and regardless of the sanctity of our word. 
 
 And here, again, it may be asked, — for questions on this 
 subject seem to be almost innumerable, — Are we bound to fulfil 
 to the letter every promise which we make, even when it is 
 without any condition ? I would not say even so much as this. 
 The very object for which the promise was made may have 
 become unattainable, and of course the whole engagement 
 falls to the ground. I promise to walk with a friend at a cer- 
 tain hour for the sake of healthful exercise. In the mean 
 time a storm has arisen, and to fulfil the promise would defeat 
 the very object for v.hich it was made. Here, of course, 
 there can be no obligation. But, if I break such an engage- 
 ment from idleness, or because I prefer at the moment to 
 read some book which happens to interest me, I am guilty. 
 It is of no avail to say my friend will excuse it : this may be, 
 but it alters not the fact that I have trifled with my conscience, 
 degraded my moral nature, and sinned against God. 
 
 All this should plainly teach us several quite important les- 
 sons. In the first place, a promise should always, if possible, 
 
VERACITY. 305 
 
 be definite, and distinctly understood by both parties. Again, if 
 there be from necessity a contingency, this contingency should 
 be as accurately defined as the promise itself. And, lastly, 
 when we are in doubt respecting the validity of any obliga- 
 tion, — that is, when there is a conflict in our minds between the 
 claims of veracity and those of interest and convenience, — it 
 is always safe to decide in favor of veracity. This may, it is 
 true, cost us trouble, and sometimes apparently useless trou- 
 ble, but it will confirm our virtue and teach us practical wis- 
 dom. We shall love truth the better for every sacrifice we 
 make for it ; our moral principles are strengthened by every 
 act of submission to them ; and the inconvenience arising 
 from thoughtless engagements will render us more careful for 
 the future. He who holds himself under moral obligation to 
 do as he has said, will be careful of his words, and will excite 
 no expectation which he is not able to satisfy. 
 
 And now, my brethren, if we should review these brief 
 suggestions, we might sum up their substance in a very few 
 words. We see that the law of veracity has no direction to 
 give as to the question when we shall speak, and when we 
 shall be silent. It simply teaches us our duty in the act of 
 speaking, and then it requires ihat the thought which we em- 
 body in words shall be precisely the thought which lies in 
 our own minds. If it be a fact, we must state it as a fact ; if 
 an opinion, as an opinion ; and, in either case, we must do it 
 without exaggeration or diminution. The same rule applies 
 to promises. We must make known to another the intention 
 as it actually exists,. and the expectation which we thus volun- 
 tarily excite we are under moral obligation to satisfy, unless 
 subsequent events shall -render the performance impossible, or, 
 in the judgment of disinterested men, would justly nullify the 
 agreement. The law thus understood applies to all our con- 
 duct, at home or abroad, in the retirement of the family or 
 in the publicity of the market place, in the workshop and be- 
 hind the counter, in the gayety of the social circle and in the 
 private dealing of every man with his neighbor. God knows 
 26^* 
 
306 VERACITY. 
 
 what we think, and he hears what we say, and he observes 
 the minutest discrepancy between the one and the other. It 
 surely then becomes us ever to speak as seeing Him who is 
 invisible. 
 
 Such, then, is the law of God, revealed to us in the Scrip- 
 tures. But, let us ask. Is this law obeyed ? Do men recog- 
 nize the obligations of veracity, and do they speak as in the 
 presence of the God of truth ? Let us glance at a few of the 
 occasions which give rise to the violation of the precept, and 
 we shall see how easily men are seduced into disobedience to 
 the law of God. 
 
 The inordinate love of wealth gives occasion to frequent 
 violations of the plainest precepts of veracity. When large 
 profits can be secured by falsehood, I am told that, in our 
 large commercial centres, lying and even false swearing are 
 matters of daily occurrence. A custom-house oath has, in 
 fact, come to designate words which impose no manner of 
 obligation. Men will swear to false invoices, knowing them 
 to be false ; nay, they will direct two different invoices to be 
 made out, the one by which they sell, and the other to which 
 they swear. If they fear to swear themselves, a clerk must 
 do it for them, or they will employ some poor sinner, for a 
 consideration, to do such swearing whenever it shall be found 
 convenient. If I have stated this too strongly, I shall sin- 
 cerely regret it; but I only affirm what, on competent author- 
 ity, has frequently been stated to me. The common adulter- 
 ation of articles of traffic comes under the same condemnation. 
 Men take every means to give to a worthless compound the 
 appearance of a genuine product, and then solemnly declare 
 it to be what they know that it is not. • 
 
 Or we may come to facts which transpire every day, in every 
 city and village in our land. The seller represents his goods 
 as of the very best quality, and offers them to the buyer at a 
 price which he declares to be scarcely above cost ; then he 
 will sell them at cost ; and, at last, will dispose of them to this 
 particular friend at a ruinous sacrifice. The bu3^er, on the 
 
VERACITY. 307 
 
 Other hand, considers the quality inferior, the price unreason- 
 able, and, at most, is willing to purchase only on a very long 
 credit. The bargain is at length concluded, the goods are 
 delivered, and the parties separate. All at once the language 
 of these men is suddenly transformed. The seller is rejoicing 
 that he has disposed of his merchandise at so handsome an 
 advance, the buyer that he has received so good an article 
 at so low a price. Now, it is apparent that the mere change 
 of hands has neither affected the quality of the goods, nor the 
 opinions of the parties concerning them. Neither of these 
 men spoke as he thought, and the Searcher of hearts marked 
 the violation of his law in every word that was uttered. The 
 love*of a little paltry gain overcame the love of truth, and 
 was motive strong enough to set at nought the authority 
 of God. 
 
 Idle curiosity gives occasion to a large amount of false 
 speaking. Many persons have an insatiable desire to know 
 all the affairs of their neighbors, their likes and dislikes, their 
 domestic arrangements, their opinions on all matters and of 
 all persons, and thus to worm themselves into the most secret 
 recesses of their confidence. This is commonly done from 
 no malicious design, — for such persons are commonly good 
 natured, — but from mere childish inquisitiveness. To accom- 
 plish our purpose, however, not a little management is neces- 
 sary, and we are obliged to pretend to know already much of 
 which we are entirely ignorant. This is the first departure 
 from truth. We obtained our knowledge under the injunction 
 of secrecy. But a secret which does not belong to us is not 
 easily kept, for this intense desire to know is always accom- 
 panied by an equally intense desire to tell. We must reveal 
 it to our intimate friends ; and here is departure from truth the 
 second. Or, again, we may meet with another person as in- 
 quisitive as ourselves, in whom we dare not confide, and 
 whose prying curiosity we can elude in no other way than by 
 falsehood or prevarication ; here is departure the third. Thus 
 the habit grows upon us. Idle curiosity leads to the first 
 
308 VERACITY. 
 
 falsehood, and the first falsehood creates the temptation to all 
 that follow in its train. I will not here speak of the infinite 
 mischief that is done by this prying inquisitiveness ; I here 
 only refer to its effect on our moral character. It affords a 
 sad illustration of the fact that the most contemptible motive 
 is frequently powerful enough successfully to tempt us to vio- 
 late the commands of God. 
 
 Another frequent occasion for falsehood is found in the 
 fear of speaking or acting at variance with received conven- 
 tionalities. We express joy when we feel none. We coun- 
 terfeit sadness when we suffer no sorrow. We use the expres- 
 sions that are in vogue without any regard to the truthfulness 
 of their application, but merely because we hear them«used 
 by others. The commonest things, the most unimportant 
 events, are splendid, magnificent, glorious, or abominable, 
 shocking, horrid, detestable. We do not mean what we say : 
 there is no emotion within us corresponding to such exagger- 
 ated expressions. Why, then, should we use them ? The 
 same conventionality assures us that it is right and proper to es- 
 cape a trifling inconvenience by telling a lie, or obliging others 
 to tell it for us, and that to say what is false ceases to be a lie, if 
 it be told very frequently, and by a great number of persons. 
 It is said that every one understands us when we direct another 
 person to say we are not at home when we are at home. If 
 a servant or a child lies to us, we are indignant, and mourn 
 over the mendacity which is every where so prevalent. But 
 where, I pray you, is the moral difference between lying for 
 us, and lying to us ? Has God ever made any such distinction ? 
 It is in vain to say that here no temptation to lie is created, 
 because every one understands it. Many a family has be- 
 come habitual liars by the daily repetition of these conven- 
 tional falsehoods. Children know that such language is false, 
 and they must have more than usual virtue if they en'e not 
 fatally corrupted. A friend of mine once called on a gentle- 
 man with whom he had a positive appointment, and was met 
 at the door by his son, who told him that his father was not 
 
VERACITY. 
 
 at home. My friend replied that there must be some 
 mistake; for they had agreed to meet at this very hour. 
 " No," replied the son, " he is not at home ; he went out a few 
 juinutes since." He, of course, retired, but had scarcely left 
 the house when the gentleman himself appeared at the door, 
 inviting him in, and saying, " I had no idea that it was you." 
 As he entered, the son, ashamed and confounded, turned to 
 his father with these words : " Father, I will never tell another 
 lie for you as long as I live." Had that son grown up to be 
 a liar and a knave, at whose hands would the ruin of his soul 
 have been justly required ? 
 
 But I will pursue these illustrations no farther. I have said 
 enough to draw your attention to the subject, and you your- 
 selves can easily multiply instances for yourselves, and im- 
 press the truth upon your own hearts much more forcibly than 
 another can do it for you. 
 
 But some one will say. To do as you advise, and avoid 
 the errors against which you have cautioned us, would require 
 great care and intense watchfulness in all our conversation. 
 We should be obliged to think before we speak, abandon 
 many of the ordinary topics of discourse, and be content to 
 improve rnen rather than amuse them. Be it so. In this we 
 shall only follow the examples of better and wiser men. It 
 was the prayer of David, " Set a watch, O Lord, over my 
 mouth ; keep the door of my lips." He found the advan- 
 tage of such a prayer when he said, " By the word of my 
 lips have I kept myself from the paths of the destroyer. I 
 said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my 
 tongue. I have set the Lord always before me, that I sin not 
 against him." " If a man," said the apostle James, " offend 
 not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bri- 
 dle the whole body. Who is a wise man, and endowed with 
 knowledge among you, let him show forth, out of a good con- 
 versation, his works with meekness and wisdom." You see, 
 then, that it has been the earnest prayer of good men thai they 
 might be specially aided in this respect, for they were con- 
 
310 VERACITY. 
 
 vinced that there could be no attainments in holiness while 
 the tongue was a thoughtless and ungoverned instrument of 
 duplicity or falsehood. Can we expect to please God, or do good 
 to man, unless we are in the exercise of the same prayerful, 
 caution ? But let us bring the subject to a practical test — let 
 us review, for a moment, our past lives. With what a mul- 
 titude of immortal souls has every one of us held conver- 
 sation ! Every one of these might have been made better by 
 our words, and every one has been made either the better or 
 the worse by our intercourse. What has been the result ? To 
 how many of this multitude can we point as the evidences that 
 we really have consecrated our conversation to the Savior, and 
 that our example has ever promoted the love of truth, and piety, 
 and charity ? Had we been more careful of our words, and 
 ever spoken as seeing Him that is invisible, how rapid would 
 have been our progress in piety, and what blessings should 
 we have scattered along our pathway through life ! Do you 
 not wish, then, that you had in the past set a guard over your 
 lips ? and this you could never have done but by cultivating 
 this very truthfulness which I here recommend. But it is 
 evidently our duty to do in the future what we wish we had 
 done in the past. Let us then begin this reformation at once. 
 
 But you will say. To obey these precepts with strictness, 
 to speak nothing but the simple verity, and utter only what 
 God will approve, would render us very peculiar. Our max- 
 ims of business must be greatly changed, and in our inter- 
 course with the world we must bid adieu to many of the amen- 
 ities and courtesies of society. 
 
 That the principles of religion carried into any of the 
 departments of life would render us peculiar I will not deny. 
 It belongs to the necessity of the case, for religion is designed 
 to make men better ; and if we would make them better, our 
 manner of life must, of course, be in advance of theirs. The 
 world lieth in wickedness, and how can a child of God live in 
 it, and not be peculiar ? Wicked men imitate the example of 
 the father of lies ; and can we be imitators of the God of truth 
 
VERACITY. 311 
 
 without being peculiar ? Was there ever a being on earth so 
 peculiar as Jesus of Nazareth, the Author and Finisher of our 
 faith ? It was to his peculiarity in this very respect that he ap- 
 pealed as the evidence of the divinity of his mission. " Which 
 of you," said he, " convinceth me of sin ? [he referred to the 
 sin of falsehood ;] and if I speak the truth, why do ye not 
 believe me ? " Ought not the followers of such a Savior to be 
 exemplary in all things, and, above all, in their conversation? 
 Unless the teachings of Christ exert their effect on our inter- 
 course with our fellow-men, what do we more than others ? and 
 how shall the world be the better or the wiser for our hav- 
 ing lived in it ? 
 
 But, you will say, this is a lesson most difficult to be 
 learned. It requires that we should be always on our guard, 
 watching over ourselves with a vigilance such as we had 
 never imagined. We speak before we think ; we become in- 
 terested in conversation, and forget ourselves ; we naturally 
 follow the course of thought of those that are about us, and, 
 before we are aware, commit sin with our tongue. How shall 
 we gain the victory over ourselves ? how shall we ever make 
 our jconversation a means of good to others, and so speak as 
 ever to please a God of truth ? To such an inquirer I would 
 reply. The gospel of Christ has provided for us all needful 
 assistance. The cure must be performed in thy inmost spirit, 
 and the Spirit helpeth our infirmities. The blood of Jesus 
 Christ cleanseth us from all sin — the sins of the inmost soul, 
 the moral imperfections that have grown up within us, as 
 though they were a part of our original nature. The word 
 of God is quick and powerful, piercing to the dividing asun- 
 der of the soul and the spirit. If, then, you find yourself 
 prone to thoughtlessness in speech ; if in conversation and in 
 promises you are liable, even in little things, to forget j^our 
 obligations to God ; if the fear of man or the love of gain 
 ever seduce you to utter what the law of veracity condemns ; 
 and, especially, if any or all of this has grown into a habit 
 from which your own power cannot deliver you, — come to 
 
312 A'ERACITY. 
 
 that Fountain that cleanseth from all iniquity. Confess your sin 
 before God, and look to him for pardon through the blood of 
 the atonement. Resolve in his strength that you will never 
 yield, but that you will contend against this sin that dwelleth 
 in you, until you have trampled it under your feet. Implore 
 of God the aid of his Spirit. Beseech him to make you 
 thoughtful, self-possessed, vigilant, and endow you with pres- 
 ence of mind in the moment of the most subtile temptation. 
 Ask of him all this with a simple and earnest heart, and he 
 will do it all for you. There is balm in Gilead, there is a 
 Physician there, and you shall certainly be healed. Day by 
 day you will gain victory. Every failure will increase your 
 sensibility to every deviation from right, and will also render 
 it more odious in your eyes. Strengthened with might by 
 his Spirit in the inner man, you will grow stronger and 
 stronger, until by divine grace you have triumphed over this 
 form of evil, and rejoice in the indwelling of his Holy Spirit. 
 " Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, 
 for they shall be filled." 
 
 And while you are engaged in these moral conflicts with 
 the sin that easily besets you, remember the innumerable 
 cloud of witnesses who have, through grace, gained the victory 
 over the very same enemies. Think of the Savior who 
 has met and vanquished all your spiritual foes, and who 
 looks upon you with approving love, as he sees you following 
 in his footsteps. Think of that crown that shall be bestowed 
 on every one that overcometh, and which shall be made 
 brighter and brighter by victory over every sin. Think of 
 this immortal soul, on which a new lineament of the image 
 of Christ is engraved by every triumph over inbred corrup- 
 tion. Think of all this, and run with patience the race set 
 before you, looking unto Jesus the Author and the Finisher 
 of your faith. So run that ye may obtain. 
 
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 
 
 " Neither pray I for these aloxe, but for them also that shall 
 
 BELIEVE OX ME THROUGH THEIR WORD ; THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE, 
 
 AS THOU, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may 
 
 BE ONE IN us, that THE WORLD MAY BELIEVE THAT THOU HAST 
 BENT ME." 
 
 John xvii. 20, 21. 
 
 These words form a portion of that memorable prayer 
 offered up by our Lord in the company of his disciples, on 
 the night that preceded his crucifixion. They were uttered 
 just before he proceeded to the garden of Gethsemane, 
 whilst his mind was deeply impressed with the thought that 
 before another sun should set, his work on earth would be 
 finished, and the sacrifice for our sins offered up. The senti- 
 ments of the text, then, come to us clothed with all the author- 
 ity of the last message from a dying Friend. They express 
 to us the last wish of the Redeemer, and teach us the nature 
 of those blessings which, at that solemn hour, he most earn- 
 estly craved in behalf of those for whom he was about to die. 
 There must be in these words, then, something specially wor- 
 thy of our prayerful attention. Let us endeavor to ascertain 
 their meaning, and draw from it such lessons of instruction 
 as are most appropriate to our present condition. 
 
 Let us inquire, in the first place, For whom was this prayer 
 offered } 
 
 And here, at the commencement, we are met by the fact 
 that this prayer of our Lord is remarkable for one striking 
 peculiarity. Its object is definite and exclusive. The pro- 
 27 
 
314 
 
 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 
 
 pitiatory work of Christ was wrought for the whole world, for 
 the whole race of Adam. This prayer, on the contrary, was 
 offered for only a part of that race. He himself declares, 
 " I pray for them ; I pray not for the world, but for them that 
 thou hast given me out of the world." At first, the Redeemer 
 seems to have prayed for the apostles who immediately sur- 
 rounded him, or, at most, for those who had, up to that time, 
 become his disciples. " Those whom thou hast given me I 
 have kept, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition." 
 As, however, he proceeds, his supplications become more 
 general, until he includes within the scope of his intercession, 
 not only the apostles, but all those who, through their word, 
 should believe on him in all coming time. 
 
 We perceive, then, that while our Lord excludes the world 
 from any interest in this particular prayer, he includes, within 
 the number of those for whom he supplicates, certain persons 
 taken out of the world. These two classes of mankind are 
 placed in distinct opposition to each other. Those denomi- 
 nated the world, are not those for whom he prays. Those for 
 whom he prays are not of the world. The peculiarity of 
 character which designates this latter class of persons, and 
 which distinguishes them from the world, is frequently alluded 
 to in this last discourse of our Lord, in terms that cannot be 
 misunderstood. They are those for whom a mansion is pre- 
 pared in heaven ; with whom the Comforter shall abide for- 
 ever ; with whom the peace of Christ dwells : they are the 
 branches of that vine of which Christ is the stem ; who keep 
 his commandments and abide in his love ; who are chosen 
 out of the world, therefore the world hateth them ; whom the 
 Father loveth because they love Christ : they are those who 
 have believed on him ; whom the Father hath given him out 
 of the world ; they have kept his words, they are not of the 
 world, even as Christ is not of the world ; the glory which 
 the Father gives to Christ, Christ gives to them ; God loves 
 them ; the love wherewith the Father loves the Son is in 
 them ; Christ is in them, and he wills that they may be with 
 him where he is, that they may behold his glory. 
 
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 315 
 
 Such are the persons for whom Christ prays. Such are 
 they for whom he suppHcates that they may be one. Now, it 
 is obvious that precisely equivalent terms to these are always 
 used in the Scriptures with reference to th^ church of Christ. 
 The church is always represented to be a portion of the human 
 race possessing the very moral attributes which our Savior, in 
 the passages which I have quoted, enumerates. Thus the 
 apostle Paul addresses his various epistles either to the churches, 
 or to the saints, or to the church of God ; to them that are 
 sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints. The church in 
 any place, and the saints in that place, mean, with him, pre- 
 cisely the same persons. 
 
 The church is repeatedly denominated by the apostle Paul 
 the hody of Christy and every individual believer is a member 
 of the body of which Christ is the head. Thus Eph. 1 : 22. 
 " He hath given him to be head over all things to the church, 
 which is his body." Eph. 4 : 15. " That ye may grow up into 
 him in all things which is the head, even Christ, from whom the 
 whole body, fitly joined together, maketh increase of the body." 
 Col. 1 : 18. " And he is the head of the body, the church." 
 The illustration here used is precisely analogous to that 
 derived from the relation of the vine and its branches. The 
 idea in both cases is the same. That portion of matter which 
 obeys my will, and is pervaded by my spirit, and partakes of 
 my animal life, is a part of my body. So the members of the 
 body of Christ are those who obey his will, are influenced by 
 his spirit, and partake of his moral life. These, taken to- 
 gether, form the church, which is his body. All the rest are 
 of the world. It is this spirit of Christ dwelling in them that 
 distinguishes them from other men. " In Christ Jesus, neither 
 circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth any thing, but faith, 
 that worketh by love." " If any man be in Christ Jesus, he 
 is a new creature." "Christ has purchased the church of 
 God with his own blood." " He loved the church, and gave 
 himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it, that he 
 might present it unto himself a glorious church, not having 
 
816 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 
 
 spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy 
 and without blemish." All the members of such a church, 
 being holy persons, must, of course, be happy in lieaven. 
 " Ye are come to Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living 
 God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the general assembly and 
 church of the fii'st-born which are written in heaven, and to 
 God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made 
 perfect." From these, and a multitude of passages such as 
 these, it is evident that the church of God is always spoken of 
 in the New Testament, as the company of redeemed souls 
 pervaded by the spirit of Christ, and that they are the persons 
 of our mce who possess exactly the same moral attributes as 
 those for whom he prays that they may be one. They are 
 the whole company of those who have come out from the 
 world, who are united to Christ by a faith which worketh by 
 love, who obey his commandments, and are laboring to be 
 conformed to his likeness, that they may enter with him into 
 his glory. Such are the children of men who form his spirit- 
 ual body, and for whom he offered up his intercessory prayer. 
 In this statement we express no other truths than those 
 which are fully revealed in other portions of the sacred Scrip- 
 tures. The whole doctrine of conversion or regeneration is in 
 perfect harmony with all that we have above recited. Thus 
 we are taught that the whole race of man has apostatized from 
 God, is at enmity against him by wicked works, and is under 
 the condemnation of his righteous law ; " for all have sinned 
 and come short of the glory of God." Our Father in heaven, 
 moved by sovereign and abounding grace, has provided for all 
 men a way of pardon and reconciliation through the merits, 
 obedience, and intercession of his well-beloved Son. " God 
 so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that 
 whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have ever- 
 lasting life. The offer of pardon and everlasting life is freely 
 made to every individual of our race, on the condition that he 
 truly repent of his sins, receive by faith the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, and maintain a life of holy obedience. The commis- 
 
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 317 
 
 sion which he gave to his disciples, when he ascended, was in 
 these impressive words : " Go ye into all the world and preach 
 the gospel to every creature. He that believeth, and is baptized, 
 shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." 
 Whenever an individual of our race accepts of these terms of 
 salvation, and by faith yields up his whole nature in love and 
 obedience to Christ, he becomes a new creature, the Holy Spirit 
 takes up his abode in the renewed soul, working in it that 
 which is well pleasing to God ; God, for Christ's sake, pardons 
 his sins, and receives the returning prodigal as a well-beloved 
 son. The man becomes an heir of God and a joint heir with 
 Christ ; he is delivered from the slavery of sin, and " has his 
 fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." Henceforth, 
 being influenced by the spirit of Christ, he is no more of the 
 world, as Christ is not of the world. He was a sinner ; he is 
 now a saint. He was an enemy of God ; he is now a child of 
 God. He brought forth the fruits of the flesh ; he now brings 
 forth the fruits of the Spirit. He was under condemnation ; 
 now " there is a crown of righteousness laid up for him, and 
 for all who love the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 Such, then, is the character which the New Testament 
 ascribes to the individual disciples of Christ. All, then, by 
 partaking of his spirit, are united to him, and form a part of 
 that spiritual body which is his church. Every one who 
 possesses this moral character is a member of this body. The 
 rest of mankind, by what name soever they may be known 
 among men, are of the world, and are not of the church. 
 The term church, you perceive, properly and originally desig- 
 nates a class of persons possessing a particular moral charac- 
 ter, precisely as the term world designates a class possessing 
 an opposite character ; the one being precisely equivalent to the 
 term saints, and the other to the term sinners. Thus all those, 
 in the times of the apostles, who, in the sense that I have 
 described, were disciples of Christ, were spoken of as members 
 of the church. "Having put on the new man^ which is 
 renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him, 
 27* 
 
318 
 
 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 
 
 there was no more either Greek or Jew, circumcision or 
 uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond, or free," that is, all 
 human distinctions were aboUshed, and " Christ was all and in 
 all."" Thus, in the same manner, in every other age, all that 
 portion of living men who have turned from sin to holiness, and 
 are new creatures in Christ Jesus, are the church of God in 
 the world, at that particular period. Thus, also, in a smaller 
 society of men, in a nation, or city, or even a family, those 
 who are the disciples of Christ are the church of God in that 
 society. Thus all, in all ages, who have ever lived upon earth, 
 and been received into gloiy, together with those who now by 
 patient continuance in well-doing, are making their calling and 
 election sure, the church militant below, with the church tri- 
 umphant above, constitute " the general assembly and church 
 of the first-born." And, when the mystery of redemption shall 
 have been finished, and Christ shall have collected home all his 
 ransomed ones into his house not made with hands, then the body 
 of Christ shall be completed, and one church — the multitude 
 which no man can number — shall surround the throne of God, 
 singing, with one voice, the song of Moses and the Lamb, 
 saying, " Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, and 
 made us kings and priests to our God ; " " Salvation, and glory, 
 and honor, and power, unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, 
 and to the Lamb forever and ever." 
 
 Such, then, is the simple notion of the church of Christ, as it 
 is presented to us in the New Testament. It is a term used to 
 designate a class of persons possessing a peculiar moral char- 
 acter, right affections towards God and their fellow-men. 
 Whoever possesses these moral afTections belongs to this class, 
 or is a member of this church, no matter by what other pecu- 
 liarities he may be distinguished. Whoever is destitute of 
 these moral attributes is not a member of this church, or does 
 not belong to this class, no matter by what name he may be 
 called, or what profession soever he may have assumed 
 
 But, it may be said, this truly is the conception of the 
 church, as it exists in the mind of Him that searcheth the 
 
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 319 
 
 heart. The Lord knoweth them that are his. But there is not 
 in us this knowledge. We can form no such church. What, 
 then, is the scriptural idea of the church as it actually exists 
 here upon earth ? Let us proceed to answer this question. 
 
 In the first place, then, I think it must be obvious that if this 
 be the pure and original idea of a church, it must lie at the 
 foundation of every practical and visible manifestation of it 
 which we are authorized to constitute among men. We are 
 not omniscient, and therefore cannot organize a church which 
 shall inevitably include every true disciple, and exclude every 
 one who is not a disciple. We are, however, bound to use, for 
 this purpose, all the means of discrimination which the Holy 
 Spirit has given us, honestly endeavoring, to the utmost of our 
 power, to render the church visible coextensive with the 
 church invisible. The model is placed before us; and, 
 though we are unable to attain to perfect conformity with it, 
 we should labor to attain to as perfect a conformity as our 
 limited knowledge will permit. 
 
 I remark, secondly, Christ has commanded all his true 
 disciples to come out from the world, by making an open and 
 avowed profession of their attachment to him. He has 
 appointed a solemn rite, by the reception of which this pro- 
 fession is to be made. But, as there must be some authority 
 under which this rite is administered, so that no other, if 
 possible, than true disciples may be admitted to it, Christ has 
 committed this authority to those who are already disciples. 
 By these, every one who wishes to come out from the world, 
 and profess his faith in Christ, is to be received into the num- 
 ber of visible disciples. 
 
 Again : Christ has appointed a solemn rite, in memory of 
 his atoning death, which his disciples are commanded, from 
 time to time, to celebrate. This second rite, like the other, is 
 to be administered to those who are members of his body and 
 partakers of his spirit. The meaning of it is, that they, in 
 partaking of it, profess to be one with him, and one with each 
 other. As none have a right to partake of this ordinance but 
 
320 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 
 
 true believers, Christ has authorized the disciples themselves 
 to admit to it such persons as give evidence of faith in him, 
 and to exclude from their fellowship all those in whom the 
 evidences of piety are wanting. 
 
 And, besides all this, religion is intimately connected with 
 the social principles of our nature. In our warfare against sin, 
 and our endeavors after holiness, we are greatly assisted by 
 the sympathy of our brethren. It is natural that those whose 
 hopes and fears, whose joys and sorrows, are similar, should 
 associate together, that they may strengthen their faith by 
 fraternal communion with each other. 
 
 Again : it is made the duty of every disciple of Christ to 
 extend the spiritual reign of his Master. He must hold forth 
 the word of life, bear testimony against whatever is sinful, and 
 devote himself to the work of saving men from the destruction 
 which awaits the. ungodly. Christ devoted himself to the labor 
 of unceasing benevolence ; and we are disciples of Christ in 
 just so far as we follow his example. Much of this labor can 
 be carried on only by associated effort. Men earnestly 
 engaged in such an undertaking will naturally unite with each 
 other for the purpose of more successfully accomplishing the 
 object to which each one has consecrated himself. 
 
 For such reasons as these, our Lord has taught us that his 
 disciples in any place should form themselves into fraternal 
 societies. The object of such societies is purely spiritual. He 
 only has a right to belong to them who is a member of the 
 body of Christ; and the reason for which he unites himself 
 with them is, that he may do the will of Christ more perfectly. 
 A society thus formed is a church. It has nothing to do with 
 any other association, nor has any other association any thing 
 to do with it. Its laws and its authority are all derived from 
 Christ, who is its head. It is composed of those who are " a 
 chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a pecu- 
 liar people — that they should show forth the praises of Him 
 that hath called them out of darkness into his marvellous 
 light." 
 
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. o2i 
 
 From what we have said, it is evident that such a society as 
 ihis is designed for action. There are things to be done by 
 the members as a community. All are not, however, endowed 
 with powers for doing the same things. Each one must labor 
 according to his several ability. Hence the necessity for some 
 form of organization, and for the creation of such a system of 
 agencies as is commonly called a government, and for such lav*-s 
 as shall prescribe the duties, privileges, and responsibilities of 
 each member. It, however, hardly need to be remarked that 
 the organization of such a society should be exceedingly sim- 
 ple. The sole object of the association is to aid us in making 
 other men, as well as oui-selves, holy. This surely can demand 
 no very complicated arrangements. Whatever we find in any 
 ecclesiastical organization which is not directly productive of 
 this object, whether it be innocent or noxious, can claim no 
 sanction either from the precepts of Christ or his apostles. 
 
 The question, however, may be asked. What is the form 
 of government which Christ has ordained for these various 
 communities of Christians ? I answer, I do not perceive in 
 the New Testament any directions on this subject. I see there 
 mention made of pastors, or religious teachers, who were to 
 preach the word, and be examples to the flock ; and deacons, 
 whose office it was to distribute the charities of the disciples. 
 But how these were to be appointed, or what was to be the 
 form of the ruling authority, has not been authoritatively made 
 known to us. I see nothing in the New Testament which 
 would prevent any community of Christians from adopting any 
 form of church government which they may esteem most for 
 their edification. The forms which have been adopted, have, 
 in fact, been very analogous to those which have obtained in 
 civil society. All of these are allowable. Each one of them 
 has various points of excellence. One may be better adapted 
 to the hahits and associations of one company of disciples, and 
 another to another. But neither of them can, in my opinion, 
 claim any divine authority. One of them is as acceptable to 
 the Master as the other, if it be administered as much to his 
 
322 
 
 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 
 
 glory and the edification of those who have chosen to adopt it. 
 Of one thing, however, we may be certain. The form of 
 government is not the church of Christ, any more than a 
 republican constitution is the people of the United States, or a 
 monarchy the people of Great Britain. The people existed 
 before the constitution, and the true church, the body of Christ, 
 existed before the establishment of any ecclesiastical organiza- 
 tion. The church is the body of sincere disciples ; the form 
 of government is the manner in which they have chosen to 
 administer the laws of Christ in their intercourse with each 
 other. ■ The true disciples of Christ, who, in any place, hold 
 forth the word of life, and are examples to the world, would, 
 in the most important sense, be the church in that place, 
 without any ecclesiastical organization whatever. Those who 
 were destitute of his spirit, and were living to themselves, 
 would not be his church, but the world ; no matter how per- 
 fect, or how time-honored, may be the form of organization 
 under which they may have been associated. 
 
 Now, if this be true, it is evident that the church of Christ 
 must be something quite unlilie any visible association existing 
 on earth. The qualifications which unite a man to the real 
 church are moral dispositions, of which man can but imper- 
 fecdy take cognizance. Organizations, called by the name of 
 Christ, have frequently been formed, from which every true 
 disciple is deliberately excluded. Societies calling them- 
 selves churches have too often become synagogues of Satan, 
 and haters of all that is good. But names cannot alter things, 
 nor can the designations of men make him a member of the 
 body of Christ, of whom Christ himself has said, " I never knew 
 you : depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity." He is a 
 member of the church who is a penitent and believing disciple 
 of Christ. He is no member of the church who is not such a 
 disciple, no matter by what name he may be called. 
 
 Thus Christendom is not the Church of Christ. By this 
 term we generally designate those nations which acknowledge 
 the Bible to be a revelation from God, and have forsaken \hf 
 
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 323 
 
 idolatry and paganism in which they had in former times been 
 educated. Among these millions, a great number of the 
 members of the church may be found ; but these nations are 
 not the church, for they contain multitudes who have no hope, 
 and are without God in the world. For the same reason, the 
 religion of Christ cannot recognize such a thing as a national 
 church. Such a church, if consistent, admits to its communion 
 every citizen of the nation. But the qualifications for admission 
 to the church are entirely unlike those of citizenship. To be a 
 member of the church, a mar must be a member of the body 
 of Christ, while the mere accident of birth within its territory 
 entitles him to the privileges of citizenship. No being but 
 Christ himself can alter the conditions of admission to his 
 church. For man to assume such an authority, would be 
 acknowledged as impious, if the frequent contemplation of the 
 wrong had not blinded us to its real moral character. By 
 what right, in the times of the apostles, could the emperor 
 have enacted that every Roman citizen should be a member 
 of the church of Christ ? And it is obvious that a govern- 
 ment possesses no higher authority over the church of Christ 
 at the present day, than at any preceding period. Religion 
 is, and ever has been, the intercourse which the spirit of 
 man holds with the unseen and uncreated Spirit ; and with it 
 no created being has any conceivable right to interfere. 
 
 Nor, again, can any one of the sects into which the disciples 
 of Christ are divided, claim for itself the exclusive title of the 
 Christian church. What sect can claim that all of its mem- 
 bers are the unfeigned disciples of Christ, and that all without 
 its pale are reprobates ? What sect of the Christian church is 
 so distinguished by a holy life, by abounding self-denial, by 
 victory over the world, and by universal charity, that, in the 
 sight of God or man, it can dare to claim such a preeminence ? 
 The sect which approached most nearly to the spirit of the 
 Master, would be the last to indulge in so arrogant an assump- 
 tion. Let any man take the New Testament in his hand, and, 
 selecting those passages which describe and define the charac- 
 
324 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 
 
 ter of a disciple of Christ, examine the fruits of the Spirit 
 which are produced by the different denominations of Chris- 
 tians with which he is acquainted, and he must be sadly biased 
 by prejudice, if he does not perceive in all of them, as com- 
 munities, a lamentable deficiency of spiritual religion ; while 
 it will be strange if he do not discover, among them all, some 
 of those who are honestly striving, according to their knowl* 
 edge, to do the will of Christ from the heart. True piety, 
 membership of the church universal, includes all of no sect ; it 
 excludes all of no sect ; but in every sect, as in every nation, 
 " he that feareth God is accepted of him." While, however, 
 I say this, I by no means would assert that differences in 
 religious opinion are matters of no importance ; or that any 
 one is forbidden, by the principles of charity, from proclaiming, 
 in all faithfulness and love, whatever he believes to be true. 
 All truth is good, for it comes from God ; and all error is evil, 
 for it is derived from the fountain of evil. But, while this is 
 granted, we should still remember, that it has not been given to 
 us to determine, in any particular case, what is the degree of 
 ignorance or error which shall exclude a man from the king- 
 dom of heaven. If he bear in his life the fruits of the Spirit, 
 we know that the Spirit of God must dwell with him, and we 
 know that, whatever be his errors, they are not, in his particular 
 case, fatal. This does not render his error the less erroneous, 
 nor does it prove that the same degree of error would be consist- 
 ent with salvation in the case of another. The admission that 
 his heart may be right, while his opinions are wrong, does not 
 make true what is false ; but it does furnish a reason why 
 notwithstanding his errors, we should honor the spirit of Christ 
 wherever we discover it, and by all Christian means strive tc 
 teach him the way of God more perfectly. 
 
 Hence, I think that we greatly err, if, in our efforts to extend 
 the kingdom of Christ, we confine our interests to the sect 
 to which we happen to belong; as though it were alone, or 
 even by way of eminence, the company of true disciples. 
 The kingdom of Christ is extended as the number of true 
 
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 325 
 
 believers is increased, and as new members are added to his 
 spiritual body, and in no other manner. Hence we should 
 rejoice unfeignedly in the progress of true piety in any sect, 
 and by any sect ; and we should, by such means as are in our 
 power, strive to promote it. To oppose it, or to undervalue 
 it, because it is not the work of the sect with which we are 
 connected, is unchristian and selfish. If a man cast out 
 devils in the name of Christ, we should imitate our Master's 
 example, and forbid him not, because he followeth not with 
 us. The Christian's watchword should ever be, Grace, mercy, 
 and peace, be multiplied unto all them that love the Lord 
 Jesus Christ. In this spirit should we labor, in this spirit 
 should we pray, and in this spirit should we rejoice in every 
 event which advances the cause of true godliness among men. 
 Again, as I have intimated before, the church of Christ is a 
 totally different thing from any form of ecclesiastical organiza- 
 tion. The various forms of church government are merely 
 accidents ; the church can exist in connection with any of them, 
 as it existed anterior to any of them. Nor have the two ideas 
 any essential or necessary connection. The external organ- 
 ization represents the union of men with each other; the 
 church of Christ represents the spiritual union of men to 
 Christ, who is the head. The two ideas may come practically 
 into diametrical opposition. It is very possible to construct an 
 organization by which men may be held together under a 
 particular name, and which will pledge them to uphold par- 
 ticular doctrines, and unite in the performance of particular 
 rites, even for a long succession of ages. This organization 
 may continue after the last vestige of true piety, and every 
 distinctive feature of spiritual Christianity has perished from 
 among them. Such is the fact, at the present moment, among 
 many of the nations denominated Christian. In many parts 
 of what is called Christendom, the veiy words of Christ are 
 kept from the people ; the doctrines of the cross are a griev- 
 ous offence, and the preaching of the gospel has been made 
 the occasion of persecution of which the heathen would be 
 28 
 
32G 
 
 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 
 
 ashamed ; and this persecution has been excited by ecclesi- 
 astics themselves, bearing the name of Christ, and claiming to 
 be the successors of the apostles. If, then, an organization 
 may unite men under the name of Christianity, while it culti- 
 vates inveterate hostility to the very teachings of Christ, — if, 
 while it claims to be the church of Christ, it persecutes unto 
 the death the true members of his body, — this organization and 
 the church of Christ, must be, as I have said, essentially differ- 
 ent communities. Nor do these remarks apply exclusively to 
 any particular form of ecclesiastical organization. The same 
 facts have at different times occurred in the history of them 
 all ; and they will occur again, until men shall have learned 
 that Christianity exists not in rites, but in the temper of heart 
 to God ; not in the letter, but in the spirit. 
 
 And I may add, that I do not perceive in what manner any 
 peculiar form of organization can be of special advantage 
 more than another to the cause of true religion. Some forms 
 have, I grant, a greater power of association than others, and 
 are better able to transmit names and creeds, and conformity 
 to external rites, from one age to another. But has any one 
 of them any power whatever to implant in the heart of fallen 
 man the principle of holiness ? to translate a soul from the 
 kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of Christ, and make it, by 
 the renewing of the Holy Spirit, a member of the body of 
 Christ? If not, in what respect can any of them advance 
 the real interests of the cause of Christ ? Of what value is 
 the power to retain the form, when there is no power to retain 
 the substance ? Of what use is it to bedeck the corpse with 
 the habiliments of life, when the spirit has departed ? I grant 
 that a sect possessing no general and central organization 
 must fall to pieces as soon as the animating spirit of piety has 
 left it. And is it not better that it should fall to pieces ? If 
 the body be dead, let it be buried ; it will otherwise become 
 a source of corruption. A company of men, calling them- 
 selves Christians, destitute of the spirit of Christ, are not of 
 Christ, but of the world. They belong not to Christ ; why 
 
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 327 
 
 should they wear his livery, and, by being false witnesses for 
 him, lead immortal souls to destruction ? The cause of Christ 
 and the welfare of man demand that they be disbanded. 
 " Let them be divided in Jacob and scattered in Israel." Let 
 the displeasure of God be seen to rest upon them. But let 
 them not hold the form of godliness while they deny its 
 power ; and, while they profess to be witnesses for Christ, by 
 their conduct declare that they are living without God in the 
 world. And I cheerfully accept this alternative with respect 
 to the sect with which I am connected. If it be not a pious 
 sect, earnestly engaged in the work of promoting the cause 
 of true godliness, as a distinct organization, it must perish. 
 It is better that it should. " If the salt have lost its savor, it 
 is meet that it be cast out, and trodden under foot of men." 
 The sole object for which a visible church is organized, 
 is to advance the cause of Christ by rendering men more 
 holy ; if it accomplish not this object, it is an offence which 
 ought to be removed, a moral nuisance which ought to be 
 abated. The principle which I thus apply to my own sect, 
 I may, as I hope, without offence, apply to every other sect 
 of the Christian church. • 
 
 In making these remarks, I shall not, I presume, be mis- 
 understood. I speak here as the advocate of no sect, but as, 
 I believe, in the true spirit of universal Christianity. In 
 addressing you, young gentlemen, I am of no sect. Never, 
 since I have been an instructor, — nay, I might, with truth, go 
 farther, — have I uttered a word with the conscious intention 
 of proselyting you to the denomination of which I am a 
 member. I have no right to use what little influence 1 may 
 possess, as an instructor, for such a purpose. You have all 
 your own religious preferences, as you are connected with 
 the different persuasions of Protestant Christianity. We 
 would have you enjoy these preferences to the uttermost; 
 and in this institution you have, from the beginning, enjoyed 
 them to the uttermost, not as a favor, but as an inalienable 
 right. We would say to you all, Search the Scriptures, each 
 
 
328 
 
 THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 
 
 one for himself ; and, by the exercise of your own under- 
 standings, ascertain what is the truth which Jesus Christ has 
 revealed to us. Having done this, unite yourselves, if you 
 have not yet done it, to that sect whose belief and practice 
 seem most in harmony with the teachings of the holy oracle. 
 Understand what you profess, and be always ready, as intelli- 
 gent men, to give to others a reason of your faith. But 
 guard yourselves against the notion that your sect is, in any 
 exclusive sense, the church of Christ, or that, in any special 
 sense, it imbodies the heirs of heaven or the favorites of God. 
 Reverence, and love, and imitate real piety, wherever you 
 may find it. Your great distinction is not that you are a 
 member of this or of that sect, but that you are a child of 
 God, and an humble, self-denying disciple of the blessed Savior. 
 Study, by all the means in your power, to advance the cause 
 of truth and holiness among men ; and rejoice as much and 
 as truly to witness the prosperity of religion among other 
 sects as in your own. This, if I understand it, is the spirit of 
 real, universal Christianity. This is the spirit exemplified by 
 Him who came to seek and to save them that were lost ; who 
 died to create in us a new life ; and who accepts the worship 
 of all who worship him in sincerity and truth. 
 
 And, finally, let this discussion teach us that our connection 
 with a particular sect is no evidence whatever that we are 
 members of the church of Christ. Sects are of human 
 origin, the work of man, and by the will of man are we 
 admitted to them. The disciple of Christ is born, not of the 
 will of man, but of God. The church of Christ is composed 
 exclusively of those that are new creatures in Christ Jesus, 
 who are crucified to the world, and are living by faith in 
 Jesus Christ. Let us not then deceive ourselves by living 
 contented with any mere profession of Christianity. Against 
 this fatal and most common error, our Lord has specially 
 forewarned us. " Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, 
 Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that 
 doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven." " Many 
 
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. 329 
 
 will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not proph- 
 esied in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils, and in 
 thy name done many wonderful works ? And then will j 
 profess unto them, I never knew you ; depart from me, ye. 
 that work iniquity." Let us, then, look far beyond our pro- 
 fession, and try ourselves by the temper of our hearts. " We 
 must judge ourselves if we would not be condemned." It is 
 moral character alone which unites us to Christ. It is the 
 indwelling of the Spirit which creates us the children of God 
 And if that Spirit dwell not in us, whatever be our profes- 
 sion, at the great day we shall be cast out as reprobates. 
 
 28* 
 
THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 " Neither prat I for these alone, but for them also that shall 
 
 BELIEVE ON ME THROUGH THEIR WORD; THAT THEY ALL MAY BK 
 ONE, AS THOU, FATHER, ART IN ME AND I IN THEE, THAT THEY 
 ALSO MAY BE ONE IN US; THAT THE WORLD MAY BELIEVE THAT 
 THOU HAST SENT ME." 
 
 John xvii. 20, 21, 
 
 Having, in the previous discourse, attempted to define the 
 character of the church of Christ, I proceed to inquire into 
 the nature of that unity for which the Redeemer, in the text, 
 makes supplication. 
 
 Does this unity consist in identity of knowledge } Plainly 
 not. The disciples of Christ differ in this respect as much 
 as other men. In the school of Christ are to be found the 
 child, whose intellect has but just begun to unfold itself, and the 
 sage, to whose teachings nations listen with reverence ; the 
 savage, who has not yet heard even the name of science, and 
 the philosopher, whose discoveries have filled the world with 
 his renown. Nor is this true alone of human knowledge. 
 There are to be found in the church of Christ believers, the 
 eyes of whose understandings have been but lately opened 
 upon the wonderful truths of redeeming love, as well as those 
 who, by the habitual contemplation of the doctrines of the 
 cross, have arrived at the stature of perfect men in Christ 
 Jesus. It is obvious that inasmuch as piety is a temper of 
 heart, it may exist amid every variety and with every degree 
 of spiritual knowledge. It cannot, therefore, be in identity 
 of knowledge that the unity spoken of in the text consists. 
 
 Does this unity consist in identity of opinion on all the 
 
THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 331 
 
 truths even of religion ? I answer again, Plainly not. Diver- 
 sity of knowledge, and of intellectual and spiritual culture, 
 must, by necessity, produce differences of opinion. The light 
 of the sun, always pure, always the same, is reflected in 
 different colors, as it falls upon the differently organized sur- 
 faces of the objects which surround us. So, the same truth 
 will be differently apprehended by men of unequal endow- 
 ments, of dissimilar attainments, and of diversified opportuni- 
 ties for spiritual cultivation. The apostle Paul, who had 
 profited in the Jews' religion above many who were his equals, 
 and had moreover "drunk deeply at the wells of classical learn- 
 ing, formed conceptions of divine truth very dissimilar to 
 those of a Jew who had devoted his whole life to the traditions 
 of the fathers, and whose intellectual thirst had been slaked 
 only at the streams which trickled, in muddy obscurity, from 
 the cisterns of rabbinical logomachy ; although both of them 
 might have truly submitted themselves to the teachings of 
 Jesus. Eveiy thing, as the schoolmen have said, is received 
 according to the nature of the recipient. Seed, under the 
 proper conditions of warmth and moisture, will spring up and 
 bear fruit any where ; but the vegetation will be more vigor- 
 ous, and the fruit richer and more abundant, in the well-tilled 
 field than on the stony and neglected heath. 
 
 But this is not all. The truths which are essential to salva- 
 tion are revealed to us in the Bible with indubitable clearness. 
 But, beyond these, there is much knowledge at which we 
 would gladly arrive, which has not been revealed, and con- 
 cerning which, we may form opinions, and nothing more than 
 opinions. On such subjects as these, it is not remarkable that 
 different opinions should be formed by men of dissimilar 
 degrees of knowledge and great variety of intellectual cul- 
 ture. And, still more, the Bible generally reveals to us facts ; 
 while the theoiy of these facts is commonly unrevealed. 
 When men form theories for the purpose of explaimng truth, 
 they will form them in harmony with their previous habits 
 of thought. Of these various theories, in explanation of a 
 
332 THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 particular fact, but one, at best, can be true, and most likely all 
 of them will be false, since it is very difficult for man to dis- 
 cover what God has seen fit to conceal. To illustrate my 
 meaning by a single case : The Bible reveals to us the fact of 
 man's universal sinfulness, and of a connection between this 
 sinfulness and the sin of our first parents. This is all that it 
 behoves us to know. This is sufficient to show the necessity 
 of a way of salvation by grace. This granted, all the doc- 
 trines that flow from it assume their position by the necessity 
 of reason, no less than by the teaching of revelation. But 
 the precise manner in which man at first becomes a sinner, 
 and the manner in which our moral constitution has been 
 affected by the sin of Adam, have not, that I know of, been 
 any where revealed ; and yet, on these questions, how many 
 volumes have been written, how many controversies waged, 
 and how much animosity excited ! All men who receive the 
 Bible as a revelation from heaven must agree as to the 
 revealed fact ; but they may all differ among themselves in 
 respect to the unrevealed theory. And yet it is in respect to 
 this unrevealed theory that they have so fiercely insisted upon 
 uniformity of opinion. The same remarks apply with equal 
 force to the controversies which have been waged respecting 
 the doctrines of the sovereignty of God and the free agency of 
 man. It is evident, then, that the unity of the church of God 
 does not consist in identity of belief in matters of opinion. 
 
 Does the unity of the Christian church consist in uniformity 
 of practice, even in matters strictly religious ^ I answer 
 again. Clearly not. This uniformity of practice did not exist 
 even in apostolic times, and under the preaching of inspired 
 teachers themselves. There was seen in the church at Rome 
 considerable diversity of practice. " One believed that he 
 might eat all things, another would eat only herbs." " One 
 man esteemed one day above another, another esteemed every 
 day alike." So, in the church at Corinth, there were some 
 who, knowing that the whole system of mythology was a 
 childish absurdity, could, without offence, eat the flesh of an 
 
THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 333 
 
 animal that had been killed in sacrifice to an idol j others, 
 whose minds were not freed from early associations, refused to 
 do it. In other churches, again, there were those who believed 
 that the rite of circumcision should be observed for the sake 
 of expediency ; others wholly rejected it. Tiie apostle Paul 
 by no means condemned these differences of opinion or of 
 practice. He merely taught that every one should be fully 
 persuaded in his own mind, and that, whatever might be his 
 practice,4ie should observe it, because he believed that, in so 
 doing, he would be most acceptable to God. He held forth 
 the principle by which every disciple of Christ must be 
 governed, — " No man liveth to himself, and no man dieth to 
 himself; " and allowed every man to apply it to his own case, 
 in matters of this kind, as his own understanding and con- 
 science should direct. I do not perceive any other manner in 
 which an intelligent moral agent, accountable to God, can be 
 guided in^the path of his duty. 
 
 In the Scriptures, the principles which should govern us in 
 our relations to God, and in our essential relations to man, are 
 clearly made known. It is required of us, that honestly, and 
 in the fear of God, we govern our lives in conformity to them. 
 But among the varieties of human character and education, and 
 amid the exigencies of human condition, it is not possible that 
 all men should apply these principles in the same manner and to 
 the same things. The revealed will of God may seem to one 
 man to render obligatoiy a course of action, as in the case of the 
 Romans alluded to, which to another seems indifferent. Hence, 
 if each one obeys what he believes to be the will of God, 
 there must arise diversity of practice. The moral law teaches 
 that, in these cases, where nothing is definitely prescribed, 
 each one do, from the heart, what he believes to be com- 
 manded, or, in the words of the apostle, that every one be 
 fully persuaded in his own mind. And the same apostle 
 teaches us that, on account of these differences of practice, " no 
 one should judge his brother, and no one should set at nought 
 his brother, since we must all appear before the judgment 
 
334 THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 seat of Christ, and It is to the Master alone that every one of 
 us standeth or falleth. 
 
 Hence it will appear, that since the unity of the Christian 
 church allows of all these differences both in opinion and 
 practice, it preswpposes the full enjoyment of the right of pri- 
 vate judgment. It imposes upon us no obligation to believe 
 according to the decisions of councils or synods, or ministers 
 or prelates, or the sect, or party, to which we belong. What 
 God requires us to believe, he has clearly made known to the 
 understanding of each one of us, and what is left to our own 
 inferences is not a matter for the dictation of our fellow-men. 
 In the concerns of religion, no created beings can interpose 
 between the soul and God ; nor can any combinaion of men, 
 without daring impiety, either add to or take from aught that 
 God has commanded. With these views, the disciple of Christ 
 unites himself with that community of Christians whose views 
 harmonize most nearly with his own. He unites with them, 
 in preference to others, because his belief and practice are in 
 conformity with theirs ; but he neither believes a doctrine nor 
 performs a duty because he has united with them. Neither his 
 sect nor his church can impose upon him any duty which the 
 Master has not imposed. The point of union with each other 
 is not obedience to ecclesiastical authority, but a similar under- 
 standing of the commands of the Master who is head over all. 
 
 The unity of the church of Christ cannot proceed from 
 without ; it must proceed from within. We cannot, with a good 
 conscience towards God, either believe or act as our fellow- 
 men shall direct; but we must believe what our intellect 
 teaches us to be true, and do what our conscience, enlightened 
 by the revelation from God, declares to be right. Nor, if we 
 should choose to disobey this elementary instinct of our moral 
 nature, could we by this suicidal sacrifice attain to unity. 
 Suppose we choose to surrender our intellect and conscience 
 into the hands of ecclesiastical teachers, — what teachers shall 
 wo select ? Those who claim the right to exercise dominion 
 ovor our faith, differ among themselves as widely as we should 
 
THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 33D 
 
 differ by the exercise of private judgment. We should gain 
 nothing by the change ; while, in submitting our conscience to 
 man, we have bowed down to the creature instead of the 
 Creator. Nay, more : if our Christian brethren, whether they 
 be clergy or laity, assume authority over our conscience, and 
 demand that we shall believe or act, in matters of religion, 
 because they have so enacted, and not because Christ has 
 commanded it, they are guilty of lording it over God's heritage, 
 and their conduct merits nothing but contempt and detestation. 
 
 We inquire, then. In what does the unity of the church, 
 spoken of in the text, really consist ? I answer. It consists in 
 identity of moral affections, in a right temper of heart towards 
 God and towards our fellow-men. After what I have said in 
 the preceding discourse, a few remarks will suffice to illustrate 
 this part of our subject. 
 
 I have said that every member of the true church of Christ 
 is a member of the body of Christ, and is pervaded by the 
 spirit of Christ. The Spirit of God dwells in his heart, influ- 
 encing him to do those things, and to exercise those affections, 
 that are well pleasing to God. . " If a man have not the spirit 
 of Christ, he is none of his." " And as many as are led by 
 the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." There is, then, 
 one infinite, all-wise, and all-holy Spirit to lead them all ; there 
 is in every one of them a disposition to be led by that Spirit. 
 They must, then, all be taught alike ; they must cherish the 
 same moral affections, and be conformed to the same image — 
 the image of Christ, who is the head. Identity of moral 
 character, then, flows by necessity from renewal of heart and 
 sanctification of the spirit ; without which no rhan can be a 
 disciple of Jesus Christ. 
 
 Those who are taught by the Spirit of God have the same 
 moral affections to God. They look up to him as a reconciled 
 Father in Christ Jesus ; to him they joyfully surrender up their 
 affections and their will ; they desire that not their will, but his, 
 should be done ; they mourn over their past sins and their 
 present misdoings ; and, looking for pardon through his well- 
 
336 THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 beloved Son, earnestly, and above all things, desire to be deliv- 
 ered from the power of evil, and to be made perfect in holiness. 
 " They have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, 
 but the spirit of adoption, whereby they cry, Abba, Father." 
 
 Those who are taught of the Spirit have the same affections 
 towards men. There is implanted in their bosoms the spirit of 
 universal love. All men are their brethren — brethren for 
 whom Christ died ; and " if he laid down his life for us," his 
 spirit teaches us that " we ought to lay down our lives for the 
 brethren." The pen of inspiration has delineated the fea- 
 tures of that temper towards man which dwells in the heart 
 of every disciple of Christ, without which, whatever be our 
 profession, we are as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. 
 " Charity suffereth long and is kind, charity envieth not, charity 
 vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself 
 unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh 
 no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 
 beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, 
 endureth all things." Such is the temper towards man which 
 the Holy Spirit creates in the heart of every disciple of Christ. 
 
 Again : the spirit of Christ proposes the same object of living 
 for every true member of his body. The believer has been 
 redeemed, not with corruptible things, but with the precious 
 blood of Christ. All were dead, and " Christ died for all, that 
 we, which live, should not live unto ourselves, but unto him 
 which died for us and rose again." By the principle of grat- 
 itude, then, as a redeemed sinner, no less than of original duty 
 as a creature of God, he is under obligation to consecrate all 
 that he possesses, and all that he is, to the cause of Christ. 
 His object of life is not to secure to himself the honors, or 
 pleasures, or riches, or power of the present life ; but to con- 
 tend against all sin, and advance the Avhole race, as well as 
 himself, in all goodness, so that the will of God may be done 
 on earth as it is in heaven. 
 
 Such, then, is the manifestation of the Spirit in every 
 renewed soul. Such is the peculiar type of character which 
 
THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 337 
 
 the religion of the Bi])le creates and cultivates in the heart of 
 every one who is a member of the body of Christ. In all 
 ages, these elements of character may be discovered, wherever 
 a man has been born of the Spirit. It is in this respect that 
 thiC church is one. These moral dispositions umte together the 
 saints of all ages, and nations, and of every variety of mental 
 culture ; and also unite the church on earth to the " general 
 assembly and church of the first-born who are written in 
 heaven." That this type of character ever exists in perfection 
 amid the ignorance and blindness of earth, of course, I do 
 not assert. It was only realized .without spot or blemish, in 
 the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world, and, 
 by his perfect obedience and death, wrought out our redemp- 
 tion. His disciples make nearer and nearer approaches to it 
 as they make greater and greater attainments in holiness. But 
 no one is a disciple of Christ who does not set the holy 
 example of his Master before him, and honestly, earnestly, and 
 above all things else, strive, in the temper of his heart and the 
 practice of his life, to be transformed into the same image. 
 
 But, it may reasonably be asked. Does not such a temper 
 of heart presuppose some identity of belief, and is not therefore 
 a peculiar belief necessary to salvation ? I reply. It is evident 
 that our affections must be the result of our knowledge. No 
 man can come to God, unless he believe that there is a God. 
 No man can love God as a Father, unless he have some suit- 
 able conceptions of the character of God. No man can 
 believe in Christ, unless he know what Christ has done for 
 him. It is, therefore, evident that, unless there be a belief of 
 the truth, there can never exist the affections which are its 
 natural result. Fatal error begins where a man's belief on 
 matters of religion is inconsistent with those tempers of heart 
 which unite the soul to Christ. This point may not be the 
 same in all persons, and under various circumstances of edu- 
 cation and knowledge. God knows where it is for each one 
 of us, but I do not know that he has revealed it to us. If 
 we honestly, earnestly, and humbly seek for the truth, we 
 29 
 
333 THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 shall never fall into fatal error. Hence, for a good and pious 
 man to be lost, because he does not believe a particular doc- 
 trine, is impossible. No man is lost simply because of his 
 belief; but because that belief is of such a nature that it is 
 inconsistent with goodness and piety ; and because he has 
 sinfully clung to his error, turning away from all the light 
 which a compassionate God has thrown around him. 
 
 But it may be well for us to examine this question by the 
 light of history, and inquire whether it be the fact, that this 
 identity of moral character has, in all ages, been manifested in 
 the lives of those whom the^ Bible designates as the children 
 of God. Have those who have subjected themselves to the 
 teachings of revelation, exhibited the same moral affections to 
 God, the same love to man, and the same unity of object ? 
 
 All these questions may, I think, be easily answered in the 
 affirmative. A peculiar and unique form of character is 
 clearly to be observed in all those who are called the children 
 of God, from the beginning of the inspired record to the present 
 moment. It is totally unlike any form of character elsewhere 
 to be observed ; it is derived from moral views which this 
 world does not present ; it is not indigenous to our nature in 
 its present lapsed condition ; it is eveiy where similar to itself, 
 and unlike the world around it ; and every where it reveals 
 itself as the meet preparation for the society of that " city 
 which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." 
 
 Take, if you will, the example of Abraham. Observe the 
 filial confidence in God, the profound and unhesitating submis- 
 sion to his will, which shone forth in the whole life of this 
 venerable patriarch ; add to this, his meek and self-sacrificing 
 love of peace, — though he was a man of Oriental loftiness of 
 spirit, — and his interceding earnestness in behalf of the doomed 
 cities of the plain ; and you instantly recognize the elements 
 of that character, which, under both the Old Testament and 
 the New, designate a man as the friend of God, and an inher- 
 itor of the gloiy that shall be revealed. Make the allowance 
 which belongs to difference of condition and culture, and you 
 
THE I'NITY OF THE CHURCH. 339 
 
 observe the same moral affections governing the life of Moses, 
 *' who chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God 
 than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season ; " who, for forty 
 years, bore with meekness the contradiction of his brethren in 
 the wilderness, and refused the offei of being himself made a 
 great nation, lest his people should be destroyed, and the name 
 of God dishonored. You perceive the same, or similar ele- 
 ments, in the character of Samuel, the patriot seer ; of David, 
 the warrior minstrel ; of Isaiah, the seraphic prophet, and of 
 the other messengers of Heaven, who recalled their country- 
 men from the worship of idols, and revealed to them the holi- 
 ness and the compassion of the God of Abraham. 
 
 And, besides this, the form of moral character which these 
 men exemplified has been the study of the godly through all 
 subsequent time. Their trains of thought on other subjects 
 have, for ages, been forgotten ; and could they be recalled, 
 there would be scarcely any thing on earth with which they 
 would now be in analogy. But the saint, walking in darkness, 
 when eveiy thing else has failed him but the promise of God, 
 still strengthens his faith by meditating upon the example of 
 Abraham. The confessor, who has surrendered all for Christ, 
 remembers the example of Moses, and is comforted. The 
 penitent sorrowing for sin, and the believer rejoicing in God, 
 can find no language in which he can so adequately pour 
 forth the deep emotions of his soul, as in that of David and 
 of Asaph. Thus the pious, in all ages, have acknowledged 
 themselves the children of those, who, under the comparative 
 darkness of a distant dispensation, trusted in God ; and, in the 
 consciousness of moral feeling identical with theirs, joyfully 
 accepted the evidence that they were the followers of those 
 " who, through faith and patience, inherited the promises." 
 
 Or take, for instance, the ages which intervened between 
 the early period of the church and the Protestant reformation, 
 and, amidst the darkness which so long brooded over our race, 
 under the despotism of an ignorant, profligate, and apostate 
 priesthood, you will find that God, even then, did not leave 
 
840 
 
 THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 himself without a witness. Scattered here and thare, amidst 
 the millions of Christian idolaters, you might find the true 
 successors of the apostles — men who, following in the footsteps 
 of Christ, were renouncing the world, living for heaven, shed- 
 ding aiound them the lustre of a holy example, and cherishing 
 in their hearts the true love of man. Such men as Bernard, 
 Thomas a Kempis, Huss, WicklifTe, and the Waldenses of 
 Piedmont, taking the word of God for the rule of their lives, 
 and the consolations of the gospel for the ground of their hope, 
 handed down, through successive ages, the light of everlasting 
 truth to those for whom was reserved the dawn of a brighter 
 and more illustrious day. 
 
 Since the reformation, the disciples of Christ have con- 
 stituted for themselves different sects, as was natural, and 
 without offence. On the various points upon which they have 
 differed, there have arisen controversy, disputation, and fre- 
 quently collision ; although this latter has almost always ori- 
 ginated in the unchristian and oppressive union of the church 
 with the state. But, notwithstanding all this, the essential 
 union of which I have spoken has been preserved among the 
 true, not nominal, disciples of Christ. Where is the Protestant 
 whose spirit has not been purified while listening to the per- 
 suasive piety and meek wisdom of Fenelon, or whose knowl- 
 edge of his own heart has not been extended, while its deep 
 recesses have been explored by the searching eloquence of 
 Massillon ? What member of the whole church of Christ has 
 not trodden in the steps of the " Pilgrim " of Bunyan ? Whose 
 aspirations after holiness have not been quickened by reading 
 the " Saints' Rest " of Baxter ? Where is the man, of any 
 sect, who has not derived spiritual advantage from the " Rise 
 and Progress " of Doddridge ? Who of us has not examined 
 his title to heaven more carefully by the aid derived from 
 the " Treatise on the Religious Affections " of Edwards ? 
 Whose devotions have not been animated by the prayers and 
 meditations of Bishops Andrews, Wilson, and Hall.? In 
 bringing our spirits under the influence of these works, and 
 
THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 341 
 
 such as these, we forget tliat there ever have been sects in the 
 Christian church ; we feel that the words of tiiese holy men 
 express the inmost sentiments of our souls ; we are conscious 
 that we and they are ope whh Christ and one with each other ; 
 and we long for the time when, having put aside these bodies 
 of flesh, our union with them shall be perfected before the 
 throne of God and the l^amb. 
 
 The authors whose names I have mentioned were, some of 
 them at least, among the most voluminous among the writers 
 even of theological controversy. Their treatises and dispu- 
 tations on topics incidental to piety would of themselves form, 
 in amount, no contemptible theological library ; and the bare 
 enumeration of them would exhaust the time that remains to 
 us of this discourse. But these works are now almost for- 
 gotten, and they have been transferred from the hands of the 
 student to those of the antiquarian. The works by which these 
 truly great men are now known, and through means of whic?* 
 they are now loved and revered, are precisely those which 
 tend to cultivate in the heart of man true love to God and 
 universal charity to man. When they treated on these topics, 
 they touched a chord which awakened a corresponding vibra- 
 tion in every heart that had been attuned by the Spirit of God. 
 These are the works which the sons of God would not willingly 
 let die, while all the rest they have consented to surrender to 
 oblivion. Thus it is that the piety of a soul in any age 
 awakens a moral sympathy in the pious souls of eveiy suc- 
 ceeding age. Though centuries may intervene between their 
 sojourning on earth, each one acknowledges the other as a 
 brother, and, forgetting the matters of opinion on which they 
 may have differed, encircles him in the embrace of Christian 
 fellowship, and humbly endeavors to tread in the footsteps 
 of those " who, through faith and patience, have inherited the 
 promises." 
 
 Now, in all this, I cannot but believe that there is something 
 which could not have existed were not the religion taught by 
 the Bible a revelation from Heaven. Here is a type of char- 
 29* 
 
342 
 
 THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 acter peculiar and by itself, and, in many respects, decidedly 
 at variance with the ordinary principles of human nature. It 
 exists the same under every modification of revealed truth ; it 
 passes onward, through the current of controversy, without 
 becoming commingled with it; every where it is recognized 
 by every one who possesses it, and it unites them all in the 
 brotherhood of the Spirit. It is designated by the exercise of 
 the same affections, by the cherishing of the same hopes, and 
 the dread of the same dangers; its sentiments in the most 
 distant ages, and amidst every variety of social condition, are 
 expressed by the same identical language ; it tends ever to the 
 same result ; and all who possess it rejoice in the prospect of 
 meeting the same Savior, with all his redeemed ones, in the 
 same mansions of everlasting rest. If this be so, then, surely, 
 in so far as this, the prayer of the Savior has been answered ; 
 those that believe on him are one, and this unity is an abiding 
 evidence that the Father has sent him. 
 
 And, lastly, it is clearly the will of Christ that this unity of 
 his disciples should be manifested to the world. He prays 
 " that they may be one, that the world may believe that the 
 Father has sent him." But the world cannot be convinced by 
 the fact, unless, by our conduct, the fact be made obvious. He 
 requires that those who are members of his body should con- 
 fess their union with him before men. For the same reason, 
 he requires that those who are members of each other should 
 witness by their brotherly love the same confession. He him- 
 self gave the first illustration of this love by declaring it para- 
 mount to every other form of aflection. " He stretched forth 
 his hand towards his disciples, and said. Behold my mother and 
 my bi'ethren ; for whosoever shall do the will of my Father, 
 who is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and 
 mother." And, in the times of the apostles, and afterwards, 
 this more than fraternal love of the disciples of Christ was 
 fully and nobly exemplified. It was the -jniversal badge of 
 discipleship. " We know that we have passed from death 
 unto life, because we love the brethren." " Every one thai 
 
THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 343 
 
 loveth is bom of God, and knoweth God." And, in the early 
 ages of the church, the manifestation of this love amid perse- 
 cution unto death, became one of the most convincing proofs 
 of the reality of religion. The heathen every where confessed 
 that they knew of no principles which were capable of pro- 
 ducing such effects, and were obliged to admit that love such 
 as this was of God. 
 
 And, if this be true, it is also true that the manifestation of 
 this love is^n end to be desired for itself. It is an incom- 
 parable blessing, a source of pure, elevated, and ennobling joy, 
 and it is one of the means which Christ himself has appointed 
 for the conversion of the world. Were it exemplified as Christ 
 and his apostles exemplified it, it would furnish a stronger and 
 more convincing argument for the authenticity of the mission 
 of Christ, than all the works of controversy that have ever 
 been written. 
 
 If, then, the visible manifestation of this unity be in itself so 
 desirable, it is an object for which we are bound to make 
 sacrifices. We should sacrifice to it our love of sectarian 
 aggrandizement, our desire to control the opinions of our 
 brethren, our strife for ecclesiastical power, and even, if it be 
 necessary, the good opinion of the members of our own sect. 
 Christ, and the members of his spiritual body, should be dearer 
 to us than any human organization. If it be not so, where is 
 our love of Christ ? And if it be asked. How far shall this 
 sacrifice be carried ? I answer, Up to the point of the sacrifice 
 of principle. We cannot, for the sake of unity, do wrong, or 
 be the parties to wrong-doing ; we cannot declare that to be 
 true which we believe to be false ; or perform, as an ordinance 
 of Christ, what we do not believe that Christ has commanded. 
 When this limit meets us, we can go no farther. To go far- 
 ther than this, would be to surrender up a conscience void of 
 offc^nce, and to value union with men more than union with 
 Christ. But so far as this it is our duty to go. We should 
 testify our love to our real brethren in Christ, by uniting with 
 them in every thing, so far as we can do it without the 
 
344 THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 surrender of truth and a good conscience. When this limit 
 has been reached, we must separate ; but we should separate, 
 not in unkindness, but in mutual love ; cooperating in all 
 things, where we can do it honestly ; regretting that we can- 
 not cooperate in all, and always " keeping the unity of the 
 spirit in the bond of peace." He who is not willing to do 
 this, has mnch yet to learn of the spirit of Christ. He who is 
 willing to render wider the apparent breaches which already 
 exist between the various persuasions of Christians, and, by 
 magnifying their points of difference, withdraw them farther 
 and farther from each other, is wounding Christ in the house 
 of his friends, and holding up the church of Christ to the 
 merited reproach of a thoughtless and gamsaymg world. 
 
 And if it be demanded, in what way may we cultivate 
 in our own hearts, and make manifest to others, this spirit of 
 universal love to the whole body of Christ, the answer, from 
 what has been already said, is obvious. We cannot do it by 
 striving to convert all men to our individual opinions. To do 
 this, is manifestly impossible, when men enjoy freedom of 
 discussion and investigation. Why should we wish to do it 
 until we ourselves become omniscient and infallible ? Nor 
 should we strive to bring all men to imitate our particular 
 practice. Differences in action must follow from the neces- 
 sary differences of opinion. Why should we judge another 
 man's servant ? " To his own master he standeth or falleth." 
 After faithfully and kindly setting forth the reasons of our 
 belief and practice, we should rest. But we must go farther. 
 Having done this, we must still strive for unity. We must do 
 this by cultivating in our own hearts a more fervent love to 
 Christ ; and just in proportion to our love to him will be our 
 love to his image, as it is displayed in the members of his 
 spiritual body. Overlooking the narrow limits of sect and 
 party, we should cultivate a spirit of universal love to the 
 whole assembly of the redeemed of eveiy age, of every sect, 
 and of every variety of social condition. Wherever the spirit 
 of Christ manifests itself, there it should be sure of our sym- 
 
THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 345 
 
 pathy. Whenever our brethren are in adversity, we should 
 proffer them our aid ; whenever they are in prosperity, we 
 should rejoice in their success. Wherever they are laboring 
 to advance the interests of truth and righteousness, we should 
 remember them, without ceasing, at the throne of grace, and 
 unite our efforts with theirs, as we may have opportunit)^ 
 It is thus that we shall bring the spirit of Heaven down upon 
 earth, and it shall be seen that God is in the midst of us of a 
 truth. Though separated in matters of opinion, as must be the 
 case with honest, independent men, the disciples of Christ will 
 still be one, and the world will believe that he is the Messiah 
 sent by the Father. 
 
THE DIJTY OF OBEDIENCE TO THE 
 CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 "Render therefore unto Cjesar the things that are Cesar's, 
 AND unto God the things that are God's." 
 
 Matthew xxii. 21, 
 
 This sentence was spoken by our Lord in reply to a ques- 
 tion of casuistry presented for his decision by the Pharisees 
 and Herodians of Jerusalem. It teaches us, that a disciple of 
 Christ is under a moral obligation to obey the civil authority, 
 but that there are limitations within which that obligation is 
 restricted. I propose to ascertain the meaning of the passage, 
 and then to derive from it such instructions as may be appro- 
 priate to the condition of a Christian citizen at the present day. 
 
 At the time when the conversation was held, of which the 
 text forms a part, Judea was a Roman province. Its king 
 was an Idumean, who held his autKority under the Emperor 
 Tiberius. Every important city through the Holy Land was 
 garrisoned by Roman soldiery. The common currency of the 
 nation was Roman coin. The law which transcended every 
 other law, and to which every citizen had the right to appeal, 
 was Roman law. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 
 was worshipped only by sufferance. Every thing bore testi- 
 mony to the fact, that the independence of the kingdom of 
 David had passed away, and that Judea lay prostrate at the 
 feet of the mistress of the world. 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 347 
 
 It was under these circumstances that the Pharisees and 
 Herodians, waiving for the present their differences of opinion, 
 agreed upon a question to be submitted to our Lord, for the 
 sake of entangUng him in his talk. They were unable to con- 
 ceive how he could possibly answer it, without embroiling 
 himself either with the people or the government. " Master," 
 said they, " we know that thou art true, and teachest the way 
 of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man, for thou 
 regardest not the person of men. Tell us, therefore, what 
 thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Csesar, or 
 not?" 
 
 The question thus artfully proposed, was intended, I pre- 
 sume, to suggest some such considerations as the following : 
 This land was given to Abraham, and to us his posterity, foi 
 an everlasting possession. The family of David was selected 
 by the Most High to be our hereditary rulers. We are the 
 worshippers of the true God, while all other nations are sense- 
 less idolaters. The payment of tribute is an acknowledgment 
 of submission to an authority which we believe to be usurped. 
 By doing it we profess to receive as magistrate, and reverence 
 as sovereign, a man who has never been appointed by God to 
 govern us ; nay, more, we acknowledge the right of unclean 
 idolaters to bear rule over the chosen worshippers of Jehovah. 
 Coming to Jesus, — as a teacher sent from God, a personage 
 hicapable of being swayed by the fear of man, who in a matter 
 of right would look unawed upon the whole power of the Ro- 
 man empire, — they ask him what, under these circumstances, 
 they shall do. Can persons of as tender consciences a§ we, 
 say they, pay this tribute without sin ? or must we refuse, and 
 bring upon ourselves all the consequences of resistance to the 
 civil authority ? 
 
 This was not the first, nor has it been the last time in which 
 the rights of conscience have been pleaded as an excuse for 
 deliberate wickedness. All this our Lord knew perfectly well. 
 The question, however, in itself, was one of grave importance. 
 Our Lord proceeded to answer it just as though th^ motive 
 
348 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 which prompted it had been ever so innocent. He, in very- 
 few words, announces the rule by which his disciples in all 
 ages should be directed in their relations to the civil govern- 
 ment. Let us proceed to examine this rule. 
 
 " Show me a penny," said he. " Whose image and super- 
 scription hath it ? " That is, whom doth this piece of money 
 testify to be the actual sovereign of this country ? " They 
 say unto him, Caesar's." They thus acknowledge that their 
 actual sovereign is CfEsar. " Render, therefore," said he, 
 " unto Csesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the 
 things that are God's." Csesar, you perceive, is here put for 
 the chief magistrate of the nation, the organ of civil govern- 
 ment, the agent of civil society. The precept of our Lord 
 then is, render to the civil government whatever is due to the 
 civil government, and to God whatever is due to God. And 
 you will observe that, in this connection, the precept to ren- 
 der unto God the things that are God's, is not absolute, but 
 relative. It is not the simple command to worship, revere, 
 and love our Father who is in heaven. It has special refer- 
 ence to the case in which there may seem to arise a collision 
 between these two duties. Whenever such a case occurs, 
 we, as beings responsible for all our acts to God, are bound 
 deliberately to consider it. We are to determine precisely 
 what belongs to the civil government, and then, as citizens 
 and as Christians, we are under moral obligation to render it. 
 But, then, in this, as in every other case, we are bound to 
 consider also what belongs unto God. Nothing must ehher 
 tempt or affright us from obedience to him. His claim over 
 us transcends that of the civil magistrate. We ought to obey 
 God, rather than man. And we may be confident, that, in 
 obeying him, we shall never violate any duty which we owe 
 to the magistracy, for if the magistracy command us to dis- 
 obey God, it has transcended its proper powers, its commands 
 are of no authority, and a Christian must not obey them. 
 
 There can be no doubt, however, that our Lord intended 
 to direct them to pay the tribute money. He knew that they 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 349 
 
 would *be called upon for it, and he offers no reason why they 
 should not pay it. But he goes farther. " Show me," said 
 he, " the trihute money. Whose image and superscription 
 liath it 7 They say unto him, Caesar's." Holding it up 
 before them, or pointing to it, as I presume he did, he replies, 
 " Render unto Csesar Caesar's things." That is to say, this 
 tribute money, on which his image is engraved and his name 
 is written, belongs to Caesar, and to him let it be paid. Now, 
 this decision, if 1 mistake not, throws some light upon another 
 question, which, in this connection, is very likely to be raised. 
 It teaches us that Christianity has nothing to do with the forms 
 of human government. The people were at this time living 
 under an absolute monarchy. The reigning sovereign was a 
 tyrant of atrocious wickedness. And yet our Lord directs 
 that the government be respected and the tribute paid. He 
 neither inquires into the title of Tiberius to the throne of the 
 empire, nor the right of tlie empire to rule over Judea. He 
 simply asks, " Whose is this image and superscription ? " that 
 is, what is the government actually established ? and he 
 commands them to render to that government its due. I do 
 not say that Christianity forbids us to entertain preferences in 
 regard to the forms of government. I do not say that Chris- 
 tianity does not create a tendency to free institutions. I firmly 
 believe that it does. Teaching universal equality of right, it 
 could not do otherwise. All the true freedom on earth springs 
 essentially from the gospel. It is intended, however, to im- 
 prove the condition of civil society, not by revolution and 
 bloodshed, but by instilling into our bosoms a spirit of piety 
 towards God, and of justice and mercy towards men. While 
 Christianity is doing this, it is rendering good government 
 necessary, and bad government impracticable. In the mean 
 time, it treats every existing government in obedience to the 
 precept given in the text. The civil authority is established ; 
 the image is stamped, and the superscription is engraved. 
 The evidence of the actual existence of this authority is in 
 the hands of every man. Its precept then is. Render to 
 30 
 
350 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 society, as represented by the magistracy of its choice; what- 
 ever society can rightfully claim. Such I understand to be 
 ^the teaching of Jesus Christ. 
 
 This is, however, only a part of our Savior's precept. The 
 remainder is at least equally important. " Render unto God 
 the things that are God's." That is, Csesar may claim things 
 which belong to God, and these must never be rendered to 
 Csesar. While the Lord expressly teaches the duty of obe- 
 dience to the civil magistrate, he forewarns his disciples that 
 cases may arise in which such obedience would be treason 
 against God. " Thus," saith he, " they will deliver you up to 
 the councils, and will scourge you in the synagogues, and you 
 shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for 
 a testimony against them and the Gentiles. What I tell you 
 in darkness, that speak ye in the light, and what ye hear in 
 the ear, that preach ye upon the house-tops. And fear not 
 them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul ; but 
 rather fear Him that is able to destroy both soul and body in 
 hell." And the manner in which the apostles understood 
 this commandment of our Lord, we may learn very clearly 
 from their conduct immediately after his resurrection. When 
 Peter and John were forbidden by the Sanhedrim to speak at 
 all or to teach in the name of Jesus, they answered, " Whether 
 it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than 
 unto God, judge ye ; for we cannot but speak the things which 
 we have seen and heard." And when they were discharged 
 from arrest, the burden of their prayer was, " And now. Lord, 
 behold their threatenings, and grant unto thy servants that 
 with all boldness they may speak thy word." A few days 
 afterwards, they were again arrested, and the high priest asked 
 them, saying, " Did we not strictly command you, that ye 
 should not teach in this name ? and behold, ye have filled 
 Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's 
 blood upon us." * To this accusation, the noble reply of the 
 
 * They had arraigned the civil magistrate before the bar of Eternal 
 Justice. *' Him ye have taken, and Avith wicked hands have crucified 
 and slain." 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 351 
 
 apostle was merely this : " We* ought to obey God rather than 
 men ; " and he forthwith began to preach to the high priest 
 himself the same gospel which he had been forbidden to 
 preach among the people. 
 
 Here, then, the disciple of Christ seems to be furnished 
 with two apparently opposite rules of conduct. By the first 
 he is commanded to obey the civil magistrate, without asking 
 many of the questions which men are commonly disposed to 
 ask on this subject. By the second, he is commanded to pay 
 no respect to the civil magistrate whatever, but to act just as 
 he would if such a magistracy did not exist. How, then, are 
 we to harmonize these two apparently conflicting precepts ? 
 When are we to obey, and when are we to disobey ? 
 
 This seeming contradiction can only be explained by sup- 
 posing that the authority of society, and of government, which 
 is its agent, is a limited authority. This is intimated in the 
 words of the text, " Render unto Caesar the things which are 
 CcBsar''s ; " that is, there are certain things which are not 
 Caesar's, and to which he can claim no right. The authority 
 of the magistracy is conferred for definite and specified 
 objects, and it must accomplish these objects by innocent 
 means. So long as it confines itself to its appropriate objects, 
 and seeks to accomplish them by innocent means, Jesus Christ 
 commands us to yield to it implicit obedience. When, on the 
 other hand, it undertakes to accomplish objects for which no 
 authority has been conferred upon it, or attempts to accom- 
 plish them by means which Christ has forbidden, the gospel 
 imposes upon us no obligation to obey it ; nay, it may com- 
 mand us to disobey it. 
 
 This distinction renders it necessary for us to inquire. What 
 are the legitimate objects for the accomplishment of which 
 civil government is established ? To this question let us 
 briefly direct our attention. 
 
 The great object for which civil government is established 
 among men, I suppose to be, to protect every man in the 
 enjoyment of those rights which have been conferred upon 
 him by his Creator. 
 
352 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 Every man is conscious thaf he is an independent moral 
 agent, responsible to God for the use of the powers with which 
 he is endowed, and at hberty, so far as man is concerned, to 
 use them as he will, provided he do not interfere with the cor- 
 respondent rights of his neighbor. The muscles, the sinews, 
 the senses, the whole body of a man, are his own ; and, pro- 
 vided he use them without injury to another, he may use them 
 as he will. He has a perfect right to the natural results arising 
 from the labor of his body, in what manner soever that labor 
 may have been employed. His mind is his own. He may 
 acquire with it such knowledge as he chooses, and, under the 
 limitation above suggested, may disseminate that knowledge as 
 he pleases among his fellow-men. He has a right to obey 
 with perfect freedom the dictates of his conscience, that is, to 
 worship God in such manner as he pleases, or not to worship 
 him at all. The worshipping or the not worshipping cannot 
 come under the cognizance of the civil magistrate, so long as 
 the man refrains from infringement upon the rights of his 
 neighbor. 
 
 But it is found that men are not naturally disposed to obey 
 these obvious dictates of justice. Every man is more or less 
 disposed to appropriate to himself the property or labor of 
 another, to restrict him in the use of his mind, or to control the 
 exercise of his conscience. As the indulgence of these dispo- 
 sitions would lead to universal war, society is ordained by God 
 to prevent it. Its object is to oblige eveiy man to use the 
 means of happiness which God has conferred upon him, in 
 such a manner that he shall not interfere with any of the cor- 
 respondent means of happiness which God has conferred upon 
 his neighbor. Though every man might be willing to encroach 
 upon the rights of his brother, no man is willing himself to 
 suffer encroachment, nor is he willing to tolerate encroach- 
 ment in another. Hence men instinctively unite in societies 
 for the purpose of mutual restraint. They naturally place 
 themselves under the protection of society, that thus the rights 
 of the individual may be guarantied to him by the combined 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 353 
 
 power of the whole. Every man turns to society as the 
 umph'e whenever he behoves that his rights have been invaded 
 by his neighbor. Society, on the other hand, assumes the 
 office, pronounces the award, and pledges its whole power to 
 carry it into execution. 
 
 It is for the accomplishment of these purposes that the 
 various forms of the civil magistracy are ordained. The 
 legislature enacts the laws ; that is, it declares what are the 
 rights of the individual, and what shall be the penalty if they 
 be violated. The judiciary ascertains whether or not a law 
 has been violated, and pronounces the sentence which the 
 law has affixed to the transgression. The executive carries 
 into effiact the decision of the judiciary. Here the great 
 function of civil society ends. This is, I think, the view of 
 the subject entertained by the authors of the Declaration of 
 Independence. " We hold these truths to be self-evident ; 
 that all men are created equal ; that they are endowed by 
 their Creator with certain inalienable rights ; that among these 
 are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness ; that to secure 
 these rights governments are instituted among men.'''' Such, 
 then, is the paramount object for which the magistracy is 
 appointed of God. 
 
 I have said that civil society assumes the responsibility of 
 protecting the rights of the individual. Having assumed this 
 duty, it is under obligation to discharge it. If it cannot be 
 discharged without the use of force, it is authorized to use 
 force to the extent which the obligation that it has assumed 
 renders necessary. In order to prevent wrong, it has a ri^ht 
 to summon to its aid the assistance of every citizen, and he is 
 bound to render it. Every individual is a member of that 
 society which has promised to secure to his brother the enjoy- 
 ment of those rights bestowed upon him by his Creator ; and 
 that promise every man is under moral obligation to redeem. 
 
 In all this, I think 1 have but enforced the doctrine of the apos- 
 tle Paul, in the thirteenth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans : 
 " Let every soul be subject to the higher powers ; for there 
 30* 
 
354 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 is no power but of God. The powers that be are ordained of 
 God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the 
 ordinance of God ; and they that resist shall receive to them- 
 selves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, 
 but to the evil. Wilt thou, then, not be afraid of the power ? 
 Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same. 
 For he is a minister of God to thee for good. But if thou 
 do that which is evil, be afraid ; for he beareth not the sword 
 in vain ; for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute 
 wrath upon him that doeth evil." 
 
 But we may cany this principle a single step farther. I 
 have shown that it is the duty of the society to protect the 
 individual against injury from another member of the same 
 society. But suppose that he is exposed to injury from a 
 member of another society, — is he not entitled to the same 
 protection ? It seems to me that he is ; and that the society to 
 which he belongs is bound to protect him, whether he be 
 assailed by one or by many. It is the duty of the society to 
 which he belongs to restrain Jiim from inflicting injury upon all 
 other men, and to prevent all other men from inflicting injury 
 upon him. Here, however, it is to be remarked, that the use 
 of force can only be justified when employed for the preven- 
 tion of injury, when directed towards the injurious person 
 alone, and when employed to no greater extent than the 
 accomplishment of the purpose rendei-s necessary. * 
 
 But besides this, the great object for which civil govern- 
 ment is established, there are various other objects, which, for 
 the sake of convenience, are, by common consent, committed 
 to its care. Thus, for instance, it is found that common 
 education can be much more successfully conducted by public 
 than by private effort. The care of highways, of harbors, and 
 many of the most important aids to civilization, are most 
 properly left to the same agency. Every man receives the 
 benefit of such arrangements, and hence every man may 
 properly be obliged to bear his portion of the burden. 
 
 The cost of conducting all these departments of government 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL 3IAGISTRATE. 355 
 
 must be defrayed by taxes, or some other form of imposition 
 Our share of this cost belongs properly to Coesar, and a Chris- 
 tian is bound, by the principles not only of common honesty, 
 but also of his religion, to render it even to the uttermost 
 farthing. The blessings of a good government are absolutely 
 incalculable. Shall any man ask to be a partaker in these 
 blessings, and be unwilling to pay his portion of that expense 
 by which they are procured ? Can that man be honest, who 
 would send iiis children to a public school, and refuse to pay 
 his proportion of the tax for the support of education ? Can 
 he be a disciple of Christ who shrinks from bearing his part 
 of the cost of repairing a road which he uses in common with 
 his neighbors, or of lighting a public lamp of which he enjoys 
 with them an equal and common benefit ? 
 
 The apostolic precept on this subject is clear and explicit. 
 " For this cause," (that is, for conscience' sake,) " pay ye 
 tribute also, for they are God's ministers, attending cojitinually 
 upon this very thing. Render, therefore, to all their dues ; 
 tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear 
 to whom fear, honor to whom honor." 
 
 The precept of our Lord, however, goes farther than this, 
 and teaches us that a Christian is not to limit his public service 
 to the strict line of equity, but is to go farther, and set an 
 example of enlarged public spirit. It encourages us to do 
 more than can rightfully be demanded of us, so that we may 
 by example cultivate a spirit of disinterested zeal for the 
 general good. The precept of Jesus Christ is this : " If a man 
 compel thee to go with him one mile, go with him two." The 
 words here spoken allude to compulsory public service. In 
 the time of our Lord, the public despatches were carried by 
 officers of government, who had the power to compel any 
 citizen to leave his occupation and forward them on their 
 journey. The teaching of our Lord would then be something 
 like the following : The public service can be done only by 
 the assistance of every citizen in his turn. In all such cases, 
 do your own part willingly. But be not content with this. Be 
 
856 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 ready and willing at all times to do more than can in strictness 
 be required of you. You thus set an example of voluntarily 
 doing good to the public. To cultivate this spirit is to lay 
 deeply and securely the foundation of all public improvement. 
 You will thus render it evident that you act, not for yourselves, 
 but for others ; and men, seeing your good works, will glorify 
 your Father who is in heaven. 
 
 You all see how widely extended is the appHcation, and how 
 ennobling is the practice, of this precept. Let me suggest a 
 few cases by way of exemplification. I frequently hear Chris- 
 tians, as well as other men, excusing themselves from serving 
 as jurors, on account of the irksomeness of the duty, or the 
 pressure of their private avocations. This is a violation of 
 the precept of the text. The duty belongs unto Caesar, and to 
 Caesar must it be rendered. We must bear our portion of this 
 service, or we disobey Christ. If we refuse to perform it, we 
 are guilty of injustice to our fellow-men. If our property or 
 character is at stake, we expect them to do their part in pro- 
 tecting us from wrong. They have a right to claim that we 
 shall perform the same service for them. It is an act of very 
 stupid selfishness, to leave the most important judicial duty in 
 the hands of men whose time is utterly valueless. 
 
 For the same reason I think that every Christian citizen is 
 under obligation to vote in every case where a public officer is 
 to be chosen. The happiness and virtue of the community, 
 no less than the security of property, depend greatly on the 
 character of the magistracy. If I am injured in person or 
 property by a wicked public officer, I have a right to com- 
 plain of my fellow-citizens who gave him authority over me, 
 or who, when it was in their power, did not prevent his elec- 
 tion. A Christian, in this countiy, above all others, has a duty 
 to perform in this matter, and he disobeys the commandment 
 in the text if he does not perform it. 
 
 The same principles teach us, that there can be nothing 
 more diametrically at variance with the precepts of the gospel 
 than any attempt to defraud the revenue. Fie who does this 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 357 
 
 knowingly and wickedly, disobeys the precept, " Render unto 
 Caesar the things that are Csesar's." He withholds from the 
 public what belongs to the public. He receives the full benefit 
 of protection, and refuses to pay liis share of what that pro- 
 tection costs. Nay, he is guilty of a double injustice. He 
 realizes to himself an exorbitant profit, the wages of unright- 
 eousness, wliile he is able to undersell, and, it may be, ruin 
 his honest neighbor, who, in an upright public spirit, is obeying 
 the law of Christ. I need scarcely add, that overcharging the 
 public, the waste of public property, and all the modes by 
 which the post-office is defrauded of its due, come under the 
 same condemnation. 
 
 I have thus endeavored to show what are the legitimate 
 objects of civil government, and what are the duties which 
 the ordaining of this government imposes upon a disciple of 
 Christ. It is proper, however, that. I remark, before closing 
 this part of the subject, that a government, in cariying forward 
 these objects, is ever amenable, like an individual, to the law 
 of right. The goodness of the end will never justify wicked- 
 ness in the means. Societies, as much as individuals, are bound 
 to yield obedience to the commands of God. It is only when 
 the objects of a government are right, and the means by which 
 they are accomplished are innocent, that it can demand, on the 
 principles of the gospel, the aid and cooperation of the disciple 
 of Christ. Acting in obedience to these principles, the magis- 
 tracy may claim the obedience of the Christian citizen, not 
 ^rom fear, but for conscience' sake, and from the love which 
 he bears to the Savior, who loved him and gave himself for 
 him. 
 
THE DUTY OP OBEDIENCE TO THE 
 CIYIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 PART II 
 
 " Rendek therefore unto C^sar the things that are Cesar's, 
 AND UNTO God the things that are God's." 
 
 Matthew xxii. 21. 
 
 In the preceding discourse, I have endeavored to show that 
 every disciple of Christ is under imperative obligations to obey 
 the civil magistrate, so long as the civil magistrate obeys the 
 social and moral laws by virtue of which his office has been 
 created. While the magistracy employs itself in the adminis- 
 tration of justice, in the protection of innocence, and the pun- 
 ishment of crime, and in the discharge of those duties, which, 
 for the sake of convenience, the public has voluntarily confided 
 to it, Christ commands us not merely to yield it our obedience, 
 but to proffer to it our cheerful and disinterested support. We 
 may not too closely scrutinize the extent of our obligation for 
 the selfish purpose of ascertaining how little we may do and 
 yet escape censure. We are to look upon civil society as one 
 of our greatest sublunary blessings, and we must cherish, and 
 succor, and sustain it, not from wrath, (the fear of wrath,) but 
 for conscience' sake ; not because physical force would, if 
 necessary, compel us, but because we thus most effectually 
 subserve the interests of good order and happiness, of virtue 
 and religion. 
 
 So much as this, then, the gospel commands, in respect to 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 359 
 
 our obedience to civil government. Beyond this I know i.ot 
 that it utters any command whatever. The acts, therefore, 
 the laws, the requirements of civil society, like the acts, the 
 laws, the requirements of the church, or of any other society, 
 are amenable to the tribunal of reason, and conscience, and the 
 word of God. The Christian is at liberty to inquire whether 
 any act of the government transgresses the limit within which 
 its action is, by reason and revelation, restricted ; and yet 
 more, to determine, concerning every one of its actions, whether 
 it be right or wrong. At liberty, did I say ? He is more than 
 at liberty, — he is obliged thus to inquire and to determine. He 
 is a party to every act of the society of which he is a member. 
 He is an intelligent moral agent, responsible to God for his 
 actions, whether they be personal or associated, and therefore 
 he must think about civil government, and act about it, accord- 
 ing to the light which God has given him, all things else to the 
 contrary notwithstanding. 
 
 I therefore, as a Christian citizen, look upon the civil gov- 
 ernment and the civil magistracy with as unblenching an eye as 
 I look upon any thing else. In simplicity and godly sincerity, 
 not in the spirit of strife or partisanship, I may pronounce my 
 opinion upon its enactments and measures, just as I would 
 express my opinions in any other case. I see in presidents, 
 cabinets, senators, representatives, and all the array of the 
 civil magistracy, nothing but men, fallible men, of like passions 
 with myself. Every page of the history of the past has shown 
 that men placed in such situations have been exceedingly prone 
 to err and to do wickedly. I cannot, therefore, worship men 
 in power. In so far as they are virtuous men, I love them. In 
 so far as they are able men, I respect them. In so far as, with 
 an honest and true heart, they labor to discharge the solemn 
 duties to which they have been appointed, I honor and I ven- 
 erate them. I will pay all due deference to the offices which 
 they hold, and will bow with seemly respect to the men who 
 hold them. These men are to me the representatives on earth 
 of eternal justice and unsullied truth ; and may my arm fall 
 
360 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 palsied from my shoulder-blade when I refuse to raise it in 
 token of respect to him who is called of God to minister under 
 so solemn a responsibility. 
 
 But all this veneration is due, not to the man, but to the 
 magistrate ; and it is due to him, therefore, only so long as he 
 confines himself to the duties of his office, and discharges them 
 with pure and patriotic intentions. I have a right to inquire 
 whether his actions in his office conform to the principles of 
 justice. He must claim for himself no immunity from scru- 
 tiny on account 'of the dignity of his station. If he use the 
 power committed to him for any other purpose than that for 
 which it was committed ; if he prostitute his official influence 
 to pander to the wishes of a political party ; if he sacrifice the 
 gravest interests of his country for the sake of securing to 
 himself the emoluments of office ; if he trample the national 
 honor in the dust in order to minister to the grasping selfish- 
 ness of a contemptible clique, — that moment every vestige of 
 his sacredness is gone forever. He stands before me like 
 Samson from the lap of Delilah. Shake himself as he may, it 
 matters not to me, — his strength is departed from him. But 
 this is not all : not only is his official sacredness departed, — he 
 has become to me the most odious of despicable men. He has 
 sacrificed his countiy to his lusts. He has bartered away the 
 well-being of millions for food to nourish his vices. Whether 
 in office or out of it, whether powerful or powerless, I can look 
 upon him henceforth with no other feelings than those of pity 
 and disgust. 
 
 But this may become a yet more practical matter. The 
 magistrate may not only do wrong himself, but he may com- 
 mand me to do wrong. How shall I regard this command ? I 
 will regard it as I do any other command to do wrong, — I will 
 not obey it. I will look the magistracy calmly and respect- 
 fully in the face, and declare to it that in this matter I owe it 
 no allegiance, I will have nothing to do whh its wrong-doing. 
 I will separate myself, as far as possible, from the act and its 
 consequences, whether they be prosperous or adverse. It is 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 351 
 
 wickedness; it has the curse of God inwrought into it, and I 
 will have nothing to do with it. From the beginning to the 
 end, I will eschew it, and the rewards tliat it offers. The 
 magistracy may punish me ; 1 cannot help that. I will not 
 resist, but I will not do wrong, nor will I be a party to wrong, 
 let the magistracy or aught else command me. 
 
 In saying this, I hope that I arrogate to myself nothing in 
 the least peculiar. I am only in the plainest and simplest 
 manner stating the rights and obligations of an intelligent 
 moral being, accountable to God for his actions, and bound to 
 reverence his Creator above all else in the universe. Created 
 under such a responsibility, can I transfer the allegiance which 
 T owe to God, to legislative assemblies, to political caucuses, 
 to mass meetings, to packed or unpacked conventions repre- 
 senting or pretending to represent the assumed omnipotence 
 of public opinion ? My whole moral nature with loathing for- 
 bids it. I could not do it without feeling that I had become a 
 despicable slave. I could not do it without knowing that 1 had 
 exchanged the glorious and incorruptible God for an image 
 made like to corruptible man, and to birds and four-footed 
 beasts and creeping things, and worshipped the creature more 
 than the Creator, who is blessed forever. My fellow-citizens 
 must not ask this of me ; I will surrender, for my country, my 
 possessions, my labor, my life, but I will not sacrifice my 
 integrity ; and that is unworthy of being the country of a good 
 man which shall ask it. 
 
 But here it seems proper that I illustrate more clearly the 
 nature of that limit, beyond which the Christian obligation of 
 obedience to the magistrate ceases. I proceed to offer a few 
 suggestions on this part of our subject. 
 
 I have said that the great end for which civil society is 
 established, and the magistracy appointed, is, to secure to m.an 
 the enjoyment of those rights with which he was endowed 
 by his Creator. If society or the magistracy interfere with 
 those rights, it is tyranny. If its acts transcend the limits of 
 the authority committed to it, it is guilty of usurpation. In 
 31 
 
oG2 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 neither of these cases does the gospel of Jesus Christ com- 
 mand us to render to it obedience. 
 
 The civil magistrate has frequently persecuted men even 
 unto death for believing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here he 
 not only does not secure the enjoyment of an inalienable right, 
 — he goes farther and actually prohibits it. He demands of 
 the conscience that it bow down to him rather than to its Maker. 
 I need not repeat here the precepts of Christ which I have 
 already quoted in reference to this subject. You all know 
 that we are commanded under such circumstances, on the 
 peril of our souls, to pay no respect to the precepts of the 
 magistracy. " Fear not," saith our Lord, " those that kill the 
 body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear Him that 
 is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Here, then, is 
 a plain case, in which the magistrate, by inhibiting instead of 
 securing the rights conferred on man by his Creator, has for- 
 feited his claim to obedience ; I do not say to all obedience, 
 but to obedience in just so far as his commands interfere with 
 the rights of man or the commandments of God. 
 
 The magistrate may also forfeit his claim to obedience by 
 usurpation, that is, by employing his official power for other 
 purposes than those for which it was committed to him. One 
 of the most common instances of this form of wrong is found 
 in the case of war. To this case let us direct our attention. 
 
 1 have already remarked that the supreme power is con- 
 ferred on the magistracy for the purpose of securing to every 
 individual the rights conferred on him by the Creator. I have 
 also said that in the exercise of this power the magistracy may - 
 defend the individual against wrong, whether it be offered by 
 Its own citizens or by strangers. It may, consistently with 
 this principle, use force in order to extend its protection to 
 innocence, if it can accomplish this purpose by no other 
 means. But, while all this is admitted, we are carefully to 
 observe the limitations with which this admission is guarded. 
 
 The object for which this power is conferred is, to secure to 
 the citizen the enjoyment of his rights. Hence, for no other 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 363 
 
 ohject can the resort to force, on Christian principles, be justi- 
 fied. The only persons whom this object regards are the evil- 
 doers themselves ; hence, against no others can force be directed. 
 The object being the protection of rights, as soon as this ohject 
 is accomplished, the reason for the employment of force ceases. 
 Such are, I think, the limits within which the employment of 
 force by a government is, by the Christian religion and the 
 principles of civil society, manifestly restricted. 
 
 Thus, suppose that a company of men should land upon our 
 shores, for the purpose of destroying our property, or pillaging 
 our houses, or murdering our brethren. We and our fellow- 
 citizens have mutually promised to protect each other in the 
 enjoyment of our rights. We are, therefore, bound to protect 
 them. W^e may rightfully unite together, and, if it be neces- 
 sary, repel the wrong-doers by force of arms. But, in this 
 case, our object recognizes no other persons than the wrong- 
 doers themselves. Their wives, their children, their innocent 
 fellow-citizens, have done us no harm, and we have no author- 
 ity to inflict injury upon them. If it be said that in perpetrat- 
 ing wrong they only obey the commands of their government, 
 I reply, they are moral and accountable men, and have no 
 right to obey a wicked command. All that is necessary in 
 order to protect our rights is, to repel the invader ; and hence 
 our object allows us to employ force to no greater extent than 
 is demanded for the accomplishment of this object. 
 
 Again : as soon as our object is accomplished, and our rights 
 are no longer endangered, all reason for contention ceases. 
 We wish the wrong- doer no harm. We have no desire of 
 vengeance to gratify. Our object is not to harm him, but 
 only to protect ourselves. He is still our brother, though 
 he has intended evil against us. This danger being now 
 averted, we will again treat him as a brother, and overcome 
 evil by good. We will turn his enmity to friendship, and thus 
 all strife between us must by necessity forever cease. 
 
 Again : it is, I think, evident that our rights are of very 
 different degrees of importance, and therefore justify very 
 
864 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 dissimilar efforts to enforce them. The right to life and liberty 
 is veiy unlike our right to property. The invasion of the one 
 would authorize us to use means of redress, whicli could not 
 be au'ihorized by the invasion of the other. I may have the 
 right to repel a murderer at the risk of his life, but this by 
 no means would justify me in slaying a man, because he owed 
 me a dollar, or entering his house by force of arms and seizing 
 upon his property at the risk of the destruction of his family. 
 We are reasonable, accountable, and sinful men. It becomes 
 us, who owe a thousand talents, not to press too eagerly the 
 payment of a hundred pence. There is, in our circumstances, 
 much that persuades to forbearance and charity, both as indi- 
 viduals and as members of a community. It is surely better 
 to suffer loss than to reclaim our property at the sacrifice of 
 that which is of infinitely higher value. This principle of con- 
 duct must certainly approve itself to every virtuous man. 
 
 Were this principle universally adopted, wars would very 
 soon cease altogether. National force would never be em- 
 ployed except for the sake of protecting the citizen from 
 injury. In no greater degree than was necessary for the 
 accomplishment of this object would force be employed. No 
 one but the wrong-doer would suffer, and as soon as his wrong- 
 doing terminated, the employment of force would cease. 
 These principles of action restrict the infliction of pain within 
 the smallest possible limits, and thus they are in harmony wilh 
 the attributes of a just and all-merciful God. 
 
 But, in granting this, do we admit the innocence of war, as 
 it is at present carried on between nations ? The two concep- 
 tions scarcely resemble each other in any single respect, except 
 that in both cases physical force is employed. The sheriff 
 who arrests a criminal, and the highwayman who robs a trav- 
 ellef, both employ physical force to accomplish their object; yet 
 we should hardly designate their acts by the same term. The 
 one is a righteous and the other an unrighteous employment 
 of force, and to concede the necessity of one, is by no means 
 to admit the rectitude of the other. A declaration of war 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 365 
 
 not only authorizes us to repel an invader, but it abolishes all 
 the relations of peace between two wJiole nations, and substi- 
 tutes in their place the relations of enmity unto death. It 
 henceforth becomes the duty of our national force to destroy 
 the lives and the property of our brethren whom we declare 
 to be our enemies, to any extent that the prosecution of the 
 war may render expedient. The more universal the slaughter, 
 and the more terrific the destruction of property, the greater 
 is the glory which we ascribe to the transaction. Innocent 
 and guilty, combatants and non-combatants, men, women and 
 children, are mingled in one common calamity, and our most 
 gratifying success is that, in which, with the smallest loss to 
 ourselves, we inflict the greatest misery upon our brethren. 
 Can the right of self-protection, any more than the precepts of 
 the gospel of Jesus Christ, ever justify atrocities such as these } 
 
 But this is only a part. The very declaration of .war ex- 
 poses us to all the calamities which we would inflict upon 
 others. For this result we ourselves must be prepared. Every 
 individual becomes in eflect a soldier, liable at any moment 
 to be led into battle. Military law supersedes all other law, 
 whenever they come into collision. We, in fact, become par- 
 ties in a war, and we must suffer the evils of the condition 
 which we have chosen. We desire to inflict misery to the 
 greatest extent upon our enemy, and we must prepare our- 
 selves to receive at his hands whatever misery he can inflict 
 upon us. Can any one believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, and 
 not perceive that all this must be atrocious wickedness ? 
 
 To illustrate this subject, let us suppose a case, which is not 
 by any means without a parallel. A few months since, and 
 we were at peace with all the world. We wished evil to none 
 of our brethren of the human race, and none of them wished 
 evil to us. Our property, wherever it might wander for the 
 purposes of commerce, was every where protected by the arm 
 of peaceful and universal law. On the other hand, the prop- 
 erty and the lives of all our brethren of the human race were 
 as safe under the guardianship of our constitution as under that 
 31* 
 
363 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 of their own. Eveiy good citizen felt it to be a point of honor 
 to respect the rights of his neighbor, though he were separated 
 from us by the diameter of the globe. 
 
 Suppose, now, that war were declared by this nation against 
 Great Britain, and all these conditions would be, by a single 
 word, revei-sed. The property of both parties ceases to be 
 under the protection of hiternational law. Each nation sweeps 
 the ocean with its fleets, and each confiscates, and destroys by 
 hundreds of millions, the property of the other. We exult in 
 the misery which w^e inflict upon our correspondents, our 
 friends, our relatives, and derive pleasure from the perpetration 
 of indiscriminate slaughter. We send fleets and armies to 
 devastate their coasts. We subject Liverpool to bombardment, 
 and destroy its unofiending inhabitants by thousands ; we ad- 
 vance to Manchester, and put to the sword every citizen who 
 defends liis home from our ravages, and prosecute the work of 
 destruction until resistance ceases, or we ourselves are over- 
 powered. The greater our skill in the work of desolation, and 
 the greater the number of human beings whom we can slaugh- 
 ter, the greater is our glory ; and at every report of wholesale 
 murder, there arises from a hundred cities the peal of national 
 exultation. But the work of death is not confined to one of 
 the parties. The forces of Great Britain are landed at Boston. 
 That beautiful city is reduced to a heap of ruins. Young and 
 old, innocent and guilty, parents and children, are involved in 
 one common desolation. An army, flushed with conquest and 
 maddened by resistance, pursues its coui-se to New York, and 
 there, on a larger scale, a similar scene is enacted. Shells and 
 shot do the work of death, until resistance ceases, and the city 
 is surrendered up to the lusts of a brutal soldiery. And as the 
 army moves in its gigantic force over our country, sweeping 
 before it our flying and terrified people, destroying in its course 
 whatever could be used for the purposes of defence, and con- 
 signing to instant death every man who defends himself or 
 his property from aggression, each successive slaughter is 
 chronicled by Englishmen as a victory' ; the leaders in this 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 387 
 
 desolation are crowned with honors, and the cities in Great 
 Britain blaze with illumination as they hear that tens of thou- 
 sands of us their brethren are slain, that our hearths are 
 steeped in blood, that our wives are widows, and our children 
 fatherless. 
 
 Were the calamities which nations inflict upon each other 
 in war to result from the agency of Divine Providence, what 
 would be the feelings with which we should contemplate them ? 
 Suppose that an earthquake should work the destruction which 
 we accomplish by a bombardment ; that a tempest should sink 
 our merchant ships, instead of a hostile fleet ; that a hurricane, 
 instead of an army, should sweep over the land, scattering des- 
 olation in its path, and covering field after field with the thou- 
 sands of the slain ; what would be the moral sentiments with 
 which we should contemplate such a succession of disasters ? 
 The whole land would stand aghast at this strange work of the 
 ^Llmighty. The infidel would construct from it an argument 
 to prove that a just Being could never have involved the inno- 
 cent and the guilty in so . frightful a common calamity ; and 
 the ministers of religion would be called upon. Sabbath after 
 Sabbath, to silence the rebellion of the human heart, " to assert 
 eternal providence and justify the ways of God to man." 
 And can any thing be more atrocious than for us to work out a 
 destruction so universal and so indiscriminate that natural con- 
 science is staggered while she allows that the Eternal has the 
 authority to inflict it ? Can the right of self-defence ever justify 
 atrocity such as this? Did we ever concede to government 
 the right to perpetrate so measureless a crime ? It is in vain to 
 say that, in giving to the magistracy the power to protect our 
 citizens, all this power is also surrendered. That power was 
 granted for a given purpose, and /or no other, and it was limited 
 witiiin correspondent restrictions. The magistrate is clothed 
 'with the power of life and death, so that he may defend us 
 against injuiy from each other ; but this by no means confers 
 upon him the right to cut us ofl* at his pleasure by indiscrimi- 
 nate slaughter. He is authorized to use the national force, in 
 
 UFIVBESIT: 
 
868 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 order to defend us from external injury ; but this confers upon 
 him no authority to use that force for the purpose of conquest. 
 The guilt of such an abuse of power is enormous, when war is 
 provoked by the infliction of aggravated injury; but how 
 greatly is this guilt increased when it is waged for insufficient 
 cause, and yet more in the perpetration of atrocious wrong ! 
 
 War has nevertheless been frequently carried on for the pur- 
 pose of extending religious sentiments or political institutions. 
 Wars for the sake of what is called religion, have in former 
 times been frequent. Of late, millions of men have been slain 
 in the contest between monarchy and republicanism. Such 
 was the character of the wars of the French revolution. Still 
 later, it has been urged that a war may be waged by one nation 
 upon another in order to enlarge the area of freedom, and it 
 has also been pleaded that freedom may most successfully be 
 extended by enlarging the domain of slavery. 
 
 It is obvious that every one of these reasons carries the mark 
 of reprobation deeply branded upon its front. We have no 
 right to interfere either by force or by intrigue with the religious 
 sentiments or political institutions of another nation. If we 
 possess this right, every other nation possesses, and may exer- 
 cise it as freely as ourselves. The result of such an admission 
 would be to declare the innocence of universal war, and to 
 assert the right of murdering any man who does not think as 
 we do. I ask, Is not this something very different from tho 
 right of self-defence ? 
 
 Again : wars are sometimes waged for the sake of con- 
 quest. The soil of a neighboring nation is rich, or her 
 harbors are commodious, and our power may be increased 
 by adding them to our possessions. ]f we are the stronger 
 party, we can generally find pretexts to cover our all-grasping 
 eovetousness ; and if all other reasons fail, we may always 
 plead our irresistible destiny, and thus cast the blame of our 
 wickedness upon the perfections of the Most High. But can 
 such a transaction, though it could be perfected without blood- 
 shed, be designated by any other name than robbery ? and is 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 369 
 
 there any more predestination about robbery than about any 
 other crime ? Does our desire for our neighbor's possessions 
 give us any right to our neighbor's possessions ? If desire 
 confer right, it confers it upon all nations, and to admit this 
 would be to admit the right of universal destruction. What 
 shall we say, then, when this iniquitous passion for territory 
 is gratified at the expense of indiscriminate slaughter ? Can 
 we conceive of a more diabolical wickedness, than a war 
 waged in the cause of national robbery ? 
 
 But I go farther : I ask, Was the power of waging such a 
 war, and for such purposes, ever intended to be conferred 
 upon a government ? Can it ever be conferred ? Can man, 
 under any circumstances, authorize his brother to do wicked- 
 ness ? Can any man offer the authority of his fellow-man in 
 justification of wrong-doing ? But I ask again. Was such 
 authority ever given ? I know that people have frequently 
 conferred upon governments the power to declare and to 
 carry on war. But did a people ever confer on a govern- 
 ment the authority to carry on a war for the purpose of ex- 
 tending religious belief, or of establishing political institutions, 
 or of increasing territorial dominion ? Have we ever con- 
 ferred this power upon our government ? If, when our con- 
 stitution was framed, this power had been asked for, would it 
 ever have been granted ? To these questions I apprehend 
 but one answer can be returned by any thoughtful man. 
 
 I think, then, it must be evident that the right of self- 
 defence in no manner involves the right to wage war as it is 
 commonly waged between nations. The objects pursued in 
 the two cases are entirely unlike, and the means of attaining 
 them are widely dissimilar. For the accomplishment of one 
 object, authority may be granted, but it cannot rightfully be 
 granted for the accomplishment of the other. The well-being 
 of society may require that in the one case this power be 
 conferred upon the magistrate, while to concede it in the 
 other would be to consign the race of man to universal and 
 interminable war. The principles of the gospel may permi 
 
370 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 US to defend our fellow-citizens from injury, but we cannot 
 inflict injury upon others without bringing down upon our- 
 selves the judgments of a God who judges righteously. 
 
 In the previous discourse I endeavored to illustrate the 
 object for which civil government was established, and to 
 enforce the duty of cheerful obedience to it so long as its 
 action was limited to the accomplishment of its legitimate 
 object. In the present discourse I have attempted to show 
 that a government may use unlawfully the power with which 
 it is intrusted ; that it may assume a power which neither 
 social principles nor the written constitution ever conceded 
 to it, and that it may, in doing this, also commit an act of 
 atrocious wickedness. The question then arises. What is the 
 course of conduct which the precepts of Jesus Christ pre- 
 scribe for the citizen ? To this part of the subject I propose 
 to direct your attention in the following discourse. 
 
THE DUTY OF OBEDIENCE TO THE 
 CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 PART III. 
 
 "ReNDEE therefore unto C^SAR the things that are CiESAR'S, 
 
 AND UNTO God the things that are God's." 
 
 Matthew xxii. 21. 
 
 The question to be considered in this discourse is this : 
 What is the duty of a Christian citizen, when he believes 
 that the government of his country is engaged in the per- 
 petration of wickedness } 
 
 I suppose that I need not here refer to the fact that a dis- 
 ciple of Christ acknowledges the law of God to be of infi- 
 nitely higher authority than the command of man. And 
 when I say man, I use the term generically. I do not mean 
 a single man, but man under what forms of combination 
 soever he may be associated. Ecclesiastical societies, civil 
 societies, political parties, combinations for the purpose of 
 amassing wealth or consolidating power, utter nothing but 
 the voice of man, weak, selfish, depraved, ^d erring man ; 
 and man weaker, more selfish, more depraved, and more 
 liable to err, in consequence, of the combination which blends 
 the individuals too frequently into one soulless and unprin- 
 cipled mass. It has been said, with too much practical truth, 
 that corporate bodies have no conscience. Judge ye, then, 
 how debasing must be the idolatry which obeys the commands 
 of such an association, in defiance of the commands of God 
 our Father Almighty ! 
 
372 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 In order to present this subject in a form as intelligible as 
 possible, I will commence our discussion by stating a few 
 propositions which I suppose must lie at the foundation of a 
 correct decision in regard to it. 
 
 1. It cannot, I think, be doubted that societies of all kinds 
 are as liable to do wrong as the individuals of wliich they are 
 composed. Merchants in partnership are as much exposed to 
 the temptations of dishonesty as individual merchants. Incor- 
 porated companies, banks, joint stock companies, men asso- 
 ciated for the promotion of any object whatever, have never, 
 that I know of, been considered immaculate. The same is 
 true of nations. We, at least, have always believed that 
 Great Britain was guilty of grievous wrong in her treatment 
 of us when we were her colonies. She must have been thus 
 guilty unless our Declaration of Independence is a falsity. 
 It is, I suppose, universally conceded, that France exhibited 
 a scene of atrocious wickedness during the period of her 
 revolution, and throughout all the wars which commenced 
 with and which succeeded it. I think that no one, acquainted 
 with the facts in the case, can deny that our government has 
 been guilty of grievous wrong in its treatment of many of 
 the tribes of Indians on our western frontier, and especially 
 in the removal by force of the Cherokee nation from their 
 ancient homes and the burial-places of their fathers. 
 
 2. I think it must be admitted that every member of a 
 society is morally responsible for the wrongs committed by 
 that society, unless he has used all the innocent means in his 
 power to prevent them. Unless he have done this, he is a 
 partaker in the wrong. It will constitute no valid excuse for 
 him to plead that he was not the actual doer of the wrong, 
 and that it was done by his agent. He who appoints an agent 
 is, by every principle of law and of equity, responsible for 
 his acts. Nor can we even plead in extenuation, that we, as 
 members of the society, took no active part in the appoint- 
 ment and direction of the agent. The wrong is done, and 
 the wrong might have been prevented by the exercise of 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 373 
 
 precisely such power as has been placed in our hands. Unless 
 we have exerted that power for the prevention of wrong, vvhicli 
 others have exerted in causing it to be committed, we are, on 
 every principle of right reason, responsible for the act, and are 
 partakers of the* guilt. 
 
 This is the only rule, so far as T know, by which we esti- 
 mate moral responsibility in all cases of association. If several 
 men are united in a copartnership, we hold every one of them 
 responsible for the acts of the firm, not only legally, but, under 
 the conditions which I have specified, morally also. If one 
 partner commit no act of dishonesty with his own hands, yet 
 if he be cognizant of the dishonest acts of his associates, if he 
 allow them to use his capital and then share with them the 
 gains of wickedness, he is manifestly as guilty as they. Al- 
 though he never told his clerk to defraud, yet if he see his 
 clerk defraud at the command of his partners, and never put a 
 stop to the villany, is he not as thorough a sharper as any one 
 of his companions ? 
 
 Such are the judgments which we invariably form in respect 
 to the acts of a private association. Precisely the same prin- 
 ciples guide our judgments respecting the obligations of a polit- 
 ical society. A people is always held responsible for the acts 
 of its government, be the form of that government what it 
 may. No nation has ever maintained this doctrine more stren- 
 uously than ourselves. We have demanded restitution for 
 wrongs inflicted under the government of a usurper, or even 
 under the temporary subjection of a nation to a foreign power. 
 But if this be the law of national responsibility, it is manifest 
 that it applies to us with greater stringency than to any other 
 people on earth. We exercise, in its widest extent, the right to 
 elect our own rulers. We elect them for short periods. We 
 demand a full knowledge of all their public acts, and of the 
 reasons which have led to all their decisions. We remove 
 them whenever their acts displease us. We thus employ them 
 as our agents. We claim to be principals, and we must by 
 consequence assume all the responsibility of principals. ^Ve 
 32 
 
374 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 thus forever shut ourselves out from the plea that we are not 
 answerable for the acts of our rulers. No American citizen 
 can ever offer this plea unless he has employed his constitu- 
 tional power to its full extent for the prevention cff national 
 wrong-doing. 
 
 Let us suppose, for instance, that tlie legislature of a state 
 borrows money for the purpose of constructing works of inter- 
 nal improvement. The question of effecting this loan was 
 publicly discussed. It was believed to be a measure of great 
 public utility. No citizen objected to it. The funds are 
 received and appropriated, and the faith of the state is pledged 
 for their redemption. The undertaking proves disastrous, or 
 the loan is squandered by unfaithful agents. The enterprise 
 becomes unpopular. The legislature refuses to pay it, and the 
 people sustain their refusal by declaring that they will not be 
 taxed to redeem their bonds. Can there be a doubt that the 
 citizen who suffers this wrong to be done, without uttering his 
 solemn remonstrance, is a partaker in the guilt of the dis- 
 honesty ? Can any man, under such circumstances, be inno- 
 cent, unless he not only is willing to pay his portion of the 
 debt, but also exert all the influence which he possesses to per- 
 suade his fellow-citizens to be of the same opinion ? Nay, 
 even this is not enough. He cannot free himself from the 
 stain of dishonesty until he has used all the constitutional 
 means in his power to secure the election of those rulers who 
 will redeem the solemn pledges of the state, and reassure the 
 world that the national honor is inviolate. 
 
 3. It will, I presume, be admitted that the precepts of the 
 gospel in no case whatever allow the disciple of Christ to be 
 voluntarily a partaker, directly or indirectly, in the commission 
 of wrong. This principle is of universal application. It 
 governs us under all circumstances in which we can possibly 
 be placed. It matters not whether the wrong be intended by 
 an individual or by a society, whether we are to gain or to lose 
 by the transaction. Our decision can be swayed neither by the 
 terrors of power, nor by the allurements of affection ; neither 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRiTE. 375 
 
 by the frown of a tyrant, nor the frenzy of a mob. The 
 disciple of Christ can bow down before nothing but right. We 
 must hate father and mother, houses and lands, yea, and our 
 own life also, for the sake of Christ. And Christ forewarns us 
 that if we love him, we must keep his commandments in pref- 
 erence to those of man, whether individual or social, and 
 irrespective of the consequences which may follow from our 
 obedience. " Fear not them," saith he, " that kill the body, 
 and after that have nothing that they can do ; but fear Him who 
 is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Yea, I say unto 
 you, fear him." 
 
 But even this is, in fact, the operation of nothing more than 
 a generally admitted moml principle. If there be any distinc- 
 tion between virtue and vice, if guilt and innocence be not the 
 mere figments of the nursery ; if man be endowed with a 
 conscience by which he is allied to God, and by the possession 
 of which he is rendered accountable to him ; if this life be a 
 state of probation, and if every one of our actions here will 
 continue to unfold its consequences after ages upon ages have 
 rolled away ; if the favor of God be infinitely the greatest 
 blessing, and his displeasure infinitely the direst curse, of which 
 the mind of creatures can conceive, — then, surely, our moral 
 obligations must take precedence of every other impulse, and 
 we must do what we believe to be right, not only in the face 
 of danger, but, if need be, in deliberate defiance of the power 
 of the unanimous world. 
 
 From these remarks it must, I think, appear evident, that 
 every member of a society is guilty of the \vrong-doing of 
 that society, unless he has employed all the innocent means 
 in his power to prevent it ; that the essential principles of the 
 Christian religion forbid us to participate, directly or indi- 
 rectly, in wrong-doing ; that they oblige us to put forth all 
 the innocent means in our power to prevent it or to arrest its 
 progress ; and if this last be impossible, they command us 
 to withdraw from all participation in what we believe to he 
 displeasing to God. 
 
876 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 Of the truth of these principles I think there can be no 
 doubt. If I mistake not, they commend themselves to the 
 reason and conscience of every man as soon as they are pre- 
 sented. The only question that remains to be considered is 
 this : In what manner do these principles limit our obedience to 
 the civil magistrate ? or, in other words, how may we render 
 unto Caesar the things that are Csesar's, and yet shun participa- 
 tion in the guilt of Csesar ? 
 
 I inquire, first, Po the principles of the gospel permit us to 
 resist by force the wrong-doing of our government ? This 
 question may, I think, be easily answered by referring to 
 the exposition previously given respecting the object of civil 
 society. Civil society is instituted for the purpose of securing 
 to man the enjoyment of those rights with which he has been 
 endowed by his Creator. So long as it discharges this its 
 oifice, making all due allowance for human imperfection, and 
 so long as this is its honest intention, we have no authority to 
 resist it. When, on the contrary, it not only ceases to perform 
 this its only office, but also employs its power in depriving us 
 of those rights conferred upon us by our Creator, then, in the 
 view of reason and religion, it ceases to be a government. 
 
 Destitute of moral principle, it is nothing but power without 
 authority ; and we are justified in setting it aside, and con- 
 structing a government in its place. Far no other reason, so 
 far as I perceive, are we justified in resisting by force that 
 which performs the functions of government. The magistracy 
 may err ; it may do wrong ; it may, in many respects, treat me 
 unjustly ; it may treat foreign nations unjustly ; but none of this, 
 nor all of it together, justifies me in resisting it by force, so 
 long as it accomplishes, or honestly intends to accomplish, the" 
 purpose for which it was established. The government of 
 Rome, in the times of Christ and his apostles, was exceedingly 
 corrupt and oppressive ; and yet we find not a syllable in the 
 New Testament which would authorize a citizen to rebel 
 against it, but very much that inculcates obedience to it in all 
 things not forbidden by the commandments of God. 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 377 
 
 If, then, we are forbidden to resist the civil magistracy by- 
 force, in what manner may a Christian citizen innocently 
 deliver himself from the guilt of wrong perpetrated by the 
 government of his countiy ? To this question let us endeavor 
 to return an intelligible answer. 
 
 First. I presume it will be admitted that every man is bound 
 to understand the nature of every question on which he gives an 
 opinion ; especially when that opinion must lead to a practical 
 result. This is as true of questions of public as of those of 
 private concernment. If it be true in general, it is much more 
 definitely true in those cases where we utter our constitutional 
 opinion in the act of suffrage. If this be true of other gov- 
 ernments, how much more emphatically is it true of our own ! 
 We have chosen a form of government in which all power 
 emanates from the individual citizen. We declare, in the most 
 unambiguous manner, that the officers of government are our 
 agents, in all respects responsible to us their principals. If 
 we claim the enjoyment of this right, we must not shrink from 
 the responsibility which it imposes upon us. Can any thing 
 be more obvious than this, that he who claims the right of 
 directing the concerns of a community, is under a moral 
 obligation to qualify himself for the discharge of the duty 
 which he has voluntarily assumed ? 
 
 When men unite in the establishment of a government, they 
 mutually promise, in all their relations with each other, to yield 
 obedience to certain fundamental principles. The object of 
 these principles is, to define and limit the power of the magis- 
 tracy^ and to prescrHbe the manner in which this power shall 
 he exerted. The enunciation of these principles forms what 
 is called a constitution. This being once established, it binds 
 all and it protects all. It is a solemn and mutual contract 
 between every individual on the one part, and the whole com- 
 munity on the other part. Upon the faithful fulfilment of this 
 contract depend the freedom of every individual and the 
 security of his rights, whether civil or religious. We can 
 neither assume powers not conferred upon us by this instru- 
 32* 
 
378 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 ment, nor refuse to carry its provisions into practice, either 
 ourselves or by our agents, without a violation of our solemn 
 obligations. It matters not how overpowering the majority by 
 whom the outrage is committed, nor how small the minority 
 whose rights are infringed, nor how elevated the position of 
 the functionary by whom the act is performed ; it is a crime 
 of the deepest dye, and merits, and should meet, the sternest 
 reprobation of every virtuous man. If, then, such be the 
 responsibility assumed by every citizen of a free government, 
 it surely becomes him to understand the provisions of that 
 instrument by which this responsibility is created. 
 
 The same remarks apply essentially to those parts of the 
 social compact by which our intercourse with foreign nations 
 is regulated. We appoint public officers to conduct all our 
 affairs with other countries. We prescribe the limits within 
 which their power in this respect shall be exerted. We assert 
 the right of directing our agents according to our own will, 
 and hence we are responsible for their acts. This right we 
 must exercise^ unless we consent to become slaves rather than 
 freemen. Should we allow our rulers to violate the rights of 
 other nations, to involve us in wars according to their own will, 
 not only should we be principals in the guilt of bloodshed, but, 
 while we boast of the freedom of our institutions, we should 
 in fact become the minions of a despot. 
 
 Secondly. Supposing a Christian citizen to have made him- 
 self acquainted with the principles of the constitution under 
 which he lives, he is bound to apply these principles to the 
 decision of every public measure on which he forms an opin- 
 ion. The first question for him to ask in respect to every 
 public act is this : Can this act be done without violation of the 
 compact by which I and my fellow-citizens have promised to 
 bind ourselves in our relations with each other.? If the 
 answer to this question be in the negative, no matter what 
 may be the advantage to be secured, no matter how urgent 
 may be the demands of a political party struggling for place, 
 a Christian and an honest man must shrink back from the act 
 
OBEDIENCE T© THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 379 
 
 witli indignation. Qr again : suppose that we find the power 
 to have been committed to the magistrate, — it by no means 
 follows that his manner of using it is in accordance with the 
 compact. It may have been committed to him for one purpose, 
 and he may use it for another. This is a violation of the 
 contract, and against it we are bound to protect ourselves and 
 our fellow-citizens. Take, as an illustration, the case of a 
 declaration and prosecution of war. The authority to declare 
 war is granted by us to our legislators. But for what purpose 
 was this authority conferred ? Plainly for the purpose of 
 defending us from aggression, and protecting us from injuiy. 
 Was authority ever given by this people to their rulers to 
 prosecute a war for conquest, or for glory, or to extend 
 slavery, or to restrict it ? In the formation of our constitution, 
 as I have said before, if such a power had been demanded, 
 would it ever have been conceded ? Would not the concession 
 of such a power have branded us at once as a nation of free- 
 booters ? In such ways as these, I suppose, we are to apply 
 the principles of the constitution to the decision of every 
 public act. 
 
 But this is not all. Suppose that the act be not in violation of 
 the principles of the constitution, — we may yet inquire whether 
 it be in violation of the principles of the gospel. Suppose a 
 nation has given us cause of offence ; a disciple of Christ must 
 ask himself. Can I be a party to measures which seek for the 
 redress of grievance by means of the slaughter of tens of 
 thousands of innocent persons, and the destruction of hundreds 
 of millions of treasure — treasure earned by the bone and sinew 
 of my fellow-men, whether friends or enemies ? Could I, in a 
 matter of private grief, pursue my revenge in a similar man- 
 ner ? Every Christian, in the solitude of the closet, in the 
 presence of his God, is bound to ask all these questions, and 
 to answer them for himself He must put far away from him 
 the prejudice of sectional interests ; he must close his ears to 
 the mandates of a political party, and calmly and resolutely 
 form his opinions in the sight of the omniscient God, and in 
 
380 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVII> MAGISTRATE. 
 
 the f'lll conviction that the result to which he shall arrive will 
 meet him again in the day when the secrets of men's hearts 
 shall be revealed. 
 
 And now, supposing that, after such a re\aew, a Christian 
 shall be convinced that the acts of his government are in vio- 
 lation of the compact from which all authority emanates, or at 
 variance with the moral law which Christ has revealed to our 
 race, — what then shall he do ? I answer, as a Christian, a citi- 
 zen, and a freeman, he cannot be guiltless unless he put forth 
 all his social and constitutional influence to prevent or to 
 arrest it. 
 
 If it be asked by what means can this be done, the answer 
 is at hand. Having formed his opinions in obedience to moral 
 principle, let him freely and fearlessly express them. It is 
 thus alone that a virtuous and independent public opinion can 
 be formed. We are bound to do this in obedience to the 
 dictates of humanity. He who possesses knowledge which he 
 believes to be valuable to the community, is under obligation to 
 divulge it. The command of our Lord has made this our 
 duty, under the most imperative sanction. " What I have told 
 you in darkness, that speak ye in the light ; and what ye hear in 
 the ear, that preach ye on the house-tops ; and fear not those 
 that kill the body." And, indeed, unless this be done, by what 
 means shall truth and righteousness make progress in the 
 world ? The wicked labor without ceasing to extinguish moral 
 hght ; and if we, to whom its custody has been committed, 
 hide it under a bushel, instead of placing it upon a candle- 
 stick, we betray the cause of truth, and by our silence declare 
 our willingness that it be banished from the earth. 
 
 And here I may add, that, in a free government like our 
 own, this manly avowal of our adherence to right, and our 
 opposition to evil, would commonly render a resort to other 
 measures comparatively needless. The good men among ua 
 — and under this term I mean to include all men of virtuous 
 sentiments, whether they profess themselves the disciples of 
 Christ or not — have it perfectly in their power, by the calm 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 381 
 
 and decided expression of their moral convictions, to direct 
 the destinies of this nation. There never has existed, and 
 there never can exist, either an administration or a politica. 
 party, that would dare to trifle with the uttered sentiments of 
 the men of principle in the United States. Were such an 
 act done but once, there would be small temptation to repeat 
 the insult. If you ask me why it is, then, that public wrongs 
 are so frequently done, and the doers of them held scathless, 
 I answer, it is because those sentiments are not uttered. 
 There exists amons: us a fear of avowing our moral senti- 
 ments upon political questions, which seems to me as servile 
 as it is unaccounlable. It envelops society like a poisoned 
 atmosphere. It is invisible and intangible, but every virtuous 
 sentiment that breathes it grows torpid, loses consciousness, 
 gasps feebly, and dies. To this result eveiy man contributes 
 who withholds the expression of his honest indignation on 
 every occasion of public wrong-doing. 
 
 2. But the mere expression of our moral sentiments by no 
 means discharges us from the responsibility which rests upon 
 us as Christian citizens. Our sentiments are worthless, not to 
 say savoring of hypocrisy, unless they lead us to correspond- 
 ent action. When we believe an act to be wrong, we have 
 no more right to appoint a man to office, who, as we believe, 
 will perform it, than we have to perform it ourselves. For 
 such a man we cannot, with a good conscience, vote. By 
 refusing to vote for such a man, we in part deliver ourselves 
 from the guilt of wrong-doing. But we must go farther. 
 We must not merely have no part in wrong-doing, — we must 
 see to it that wrong be not done. We must use all innocent, 
 constitutional means to secure the doing of right. We must 
 choose men to represent us whom we believe to be governed 
 by moral principle, who will act in the fear of God, and who 
 will love right, and justice, and mercy, better than personal 
 aggrandizement or political power. By this, I do not mean 
 that we should limit our selection to any religious sect, or to 
 the professors of any form of belief. Far from it. All that 
 
382 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 I claim is, that we shall choose men who will represent the 
 moral, as well as the political, sentiments of this nation. A 
 virtuous man has certainly a right to demand that his moral 
 feelings be not outraged by the public agent whom he appoints. 
 If we sternly enforce this demand, we ourselves shall be 
 innocent, and the republic will be safe. 
 
 But suppose that our honest efforts thus put forth are inef- 
 fectual, and a course of public wrong-doing has been actually 
 commenced, — what is then our duty ? 
 
 I reply, the fact that our country has commenced a course 
 of wrong-doing, in no manner whatever alters the moral 
 character of the action. The greater the number of persons 
 combined to perpetrate injury, the greater is the wickedness 
 and the more interminable the mischief. A nation seems a 
 vast and magnificent conception to us, the children of yes- 
 terday ; but it is otherwise with " Him who sitteth on the circle 
 of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are like grasshoppers ; 
 who taketh up the isles as a very little thing, and before whom 
 all nations are counted as less than nothing and vanity." 
 What, then, is the will of a nation in comparison with the 
 command of Almighty God } and what can be the measure 
 of that impiety which exclaims, " Our country, whether right 
 or wrong " ? that is, our country in defiance of the Eternal 
 One himself. 
 
 Every virtuous man must shrink back with trembling from 
 so glaring an impiety, and look with abhorrence upon a cause 
 which requires such sentiments to sustain it. If his country 
 has done or is doing wrong, he must boldly and fearlessly 
 express his opinion of the transaction. He must, as I have 
 before remarked, use all the constitutional power which he 
 possesses, in order to bring the public wickedness to a close. 
 Were the 'good men of this nation thus to unite, national 
 wickedness among us would be of very limited duration. 
 
 But this is not all. While the wrong-doing is in progress, 
 we are bound to have no further participation in it than our 
 social condition renders indispensable. The punishment 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 383 
 
 which God inflicts upon the nation for its crime, we must 
 bear in common with our fellow-citizens. This we cannot 
 avoid, and we must bear it manfully and uncomplainingly. 
 But we can go no farther. We may have no share in the 
 gains of iniquity. A good man can arm no privateers against 
 his brethren of another nation because his government has 
 styled them his enemies. He can loan no money to govern- 
 ment, no matter how advantageous the terms of investment, 
 in order to carry on an iniquitous war. He can undertake 
 no contracts by which he may become rich out of the wages 
 of unrighteousness. He may not say. If I do not reap these 
 gains, other men will reap them. They are the gains of wick- 
 edness, and let the wicked have them. If a good man 
 believe that moral principle is better than gold, this is pre- 
 cisely the occasion on which he is called upon to show his 
 faith by his works. The only question for a conscientious 
 man to ask is this : Is the public act wrong in the sight of God ? 
 If it be wrong, he must have nothing to do with it, and he 
 can no more innocently aid it with his capital than with his 
 personal service. 
 
 But it may be said, that a course of conduct like this would 
 destroy all political organizations, and render nugatory the 
 designations in which we have for so very long prided our- 
 selves. If this be all the mischief that is done, the republic, 
 I think, may very patiently endure it. The voice of history 
 has surely spoken in vain, if it has not taught us that political 
 parties have ever been combinations for the purposes of per- 
 sonal aggrandizement, advocating or denouncing whatever 
 political principles would best subserve the selfish objects 
 which alone gave efficiency to their organization.* And 
 
 * " The history of English party is as certainly that of a few great 
 men and powerful families, on the one hand, contending for place and 
 power, with a few others on the opposite quarter, as it is the history 
 of the Plantagenets, the Tudors, and the Stuarts. There is nothing 
 more untrue than to represent principle at the bottom of it ; interest 
 is at the bottom^ and the opposition of principle is subservient to the 
 
384 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 besides this, if a disciple of Christ has learned to value his 
 political party more highly than he does truth, and justice, 
 and mercy, it is surely time that his connection with it were 
 broken off. Let him learn to surrender party for moral prin- 
 ciple, and stand forth, though he stand alone, the friend of 
 righteousness. Let all good men do this, and they will form 
 a party by themselves — a party acting in the fear of God, 
 and sustained by the arm of omnipotence. Then would our 
 nation present the glorious spectacle of a people governed by 
 the laws of God ; obeying, above all things, the rule of eter- 
 nal rectitude. Then God would be our refuge and strength : 
 f* very present help in trouble. God would be in the midst 
 of us, and we should not be moved. God would help us, 
 and that right early. 
 
 To all this I know it will be answered, there are never 
 more than two political parties ; and though with neither can 
 a good man harmonize, yet he must unite with either the one 
 or the other, lest his influence be altogether thrown away. 
 He must, therefore, become a party to much that is wrong, 
 that thus he may accomplish a probable good. To this ob- 
 jection our reply must be brief. It declares it to be our duty 
 to do wrong for the sake of attaining a purpose ; or, in the 
 
 opposition of interest. Accordingly, the result has been, that unless 
 perhaps when a dynasty was changed, as in 1688, and for some time 
 afterwards, and excepting in questions connected with this change, 
 the very same conduct was held, and the same principles professed, by both 
 parties when in office, and by both in oppositioii. The "Whig, when not 
 in office, was for retrenchment and for peace ; transplant him into 
 office, and he cared little for either. Bills of coercion, suspensions of 
 the constitution, were his abhorrence when propounded by Tories ; 
 in place, he propounded them himself. Acts of indemnity and of 
 attainder were the favorites of the Tory in power ; the Tory in oppo- 
 sition Avas the enemy of both. The gravest charge ever brought by a 
 Whig against his adversary was the personal proscription of an exalted 
 individual to please a king ; the worst charge that the Tory can level 
 against the Whig is the support of a proscription still less justifiable, 
 to please a viceroy." — Lord Brougham on the Effects of Party. 
 
OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. O-bO 
 
 words of the apostle, " to do evil that good may come." 
 This is its simple and obvious meaning, and we leave it to 
 the condemnation of the apostle. But, besides all this, when 
 we urge such a plea, we seem to forget that there is a power 
 in truth and rectitude, which wise men would be wiser did 
 they duly appreciate. Let the moral principle of this coun- 
 try only find an utterance, and party organizations would 
 quail before its rebuke. How often have we seen a combi- 
 nation, insignificant in point of numbers, breaking loose from 
 the trammels of party, and uniting in the support of a single 
 principle, hold the balance of power between contending 
 parties, and wield the destinies of either at its will ! Let 
 virtuous men, then, unite on the ground of universal moral 
 principle^ and the tyranny of party will be crushed. Were 
 the virtuous men of this country to carry their moral senti- 
 ments into practice, and act alone rather than participate in 
 the doing of wrong, all parties would, from necessity, submit 
 to their authority, and the acts of the nation would become a 
 true exponent of the moral character of our people. 
 
 And unless we do this, it is both folly and injustice to 
 complain of the magistracy which we have set over us. We 
 have no reason to expect in a legislator a higher degree of 
 virtue than we possess ourselves. It is ungenerous to blame 
 him for being a selfish partisan, when we ourselves have set 
 him the example. It is unreasonable to expect him to sac- 
 rifice office, emolument, and influence, for principle, while 
 we dare not act from principle when we have none of these 
 to lose. It is shameful to ask him to forsake his party for 
 rio-ht, when we ourselves, if he obeyed our wishes, would be 
 the first to abandon him. If we expect moral independence 
 in our representatives, we must show them that we possess it 
 ourselves. If we ask them to peril their political influence 
 for right, we must at least show them that the moral principle 
 of their constituents will sustain them in well-doing. 
 
 We see, then, that this whole discussion tends to one very 
 simple practical conclusion. A virtuous man is bound to 
 33 
 
886 OBEDIENCE TO THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE. 
 
 carry his principles into practice in all the relations of life. 
 He can no more do wrong in company than alone, and be 
 guiltless. If he be a true man, he must love right, and jus- 
 tice, and mercy, better than political party or personal popu- 
 larity. If he fear God, he must obey God rather than man, 
 and this fear must govern his conduct universally. In this 
 matter, every man must begin not with his neighbor, but with 
 himself; and, if he wish our country to be reformed, let him 
 begin the work immediately. Let us all, then, lay these 
 things solemnly to heart, and may God grant us grace to 
 carry them into practice. 
 
 Of TBM 
 
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 Sketch of the authoe. 12mo, cloth, $1.25. 
 
 It combines substantial history with the highest charm of romance; the most rigid philosophical crit- 
 icism with a thorougli analysis of human character and faithful representation of the spirit and man- 
 ners of the age to which it relates. We regard tlie book as a valuable contribution to the cause ntit 
 merely of general literature, but especially of pulpit eloquence. Its attractions are so various th.;t 
 ic can hardly fail to find readers of almost every description. — Puritan Recorder. 
 
 A very delightful book. It is full of interest, and equally replete with sound thought and proflta'..'.^ 
 sentiment. — N. Y. Conimerciul. 
 
 It is a volume at once curious, instructive, and fascinating. The interviews of Eourdaloue, r.ivl 
 Claude, and those of Bossuet, Fenelon, and others, are remarkably attractive, and of fmislied tasl . 
 Otlier high personages of France are brought in to ligure in the narrative, while rhetorical rules ar;-, 
 exemplitied in a manner altogetlier new. Its extensive sale in France is evidence enough of ita ex- 
 traordinary merit and its peculiarly attractive qualities. — Ch. Advocate. 
 
 It is full of life and animation, and conveys a graphic idea of the state of morals and religion iu tha 
 Augustan age of French literature. — N. Y. Recorder. 
 
 This book will attract by its novelty, and prove particularly engaging to those interested in the pul- 
 pit eloquence of an age characterized by the flagrant wickedness of Louis XIV. The author has ex- 
 hibited singular skill in weaving into his narrative sketches of tlie remarkable men who flourished at 
 that period, with original and striking remarks on the subject of preaching. — Presbyterian. 
 
 Its historical and biographical portions are valuable ; its comments excellent, and its effect pure and 
 benignant. A work which we recommend to all, as possessing rare interest. — Buffalo Morn. Exp. 
 
 A book of rare interest, not only for the singular ability with which it is written, but for the graph ;■; 
 account which it gives of the state of pulpit eloquence during the celebrated era of which it treai -. 
 It is perhaps the best biography extant of the distinguished and eloquent preacher, who above all oii,- 
 ers most pleased the king ; while it also furnishes many interesting particulars in the lives of Jiis pro- 
 fessional contemporaries. We content ourself with warmly commending it. — Savannah Journal. 
 
 The ajithor is a minister of the Reformed Church, In the forms of narrative and conversations, \:.\ 
 portrays the features and character of that remarkable age, and illustrates the claims and duties of t]i-> 
 iacred oflice, and the important ends to be secured by the eloquence of the pulpit. — Phd. Ch. Obs. 
 
 A book wi.iLh unfolds to us the private conversation, the interior life and habits of study of such 
 men as Claudj, Bossuet, Bourdaloue, Massillon, and Bridaine, cannot but be a precious gift toth'^ 
 Ajnerican churoh and ministers. It is a book full of historical facts of great value, sparkling with gem* 
 pf tJiought, polii^hed scholarship, and genuine piety. - Cin. Ch. Advocate. 
 
 This volume presents a phase of French life with which we have never met in any other work. Th.». 
 author is a minister of the Reformed Church in Paris, where his work has been received with unex- 
 jiinpled popularity, having already gone through foxtrteen editions. The writer has studied not on!" 
 the divinity and general literature of ihe age of Louis XIV., but also the memories of that period, unt' I 
 he is able to reproduce a life-hke picture of society at the Court of the Grand Monarch. — ^Z6. Iran.'.. 
 
 A work which we recommend to all, as possessing rare interest. — Buffalo Ev. Express. 
 
 In form it is descriptive and dramatic, ptescnting the reader with animated conversations botwc i 
 some of the most famous preachers and philosophers of the Augustan age of France. The work wi I 
 be read with interest by all intelligent men ; but it will be of especial scrv'ice to the ministry, who cai - 
 not afford to be ignorant of the facts and suggestions of this instructive volume. — iV. T- Ch. Intel. 
 
 The work is very fascinating, and the lesson under its spangled robe is of the gravest moment to 
 every pulpit and every age. — Ch. Intelligencer. 
 
 THE PRIEST AND THE HUGUENOT ; or Persecution in the Age 
 of Louis XV, Part I., A Sermon at Court ; Part IL, A Sermon in the City ; Part HI., 
 A Sermon in tlie Desert Translated from the Frenrli of L. liuNGENER, autlior ct 
 " The Preacher and the King." 2 vols. ISmo, cloth, $2.25 KJ^ A new Work. 
 
 t0- This is tnily a masterly production, full of interest, and may be set down as one of the greate«« 
 Protestav>t works of tlie age. Ff ' 
 
UNIVERSITY SERMONS 
 
 SERMONS Delivered in the Chapel of Brown University. By the Rev. 
 Francis Wayland, D. D. Third thousand. 12m(), cloth, 1,00. 
 
 03- Dr. Wayland has here discussed most of the prominent doctrines of the Bible in his usual 
 clear and masterly style, viz. : Theoretical Atheism : Practical Atheism ; Moral Character of Man ; 
 l.ove to God ; Full of Man ; Justification by "Works impossible ; Preparation for the Advent of the 
 Messiah; Work of the Messiah ; Justification by Faith ; The Fall of Peter; The Church of Christ; 
 Tiie Unity of the Church ; The Duty of Obedience to the Civil Magistrate ; also, the Recent Kevoki- 
 tions in Europe. 
 
 The discourses contained in this handsome volume are characterized by all that richness of thought 
 and elegance of language for which their talented author is celebrated. The volume is worthy of the 
 pea of the distinguished divine from whom it emanates. — Dk. Baikd's Christian Union. 
 
 Few sermons contain so much carefully arranged thought as these. The thorough logician is ap- 
 parent throughout the volume, and there is a classic purity in the diction, unsurpassed by any writer, 
 lyid equalled by few. — jV. Y. Commercial. 
 
 The author has long been before the public as one of our most popular writers in various depart- 
 ments of science and morals. His style is easy and fluent, and rich in illustration. — Evan. Review. 
 
 No tlilnking man can open to any portion of it without finding his attention strongly arrested, and 
 feeling inclined to yield his assent to those self-evincing statements whicli appear on every page. As 
 a writer, Dr. Wayland is distinguished by simplicity, strength, and comprehensiveness. He addresses 
 himself directly to the intellect more than to the imagination, to the conscience more than to the pas- 
 sions. — Watchman and Reflector, 
 
 Just issued, a noble volume of noble sermons, from the distinguished President of Brown Univer- 
 sity. Tliese discourses are fine specimens of his discriminating power of thought, and purity and 
 vigor of style. — Zion's Herald. 
 
 Dr. Waylaxd's name and fame will cause any thing from his pen to be eagerly sought for ; and 
 those who take up this volume with the high expectations induced by his previous works, will not be 
 disappointed. The discourses are rich in evangelical truth, profound thought, and beautiful diction; 
 worthy at once of the theologian, the philosopher, and the rhetorician. - Albany Argus. 
 
 Tills volume adds to Dr. Wayland's fame as a writer. This is commendation enough to bestow 
 upon any book. — Puritan Recorder. 
 
 De. Wayland is one of the prominent Christian philosophers and literary men of our country. 
 His style is elegant and polished, and his views evangelical. — Watchman. Cincinnati. 
 
 His style is peculiarly adapted to arrest the attention, and his familiar illustrations serve to make 
 plain the most abstruse principles, as well as to enstamp them upon one's memory. It is, in fact, 
 scarcely possible to forget a discourse which we read from Wayland, and we have ever found hia 
 works to be highly suggestive. We think no minister's library complete without it. — Dover Star. 
 
 We must call the attention of our readers again to this attractive volume of sermons. They come 
 from one who has nttained a national reputation, and embody the views matured by the careful study 
 of many years upon the most important topics in theology. — Fhil. Ch. Chronicle. 
 
 It would be spending time to little purpose to attempt a eulogy on a work emanating from such m 
 source. — iV. Y. Baptist Register. 
 
 THE PERSON AND WORK OF CHRIST. By Ernest Sartorius, 
 D. D., General Superintendent and Consistoriai Director at Konigsberg, Prussia. Trans- 
 lated from the German, by the Rev. Oakman S. Stearns, A. M. 18mo, cloth,. 42 cts. 
 
 A work of much ability, and presenting the argument in a style that will be new to most American 
 readers. It will deservedly attract attention. — N. Y. Observer. 
 
 De. Saetorius is one of the most eminent and evangelical theologians in Germany. The work 
 will be found, both from the important subjects discussed and the earnestness, beauty, and vivacity of 
 its style, to possess the qualities which recommend it to the Christian public. — Mich. Ch. Herald. 
 
 A little volume on a great siibiect, and evidently the production of a great mind. The style and 
 train of thought prove this.— Southern Literary Gazette. 
 
 Wliother we consider the importance of the subjects discussed, or the perspicuous exhibition of truth 
 in the voinine before u'. the chnste and elegant style used, or the devout spirit of the author, we can- 
 not but desi.-e that t}i« w oik may meet with an extensive circulation. — Christian Index. 
 
 Gs 
 
flECENT PUBLICATIONS. 
 
 THE EVIDENCES OF CHRISTIANITY, as exhibited in the writings of 
 its f pologists, down to Augustine, by W. J. Bolton, of Gonville and Caim 
 College, Cambridge. 12mo, cloth. 80 cents. 
 
 The essay contained in this volume received the Hnlsean prize (about S500) in England. 
 The author is a professor in Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and evidently a very 
 teamed student of the patristic writings and the whole circle of ecclesiastical history. lie has 
 presented to the world in this essay an admirable compendium of the arguments for the truth 
 Df Christianity advanced in the works of the Apologetic Fathers during the third, fourth, and 
 fifth centuries of the Christian era. These arguments are classified as being deduced from 
 antecedent probability, from antiquity, from prophecy, from miracles, from the reasonableness 
 Off doctrine, from superior morality, and from the success of the Gospel. — iV. Y. Commercial: 
 
 Til is is a work of deep research, and of great value to the theological student. — Transn-ipt. 
 
 We had occasion, some time since, to notice this work, when we expressed i high estimate 
 cf Its merits. We can only say that, in looking through it a second time, our appreciation of 
 both the learning and the ingenuity which it discovers is heightened rather than diminished 
 We thankfully accept such an effort as this of a profound and higlxly-cultivated mind — Puri 
 tan Recorder. 
 
 The work bears the marks of great research, and must command the attention and confidence 
 vS the Christian world. — Mercantile Journal. 
 
 THE BETTER LAND ; or, Thoughts on Heaven. By A. C. Thompson, 
 Pastor of the Eliot Church, Roxbury. 12mo, cloth. $1.00. Just published. 
 
 THE MISSION OF THE COMFORTER ; with copious Notes. By Julius 
 Charlks Hare. Notes translated for the American edition. 12mo, cl. $1.25. 
 
 We hardly remember any treatise which is so well calculated to be useful in general circula- 
 tion among ministers, and the more educated laity, than this, which is rich in spirituality, 
 itrong and scmnd in theology, comprehensive in thought, vigorous and beautiful in Imagination, 
 ind affluent in learning. — Congregationalist. 
 
 We have seldom read a book with greater interest. — N. T. Evangelist. 
 
 The volume id one of rare value, and will be welcomed as an eloquent and Scriptural exposl« 
 tion of some of the fundamental doctrines of our faith. — New York Recorder. 
 
 THE VICTORY OF FAITH. By Julius Charles Hare, author of " The 
 Mission of the Comforter," etc. 12mo, cloth. In press. 
 
 VIRST LINES OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY. In the form of a Syllabus, 
 prepared for the use of Students, with subsequent Additions and Elucidations. 
 By Rev. Joh.v Pye Smith. Edited from the author's manuscript; , with 
 Additionul Notes and References, etc. 1 vol. Royal octavo. $5.00 
 XJ®- A most important work for ministers and theological students. 
 
 "HE RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD, and their relations to Christianity. 
 
 By Frederick Denison Maurice, A. M., Professor of Divinity in King's 
 
 College, London. 16mo, cloth. CO cents. 
 
 The effort we deem masterly, and, in any event, must prove highly interesting by the com 
 i.;u-is(ms which it institutes with the false and the true. His investigations into tiie Hindoo 
 n;)(l Budhist mythologies will itself repay the reader's trouUe. — Methodist Quarterly. 
 
 G UTDO AND JULIUS. The Doctrine of Sin and the Propitiator ; or, 
 the Trae Consecration of the Doubter. Exhibited in the Correspondence of 
 tTo Friends. By Frederis Augustut 0. Tholuch, D. D. Translated from 
 tne (German, by Jonathan Edwards Ryland. With an Introduction by 
 John Pye Smith, D. D. 16mo, cloth. 60 cents. 
 
 JSGsT It might naturally be expected that a work by authors so distinguished in the literarj- an«I 
 r^-liei.jus world would prove one of great interest ana value. This expectation will not be disap 
 
 0!>V.it*-.I H is |irC-Pmin:iilH !\ I ;-il; f..i- !l,.- t!i-.w.> -fui: Ji.,!....,; n,.! ..I^;r.v:t jiow'-r. 
 
IMPORT AN T W O E K. 
 
 KITTO'S POPULAR CYCLOPiEDIA OF BIBLICAL LITERA- 
 TUllE. Condensed from the larger work. Ey the Author, J oiiN Kitto, D. D., Autlior 
 of" Pictorial Bible," " History of Palestine," " Scripture Daily Readings," <tc. Assisted 
 by James Taylor, D. D., of Glasgow. With over five hundred Illustrations. One vol- 
 uine octavo, 812 pp., cloth, 3,00. • 
 
 The Populae Biblical Cyclopaedia of Iiteratuee is designed to furnish a DicxiONAur 
 OF TiiK Bille, embodying the products of the best and most recent researches in biblical literature, 
 in which the scholars of Europe and America have been engaged. The work, tlic result of immense 
 labor and research, and enriclied by the contributions of writers of distinguished eminence in the va- 
 rious departments of sacred literature, has been, by universal consent, pronounced the best work of 
 i/. class extant, and the one best suited to the advanced knowledge of the present day in all t!ie stuaics 
 connected with theological science. It is not only intended for ministers and theological studenfx, 
 tut is also particularly adapted to jmrents. Sabbath school teachers, and tlie great l.odi/ of the religious 
 puljlic. The illustrations, amounting to 7nore than three hundred, are of the very highest order. 
 
 A condensed vieiv of the various branches of Biblical Science comprehended in the ivork. 
 
 1. Biblical Criticism, — Embracing the History of the Bible Languages ; Canon of Scripture? 
 Literary Ilistorj' and Peculiarities of the Sacred liooks ; Formation and History of Scripture Texts. 
 
 2. History, — Proper Names of Persons ; Biographical Sketches of prominent Characters; Detailed 
 Accounts of important Events recorded in Scripture ; Chronology and Genealogy of Scripture. 
 
 3. Geography, — Names of Places; Description of Scenery; Boundaries and Mutual Relations of 
 the Countries mentioned in Scripture, so far as necessary to illustrate the Sacred Text. 
 
 4. Arcii.cology, — Manners and Customs of the Jews and other nations mentioned in Scripture; 
 their Sacred Institutions, Military Affairs, Political Arrangements, Literary and Scientific Pursuits. 
 
 5. Physical SclE^'CE,— Scripture Cosmogony and Astrouomy, Zoology, Mineralogy, Botany, 
 Meteorology. 
 
 In addition to niunerous flattering notices and reviews, personal letters from more than f fly of the 
 viost distinguished Ministers and Laymen of different religious denominations in the country hixve been 
 jreceivcd, highly commending this work as admirably adapted to ministers, Sabbath school teachers^ 
 ia^ads of families, and all Bible students. 
 
 The following extract of a letter is a fair specimen of individual letters received from each of the 
 gentlemen whose names are given below : — 
 
 " I have examined it with special and unalloyed satisfaction. It has the rare merit of being all tliat 
 it professes to be, and very few, I am sure, who may consult it will deny that, in richness and fulness 
 of detail, it surpasses their expectation. Many ministers will find it a A'aluable auxiliary ; but its 
 thief excellence is, that it furnishes just the facilities which are needed by the tliousands in families 
 and Sabbath schools, who are engaged in the important business of biblical education. It is in itself a 
 IJbniry of reliable information." 
 
 W. B. Sprague, D. D., Pastor of Second Presbyterian Church, Albany, N. Y. 
 
 J. J. Carruthers, D. D., Pastor of Second Parish Congregational Church, Portland, Jle. 
 
 Joel Hawes, D. D., Pastor of First Congregational Churcli, Hartford, Ct. 
 
 Daniel Sharp, D. D.,late Pastor of Third Baptift Church, Boston. 
 
 K. L. Frothingham, D. D.Jate Pastor of First Congregational Church, (Unitarian,) Boston. 
 
 Ephraim Peabody, D. D., Pastor of Stone Chapel Congregational Church, (Unitarian,) Bosto«, 
 
 A. L. Stone, Pastor of Park Street Congregational Church, Boston. 
 
 John S. Stone, D. D., Picctor of Christ Church, (Episcopal,) Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 J. B. Waterbury, D. D., Pastor of Bowdoin Street Church, (Congregational,) Boston. 
 
 Baron Stow, D. D., Pastor of Kowe Street Baptist Church, Boston. 
 
 Thomas H. Skinner, D. D., Pastor of Carmine Presbyterian Church, New York. 
 
 Samuel W. Worcester, D. D., Pastor of the Tabernacle Church, (Congregational.) Salem, 
 
 Horace Bushnell, D. D., Pastor of Third Congregational Church, Hartford, Ct. 
 
 Right Reverend J. M. Wainwnght. D. D., Trfnity Church, (Episcopal.) New York. 
 
 Gardner Spring, D. D., Pastor of tlie Brick Church Chapel Presbyterian Church, New Yoit. 
 
 "W. T. Dwight, D. D., Pastor of Third Congregational Church. Portland, Me. 
 
 E. N. Kirk, Pastor of Mount Vernon Conffrerational Church. Boston. 
 
 Prof. George Bush, author of " Notes on the Scriptures," New York. 
 
 Howard INTnlcom, D. D., author of " Bible Dictionary," and Pres, of Lewisburg University. 
 
 Henry J. Ripley, D. D., author of " Notes on the Scriptures," and Prof, in Newton Thecl. In*. 
 
 N. Porter, Prof, in Yale Collece, New Haven, Ct. 
 
 Jared Sparks, Edward Everett, Theodore Frdinghuysen, Robert C. Winthrop, John JVIcLean, 
 
 Simon Greenleaf, Thomas S. Williams,- and a large number of others of like character and 
 
 itanding of the above, whose names cannot here appear. H 
 
I31P0RTAXT AYOPJvS. 
 
 ANALYTICAL CONCORDANCE OF THE HOLY SCIUPTURES ; 
 or, The Bible presented under Distinct and Classified Heads or Topics. By Johk 
 Eadie, D. D., LL. D., Author of " Biblical Cyclopasdia," " Dictionary of the 
 Bible," &c., &c. One volume, royal octavo, 833 pp. Cloth, ??3.C0; elieep, $3 50. 
 Just published. 
 
 The publishers would call the special attention of clergymen and others to some of the peculiar 
 features of this great work. 
 
 1. It is a concordance of sidyecta, not of tcords. In tliis it diflfers from the common concordance, 
 Which, of course, it does not supersede. Both are necessary to the Biblical student. 
 
 2. It embraces all the topics, both secular and religious, which are naturally suggested by the entire 
 contents of the Bible. In this it differs from Scripture Alanuals and Topical Text-books, which aie 
 tonlined to religious or doctrinal topics. 
 
 V. It contains the whole of the Bible without abridgment, differing in no respect from the Bible in 
 ccmnion use, except in the classification of its contents. 
 
 A. It contains a synopsis, separate from the concordance, presenting within the compass of a few 
 pcges a bird's-eye view of the whole contents. 
 
 5. It cor- tains a tau'e of contents, embracing nearly two thousand heads, arranged in alphabetical 
 order. 
 
 C. It is mjch superior to the only other work in the language prepared on the same general plan, 
 nnd is offered to the public at much less cost. 
 
 The purchaser gets not only a Concordance, but also a Bihle, in this volume. The superior con- 
 venience arising out of this fact, — saving, as it does, the necessity of having two bookj at hand and 
 of making two references, instead of one, — will be readily apparent. 
 
 The geneml subjects (under each of 'rhlch there are a vast number of sub-divisions) are arranged 
 as follows, viz. : 
 
 Agriculture, Genealogy, Ministers of Religion, Sacrifice, 
 
 Animals, God, Miracles, Scriptures, 
 
 Architecture, Heaven, Occupations, Speech, 
 
 Army, Arms, Idolatry, Idols, Ordinances, Spirits, 
 
 Body, Jesus Christ, Parables and Emblems, Tabernacle and Temple, 
 
 Canaan, Jews, Persecution, Vineyard and Orchard, 
 
 Covenant, Laws, Praise and Prayer, Visions and Dreams, 
 
 Diet and Dress, Magistrates, Prophecy, War, 
 
 Disease and Death, Man, Providence, "Water. 
 
 Earth, Marriage, Redemption, 
 
 Family, Metals and Minerals, Sabbaths and Iloly Days, 
 
 That such a work as this is of exceeding great convenience is matter of obvious remark. But it 
 Js much more than that ; it is also an instructive work. It Is adapted not only to assist the student 
 in prosecuting the investigation of preconceived ideas, but also to impart ideas which the most care- 
 ful reading of the Bible in its ordinary arrangement might not suggest. Let him take up any one of 
 the subjects — " Agriculture," for example — and see if such be not the case. This feature places 
 the work in a higher grade than that of tlie common Concordance. It shows it to be, so to speak, a 
 work of more mind. 
 
 No Biblical student would willingly dispense with this Concordance when once possessed. It is 
 odnptcd to the necessities of all classes, ~ clergymen and theological students; Sabbath-school 
 sn;)'jrintendent3 and teachers; authors engaged in the composition of religious and even secular 
 works; and, in fine, common readers of the Bible, intent only on their own improvement. 
 
 A COMMENTARY ON THE ORIGINAL TEXT OF THE ACTS 
 OF THE ABOSTLES. By Horatio B. Hackett. D. D., Professor of Biblical Liter- 
 ature and Interpretation, in the Newton Theological Institution. CIT'A new» 
 revised, and enlarged edition. Octavo, cloth. In Press. 
 
 COT" This most important and very popular work, has been throughly revised (some parts beinj 
 entirely rewritten), and considerably enlarged by the introduction of important new matter, the 
 rosxilt of the Author's continued, laborious investigations since the publication of the first edition, 
 aided by the more recent published criticisms on this portion of the Divine Word, by othci.' distin- 
 guished Biblical Scholars, in this country and in Europe. CV 
 
MODERN ATHEISM. 
 
 MODEHN ATHEISM, und^r its Forms of Pantheism, [Materialism, Secu, 
 larism, Development, and Natural Laws. By Jamks Buchakak, D.D , LL.D. 
 12mo, cloth, 551.25. 
 
 The Author of tills work is the successor of Dr. Chalmers in the Chair of Divinity in the Ne^r 
 College, Ediuburgli, and the intellectual leader of the Scottish Free Church. 
 
 Fkom Hugh Mir.LEn, Author ok " Old Red Sandstone," &c., &c. — The -work before us Is 
 one of at once the most readable and solid which we have ever perused. 
 
 FuoM tiie"JS'f.ws of the CuuitciiES." — It is a work of which nothing less can be said, than 
 lliut, both in spirit and substance, style and argument, it fixes irreversibly the name of the author 
 as a leading classic in tlie Christian literature of Britain. 
 
 FiiOii IIowAKD IMalcom, D. D., President of Lewisburo University. — No work hr.s 
 rome into my hands, for a long time, so helpful to me as a teacher of metaphysics and morals. 
 I know of nothing which will answer for a substitute. Tlie public specially needs such a bool; at 
 this time, when the covert atheism of Fichte, Wolfe, Hegel, Kant, Schelling, D'llolbach, Conite, 
 Crousse, Atkinson, Martineau, Leroux, Mackay, Ilolyoake, and others, is being spread abroad with 
 nil earnestness, supi)orted, at leas't in some places, both by church influence and university honors. 
 I cannot but hope that a work so timely, scholarly, and complete, will do much good. 
 
 It is one of the most solid and remarkable books in its department of literature; one of the most 
 scholarly and profound productions of modern Christian literature. — Worcester Transcript. 
 
 Dr. Buchanan has earned a high and well-deserved reputation as a classical writer and close logi- 
 cal reasoner. Ho deals heavy, deadly blows on atheism in all its various forms ; and wherever tl;e 
 work is read it cannot fail to do good. — Christian Secretarv. 
 
 It is a work which places iis author at once in the highest rank of modem religious authors. liis 
 analyses of the doctrines held by the various schools of modern atheism are admirable, and his 
 criticism original and profound ; while his arguments in defence of the Christian faith are powerful 
 and convincing. It is an attractive as well as a solid book ; and he who peruses a few of its pages is, 
 as it were, irresistibly drawn on to a thorough reading of the book.— Doston Portfolio. 
 
 The style is very felicitous, and the reasoning clear and cogent. The opposing theories are fliirly 
 stated and combated with remarkable ease and skill. Even when the argument frl's witliin t!ie 
 range of science, it is so happily stated that no intelligent reader can fail to understand it. Such a 
 profound, dispassionate work is particularly called for at the present time. — Boston Journal. 
 
 It is justly described as "a great argument," " magnificent in its strength, order, and beauty," in 
 defence of trutli, and against the variant theories of atheism. It reviews the doctrines of the dif- 
 ferent schools of modern Atheism, gives a fair statement of their theories, answers and refutes them, 
 never evading, but meeting and crushing their arguments. — Piiila. Chkistian Observer. 
 
 Dr. Buchanan is candid and impartial, too, as so strong a man can afford to be, evades no argument, 
 undertakes no opposing view, but meets his antagonists with the quiet and unswerving confidence 
 of a locomotive on iron tracks, pretty sure to crush them. — Christian Register. 
 
 We hail this production of a master mind as a lucid, vigorous, discriminating, and satisfactory 
 refutation of the various false philosophies which have appeared in modern times to allure ingenu- 
 ous youth to their destruction. Dr. Buchanan has studied them thoroughly, weighed them dispas- 
 sionately, and exposed their falsity and emptiness. His refutation is a clear stream of l.ght from 
 beginning to end. — Phila. Presbyterian. 
 
 We recommend " Modern Atheism " as a book for the times, and as having special claims on 
 theological students. — Universalist Quarterly. 
 
 It is remarkable for the clearness with which it apprehends and the fairness with which it states, 
 not less than for the ability with which it replies to, the schemes of unbelief in its various modern 
 forms. It will be found easy to read— though not light reading — and very quickening to thought, 
 while it clears away, one by one, the mists which the Devil has conjured around the great doctrines 
 of our Faith, by the help of some of his ingenious modern coadjutors, and leaves the truth of Cod 
 standing in its serene and pristine majesty, as if the breatli of hatred never had been breathed forth 
 against it. — Congreoationalist. 
 
 Dr. Buchanan has here gone into the enemy's camp, and defeated him on his own groJtr.d. 
 The work is a masterly defence of faith against dogmatic unbelief on the one hand, and that uni- 
 versal skepticism on the other, which neither affirms nor denies, on the ground of an assumed 
 clc.'.c'oiv y ^ifcs ilence as to the reality of God and religion. — N. Y. Christian Chronicle. 
 
 It ;.; a < icur.y and vigorously written book. It is particuliHy valuable for its clear statement and 
 masterly refutation of the Pantheism of Spinoza and liis School. — Chiiistian Herald. C'%) 
 
BirOHTANT ^EW WORKS. 
 
 THE TESTIMONY OF THE EOCKS ; or, Geology in its Bearings on 
 the two Theologies, Natural and Ivcvealed. By Hugh Miller. " Thou shait be 
 in league with the stones of the tield." — Job. With numerous elegant illustration--. 
 12mo, cloth, !:?1 25. 
 
 The cgnipletion of this important work employed the last hours of the lamented author, and may 
 Le considered his greatest and in fact his life work. 
 
 JIACAULAY ON SCOTLAND. A Critique. By HuCxH Miller, 
 Author of " Footprints of the Creator,-' &c. 16ma flexible cloth, 25c. 
 
 T/hoT) we read Macaulay's last volumes, we said that they wanted nothing but the fiction to make 
 c. 1 epic poem; and now it seems that they are not wanting even in that. — Puritan Kecoedek. 
 
 lie meets the historian at the fountain head, tracks him through the old pamphlets and newspapers 
 on which he relied,and demonstrates that his own authorities are against him.— Boston Tkansceipt. 
 
 THE GREYSON LETTERS. Selections from the Correspondence of 
 
 R. E. H. Gbeyso::^, Esq. Edited by Henry Rogers, Author of " The Eclipse of Faith." 
 
 12mo, cloth, $l.:'5. 
 
 " Mr. Greyson and Jlr. Rogers are one and the same person. The whole work is from his pen ; 
 end every letter is radiant with the genius of the author of the 'Eclipse of Faith.'" It discusses a 
 wide range of subjects in the most attractive manner. It abounds in the keenest wit and humor, 
 entire and logic. It fairly entitles Mr. Rogers to rank with Sydney Smith and Charles Lamb as a, 
 wit and humorist, and with Bishop Butler as a reasoner. 
 
 If Mr. Rogers lives to accomplish our expectations, we feel Uttle doubt that his name will share, 
 with those of Butler and Pascal, in the gratitude and veneration of posterity. — London Quarterly. 
 
 Full of acute observation, of subtle analysis, of accurate logic, fine description, apt quotation, pithy 
 remark, and amusing anecdote. ... A book, not for one hour, but for all hours; not for one mood, 
 but for every mood, to think over, to dream over, to laugh over. — Boston Journal. 
 
 A truly good book, containing wise, true and original reflections, and written in an attractive style. 
 
 — Hon. Geo. S. Hillaed, LL. D., in Boston Courier. 
 
 Mr. Rogers has few equals as a critic, moral philosopher, and defender of truth. . . . This volume 
 is full of entertainment, and full of food for thought, to feed on. — Philadelphia Peesbyterian. 
 
 The Letters are intellectual gems, radiant with beauty and the lights of genius, happily inter- 
 mingling the grave and the gay. — Christian Oeseevee. 
 
 ESSAYS IN BIOGRAPHY AND CRITICISM. By Peter Bayne, 
 M. A., Author of " The Christian Life, Social and Individual." Arranged in two Series, 
 OR Parts. 12mo, cloth, each, $1.25. 
 
 This work is prepared by the author exclusively for his American publishers. It includes eign-. 
 teen articles, viz : 
 First Series : - Thomas De Quincy. — Tennyson and his Teachers. — Mrs. Barrett Brown in g, 
 
 — Recent Aspects of British Art. — John Ruskin. — Hugh Miller. — The Modern Novel ; Dickens, &c. 
 
 — Ellis, Acton, and Currer Bell. — Charles Kingsley. 
 
 Second Series : — S. T. Coleridge. — T. B. Macaulay. — Alison. — Wellington. — Napoleon. — 
 Plato. — Cliaracteristica of Christian Civilization. — Education in the Nineteenth Century. — The 
 Pulpit and the Press. 
 
 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF JAMES MONTGOMERY. Abridged 
 from the recent London, ecven volume edition. By Mrs. H. C Knight, Author 
 of '• Lady Huntington and her Friendi--,'- &c. With a fine likeness and an elegant 
 illustrated title page on steel. 12mo, cloth, ??1.25. 
 
 This is an original biography prepared from the abundant, but ill-digested materials con- 
 tained in tlio seven octavo volumes of the London edition. The great bulk of that work, together 
 With t!ie heavy style of its literary e.ieji.tion, rnvist necessarily prevent its republication in this 
 country. At the same time, the Chmt^fl-.i 2)l»fc/''; in America will expect some memoir of a poet 
 whose hymns and sacred melodies ha' e deefl let ''"light of every household. Tliis work, it is confl- 
 dontly hvijicl. will fully sntisfy tlio piM'.' 'i'ri'r. *♦ is prepared by one who has already won distin- 
 jruisiKM 'vui-els \n f.i;s ,:t ;)ait!ii;>:i! - - \t.'ri'.-.- : tXj 
 
N E w wo n K s 
 
 THE TEACHER'S LAST LESSON. A ^Iemoik of ;Maktiia WmTiirt,, !&tf 
 
 of the Charlestown Female Seminary, consisting chiefly of Extracts from hei 
 
 Journal, interspersed with Reminisences and Suggestive Reflections. B\ 
 
 Catharine N. Badger, an Associate Teacher. With a Portrait, and an 
 
 Engraving of the Seminary. 12mo. Cloth. $1.00. Second Edition. % 
 
 The subject of this Memoir was, for a quarter of a century, at the bead of or.e of 
 
 the most celebrated Female Seminaries iu the country. During that period she 
 
 educated more than three thousand young ladies. She was a kindred spirit to Mary 
 
 Lyon, the celebrated founder of Mount Holyoke Seminary, with whom, for strength 
 
 of character, eminent piety, devotion to her calling, and extraordinary Kucccsfc 
 
 therein, she well deserves to be ranked. 
 
 MY MOTHER: or Recollections of Maternal Influence. By a New EngLvVkd 
 
 Clergymax. 12mo. Cloth. 75 Cents. 
 
 This is a new and enlarged edition of a work that was first published in 1849. It 
 passed rapidly through three editions, when the sale was arrested by the embarrass- 
 ment of the publisher. The author has now revised it, and added anotlier chapter, 
 60 that it comes before the public with the essential claims of a new work. . . . 
 It is the picture of a quiet Xew England family, so drawn and colored as to sub.-t'rve 
 ihe ends oi' f/o7n est ic e<Iurntion. The central figure is the author's mother, around 
 whom are grouped the various members of the family. Biographical sketches and 
 lessons of practical wisdom are so lutcrmiDgled, that M'hile the former relieve the 
 
 latter, these in turn give force and significance to the sketches The 
 
 author has already distinguished himself in various walks of literature, but from 
 motives of delicacy towards the still surviving ciiaracters of the book, he chooser for 
 
 the present to conceal his name A writer of wide celebrity say? of the 
 
 book, in a note to the publisiier — "It isoueof those rare pictures, painted from life^ 
 with the exquisite skill of one of the old masters jV^hich so seldom present themselves 
 to the amateur.'* 
 
 THE IMITATION OF CHRIST. By Thomas A'Kr.MPis. ^Vith an 
 Introductory Essay, by Dr. Chalmers. Edited by Howaud Malcolm, D. D. 
 A Kiiw Edition, with a Life of Thomas A'Kempis. Hy Dr. C. Ullman, author 
 of " Reformers before the Reformation." 12mo, cloth. 85 cents. 
 \* This work has, for three hundred years, been esteemed one of the best prac- 
 tical books in existence, and has gone through a vast number of editions, not only in 
 the original Latin, but in every language of Europe. 
 
 This may safely be pronounced the best Protestant edition extant. It is re- 
 printed from Payne's edition, collated with an ancient Latin copy. The ijeculiar 
 feature of this neiv ediiion is the improved page, the elegant, large, clear type, and 
 the New Life of A'Kempis, by Ullmann. Born nearly five hundred years ago, 
 Thomas A'Kempis is almost unknown. While the Memoir prefixed to former x\mer. 
 ican editions, and purporting to give all the facts, is contained in a few paragiaphs^ 
 this life extends to more than fifty pages. 
 
 Dr. Payson, in conversing with a young minister, once said, " If you have not seen 
 '■Thomas A'Kempis,'' I beg you to procure it. For spirituality and weanedness froru 
 the world, I know of nothing equal to it.'''' 
 
 EXCLUSIVENESS OF THE BAPTISTS. A Beview of the Rev. 
 Albert Barnes' Pamphlet on " Exclusivism." By Henet J. Riplet, Newton Theo- 
 logical Institution. 12mo, printed cover, 13 cents. 
 
 A thorough, candid, yet searching Review of Dr. Barnes' unfounded charges against the 
 Baptists. It contains much important information on controverted subjects between Bap- 
 tists and Pedo-Baptists, especially that usually termed " Close Communion." No better 
 work can be placed in the hands of any one desiring light on this subject. The manner 
 of treatment, the size, and the price, all rendor it admirably adapted to general circulation. 
 
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