DOCTRI^^ES OF FRIENDS 
 
 lMmivHt$ oJ tfte ©Str^tian ^tliQion, 
 
 AS HELD ET 
 
 THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 
 
 COMMONLY CALLED QUAKERS. 
 
 BY ELISHA BATES. 
 
 MOUNTPLEASANT, OHIO, PRINTED. 
 
 YORK : 
 
 REPRINTED AND SOLD BY W. ALEXANDER AND SON, CA'TLECJTE J 
 
 SOLD ALSO BY 
 
 HARVEY AND DARTON, EDMUND F RY, AN D WILLIAM DARTO N, 
 
 LONDON ; 
 
 K. PEART, BIRMINGHAM ; D. F. GARDINER, DUBIIN ; WETUEEELD & OO- 
 
 BELFAST. 
 
 1829. 
 
ADVERTISEMENT 
 
 To the English Edition. 
 
 As different artists frequently furnish considerable variety in the 
 landscapes Ihey exhibit from the same subject; so this description of 
 tlic Doctrines of the Society, whilst it maintains the ancient ground 
 of our Principles, presents us, in many instances, with an agreeable 
 variety, in the manner of advocating our acknowledged Doctrines. 
 

 PREFACE 
 
 In publishing, at the present day, a Treatise on the Doctrines 
 of Friends, it is not intended to convey an idea, that the works of 
 this kind, already extant, are not judiciously written. Nor is it 
 intended, by the present performance, to supercede those valuable 
 writings ; on the contrary, I would recommend them to more 
 general attention than they now receive. Nor is it to pri-pagate 
 or defend new principles, that I have entered into tiie present 
 engagement ; but lo present, in a concise and yet explicit manner, 
 an account of the acknozcledged Doctrines of the Society. For, 
 though I consider the doctrinal works that have been published, 
 with the consent of the Society, are all well adapted to the 
 particular views of the respective writers, and to the times at 
 which they were written ; yet it may be noticed, that the writings 
 of our primitive Friends are voluminous and scarce, while those of 
 modern date do not notice many points of doctrine, which some- 
 times become interesting, from the particular course of religious 
 inquiry. 
 
 It has long been a settled sentiment in my mind, that a work 
 setting forth clearly the acknowledged Principles " of the Society, 
 in all material points, without being tedious or expensive, would 
 be useful both to the members of the Society itself, and to serious 
 inquicers of other religious denominations. With this sentiment, 
 I cherished, for several yrars, a hope that some qualified individual 
 would undertake the task. 
 
 4 A 
 
 808 
 
IV 
 
 realized, and foelini; more impressively the importance of the 
 work, tlie apprehension of duly gradually and permanently settled 
 00 my mind, to make the attempt. 
 
 Though the arrangement of the suhjects, and the manner of 
 treating them, have been dictated by the views presented lo my 
 own mind ; yet in the subjects themselves, I have endeavoured to 
 keep to the acknowledged Doctrines of the Society. And in 
 comj)iling the following pages, I have made such extracts from 
 the writings of our early Friends, as seemed necessary to establish 
 the position, that they held the Principles laid down. In taking 
 these extracts, I have consulted those parts of their writings, in 
 which they make a statement of -dzhat they believe^ rather than 
 those in which they expose the errors of contrary opinions. 
 
 And here it may not be improper io remark, that many of the 
 Essays which were published by the members of this Society, in 
 the early periods of its history, were in direct and pointed con- 
 trov(rsy ; and frequently in reply to etTusions from the press, 
 which have long since been consigned to merited oblivion. In 
 the>e replies of our Friends, the object of the writer wa«, fre- 
 quently, to expose the consequences of the opinons which they 
 opposed. And as the publications thus opposed and exposed, are 
 now out of print and generally forgotten, while the replies of our 
 Friends are preserved, there is Fome possibility th;it their views 
 and sentiments may not be gathered from such of their writings, 
 without a knowledge of the causes which gave rise to them. 
 
 This remark will not apply exclusively to the writings of 
 Friends ; it will hold in relation to controversial works in general. 
 And the more boM and animated the manner of the writer, the 
 more occasion then^ will he to kiep this pariirulnr distinction in 
 view. 
 
 My intention, at first, was to compile a general History of the 
 Society ; embracing its Doctrines and Discipline, together with 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 Biographical Notices of individual members ; which several 
 divisions of the subject, I proposed to treat of separately. The 
 Doctrines stood first in my view ; and having completed these, it 
 seemed, for different reasons, best to publish this part, without 
 waiting for the slow collection of materials, and the laborious 
 arrangement of the historical and biographical parts. These 
 remaining parts of the original design are not abandoned; but 
 whether either of them will ever be accomplished, remains with 
 Him, at whose disposal are time, opportunity, and capacity for 
 every good word and work. 
 
 It is perhaps one of the laws of nature, that objects assume a 
 degree of the shade, which belongs to the medium through which 
 they are seen. And this is as true in the moral as in the physical 
 world. Hence prejudice or prepossession cannot fail to cast a 
 shade over any principle or performance that may be examined 
 through them. But there is a Principle, the Spirit of Truth, 
 which can divest the mind of these, and enable us to see things as 
 they rpcilly are. I solicit therefore, a calm and candid perusal of 
 the " Doctrines of Friends." And over and above all, I earnestly 
 desire an increasing prevalence of the influence of that Principle, 
 which, independent of names or denominations, infuses into the 
 hearts of the chil.lren of men, the feelings of gratitude and love 
 to God,.and of charity aiid love to each other. 
 
 y Elisha Bates. 
 
 MouyTPLEASJNT, 2nd mo. 1825. 
 
At a Meeting for Sufferings of Ohio Yearly 
 Meeting, held by adjournments^ from the 3rd of the 9th 
 month, to the \3th of the same, inclusive, 1824 : 
 
 The writings of Elisiia Bates, on the "Doctrines of 
 Friends," were examined, and approved ; and he left at 
 liberty to publish them : and the Clerk is directed to 
 furnish him with an extract of this minute, and sign it on 
 behalf of the Meeting. 
 
 Extracted from the Miuutes, by 
 
 JORDAN HARRISON, Clerk. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Page 
 The Original and Present State of Man 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Rewards and Punishments 20 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Universality of Grace, or the Possibility of 
 Salvation to all Men 31 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 The Divinity of Jesos Christ , 72 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Sanctification and Justification '. 112 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Perfection and Perseverance. 118 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Scriptures 125 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Immediate Revelation, and the Influences of the 
 Holy Sfirit 151 
 
via CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 I 
 
 DiTIKK WOBIIIIF 17« 1 
 
 i 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The MiMiiRv »»0 ', 
 
 CHAPTER XI. \ 
 
 Baptism 210 
 
 CHAPTER XII ) 
 
 The Supper ^^9 1 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. I 
 
 TuE Observanci: of Days and Times 236 1 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 Salutations and Recreations ?46 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 Oaths 258 
 
 CHAPTER XVI I 
 
 War 264 | 
 
 i 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. ■ I 
 
 The Conclusion 293 
 
DOCTRINES OR PRINCIPLES, &c. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ORIGINAL AND PRESENT STATE OF MAN. 
 
 In entering upon a concise statement of the Doctrines 
 of this Society, it seems most consistent with the natural 
 order of things, to take, in the first place, a view of the 
 Original and Present State of Man. 
 
 The Scriptures bear testimony, that man was made in 
 the Image of his Creator : " In the Image of God created 
 He him : male and female created He them." Gen. i. 27. 
 In this state, which was his by creation, he lacked neither 
 wisdom nor understanding. He lacked nothing that was 
 necessary to enable him to exercise the dominion that was 
 given him in the world, or that could perfect his happi- 
 ness, or secure acceptance in the Divine sight : otherwise 
 he could not be in the Image of God ; nor would it have 
 been said, that " God saw every thing that He had made, 
 and, behold, it was very gooii.^' ib. 31. Accordingly, 
 we find that he had a clear sense of the relation in which 
 he stood to the Almighty ; was favoured with communion 
 witli Him ; and, when the various orders of animated 
 beings were brought before him, he had such a sense and 
 understanding of natural things, as enabled him to give 
 4 B 
 
S THE ORIGINAL AND PRESENT 
 
 them all appropriate names. This was not acquired 
 knozcledge ; but all these faculties and capacities were the 
 endowments with which he was furnished, and made up 
 his Original Character. 
 
 Thus constituted, our first parents were placed in a 
 situation adapted to their comfort and convenience : " The 
 Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden ; and there 
 He put the man whom He had formed." Gen. ii. 8. And 
 though there may be a mystical signification in these terms, 
 representing that spiritual communion and fellowship 
 which the saints obtain with God, by Jesus Christ, yet we 
 do not thence call in question the historical fact, that they, 
 were provided with a residence, in all respects adapted to 
 their condition. Nor do we doubt that, when they lost 
 their happy condition by disobedience, they lost also the 
 residence which was adapted only to that condition. But 
 these truths respecting the outward affairs of our prime 
 ancestors, are not so deeply interesting to us, as those rela- 
 tions in which they stood before and ajler their transgres- 
 sion. And as the inspired historian was led to touch very 
 briefly on these outward affairs, so we believe it is not 
 necessary, oi even safe, to run out into speculation con- 
 cerning them. But so far as the Holy Scriptures record 
 historical facts, respecting the first and all subsequent ages, 
 those facts we admit as truth. 
 
 Though man was created such a being as has been 
 described, and was so eminently favoured, in relation both 
 to temporal and spiritual things; yet the sequel proved 
 that he was placed in a slate of probation, and that he was 
 permitted to choose good or evil, according to his own free 
 will. He received a command ; and the penalty of death 
 was annexed to its violation : '' In the day thou eatest 
 thereof, thou shall siirdy die." Gen. ii. 17. 
 
 As he was constituted in due rectitude of body and 
 mind -as he was, in his first estate, in the Divine Image, 
 
STATE OF MAN. 
 
 lie must have had power to stand. How is it possible 
 that he could be in that Image, if he had not power 
 to reject evil, and to remain in a state of acceptance ? 
 That he had this power, is evident, not only from the 
 character which is clearly given of him, but from the 
 Divine attributes themselves. Therefore, as surely as we 
 believe that God is merciful and just, so surely we believe 
 that Adam was enabled to obey the command that was 
 given him. ( Vide Art. Universalihj of Grace.) 
 
 In the freedom of will with which our first parents were 
 endowed, they disobeyed the Divine command. As the 
 Divine Image was the predominating part of the human 
 character in the beginning, it was said : " In the day thou 
 eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." And this sentence 
 was accomplished, in the loss of all that constituted that 
 Image. In the loss of the Divine Life, death actually 
 passed upon him, in the day of his transgression. (Vide 
 Barclays Apol. Prop. 4. Phipps on Man, ch. \.) He 
 became fallen, degenerate, and dead, retaining nothing 
 superior to his animal and rational faculties ; and even 
 these were depraved. 
 
 " Adam, by his fall, lost his glory, his strength, his 
 dominion, by which he could easily have withstood the 
 devil ; and came under great weakness, whereby the enemy's 
 temptations had a ready access to him, and he became 
 very obnoxious to fall under them. And so all his pos- 
 terity are come under the same weakness and obnoxiousness 
 to the enemy's temptations, who influenceth them, by 
 entering into them, and powerfully inclining them to sin. 
 And this malignant influence is the seed of sin in all men, 
 whereby they become obnoxious, by reason of the fall." 
 Barclay, fol. ed. pp. 768, 310. Thus, in the language of 
 the apostle, " by one man sin entered into the world, and 
 death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men, for that 
 all have sinned." Nor do we question that the visible 
 4 B 2 
 
4 THE ORIGINAL AND PRESENT 
 
 creation sulTcml some change, in consequence of the lapse 
 of him to >vhoso accommodation it was so remarkably 
 adapted. In the sentence jrronounced upon Adam, it was 
 siiid : " Cursed is the irround for thy sake"-" thorns also 
 and thistU-s shall it bring forth to thee." Gen. iii. 17. 18. 
 Thus wc l>elieve, that the whole posterity of Adam is 
 affected by his fall ; but we do not believe that it is with 
 guilt, but with infirmity, and a proneness to sin. For 
 " though we do not ascribe any whit of Adam's guilt to 
 men, until they make it theirs by like acts of disobedience, 
 yet wc cannot suppose that men who have come of Adam 
 naturalli/, can have any good thing in their nature, as be- 
 longing thereto, which he, from whom they derived their 
 nature, had not himself to communicate to them. 
 
 '' If then we may atlirm, that Adam did not retain in his 
 nature, as belonging theri'to, any will or light, capable to 
 give him knowledge in spiritual things, then neither can 
 his posterity. For whatsoever good any man does, it pro- 
 ceeds not from his nature, as he is man, or the son of 
 Adam, l)ut from the Seed of God in him, as a new visitation 
 of life, in order to bring him out of his natural condition. 
 So that, though it is in him, it is not of him. But we deny 
 the doctrine of 'original sin ;' and cannot suppose that sin 
 is imputed to infants, [till they actually commit it;] for 
 this obvious reason, that ' thej/ are by nature the children 
 of wrath, who walk accoriling to the prince of the power 
 of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the hearts of the 
 children of disobedience.' Here the apostle gives t/ieir evil 
 walking, [and not any thing that had been conunitted by 
 Adam,] as the reason of their being children of wrath. 
 Ami this is suitable to the whole strain of the gospel, where 
 no nuin is threatened or judged, for what iniquity he hath 
 not actually wrought." ( I'idr lUirclai/s Apol. Prop. \.) 
 
 Thus, we conceive it contrary to the attributes of the 
 Almighty, his mercy, and his justice, to charge any of his 
 
STATE OF MAN. O 
 
 creatures with guilt, for offences in which they had no 
 agency. It is even contrary to the simplest principles of 
 riglit and wrong, which we consider binding on men ; and 
 we dare not charge the Divine Character with being thus 
 far below that standard of justice, which is set up for 
 human actions. 
 
 Though the posterity of Adam could not be chargeable 
 with guilt, on account of his transgression, yet he being • 
 dead, as to the Divine Image, could neither renew himself 
 up again into his former condition, nor transmit to his pos- 
 terity what he had not himself. Thus they became objects - 
 o^ Redeeming Love. Even those who had not sinned after 
 the similitude of Adani's transgression, stood in need of 
 Redemption out of that state of utter incapacity in w hich 
 they were involved ; and which the apostle calls " death." 
 Rom. V. 14. 
 
 For this great object a remedy was provided. Even the 
 sentence pronounced upon them, contained the promise of 
 the Seed which should bruise the serpent's head. Gen. iii. 
 13. This Redeeming Principle began then to operate, not 
 only bringing man out of this state of death and incapacity, 
 but producing the fruits of righteousness. By this, Abel 
 offered a more acceptable offering than Cain. By this, 
 Enoch walked with God — and all the patriarclis and pro- 
 phets were instructed in Divine wisdom, and finally ob- 
 tained acceptance. — Fx»r our acceptance is not by nature, 
 or in our natural state, as the posterity of the first Adam ; 
 but in and through Christ, the Second Adam, the Lord 
 from heaven, who is called a "Quickening Spirit." 1 Cor. 
 XV. 45,47. The same apostle says to the Ephesians : "And 
 you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and 
 sins" — and again he says — " and where by nature the 
 children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich 
 in mercy, for his great love wherewith He loved us, even 
 when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together 
 4 B 3 
 
6 THE oniGI>AI- AND PRESENT 
 
 with Christ ; (by grace yc arc saved ;) and hath raised us 
 up toffelhcr,a.Kl made us sit together in heavenly places in 
 Christ Jesus : that in (he ages to come, He might show the 
 exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness towards us 
 through Christ Jesus : for by grace ye are saved, through 
 faith ; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God ; not 
 of works, lest any man should boast." Eph. ii. 1, 3-9. 
 
 The innocence of children is sometimes mentioned, as 
 an evidence of their being in the same condition that Adam 
 was in before his fall ; and in confirmatic.n of this idea, that 
 passage of Scripture is adduced, in which it is related that 
 " Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the 
 midst of them, and said : Verily, I say unto you, except ye 
 be converted, and become as little children, ye cannot enter 
 into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall 
 lunnblc himself as this little child, the same is greatest in 
 the kingdom of heaven." Matt, xviii, 2, 3, &c. On re- 
 ferriiii,' to MurU ix. 33, where the same event is recorded, 
 it appears that the disciples had theu given way to feelings 
 of ambition and contention ; "for they had disputed by 
 the way, who should be greatest." To correct their views, 
 our Lord adopted the mode of reproof that has been men- 
 tioned, using those expressions so remarkably adapted to' 
 the feelings which they had just indulged : " If any man 
 desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant 
 of all." Mark ix. 35. " Whosoever therefore shall humble 
 himself {Ui this little child, the same is greatest in the king- 
 dom of lu'aven." Matt, xviii. 4. This was the very thing 
 they had been disputing among themselves, and they were 
 now informed that it was iu)t to be expected but in 
 humilitij. 
 
 But taking the passage in its utmost latitude, it will go 
 no farther than to show the necessity of a /jTC(/o;«y;ow 
 iiw, which wcy who have become moral agents, must expc- 
 
STATE OF MAN. 7 
 
 rience, through the operations of Grace, producing repent- 
 ance, and obtaining forgiveness, &c. 
 
 But innocence alone cannot constitute the Divine Image : 
 for, as it would be highly injurious to the Divine Charac- 
 ter, to assert that God is no more than an innocent Being, 
 so it must be evident that the Divine Image does not con- 
 sist in innocence alone. 
 
 No one will pretend that the little child is in a sensible 
 communion with God, or clearly sensible of his Divine 
 influence ; which was the case with Adam. Again ; the 
 desires of the infant, in its purest state of innocence, are 
 directed to objects of sense — to the gratification of its 
 creaturely appetites. But such was not the case with 
 Adam, in his primitive state, nor is it the case with the 
 true Christian. 
 
 And as the text does not contain any allusion to the 
 primitive condition of man, so, on the most close examina- 
 tion, it cannot be made to prove that infants are in that 
 condition, or that they are not, in common with the rest of 
 the human family, objects of the redeeming love of Jesus 
 Christ, and partakers of the benefits derived from Him. 
 
 If we impartially reflect on the present condition of the 
 human race, we shall find, in the pagan darkness which 
 overspreads a large portion of the world, a striking evi- 
 dence that the natural state of man is very diff"erent from 
 that in which Adam was placed in the beginning. That 
 portion of mankind have not the« knowledge of God, his 
 attributes, and their own relations to Him, either by intui- 
 tion, or by their reasoning faculties. If every individual 
 were furnished with the same knowledge in Divine things, 
 that Adam had, and admitted into the same near relation 
 to the Deity, and communion with Him, there could be no 
 such thing as a nation of pagans : for even if all should 
 ultimately fall, still there would be a portion of the life of 
 every individual, in which he would know God, as Adam 
 4 B 4 
 
8 THE ORIGINAL AND PRESENT 
 
 did in llic beginning. Neither, if reason and our rational 
 faculties could naturally lead up into this exalted state, 
 •would it have l)cen said by the apostle, that " the natural 
 man ree.-iveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they 
 are foolishness unto him ; neither indeed can he know them, 
 because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Cor. ii. 14. — 
 Nor should we find this declaration realized in all con- 
 ditions, as to outward circumstances, from the highest 
 refinements of civilized life, to the most degraded state of 
 uncultivated nature. 
 
 Those who are occasionally found in heathen countries, 
 with enlightened minds, have arisen out of darkness and 
 ignorance, by the operations of the Grace of God that 
 brings salvation, and which the apostle expressly declares 
 has appeared to all men. They become such by a slow 
 progress of improvement, and of that change which is 
 called regeneration, and the new birth — and not as an 
 original state. Thus these heathen nations illustrate what 
 human nature iV, and show the insufliciency of those facul- 
 ties which constitute it, to renew them into the Divine 
 Image. They show that human nature itself, is fallen, is 
 low and grovelling — still tending downward, " as the 
 sparks lly upward." 
 
 But the liuman family was not left destitute, in this 
 miserable condition : " In this was manifested the love of 
 God towards us, because that God sent his only begotten 
 Son into the world, that we might live thrt)ug]i Him. 
 Herein is love, not that we loved (lod, but that He loved 
 us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 
 1 John iv. 9, 10. " For when we were yet without 
 strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." J^om. 
 V. 6. " Therefore, as by the offence of one, judgment came 
 upon all men to comlemnation ; even so, by the righteous- 
 ness of One, (he frrt frift tame upon all men unto justijica- 
 tion of life.'' Horn. v. 18. Here the disease and the 
 
STATE OF MAN. 
 
 9 
 
 remedy are brought into contrast by the apostle, to show 
 that the latter was exactly adapted to the former. As, in 
 the fall, the capacity of enjoying communion and fellow- 
 ship with God was lost ; so, through Jesus Christ, it is 
 restored. As, in the first, we were unable to do any good 
 thing, but were naturally joined and united to evil, 
 forward and propense to all iniquity, servants to the 
 power and spirit of darkness ; so, in the remedy provided, 
 " we are so far reconciled to God by the death of his Son, 
 that we are put into a capacity of salvation, having the 
 glad tidings of the Gospel of Peace oflfered unto us ; and 
 we are called and invited to accept the offered Redemption. 
 In which respect we understand these Scriptures : He slew 
 the enmity in Himself. He loved us first. Seeing us in 
 our blood, He said unto us, Live. He who did no sin, his 
 own self bare our sins in his body on the tree ; and died 
 for our sins, the Just for the unjust." (Vide Barclai/''s 
 Apol. Prop. 7. § in. Also Eph. ii. 15. 1 John iv. 10. 
 Ezek. xvi. 6. 1 Pet. ii. 22, 24. and iii. 18. 
 
 And as the guilt of Adam is not imputed to us, till we 
 make it ours by our own transgressions ; so, in order to 
 obtain perfect Redemption, we must experience Regenera- 
 tion. That Divine Principle which is the purchase of 
 Christ's death, and which is called by the apostle, Grace , 
 and by the evangelist, ^'■the Light ofmen^'' must be brought 
 into operation in us, taking the rule and government of 
 our hearts, and setting us free from the " law of sin and 
 death." " He died for all, that they which live should not 
 henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died 
 for them and rose again.". 2 Cor. v. 15. 
 
 Thus we consider Redemption in a twofold sense ; both 
 which in their own nature, are perfect, though in their 
 application to us, the one is not, nor can be, without respect 
 to the other. The first is the Redemption performed and 
 accomplished by Christ for us, in his crucified body, with- 
 
\0 Tllfc ORIGINAL AND PJIESENT 
 
 out US ; the other is the Redemption wrought by Christ in 
 us. This last follows the first in order, and is a conse- 
 quence of it, proceeding from it as an rjfect from its cause. 
 So, as none could have enjoyed the last, Avithout the Jirst 
 had been, (such being the will of God,) so also can none 
 now partake of \\\c first, or secure to himself the true bene- 
 fits of it, but as he witnesscth the last. Wherefore, as to 
 us, they are both causes of our justification ; the first the 
 procuring, efficient, the other the formal cause. Vide 
 BarcUu/s Jpol. pp. i^4, 205. 
 
 The condition in the fall, may also be considered in a 
 twofold sense : 1st. As we are in the image and likeness 
 of Adam, Gen. v. 3. the soul being connected with an 
 animal body, possessing sensations, appetites, and passions, 
 tending to" excess, and exposed to the influence of the 
 grand nicmy : and 2ndly, As we yield to temi)tation, and 
 come under the government or power of the devil, as Adam 
 did. As these two states comprehend the whole ground of 
 moral evil, so the means provided, through Jesus Christ, 
 apply to this whole ground : — First, as to what Christ has 
 done for us without us, placing us once more in a capacity 
 to receive salvation ; conveying to us a measure of Grace, 
 which will bring salvation to all Avho do not reject it, but 
 submit to its operations : and lastly, as this work is 
 effected in us, and that change of heart is produced, which 
 constitutes the new creature. 
 
 So then, when we consider the ])resent condition of the 
 human family, we find that, on commencing our existence, 
 we iidierit or receive two principles, one of evil and the 
 other of good. These two principles are as seeds, not 
 having yet germinated. The mind itself is very much in 
 the same state ; being without knowledge, and very much 
 without uiulcrslaiitling. As the capacities of the mind 
 enlarge, and its faculties are brought into action, these two 
 prin< iplcs also begin to work— and a conflict and warfare 
 
 ** 
 
STATE OF 1VIAN. 11 
 
 take place. The soul being distinct from both of these 
 principles, has the power of choosing which it will serve. 
 If the good is chosen, it being the stronger, binds, brings 
 down, and casts out the other, and brings the soul into 
 complete redemption, both from sin, and from its conse- 
 quences. But if the evil is preferred — as we " cannot serve 
 two masters" — the Grace becomes rejected ; and plough it 
 still, again and again, revisits the soul, breaking its fetters 
 and giving it ability to subdue the powers of darkness, yet, 
 if still slighted or neglected, it finally leaves us to our- 
 selves, and the government of that principle of evil which 
 we have preferred ; for the Divine determination remains 
 unaltered : " My Spirit shall not always strive with man." 
 Gen. vi. 3. 
 
 Thus we are left without excuse. Though we do not 
 commence our existence with that degree of knowledge, 
 that strength of intellect, and enlarged religious stature, 
 which characterized the first man ; and, in many other 
 respects, we are sunk far, very far, below his primitive 
 state; yet the Grace afforded is sufficient for us — sufficient 
 for our preservation from sin, from the first dawn of life to 
 its final close. 
 
 And here it may be proper to apply the caution : "What 
 God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." Matt. 
 xix. 6. For Redemption is to be obtained only through the. 
 means which God has provided by Jesus Christ. Had it 
 not been for what Christ " has done for us without us," we 
 could not have had the Seed of Grace ; for it is " the gift of 
 God," which we could not obtain for ourselves. Without 
 this., the visitations and operations of the Spirit of God in 
 our hearts could never have been known, and consequently 
 this redeemed state could never have been experienced. 
 Neither, on the other hand, as moral agents, can what 
 Christ has done for us, without us, secure salvation. The 
 Grace aff'orded must rule in us, or it cannot ultimately 
 
j^ THE oniGlNAL AND PRESENT 
 
 bcnclil lis. Even the renewed visitations of his love in our 
 hearts, irresisted, will be so far from securincc our final 
 salvation, that they will add a heavy load to our condem- 
 
 nation. 
 
 The condition of man before the cominjr of Jesus Christ 
 in tlic flesh, has sometimes been brou^jht into view. Divine 
 (ioodncsP, in providintr the means of salvation for fallen | 
 man, by sendinir his beloved Son into the world, to "taste i 
 death for every man," was pleased to defer that outward ! 
 manifestation, until, by a course of instruction, mankind 
 could be prepared to receive Him. And He whose view 
 lakes in, at once, the past, the present, and the future, 
 made it apply, as respected salvation, before, as well as | 
 fl/7frlhe time of Christ's advent. The fathers "drank of 
 that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was ! 
 Christ." 1 Cor. x. 4. Thouijh light, knowledge, and many i 
 spiritual favours, have been more abundantly diffused i 
 since the coming of Jesus Christ, yet, as a means of salva- 
 tion, his (iracc was dispensed before that time, as well as s; 
 afler. This, as William Penn expresses it, was " on the 
 credit'" of what was promised in the very sentence pro- 
 nouneetl on our j)rime ancestors. 
 
 Through all the early ages, the condition of the human 
 mind, and its capacity for understanding in Divine things, 
 recjuired that there should be much outward form and , 
 cerenumy, addressed to the outward senses, and illustrative 
 of the great work of Redemption. From a low and servile I 
 stat<', they were to be led, like chiltlren in the first nidi- ^ 
 ments of science, through several dispensations, until, "in | 
 the fulness of time," the Messiah came, and introduced a \ 
 pure and spiritual dispensation — abrogating the types and ! 
 rereinonies, which were designed to lead to Him, and ' 
 granting a more copious effusion of his own Divine in- I 
 flncncr, than had been communicated under the jireceding 
 • lispnisafioris. i 
 
STATE OF MAN. 
 
 IS 
 
 Having thus briefly stated the doctrine of the Original 
 and Present State of Man, with a few hints relating to the 
 different dispensations, it may not be improper to advert to 
 another subject which has been slightly brought into view. 
 
 In the account which is given in Scripture, of the trans- 
 gression of our first parents, it appears they were tempted 
 by an evil agent, * distinct from man : and that this agent 
 prompted them to sin, when they were in their original 
 innocence. 
 
 Through all ages, and under almost all degrees of dark- 
 ness or light which have prevailed, however the doctrines 
 of religion may have been obscured, by successive innova- 
 tions on those truths which God has been pleased to reveal, 
 the great outlines of theology have been deeply impressed 
 on the minds of men. Wherever we go, among civilized 
 or uncivilized nations, we still find traces of the belief of a 
 Great First Cause, and Superintending Power — the Source 
 of all good, and the Object of adoration. We find also 
 evidences of a belief that there is a principle or spirit, 
 malignant in its nature, and the source of all evil. The 
 accountability of man for his actions, &c. is another senti- 
 ment extensively believed. These first principles appear 
 under various modifications, according as they have been, 
 viewed through the medium of light or darkness ; but all 
 retaining clear evidences of a common origin, which could 
 have been no other than Divine revelation. Even the 
 darkest system of polytheism, if carefully investigated, 
 discovers traces of such revelation. But the human mind, 
 not resting satisfied with what is received through this 
 medium, has, through all ages, possessed a strong disposi- 
 tion to bring down Divine things to the level of its own 
 unaided capacity. Hence, among heathen nations, the 
 attributes of the Deity, and the virtues which adorn the 
 
 * In using the term agent, I intend to convey the idea of a being possessing 
 the power of action. 
 
14 THi: oniciNAi- and presknt 
 
 human cliaractcr, were personified, and denominated 
 deities ; and then attempted to be made visible to the out- 
 ward senses. Hence all those contemptible things that 
 have been made the objects of veneration and worship, 
 under the general term of idols. The human mind is not 
 yet ilivcsled of the same propensity, leading it (o leave the 
 ground of all true knowledge in Divine things, and, in the 
 strength, or rather weakness, of its own faculties, to build 
 up some system, which, like an idol, made visible to the 
 outward senses, and at all times accessible to the creature, 
 is at all times open to creaturely comprehension. 
 
 But returning from this little digression, and without 
 further pursuing the fables of the ancients, or the })arallels 
 between them and the more refined speculations of later 
 times, it may not be improper to introduce the sentiments 
 of some of the first distinguished members of the Society 
 of Friends, on the subject before us. 
 
 George Fox, in his Journal, vol. '2. page 22, [p. 3A5fol. 
 ed. 17(ij.] says : " The Devil abode not in the Truth. By 
 departing from the Truth, he became a devil." " There is 
 no promise of Cod to the Devil, that ever he shall return 
 into the Truth again ; but to man and woman who have 
 been deceived by him, the promise of God is, that tiio Seed 
 of the woman shall I)ruise the serpent's head— shall break 
 his power and strength to pieces." 
 
 PafTc 402, [iilH.fol ed.-] he says: "The Devil, who is 
 out of the Truth, tempted man and woman to disobey God ; 
 and so drew them into the fall from the Truth." 
 
 William IVnn, in his "Kise and Progress," in speaking 
 of the original condition of man, says : " But this happy 
 slate lasted not huig : for man, the crown and crlory of the 
 whole, being tempted to aspire above his place, unhappily 
 yielded against ci.mmand and duly, as well as interest and 
 felicity ; luid so fell below it, lost the Divine Image, the wis- 
 dom, power, and purity, lie was made in. By which, being 
 
STATE OF MAN. 
 
 15 
 
 no longer fit for Paradise, he was expelled that garden of 
 God, his proper dwelling and residence^ and was driven 
 out, as a poor vagabond, from the presence of the Lord, 
 to wander in the. earth, the habitation of beasts. Yet God 
 who made him had pity on him ; for He, seeing man was 
 deceived, and that it was not of malice, or an original 
 presumption in him, ( but through the subtility of the ser- 
 pent, who had Jirst fallen from his own estate^ &c.) in his 
 infinite goodness provided a way to repair the breach." 
 
 The same author, in his " Christian Quaker, " says : 
 " The world had not been long created, before man, being 
 envied by Lucifer, the fallen angel, was betrayed of his 
 innocence by him." (Vide Barclays TVorks,fol. edit. pp. 
 391, 625. Also Ellwood's Sac. Hist, on the fall of Adam.) 
 
 From these and many other passages that might be men- 
 tioned, it is clear that the Society, from the beginning, 
 have believed that the principle of evil, on the one hand, 
 and the Grace which brings salvation, on the other, are both 
 distinct from man, and form no part of him, other than as 
 he yields his mind and members servants to either. 
 
 On examining whether the serpent could have been any 
 thing that constituted a part of tlie woman, it will be pro- 
 per to remember, that male and female were created in the 
 Divine Image ; and in this Image there could be nothing 
 that, of itself, separated from the Divine will : or else there 
 must have been discordant properties in the Divine nature ; 
 properties repulsive to each other, and which of them- 
 selves separated from each other ; thus producing its own 
 dissolution. But these are conclusions we dare not admit. 
 That Image, which constituted the character and the dig- 
 nity of man, as he came pure from the hands of his Creator, 
 though it fell infinitely short of the Divine Original, was 
 still a true copy ; and the different capacities and attributes, 
 if I may be allowed the" expression, all harmonized and 
 united together. 
 
16 THE ORIGINAL AND PRESENT 
 
 Even while Eve was reciting the Divine command, and 
 the penalties of disobedience, the tempter denied the truth 
 of the declaration of the Almigiity. This evidently was 
 sinful ; but it was before Eve liad sinned. Through the 
 whole account recorded in the Scriptures, the tempter is 
 represented as distinct from the man and woman. And as 
 they were represented to be distinct agents in the trans- 
 gression, so judgment was passed upon each, separately 
 and distinctly. 
 
 When the question was propounded to Adam : " Hast thou 
 eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou 
 shouldst not eat ? " he endeavoured to excuse himself, by 
 placing the blame on the woman ; and Eve, in like manner, 
 to excuse herself, laid the blame on the serpent who had 
 beguiled her. What extenuation of the crime could it have 
 been, to say, that she had beguiled herself? Or how could 
 she have said, that something of the Divine Image which 
 she possessed beguiled her ? 
 
 Thus far the Omniscient Judge proceeded w ith intcrro- 
 gatives and expostulations ; knowing that his frail and 
 fallen creatures had been tempted, and thus drawn into 
 sin : and therefore mercy and forbearance were extended 
 to them. But lowai^s the tempter, the grand enemy, 
 there was no expostulation, no indulgence ; but the curse 
 unmixed, unmitigated, descended on him. In the several 
 sentences pronounced on that occasion, the idea of distinct 
 and separate agents is preserved throughout : anil more 
 particidarly as relates to the serpent: "I will put en- 
 mity between thee and the woman, and between thi/ seed 
 and hir Seed. // shall bruise thij head, and thou shalt 
 bruise Jlis heel." The line of separation is so completely 
 drawn, that we cannot blend the two objects of this 
 sentence in (me. 
 
 When the promised Messiah came, and was about en- 
 tering on his important mission, He was led of the Spirit 
 
STATE OF MAN. 17 
 
 into the Wilderness, where He encountered temptation. 
 And here the tempter is spoken of in his most malignant 
 character, "the Devil." Let it be remembered, that in the 
 Lord Jesus "the Fulness of the Godhead dwelt bodily." 
 It would be blasphemy to say, Ihat the dexil here was not 
 a distinct agent. And yet our Lord was tempted " as we 
 are," and " without sin." If the devil was a distinct 
 agent in his temptations of our Lord, and is not a distinct 
 agent in our temptations. He could not have been tempted 
 as we are ; yet the apostle expressly declares that He 
 was. But if there was a malignant, evil spirit, that tempt- 
 ed our Lord in the days of his personal appearance on the 
 earth, it completely establishes the position that there is 
 such an evil agent. 
 
 The idea that temptation is not sin, is intimately 
 connected with the belief, that, thus far, it is the work 
 of an agent distinct from man. Therefore, while the 
 temptations are only presented, and not embraced, they 
 are not the act of the individual ; and they attach no guilt 
 to him, unless he does embrace them, or, in some degree, 
 yield to them. But, as every temptation must be an attempt 
 to destroy the government of Him, whose right it is to reign 
 in the hearts of his rational creatures, and, consequently, 
 to destroy the Divine Life in the soul, it must be highly 
 criminal and oflensive in the agent, whoever he may be. 
 "This," says R. Barclay, "is the devil's guilt, (or sin,) 
 and not theirs who are tempted, till they make it theirs by 
 their own acts." But if there is no evil agent, but the pas- 
 sions of men, then the first motions of temptation, even 
 though resisted, are sin to the individual ; because the 
 opposition to the law, and the eftmity against the Divine 
 Principle, are exclusively his own. 
 
 So far as this subject is mentioned in the Scriptures 
 of Truth, the devil is spoken of as distinct from man ; and 
 we have no reason to call in question, either the truths^ 
 4 c 
 
|g rilL ORIGINAI, AND PRESENT 
 
 or the monner of inculcating them, which Divine Goodness 
 has been pleased to present to us, through the medium of 
 Revelation. 
 
 The apostle Peter, in his 2nd Epistle, ii. 4, says : " God 
 spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to 
 hfll, and deliveri'd them into chains of darkness." And 
 Jude remarks : "And the angels that kept not their first 
 estate, but left their own habitations. He hath reserved in 
 everlasting chains, unto the judgment of the great day." 
 
 It is not necessary to recite the various passages in the 
 Old and New Testaments, which show tliat the term angeh, 
 in its general signilication, api)lies to a superior order of 
 beings. How they are constituted ? what arc tlieir capa- 
 cities ? and what could become a spring of action in thera 
 to sin ? arc questions that certainly do not concern us ; and 
 it is an evidence of folly and presumption to enter into the 
 inquiry. 
 
 But between their case and ours — their apostasy and 
 the fall of man, there is a strikirjg difference. To them, 
 we hear of no promise, no Redemption. To us. Redemption 
 and restoration are ofl'ered. Man is still represented as 
 drawn into sin by temptatioriy and not in consequence of 
 his own spontaneous revolt. We have to contend with a 
 powerful adversary — powerful in exciting the passions to 
 gross sins, and powerful to mislead, throuirh the deceiv- 
 ableness of sin. Hence the propitiation and mediation of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ— and the aid of his Spirit afforded 
 to enable us to work out our salvation. 
 
 Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God ! — 
 towards the angels which fell, severity; but towards fallen 
 man, drawn into sin by temptation, goodness, if we accept 
 and continue in his g(MKlness. If we resist temptation, 
 through the aid of Him who knows how to succour them 
 that are tempted, no power can prevail against us. For 
 He \sho cnM down the angels that kept not their first 
 
*TATE OF MA>f. 19 
 
 estate, can still cast clown all the powers of darkness, and 
 enable us to triumph over all our soul's enemies. But if 
 we give way — if we sin — though the day of mercy may be 
 extended, yet we have the awful reflection, that we have 
 thus far advanced to an assimulation with the nature of the 
 devil, and so far brought ourselves into his condemnation. 
 And, without repentance — without rising out of this condi- 
 tion, we must continue for ever in a separation from God, 
 and in a dreadful association or connexion with the malig- 
 nant spirit. 
 
 The world, the flesh, and the devil, make up the grand 
 combination of enemies against which we have to contend. 
 Without pretending to explain these terms to their full 
 extent, I will just observe, that thc^esh assails us by those 
 passions and appetites which we possess, as constituent 
 parts of our fallen nature. These, without the controlling 
 influence of the Spirit of Christ, tend to excess and to 
 wrong objects, and consequently to sin. The world 
 diverts from the paths of piety, by the corrupt example of 
 those around us, and by the powerful influence of external 
 objects, attracting our ajQPections to themselves. The devilf 
 a spirit opposed to every thing of goodness, enters into our 
 passions, stimulates them to evil, gives power to corrupt 
 examples, and unreal value to external objects ; but, above 
 all, draws off the mind from the love of God, and the 
 remembrance of his goodness, and represents the sublime 
 enjoyments which are to be found in the Divine Presence, 
 as to be dreaded rather than desired. And, though the 
 world or ihejlesh may generally be the medium, through 
 which the attack is made on our fldelity to God ; yet who- 
 ever carefully investigates the subject, will discover certain 
 impressions and excitements, which are unmixed satanic 
 influences. 
 
 c2 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 
 
 The doctrine of Rewards and Punishments, necessarily 
 embraces the Immortality of the Soul, and the Resurrection 
 from the dead. 
 
 It is not my intention, at present, to enter into a formal 
 refutation of those sceptical reasonins^s, which have been 
 advanced against the Immortality of the Soul, and those 
 other Divine truths which are brought to light by the 
 Gospel. Men, who deny every thing which cannot be 
 attested by the outward senses, will deprive themselves of 
 the most pure and dignified enjoyments, A\hich tlie Author 
 of our existence intended for us. Nor indeed do the prin- 
 ciples of scepticism stop here. There have been men of 
 bright talents, who might have beeen ornaments to the age 
 in which they lived ; but, by adopting these principles, 
 they were led on from doubt to doubt, until they not only 
 denied the truths of Divine Revelation, but were placed in 
 the same jiredicanient witli respect to the most familiar and 
 indubitable transactions and objects around them. Assum- 
 ing, as a general proposition, that the testimony of the 
 outward senses does not amount to absolute certainty, they 
 have gone on to argue, thai we cannot certainli/ knoro any 
 thing. Those things which the common sense and com- 
 mon faculties of mankind denomiiuite as facts, occurring 
 under our own observation, they have supposed may be 
 only ideas— x\\\i\ hence, even our own actions, health, dis- 
 ease, or broken bones, the separation from friends or the 
 loss of life, may be nothing but notions, in which there is 
 no reality at all. 
 
OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. Si 
 
 The Academicks, wlio were a branch of the Platonic 
 school of philosopl^y, " laid it down as an axiom, that 
 nothing can be hnown with certainli/ : the Phyrrhonists 
 maintained, that even this ought not to be positively 
 asserted." Ada7ns's Viezo, Introduction, p. 33. 
 
 Absurd and disgusting as these propositions must appear 
 to the enlightened mind, tliey were, even within the last 
 century, dignified with the name of Philosophy ; and 
 volumes were written to establish, and to refute them. 
 
 And those who deny the doctrines of revealed religion, 
 cannot maintain their opinions with greater plausibility, 
 than that which was used to support the sceptical jargon I 
 have mentioned — or, in other words, to maintain the igno' 
 ranee of man, against all wisdom and against all truth. 
 
 Though human reason never could lead the mind up 
 to an acquaintance with God, his attributes, and his will 
 concerning us ; the means which He has provided for our 
 redemption, or the existence of the spul after death : yet, 
 these things being revealed, or brought to light by the 
 Gospel, are supportied by the testimony of unperverted 
 reason. 
 
 But, to my mind, one of the most conclusive arguments 
 in favour of Divine Revelation is, that it goes beyond the 
 evidences of the senses, or the discoveries of human reason. 
 It is an important argument in favour of Reason, that it 
 opens to us a wide field of knowledge, of action, and of 
 enjoyment, which lies beyond the reach of the senses. For 
 this is one of the striking advantages that we enjoy above 
 the brute creation. The same mode of reasoning will apply 
 to Divine Revelation, as exalting our condition above what 
 it could possibly be, if we possessed no higher principle 
 than reason. For though reason enlarges our sphere of 
 action, of usefulness, and of enjoyment ; yet it also unfolds 
 to us the miseries to which we are heirs, more fully than 
 the brute creation can be made sensible of. The ox is led 
 4 c3 
 
22 OF KKWARDS AND l" U N 1 SHMENTI. 
 
 unconscious to the slauglitcr, and feels nothing of the 
 terrors of anticipation. We see the powerful causes of 
 c/innge, disappointment, and affliction, that surround us. 
 Were there nothing for the mind to rest upon, but such 
 ()l)ierls as come >vithin the reach of the senses, and the 
 calculations of human reason, we should be miserable in- 
 tleed. It is, therefore, a source of jieculiar gratitude, that 
 "Life and Immortality are brought to light by the Gospel." 
 The beasts possess the faculties of sense. Man, though he 
 possesses these faculties in an inferior degree, still rises 
 above the brute creation, by the exercise of reason. This 
 £rives him a commanding advantage over the rest of 
 animated nature ; but it is only a partial advantage. 
 Though it enlarges his knowledge, his powers, and his 
 enjoyments, it also abundantly enlarges his sphere of 
 suflerings and distress. It therefore still remains for Divine 
 Itevelation, to direct his views, to regulate his atl'cctions 
 and pursuits ; and to give animation to his hopes, and 
 sujiport to his mind, through all the vicissitudes that can 
 attend him. For, as Rtuson lefids to discoveries which 
 never could be made by the senses, so Revelation unfolds to 
 the believing mind, truths of infinite importance, which 
 must have remained for ever hid from mere human reason. 
 Without this source of intelligence, we are shut up in 
 darkness. The ])hilosopher may be as ignorant as the 
 barbarian. Wi(h the refinements of civilized life, with the 
 discoveries of science open to his view, he may be even 
 more destitute of knowledge in Divine things, than the 
 Irulian, the Hottentot, or the Hindoo. In all nations, and 
 in all ages, "there is (and has Ixvn) a s|)iril in man, and 
 the Irispiralion of the Almighty giveth him understand- 
 ing." Job xxxii. 8. As thus the capacity and the intelli- 
 gence are received, we cannot contemplate the stupendous 
 works of nature, or consider the order and harmony dis- 
 played in the visible creation, without feeling the concur- 
 
Ol' ilEWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 23 
 
 rent testimony of nature and of reason, to the being of a 
 God — liis wisdom, goodness, power, and providence. 
 Thus the apostle, speaking with reference to the gentiles, 
 says : " For the invisible things of Him from the creation 
 of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the 
 things that are made, even his Eternal Power and God- 
 head : so that they are without excuse." Rom. i. 20. 
 
 Finding ourselves placed in the vast repository of his 
 works, made subservient to our wants, and promotive of 
 our comfort ; conscious too of a mind-f rising above the 
 material world, to its invisible and incomprehensible 
 Author, we see much to impress the obligations of grati- 
 tude, love, and adoration, which are His due from us. 
 Feeling these obligations, and, on looking around in the 
 world, being able to find, not Him, but only the evidences 
 that He is, we see the necessity of that communion with 
 Him, by which we can become acquainted with his will, 
 be enabled to perform it, and to receive the consolation of 
 his immediate approbation. Nor can we question the pos- 
 sibility of such a communion, between God, who is a 
 Spirit, and the soul of man, that is a spirit also. 
 
 Beings, capable of such communion with the Deity, 
 brought up into converse with Him, and leavened into his 
 Divine nature, must be designed for more than momentary 
 existence. It cannot be supposed that the soul which has 
 been raised to this participation of the Divine nature, and 
 which still, in humble hope and animating love, clings 
 to its Father and its God, will, after a few fleeting mo- 
 ments, be cast out into utter annihilation. No principle 
 of reason would lead to such a conclusion. And here, in 
 the reflection on the weight of obligation we are under, the 
 blessings we have received, and the high privileges con- 
 ferred upon us, we must acknowledge " the exceeding 
 sinfulness of sin." And while the mind looks, with a 
 joyful assent, to an eternity of happiness, it cannot deny, 
 4 c4 
 
24 OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 
 
 however awful the idea, the possibility of an eternity, in 
 a state of separation from the Divine Presence. 
 
 H. Tuke, in his " Principles of Religion," p. 17, says : 
 " But notwithstanding these and other arguments which 
 might be adduced, in support of those two first principles 
 of religion, (the belief in God, and a future state,) the soul 
 seems most fully to rest upon and enjoy them, when they 
 are felt as objects of faith, rather than of reason. They 
 then become like self-evident truths, for which our own 
 feelings are the best support, and which act in concert 
 with that declaration : ' Without faith it is impossible to 
 please Him : for he that cometh to God must believe that 
 He is ; and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently 
 seek Him.' Jhb. xi. 6. And we ought ever to remember, 
 after all our reasonings on these subjects, that * Life and 
 Immortality are brought to light by the Gospel.' " 
 
 The Immortality of the Soul, and the Resurrection both 
 of the just and the unjust, are the standing doctrines of the 
 New Testament ; and these doctrines, as set forth in the 
 Scriptures, we firmly believe. In these Sacred Writings we 
 are informed, that " the dust shall return to the earth as it 
 was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it : " 
 Eccl. xii. 7. " for flesh and blood cannot inherit the 
 kinirdom of heaven, neither doth corruption inherit incor- 
 niption." 1 Cor. xv. 50. The apostle Paul, in speaking 
 on this subject, in the same chapter, says :" But some will 
 say, How are the dead raised up, and with what body do 
 they c(.me ? " To this he replies : " Thou fool ! "—a 
 merited reproof to those who are curiously endeavouring 
 to be wise beyond what is revealed. WilJiout answering 
 the questi(m in direct terms, the apostle brings into view 
 the germinating process of grain, that is sown in the earth: 
 "Thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain." 
 And (his savic l)are grain, we know, never rises. But the 
 vegetative principle which it contains, becomes evolv- 
 
OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 25 
 
 ed — the new plant springs up — the body of the original 
 grain undergoes a decomposition, and again passes into its 
 first elements. Thus also the apostle tells us, that " God 
 giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him. So also is the 
 Resurrection of the dead : it is sown in corruption ; it is 
 raised in incorruption. : it is sown in dishonour ; it is raised 
 in gtory : it is sown in weakness ; it is raised in power : 
 it is sown a natural body ; it is raised a spiritual body." 
 (Or, as W. Penn, on the authority of Beza, tells us it should 
 be translated : " a natural body is sown, a spiritual body is 
 raised.") " There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual 
 body." 1 Cor. xv. Thus with the apostle, we believe in 
 the resurrection of a spiritual body. What that body is^ 
 or is to be, we leave to Him who will give it as it shall 
 please Him. 
 
 And as, in a future state of existence, we shall be spiritual 
 beings, so we believe our habitations will be adapted to 
 our condition. 
 
 That there should be habitations for spiritual beings, is 
 not more mysterious than that spirits should be connected 
 with matter. And yet we know such a connexion does 
 exist between the soul and body. 
 
 We are aware that there are many wild, speculative 
 opinions, as well as gross ideas, respecting the habitation 
 of the soul after death. Some may be so weak and low in 
 their conceptions, as to imagine that the metaphors, by 
 which invisible things are illustrated by visible, are to be 
 taken literally, and thus fancy to themselves material beings 
 and places : while others, more philosophically, as they 
 suppose, refine away every thing, till realities are called 
 in question. The Society of Friends are not chargeable 
 with either of these extremes. As, on one hand, they never 
 "went into the low and gross ideas that have been suggested, 
 so, on the other, when they have been charged with deny- 
 ing any heaven or hell but what was within them, they 
 
i^ Of KEHAUUH AND PUNISHMENTS. 
 
 positively denied the charge, declaring it " a downright 
 falsehood, and gross cahunny." l^ide Barclai/^s Works 
 
 The Divine Master, in order to comfort his immediate 
 foUowers, told them : " In my Father's house are many 
 mansions ; if it were not so I would have told you. I go 
 to prfj)arc a place for you." John xiv. 2. What or 
 where this place may be, is not our business to inquire with 
 curious and vain philosophical speculation. To those who 
 indulge in such speculations, the reproof of the apostle, 
 *' Thou fool ! " will as properly apply as in the case of the 
 query, " Hpw are the dead raised up, and with what body do 
 they come ? " For if it belongs to God to give it a body as 
 it Jiath pleased Him, so it belongs to Him only, to prepare 
 a j)lacc for us, according to his own inscrutable wisdom. 
 
 Before I close this subject, it seems proper to remark, 
 that the Society have always considered it improper to 
 indulge in speculation on subjects connected with religion, 
 which Divine Goodness has not seen fit to reveal : "For the 
 secret things belong to the Lord our God ; but those things 
 \slii(h are revealed, belong unto us and to our children." 
 JJtnl. xxix. yO. A fondness to become wise in things not 
 necessary to be known, very early obtained admission 
 into the human mind, and still forms a prominent trait 
 in the character of the natural man. 13ut the humble 
 Christian, instead of dwelling on the in(piiry otihv/iozc, 
 the .v//rt/, and the ziliere, can repose in conlidence, that 
 when he shall have passed the time of his probation here, 
 he may connnit his spirit into the hands of a faithful 
 Creator. 
 
 We are placed, in this litV, in a state of [)robation ; and 
 though that probation will soon pass over, yet the state 
 of being to which we are approaching is of eternal dura- 
 tion. And as we enter on the boundless ocean of eternity, 
 we enter it under one of thefce awful sentences : " He that 
 
OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 27 
 
 is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let 
 him be filthy still :" or, " He that is righteous, let him be 
 righteous still ; and he that is holy, let him be holy still." 
 Rev. xxii. 11. And this day of solemn retribution is hastily 
 approaching to us all ; as it is written : " Behold ! I come 
 quickly ; and my reward is with Me, to give every man 
 according as his work shall be." ib, 12. 
 
 The Divine Master particularly mentions some offences 
 that should not be forgiven, either in this world or in the 
 world to come. Vide Matt. xii. 32. Luke xii. 10. 
 
 The wicked are represented as having their portion 
 " where their worm dieth not, and where the fire is not 
 quenched ; " but " the smoke of their torment ascendeth up 
 for ever and ever." Vide 2 Thess. i. 9. 2 Pet. ii. 17. Jude 
 13. Rev. xix. 3, xx. 10. See also that interesting pas- 
 sage. Matt. XXV. from verse 31 to 46 : concluding with 
 these striking expressions :— " And these shall go away into 
 everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.'' 
 Here it is clearly asserted that the righteous are admitted 
 into life eternal, while the wicked go into everlasting 
 punishment. 
 
 It has been remarked by a celebrated writer : 
 
 " What ardently we wish, we soon believe." 
 
 But however pleasing it may be to those who cling to 
 sinful pleasures, to suppose that the judgments of the 
 Almighty in another state of existence, are temporary and 
 will soon pass over — however they may resort to inventions 
 to find out expedients and plausibilities, in the doctrine 
 of purgatory, or the transmigration of souls, or the expia- 
 tion of sins by the present inconvenience of vice ; such 
 schemes and notions are but human contrivances, that may 
 indeed amuse them for awhile; but which they cannot carry 
 with them beyond the grave. 
 
 On the manner in which we pass the time of our proba- 
 tion here, our final happiness or misery depends. How 
 
^ OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 
 
 vain, how tU-lusivc is the idea !- that any may slight the 
 offiTs orKodenuiiiir Love, and " crucify to themselves the 
 Son of (Jod afresh, and put Him to open shame" — squan- 
 derinir away the invaluable time, which was given them to 
 work out their salvation with fear and trembling ; relying 
 on another opportunity to be afforded, in some new body, 
 or, perhaps, in some new world ! Such an idea seems 
 directly calculated to lay waste the responsibility of man, 
 which forms one of the powerful motives to circum- 
 spection and perseverance in well-doing. 
 
 Different, far different from these enervating and sin- 
 pleasing speculations, are the views which are presented 
 to us through the medium of Divine Revelation. Though 
 unmixed and endless felicity on the one hand, and an 
 eternal separation from God and happiness on the other, 
 are represented as dependant on the manner in which we 
 pass the time of our sojourning here— that time, with its 
 conflicts aiul sufferings, in adorable goodness and con- 
 descension, is made short. We arc not detainetl for ages 
 in this troubled scene. A few short days or fleeting years 
 are permitted to roll over us — a few, comparatively, ear- 
 nest breathings to rise to heaven — a few painful conflicts 
 to be endured— and a little space filled up, in persevering 
 integrity to God, and in putting on his Divine nature ! So 
 short is human life, compared f* ilh that state of being to 
 which it leads, that we seem only to be called upon to 
 arise., tcas/i, and be clothed, before we leave this state of 
 weakness and of conflict. 
 
 On the other hand, though huninn life is thus transitory 
 — tlunigh the race of the \Ni(ked is short — yet they have 
 time enough to make a decided choice. Nor is this all : 
 they are called and invited to holiness by the Grace of 
 CJod that brings salvation— convincing them of sin, in- 
 clining them to virtue, and giving them ability to overcome 
 every temptation. To adopt a figurative mode of cxpres- 
 
OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 29 
 
 sion, used by R. Barclay, the Apologist — they are not only 
 convinced of sin, and inclined to righteousness, but the 
 Redeemer lays hold on them, and would raise them out of 
 their pollutions, and free them from every entanglement, if 
 they, on their part, only will not resist the operations of 
 this Redeeming Power. But if they refuse to be thus sepa- 
 rated from their corruptions — if they resist the hand thus 
 laid upon them in adorable goodness — the consequence 
 must be their own. The blackest crime that marks the 
 depravity of man, is committed in a few moments. Nor 
 was it a protracted period formerly, in which the Jews 
 rejected the Messiah, and put Him to the death of the 
 cross ; and this as effectually sealed their condemnation, 
 as if they had been employed in it for ages. And thus it is 
 with all others. If they reject and destroy the Life of Jesus 
 in themselves, the act is complete in itself, whether it be 
 done in a short or protracted period of time. They make 
 that separation between God and their own souls, which 
 must continue for ever. How preposterous would be 
 the idea, that, because the chief priests and rulers of 
 the Jews condemned and crucified our Lord in the short 
 space of a few hours, it would therefore have been con- 
 sistent with the attributes of the Deity, to allow them the 
 opportunity of going over the whole transaction again. 
 And yet it would be as inconsistent with the Divine Char- 
 acter, to permit this to be done spiritually, as outwardly : 
 for it is as really a crucifying of the Lord Jesus, as that 
 which was perpetrated by the Jews without the gates of 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 How awful is the consideration of this important subject ! 
 to despise and reject the Heavenly Visitation, and finally 
 destroy the only possible means of Salvation ! The measure 
 of Grace thus given to each individual as the means of 
 salvation, is the purchase of Christ's death. If this is 
 destroyed, is Christ again to sufier in the flesh ! or did the 
 
30 OI' REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. 
 
 apostle say truly, that " there reraaincth no more sacrifice 
 lor sin; but u certain, fearful lookintr for of judii;ment, and 
 fiery indit^nation, which shall devour the adversaries !" 
 Heb. X. 27. Hence the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and 
 the eternal duration of its consequences. 
 
 How short, how fleeting, are the moments of vanity, and 
 how" low the gratifications, for -which the dreadful penalty 
 it incurred : " Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting 
 fire, prepared for the devil and his angels !" Malt. xxv. 
 41. How shocking to reflect, with what wild infiituation 
 thousands arc spurning the oflfers of Redeeming Love and 
 eternal felicity, and rushing headlong, in the pursuit of 
 delusive objects, to the abyss of ruin ! 
 
 But, on the oilier hand, it is a cheering, animating reflec- 
 tion, that the Christian warfare will soon be over : "Yet a 
 little while, and He that shall come will come, and will 
 not tarry." " Behold ! I come quickly, and my reward is 
 with Me." And how sweet is the responding language : 
 " Even so, come. Lord Jesus !" Well might the apostle 
 say : " The sufl'erings of the present time are not worthy 
 to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in 
 us." Rom. viii. 18. 
 
 Let us then, warned by the dreatlful consequences of 
 disobedience, and animated by the hopes of the Gospel, 
 press thronjrh every crowd of difliculties ; " looking unto 
 Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith ; who, for the 
 joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising 
 the shame, and is set down on the right hand of the throne 
 of (iod ;" Jhh. xii. '2. and who has promised : " To him 
 that overcometh, will 1 grant to sit with Me in my throne ; 
 even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father 
 in His throne." Rex. iii. i?l. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 OP THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE, OR, THE POSSIBILITY 
 OF SALVATION TO ALL MEN. 
 
 We believe that Salvation, through Jesus Christ, is freely 
 offered to all men. The Gospel is emphatically good 
 tidings of great joj/ — embracing all people in its blessed 
 operation. For, " as by one man sin entered into the 
 world, and death by sin — -and so death passed upon all 
 men ;" JRo7n. v. 12 ; so all men stood, or stand, in need of 
 a Saviour. And as the disease, or " death," reached to all 
 men ; so the remedy which was provided, reached also unto 
 all. To this the Scriptures bear ample testimony in divers 
 places ; for they expressly declare, that, " As in Adam 
 all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive." 1 Cor. xv. 22. 
 And " as, by the offence of one, judgment came upon all 
 men to condemnation ; even so, by the righteousness of 
 One, the free gift came upon oilmen unto justification of 
 life." Rom. V. 18. 
 
 The declaration to the Children of Israel, as delivered 
 by Moses, Iq Deut. xxx. 19, is very striking : "I call hea- 
 ven and earth to record this day against you, that I have 
 set before you life and death, blessing and cursing ; there- 
 fore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." 
 
 The 18th chapter of Jeremiah contains the following 
 declaration : " At what instant I shall speak concerning a 
 nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to 
 pull down, and to destroy it — if that nation against whom 
 I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the 
 evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant 
 I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, 
 
32 THE UNIVERSALITV OF GRACE. 
 
 to build and to plant it, if it do evil in my sight, that it 
 obey not Jny voice, then I will repent of ihc good where- 
 with I said I would benefit them." r. 7-10. The 18lh and 
 33rd chapters of E/.ekiel, are almost entirely taken up with 
 declarations of the same kind. 
 
 Our Lord Himself declared : " God so loved the world, 
 that He sent his only begotten Son, that whosoever be- 
 lieveth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting 
 life." And, as if to put the subject beyond all doubt, He 
 added : " For God sent not his Son into the world to con- 
 demn the world, but that the world through Him might be 
 saved." John iii. 15, 17. " He is the Propitiation for our 
 sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the 
 whole world." 1 John ii. 2. 
 
 " The manifestation of the Spirit is given to enery man, 
 to profit withal." 1 Cor. xii. 7. 
 
 " Tiiat was the True Light, which lighteth cxery man 
 that Cometh into the world." John i. 9. 
 
 As the Divine Image was lost by transgression, the means 
 of Redemption were provided. And as "God is no re- 
 specter of persons," those means must have been applicable 
 to all who stood in need of them. Else the remedy was 
 inadeijuate to the occasion ; which we cannot suppose, and 
 which the apostle strongly disproves. The whole human 
 family stood in the same relation to their Creator. They 
 were equally His by creation, and they were equally in 
 need of his Redeeming Love; without which none could 
 be saved. And as " the Lord is good \o all, and his tender 
 mercies are over all his works, Ps. cxlv. 9, He left none 
 destitute of the interposition of his saving Grace : "for," 
 says the apostle, "the Grace of God that bringeth salva- 
 tion, hath ajjpcared to all men." TU. ii. 11. And, as saith 
 the Scripture : " Christ died for all." 2 Cor. v. 15. 
 
 The apostle very strongly reasons from analogy, in 
 Rom. V. that as the cfl'ects of Adam's transgression ex- 
 
THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 33 
 
 tends to all men, so the benefits of Christ's coming are 
 equally extensive. 
 
 If then the premises and conclusion of the apostle are 
 true, it must be admitted that those who never heard the 
 history of Adam's transgression, are affected by it. ( Vide 
 Original and Present State of Man.) And who will deny 
 'this, since the proneness to sin and the practice of sin, are 
 abundantly prevalent among those who are destitute of this 
 knowledge ? for the grand enemy of man's happiness is 
 not limited in his operations, to any class of the human 
 family. And upon every principle of sound reasoning we 
 must also admit, that the apostle was equally correct in 
 maintaining, that the benefits of Christ's coming were as 
 extensive. If the one was not confined to the historical 
 knowledge of the remotely inducing or procuring cause, 
 why should the other be ? The one was a spiritual malady — 
 the other a spiritual remedy. The one originated in the 
 malice of the arch-enemy — the other emanated from the 
 love of God. And who will say that the malady could 
 extend to subjects to whom the remedy could not be ap- 
 plied ? — or that Satan, being allowed to carry on his work 
 without being limited to external means, has completely 
 fortified himself in a large proportion of the human family, 
 by keeping out the historical knowledge of certain facts, 
 without which outward knowledge, the love of God in 
 Christ Jesus could not be extended to them ? 
 
 We believe that the power and goodness of the Almighty, 
 are not limited to external means — that, though He con- 
 descends to make use of instruments, yet no flesh can glory 
 in his presence. The Divine language, through the 
 prophet Isaiah, is peculiarly striking : " I looked, and 
 behold ! there was no man ; and I wondered that there was 
 no intercessor : therefore mine own arm brought salvation." 
 Thus it is that He looks upon those who have none to help 
 them ; and thus He interposes his own Almighty arm for 
 4 D 
 
51 THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 their salvation. His love, unbounded as liis power, leaves 
 no corner of the earth uiivisitcd. " Have they not heard ?" 
 saith the apostle, and then answers the question himself : 
 "Yea, verily;" asserting that the message of the Gospel 
 had been extended to the very ends of the earth ; which 
 could not apply to the preaching of the apostles : nor can 
 it be said, to the present day, as respects the outward pro- 
 pagation of the doctrines of Christianity. And yet it was 
 true of the Grace of God which brings salvation, which 
 has appeared to all men, and teaches to deny ungodliness 
 and worldly lusts, antl to live soberly, righteously, and 
 godly, in this present world. These embrace the great 
 duties we owe to God and man. A corroborating testi- 
 mony is found in Col. i. 23, where the apostle declares that 
 " the Gospel was preached to (or in) every creature under 
 heaven." 
 
 The apostle Peter also, when brought to reflect on the 
 condition of the gentiles, cut off as they were from many 
 advantages which the Jews possessed, though he had sup- 
 posed that the Divine favour was limited to these outward 
 means, ^et, when he was enabled to reflect on the situation 
 of this part of the human family, and to understand the 
 Divine (character, he exclaimed : " Of a truth I perceive 
 that God is no respecter of persons ; but in every nation, he 
 that feareth Him and worketh righteousness, is accepted 
 with Him." Acts x. 34, 33. This could not apply to the 
 household of Cornelius alone ; nor could it be predicated 
 on the belief of the general diflusion of the knowledge of 
 Christianity, at some remote period of time : for being ex- 
 pressed in the present tense, it applied to the time then 
 present ; and including everj/ nation^ it certainly applied to 
 those where Christ had not been named. To this also 
 agrees another testimony of the apostle Paul, where he 
 brings into view the gentiles who had not the law, yet 
 doing the things contained in the law ; and proving, from 
 
THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 35 
 
 reasoning on facts like these, that they had the work of 
 the law written in their hearts. Here we are to observe, 
 that they had not the full knowledge of the dispensations of 
 God to mankind, and yet they had the law written in their 
 hearts. And He who is just and equal in all his ways, has 
 made known his determination to deal with his dependent 
 creatures, according to the means of improvement con- 
 ferred upon them. Where much is given, much will be 
 required. Hence, they that have the law will be judged 
 by the law ; and they that are without the law, shall be 
 judged without the law. ( Vide Art. Of the Scriptures.) 
 
 Having thus touched on the condition of the heathen 
 world, it may not be improper to make a few observations 
 on the condition of infants. 
 
 And in the first place, it may be remarked, that that Seed 
 of Grace, "which is the purchase of Christ's death," 
 (Bare. ApoL prop. vii.J or, in the language of the apostle, 
 " the Tree Gift that has come upon all men," Rom. v. 18. is 
 an operative and Redeeming Principle. Though when 
 speaking oi moral agents^ we press the necessity of obedi- 
 ence, which leads to worlcs of righteousness, as this is always 
 the effect produced in moral agents, when the principle of ' 
 Divine Life is not resisted ; yet, when we trace effects to their 
 cause — when we go back to the first spring of action, as 
 well as cause of salvation, we ascribe all to the Grace of 
 God, and nothing to the will or works of the creature, when 
 considered as such. The parable of the leaven hid in 
 three measures of meal, is an illustration of this doctrine. 
 The leaven, by its own operation, leavened and brought 
 the meal into its own nature, and into an activity, if we may 
 use the expression, exactly conformable to the properties 
 and action of the leaven. Here the meal, being a-Jit sub- 
 ject, and also a passive subject, was brought into the one- 
 ness. But all the eflfects produced, were to be ascribed to 
 4 D 2 
 
36 THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 the active principle thus introduced into it. This exactly 
 applies to us as moral agents. 
 
 The salvation of infants depends on the same principle, 
 and dift'ers from that of persons who have attained to years 
 of religious understanding, in no other respect than what 
 arises from the respective capacities of each individual. 
 We agree that every soul that comes into the world, does 
 need a Saviour. We believe also that every soul, as it 
 comes into the world, is an object of Redeeming Love. 
 And as we inherit the seed of sin, ( Vide Original and 
 Present State of 3Ian,) so through Jesus Christ, we are 
 heirs of that Seed of Grace, which is the efficient cause of 
 salvation to all that are saved. If infants therefore receive 
 the one, and we agree that they do, tliey must also re- 
 ceive the other, as " the Free Gift that has come upon all 
 men to justification." This Gift or remedy must be, as the 
 apostle testifies, as extensive as the cause it was designed 
 to remove. 
 
 Thus, the Seed of the kingdom, as a Redeeming Principle, 
 is placed in the heart of every individual, ready to expand 
 with the opening faculties of the soul, and to take the 
 government of it, from the first dawn of intellectual life. 
 
 In maturer age, when these two principles begin to exert 
 their respective powers, the principle of Light and Life, if 
 not resisted by the individual, will overpower and eradi- 
 cate the principle or seed of evil. As, in all stages, it is 
 the "stronger," so in this first stage of human life, where it 
 has not been resisted— where it stands just as the gift and 
 means of salvation, provided by our Heavenly Father, it 
 must be sufficient for salvation. 
 
 Thus, through Jesus Christ, a remedy sufficient for sal- 
 vation has been ])rovided for every individual soul ; and 
 nothing but individual disobedience can deprive us of the 
 offered salvation. 
 
 " This is the conilcmnntion, that Light is come into the 
 
THE UNIVERSALITY OT GUACE. 37 
 
 world, but men love darkness rather than Light, because 
 their deeds are evil." John viii. 16. Under this condem- 
 nation children cannot come, until, attaining to the condi- 
 tion of moral agents, they love darkness rather than Light. 
 And let it be remembered, that this Redeeming Principle 
 they receive from Christ, and not from their parents, either 
 by nature, or by any promises Ihey can make for them, or 
 any ceremonies they can cause to be performed over them. 
 
 The doctrine of the possibility of salvation to all men, is 
 essential, to be consistent with the attributes of the Deity ; 
 because He cannot be represented as merciful, or just, or 
 equal in his ways, if this principle be denied. He cannot 
 be represented as merciful to those to whom He extends no 
 mercy — or just, in punishing those who do his will — or 
 equal, in dispensing happiness to one and misery to 
 another, when both stand in the same relation to Him. 
 
 It is not intended to make the present a controversial work ; 
 and yet it seems difficult to place the subject in a proper 
 point of view, without noticing the opposite doctrine. This 
 doctrine supposes salvation is not possible to all ; but that the 
 final happiness or misery of mankind, and their actions in 
 this life, are fixed by an unchangeable decree from all 
 eternity : *— that the will of God is properly divided into 
 
 * I shall not refer to authors that are out of print ; but as A. Toplady is a 
 modern writer, and has made numerous quotations from Calvin and other 
 writers of that day, [ shall look no further than to his doctrine of Absolute 
 Predestination, &c. " translated in great measure from the Latin of Jerom 
 Zanchius." He says: " Since, as was lately observed, the determining will of 
 God, being omnipotent, cannot be obstructed or made void ; it follows that He 
 never did, nor does He now, will that every individual of mankind should be 
 saved." p. 23. ' ' God, as we have before proved, wills not the salvation of every 
 man; but gave his Son to die for them whose salvation He willed : therefore 
 his Son did not die for every man." p. 24. " From what has been laid down it 
 follows, that Austin, Luther, Bucer, the scholastic divines, and other learned 
 writers, are not to be blamed for asserting that God may, in some sense, be said 
 to will the being and commission of sin." p. 25. 
 
 " Reprobation denotes * * * God's eternal preterition of some men, 
 when He chose others to glory ; and his predestination of them to fill up the 
 measure of their iniquities, and then to receive the just punishment of their 
 
 4 D 3 
 
3S THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 secret and revealed ; and these do not always correspond, 
 or, as it is expressed, "arc apparently dill'erent." The re- 
 zeaUd will, they say, embraces the Divine commands and 
 precepts. Tlic secret will fixes the event beyond the pos- 
 sibility of change or contingency. Thus, when a com- 
 mand, or warning, or invitation, is given to the reprobate, 
 or those who are finally lost, this is called ihc revealed \\ ill 
 of God. But the secret will renders it absolutely impos- 
 
 crimes : even destruction from the Presence of the Lord, and from the glory of 
 his power," &c. p. 48. 
 
 " We assert," " that there is a predestination of some particular persons to 
 LIFE, for the praise of the glory of Divine Grace ; and a predestination of other 
 particular persons to death ; which death, of punishment, they shall inevitably 
 undergo, and that justly on account of their sins." p. 53. 
 
 " Wc assert that the number of the elect, and also of the reprobate, is so 
 fixed and determinate, that neither can be augmented or diminished." p. 59. 
 " That the decrees of election and reprobation are immutable and irresistable." 
 p. 60. " Not one of the elect can peribh ; but they must all necessarily be 
 saved." " Now that is said to be necessary, which cannot be otherwise than 
 it is," p. 55, 
 
 " God did, from all eternity, decree to leave some of ,\dam's fallen posterity 
 in their sins, and to exclude them from participation of Christ and bis benefits." 
 p. 70. 
 
 " Some men were, from all eternity, not only negatively excepted from a 
 participation of Christ and his salvation : but positively ordained to continue 
 in their natural bl'ndness, hardness of heart, &c. and that by the just judgment 
 of God." " His permission is a positive, determinate act of his will." p. 72. 
 
 " The non-elect were predestinated, not only to continue in final impenitency, 
 sin, and unbelief; but were, likewise, for such their sins, righteously appointed 
 to infernal death hereafter." p. 73. " God's predestination is most certain and 
 unalterable ; so that no elect person can perish, nor any reprobate be saved." 
 pp. 86, 87. 
 
 " Although the will of God, considered in Itself, is simply one and the same, 
 yet in condescension to the present capacities of men, the Divine will is v£ry 
 properly distinguished into skcret and rf.vealkd. Thus, it was his revealed 
 will, that IMiaraoh should let the Israelites go ; that Abraham should sacrifice 
 his son ; and that I'eter should not deny Christ : but, as was proved by the 
 events, that it was his secret will that IMiaraoh should not let Israel go, 
 that Abraham should not sacrifice Isaac, and that Peter snovLO deny his 
 Lord." pp. IH, 19. 
 
 " God's hidden will is peremptory and absolute ; and tkerefore cannot be 
 hindered from taking effect," p. 21. 
 
 " Whatever comes to pass, comes to pass by virtue of this aSsolutc, omnipo- 
 tent will of God { which is the primary and supreme cause of nil things." p. 21 . 
 
THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 39 
 
 sible for them to do otherwise than go counter to the 
 revealed will. And this disobedience to the revealed will 
 of God, is called wilful and obstinate ; and those who are 
 in it are said to be justlt/ punished for their wilful dis- 
 obedience, and obstinate refusal to accept salvation : 
 though the secret will cannot be resisted ; and the reprobate 
 are as completely governed by it as the elect themselves. 
 
 Perhaps there is no system of opinions received among 
 men, which contains so many paradoxes, as the doctrine of 
 unconditional election and reprobation ; and none that is 
 more difficult to reconcile with itself, with Scripture, and 
 with reason. 
 
 In the first place, we cannot conceive how a man can be 
 said to act voluntarily^ when he is urged to what he does 
 by irresistible force and necessity ; how he can be said to 
 be obstinate and wilful, in refusing to accept salvation, 
 when it never was in his power to accept it — when he was 
 first introduced into a course of evil, and continued in it, 
 by necessity which he cannot possibly resist — and how he 
 can be justly punished for actions thus committed, appears 
 equally opposed to the simplest principles of reason. 
 
 In the S2nd chapter of Jeremiah, we have this language 
 of the Almighty : " For the Children of Israel, and the 
 Children of Judah, have only done evil before Me from 
 their youth : for the Children of Israel have only provoked 
 Me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the Lord. 
 For this city hath been to Me as a provocation of mine 
 anger and of my fury, from the day that they built it, even 
 unto this day : that I should remove it from before my 
 face ; because of all the evil of the Children of Israel, and 
 of the Children of Judah, which they have done to provoke 
 Me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, 
 and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabi- 
 tants of Jerusalem. And they have turned unto Me the 
 back, and not the face ; though I taught them, rising up 
 4 D 4 
 
40 TUB UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to 
 receive instruction. But they set their abominations in the 
 house which is called by my JS'amc, to defile it. And they 
 built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of 
 the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters 
 to pass through the fire unto Moloch ; which I commanded 
 them not, neither came it info my mind, that they should 
 do this abomination to cause Judah to sin." How then 
 could it be His secret will, that they should do these 
 things ! 
 
 If we admit this doctrine, it must follow, that all laws, 
 human and Divine, are mere mockery — all regard to our 
 actions, all efforts to be virtuous and happy are futile and 
 ridiculous ; because the whole course of events in this 
 Avorld, as well as the condition to be experienced in the 
 next, are fixed beyond the power of altering either. What 
 signify the pompous appendages of civil government ! 
 Laws, penalties, and punishments, have no effect : the 
 secret will of God fixes all things, and renders ever thing 
 else inoperative. What are the institutions and ndes of 
 religious society, and the preaching of the Gospel, but 
 solemn mockery, played oif to excite the fears of the 
 multitude, and create unnecessary distinctions and troubles 
 in society ! Why say : « Repent, for the kingdom of 
 heaven is at hand !" The message passes into air, and the 
 event remains the same. Why draw distinctions between 
 vice and virtue ! The distinction is lost in the absolute 
 decrees ; and the saint and the sinner may regard each 
 other as brethren, faithfully and punctually accomplishing 
 the will of the same God, who has assigned to each his 
 proper place and business, «in filling up his grand designs 
 of providences and grace." 
 
 it is haj)py for mankind, as this doctrine is admitted, 
 that its supporters have insistetl on the necessity oi means. 
 Though this is a contradiction to the principle, yet it is 
 
THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. -41 
 
 important to the well-being of society. They insist too, on 
 religious rectitude, and the practice of virtue, and make as 
 decided distinctions between virtuous and vicious charac- 
 ters as others. This too, is a departure from their prin- 
 ciple ; and it is well for the human family that this departure 
 is made. They preach to the elect and reprobate — they 
 insist on the moral obligations that rest on all — consider 
 that every man is bound to love, honour, and obey God, 
 and that he should actually do so — that if he violates civil 
 or religious duties, he is left without excuse, is culpable, 
 is amenable to laws, human and Divine. And in the ordi- 
 nary transactions of life, a man may do this or omit that, 
 according to his own will. Thus, as relates to practical 
 purposes, the doctrine is not sustained : it is held as a 
 solemn truth, at once helieved and disbelieved. And the 
 welfare of civil society depends on this practical derelic- 
 tion of the principle in question. For if this principle 
 were brought into operation, without any of the checks 
 which religious feeling and the good sense of mankind 
 have given — it would completely paralyse every laudable 
 and virtuous effort, both public and private. The secret 
 will and unchangeable decree, which cannot be resisted or 
 changed, would be supposed to do all for us. We need io 
 cultivate neither our fields nor our minds — neither resist 
 temptation, nor admonish the wicked, nor encourage the 
 humble Christian. The Eternal Fiat will clothe our fields 
 without our toil ; light and knowledge will spring up with- 
 out the discipline of schools, and the painfulness of research; 
 the wicked will pursue the undeviating tenour of his way ; 
 and the elect will neither be comforted by our sympathy, 
 nor discouraged by our forgetfulness. We ourselves shall 
 not be the better for treading the path of self-denial, nor 
 the worse for giving the loosened rein to our perverse 
 inclinations. These are the natural tendencies of the prin- 
 ciple in question. And every precept, human and Divine, 
 
42 THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 every measure tending to the public good, every act of 
 social duty, and every religious exercise in the human 
 iiiiiul, are in direct opposition to this principle, and its 
 simple operation in human affairs. 
 
 But much labour has been devoted to the doctrine, to 
 reconcile it to Scripture and to reason. 
 
 The principal support which has been drawn from the 
 Scriptures, has been from the Epistle to the Romans, and a 
 few other passages. But this is by taking detached por- 
 tions of Scripture, and giving them a construction ; for the 
 Scriptures no where assert that a fixed, unalterable decree 
 determines beforehand the salvation of all that are saved, 
 and the destruction of all that are lost. Those who con- 
 tend that the Scriptures are the primary rule of faith and 
 practice, are certaiidy bound to support their faith and 
 practice, by plain and clear declarations of Scripture, and 
 not by forced construction : and especially as this construc- 
 tion would militate against the whole scope of Scripture 
 testimony. 
 
 We know that detached sentences may be taken from 
 any writing we please, and, by the help of constructions, 
 be made to convey an idea, altogether different from that 
 intended by the writer. If we would understand his senti- 
 ments, we must take into view his whole design, and not re- 
 ject the explanations which he gives of his own language. 
 
 To those who rest their hopes of salvation on fore-ordi- 
 nation, it may not be improper to remark, that if their 
 opinions on these subjects are unfounded, the pride of 
 o])iiiion will be a poor compensation for the consequences 
 of the fatal error. In a concern so important as the salva- 
 tion of the soul, it is certainly unwise to be governed by 
 prejudice, or the bias of education or previous opinion. 
 Multitudes adhere to opinions once adopted, with a per- 
 (inadly that seems (o suggrst the belief, that to maintain 
 the opinion, is lh«' great and important object in view, 
 
THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 43 
 
 without once considering that it may be erroneous ; and, if 
 erroneous, its effects may be of the most melancholy con- 
 sequences to themselves and others. If it is a point of true 
 wisdom to examine, with care, our titles to earthly inheri- 
 tances, how much more important is it to be anxious, and 
 deeply inquiring, in regard to an inheritance of eternal 
 duration ! 
 
 The apostle Peter, speaking of the Epistles of Paul, says : 
 " In which are some things hard to be understood ; which 
 they that are unlearned [in that wisdom which is from 
 above] and unstable, wrest, as they do also the other 
 Scriptures, unto their own destruction." 2 Pet. iii. 15, 16. 
 This is an important caution, which ought to be borne in 
 mind whenever we resort to constructions of the writings 
 of that eminent apostle. He wrote much in the mystery of 
 Divine things. But, as we believe that his writings, or 
 rather the doctrines of the gospel, do all harmonize, we 
 should have some regard to the grand scope of the whole ; 
 seeking also for Divine wisdom, which alone can unfold 
 them to the human understanding. 
 
 The apostle Paul very frequently uses the terms election, 
 election of grace, SfC. but some have given to these terms a 
 construction, which it does not appear the apostle ever 
 gave them. It does not appear that he ever rejected obe- 
 dience from the work of salvation. We have not sufficient 
 evidence, that he either believed or preached unconditional 
 election and reprobation. Indeed the doctrine does not 
 appear to have been professed in the primitive Church. 
 On the contrary, it was several centuries before it was 
 distinctly brought into view. 
 
 A leading feature of the heathen philosophy, was the 
 doctrine o^fate, or eternal necessity, which operated on all 
 things, not excepting the Supreme Deity Himself. As this 
 doctrine had long prevailed among both the Greeks and 
 Romans, and as it was among those very people that it 
 
44 THE UNIVERSALITY OF GIIACE. 
 
 first became denominated a Christian principle, it is easy to 
 discover the school from wliich it emanated. It still bears 
 the strong marks of its oriirinal character, as it was handed 
 down from one heathen pliilosophcr to another, till finally, 
 in the 5th century, it was taken up as an argument against 
 Pelagius, who believed that grace was given in proportion 
 to our merits.* Much pains have Jjeen taken, much zeal 
 and talent displayed, to soften its original features ; but 
 still it is not materially changed. The eternal necessitj/ 
 bears the same strong, inexorable character, that it did in 
 the darkest ages of the world. 
 
 On the introduction of the Gospel Dispensation, an im- 
 portant change was to take place in the visible church, as 
 well as in the effusions of spiritual blessings. The institu- 
 tions which had been given to the Jews, were to cease ; and 
 in the coming in of the gentiles, the former distinctions 
 were to be removed. In order to prepare both Jews and 
 gentiles for this important change, the apostle brought 
 into view the Divine prerogative, and the designs of the 
 Almigjjty in making these distinctions. When we con- 
 sider the strong jircjudices of the Jews, and the ideas 
 which had prevailed among the gentiles, to the time at 
 which the apostle wrote, wc shall see the necessity of the 
 labours which he used, to break down the middle wall of 
 
 • " We may safi'ly call this doctrine a novelty, seeing tlic first four hundred 
 years after Cliribt, there is no mention made of it ; for as it is contrary to the 
 Scrii)lures' testimony, and to the tenour of the Ciospcl ; so all the ancient writers, 
 teachers, and doctors of the t'hurch, passed it over with a profonnd silence. 
 The first foundations of it were laid in the latter writinp* of Aupustine, who, ia 
 liis heat against I'elagius. let fall some expressions, which some have unhappily 
 gleaned up, to the establishing of this error : thereby contraiiicting the Truth, 
 and snfllriently gainsajing many others, and many more and frequent cxpres- 
 Hions of the dame Auiiiistine. Afterwards was this doctrine fomented by Domi- 
 nicus a friar, and the monks of his order : and lastly unhapiiiiy taken up by 
 John (^ilvin, (otherwise a man In divers respects to be commended,) to the 
 freat ktvining of liis reputation, and defamation both of tl»e Protestant and 
 Cbri&tian Ucligion." Barc. Ai-ol. ;jry;j v. (). I. 
 
THE UNIVERSALITY OF GAACE. 45 
 
 partition. And this is the way in which the Epistles to 
 the Romans, Ephesians, &c. were understood at the time. 
 The gentiles were encouraged and emboldened to flock as 
 doves to their windows ; and the believing Jews received 
 them as fellow heirs of the same precious promises. 
 
 I say, this appears to have been the understanding of 
 the passages alluded, to at the time ; because such was the 
 effect, and the doctrine of Election and Reprobation as 
 now held, did not become obvious till several hundred 
 years afterwards. 
 
 The Jews had been a peculiar people ; because to them 
 had been committed the " Oracles of God," and many 
 favours, designed not only for their benefit, but for the 
 benefit of the whole human race. And now the time for 
 the general diffusion of these benefits had arrived. At 
 the same time, these favours, or this election, (for they 
 were chosen,) did not secure salvation to the individuals 
 of the Jewish nation — far from it. Many, very many of 
 them, lay under a heavy load of condemnation ; and finally, 
 even the nation, as a body, was rejected. Nor did these 
 peculiar favours to the Jews, even during the continuance 
 of that Dispensation, exclude the gentile world from the 
 saving love of God. The apostle bore testimony that 
 " the work of the law was written in their hearts :" that 
 there were " glory, honour, and peace, to every man that 
 worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the gentile ; 
 for there is no respect of persons with God." Rom. ii. 
 15, 10, 11. The apostle has not left the subject without a 
 sufficient guard against misconstruction. In the Epistle to 
 the Romans, and in the part of it in which he treats of 
 election, (chap, id.) he thus clearly asserts, that it is not 
 unconditional : " Thou wilt say then, the branches were 
 broken oflP, that I might be graffed in." But this idea he 
 corrects, by telling them : " Because of unbelief they were 
 broken oflF;" " and thou standest by faith.^' Here it was 
 
46 THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 the unbelief of the Jews, and not the secret will of God, 
 that was the cause of their being rejected. To the (elect) 
 gi'iitilcs, he was equally explicit : " Be not his^h minded 
 but fear." But why tell them to fear, if their salvation and 
 every thing connecleil with it, were fixed beyond the pos- 
 sibility of change ! The apostle tells them : " For if God 
 spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He spare 
 not thee." He does not give them any reason to believe, 
 that it made no difference whether they took heed or not ; 
 which must have been the case, if the doctrine of uncon- 
 ditional election and reprobation is true. " Behold, there- 
 fore the goodness and severity of God ! on them Avhich 
 fell, severity ;" (because their fall was their ozon act, and 
 not his ;) " but towards thee goodness, if thou continue in 
 his goodness ; otherti'ise thou also shalt be cut off.'' But 
 this was without object or utility, unless there had been a 
 possibility both of their "continuing in his goodness," and 
 of their being "cut off." "And they, said he, directing 
 his attention to the Jews, " if they abide not still in unbe- 
 lief, shall be grafled in; for God is able to grail' them in 
 again." AH this would have been without meaning, if an 
 irrevocable decree had rendered it impossible for them to 
 believe and be accepted. He might, with much compo- 
 sure of feeling, have resigned both Jews and gentiles 
 to the operation of the " eternal necessity," " Fate,^' or 
 " decrees," whichever we may call them. The apostle 
 mentions the exercises and self-denial into which he was 
 led, " lest that, by any means, when he had preached to 
 others, he himself should become a castaway." 1 Cor. ix. 
 27. How much below the dignity of the subject, and the 
 character of the apostle, must such expressions have been, 
 if the thing itself had been impossible ! Imagine, for a 
 uKjuu-nt, the ideas we should form of a man, who should 
 surround himbclf with candles at mid-day, lest the light of 
 
THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 47 
 
 the sun should become extinct ; or an inhabitant of the 
 mountains, who should employ himself in building towers 
 like Babel, iest the ocean should break in upon him ; or 
 a mariner at sea, who should hide himself below deck, 
 lest the rocks of invisible mountains should fall upon 
 him. And yet, if the doctrine in question is true, the 
 whole strain of admonition and caution, which has run 
 through every dispensation of God to mankind, is equally 
 inconsistent with the condition of man. Why should we 
 use precautions, lest impossibilities should happen ! The 
 proposition carries its own refutation with it ; and we 
 only need to see it in its simple, genuine character, to 
 reject it. 
 
 It must be borne in mind, that whenever the apostle 
 makes use of the terms, election and reprobation, these are 
 not to be understood as unconditional, or wholly indepen- 
 dent of the faithfulness or unfaithfulness of the individual, 
 when they relate to individuals, or have reference to a 
 future state of existence ; for the terms are often applied 
 to nations or national concerns. 
 
 Thus, the Jews were chosen, that through them the 
 knowledge of the true God should be preserved, through 
 a dark and idolatrous age. The Law, the Prophets, and 
 the Messiah, came through them. This was an election. 
 But they were individually and nationally judged accord- 
 ing to their obedience. On the coming of the Messiah, it 
 pleased Divine Goodness to call in the gentiles, to an equal 
 participation of the Light of the Gospel. This also was an 
 election ; but the gentiles stood by faith and faithfulness, 
 as evidently appears from the passages already quoted 
 from the Epistle to the Romans. 
 
 The apostle Peter also establishes the same important 
 truth, in that short but comprehensive admonition to the 
 believers : " Give diligence to make your calling and elec- 
 tion sure :" which is predicated on the clear understanding, 
 
4g THE UNIVERSALITY OF GIIACE. 
 
 that their election was not sure without this diligence on 
 their part. 
 
 With these sentiments of the apostles before us, as directly 
 applic'il by them to the term election^ it is easy to under- 
 staml what is intended by the expressions—" According 
 to the election of grace"— " The purpose of God, accord- 
 ing to election," &c. as it is evident that this is conditional. 
 And why should any find a difficulty in the idea of con- 
 dilional election ; since election is nothing more than a 
 choice ? And who is there that cannot comprehend so sim- 
 ple a proposition, as that wc cannot become the chosen of 
 God, and obtain communion and fellowship with Him, 
 but in obedience to Him ? For {{obedience is indispensably 
 necessary, then obedience must be a condition on our part. 
 This is further illustrated in the parable of the Supper ; 
 for we may remember that the invitation was given, with- 
 out ambiguity or counteracting arrangements. No secret 
 impediments were created by Him. He sent the invita- 
 tion. There was no moral or physical impossibility in the 
 way. Nothing prevented the attendance of those first 
 called, but tlieir own voluntary choice. They chose to be 
 "excused;" and " one went to his farm, and another to his 
 mercliandise." They were, therefore, justly left to their 
 own choice, and thus entered into the state of reprobation. 
 
 The general strain of Scripture promises, both in the 
 Old and New Testaments, is conditional : " If thou doest 
 well, shalt thou not be accepted ? and if thou doest not 
 well, sin lieth at the door." Gen. iv. 7. 
 
 " BehoUl ! I set before you this day a blessing and a 
 curse : — a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the 
 Lord your (lod, which I command you this day ; and a 
 curse if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord 
 your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command 
 you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not 
 known." Deut. xi. 26, &c. 
 
THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 49 
 
 " And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken dili- 
 gently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and 
 to do his commandments which I command thee this day, 
 that the Lord thy God will set thee on high, above all 
 nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come on 
 tliee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the 
 voice of the Lord thy God : Blessed shalt thou be in the 
 city ; and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall 
 be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and 
 the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the 
 flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy 
 
 store The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee 
 
 in thy store-houses, and in all that thou settest thy hand 
 unto. — The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto 
 Himself, as He hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep 
 the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his 
 ways." 
 
 " But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto 
 the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his 
 commandments and his statutes, which I command thee 
 this day ; that all these curses shall come upon thee and 
 overtake thee : Cursed shalt thou be in the city ; and cursed 
 shalt thou be in the field ; cursed shall be thy basket and 
 
 thy store. And the heaven that is over thy head shall be 
 
 brass ; and the earth that is under thee shall be iron." 
 
 I have taken only a few verses out of this chapter ; 
 (Deut. xxviii.) but it is entirely filled, though it contains 
 sixty-eight verses, with blessings and curses, all condition- 
 ally promised and denounced. 
 
 " Ask, and ye shall receive ; seek, and ye shall find ; 
 knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one 
 that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh findeth ; and to 
 him that knocketh, it shall be opened." Malt. vii. 7, 8. 
 
 " Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord ! shall 
 4 • E 
 
50 THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the 
 will of my Father which is in heaven." ib. 21. 
 
 But why need we multiply passages to prove this point ! 
 We can scarcely read a chapter in the Bible, without find- 
 ing this important truth incorporated in the precepts, or 
 illustrated by the facts recorded in it. 
 
 Much stress has been laid on that passage in the Epistle 
 to the Romans : " Jacob have I loved ; but Esau have I 
 hated." Rom. ix. 13. And by blending this with a part 
 of the 11th verse of the same chapter—" For the children 
 being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, 
 &c." an idea is conveyed, that this related personally to 
 Jacob and Esau, the one loved and the other hated, pre- 
 viously to their being born, or doing any good or evil. 
 
 But by taking the texts as they stand in the Scriptures, 
 and bearing in mind the great objects for which the apostle 
 was labouring, we shall find that the doctrine in question 
 will receive no support from these passages. 
 
 In the iirst place, it may not be improper to quote the 
 language of the apostle ; and in doing this, to remember 
 that he quotes two texts — one from Gen. xxv. 23, and the 
 other from 3IaL i. 2, 3, «&:c. The apostle, after expressing 
 his earnest desire for the salvation of his brethren, and 
 alluding to the high privileges which had been bestowed 
 \ipon them, adverts to the ground on which they had 
 miserably stumbled : " For," says he, " they are not all 
 Israel which are of Israel ; neither because they are the 
 seed of Abraham are they all children; but in Isaac shall 
 thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children 
 of the flesh, these are not the Children of God : but the 
 children of the promise are counted for the seed." — In 
 these verses he breaks in upon their vain confidence in an 
 outward and lineal descent from the patriarch, and their 
 cxixctation of receiving the promises through that claim. 
 He then proceeds, in cojmci.ion with the latter part of the 
 
^ THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 51 
 
 passage just quoted, to point them to the true ground of 
 acceptance, which is in Christ ; of whom Imac was a lively 
 tjpe ; and who is very appropriately called the son of 
 promise. He then goes on to allude to a text in Gen. xxv. 
 23, where it is recorded of Rebecca, that she went to seek 
 counsel of the Lord, in relation to her peculiar condition. 
 Then it was that the children not being yet born, nor 
 having done either good or evil — the apostle says, " that 
 the purpose of God might stand, according to election, not 
 of zDor/t^," (on which the Jews so much relied, as if their 
 rituals brought debt on the Almighty,) " but of Him that 
 calleth, it was said to her, the elder shall serve the 
 younger." The texts in Gen. of which the apostle quoted 
 a part, informed Rebecca that she should be the mother of 
 two nations — that their manners should be different, and 
 that the one should be stronger than the other, a-nd the 
 elder should serve the younger. To the part of this Scrip- 
 ture quoted by the apostle, he adds a text from Mai. i. 2, 
 &c. which was introduced by the following impressive 
 language, to the rebellious house of Israel : " I have loved 
 you, saith the Lord." Yet they said : " Wherein hast 
 Thou loved us ?" The responding language runs thus : 
 " Was not Esau Jacob's brother ? saith the Lord ; yet I 
 loved Jacob, and I hated Esau, and laid his mountains ^ 
 and his heritage waste, for the dragons of the wilderness. 
 Whereas Edom saith : We are impoverished ; but we will 
 return and build the desolate places. — Thus saith the Lord 
 of hosts : They shall build, but I will throw down ; and 
 they shall call them the border of wickedness." 
 
 Thus it is evident that there was, in the passages above 
 quoted, an allusion to nations ; and at the very time at 
 which it was said : " Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I 
 hated," it appears the judgments of the Almighty had been 
 poured out upon Edom, personated by Esau — and that to 
 4 E 2 
 
52 THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 this nation was applied the striking expression, " the 
 border of wicketlncss." 
 
 "The elder shall serve the younger," could not relate to 
 the individuals who seemed to be the ostensible objects of 
 the prophecy : for Jacob never exercised authority or 
 dominion over Esau ; but first fled from him, and after- 
 wards greatly feared him. But in the giving of the law, 
 and the coming of the Messiah through the descendants of 
 Jacob, there was a fulfilment of this prophecy. 
 
 But we often find that passages of Scripture have a 
 mystical and spiritual meaning, as well as one that is more 
 obvious and outward ; and this is peculiarly the case in 
 Rom. ix. 12 : "The elder shall serve the younger." Not 
 only did the apostle bring into view the dealings of the 
 Almighty with the Jewish nation, and his Divine preroga- 
 tive to extend his favours to the gentiles, as well as to the 
 Jews ; (a doctrine hard to be borne at that day ;) but the 
 two states of man — the first, as he stands in the fall, or un- 
 regenerate nature — and the second, as the new birth is pro- 
 duced by the operation of Divine Grace, are beautifully 
 typified by Jacob and Esau — the one loved, the other 
 hated. The carnal mind, inseparable from the fallen, 
 corrupt nature, has been, through all ages, at enmity against 
 God, and obnoxious to his displeasure : while He regards, 
 with parental love, the first breathings of the new birth. 
 Nor does the similitude end here ; for all our natural 
 faculties and propensities, must be brought into subjec- 
 tion to the Divine Principle, if ever we attain to a state of 
 acceptance. 
 
 The first and second natures are often brought into view, 
 by instructive metaphors and allegories ; " for that is not 
 first which is spiritual, ImiI that which is carnal ; and after- 
 wards that which is spiritual." 1 Cor. xv.46. The apostle 
 dwells largely on this subject in divers parts of his epistles. 
 Not only Jacob and Esau are mentioned, with allusion (o 
 
THE UNIVERSALITY OF GUACE. 53 
 
 this subject, but Isaac and Ishmael also : " Cast out the 
 bondwoman and her son; for the son of the bondwoman 
 shall not inherit with the son of the free woman." Gal. iv. 
 
 30. " For in Isaac shall thy seed be called." Rom. ix. 7. 
 
 — " He saith not, And to seeds, as of many ; but as of one, 
 And to thy Seed, which is Christ." Gal. ii. 16. As the 
 promises are to this Seed, so in this also stands the elec- 
 tion ; and we obtain it in no other way, than as we are 
 brought into union with Him, who is the " elect of God." 
 We are chosen in Him, who was " before the foundation of 
 the world." And thus it is, that God irrevocably wills, 
 that all who come unto Him through Jesus Christ, who re- 
 ceive the messages of his love, come into union with Christ 
 as He saith, " I in you and you in me," — and "shall be 
 saved," " if they continue in his goodness." This is the 
 true ground of election : while some have greatly erred, in 
 supposing that it stood in the individuals, as objects of 
 partial favour, and not as they come into union with 
 « Christ the elect of God." 
 
 Another passage in the same chapter, has been used to 
 establish unconditional election and reprobation : " He 
 will have mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom 
 He will, He hardeneth." This text asserts the sovereignty 
 of the Deity : a point of doctrine, peculiarly necessary 
 to be insisted on at that time, when all the pride and 
 prejudices of the Jews, revolted at the idea of admitting 
 the gentiles to be made equal partakers with them, in 
 the blessings and privileges of the Gospel. 
 
 The idea that seems to be designed to be drawn from 
 this text, is, that the mercies of God are limited to the 
 elect ; and the rest are hardened. If this is not the intended 
 inference, I cannot see in what way it can support the doc- 
 trine. And there are numerous passages which would 
 destroy such a construction : " For God halh concluded 
 4 E 3 
 
tar offTcmtALiTT of. gkack. 
 
 tJkeai «■,"* Milk tke imm aip«Mlk, *^ in unbelief, tWl, He 
 ■Ufkika ipon all.'^ A!(Mm. xi. %. And airaia '- 
 
 **Hmiei . 2rr over aJI kit work*." Psaim cxIt. 
 
 i. Bal wfaj Need I qnoiCe ymigrii n^ .Script a re. to pt«ve 
 Ifcat G^d km mtefcj eren o« the wicked ! It will probdMy 
 ■ot be desied by awj ;— for if w« contend tkat He ha* naercj 
 «i Boae b«i tke eUct, we iiiMt di*charfife tke r^rnht^ 
 frofli a beftry portion of their condenmat ion. If ki* tender 
 mercies have never been extended to them, tkey caa b«1"e 
 ▼erjf little to account for. Then we maj conct«de, in Ike 
 wofd* of tke tKxt, that He han « mercy opon all." 
 
 It may not be improper aoir to nuike a few reinnrk« am 
 Ike word, futrdemimg. 
 
 Il is a familiar expve^*io«, that "reproof either hardaw 
 ev »often« it* f/bject," though thi* is actnally the eCecl af 
 alker eaose*, operating^ on the mind. Tha* also, if aa m- 
 4i^'Amk u loaded with benefits, tke f^eauiae teadencj af 
 IkeM^beaeiiUia to excite tke aenaatioMaff^fatilade. Bat 
 il Ikeae eaolMaa are resisted or Mippre^^ied, kardnrtt and 
 iafniila^ lake pk^e ; and this, by way of setting? forth 
 the striktnt^ deprarity of the individnal, and as brinsrinf^ 
 kis conduct into rimtra$t with the benefits receivr^f i'« 
 spoken of as produced by tkow» irnj benefits. 
 
 It mtiHt also be'evident to every reflect in«r mi nrt, inat 
 wkere Li^kt and ronvirtion are resisted, the depravity aad 
 condemnation are in proportion to the firace afforrlrd and 
 rejected. It was in allusion to this important fart, that 
 owr I»rd remarkrd : *♦ If the f.iarht that is in thee bedark- 
 aeaa, kow jfreat i% that darkness." ^fatt. ? i. 23. 
 
 At «CUIen %aAnrf is forward and propense to eril," and 
 aa Ike f#race of f /od is not revi ,„_ 
 
 fceaeea «f temptstion, so. w! ^^ 
 
 (tke o^y pnr , „, ,1, j,,, p.^sions, 
 
 ' • _ -Jit iiiiiiirnce of the errand 
 
 »y, are let loose without re»traint, a deep sute of 
 
I UK IMVtKSALHV OF i. K Al E. 56 
 
 tlopravity lurossarilv onsms. In this statr otilopravity, 
 ihc knowloilijt' of l)i\ino i^ooil, \»hioli luul luva ionuuuni- 
 cMvd ill luoro , and \\xc rcimMubrauio onn»piVN>ions once 
 t«MuIrrinir in thoir natuio, aio now retaimnl, on\\ as nrol- 
 loitioiis lo hcii>;littM» tluMMunilyuijuiust (uulaiul his doNoltxl 
 servants. 
 
 The proarhiiiiT o( the aiH)stU\s, and even of our Lord 
 llinjscir, \\\\\\c it caiiitd conviition or consolation to the 
 ininils o( thosr whose day of visitation was not over, or 
 whi> hail not totally rejeeUnl the ilay of nierey, had a very 
 ilillerent elfeet on some who hearil thenx. Thiwe very 
 admonitions whieh wiousfht conviction iit (he hearts of 
 st)Mii>, e\citeil others to envy, almost to nuulness. And 
 these ilitl'erent etlects were owinv: ti> the conditions of the 
 subjects, ami not to any thinij disconlant in the Divine 
 Spirit, t"ii)m whiih those ailmouitions proi'eeileil. 
 
 rhi>s snbject may be lurther iUnstiate<l by the example 
 of (ire, hardeninic clay, and soKeniuii: wax; ( Vide Bur* 
 (•ltii/\<i ApoL p. l>')l.) ami the ijeuial \\arn\th of the sun, 
 promoting the lite ami jjrowth of ve^etablrs,aml the putre- 
 taction itf animal substances without lite. * The pritpertie^ 
 and action of the tire are tlu' same, both (>n the clay and 
 wax: andso is the inlluence of the sun (he same, on (ho 
 ti luler vei;t>tables and t>n the putritl carcass. Hut the ilif- 
 tiiiMu*' ill ilu> siil>ieits, is iho cause t>f the ilitlerence in 
 ellecls prt>iliued. Kncu the sanu' veji^t^table or animal 
 substance, that, while it had life, was invi^oratetl by tho 
 rays t>f the sun and the nu>istureof s[iowers, whenilepriviHl 
 of life will l)c rapiilly \\x^k\\ to a state of decompt>sitiou 
 and li>aihs,)inr putrefaction, by the same a4;vnts ; the 
 tihstmc of lift beiiij"- the cause of this in>portant ditVeienco 
 in elfects. And thus the inlluence t>f CJrace, on s»d>iect» in 
 
 • ThU simile t.iiuuit «i>i>ly tv> men >vl\ilo i>ii<Kr«*»liig tv>wi»uls » sUto of 
 n-jirolKilioiM Imt wtiou ttu'y hi»M> aotu»ll\ cuioiTtl Into it i lor svich ^*» tho 
 !.talo ol thiM« ttXttinplfk In S(^rl|itui«, thut h>v \iml«r cou»Ulcr.»tUMi. 
 4 K 4 
 
56 THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 whom the Divine Life is not extinct, will be tendering, 
 salutary, and invij^orating — tending to salvation. But its 
 operation on those who have done violence to this Divine 
 Principle, and thus extinguish it in themselves, must neces- 
 sarily be different. When ther(ifore "vve adopt that mode 
 of expression, which ascribes hardening to the Almighty, 
 it must be considered in such a qualified sense, as admits a 
 state of disobedience, and consequent wickedness pre- 
 ceding. 
 
 It will not be denied that the Supreme Being has, at 
 different periods, made warning examples of those who 
 cast off his fear. Men, who have not only rejected the 
 offers of salvation, but become enemies of all goodness, have 
 been, and no doubt will be, overruled in their purposes 
 and determinations ; and have been made fit subjects on 
 which to display his just judgments and his power. These 
 the apostle calls "vessels of wrath :" but it must not be 
 forgotten, that they had been " endured with much long- 
 suffering." 
 
 Thus it was with the old world, till finally the sentence 
 was pronounced upon them : " My Spirit shall not always 
 strive with man." But it may be recollected that they had 
 attained to such a degree of depravity, that " every ima- 
 gination of their hearts was only evil, continually : " so that, 
 speaking in the manner of men, it is said : "And it repented 
 the Lord that He had made man upon the earth ; and it 
 grieved Him at his heart ; " Gen. vi. which clearly shows 
 that this depravity w>s not the effect of the irresistible, 
 secret will of God. Thus it was with Sodom ; and thus, 
 we believe, it was with Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Such 
 also were Korah, Dathan, and their company ; the old 
 inliabitanls of Canaan ; Saul the first king of Israel, and 
 Herod the last ; .f udas the traitor ; and the inhabitants of 
 Jerusalem at the time of its final overthrow. 
 
 Wever was there a more signal display of the judgments 
 
THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 57 
 
 of the Almighty, than in the case of Jerusalem. In relation 
 to this event, our Lord made this expostulatory appeal : 
 " O Jerusalem ! Jerusalem ! thou that killest the prophets, 
 and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would 
 I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen ga- 
 thereth her chickens under her wings ; but ye would not ! 
 Behold ! your house is left unto you desolate." Matt, xxiii. 
 37. Never did history record a more dreadful infatuation, 
 blindness, or hardness of heart, than that which possessed 
 the inhabitants of this highly favoured city. And yet, the 
 cause of this hardness, and the calamities which followed 
 it, was, " they loved darkness rather than Light." John iii. 
 19. "He came to his own, but his own received Him not." 
 — Though He would often have gathered them, as a hen 
 gathereth her chickens under her wings, (a striking illus- 
 tration of parental love,) yet thei/ would not ; and therefore 
 it was, that the things which belonged to their peace were 
 hid from their eyes ; and an awful desolation came upon 
 them. 
 
 The example of Judas is a further illustration of this 
 principle. He was chosen — had obtained a part of the 
 ministry of Christ, and was numbered with the twelve ; 
 but by transgression fell. 
 
 It may be objected, that our Saviour remarks of him : 
 " Have not I chosen you twelve, afid one of you is a 
 devil ?" 
 
 But this does not change the view of the subject. The 
 two parts of this sentence relate to different periods of time. 
 The act of choosing was long before the time at which he 
 was called a devil. Two years, or thereabout, before the 
 latter period, he was sent to preach the Gospel — received as 
 full a commission as any of the apostles ; and in that com- 
 mission, he, in common with the others, was empowered 
 "to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast 
 out devils." Matt. x. 8. Now our Lord Himself clearly 
 
68 THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 proves, that the devil cannot cast out devils. Matt. xii. 26. 
 
 And therefore Judas, at this time, was not a devil, but an 
 eminently qualified minister of Jesus Christ. 
 
 We may also advert a little more fully to Said ; as it is 
 evident from the text, that his rejection was in consequence 
 of his disobedience. And so of all that ever became monu- 
 ments of the justice and judgments of God. Indeed it is 
 impossible- to be otherwise. " The judgments of the Lord 
 are true, and righteous altogether;" Ps. xix. 9. and there- 
 fore the subjects of these must have done despite to the 
 Spirit of Grace, and so become abandoned by it, and given 
 up to a reprobate mind. 
 
 That such was the process of hardening, in numerous 
 instances recorded in the Holy Scriptures, is evident, from 
 the plain, obvious language of the texts. That this ex- 
 plains the dealings of God with man, without involving 
 unconditional decrees, is equally plain. And if we reason 
 from analogy at all on the subject, we must consider the 
 case of Pharaoh in the same light. 
 
 Though it is said of him : "For this purpose have I 
 raised thee up," even this passage does not support the doc- 
 trine in question. To raise upy is a figurative form of ex- 
 pression. It is applied to recovery from sickness ; to the 
 acquisition of power or notice ; to the advancement from 
 infancy to manhood, and to many other conditions and 
 changes of condition ; but seldom or never to being brought 
 into existence. But in all its various applications, it shows 
 a state of weakness, imbecility, and dependence, on the part 
 of him that is raised, and of power, &c. in Him that raises. 
 It has, both literally and figuratively, a strong affinity to 
 sustain. So we find the marginal reading : " made thee to 
 stand up." These expressions, therefore, very strikingly 
 conveyed to IMiaraoii his own inipotency. For his life, his 
 faculties, and his power, he was dependent on the Almighty. 
 And when he had o\^n\y despised the Great Jehovah, and 
 
THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 59 
 
 set his own power and authority in opposition to the Divine 
 command, then it was that he was sustained in his usual 
 power, brought strikingly into notice, and overthrown in a 
 remarkable manner. Perhaps it may not be improper to 
 state concisely the events of those times. I will begin 
 with the preceding reign. Then it was that the male 
 infants were ordered to be murdered, and a cruel and ex- 
 terminating policy adopted towards the Hebrews. When 
 this Pharaoh died, his successor, no doubt, pursued the 
 same cruel policy. The Israelites were oppressed, and, at 
 least, as grievously as ever. We must necessarily suppose 
 that this new king was also a cruel and wicked man. God, 
 now determining to release his Israel from their sufferings, 
 gives Moses his commission. In doing, this. He opened to 
 the understanding of this eminent servant, some future 
 events, and among the rest this expression occurs : " I 
 am sure that [Pharaoh] will not let you go." This was 
 but a revelation from the omniscience of the Deity ; and 
 implied no coercion. 
 
 On delivering the first message to Pharaoh, he demand- 
 ed : " Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice, to let 
 Israel go ? I know not the Lord ; neither will I let Israel 
 go." He then ordered Moses and Aaron to their burdens ; 
 and the same day added, beyond any former example, to 
 the severity of the tasks imposed on the Hebrews. After 
 this, occurs the expression : " I will harden Pharaoh's 
 heart." 
 
 The query may naturally occur, Why does God harden 
 the hearts of the wicked ? 
 
 The apostle, in the first chapter to the Romans, tells us 
 why it takes place. He begins by testifying : " For the 
 wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodli- 
 ness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the Truth in 
 unrighteousness. Because that which may be known of 
 God, is manifest in them ; for God hath shown it unto 
 
60 THE UNIVEIISALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 them." And, referring to the testimony which the visible 
 creation bears to the important truths of which he is 
 speaking, he adds : " So they are without excuse." And 
 resuming the subject he proceeds : " Because that, when 
 they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither 
 were thankful ; but became vain in their imaginations, and 
 their foolish heart was darkened." — "Wherefore, God also 
 gave them up to uncleanness, through the lust of their own 
 hearts." — " Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and 
 worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator. 
 — For this cause God gave them up to vile affections." 
 " And even as they did not like to retain God in their 
 knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to 
 do those things which are not convenient." And after 
 enumerating many of the gross crimes which mark the 
 reprobate state, he comes to the conclusion : " Who, know- 
 ing the judgments of God, that they which commit such 
 things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have 
 pleasure in them that do them." And the next sentence 
 resumes the sentiment, with which the preceding quota- 
 tions begin : " Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man ! 
 whoever thou art.'^ 
 
 Let it be remembered, that these e^tpressions occur in 
 the/?/-.?/ chapter to (he Romans, as if the ajjostle intended, 
 tlnis, at the very beginning of his epistle, to guard against 
 any misconstruction on this ground. 
 
 And seeing this cause of hardening is so clearly ex- 
 pressed by the apostle, and in so many varied forms of 
 expression, as to place it beyond all doubt, why should 
 we attempt to (ind out another cause, that avouUI equally 
 militate against the whole scope of the Scriptures, and the 
 very attril)utes of the Deity ? It places the justice and 
 goodness of (Jod in a fair point of view ; it satisfactorily 
 explains his dealings with us; and places our obedience to 
 his laws, and our responsibility for our actions, on the only 
 
THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 61 
 
 rational grounds. And here the pious Christian can re- 
 pose, without resorting to unconditional decrees. 
 
 Nor is it unworthy of remark, that in the 9th chapter to 
 the Romans, which has been supposed to be more con- 
 clusively in favour of unconditional election and reproba- 
 tion, the apostle makes the following brief summary 
 review : " What shall we say then ? That the gentiles 
 which followed not after righteousness, have attained to 
 righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 
 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, 
 hath not attained to the law of righteousness." This opens 
 the whole ground of the doctrine before us : and when he 
 asks the question, "Wherefore ?" it would seem inevitable 
 for him to have replied, " Because the secret will of God 
 had determined it to be so," if this had been the case. 
 But mark his language : " Because they sought it not hy 
 faith ; hut as it were by the works of the law.'' 
 
 That passage in Acts xiii. 48, where it is said : " As 
 many as were ordained to eternal life, believed," has been 
 supposed very strongly to favour the doctrine of uncon- 
 ditional election and reprobation. But it is only by look- 
 ing at this passage through the medium of that doctrine 
 itself, that such a construction can be put upon it. 
 
 To suppose that the word "ordained," related to uncon- 
 ditional decrees, existing from all eternity, and securing 
 the salvation of all that are saved, would make this passage 
 convey a meaning, not at all to the purpose for which it 
 has been advanced. It would go to show, not that the 
 conversion of that day, among the gentiles, was confined 
 to the elective decrees ; but that the election was confined 
 to the conversion of that day : and of course, no further 
 conversion there ever could take place. " As many as 
 were ordained to eternal life, believed ;" consequently, the 
 whole work of conversion there was completed. 
 
 But leaving this consequence, we may return to the 
 
OS THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 word ordained, which means to appoint, put in office, or 
 inirst uith certain powers or privileges. Thus Matthias 
 was oiilaincd to take part of that ministry and apostlcship, 
 from which Judas by transgression fell. In this sense 
 also the seven deacons were ordained. And yet one of 
 them introduced that ofTensive doctrine, so emphatically 
 denounced in the Revelations, ch. ii. v. 6, 15. (Dupin's 
 Church Hist. vol. 1, p. 30.) The Bishops, in the primi- 
 tive Church, were ordained ; and these again ordained 
 elders. Tit. i. 5. In all these cases we see nothing that 
 conveys the idea of irrevocable decrees. We can speak of 
 ordaining an apostle, a deacon, a bishop, or elder, yet sup- 
 pose that a preparation for such office was necessary, and 
 of course became a condition ; ajid further conceive, that 
 in case of apostacy, they miglit become unfit for such 
 office, and be cast out of it. 
 
 But if it be said, that the ordinations that have been 
 mentioned were the acts of men, while the other is the act 
 of God ; it may be replied, that in those cases w hich have 
 been quoted, the Holy Spirit did concur, and therefore 
 they are not to be considered as cases of mere human ap- 
 pointment. 
 
 But there are cases purely of Divine ordination, which 
 may further illustrate the subject. In the message deli- 
 vered to David, wlien he had proposed to build a temple, 
 it is said : "Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, 
 and will plant them; and they shall dwell in their place, 
 and shall be moved no more." 1 Chron. xvii. 9. And yet 
 this ordaining was evidently conditional ; because the tem- 
 ple lias l)cen tlcmolislu'd — the nation has been destroyed — 
 and the remnant of the Jewish stock are scattered from 
 that place, through all civili/.ed nations upon the earth. 
 
 Cases parallel to this might be found in numerous 
 periods of the Jewish history. But I conceive it unne- 
 cessary to multiply quotations of the kind. A few cases, 
 
THE UHklVERSALITY OF GllACE. 63 
 
 however, from the New Testament, may not be improper. 
 It is said in Mark iii. 14, that Jesus ^' ordained twelve, that 
 they should be with Him," — " and have power to heal 
 sicknesses, and to cast out devils." Judas was one of the 
 twelve : and though he was ordained by our Lord Jesus 
 Christ Himself, yet he did not retain the office, powers, or 
 privileges to which he was ordained. 
 
 In allusion to choosing his disciples from the rest of 
 mankind, and ordaining them to the important mission that 
 has been recited from Mark, our Lord made use of the 
 following expressions to them : " Ye have not chosen Me, 
 but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should 
 go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.'" 
 John XV. 16. But if it should be supposed these expres- 
 sions had no allusion to Judas, it should be remembered 
 that the same evangelist, ch. vi. 70, relates that Jesus said : 
 " Have not I chosen you twelve^ and one of you is a 
 devil ?" Judas therefore was chosen : was ordained of 
 Jesus Christ, to the same high offices with the other apos- 
 tles — in which he had power to cast out devils ; but he 
 kept not the station to which the Lord had ordained him, 
 and came himself under the power of the devil. 
 
 But some may stumble at the terms, eternal life. Much 
 of the difficulty in which controverted subjects are involv- 
 ed, arises from inattention to the diiferent ideas attached 
 to certain terms. Thus the term eternal life, may be 
 understood to relate to the duration of existence. But it is 
 also applied, and seems more properly to belong, to that 
 Divine Principle which has been denominated by different 
 forms of expression. Thus, it is called Grace, from its 
 being the free gift of God to man, in order to enable him 
 to obtain salvation. It is called Light, from its illuminat- 
 ing nature and effects on the human mind. It is called 
 Life, from the capacities and powers which it communi- 
 cates to those who receive it. And it may *be, and is, 
 
64 THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 called Eternal Life, not only for the last reasons which are 
 given, buCalso to show its Divine source and nature ; and 
 that it is, in itself, a Living, Indestructible Principle. In 
 the text before us, I conceive the terms Eternal Life, relate 
 to a Principle, rather than to the duration of existence. 
 Nor is this exposition new, or unprecedented. There are 
 numerous passages of Scripture that will bear this con- 
 struction, and some that cannot bear any other. " When 
 Christ, who is our Life, shall appear." Col. iii. 4. " The 
 Power of an Endless Life." vii. 16. "Thou hast the words 
 of Eternal Life.'' John vi. 68. "This is Life Eternal, 
 that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus 
 Christ whom Thou hast sent." ib. xvii. 3. " This is the 
 true God and Eternal Life.'' 1 John v. 20. " No murderer 
 hath Eternal Life abiding in him." ib. iii. 15. This last 
 passage is very conclusive on the point, and cannot be 
 construed in any other way. The apostle, speaking of the 
 Word, and his incarnation, says: "In Him was Life; and 
 his Life was the Light of men." John i. 4. The same In- 
 spired writer also uses the expressions : "For the Life was 
 manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and 
 show unto you that Eternal Life, which was with the 
 Father, and was manifested unto us." 1 John i. 2. And as 
 this Grace, Light, and Life, (to which the epithet Eternal 
 so properly belongs,) may visit, influence, and animate us 
 —as we may be placed in it as in a new capacity, power, 
 or oflice, we may, by a mode of expression analogous to 
 those cases already quoted, be said to be chosen, appointed, 
 or ordained to it. But though this Life itself is eternal, 
 yet, after possessing it, we may be separated from it, and 
 that separation be properly denominated death. ( ride 
 Art. Perseverance.) 
 
 The meaning of the passage quoted from the Acts, I 
 conceive, amounts simply to this : that as many as received, 
 or were invested with, or come under, the influence of the 
 
THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 65 
 
 Divine Principle, " believed.'''' For I cannot suppose that 
 "\ve are to infer any more from this passage, than that these 
 gentiles, on hearing the glad tidings of the Gospel, 
 preached by the apostles, and under the influence of that 
 Grace which brings salvation, had become ingraffed into 
 the true Church, and placed precisely on a footing "with 
 those to whom it was said : " If thou continue in His good- 
 ness — otherwise thou also slialt be cut off"." * 
 
 We do not represent the Supreme Being, as bringing 
 mankind into existence for the very purpose of making 
 them miserable to all eternity ; or as calling on them for the 
 performance of certain duties, and, at the same time, ren- 
 dering obedience absolutely impossible ; and punishing 
 them to all eternity, for what was the effect of his own 
 irresistible, secret will. Such an idea is too shocking to 
 be ascribed to Infinite Goodness. 
 
 But if it be said, that the disobedience of sinners, though 
 under the direction of the secret will of God, is still volun- 
 tary ; it may be replied, that this is too plain a contradic- 
 tion to be ofi"ered to even the lowest capacity. As well 
 might we talk of the voluntary act of a machine, or the 
 voluntary or wilful movement of a cloud. It is all the 
 effect ofybrce, which the subject has neither power nor 
 will to resist. 
 
 If it be said, that the will of the creature is in accordance 
 with the secret will of God — I answer, so much the more 
 is he an object of acceptance, not of punishment. But 
 
 • The passage here under discussion might be more correctly rendered, 
 " As many as were disposed for eternal life believed ;" or, " As many as were 
 disposed, {oT prepared,) believed in [the doctrine of] eternal life." 
 
 The original word (rctrru) signifies to dispose or set in order as the 
 ranks of an army ; and seems, in this place, to " imply those whose well 
 ordered minds were open to the candid examination and reception of Truth." 
 It is not the term used to signify an eternal decree ; nor is it employed^to 
 denote appointment to offices in the church, in the passages above alluded to, 
 p. 62,63. For H further elucidation of this text, the reader is referred to 
 "Home's lutrodaction to the Scriptures," or"Bevan's Life of Paul." Eng. ]£d. 
 4 F 
 
68 THE UMVERSAHTY OF GRACE. 
 
 what ideas can men entertain of the Deity, who suppose 
 that his secret and revealed will are difl'erent ! — that He 
 pret«Mids to will one thing, and secretly wills another ; — 
 that there is no reality in the revealed will, it is nothing but 
 an appearance ; and yet that an undeviating performance 
 of the secret will, which is nothing more than his real will, 
 is to draw down his judgments and everlasting wrath ! 
 
 It has been urged by some, that God does not work 
 without a plan — and that predestination is nothing more 
 than the plan of Divine operations. 
 
 Suppose we admit that the Supreme Ruler of the 
 universe does not work without a plan ; it does not follow 
 that unconditional election and reprobation is that plan. 
 Such a conclusion could not be drawn, without proving 
 that such a plan would be consistent with the attributes of 
 the Deity, and also, that the doctrine of free agency would 
 not. But this has not been done. On the other hand, it 
 may be urged, both from Scripture and from reason, that 
 the plan which the Almighty has laid down for the 
 government of his rational creatures, is, that man should be 
 free to choose and to act — instructed in his duty — enabled 
 to I erform it — and made subject to the consequences. 
 
 It has also been supposed that, as the Deity foreknows 
 all things, what is certainly foreknown must certainly 
 come to pass. 
 
 All those who have pretended to digest the doctrine 
 into any thing like a system, and all who have held it so 
 digested, have (listiiiguislicd between the foreknowledge 
 of the Deity, and his decrees. The one is an attribute, the 
 other an act. The prescience of the Almighty is as much 
 an attribute as his power, and must have existed from all 
 eternity. But it would seem that a decree necessarily 
 implied an art : an act necessarily required a ///;/e at wUich 
 it was performed — beguji— and finished. But how will this 
 accord with the idea of its having existed from all eternity ? 
 
THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 67 
 
 And if the prescience existed before the decrees, then what 
 is foreknown is not necessarily decreed. Calvin * did 
 not rely on the argument of foreknowledge, to establish 
 the doctrine of the decrees. At that day there was a doc- 
 trine which Calvin seemed more careful to oppose than 
 that of free-will — it was the merit of works. And as he 
 apprehended it might be supposed, that the Almighty, 
 foreknowing the course of conduct which each individual 
 would pursue, had fixed his election or reprobation ac- 
 cording to the works foreknown, he contended that the 
 decrees Avere totally irrespective of the foreknowledge, or 
 of the moral condition of the subjects. 
 
 In thus distinguishing between the decrees and the fore- 
 knowledge of God, and asserting that such decrees are not 
 dependent on this foreknowledge, he entirely destroys the 
 force of the argument which has been drawn from that 
 source. For if the existence of such decrees be denied, 
 those who confess that they are not dependent on fore- 
 knowledge, cannot refer to that foreknowledge as an evi- 
 dence of their existence. 
 
 Some of the disciples of Calvin explain his opinions by 
 saying, that " Intelligent beings first determine on a pur- 
 pose, and then know that it will be accomplished." 
 
 * His words are : " But many persons involve this doctrine in difficulties, 
 and especially those who pretend to found it upon the Divine Prescience. 
 Both of these things we establish, that God forsees all, and that He disposes 
 of all ; but we maintain that it confounds every thing, to subject the predesti- 
 nation of God to his PRESCIENCE." 
 
 Mackenzie's Life of Calvin, p. 242. 
 " We cannot suppose Him to have foreknown any thing, which He had not 
 PREVIOUSLY decreed, without setting up a series of causes, extra deum, 
 and making the Deity dependent for a great part of the knowledge He has, 
 upon the will and works of his creatures, and upon a combination of circum- 
 stances exterior to Himself. Therefore, his determinate plan, counsel, and 
 purpose, ( i. e. his own predestination of causes and effects,) is the only basis 
 of his foreknowledge : which foreknowledge could neither be certain nor 
 independent, but as founded on his own antecedent decree."' 
 
 TOPLADY, p. 100 
 
 4 P 2 
 
68 THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 If we apply this proposition to the Deity, and it cer- 
 tainly can apply to no otlier being — it will follow, that his 
 Prescience did not exist from all eternity. For that could 
 not have been of eternal duration, which was preceded by 
 any event whatever. Thus we are led back to a period, 
 in which, according to this view, one of the attributes of 
 the Deity did not exist. 
 
 In tracing these various arguments to their natural con- 
 sequences, my mind revolts at the ideas which are neces- 
 sarily excited. It is painful too, to my feelings, to canvass 
 the principles of any society with freedom. I feel no 
 sectarian animosity. I know and esteem many individuals 
 who hold this very doctrine. But while I acknowledge 
 the obligations of charity, I hope it will not be a cause of 
 ofl'ence, if I am found also in the exercise of Christian 
 solicitude for their eternal happiness. This solicitude 
 prompts me to the investigation of the subject before us, 
 and freely to develope its character and consequences. 
 
 And here I would drop a caution, against a boldness 
 which is sometimes discoverable, in attempting to bring 
 down Divine attributes to the level of human comprehen- 
 sion. It is done in the doctrines of infidelity, as well as in 
 those of predestination. In the former, it has been levelled 
 against revealed religion, and all the mysteries it embraces; 
 in the latter, it offers an indignity to the Divine Character. 
 Among the very objectionable consequences and im- 
 putations which necessarily follow from it, it represents 
 the foreknowledge very far below perfection, by coniining 
 it merely to what is decreed. Besides this, it denies the 
 justice and mercy of the Almighty. It is true the. profes- 
 sors of the doctrine do not acknowledge these conse- 
 quences ; but they follow from it as inevitably as mathe- 
 matical demonstrations. 
 
 And how dare we call these Divine attributes in ques- 
 tion f Do not our very hopes of heaven and happiness 
 
THE UNIVERSALITY OF GllACE. 69 
 
 depend on these ? Banish these from onr minds, and our 
 prospects are wrapped in gloom. We no longer look up 
 to a God hearing prayer, but to an inexorable Being, 
 whom neither prayers nor intercessions can move. The 
 uncertainty of our being of the elect number, must still 
 cross our minds with inexpressible horror. Notwithstand- 
 ing the powerful invitations which we may feel, to become 
 heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, we still may sup- 
 pose He has bid us seek his face in vain ; and only gives 
 these invitations, to increase our condemnation, and aggra- 
 vate our final misery. 
 
 The justice of his judgments and the riches of his mercy, 
 have been displayed through all generations on earth ; and 
 they will be proclaimed in the anthems of the redeemed in 
 heaven. 
 
 I shall conclude by appealing to the universal experi- 
 ence of mankind ; for I am persuaded that I may assert, 
 without fear of contradiction, that every man who has come 
 to feel the powerful operation of Redeeming Love, rising 
 into predominance in his own heart, feels therein an ex- 
 tension of good-will to the whole human family, and a 
 desire for the salvation of all ; in the language of Scrip- 
 ture : " not willing that any should perish, but that all 
 shovdd come to repentance and live."* And in proportion 
 
 * But what shall we say of such sentiments as the following ? Do they not 
 seem to represent the smallness of the number of those that are saved, as 
 a source of gratification to the elect — and even as enhancing their happiness ? 
 
 "For by not adopting indifferently the whole world to the hope of salva- 
 tion, but by giving to some what He refuses to others. He, by this coraparisoa 
 of his grace, renders it more estimable, and more illustrious-" 
 
 Calvin, Inst. lib. 3, ch. 21. 
 
 " In other cases, the value of a privilege or possession, is enhanced by its 
 SCARCENESS. A VIRTUOSO scts but Uttlc esteem on a medal, a statue, or a 
 A'ase, so common that every man who pleases may have one of the same 
 kind : he prizes that alone, as a rarity, which really is such ; and which is not 
 only intrinsically valuable, but which lies in few hands. Were all men here 
 on earth qualified and enabled to appear as kings ; the crown, the sceptre, the 
 
 4 f3 ■ 
 
70 THE UNIVERSALITY OF GRACE. 
 
 as we come under the influence of the Spirit of Him, who 
 laid down his life for us, so this love and desire for the 
 salvation of all men becomes powerful in us. And is it 
 to be supposed that our love for mankind, our feeliners of 
 pity, commiseration, and desire for their salvation, should 
 be thus enlarged, if the love of God, and the means of 
 salvation, were restricted to the narrow limits which have 
 been supposed, on the predestinarian scheme ? It is impos- 
 sible. Efl'octs cannot exceed their cause ; nor any feeling 
 of love or good-will, or desire for the' salvation of souls, 
 rise in us, superior to the inexhaustible Source of the love 
 of God in Christ Jesus, from which alone it is derived 
 in us. 
 
 Nor is this the only evidence we find within ourselves. 
 And here I can make a similar appeal — whether every 
 man who is capable of rational reflection, does not feel 
 himself in the full exercise of free agency ? Is he not con- 
 scious of a discrimination between right and wrong ? Does 
 he not feel the solemn obligations of duty ? Is there not a 
 conviction on his mind, that a (iod, all Goodness, does not 
 require impossibilities of him ; but, in fatherly regard, 
 invites him to love and gratitude, and finally to an inherit- 
 ance eternal in the heavens ? And when, at any time, he 
 has gone counter to the convictions in his own bosom, does 
 he not feel that he is left without excuse — that the Grace 
 afl'orded, the evidences of sin, and ability to resist tempta- 
 tion, were sufficient for him ? 
 
 We acknowledge unhesitatingly, that God is good, that 
 He is not a hard Master, or an austere man, taking up 
 •where He has not laid down, and gathering where He has 
 
 robe of state, and other ensigns of njajesty, would presently sink into things 
 hardly noticeable." Toplady, prkfack, p. 8. 
 
 And these comparibons he briiiijb forward, to illustrate Uie " reflections," 
 &c. " of such persoas as are favoured with a sense of their ruction in Chriit 
 to holiness and henvcn." ib. 
 
THE UNIVCRSALITY OF GJIACE. 71 
 
 not strawed. And when our minds are addressed with the 
 language : " As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no 
 pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked 
 turn from his way and live ;" E%ek. xxxiii. 11 ; wc may 
 respond with the apostle : " Let God be true, but every 
 man a liar." Rom. iii. 4. 
 
 ««.* 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 OF THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CIiniST. 
 
 Althoua;h the preceding articles have all an allusion and 
 direct reference to Jesus Christ, and salvation by Him, 
 (for He is the only means and Way of salvation, and the 
 Foundation of every Christian doctrine,) yet it seems 
 necessary to say something more distinct and particular, 
 in relation to that Divine Character. 
 
 The Society of Friends, from the beginning, have be- 
 lieved in the Divinity and Humanity of Christ. The 
 history of his miraculous conceptiiin, birth, life, sufferings, 
 death, resurrection, and ascension, as recorded by the 
 Evangelists, we fully believe. 
 
 A few extracts from the writings of some of the most 
 distinguished members of the Society, may probably be 
 the best introduction to this article. 
 
 G. Fox, in his Journal, vol. 1,^.4, [;?. 4,yb/. cd.~\ says: 
 "This priest Stevens asked me, why Christ cried out upon 
 the cross : ' My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me ?' 
 and why He said : 'If it be possible, let this cup pass from 
 Me; yet not my will, but Thine be done.' I told him, at 
 that time the sins of all mankind were upon Him, and their 
 iniquities ami transgressions, with which He was wounded, 
 which He was to bear, and to be an offering for, as He was 
 man, but died not, as He was God : so in that He died for 
 all men, tasting death for every man, He was an offering 
 for the sins of the whole world. This I spoke, being at 
 thai time, in a nu'asure, sensihh- of Christ's suflerings." 
 
 In a publication about the year 1673, entitled, " A Tes- 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 73 
 
 limoiiy of what we believe of Christ," he says : " The 
 apostle, speaking of the fathers, saith : ' Of whom, as con- 
 cerning the flesh, Christ came, who is God over all, blessed 
 for ever. Amen.' This was the apostle's doctrine to the 
 Church then, which we do witness, both as to his flesh, 
 and as He was God." 
 
 G. Fox and others, in an address to the Governor of 
 Barbadoes, Journal, vol. 2, p. 139, [p. 434, /o/. ed.'] says : 
 " We own and believe in Jesus Christ, his beloved and only 
 begotten Son, in whom He is well pleased ; who was con- 
 ceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary ; 
 in whom we have Redemption through his blood, even the 
 forgiveness of sins : who is the express Image of the Invisi- 
 ble God, the First-born of every creature ; by whom were 
 all things created, that are in heaven and in earth, visible 
 or invisible, whether they be thrones, dominions, princi- 
 palities, or powers ; all things were created by Him. And 
 we own and believe that He was made a Sacrifice for sin, 
 ■who ^inew no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth ; — 
 that He was crucified for us in the flesh, without the gates 
 of Jerusalem ; — and that He was buried, and rose again the 
 third day, by the power of the Father, for our justification; 
 — and that He ascended up into heaven, and now sitteth at 
 the right hand of God. This Jesus, who was the Founda- 
 tion of the prophets and apostles, is our Foundation ; and 
 we believe there is no other foundation to be laid, but that 
 which is laid, even Christ Jesus ; who tasted death for 
 every man — shed his blood for all men — is the Propitiation 
 for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of 
 the whole world." — "He is, (as the Scriptures of Truth say 
 of Him,) our Wisdom, Righteousness, Justification, and 
 Redemption; neither isthere salvation in any other; for there 
 is no other name under heaven given amongst men, where- 
 by we may be saved." — " He is now come in Spirit, and 
 hath given us an understanding, that we know Him that is 
 
74 THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 true. He rules in our hearts by his law of love and life, 
 and makes us free from the law of sin and death." 
 
 I. Penington, vol. I, p. 694, 4<o. ed. says : " It is ob- 
 jected a<^ainst lis who are called Quakers, that we deny 
 Christ, and look not lo be saved by Him as He was mani- 
 fested without us ; but look only to be saved by Christ 
 within us ; to which it is in my heart to answer, to such as 
 singly desire satisfaction therein." 
 
 " We do indeed expect to be saved by the revelation 
 and operation of the Life of Christ within us, yet not with- 
 out rehition to what He did without us; for all that He 
 did in that body of flesh, was of the Father, and had its 
 place and service in the will, and according to the counsel 
 of the Father." 
 
 In another treatise, entitled," Flesh and Blood of Christ," 
 vol. 2, ;;. 256, he says : " Now as touching the outward, 
 which ye say we deny, because of our testimony to the 
 inward, I have frequently given a most solemn testimony 
 thereto; and God knoweth it to be the truth of my heart ; 
 and that the testifying to the inward doth not make the 
 outward void, but rather establish it in its place and ser- 
 vice. God Himself, who knew what virtue was in the 
 inward, yet hath pleased to make use of the outward ; and 
 who may contradict and slight his wisdom and counsel 
 therein ? It was a spotless Sacrifice of great value, and 
 effectual for the remission of sins ; and I do acknowledge 
 unto the Lord, the remission of my sins thereby; and bless 
 the Lord for it, even for giving up jiis Son to die for 
 us all." 
 
 William Penn, vol. 5, p. 310, says : " We cannot believe 
 that Christ's death and sufterings so satisfy God, or justify 
 men, as that they are thcrihi/ accepted of God. They arc 
 indeed put into a stale., capable of being accepted of (iod ; 
 and, through tlie obedience of faith and sanctilication of the 
 Spirit, are in a stiite of aca*ptancc." " Aad though Christ 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 75 
 
 did die for us, yet we must, through the aid of his Grace, 
 work out our salvation with fear and trembling. As He 
 died for sin, so we must die to siti, or we cannot be said to 
 be saved by the death and sufferings of Christ." 
 
 " We do believe that Jesus Christ was our holy Sacrifice^ 
 Atonement, and Propitiation : that He bore our iniquities, 
 and bj his stripes we were healed of the wounds Adam 
 gave js in his fall : and that God is just in forgiving true 
 penitents, upon the credit of that holy offering Christ made 
 of Himself to God, for us : and that what He did and 
 suffered, satisfied and pleased God : and that through the 
 offering up of Himself once for all, through the Eternal 
 Spirit, He hath for ever perfected those (in all times) that 
 were sanctified ; who walk not after the flesh, but after the 
 Spirit." Vide Rom. viii. 1. 
 
 " In short, justification consists in two parts, or hath a 
 twofold consideration : viz. justification from the guilt 
 of sin, and justification from the power and pollutions 
 of sin." — " The first part of justification, we do reve- 
 rently and humbly acknowledge, is only for the sake of 
 the deatli and sufferings of Christ : nothing we can do, 
 tJiough hy the operation of the Holy Spirit, being able to 
 cancel old debts, or wipe out old scores. It is the power 
 and efficacy of that Propitiatory Offering, nipon/aith and 
 repentance, that justifies us from the sins of the past: and it 
 is the power of Christ's Spirit in our hearts, that purifies 
 and makes us acceptable before God." 
 
 In a paper presented to Parliament, in the year 1693, 
 signed by thirty-one [or more, see T. Evan's, p. 220.] of 
 our primitive friends, among whom was George Whitehead, 
 it is declared : 
 
 " 1. That Jesus of Nazareth, who was born of the Virgin 
 Mary, is the true Messiah, the very Christ, the Son of the 
 Living God, to whom all the prophets gave witness : and 
 that we do highly value his death, sufferings, works, oflfiices, 
 
76 THE DIVINITY OF JESl'S CHUIST. 
 
 and merits, for the Redemption of mankind, together with 
 his laws, doctrines, and ministry." 
 
 "2. That this very Christ of God, who is the Lamb of 
 God that taketh away the sins of the world, was slain, was 
 dead, and is alive, and lives for ever in h's Divine i^lory, 
 dominion, and power, with the Father." » * * 
 
 " And we know of no other doctrine or principle, 
 preached, maintained, or ever received among or b}' us, 
 since we were a people, contrary to these aforesaid." 
 (SezieVs Jlist.fol. ed. p. ()26.) 
 
 R. Barclay, in his Apology, page 141, expresses himself 
 thus : " We do not hereby intend any way to lessen or 
 derogate from the atonement and sacrifice of Jesus Christ ; 
 but on the contrary, do magnify and exalt it. For, as we 
 believe all those things have been certainly transacted, 
 which are recorded in the Holy Scriptures concerning the 
 birth, life, miracles, sufferings, resurrection, and ascension 
 of Christ, so we do also believe, that it is the duty of every 
 one to believe it, to whom it pleases God to reveal the 
 same, and to bring them to the knowledge of it. As we 
 firmly believe it was necessary, that Christ should come, 
 that, by his death and sufferings. He might oflTer Himself 
 up a Sacrifice to God, for our sins, who his own self bare 
 our sins in his own body on the tree ; so we believe the 
 remission of sins, which any partake of, is only in, and 
 by virtue of, that most satisfactory Sacrifice, and no 
 otherwise." 
 
 About tlie year 1699, G. Keith, having left the Society 
 of Friends, and become an inveterate opposer, wrote a 
 book which he called, " The Deism of William Penn and 
 his brethren." W. Penn being then in America, Thomas 
 Ellwood commenced a reply to this book. But B. Coole 
 publishing an answer to Keith, Elhvood's was never 
 finished ; and we have only some extracts from it in his 
 in liiat reply he says : " The 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHUIST. 77 
 
 Book of W. Penn's, called, ' A Discourse of the General 
 Rule of Faith and Life,' to which G. Keith's Deism is an 
 answer, was first printed in the year 1673, as an appendix 
 to W. Penn's part of the Christian Quaker, (a folio book in 
 two parts, the former written by W. Penn, the latter by G. 
 Whitehead.) In that former part of the Christian Quaker, 
 writt/^n by W. Penn, though the tendency of it is to assert 
 and defend the Divinity of Christ, and his spiritual ap- 
 pearance, by his Divine Light, in the hearts of men, yet 
 there is enough said concerning his Manhood, his outward 
 appearance and sufferings in the flesh, to free W. Penn 
 from the imputation or suspicion of deism. W. Penn, p. 
 102, says : ^ His righteous life, with respect to its appear- 
 ance in that body, was grieved by sin ; and the weight of 
 the iniquity of the whole world, with the concernment of 
 its eternal well-being, lay hard upon Him; nor was his 
 Manhood insensible of it : under the load of this did He 
 travail ; alone He trod the wine press, &c. Not that we 
 should irreverently rob the holy body, of whatsoever ac- 
 knowledgement is justly due, nor yet separate what God 
 hathjoined.' P. 104. chap. 21 : " A confession in particular, 
 to Christ's redemption, remission, justification, and salva- 
 tion — which was actually to the salvation of some, and 
 intentionally of the whole world. — As there was a necessity 
 that one should die for the people, so whoever then or since 
 believed in Him, had, and have, a seal or confirmation of 
 the remission of their sins in his blood. This grand assu- 
 rance of remission do all receive in the ratifying blood of 
 Christ, who, repenting of their sins, believe and obey the 
 Holy Light, with which He hath illuminated them.' P. 107: 
 ' But there is yet a further benefit that accrueth by the 
 blood of Christ, viz. That Christ is a Propitiation and Re- 
 demption to such as have Faith in Him. For though I still 
 place the stress of particular benefit upon the Light, Life, 
 and Spirit, revealed and witnessed in every particular : 
 
78 THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 yet in that general appearance there was a general benefit, 
 justly io be attributed to the blood of that very body of 
 Christ : to wit, that it did propitiate. For however it 
 might draw stupendous judgments upon the heads of those 
 who were authors of that dismal tragedy, and died impeni- 
 tent, yet doubtless it thus far turned to very great account, 
 in that it was a most precious oftering in the sight of the 
 Lord, and drew God's love the more eminently to mankind ; 
 at least such as should believe in his Name.' P. 108 : 
 ' Doubtless it did greatly influence to some singular ten- 
 derness and peculiar regard, unto all such as should believe 
 in his Name, among other his weighty performances ; for 
 the sake of that last and greatest of all his external acts, 
 the resisting unto blood, for the spiritual good of the world, 
 thereby offering his life upon the cross, through the power 
 of the Eternal Spirit, that remission of sin, God's bounty to 
 the world, might be preached in his Name, and in his very 
 blood too, as that which was most ratifying of all his 
 bodily sufferings. And indeed, therefore, might it seem 
 meet to the Holy Ghost, that Redemption, Propitiation, and 
 Remission, should be declared and held forth in tlie blood 
 of Christ, unto all that have a right Faith therein, as saith 
 the apostle to tlie Romans — because it implies a firm belief 
 that Christ was come in the flesh, and tliat none could then 
 have Him as their Propitiation and Redemption, who with- 
 stood the acknowledgement of, and belief in, his visible 
 appearance.' P. 110 : 'Faith in his blood was requisite, 
 that they might confess Hhn, whose body and bhwd it was, 
 to be Christ. To conclude, we confess ; He who then ap- 
 peared, was and is the Propitiation, &c. And in Him was 
 Redemption obtained, by all those who had such True 
 Faith in his blood.' 
 
 After taking the above extracts, with considerably 
 more to the same purpose, T. E. says : " Thus much 
 (and luore which 1 have omitted) against Deism in that 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 79 
 
 very treatise of W. Perm's, to which the book out of which 
 G. Keith, by his art of counterfeit chemistry, would extract 
 deism, was an appendix : and yet this was not the direct 
 subject of that treatise, but only touched on occasionally, 
 or by the by. Should I gather up all quotations on this 
 argument, out of our other books, such especially as have 
 morl directly handled this subject, I might therewith fill a 
 large volume." 
 
 And after quoting a large number of texts, in support of 
 this doctrine he adds : " These things G. Keith certainlj- 
 knows have been constantly held, believed, professed, and 
 owned by W. Penn, and his brethren the Quakers in 
 general, both privately and publicly, in word and writing. 
 These things are so often testified of in our meetincrs, and 
 have been so fully and plainly asserted and held forth in 
 our books, that we might call in almost as many witnesses 
 thereof, as have frequented our rneetings, or attentively 
 read our books." 
 
 To these testimonies from the writings of our primitive 
 Friends, I will add a few from the Society in its collective 
 capacity. The Epistles from the Yearly Meeting in 
 London, to the Quarterly- and Monthly Meetings of Friends, 
 in Great Britain. Ireland, and elsewhere, contain the 
 following advices : 
 
 1723. " This Meeting, considering that some in the 
 present age do endeavour, as well by certain books, 
 as a licentious conversation, to lessen and decry the true 
 faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, even that pre- 
 cious faith once delivered to his saints, which, by the, 
 mercy of God, is also bestowed upon us, doth therefore 
 earnestly advise and exhort all parents, masters and mis- 
 tresses of families, and guardians of minors, that they 
 prevent, as much as in them lies, their children, servants, 
 and youth imder their respective care and tuition, from 
 the having or reading of books or papers, that have any 
 
80 THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 tendency to prejudice the profession of the Christian 
 religion, to create in Ihein the least doubt concernins: the 
 Truth of the Holy Scriptures, or those necessary and 
 saving Truths contained in them." 
 
 1728. " And, dear Friends ! inasmuch as the Holy Scrip- 
 tures are the external means of conveying and preserving 
 to us, an account of the things most surely to be believed, 
 concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in the 
 flesh, and the fulfilling of the prophecies relating thereto ; we 
 therefore recommend to all Friends, especially elders in 
 the Church, and masters of families, that they would, both 
 by example and advice, impress on the minds of the 
 younger, a reverent esteem of those Sacred Writings ; and 
 advise them to a frequent reading and meditating therein : 
 and that ministers as well as elders and others, in all their 
 preaching, writing, and conversing about the things of 
 God, do keep to the form of sound words, or Scripture 
 terms ; and that none pretend to be wise above what is 
 there written, and, in such pretended wisdom go about to 
 explain the things of God, in the words which man's wis- 
 dom teaches." 
 
 1732. "We tenderly and earnestly advise and exhort 
 all parents and masters of families, that they exert them- 
 selves in the wisdom of God, and in the strength of his love, 
 to instruct their children and families, in the doctrines and 
 precepts of the Christian religion contained in the Holy 
 Scriptures ; and that they excite them to the diligent 
 reading of these Sacred Writings, Avhich plainly set forth 
 the miraculous conception, birth, holy life, wonderful 
 works, blessetl example, meritorious death, aiul glorious 
 resurrection, ascension, and niedialion of our Lord and 
 Saviour Jesus Christ : and to educate their children in the 
 belief of those important truths, as w^U as in the belief of 
 the inward manifestation and operation of the Spirit of God 
 on their own minds ; that they may reap (he benefit and 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 81 
 
 advantage thereof, for their own peace, and everlastiiii^ 
 happiness, which is infinitely preferable to all other con- 
 siderations. We therefore exhort, in the most earnest 
 manner, that all be very careful in this respect ; a neglect 
 herein being, in our judgment, very blame worthy : and 
 further, where any deficiency of this sort appears, we re- 
 coraniend to Monthly and Quarterly Meetings, tliat they 
 stir up those whom it may concern to their duty herein." 
 
 1736. "We earnestly exhort, that ye hold fast the 
 profession of the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, without 
 wavering ; both in respect to his outward coming in the 
 flesh, his sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension, media- 
 tion, and intercession at the right-hand of the Father ; and 
 to the inward manifestations of his Grace and Holy Spirit 
 in our hearts, powerfully working in the soul of man, to 
 the subduing every evil affection and lust, and to the puri- 
 fying of our consciences from dead works, to serve the 
 Living God ; and that, through the virtue and efficacy of 
 this most Holy Faith, ye may become strong in the Lord, 
 and in the power of his might." 
 
 1800. " There were of old, those who brought children 
 to Christ in the days of his flesh ; and now, the religious 
 parent can breath no warmer aspiration for his tender 
 offspring, than when he spiritually commends them to the 
 protection of his Lord. But see. Friends, that you encou- 
 rage no propensities in them, which prevent a union with 
 Him. Restrain them, we beseech you, from associating 
 with those whose influence and example lead away from 
 His law ; and be especially careful that you introduce not 
 among them, publications, which are either wholly or in 
 part repugnant to the faith as it is in Jesus." — " And 
 finally. Friends, of every age, of every rank, we commend 
 you to the protection of Him w ho died for us, and who 
 ever livetli to make intercession for us ; who is able to save 
 them to the uttermost that come to God by Him." 
 4 G 
 
82 TIIK DIVINITY OF JliSL'S CHRIST. 
 
 Ill (lie years 1730-1-2, Alexiuidcr Arscott published, 
 in tlircc parts, a work which he called, " Considerations 
 rclatin<j to tha present state of the Christian Religion," 
 in which he says: "Christ, the Author of the Christian 
 Religion, is to be considered under a two-fold character ; 
 as Man, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered undex 
 Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried ; and as 
 God, in which sense He was in the beginning, before all 
 worlds, and is called in Scripture the Word, the Wisdom, 
 and the Power of God." 
 
 " And as what Christ did and suffered for mankind was 
 necessary, by the appointment of God the Father, for their 
 reconciliation to Him, notv.ithstanding their sins and tres- 
 passes against Him ; so his presence w ith them, and in 
 them, is necessary for their overcoming sin, and bringing 
 them into a state of holiness and acceptance with Him : and 
 this latter is as truly a part of the Christian religion as the 
 first ; and both, taken together, make up the whole, entire 
 Christian religion." 
 
 Henry Tuke, in his tre^itise on the Princii)les of 
 Religion, page 51, says : « The Christian Religion 
 leaches, that, our first parents having sinned and lost the 
 Divine Image, the fallen nature became so predojuinant, 
 that it was by them transferred to their offspring : but 
 iu order that man might be restored to favour, and 
 toa state of purity, it pleased the Almighty to promise 
 and send a Redeemer, whose sacrifice of Him>clf, 
 He saw meet to accept, as the means of reconciliation and 
 forgiveness of sins ; hereby putting an end to all (hose 
 sacrifices, which from the fall, or very soon after, to the 
 time when Christ thus offered up Himself, had been 
 adopted as the means of obtaining acceptance with God. 
 And, though we cannot trace this practice toa Divine com- 
 mand, earlier- than the time of Moses ; yet the universal 
 adoption of it by the religious of all ages, is a strong im- 
 
THE DIVINITV OF JESUS CHRIST. S3 
 
 plication that it was of Divine origin, instituted in reference 
 to that ' one Offering, bj which God hath perfected for eycr 
 them that are sanctitied.' " 
 
 " Thus the chief objects of the coming of Christ, evi- 
 dently appear to have been : — first, by the sacrifice of Him- 
 self, p make atonement to God for us, and to become the 
 Mediator between God and man : — secondly, by the sancti- 
 fying operation of the Holy Spirit, ' to finish transgression, 
 and to make an end of sins, and to bring in everlasting 
 righteousness :— and, thirdly, by putting an end to the 
 Legal Dispensation, and, as the apostle expresses it, 'blot- 
 ting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against 
 us,' to lead mankind to a more pure and spiritual worship 
 of the Divine Being. 
 
 The evangelist John introduces the history of the life 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ, by a most striking testimony to 
 his Divinity : " In the beginning was the Word ; and the 
 Word was with God, and the Word zoas God." 
 
 " The same was in the beginning with God." 
 
 "All things were made by Him : and without Him was 
 not any thing made that was made." 
 
 "In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men." 
 
 " He was in the World ; and the world was made by Him ; 
 and the world knew Him not. And the Word was made 
 flesh and dwelt among us." 
 
 Christ said of Himself : " Before Abraham was, I am." 
 John viii. 58. And again : "I and my Father are one." 
 John X. SO. 
 
 The apostle Paul says, 1 Tim. iii. 16 : " God was mani- 
 fest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, 
 preached unto the gentiles, believed on in the world, re- 
 ceived up into glory." And in another place he says : 
 "Of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came ; who is over 
 all, God blessed for ever." Rom. ix. 5. In the first chapter 
 of Hebrews, verse 8, he quotes a passage from the Psalms, 
 4 G 2 
 
84 THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 with application to Jesus Christ : " But unto the Son He 
 saith, Thy throne, O God ! is for ever and ever." 
 
 The propht't, speaking of his advent, says : " His Name 
 shall be called, Wonderful, Counseller, the Might i/ Go(/,the 
 Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase 
 of his government and peace there shall be no end." 
 Isaiah ix. 6, 7. 
 
 For the Redemption of fallen man. He condescended to be 
 " made flesh," or "take flesh, and dwell among us ;" as it is 
 written : "A body hast thou prepared Me." "For verily, 
 He took not on Him the nature of angels, but the seed of 
 Abraham," &c. In thus being " made flesh," or " taking 
 flesh," with its feelings and susceptibility of sufiering and 
 of death, and in submitting to be tempted as we are, He 
 was said to be "made like unto his brethren." Ileh. ii. 17. 
 And yet we do not, from these expressions, call his 
 Divinity in question. 
 
 " Beware," said the apostle, " lest any man spoil you 
 through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of 
 men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ ; 
 for in Him dwelleth all the Fulness of the Godhead bodily. 
 And ye are complete in Him, who is the Head of all prin- 
 cipality and power." Co/, ii. 8, 9, 10. "Wherefore God 
 also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name 
 which 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." Phil. ii. 9, 10, 11. 
 
 It is lujt neces<,ary to enter into a statement of what con- 
 stitutes the human character, to draw a contrast between 
 this and the character of Jrsus Christ ; for though He was 
 man, yet He was more than man : the Divine Nature 
 C5Sf//^/Vi//y belonged (<> Hini. 
 . Thus it was said : " A body hast Thou prepared 3/c." 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 85 
 
 Heh. X. 5. And again : " Before Abraham was, / am." — 
 "/and my Father are One."— "He that hath seen Me, 
 hath seen the Father." In all these passages, and many 
 more which might be mentioned, in which there is an 
 obvious and necessary reference to his outward appear- 
 ance) there is, at the same time, a direct application of the 
 personal pronouns to the Divinity. 
 
 Neither saints on earth, nor angels in heaven, have* been 
 proper objects of worship ; but worship was paid to Him, 
 not only after his ascension, but while He walked among 
 men. The apostle, in reference to this view of the subject, 
 says : " When He bringeth in the First begotten into the 
 world. He saith : And let all the angels of God worship 
 Him." Heb. i. 6. 
 
 When the wise men, led by a star, were come into the 
 house where Christ was born, " they saw the young child, 
 with Mary his mother, and fell down and zeorshiped Him." 
 Matt. ii. 11. " The leper came and worshiped Him." 
 Matt. viii. 2. " They that were in the ship came and 
 worshiped Him." Matt. xiv. 33. " The woman of 
 Canaan came and worshiped Him." Matt. xv. 25. " The 
 man came out of the tombs, and worshiped Him." Mark 
 V. 6. The blind man believed and worshiped. John ix. 
 38. When He entered Jerusalem, the multitude that were 
 with Him worshiped Him — spreading their garments in 
 the way, and singing "hosanna in the highest." Matt. xxi. 
 9, 15. And after His resurrection, but before his ascen- 
 sion, " His disciples held Him by the feet and worshiped 
 Him." Matt, xxviii. 9. And again in verse 17, it is said : 
 " His disciples worshiped Him." When Stephen was 
 suffering death, as a martyr, he worshiped, saying : "Lord 
 Jesus ! receive my spirit." 
 
 But Peter refused to be worshiped, saying : "I am a 
 man." Paul and Barnabas, when the men of Lystra were 
 about to offer Divine honours to them, rent their clothes 
 4 G 3 
 
86 THE DIVINITY OF JE8U8 CUHIST. 
 
 and ran in aiuoiif; them to prevent it, saying, they were 
 men of like passions with others. And John, ^vhen some 
 deep mysteries were revealed, was about to worship the 
 angel; but he prevented him, saying : "Sec thou do it not : 
 1 am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the 
 testimony of Jesus — worship God." Rev. xix. 10, also 
 Txii. 8, 9. Thus it is evident, that our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 did not stand simply in the character of man. 
 
 But there is another important point, to which we must 
 direct our attention. He was our Redeemer, Mediator, and 
 Propitiatory Sacrifice. These offices belonged to Him, 
 and to no other. 
 
 "He tcisted death for every man." Heb. ii. 9. " In this was 
 manifested the love of God towards us, because that God 
 sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might 
 live through Him." " Herein is love, not that we loved 
 God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the Pro- 
 pitiation for our sins." 1 John iv. 9, 10. And we have 
 seen, and do testify, that the Father sent the Son to be the 
 Saviour of the world." verse U. And in the next verse 
 he applies these texts to Jesus Christ, in such a manner 
 that they cannot be umlerstood as relating exclusivelj/ to 
 his spiritual appearance. In the 14th verse he testifies 
 that the Son was sent to be the Saviour of the world ; and 
 in the 15th he bears testimony that Jesus was that Son. 
 And He is spoken of throughout the New Testament, as 
 the onli/ person who ever stood in the same relation. 
 
 As the Society of Friends have always professed and 
 believed in the Divinity of Jesus Christ, it may possibly, 
 by some of these, be considered unnecessary for me, on 
 the present occasion, to dwell on (jiis subject. But, as this 
 treatis.' will pr,.bal)ly fall i„t„ the hands of others for 
 perusal, and as (here are various ideas in the world respect- 
 mg the charac t<r of Jesus Christ, the objects of his coming, 
 and the benelits derived from his advent, his sufferings 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 87 
 
 and death ; I hope I shall be permitted to adduce some 
 additional observations and evidences, on these important 
 points. 
 
 We have seen already, from the most indubitable testi- 
 mony of Scripture, that attributes were ascribed, epithets 
 were ^^nven, and worship paid to Him, Avhich neither men 
 nor angels can receive ; and therefore we do not place his 
 Character on a level with created beings. 
 
 And on entering into a consideration of the momentous 
 objects of His coming, and the benefits He has conferred 
 upon man, it seems necessary to take a slight view of the 
 dispensations Avliich preceded His advent. 
 
 The apostle, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, chap. ix. 
 95, 26, says : *' Nor yet that He should offer Himself often, 
 as the high priest entered into the holy place every year 
 with blood of others ; for then must He often have suffered 
 since the foundation of the world : but now once, in the 
 end of the world, hath He appeared to put away sin by 
 the sacrifice of Himself." 
 
 " But Christ being come, an High Priest of good things 
 to come, by a greater and more perfect Tabernacle, not 
 made with hands, that is to say, not of this building ; 
 neither by the blood of goats and calves, but bj'^ his own 
 blood, He entered in once into the holy place, having 
 obtained eternal Redemption for us." TIeb. ix. 11, 12. 
 
 In these passages there is an allusion to the Dispensation 
 of the Law. For in the early ages of the world, after man 
 had fallen from his original purity, it pleased Almighty 
 God, in condescension to the low and carnal state of the 
 human family, by different dispensations, gradually to lead 
 them to Christ. They were not prepared, in early ages, 
 for a dispensation purely spiritual ; nor for that display of 
 Light, which Jesus Christ would introduce at his coming. 
 
 In the beginning of these dispensations, an intimation 
 was given of a Saviour. He is promised in the very sen- 
 4 G 4 
 
88 THE DIVINITV OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 tcncc pronounced on our prime ancestors. The promise 
 was renewed in a remarkable manner to Abraham : " In 
 thy Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." 
 This Seed, the apostle says, was Christ. Gal. iii. 16. Jacob 
 also in the visions of light, saAV the coming of the Messiah. 
 " The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver 
 from between his feet, till Shiloh come ; and to Him shall 
 the gathering of the people be." Gen. xlix. 10. 
 
 Moses, too, bore testimony to the Children of Israel, that 
 the Lord their God would raise up a Prophet, whom they 
 were to hear in all things, under the penalty of being cut 
 oft'. Dent. XV iii. 15, 18. 
 
 Tlie Law which was given by Moses, abounds with types 
 and shadows, pointing to the coming of Christ, in relation 
 both to his outward and inward appearance. 
 
 The apostle, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, as well as in 
 many other places, dwells largely on the relation which 
 the types and shadows of the Law had to Christ. 
 
 In the 9lh chapter of that Epistle, he expresses himself 
 thus : " Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances 
 of Divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there 
 was a tabernacle made — the first, wherein was the candle- 
 stick, and the table, and the show-l)rea(l, which is called 
 the sanctuary : and after the second veil, the tabernacle 
 which is called the holiest of all ; which had the golden 
 censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about 
 with gold, wherein was the goUlen pot that had manna, 
 and Aaron's rod (hat budded, and the tables of the cove- 
 nant ; and over it the cherubim of glory, shaclo^\ing the 
 niercy scat : of which we cannot now speak particularly. 
 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests 
 went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the 
 service of God. Uut into the second went the high priest 
 alone, on<^e every year, not without blood, which he offered 
 for himself, and for the errors of the people ; the Holy 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 89 
 
 Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all 
 was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was 
 yet standing ; which was a figure for the time then present, 
 in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could 
 not make him that did the service perfect, as pertained to 
 the \ onscience ; which stood only in meats and drinks, and 
 divers washings', and carnal ordinances, imposed on them 
 until the time of reformation But Christ being come, an 
 High Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more 
 perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not 
 of this building ; neither by the blood of goats and calves, 
 but by his own blood, He entered in once into the holy place, 
 having obtained Eternal Redemption for us." — "For Christ 
 is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which 
 are the figures of the true ; but into heaven itself, now to 
 appear in the presence of God for us : nor yet that He 
 should offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into 
 the holy place every year with blood of others ; for then 
 must He often have suffered since the foundation of the 
 world : but now once, in the end of the world, hath He 
 appeared, to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 
 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this 
 the judgment ; so Christ was once offered to bear the sins 
 of many ; and unto them that look for Him shall He ap- 
 pear the second time, without sin, unto salvation." 
 
 And in the 10th chapter of the same Epistle, after show- 
 ing the insufficiency of the sacrifices of the Law, and the 
 impossibility of their taking away sin ; and adverting to 
 the coming of Christ, he says : " Then said He : Lo, I 
 come, to do Thy will, O God ! He taketh away the first, 
 that He may establish the second. By the which will we 
 are sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus 
 Christ once for all." 
 
 Having shown that many of the institutions of the law 
 had reference to the outward, as well as to the inward ap- 
 
go THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 ncarancc of Christ, and to what He did and suffered, as 
 well as to what He still does by his Spirit and Power in 
 (nir hearts ; it may not be improper to adduce some texts, 
 to sh«)w that the striking events of his life and death were 
 necessarv, and in the counsels of Infinite Wisdom. 
 
 The prophet spoke of his humiliation and death, not 
 only as events to come, but as those in which we have a 
 deep interest. 
 
 Isaiah liii. 1. " Who hath believed our report ? and to 
 whom is the arm of the Lord revealed ?" 
 
 3. " He is despised and rejected of men ; a man of 
 sorrows and acquainted with grief : and we hid as it were 
 our faces from Him ; He was despised, and we esteemed 
 Him not. 
 
 4. " Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our 
 sorrows : yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, 
 and afflicted. 
 
 5. " But He was wounded for our transgressions ; He 
 was bruised for our iniquities : the chastisement of our 
 peace was upon Him ; and with his stripes we arc healed. 
 
 G. " All we, like sheep, have gone astray ; we have 
 turned every one to his own way ; and the Lord hath laid 
 on Ilim the iniquity of us all. 
 
 7. " He was op])ressed, and He was afflicted ; yet He 
 opened not his mouth : He is brought as a lamb to the 
 slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so 
 He opeiu'th not his month. 
 
 8. " He Avas taken from prison arui from judgment : 
 and who shall declare his generation ? for He was cut off 
 out of the land of the living : for the transgression of my 
 people was He stricken." 
 
 10. " Yet it pl< as<d the Lord to bruise Him ; He hath 
 put Him to grief. When Thou shall nuike his soul an 
 offering for sin, He shall see his seed, He shall prolong his 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 91 
 
 days ; and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his 
 hands. 
 
 11. "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall 
 be satisfied : by his knowledge shall my Righteous Servant 
 justify many ; for He shall bear their iniquities. 
 
 12. " Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the 
 great ; and He shall divide the spoil with the strong ; be- 
 cause He hath poured out his soul unto death : and He 
 was numbered with the transgressors ; and He bare the sin 
 of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." 
 
 Thus the evangelical prophet not only foretold the 
 sufferings of Christ, as afterwards literally fulfilled by the 
 unbelieving Jews, but he clearly declares these events, 
 so far as related to our Saviour Himself, to be of Divine 
 appointment. It is proper here to observe, that a distinc- 
 tion may be drawn between the event, and the agents by 
 which that event was effected. But to this part of the 
 subject I shall speak more particularly in another place. 
 
 The apostles and primitive believers considered the 
 subject in the same point of view that is here intended. 
 
 Peter, on the day of pentecost, in tiearing his testimony 
 to Jesus of Nazareth, said : " Him, bein^ delivered by the 
 determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have 
 taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain ; 
 whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death, 
 because it was not possible that He should be holden of it." 
 Acts ii. 23, 24. The same eminent apostle bore a similar 
 testimony to the people, who came together in consequence 
 of the miracle performed in the restoration of the lame 
 man : " And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance 
 ye did it, as did also your rulers. But those things which 
 God before had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, 
 that Christ should sufier. He hath so fulfilled." Acts iii. 18. 
 And in the fourth chapter it is recorded, that when they 
 had been examined before the Jewish authorities in rela- 
 
92 THE DIVINITY OF JKSUS CHRIST. 
 
 lion to this miracle, and were borne up by Divine Po^vcr 
 on that occasion, and finally returned to their own com- 
 pany, and reported what had taken place—" They lift up 
 their voice to God with one accord," in adoration and 
 praise. And in that united address to the Throne of 
 (J race they say : " Why did the heathen rage, and the 
 people imagine vain things ? The kings of the earth stood 
 up, and the rulers were gathered together, against the 
 Lord and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy 
 holy child Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod 
 and Pontius Pilate, with the gentiles and the people of 
 Israel, were gathered together ; for to do whatsoever thy 
 hand and thy counsel determined before to be done." 
 
 The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, with all that He 
 did and suflered, is ascribed to Infinite Love : " God so 
 loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that 
 whosoever believcth in Him should not perish, but have 
 everlasting life." John iii. 16. 
 
 " Hereby perceive Ave the love of God, because He laid 
 down his life for us." 1 John iii. 16. "Herein is love; not 
 that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son 
 to be a ])ropitiation for our sins." 1 John iv. 10. "Christ 
 also hatii loved us, and hath given Himself for us, an Oifer- 
 iiig and a Sacrifice to God, for a sweet smelling savour." 
 Eph. V. 2. 
 
 He also testified : " Greater love hath no man than this, 
 that a man lay down his life for his friends." John xv. 13. 
 " 1 lay down my life for the sheep."— "Therefore doth my 
 Father love Me, i)eeause I lay down my lif.-, that I might 
 take it again. No man taketh it from Me; but I lay it 
 down of myself. 1 have power to lay it down, and I have 
 power io take it again." John x. 15, 17, 18. 
 
 Thus the death of our Lord was one of the i^reatest ' 
 evidences of his Hcdccming Love ; it was an act which we 
 should remember with the deepest reverence ami gratitude. 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 93 
 
 But there is still further evidence that it was both 
 designed and necessary. When " Jesus began to show 
 unto his disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, 
 and suffer many things of the elders, and chief priests, and 
 scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day," 
 th^ zealous disciple, Peter, who could not see the necessity 
 for these things, and whose feelings revolted at the idea of 
 his sufferings and death, exclaimed : " Be it far from Thee, 
 Lord ! this shall not be unto Thee." " But He turned and 
 said unto Peter : Get thee behind Me, Satan ! thou art an 
 offence ivnto Me ; for thou savourest not the things that be 
 of God, but those that be of men." Matt. xvi. 21, &c. 
 On another occasion He said : " Nevertheless, I tell you the 
 truth ; it is expedient for you that I go away : for if I go 
 not away, the Comforter will not come." John xvi. 7. 
 This saying was incomprehensible to his disciples. For 
 how could they suppose it was expedient for them that He 
 should go away ? And especially if they connected this 
 information with that which had been given, of the manner 
 in which He should go, that He must suffer many things, 
 and be killed — how could they feel an interest in his 
 death, or even in his separation from them ? He had 
 power to control the elements, to heal diseases, raise the 
 dead, cast out devils and powerfully administer comfort 
 and consolation. They had felt the sweet influences of 
 his presence, seen his miracles, tasted of his love ; and all 
 their hopes were centred in Him. Nor could a case occur 
 to their minds, in which benefits had been ascribed to the 
 death of any of the prophets. But notwithstanding all this," 
 the language of the Divine Master was : " Nevertheless, I 
 tell you the truth ; it is expedient for you that I go away." 
 Here then was occasion for the exercise of faith, rather 
 than of reason. And again He said : "And I, if I be lifted 
 up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me." This it 
 appears He said, signifying what death He should die ; and 
 
94 THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHIllST. 
 
 that, Ihrou.^h his death, the Grace which brings salvation, 
 and draws (he soul to God, should be dispenj^cd unto all 
 men. 
 
 When the hour of (his (rial arrived, and while suffering 
 (he ai^onies of i(. He said : "For (his cause came I unto 
 (]»is hour." John xii. 27. When (he Jews were about io 
 apprehend Hini, Peter a((cmp(cd (o prevent (he accom- 
 plishment of those events, which (he prophets and the 
 Divine Mas(er had foretold : but he was commanded to 
 desis(, wi(h (his furdier evidence of (he Divine will ; 
 " Thinkcst (hou (hat I cannot pray (o my Fa(her, and He 
 shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels ? 
 But how (hen must the Scriptures be fullilled, that thus it 
 must be ? " Matt. xxvi. 53, 54. " The cup which mi/ 
 Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it ? " John xviii. 11. 
 
 It was not possible for the Jews to defeat the purposes 
 of his coming, by putting Him to death before his ministry 
 was accomplished. The evangelist bears a testimony to 
 this effect when he says : No man laid hands on Him, 
 because his hour zoas not yet come." John vii. 30, also viii. 
 20. But when He was about to expire on the cross. He 
 said : " /< is finished J'' 
 
 And when He had risen from the dead, and appeared to 
 two of his disciples, " He said unto them : O fools, and 
 slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken ! 
 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, aud to enter 
 into his glory ? And beginning at Moses and all the 
 prophets, He expounded unto them, in all the Scriptures, 
 (he things concerning Himself." Luke xxiv. 23-27. 
 
 Again, when He afterwards showed Himself to the 
 eleven, " He said unto (hem : These arc (he words which I 
 hpake unto you, while I was ye( with you, (hat all (hings 
 must be fullilled which were writ(en in (he law of Moses, 
 anil in thr Prophets, and in (he Psalms concerning Me. 
 Then opened Jle their understanding, (ha( (hey migh( 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 95 
 
 understand the Scriptures, and said unto them : Thus it 
 is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise 
 from the dead the third day : and that repentance and 
 remission of sins should be preached in his Name among 
 all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses 
 of these things." Xw^e xxiv. 44 — 48. 
 
 The apostle Paul uses the following language : " Having 
 therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, 
 witnessing both to small and great ; saying none other 
 things than those which the prophets and Moses did say 
 should co^e : that Christ should suffer, and that He should 
 be the first that should rise from the dead, and should 
 show light unto the people, and to the gentiles." Acts 
 xxvi. 22, 23. And when he reached Thessalonica, " where 
 was a synagogue of the Jews, as his manner was, he went 
 in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them 
 out of the Scriptures ; opening and alleging, that Christ 
 must needs have suffered, and risen from the dead : and 
 that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ." Acts 
 xvii. 2, 3. 
 
 It was very probably an argument with the Jews against 
 the Christians — that Jesus had suffered ; because the idea 
 which had generally prevailed among them was, that 
 Christ should possess extraordinary outward power and 
 glory, and should abide for ever. And therefore to preach 
 Christ crucified, was to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to 
 the Greeks foolishness. Hence the apostle thus reasoned 
 with them— thus witnessed to small ajid great, that Christ 
 must needs have suffered ; that it behoved Him to suffer ; 
 and that this Jesus whom he preached, was Christ. 
 
 The Epistles abound with testimonies of the same kind : 
 a few of these will be sufficient for the present. The 
 apostle, in speaking of the objects of his coming, says : 
 " That He, by tlie grace of God, should taste death for 
 every man." Heb. ii. 9. 
 
96 rni: divinity of jesus? ciiuisr. 
 
 " For when we were yet without strength, in clue time 
 Christ died for the ungodly." " But God commendeth his 
 love towards us, in that wliile we were yet sinners, Christ 
 died for us." " For if, when we were enemies, we were 
 reconciled to Clod by the death of his Son, much more, 
 being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Rom. v. 
 6, 8,^0. 
 
 Here the apostle ascribes salvation to the life of Christ ; 
 but he represents our being placed in a capacity to receive 
 salvation, as the effect of his death. In the last passage it 
 is expressed in very clear terms. We cannot construe 
 what Ls there said of his death, so as to be understood of 
 his Spirit. He is not reconciled to us by doing violence 
 to this Spirit. To crucify afresh the Son of God, and put 
 Him to open shame, must, and for ever will, separate 
 between God and the soul. We therefore believe, as 
 Robert Barclay expresses himself, that the Grace which 
 brings salvation, is the purchase of Him who tasted death 
 for every man. 
 
 Our Lord Himself conveys the same idea in that memo- 
 rable discourse to his disciples before He suffered ; in 
 which He told them, it was "expedient for them that He 
 should go away ; for if He Avcnt not away, the Comforter 
 would not come." John xvi. 7. 
 
 The apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, xiv. 9, 
 says : " For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and 
 revived, that He might be the Lord botli of the dead and 
 living." And in 1 Cor. xv. 3 : "For I th'livered unto you 
 first of all, thai A\hi(h I also received, how that Chri^id/cd 
 for our sins, according to the Scriptures : and that He was 
 buried, and tliat He rose again the third day, according to 
 the Scriptures." 
 
 In the above passage from the Roinaiis, he phices died, 
 rose, and revived, in the same const met ion ; aiul by ai)ply- 
 ing the words, "/o this end,"' which indicate motive, he 
 shows that all tluH.e were in the Divine purposes. 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 97 
 
 If it should be supposed, that Jesus Christ could not be 
 a proper example to us, without being placed exactly in 
 our situation : — 
 
 I would remark, that this hypothesis will go further than 
 its advocates would probably confess they intend. It 
 w ould not only deny his Divinity, in the proper sense of 
 that iord, but it would ascribe to Him no more strength, 
 knowledge, or grace, than we possess. It would suppose 
 that He might have sinned, and become " a castaway." 
 But this is not all. It would lead to the position, that He 
 actually did sin — "for we have all sinned :" and not only 
 so, but that He must have realized in his own person or 
 experience, all the difficulties and trials that any human 
 being has ever endured, in order to be an example to 
 such. This too would carry Him through all conditions 
 in human life, and all practices which have prevailed 
 amongst men ! 
 
 There is no man pos^ssing any religious feeling, or 
 even the common exercise of reason, who would not revolt 
 from such a train of conclusions. And yet they all inevi- 
 tably follow from the admission of the first proposition. 
 There is a sophism in the beginning : and the most enor- 
 mous errors follow, as the natural and unavoidable deduc- 
 tions from it. 
 
 He was completely our Holy Example, in performing 
 the various duties required of man. He not only delivered 
 the purest precepts that were ever delivered to man, but 
 He also exemplified ihem in his own conduct : and thus 
 not only displaved their excellence, but proved their 
 practicability. Never could be a pattern more perfect 
 than He was — never an example more interesting and 
 animating, than that which He set before us. The most 
 eminent patriarchs and prophet*-, through human weak- 
 ness, or by the power of temptation, at some period of 
 their lives, had deviated from a proper line of conduct, or 
 4 H 
 
98 THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 fallen into sin. And thus none had yielded a perfect 
 obedience^ to that manifestation of the Divine will, which 
 had been given, even under the former dispensation. In 
 the language of the apostle, all had sinned, and come short 
 of the glory of God. How important then was his Example, 
 at the very time when, by his Divine precepts, He revealed 
 those high obligations, and that perfect morality, which 
 consist with true holiness ! That perfect accordance be- 
 tween the Divine will, and all that He did, is of great 
 importance and encouragement to us. We see that such 
 a conformity to the Divine will, which, in us, and as an 
 example to us, is properly called obedience, is possible, 
 through tlie aid of that Spirit which, in its Fulness, He 
 possessed. He taught us, not by precept alone, but by 
 example, both to walk before men, and to approach the 
 Throne of Grace. It was He that taught us to use that 
 endearing language of lilial love and obedience : " Our 
 Father, who art in heaven !" It was He who taught that 
 perfect resignation, which breathes the simple, comprehen- 
 sive latiguage : " Not my will, but Thine, be done !" 
 
 But, in contemplating the example of our blessed Lord, 
 and his condescension in stooping to be found in the form 
 of a servant, we ought not to forget the important truth, 
 that "in Him dwelt the Fulness of the Godhead bodily" — 
 and thai it is only o/that Fulness "have all we received." 
 JVe, as creatures, or vessels o{ limited capacities, can receive 
 only « ;/<t'ai«/c of that S[)irit, which, in its Fulness, was 
 in Him. That measure we may have in ils purity ; ami, 
 according to our capacities as rational beings and moral 
 agents, it may br in dominion over all in us, and com- 
 pletely guide and govern us, in all the little \Nhich we have 
 to do;— and in this sense we are to understand that ailmoni- 
 tion : " Be ye I herefore perfect, even as your Father which 
 is in heaven is perfect." Mali. v. 48. And yet wc are not 
 to suppose that we are to rise to an equality with the Deity 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 99 
 
 Himself ; nor of consequence, that any human being can 
 ever be considered as capable of attaining an equality with 
 the Lord Jesus Christ, " in whom dwelt the Fulness of the 
 Godhead bodily." 
 
 But, lest it should be said that some of tlie preceding- 
 arguments favour the doctrine of unconditional Election 
 and Ueprobation, I will make a few remarks to obviate such 
 an objection. 
 
 I do not deny that the Almighty has fixed and deter- 
 minate purposes. How else can we have any ideas of 
 covenants and promises ? It was such a purpose to provide 
 the means of salvation for fallen man. Such a purpose is 
 expressed in Rom. ii. 6-11 : " Who will render to every 
 man according to his deeds : — to them who, by patient 
 continuance in well doing, seek for glory and honour and 
 immortality, eternal life ■■, but unto them that are conten- 
 tious, and do not obey the Truth, but obey unrighteousness, 
 indignation and wratli, tribulation and anguish, upon every 
 soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the 
 gentile. But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that 
 worketlfljgood, to the Jew first, and also to the gentile : 
 for their is no respect of persons with God." Rom. ii. (), 
 &c. We must conclude that it was the Divine purpose, 
 that Christ should come into the world, and become the 
 Author of Eternal Salvation to them that believe. And 
 seeing that He was to come into the world which lay in 
 wickedness — that He was to become the Captain of our 
 salvation, and lead us to victory over the world, the fiesh, 
 and the devil, it was seen meet, in Infinite Wisdom, that 
 He should overcome all these. Accordingly Ave find He 
 subdued the powers of darkness, operating both immedi- 
 ately and instrumentally. 
 
 It was intended that he should be tempted. — Such was 
 the testimony of the apostle Paul ; Ileh. ii. 18. and such 
 was the evidence of the Evangelist, where he relates, that 
 4 H 2 
 
100 THE DIVINITT OF JESUiS CHRIST. 
 
 Jesus was led of the Spirit into the Wilderness, to be 
 tempted. Bat it could not be supposed that the devil per- 
 formed an acceptable service, in presenting tliose tempta- 
 tions. He was in the full exercise of his demoniac charac- 
 ter. Our Lord was pleased to meet that malignant spirit, 
 which had produced the Ml of man from his original 
 purity, and to overcome it, in its full power and immediate 
 operation. But this, though in itself complete, was a 
 victory only in part. The malignant spirit had obtained 
 admission into the world, even in the inmncy of human 
 society : man had been brought under its power, and 
 become active in extending its influence. Our Lord was 
 pleased to meet that same spirit, thus operating in its 
 instruments, and permit them to exercise their power to its 
 full extent — and, rising above it all, to give demonstration 
 of his omnipotence, and his ability to save unto the utter- 
 most, all those who look to Him for assistance. He did 
 not make the devil what he was ; as appears by Jude 6 : 
 " The angels which kept not their first estate, but left 
 their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting 
 chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great 
 day." Neitiier did He make the Jews the devil's servants. 
 They became such through temptation ; and the apostle 
 James says : rA. i. 13 : " Let no man say when he is tempt- 
 ed, I am tempted of God : for God cannot be temjited 
 with evil ; neither tcmpteth He any man." Their enmity 
 therefore against Jesus Christ, could be no mitigation of 
 their character or condemnation. 
 
 Moral evil not only existed in the world, but it had 
 obtained dominion over man. This was the very cause 
 why a lledeemer was necessary. Our Lord Jesus Christ 
 condescended to become that Redeemer— and, in order to 
 effect the necessary Redemption, He came, and fully ac- 
 complished the Divine \> ill, prodnrjiiir no depravity, but 
 obtaining a victory over it where it already existed. 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 101 
 
 We do not suppose that any individual, either among 
 the Jews or gentiles, was ordained from all eternity to 
 become an active agent in producing his suflerings. It 
 was in the exercise of their own choice, that they became 
 subject to that principle and influence which made them 
 the ^hildren of the devil ; and when they became such, 
 " his works they would do." John viii. 41, 44. 
 
 It will not be contended, that if all men had been under 
 the Divine infljience — been governed by the Divine will, 
 or, ^in other words, had been in the Image of God, Jesus 
 Christ would have been crucified outwardly, any more 
 than He would have been crucified inwardly in their 
 hearts. But it is equally reasonable to believe, that if the 
 Divine Image had not been lost, man would have been in 
 no need of a Redeemer — for the very term implies a state 
 of subjection and bondage, from which he was to be re- 
 deemed. Neither would there have been occasion for the 
 Dispensation of the Law; for the Law was not made for the 
 righteous, but the transgressor. Nor would there have been 
 occasioii^or the outward appearance of Jesus Christ, as 
 already suggested. For man, being already in the Divine 
 Image, would have needed no Propitiation — no Mediation 
 nor Redemption. If sin had not obtained an entrance into 
 the world, with all its consequences, there would have been 
 no occasion for Him to come, " to put away sin by the 
 sacrifice of Himself." 
 
 To those, therefore, who say, that had not darkness and 
 depravity been in the world, our Lord would not have 
 suffered. 
 
 It may be replied, in the words of the apostle : "For 
 this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He 
 might destroy the works of the devil." 1 John iii. 8. 
 
 We therefore maintain, that there is no Calvinistic 
 principle involved in this doctrine. The declaration to 
 the house of Israel still holds true : " I call heaven and 
 4 H 3 
 
102 THE DIVINITY OP JESUS CHIIIST. 
 
 earth to record this day against you, that I have set before 
 you life and death, blessing and cursing : therefore choose 
 life, that thou and thy seed may live." />?//. xxx. 19. 
 And in the exercise of that choice, we become "servants of 
 him U* whom we yield ourselves servants to obey — \\hether 
 of sin unto death, or of riirhteousness unto Eternal Life." 
 And as our Lord said to the Jews : " Ye are of your father 
 the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do ; " and 
 as He met their father, permitted him ^o put forth his 
 power in temjjtation, and then overcame him — so He con- 
 desceruled to fall into t/icir hands, permitted them to 
 exercise their power to their lull extent, and then rose 
 triumphant over them all. And these Divine purposes and 
 operations no more gave a sanction to the character and 
 conduct of the Jews, than they did to that malignant s])irit 
 by which the Jews were actuated. 
 
 For as this spirit was to be resi t( d by our Lord in its 
 immediate operation, so He was also to overcome it, as it 
 operated instrumentally in men, who had been brought 
 completely under its government and control. And as He 
 was not the author or cause of that spirit, and its imme- 
 diate operation against Himself, so neither A>as He the 
 cause of its dominion over the Jews, nor of any of its 
 genuine efiects in their conduct. 
 
 It remains now to say something of the extent of the 
 benefits of Christ's coming. These benefits we do not con- 
 fine to the nation of the Jews, nor yei to those who have 
 become acquainted with the history of his life. 
 
 The promise made to Jacob at Helhcl, is evidence to 
 this point of doctrine : " Li thee, and in thy Seed, shall 
 all the families of the earlh be ble^sed." 6Vw. xxviii. 14. 
 Here the blessing is evidently extended to a//. And in 
 considering Christ the Seed of Abraham or Jacob, we must 
 hav«' some special rcOn'nce to liis outward appearance. 
 The prophet spoke of Him in this manner : Jsaiah xlii. I. 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 103 
 
 4 — 7. " Behold my servant, Avhom I uphold ; mine elect, 
 in Avhom my soul delighteth : I have put ray Spirit upon 
 Him; He shall bring forth judgment to the gentiles." "The 
 isles shall wait for his law. Thus sailli God the Lord, 
 He that created the heavens and stretched them out ; He 
 that (spread forth the earth, and that m hich cometh out 
 of it ; He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and 
 spirit to them that walk therein : I the Lord have called 
 Thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and w ill 
 keep thee ; and give thee for a Covenant of the people, 
 for a Light of the gentiles : to open the blind eyes, to bring 
 out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in 
 darkness out of the prison house." 
 
 It is no abatement of the force of the argument to say, 
 that the Light of Cluist is here spoken of. I agree that it 
 is, but his outward appearance is clearly spoken of at the 
 same time ; and as they are joined in the text, v.e have no 
 right to separate them. In the 54th chapter, immediately 
 after thf^ extraordinary prophecy respecting the coming 
 and sufferings of Christ, which has already been quoted, 
 the prophet thus speaks of the blessings which it would 
 bring to the gentiles : " More are the children of the deso- 
 late, than of the married wife, saith the Lord :" which was 
 remarkably verified in the accession of the gentiles to the 
 true Church, beyond what took place among the Jews. 
 The prophet proceeds : " Enlarge the place of tliy tent, 
 and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations : 
 spare not ; lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes : 
 for thou shalt bteak forth on the right hand and on the 
 left ; and thy seed shall inherit the gentiles, and make the 
 desolate cities to be inhabited." These prophecies clearly 
 relate to the advent of the Messiah, and the blessings con- 
 nected with his coming. 
 
 The ar.gel, iu announcing to the shepherds the birth of 
 Christ, "said unto them : Fear not I for, behold ! I bring you 
 4 H 4 
 
104 lUE DiviNiry of jesus cubist. 
 
 good tidings of great joy, uliich shall he to all people:' 
 Thus we sec the birth of Christ was good tidings of great 
 joy ; not confined to the Jews, but extended to all ptoplt. 
 And the anthem of the heavenly host was a clear indication 
 of the effects to flow from this deeply interesting event— 
 " Glory to God in the highest ; and on earth peace, good- 
 >\ill towards men." And as these effects are not confined 
 to one small portion of the globe, so it follows that the 
 benefits of his coming are commensurate with these. 
 
 It is true. He came, in a particular manner, to the Jews. 
 His miracles were wrought, and his living example was 
 set, among Ihem. The Law pointed to his personal appear- 
 ance, and ended when He offered up his life on the cross. 
 But still the gentiles were not excluded from the benefits 
 He offered to the Jews. There was, in the Legal Dispen- 
 sation, a strong partition wall of separation between Jews 
 and gentiles ; but He broke down that middle wall of pir- 
 tition. And as the Jews were called out of typical rites 
 and carnal ordinances — so the gentiles were called out of 
 pagan darkness ; and both were to unite in the light and 
 the liberty of the Gospel. When our Lord had risen from 
 the dead. He gave his apostles a mission, embracing the 
 geiitiles no less than the Jews. The fruits of that mission 
 gave evidence, that the immediate effects of the introduc- 
 tion of the New Dispensation, were confined to no nation 
 or description of the human race. 
 
 Even the abrogation of the Law itself had an effect on 
 the gentiles; because it removed a distinction which had 
 previously existed, and placed (hem on a fooling with the 
 Jews. 
 
 Though Christ abrogated the Law, we cannot suppose 
 thai this was flu- particular object of his coming. He was 
 promised before the Law was in existence, and the Lawwas 
 designed as a schoolmaster, to lead to Him. 11. d='l not 
 corae merely to remove the bondajje of the Law, but th« 
 
THE DIVINITY OF J£SUS CHRIST. 105 
 
 bondage of corruption. It was not only to abolish the 
 service of the temple, but to bring life and imruortality to 
 light — to be a Light to the gentiles, and bring out the 
 prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness 
 oul of the prison house. 
 
 The apostle, in his epistle to the Romans, chap. v. in 
 speaking of the coming of Christ, takes the same enlarged 
 views of the subject : " And not only so, but we also joy 
 in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have 
 now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man 
 sin entered into the world, and death by sin ; and so death 
 passed upon all men, for that all have sinned;" — "therefore 
 as by the oft'ence of one, judgment came upon all men to 
 condemnation, even so by the righteousness of One, the Free 
 Gift came upon all men to justification of life ; that, as sin 
 hath reigned unto death, even so might Grace reign, through 
 righteoAisness, unto Eternal Life, by Jesus Christ our Lord." 
 " For since by man came death, by man came also the re- 
 surrection of the dead : for as in Adam all die, even so in 
 Christ shall all be made alive." 1 Cor. xy. 21, 22. In this 
 passage there is relation to the outward appearance of 
 Christ, his deatb and resurrection ; for He cannot be called 
 J7ian, except in relation to his coming in the flesh. So the 
 objects of that coming extended as far as the efiects of sin 
 had extended. Thus, as by one man sin entered into the 
 world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men ; 
 so the benefits of Christ's coming, and what He did, were 
 to be as extensive : being the means of our restoration out 
 of the fall, they reach wherever man needs a Saviour. 
 
 And as He came to save the u^oi Id, John xii.iT, He 
 must be a Saviour to all nations, and in all ages. And He 
 who takes in at one view the past, the present, and the 
 future, could certainly make the Remedy which He had 
 provided for all, apply to all — to those w ho lived before, as 
 well as to those who lived after its outward manifestation. 
 
106 THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 Sin was in the world before the outward coming of 
 Chrivf ; and as He was <lie Sacrifice for sin, it must have 
 applied to aU who neeth'd it. Sin now operates where the 
 means by which it was fir^t introduced into the world 
 were never heard of. >\.nd, by a parity of reasoning, the 
 Remwly must also be offered in such cases, though they 
 never heard of the means by which that Remedy was pro- 
 vided. 
 
 Immediately after the fall, when judgment came upon 
 our first parents, the promise of the Seed was made ; and 
 this became an object of faith ; even that faith, the power 
 and efficacy of which (he apostle so beautifully describes. 
 Then too commenced that dispensation of types and 
 shadows which pointed to Christ, and continued to the 
 lime whin He ofiercd up his life on the cross. By this 
 faith it was that the elders obtained a good report. By 
 this also Abel ollered a more acceptable oiferingthan Cain. 
 The apostle proceeds to enumerate the patriarchs down to 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as examples of the efficacy of 
 faith ; and then says : "These all died in laitli ; not having 
 received the pron)ises, but having seen them afar oti", and 
 were persuaded of them, and embraced them." J/eb. xi. 13. 
 
 Our Lord also testified : " Your father Abraham rejoiced 
 to see my day ; and he saw it and was glad." Jofm viii. 56. 
 Thux, while they had the promises of the Messiah to come, 
 while they were excrcisetl in types and shadows, pointing 
 to those good things — though the things promised were 
 themselves afar off, yet, through /a///j, they were enabled 
 not only to see th<'m at a distance, but to be persuaded of 
 (hem, mnWoemhrarr piem. Thus, in that living faith, 
 they had "the snl)vtance of the things hoped for, and the 
 evidence of things not seen," or capable of heiiii: s«eii. hut 
 through the medium of this faith itself. 
 
 It is not my intention to attempt, in any degree, to re- 
 move that vail with w hich Almighty God has covered those 
 
THE DIVINITir OF JESUS CHRIST. 107 
 
 secret things which belong to Himself. He has been 
 pleased, in condescension, to reveal to us, that, through our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, the Free Gift came upon all men unto 
 justification. And we have neither right nor occasion to 
 inquire zohj/ or how it was done. But we are bound to 
 believe that it isas done ; and that it came upon ALL ; 
 every age and part of the world participated in the benefits 
 of that one Offering, by which He hath for ever, and, as 
 W. Penn observes, in all times, perfected those who are 
 sanctified, w ho walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 
 
 And this is the testimony of our primitive Friends, and 
 of the Society down to the present day. R. Barclay, in the 
 5th and 6th Propositions of his Apology, when speaking of 
 the true Light which enlighteneth every man that cometh 
 into the world, says : " Nor is it less universal than the 
 seed of sin ; being the purchase of His death, who tasted 
 death for every man : for, as in Adam all die, even so in 
 Christ ^hall all he made alive.''^ 
 
 The doctrine of that sanctification of the Spirit, which 
 we must experience in ourselves, in order to obtain salva- 
 tion, has already been alluded to in the chapter on the 
 Original and Present State of Man, and in that on the Uni- 
 versality of Grace; and will again be brought into view, in 
 one relating to Sanctification and Justification. But, con- 
 sidering its importance, I am not willing to pass from the 
 present subject, without repeating, that Salvation is an 
 actual, and not an ideal work. We must experience it, if 
 we attain to it. If we have not the Spirit of Christ, ruling 
 and purifying our hearts, we are none of his. We are 
 bound to commemorate his goodness, to remember with 
 humble gratitude what He has done and sufi'ered for us. 
 But we should still bear in mind, that these benefits and in- 
 tended blessings will avail us nothing, if we do not submit 
 to the operation of his Spirit and power in our hearts. 
 Where much is given, much will be required. And surely 
 
108 THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 much has been done for us all. If the Lord Jesus Christ 
 ha> otYcTcd up his life for us; if, in reviewing the agonizing 
 sufferings and death of the Immaculate Lamb, we are to 
 consider them as the evidences of his Redeeming Love, and 
 as designed to obtain Eternal Redemption for us ; how 
 humbling, how tendering, must be the reflections ! How 
 strono- must be our ol)ligations to love and obey Jlim, who 
 first loved us, and gave Himself a ransom for us ! How 
 great must be our condemnation, if we become insensible to 
 these powerful motives to gratitude and love ! " If a man 
 love Me," said He, " he will keep my words, and my 
 Father will love him ; and we will come unto him, and 
 make our abode with him." John xiv. ^23. Here the first 
 spring of action is the love of Christ, operating upon our 
 hearts. Obedience flows from that love. This again 
 draws more largely of the Divine favour ; and ends in an 
 intimate union and communion with God— a sensible 
 enjoyment of his Divine Presence. 
 
 It never was intended by the death of Christ, to purchase 
 for us the privilege (if privilege it can be called) of living 
 without God in the world. He did not come to perpetuate 
 sin, and establish the doriiinion of darkness ; but to " finish 
 transgression, to make an end of sin, and bring in everlast- 
 ing righteousness ;" that sin might have no more dominion 
 over us ; and to "bring into captivity every thought to the 
 obedience of Christ." Though Christ has died for us — 
 though He has given us a measure of his Grace — though 
 He visits and revisits us with the offers of his love and 
 salvation, yet it is possible for all these favours to pass from 
 us, so that we may lU'ver realize any tidvantages irom them 
 in the eiul. 
 
 Let us therefore remember that we are bought with a 
 Price, and are not our own ; that we may not henceforth 
 live unto ourselves, but unto Mini who died for us, and rose 
 again ; that, as He rose from the dead by the power of the 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 109 
 
 Father, so we may walk in newness of life, by the aid and 
 operation of his Spirit revealed in our hearts. 
 
 I do not consider it proper to enter upon an inquiry into 
 the Divine nature ; or how it subsisted in its different 
 manifestations ; or how the Divinity was connected with 
 human nature ; or why this was necessary. The secrets of 
 the Divine counsels do not belong to us ; and we have no 
 occasion to enter into discussion respecting them. On 
 the contrary, wherever they have been made the subjects 
 of curious and speculative inqniry, the mind has been in 
 danger of being led, by specious reasonings, into views 
 and sentiments incompatible with those which have been 
 presented to us through the medium of Divine Revelation; 
 and thus the whole ground of inlidelity lies open before 
 those who enter into such inquiries. 
 
 On reviewing this portion of the doctrines of the Gospel, 
 we may remember, that no part of the Christian system has 
 been so frequently assailed, or with such varied modes of 
 attack, as this. Here it was that the Jews stumbled and 
 fell. Here the wisdom of the world, from the Greeks down 
 to the present day, has discovered (as it has supposed) 
 much foolishness. Here reason has exerted its powers, to 
 penetrate into the secret counsels of the Almighty ; and has 
 boldly attempted to bring down even the Divine nature, to 
 the measure of its own limited capacity. 
 
 No wisdom but that wisdom which is from above, can com- 
 prehend the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. And as 
 the Divine nature and the Divine counsels are abundantly 
 wrapped in deep mystery, the curious have been anxious 
 to discover — the presumptuous have been bold to explain 
 — and the sceptical have been ready to deny, those things 
 which mere human faculties never could understand. The 
 means of Redemption have opened a wide field of conjec- 
 ture for speculative minds. But how inadequate must be 
 the most exalted human powers to comprehend the love of 
 
110 THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 God, operating for the Redemption of a fallen'world ! 
 How unable to devise the means ! bow incapable of tracing 
 thcni to tlie accomplished end ! 
 
 It still remains to be the Divine determination, to "con- 
 found the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nought the 
 understanding of the prudent." And yet He will, from 
 time to time, reveal to the humble, attentive mind, how- 
 ever simple, all that is necessary for it to know. 
 
 It is instructive to remember, that when John saw, in the 
 hand of Him that sat on the throne, a Book, written within 
 and on the back side, sealed with seven seals, " there was 
 no man found in heaven nor on earth, worthy to loose the 
 seals or to iook thereon." Let us then be cautious how 
 we presume to look thereon, or make Avhat lies beyond the 
 seals, the subject of speculative inquiry. It is the Lion of 
 the tribe of Judah alone, that is worthy to open this Book, 
 and reveal the deep mysteries it contains. And until He is 
 pleased to do this, all human anxiety is unavailing. And 
 when this great work is going on, it will be progressive) 
 and in due order, from the ^r«f^ to the seventh. And as it 
 is carried on, how every thing is brought down into 
 greater and greater degrees of abasement, till nothing but 
 God alone is exalted, and there is silence in heaven ! 
 
 But before this state is experienced, there is another 
 state or dispensation to be passed through — a state rejire- 
 sented In' the must striking metaj)hors : "There was a ijreat 
 carllK|uake, ami the sun becanu' black as sackcloth of hair, 
 and the moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell 
 unto the earth, even as a fig tree castctli her untimely figs, 
 when she is shaken by a mighty wind. And the heavens 
 departed as a scroll when it is rolled together ; and every 
 mountain ami islund were moved out of their places. And 
 the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, 
 anil the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every 
 bond mail, and every free juan, hid themselves in the dens, 
 
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST. Ill 
 
 and in the rocks of the mountains ; and said to the moun- 
 tains and rocks : Fall on us, and hide us from the face of 
 Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the 
 Lamb ; ^m the great day of His wrath is come, and who 
 shall be able to stand !" Where then will be all the idle 
 notions of speculative minds ! The very heavens — the 
 imagined righteousness of these, must pass away as a scroll 
 when it is rolled together. 
 
 Let us then seek rather to have our minds enlarged in 
 the love of God in Christ Jesus, that we may adopt the 
 language of the apostle : " We love Him, because He first 
 loved us." In the effusions of this love, which prompts 
 the filial language of Father^ we shall be enabled " to re- 
 ceive the kingdom of heaven as a little child." How 
 striking the comparison ! In the little child there are no 
 bold flights of fancy — no philosophical reasonings (falsely 
 so called) — no feelings of its own independent capacities 
 and powers ; but all is dependence on the teaching of the 
 parent — all is faith, unhesitating confidence in the covmsel 
 and instruction received. In this humble, dependent, 
 teachable state of mind, with love predominating over all, 
 we shall be prepared for the opening of the seals ; and, 
 viewing with increasing gratitude, at every stage of this 
 progressive work, the wonders of Redeeeming Love, to 
 sing the new song, saying : " Thou art worthy to take the 
 book, and to open the seals thereof ; for -Thou wast slain, 
 and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, and hast made 
 us unto God kings and priests :" — and finally to partici- 
 pate in that heavenly silence, in which God is felt to reign 
 over all, with that power and majesty which the language 
 of saints and angels cannot adequately convey. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 OV SAXCTIFICATION AND JUSTIFICATION. 
 
 I have already shown in preceding; articles, that we 
 believe Justilicalion to consist of two parts, "or to have a 
 twofold consideration." It has also been fully stated, that 
 we believe that the first part consists in what Jesus Christ 
 did for man, in removinir the incapacities of the fallen 
 state, and |)lacing in every human heart that Seed of Grace, 
 which is the first principle and efficient cause of salvation. 
 The second part consists in what He does for us, in us, and 
 this forms the subject of the ensuing article. 
 
 As the inward operations of the Spirit of Truth are 
 submitted to, in the convictions for sin, and desire after 
 Redemption, which it produces in the heart, the work of 
 Sanctification and Justilication advances , for they sro on 
 toirether. 
 
 The apostle very clearly sets forth the successive ad- 
 vances of this great work : " 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 Cod." 1 Cor. vi. 11. 
 
 The first operations of Divine Grace on the heart, are 
 geiu'rally of a tendering kind. It is true that the mind 
 may be powerfully broken in upon, and the just judgments 
 of G<»d for sin may be awfully revealed : but this does iu)t 
 Uike place unless there has been a slighting of the day of 
 merciful visitation, and the oilers of Redeeming Love. But 
 even when the rebellious and backsliding are thus met 
 with judgments mixed ^^ith mercy, as there is a willingness 
 
OF SANCTII'ICATION AND JUSTIFICATION. 113 
 
 wrought to submit to the purifying dispensation, tlic heart 
 is brought into a state of great tenderness. 
 
 This state of Christian experience is beautifully illus- 
 trated by the baptism of water to repentance ; and is the 
 very thing typified by that baptism, as used by John, 
 to whose ministration it peculiarly belonged. And this 
 answers to the language of th^ apostle, who represents 
 washing as the first process in the great work of renova- 
 tion. 
 
 Under this dispensation, the subject? not only becomes 
 washed, and cleansed from the more obvious defilements, 
 such as (figuratively speaking) water can reach , but, as 
 repentance is experienced, and the melting, soothing 
 eflTusions of Divine Love, the soul becomes powerfully 
 attached to its Redeemer. And thus it becomes prepared 
 to bear a more purifying dispensation, which answers to 
 the baptism of Jire ; wherein all those deep defilements 
 that were not reached by the former cleansing are removed ; 
 the dross, the tin, and even the reprobate silver, are con- 
 sumed, and sanctifi cation takes place. 
 
 And not till we have passed through these purifying 
 dispensations, are we "sanctified, and justified, inthe Name 
 of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." Then it 
 is that old thi^ngs are done away ; and all things become 
 new. In this state the soul is united to God, in a holy 
 fellowship and communion,' and stands as juslified, or 
 accounted just ; its former transgressions being forgiven, 
 done away, and remembered no more. 
 
 The judgments o^ God are not according to the decisions 
 of men, who sometimes justify, or account men just, when 
 there is no real change effected, but a mere exemption from 
 the consequences of guilt. But, as sin produces corrup- 
 tion and defilement, these must be cleansed and removed, 
 before the subject can be accepted or. accounted as jus- 
 4 1 
 
114 «>l SANCTIFICATION 
 
 tified :— and this cleansing from the defilements of sin, is 
 Sanctification. 
 
 Various opinions have existed among the different 
 denominations of Christians on the subject of Justification. 
 While some have imagined it to depend on good works, 
 others rejected works altogether, and supposed it to depend 
 on the merit and righteousness of Christ imputed to us. 
 And others again imagine our justification and acceptance 
 to depend on an irrevocable decree, existing from all 
 eternity. 
 
 The Society of Friends do not exactly coincide with 
 any of these opinions. 
 
 As we stand in the fall, or unregenerate state, we possess 
 no merit, or power of ourselves, by which we can obtain 
 acceptance, or make reconciliation with God : much less 
 can we have any thing to make atonement for sins com- 
 mitted. God requires nothing but our duty. — Any thing 
 more than duty, could not be acceptable to Him. This 
 leaves nothing wherewith to balance the account of duties 
 omitted or crimes committed. But by the coming and 
 offering of Christ, "the Free Gift came upon all men unto 
 justification of life." Here it is shown that this natural 
 incapacity is removed ; that this Free Gift is extended to 
 all men ; and that, if not obstructed by disobedience, it 
 ultimately leads " to justification of life." 
 
 This Grace and Gift to us, is the pure love of God, by 
 which we are called and invited to come nnto Him, and 
 by which we are drawn in love, and gratitude, and obe- 
 dience to Him. 
 
 This love of God, through Jesus Christ, is the very 
 spirit of reconciliation, and the only possible medium, by 
 which wc can become united to Him. But in its first 
 extension to us, we are no further justified than to receive 
 the capacity to salvation, and the ofiers of forirjvcuess of 
 sins that are past, and to stand acquitted from them by the 
 
ANU JUSTIFICATION. 115 
 
 atonement of Christ, supplying what was lacking on our 
 part, on condition of our obedience to the manifestations 
 of his Spirit. As these manifestations are obeyed, and 
 repentance and the laver of regeneration passed through, 
 with the various baptisms and purifying operations of 
 Divine Grace in us, the work of sanctification is effected. 
 And as we are sanctified, so we are justified. Nor does 
 complete justification take place, in moral agents, any 
 other way. We may indeed be sanctified in part, and 
 justified in part ; for as this is not, generally, an in- 
 stantaneous work, so there are many intermediate stages 
 between the beginning and completion of this important 
 change. 
 
 As we possess no power or capacity of our own for any 
 good thing, so we cannot pretend that our own right hand 
 can save us. All the williiigs and runnings of our will, 
 avail nothing. " By grace we are saved, through faith, 
 and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God." But though 
 it is by this alone that we are saved — though we can claim 
 nothing as due to us — but, on the contrary, are bound to 
 acknowledge after all, that "we are unprofitable servants," 
 we have done no more than was our duty to do, and this 
 by the help of the Spirit of God, producing the will, and 
 giving ability to do the deed; yet as this Divine Principle 
 of Light and Life becomes the governing and predominat- 
 ing power in us, it brings forth works of righteousness, as 
 well as a state of sanctif|cation. Good works are the fruits 
 of this Divine Principle, as said the apostle : " The fruit 
 of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, 
 goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." And thus also, 
 the same apostle, in another place, says : " By the Grace 
 of God, I am what I am." 
 
 And as our beneficent Creator, in his inscrutable wisdom 
 and goodness, has constituted us with tlie freedom of will, 
 to choose the principles and motives b^^ which we will be 
 4 I 2 
 
lie OF SANCTIFU ATION 
 
 governed, (for though He produces in us the will, and 
 gives ability to perform his own good pleasure, yet He 
 grants us the privilege to make that will our own,) as this 
 is reali/.ed in us, and works of righteousness are produced 
 as the fruit of the Spirit, we not only become sanctified 
 and justified ; but also, in some sense, objects of rewards — 
 not by virtue of what we have done in our own wills, but in 
 the Divine will. 
 
 When we reflect, that not only the ability for every good 
 word and work, but even the most secret inclination of 
 heart to serve God, is the effect of his own Divine Influence 
 on us; when we further bring to mind the disappointments, 
 the miseries, and vexation of spirit, which are the genuine 
 ^flfects of sin, on the one hand ; and the pure, substantial 
 enjoyments of peace and animating hope, which are the 
 portion of the righteous in this life — we may exclaim, in 
 the language of the poet : 
 
 " Astonishlnc; beyond astonishment ! 
 
 Heaven the reward for heaven enjoyed below ! " 
 
 To conclude — " Let none be so bold as to mock God, 
 supposing themselves justified and accepted in the sight 
 of God, by virtue of Christ's death and sufferings, while 
 they remain unsanctified and unjustified in their own 
 hearts, and polluted in their sins ; lest their hoj)e prove 
 that of the hypocrite, which | erisheth. Neither let any 
 vainly imagine that they can, by their own works, or by 
 the performance of any ceremonies or traditions, or by 
 the giving of gold or money, or by aftlicting their bodies 
 in will worship and voluntary humility, or by their striv- 
 ing to conform their way to the outw:y:d letter of the law, 
 flatter themselves tiiat they merit before (iod, or draw a 
 debt upon Him, or that any man or men have power to 
 make such kind of things effectual to thejr justification ; 
 lest they be fouud foolish boasters, aiid strangers to Christ 
 
AND JUSTIFICATION. 117 
 
 indeed. But blessed for ever are they, that, having truly 
 had a sense of their own unworthiness and sinfulness ; and 
 having seen all their own endeavours and performances 
 fruitless and vain, and beheld their own emptiness, and the 
 vanity of their hopes, faith, and confidence, while they 
 remain inwardly pursued and condemned by God's Holy 
 Witness in their hearts ; and so, having applied themselves 
 thereto, and suffered his Grace to work in them, are become 
 changed and renewed in the spirit of their minds, passed 
 from death unto life, and know Jesus arisen in them, 
 working both the will and the deed ; and so having put 
 on the Lord Jesus Christ, in effect, are clothed with Him 
 and partake of his righteousness and nature. Such can 
 draw near to the Lord with boldness, and know their 
 acceptance in and by Him ; in whom, and in as many as 
 are found in Him, the Father is well pleased." Barclay^s 
 Apology/, Prop. 7. 
 
 i3 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 OF PERFECTION AND PERSEVERANCE. 
 
 It has been shown in the preceding article, that as the 
 Grace of God whicli brings salvation is received, and its 
 teachings obeyed — (for it is always accompanied with 
 power — ) as, under its blessed influence, instructing and 
 strengthening us, wc come to deny ungodliness and the 
 world's lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly 
 in this present world, wc become washed, sanctified, and 
 justified. It remains to be considered, how far this work 
 of renovation may be advanced, or how far Christ may 
 prevail in us, and we over our soul's enemies, through the 
 operation of his Power in us. 
 
 Does the Captain of our salvation lead us to complete 
 victory ? — or must we remain " all our lifetime subject to 
 bondage ?" 
 
 The weapons of the saints' warfare are "mighty, through 
 God, to the pulling down of strong holds ; casting down 
 imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself 
 against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity 
 every thought to the obedieitce of Christ." 
 
 The Society of Friends accordingly believe, that it is pos- 
 sible to obtain a complete victory over sin, in this lite. If 
 wc believe that there are some w ho are completely hardened, 
 and given up to a reprobate mind, such as the apostle said 
 it is impossible to renew «o-r//;/ to reptnlancey can we sup- 
 pose that God is not able or willing, to carry on his work of 
 renovation and sanctiiication in his devoted servants, as far 
 
OF PERFECTION AND PERSEVERANCE. 119 
 
 as the grand enemy of mankind can carry on his work of 
 darkness in the children of disobedience ? 
 
 The testimony of Scripture is very clear on this subject: 
 " Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that 
 ■ye should obey it in the lusts thereof : neither yield ye 
 your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin ; 
 but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from 
 the dead, and your members as the instruments of righte- 
 ousness unto God : for sin shall not have dominion over 
 you." 
 
 "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants 
 to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey ; whether of 
 sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness ?" 
 *^' Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of 
 righteousness." "For when ye were the servants of sin, ye 
 were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in 
 those things whereof ye are now ashamed ? for the end of 
 those things is death. But now, being made free from sin, 
 and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holi- 
 ness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is 
 death ; but the gift of God is Eternal Life, through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord." Rom. vi. 12-14, 16, 18, 20-23. 
 
 " Awake to righteousness, and sin not." 1 Cor. xv. 34. 
 
 " Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world ; 
 and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our 
 faith." 1 John v. 4. 
 
 " We shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath 
 this hope in him, purilieth himself, even as He is pure. 
 Whosoever committeth sin, transgresseth also the law ; for 
 sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that He 
 was manifested to take away our sins : and in Him is no 
 sin. Whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not." " Little 
 children, let no man deceive you. He that committeth sin 
 is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning. 
 For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He 
 4 I 4 
 
I2() OF TEUFECTIO.N 
 
 might destroy the works of the devil." " In this the 
 Chiklren of God are manifest, and tlie children of the 
 devil : whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God." 
 
 1 John iii. 2-8, 10. 
 
 The apostle admonishes the Hebrews : "Let us go on to 
 perfection." " Be perfect; be of good comfort," said he to 
 the Corinthians. And can we suppose impossibilities are 
 required of us ? Surely not ! But he assumes this state as 
 already attained: — "Let us, therefore, as many as be perfect, 
 be thus minded." Phil. iii. 15. Again^ he represents it as 
 attainable : — " That we may present eyery man perfect in 
 Christ Jesus." Col. i. 28. " Labouring fervently for you 
 in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all 
 the will of God." Col. iv. 12. " For the. law made nothing 
 perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did.''' Heb. 
 vii. 19. " And this also we wish, even your perfection." 
 
 2 Cor. xiii. 9. 
 
 Thus, if we refer to Scripture as authority in this case, 
 as we do in all cases of the kind, the most ample and con- 
 clusive proofs will be found, in support of the belief, that 
 it is possible for us to obtain a complete victory over sin 
 in this life. 
 
 If we reason from the nature of things, the conclusion 
 will be the same. For who can suppose either that CJod 
 determines that his most devoted servants should continue 
 in sin through their whole lives, or that He is unable to 
 redeem them from all evil ? 
 
 What father or master would so dispose the government 
 of his children or servants, that they should either not 
 serve him, or if they did, that they should be continually 
 <lestroying what they had done right— or be ever ollering 
 him insults and indignities, or serving his inveterate enemy 
 even more than they served him ? Vide Barclays Apol. 
 The idea is certainly preposterous, as applied to human 
 affairs. And isurcly we must allow that human wi&dom 
 
AND PERSEVERANCE. 121 
 
 and decorum are not superior to the wisdom of God, dis- 
 played in the moral government of his rational creatures. 
 
 How beautiful is the similitude of the vine, as applied by 
 our Lord, to the relation between Him and his followers ! 
 " I am the Vine, and ye are the branches." And how for- 
 cible the injunction to abide in Him, or they could not 
 bear fruit ! Is it not essentially necessary that they con- 
 tinue in the Vine ? And if they continue steadily in the 
 Vine, their sap and nourishment will all be derived from 
 that Source. Making then the application which our Lord 
 Himself made; if we abide in Him, deriving our whole life, 
 growth, and nourishment from Him — whence should we 
 draw those influences that result in sin ? It is only as we 
 are separated from Him, and attached to some other stock, 
 that we draw that poisonous sap. 
 
 And, thus it is that many who have made considerable 
 progress in sanctification, by unwatchfulness, have suffered 
 tliemselves to be detached from Christ the true Vine, and 
 have fallen into sin, some irretrievably ; and thus made 
 shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, and become 
 castaway : while others, by attention to the Witness for 
 God, obtain repentance, forgiveness, and restoration, 
 through the riches of Divine mercy : " For God is able 
 to graff them in again." 
 
 But the question is not, whether some do not sin : but 
 whether the dedicated servants of God are under the abso- 
 lute necessity to sin. We believe" they are not. There 
 are a cloud of witnesses to prove that they are not. We 
 are sensible of the frailties of human nature. We know 
 that man, by his own strength and in his own will, cannot 
 obtain a victory over sin : neither can he obtain a victory 
 over one individual sin. But as he is endued with the 
 Power of God to salvation, he experiences the truth of the 
 answer made to the apostle : " My Grace is sufficient for 
 thee ; for my strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor. 
 xii. 9. 
 
122 OF PERFECTION 
 
 As our Redeemer is all-sufficient to deliver us from the 
 very chains and powers of darkness, so, when introduced 
 into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, He is certainly 
 able to preserve us in that liberty. 
 
 But thoui^h we believe in the possibility of perfection, 
 so as to attain to true holiness and a complete victory over 
 sin, yet we believe it is only experienced by man, " as he 
 is born a^ain, renewed in his mind — raised by Christ, 
 knowing Christ alive, reigning and ruling in him, and 
 guiding and leading him by his Spirit, and revealing in 
 him the law of the Spirit of life ; which not only manifests 
 and reproves sin, but also gives power to come out of it." 
 Barcl/i7/'s Apol. Prop. 8. 
 
 We also believe in the admonition of olir Lord, lioth as 
 to its extent, and its absolute necessity : " What I say unto 
 you, I say unto all, watclu'' Mark xiii. 37. For it is only 
 in this state of watchfulness that we are taught to expect 
 preservation. 
 
 The possibility of falling from Grace is clearly estab- 
 lished by Scripture testimony. Both the Old and Nexc 
 Testaments abound with passages which cannot be mis- 
 understood, in relation to the necessity of perseverance. 
 
 The prophet Ezekiel is very clear on this point : " Nei- 
 ther shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness, 
 in the day that he sinneth." EzeJc. xxxiii. 12. " When I 
 shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live, if he 
 trust to his own righteousness and commit iniquity, all his 
 righteousness shall not be rememberetl ; but for iiis iniquity 
 that he hath committed, he shall die for it." v. 13. 
 
 The apostle Peter admonishes the true believers to "give 
 diligence to make their' calling and election sure." And 
 the apostle Paul lii^nself fouiul it necessary to keep his 
 body under, lest, after lu* had j)reached to others, he him- 
 self should become a castawa}-. He speaks also of some 
 who had luade shipwreck of faith and a good conscience, 
 
AND PERSEVERANCE. 123 
 
 which they could not have done if they had never had 
 them. He also gives us to understand that those who had 
 been enlightened, and tasted of the Heavenly Gift, and were 
 partakers of the Holy Ghost, and had tasted of the good 
 Word of God, and the powers of the world to come, might 
 again fall away, so far that it would be impossible to renew 
 them again to repentance. Heh. vi. 4, &c. 
 
 But as the necessity of perseverance will not be denied, 
 unless it be on the grounds of unconditional Election and 
 Reprobation, and as that doctrine has already been ex- 
 amined, I conceive it unnecessary to enlarge here. Vide 
 Barday''s Apol. Prop. 8. 
 
 When, in the solemn acts of devotion, we bow before the 
 Throne, we feel an irresistible evidence of the riches of his 
 goodness, and the plenitude of his power. We know that 
 He is willing and able to save to the uttermost. And if we 
 sin, we are left without excuse. We can plead no neces- 
 sity to sin. The Witness for God that was disregarded, 
 and perhaps trampled underfoot, arises in judgment 
 against us, and convinces us that the fault is all our own. 
 Were not the fault our own, how could we feel repentance ? 
 
 If we admit that a life of holiness is not enjoined, it will 
 destroy the weight of religious obligation, and the very 
 life of devotion, and set aside the whole body of Divine 
 precepts and commands. 
 
 If we suppose that God has not enabled us to obey his 
 commands, it will be casting a grossly injurious imputa- 
 tion on the Divine Character. 
 
 We are bound to believe that we are called to holiness, 
 and to "be followers of God, as dear children" — " to put 
 off the old man, which is corrupt, according to the deceit- 
 ful lusts," and "be separated" from all those things "for 
 which Cometh the wrath of God on the children of diso- 
 bedience" — " to be renewed in the spirit of our minds," 
 and "put on the new man, which, after God, is created in 
 
124 OF PERFECTION AND PERSEVERANCE. 
 
 righteousness and true holiness ;" and, "walking as Child- 
 ren of Light, to serve Him in newness of life." 
 
 And we arc equally confident that impossibilities are not 
 requirrd of us. He never desiirned to bring us under con- 
 tinual condemnation, by our continual falling into sin, for 
 want of ability to resist temptation : knowing that "He 
 will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able to 
 bear; but will, with the temptation, make way also for our 
 escape." 
 
 Those who properly maintain the watch and the warfare, 
 can adopt the laiiiriiage of the apostle : "Nay, in all these 
 things we are more than conquerors, through Him that 
 loved us : for I am persuaded, that neither death nor life, 
 nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things pre- 
 sent nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any 
 other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of 
 God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. viii. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 OF THE SCRIPTURES. 
 
 In giving our belief of the Scriptures, we adopt the lan- 
 guage of the apostles themselves ; that they " are able to 
 make wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ 
 Jesus" — that they were " given by Inspiration of God, and 
 are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for 
 instruction in righteousness ; that the man of God may be 
 perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 
 Tim. iii. 15-17. " For the prophecy came not in old time 
 by the will of man ; but holy men of God spake as they 
 were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Pet. i. 21. 
 
 But though we give a full and unequivocal testimony to 
 their Divine origin, and the just estimation in which we 
 hold them ; yet we are not willing to fall into the error of 
 ascribing to them a character or an efficacy, which belongs 
 only to that Divine Source from which they came. Thus 
 we do not call them "the Word of God." And our prac- 
 tice in this respect, has sometimes been misunderstood by 
 other religious denominations. But I would ask the calm 
 and patient reflection of such, that they may clearly under- 
 stand our views before they pass censure upon us. 
 
 What idea, I would enquire, do they themselves intend 
 to convey by the terms, " the Word of God ? " If they 
 mean, that the Divine Spirit dictated them— so do we. If 
 they mean that God spoke through his servants, as re- 
 corded in the Scriptures— so do we. Wherein, then, it 
 may be asked, do we differ ? It is in this. The Scrip- 
 
126 Tiiii s{ripti;rls. 
 
 turos themselves appropriate the epithet in question to 
 Christ, and to the Holy Spirit. 
 
 The Evan/relist says : " In the beginning was the Word ; 
 and the Word was with God, and the Word zcas God. 
 The same was in the beginning with God. All things were 
 made by Him ; and without Him was not any thing made 
 that was made." John i- 1-3. " And the Word was made 
 flesh and dwelt among us." v. 14. " The Word of God is 
 quick and powerful, and is a discerncr of the thoughts and 
 intents of the heart ; neither is there any creature that is 
 not manifest in his sight." Heb. iv. 12, 13. " The worlds 
 were framed by the Word of God." ib. xi. 3. And John, 
 in the Revelations, speaking of Him who is " called Faith- 
 ful ami True," whom the armies in heaven followed, 
 andwhois"Kingof kings, and Lord of lords," says : "His 
 Name is called the Word of God." Rev. xix. 13. 
 
 We therefore do not feel ourselves at liberty to apply 
 that Name to the Scriptures, which in Scripture is applied 
 to Him who created the worlds. It would lead to erro- 
 neous conclusion ; and might I not say, without giving 
 offence, that erroneous opinions have been already drawn 
 on the subject. 
 
 It has been supposed by some, that the Scriptures are 
 the only rule of faith and practice* — and constructively, 
 that without a knowledge of them salvation is not possible. 
 
 Here we take the same ground that was taken in regard 
 to the Name ; for this is attributing to the Scriptures, what 
 thet/ testify should be ascribed to Christ. 
 
 The great body of Christian professors, confess that the 
 mysteries which the Scriptures contain, cannot be under- 
 stood without the illuminating influence of the Holy Spirit. 
 And suH'ly none of these can suppose that the Scriptures 
 are superior to that Spirit from which they were given 
 forth, and by which they must still be unfolded to the 
 human mind. For the inconsistency of such an opinion 
 must be obvious. 
 
THE SCRIPTURES. 127 
 
 We think also, that salvation is not limited to the circu- 
 lation of the Scriptures. This would be derogatory to the 
 Divine Character, as well as to the doctrines of the Chris- 
 tian religion. 
 
 If none can be saved, but those who have the Scriptures, 
 it is possible for man to deprive his fellow of salvation, by 
 the exercise of force, in putting it out of his power to 
 obtain tlie means. And thus it would follow, that human 
 power can not only kill the body, but cast the soul into an 
 eternal separation from the Divine Presence ; directly con- 
 trary to the doctrine of our Lord. 
 
 The condition of slaves is intimately connected with this 
 view of the subject. Even in the midst of a highly pro- 
 fessing people, they are deprived of the Scriptures by being- 
 deprived of education sufficient to read them. And these 
 restrictions and privations are imposed by law, in some 
 parts of the world, in which vast numbers of them reside. 
 And can a legislative body thus deprive millions of their 
 fellow men of the means of salvation ! Can such an opinion 
 find an advocate ! 
 
 But I am aware that I shall be told, that they can hear 
 the preaching of the Gospel ; and thus they can be saved. 
 
 But what if the preaching which they hear should not 
 be the Gospel ? Or will any preaching that is delivered 
 even by unqualified persons, answer as well as the Scrip- 
 tures ? The objection, in the sense in which it must be 
 taken, is going from the point — it is taking new grounds ; 
 and such as cannot be sustained. It is giving up the 
 Scriptures as the rule, and transferring it to the preachers ; 
 because these slaves cannot refer to the Scriptures, as a test 
 of what they hear. It transfers all that has been attributed 
 to the Scriptures, from those Sacred Writings, to men — and 
 many of these, not even professing to speak under Divine 
 influence. Are these doctrines of the Gospel ? Is this the 
 excellency of the New Covenant Dispensation ? Are we 
 brought, at last, to this point, to maintain that we are 
 
128 THE sCniPTUBES. 
 
 obliged to "teach every man his neighbour, &c. saying: 
 Know the Lord ?" 
 
 The condition of the poor must also be taken into consi- 
 deration. Many of these are destitute of the Scriptures. 
 And cannot God save these, though they are objects of his 
 peculiar regard ? 
 
 Infants too are all destitute of the Scriptures. And are 
 they all lost on that account ? 
 
 These, it may be said, are only destitute of the Scrip- 
 tures, in consequence of that course of events, which is the 
 result of the moral government of the Deity Himself. 
 
 The same may be said of deaf and dumb persons. And 
 we are brought to the same conclusion, in relation to those 
 nations who never had it in their power to come to a 
 knowledge of these Writings. And, consequently, if we 
 are to suppose that infants are not lost, for the want of that 
 knowledge v/hich it is impossible they should have — so 
 likewise of deaf and dumb persons, and of all others who 
 are under the same privfitions, from causes equally beyond 
 their control. 
 
 But in conteruling that men may be saved without the 
 knowledge of the Scriptures, we do not inteiul, in any 
 degree, to let down their excellence, or deny their Divine 
 authority, or the superior advantages that wt possess, who 
 have them. The reasoning of the apostle may, very pro- 
 perly, be brought to illustrate our views on this subject. 
 After showing that the gentiles were objects of Divine 
 regard, he came to a question, very similar to that now 
 uruler consideration : " What advantage then hath the 
 Jew ?" His answer was very appropriate : " Much every 
 way ; chie/ly, i)ecause that unto them were committed 
 the Oracles of God." Rom. iii. 1, 2. And the Scrii)lures 
 noxc embrace not only what thc,j i)ossessed— the La«, the 
 Prophets, and the Psalms, but the New Testament, in addi- 
 tion to ihese. So that the advantages we possess over the 
 
, .THE SCRIPTURES. 129 
 
 heathen part of the world, are abundantly superior to 
 those which were possessed by the Jews. And we are 
 bound to acknowledge, commemorate, and be humbly 
 thankful for these advantages. And, more than this, if we 
 do not make a corresponding improvement, our condem- 
 nation will be in proportion. 
 
 The inference — because salvation is possible to those who 
 are deprived of the knowledge of the Scriptures, that they 
 are not eminently useful to those who have them, or capa- 
 ble of being so, cannot be drawn from reason or analogy. 
 Such an idea would have a direct tendency to cut off the 
 sense of the blessings we enjoy, and deprive us of the feel- 
 ings of gratitude to the Divine Source of those blessings. 
 
 I am aware that it is possible not to distinguish between 
 that which is indispensable^ and that which is useful— 2LnA 
 consequently not to ascribe to that which is not indispens- 
 able, its due weight and importance. These errors have 
 been fallen into, in regard to the Scriptures. While some 
 have supposed they were indispensable, others, in avoiding 
 this extreme, have denied their utility altogether ; suppos- 
 ing that, because the Grace of God is sufficient, and has 
 appeared to all men, it is producing unnecessary per- 
 plexity in the heathen part of the world, to introduce 
 among them the views, principles, and precepts which are 
 presented to us in the Scriptures. The sentiment amounts 
 to this ; that, as man may be saved by the operations in his 
 own mind, taken in connexion with what ''Christ has done 
 for us without us," it is unnecessary, and perhaps im- 
 proper, to disturb him with any ideas but his own. Who- 
 ever entertains opinions like these, is certainly bound, 
 by his own principles, to observe a profound silence. 
 Whatever may be the ignorance of men — whatever light 
 and knowledge he may think has been bestowed upon him, 
 mankind, according to his own doctrine, are not to be 
 benefited by his sentiments, or his labours for their instruc- 
 4 K 
 
130 THE StRlPTURES, 
 
 tioii. If Ik* docs propagate his opinions, he gives a 
 practical contradiction to the very sentiments he is endea- 
 vouring to establish. 
 
 A man, we know, may exist in a state of extreme priva- 
 tion. And yet no one would suppose there would be no 
 advantage, no blessing, in any thing he could possess 
 above that state of privation and mere existence. And 
 thus in the case before us ; though we contend that a man 
 may be saved, who is deprived of ail instrumental advan- 
 tages, yet we are bound to acknowledge that these external 
 means are favours, for which we should be deeply and re- 
 verently thankful to Almighty God, who has been pleased 
 to bestow them upon us. And the Holy Scriptures stand 
 preeminently high among those blessings, for which we 
 should be thus thankful. " Bless the Lord, O my soul !" 
 said the Psalmist, "and forget not all his benefits." Ps. 
 ciii. 2. And this remains to be the language of the pious 
 mind. 
 
 Thus the Society, from the beginning, though they have 
 been unwilling to apply a name to the Scriptures, which 
 belongs to the Divinity — and though they have been un- 
 willing to ascribe to them an office and an elHcacy, which 
 belong to Christ ; yet they have valued them above all 
 other writings in tlie world ; and in all cases, and at all 
 times, have been willing to bring their principles and 
 practices to them, as to a certain test. And not only so, 
 but the (lillerent Yearly Meetings, from their institution 
 down lo the present day, have made it a rule of the 
 Society, and held it up as a strong obligation on all its 
 members — " frequently to read the Holy Scriptures." 
 And inferior meetings are r<quired to inform superior 
 meetings, whether these advices are observed in the 
 families within their limits or not. 
 
 The following extracts are taken from the advices issued 
 
THE SCHIPTURES. 131 
 
 by the Yearly Meeting held in Lbndon ; annexing to each 
 the date at which it was issued. 
 
 " Recommended, as an incumbent duty on Friends, to 
 cause their children to be frequent in reading the Holy 
 Scriptures, and to observe to them the examples of such 
 children, as in Scripture are recorded to have early learned 
 the fear of the Lord, and hearkened to his counsel." 1709. 
 " It is also seriously advised, that no Friends suffer 
 romances, play -books, or other vain and idle pamphlets, in 
 their houses or families, which tend to corrupt the minds 
 of youth ; but that they excite them to the reading of the 
 Holy Scriptures, and religious books. Let the Holy 
 Scriptures be early taught our youth, diligently searched 
 and seriously read by Friends, with due regard to the Holy 
 Spirit from whence they came, and by which they are 
 truly opened : for they contain excellent doctrines, rules, 
 and precepts, Divine and moral." 1720. 
 
 "And, dear Friends ! inasmuch as the Holy Scriptures are 
 the external means of conveying and preserving to us, an 
 account of the things most surely to be believed concern- 
 ing the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh, and 
 the fulfilling of the prophecies relating thereto ; we there- 
 fore recommend to all Friends, especially elders in the 
 Church, and masters of families, that they would, both by 
 example and advice, impress on the minds of the younger, 
 a reverent esteem of those Sacred Writings, and advise them 
 to a frequent reading and meditating therein ; — and that 
 you would, at proper times and seasons, and when you find 
 your minds rightly disposed thereunto, give the youth to 
 understand, that the same good experience of the work of 
 sanctification, through the operation of the Spirit of God, 
 which the Holy Scriptures plentifully bear testimony to, is 
 to be witnessed by believers in all generations, as well as 
 by those in the first ages of Christianity ; in which case, 
 some account of your own experience will be helpful to 
 4 K 2 
 
132 THE 8CUIPTURES. 
 
 Ihom. And this we recommend, as the most effectual means 
 of be^ettiniT and establishinc^ in their minds, a firm belief 
 of the Christian doctrine in general, as well as the necessity 
 of the aid and help of the operations of the Holy Spirit of 
 God in the hearts of men, in particular, contained in that 
 most excellent book, the Bible , and of preserving them 
 from being defiled with the many pernicious notions and 
 principles, contrary to such sound doctrine, which are at 
 this time industriously dispersed in the nation, to the re- 
 proach of the Christian profession in general." 1728. 
 
 " That they accustom them to the frequent and diligent 
 reading of the Sacred Writings, which through Divine 
 goodness are afforded to us, for our " instruction in righte- 
 ousness ;" 2 Tim. iii. 16. and "that we, through patience 
 and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope." Rom. 
 XV. 4. 1769. 
 
 "We earnestly recommend to all, the frequent perusal of 
 the Holy Scriptures, according to repeated exhortations." 
 1789. 
 
 "We believe there is an increased attention in Friends in 
 various parts, not only to promote in their families the fre- 
 quent reading of the Holy Scriptures, but to make it the 
 employment of a portion of time dailj/. We commend this 
 practice ; and we believe that if the heads of families are 
 careful in cultivating the Seed of Truth in themselves, there 
 will be so little danger of the custom becoming formal, that 
 it will not unfrequently be the means of quickening the 
 minds of those concerned in it : more especially if a sub- 
 seqiuMit pause be allowed ; in order that the sacred truths 
 which have been read, may have time to make their due 
 impression on the mind, or that the mind may have time to 
 rise in secret aspirations after a blessing." 1807. 
 
 " It has afforded us tnuch satisfaction to believe, that the 
 Christian practice ot'daihy reading in families a portion of 
 Holy Scripture, with a subsequent pause for retirement and 
 
THE SCRIPTURES. 
 
 133 
 
 reflection, is increasing amongst us. We conceive that it 
 is both the duty and the interest of those who believe in 
 the doctrines of the Gospel, and who possess the invalu- 
 able treasure of the Sacred Records, frequently to recur to 
 them for instruction and consolation. We are desirous 
 that this wholesome domestic regulation may be adopted 
 every where. Heads of families, who have themselves 
 experienced the benefit of religious instruction, will do 
 well to consider whether, in this respect, they have not a 
 duty to discharge to servants and others of their household. 
 Parents, looking sincerely for help, to Him of whom these 
 Scriptures testify, may not unfrequently, on such occasions, 
 feel themselves enabled and engaged to open to the minds 
 of their interesting charge, the great truths of Christian 
 duty and Christian Redemption. 
 
 " In considering this subject, our younger Friends have 
 been brought to our remembrance, with warm and tender 
 solicitude. We hope that many of 3/ow, dear youth, are 
 no strangers to this practice ; and to some we trust it has 
 already been blessed. Hesitate not, we beseech all of this 
 class, to allot a portion of each day, to read and meditate 
 upon the Sacred Volume in private ; steadily direct your 
 minds to Him who alone can open and apply the Scrip- 
 tures to our spiritual benefit." 1815. 
 
 Advices similar to the above have been given by the 
 other Yearly Meetings ; which are omitted, to avoid un- 
 necessary repetitions. 
 
 R. Barclay, in his Apology, Prop. HI. § vi. says : " We 
 do look upon them as the only fit outward judge of con- 
 troversies among Christians ; and that whatsoever doctrine 
 is contrary unto their testimony, may therefore justly be 
 rejected as false. And for our parts, we are very Avilling 
 that all our doctrines and practices be tried by them, 
 (which we never refused, nor ever shall, in all controversies 
 with our adversaries,) as the judge and test. — We shall 
 4 K 3 
 
134 THE 8CUIPTUUES. 
 
 also be very willing to admit it as a positive, certain 
 maxim, that xchatsoexer any do^ pretendifig to the Spirit, 
 xchich is contrary/ to the Scriptures, be accounted and 
 reckoned a delusion of the devil. For, as we never lay 
 claim to the Spirit's leadings, that we may cover ourselves 
 in any thing that is evil ; so we know, that as every evil 
 contradicts the Scriptures, so it doth also the Spirit in the 
 first place, from which the Scriptures came, and whose 
 motions can never contradict one another." 
 
 And this has been the acknowledged doctrine of the 
 Society, down to the present day. 
 
 We therefore view w ith feelings of deep regret and dis- 
 approbation, any attempts to bring the Scriptures into 
 disesteem; because such attempts invariably tend to let 
 down or discredit the important truths recorded in them, 
 and thus openly or insidiously, to sap the foundation of 
 the Christian religion. 
 
 By whatever arguments, therefore, these attempts may 
 be made, whether to cast contempt on the style, or to 
 call in question the probability of the events recorded in 
 them, or the authority by which they were given, or the 
 manner in which Divine truths have been delivered, or to 
 represent them as superseded by the diffusion of saving 
 Light — in whatever Avay they may be attempted to be 
 brought into discredit, or into disuse, we are assured that 
 the cause of religion can never be promoted by such 
 means. And yet it deserves to be remembered, that the 
 purposes and instruments of evil, have often been over- 
 ruled by a Superior Power. And thus it has resulted in 
 the case before us. For all investigations of tlie authen- 
 ticity and Divine authority of the Scriptures, have resulted 
 in the more lirm establishment of that excellent character 
 which we claim for them. 
 
 In point of style, the Scriptures contain some of tlie best 
 models of language cxtiint. The Psalms, the Prophets, 
 
THE SCIUPTUHES. 135 
 
 and tlie book of Job, afford specimens of sublimity, 
 which the best critics acknowledge have no equal in 
 ancient or modern composition. They abound in figur- 
 ative language, of a beautiful and animating description. 
 And, what is not unworthy of remark, there is no writing 
 in which the figures of speech better bear the test of 
 criticism, than those of the Scriptures. Even the most 
 celebrated modern writers, in the use of figurative lan- 
 guage, often fall into improprieties. But the figures of the 
 Sacred Writings are pure, striking, and correct. While 
 many parts of the Old Testament are truly and eminently 
 sublime, the greater part of the New Testament, particu- 
 larly the writings of the Evangelists, are equally remark- 
 able for beautiful simplicity. So far as they are biograph- 
 ical, there are no laboured commendations of individuals ; 
 but the dignity of the characters forms a striking, but 
 pleasing contrast, with the native simplicity of the lan- 
 guage in which they are commemorated. And yet, in some 
 of the Epistles, and in the Book of Revelations, the writers 
 were raised to a remarkable grandeur in their style, by 
 the majesty of the views unfolded to them. 
 
 Even those very peculiarilies of language which have 
 been made the objects of ridicule by the licentious, are 
 interesting as the venerable relicks of ancient simplicity. 
 
 But the stj/le is among the least interesting of their ex- 
 cellences. They carry us back to the very earliest ages of 
 the Avorld ; and, while they bring to view the manners of 
 mankind in the infancy of human society, they, at the same 
 time, present to us the most rational accounts of the crea- 
 tion of the world, the providence of God, and the mediums 
 through which He has instructed mankind, at different 
 periods, in their relations to Him and to each other. 
 
 The history, from being general, soon becomes princi- 
 pally confined to one particular family and nation ; which 
 was chosen for wise purposes, that through them the know- 
 4 K 4 
 
136 THE SCnirTURER. 
 
 ledge of the true God might be preserved. His dealings 
 with that nation, were of a character calculated to excite 
 the deepest interest in us: and the existence of that people 
 to the present day, scattered among all civilized nations 
 on the earth, yet not assimilated to any, but still retaining 
 their tenets and customs, and an ardent attachment to their 
 native country, may be regarded as a standing miracle. 
 And indeed we cannot consider it in any other point of 
 view ; since it was particularly foretold by prophecy, and 
 the history of the world does not afford a similar example. 
 We cannot contemplate the dealings of God with the 
 Jewish nation, without being impressed with a sense of his 
 wisdom, goodness, and overruling providence. The 
 necessity for the various obligations of the moral law, in 
 order to secure the happiness of society, must be obvious 
 to every reflecting mind. The ceremonial law is a won- 
 derful display of Divine wisdom and condescension, in 
 preparing the human mind for the introduction of the 
 Gospel Dispensation. While the Israelites were faithful to 
 their religious duties, a protecting Power and Providence 
 was so conspicuously displayed in their favour, as very 
 forcibly to impress the minds even of heathen nations, by 
 which they were surrounded. And thus a convincing tes- 
 timony was held up to the view of such nations, of the 
 being and the attributes of the one true God. And when, 
 at any time, they departed from his law, even though it 
 might be in adopting the manners and idolatrous practices 
 of the neighbouring nations, and when these very nations 
 became their scourge, this also was a testimony to the 
 Divine attributes ; and tendetl to diffuse in the world, a 
 knowledge of (Jod, his laws, aiul his judgments. Thus, in 
 their prosperity and their adversity, whether holding a 
 high and commanding station among the nations of the 
 earth, or scattered into foreign laiuls, and made to witness 
 an humiliating reverse of condition, one great object was 
 
THE SCRIPTUllES. 137 
 
 still in a progressive course of accomplishment — to preserve 
 a knowledge of God, and prepare mankind, both Jews and 
 gentiles, for the introduction of the Gospel Dispensation. 
 Nor can we say that the dispersion of the Jews, among 
 other nations, was less conducive to this great object, than 
 their highest state of prosperity and grandeur. 
 
 Although the Holy Scriptures have descended down to 
 us through a long series of ages, yet they are supported by 
 stronger evidences of truth, than any other history what- 
 ever. Among these evidences, may be mentioned the 
 scattered remnant of the Jewish nation — their customs and 
 traditions. 
 
 Many of the prophecies which the Scriptures contain, 
 are such as no human calculation or foresight could ever 
 have conjectured : and their exact fulfilment is strong 
 evidence of the Divine authority of the Scriptures. So 
 remarkable has been the accomplishment of many of these, 
 that some writers, to evade the force of this evidence in 
 favour of Revelation, have dogmatically asserted, that they 
 were histories written after the events had taken place, and 
 not prophecies of events to come. 
 
 Such an objection falls with full force on the objectors 
 themselves. For while it is an ample confession to the 
 fulfilment of the prophecy, a confession to which they are 
 compelled by history — the charge of their being written 
 after the events took place, stands as the unsupported as- 
 sertion of avowed enemies. 
 
 Against this charge, the testimony of the Jewish nation, 
 may be advanced in support of the prophecies in the Old 
 Testament ; and that of a succession of Christian writers 
 in a regular series, for many hundreds of years, in support 
 of those in the New Testament ; to both of which may be 
 added many corroborating testimonies of profane history, 
 of the highest respectability. Unfounded assertions, under 
 such circumstances, cannot be regarded in any other light, 
 
138 THK SCRIPTURES. 
 
 than as evidences of the truth of the very propositions 
 they were intended to overthrow. 
 
 That many of the prophecies were such as no human 
 foresiirht or calcuhition ever could have predicted, will 
 appear from a few that may be mentioned. 
 
 At the time tlie burden of .Babylon was pronounced by 
 the prophet Isaiah, ch. xiii. that metropolis was one of the 
 most powerful, most magnificent, and impregnably fortified 
 cities in the world. 
 
 Prideaux, in his "Connexion," Part I. b. 2, gives the 
 following account of its fortifications; and cites Herodotus 
 as his authority : " The walls were every way prodigious : 
 for they were in thickness 87 feet, in height 350 feet, and 
 in compass 60 miles ; that is, 13 miles on each side. The 
 walls were surrounded on the outside with a vast ditch, 
 filled with water, and lined with bricks on both sides." 
 " The earth which .was dug out of it, made the bricks 
 wherewith the walls were built ; and therefore from the 
 vast height and breadth of the walls, may be inferred the 
 greatness of the ditch." "On every side of this great 
 square, were 25 gates, that is, 100 in all, which were all 
 made of solid brass :" and on the walls were 250 to>vers. 
 
 A branch of the river Euphrates ran through the middle 
 of the city, and was embanked on each side, with a wall of 
 the same thickness as that which surrounded the city. 
 The magnificent works which it contained, were for ages 
 the wonder of the world. Who then would have supposed 
 that the time was approaching, when it would be the habi- 
 tation of (he beasts of the (h'sert ? — that il should "never be 
 inhabited from generaliou to generation ?" that "• neither 
 the Arabian should pitch his tent, nor the shepherd nuikc 
 his fold there?— that the wild beast of the desert should lie 
 there; the wild beasts of the islands cry in their desolate 
 houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces?" And yet the 
 prophecy has been so completely fulfilled, thaf, as Bishop 
 
THE SCRIPTURES. 139 
 
 Watson observes, " the world at this day knows not where 
 to find the spot on which it stood." And what is very re- 
 markable in its final desolation, is, that the houses and walls 
 were left standing. In this situation it was used for some 
 time by the Parthian kings, as a park for wild beasts — and 
 afterwards became so infested by venomous reptiles, parti- 
 cularly the palaces, &c. that travellers did not dare to 
 approach within half a mile, except during two months in 
 the winter. ( Vide Prideaux'' s Connexion^ Part I. 6.8.)* 
 
 The prophecy against Egypt, as delivered by Ezekiel, 
 is also of this description. Egypt, very soon after the 
 human family was divided into nations, became distin- 
 guished for a knowledge of the arts, and for the acquisition 
 of power. Many nations had felt the weight of her yoke, 
 and she was still in the full tide of prosperity, when the 
 prophet pronounced : " Egypt shall be the basest of the 
 kingdoms ; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the 
 nations ; for I will diminish them, and they shall no more 
 rule over the nations." E%eh. xxix. 15. This prophecy, 
 though delivered between two and three thousand years 
 ago, has been in a course of completion, from near that 
 time to the present. For " as is the prophecy, so has been 
 the event. Egypt was conquered by the Babylonians ; 
 and after the Babylonians, by the Persians ; and after the 
 Persians, it became subject to the Macedonians ; and after 
 the Macedonians to the Romans ; and after the Romans to 
 the Saracens ; then to the Mamelucs ; and is now a pro- 
 vince of the Turkish empire." 
 
 The prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel concerning 
 Zedekiah, may also be mentioned, as they are recorded in 
 the 34th chapter of the former, and 12th of the latter. By 
 the former it was told that the king of Babylon should take 
 
 * Within a few years, an interesting account has been published of a most 
 extensive site of ruins, about fifty miles from Bagdad, visited by Claudius 
 James Rich, whose very probable reasons for supposing them to be the ruins of 
 Babylon, if admitted, aftord even additional proof of the truth and fulfilment of 
 prophecy respecting this celebrated city, Eng. Editor. 
 
140 THE SCRIPTURES. 
 
 the city, and burn it with fire ; and that Zedckiah should 
 not escape out of his hands. That he should speak with 
 the king of Babylon, and should go to Babylon — "yet that 
 he should not die b}' the sword" — "but should die in 
 peace." Ezekiel prophesied that he " should not see 
 Babylon, though he should die there." This darkness of 
 expression, Josephus intimates, induced Zedekiah to give 
 no credit to either of these prophecies. But the event 
 realized them both. The city was taken — Zedekiah fell 
 into the hands of his enemies. He was brought to Riblah, a 
 city of Syria, where Nebuchadnezzar gave judgment upon 
 him. His sons were slain in his presence, and then they 
 put out his eyes, and carried him to Babylon, where he 
 died. 2 Kings xxv. 6. vi. 7. Joseph. Antiq. Book 10, c. 8. 
 
 Many others, equally striking, might be selected, but 
 they would swell this work beyond the limits which I have 
 proposed. 
 
 The prophecies, however,which relate to the Messiah, be- 
 ing of a peculiar character, deserve to be brought into view. 
 
 The promise made to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, 
 in nearly the same language, may very properly be con- 
 sidered among the prophecies relating to Jesus Christ. 
 " In thee, and in thy Seed, shall all the families of the earth 
 be blessed." These expressions were repeated to all the 
 three patriarchs : and in the diffusion of light and know- 
 ledge from the nation of the Jews, and the coming of the 
 Messiah through them, this promise or prophecy has 
 been fuKi lied. — But a similar declaration cannot be made 
 of any other nation on the earth. In the blessing pro- 
 nounced by Jacob on his sons, tlie following expressions 
 occur: "The sceptre shall not dej)art from ,!udah, nor a 
 lawgiver from between his feet, until Sliiloh conu* ; and 
 unto Him shall the gathering of the people be." Ac- 
 cordingly, through all the changes and revolutions, cap- 
 tivities and desolations, that overtook that favoured yet 
 rebellioiis people, the .fewish polity never was totally 
 
THE SCRIPTURES. 141 
 
 destroyed, nor the national sovereignty entirely overthrown, 
 till the Messiah came. 
 
 He was spoken of as a King, a Prophet, and a Priest — a 
 Deliverer — The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father. And 
 yet it was declared that He should be a man of sorrows and 
 acquainted with grief; — that He should be led as a lamb to 
 the slaughter ; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so 
 He openeth not his mouth. He was to be numbered with 
 transgressors; yet He did no sin, neither Mas guile found 
 in his mouth. Though a Priest, yet He was not to come 
 of that tribe to which the priesthood was confined. Beth- 
 lehem was to be the place of his nativity ; yet He was to be 
 called out of Egypt. — Of the house and lineage of David ; 
 yet the Son of a virgin. Though titles are here given that 
 never were (in Scripture) applied to any other man, 
 yet He is at the same time represented as brought to the 
 greatest humiliation, and even to death. Of that death 
 some of the most minute particulars are mentioned. His 
 being led from judgment — being numbered with trans- 
 gressors — his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in 
 his death. They should look on Him whom they had 
 pierced. — Not a bone of Him should be broken, neither 
 should He be suffered to see corruption, [or his body to 
 putrify.] — They parted his garments among them; and for 
 his vesture did they cast lots. All these are both the 
 language of prophecy and the language of history. Nor 
 did one of the prophecies relating to the Messiah fail of its 
 accomplishment in Jesus Christ. 
 
 The celebrated British orator, Erskine, in his speech on 
 the trial of Williams, remarked : " I consider the prophecy- 
 relative to the destruction of the Jewish nation, if there 
 were nothing else to support Christianity, as absolutely 
 irresistible." 
 
 The various incidents connected with this prophecy and 
 the fulfilment of it, are so interesting, and so intimately 
 
148 THE SCRIPTURES. '^ 
 
 connected with each other, that it would be impossible to 
 
 prcscMit the subject in its full force, without very far ex- ' 
 ceedincr tlie limits to which I am confined. And yet it is : 
 too strikinj; to be passed over altogether. 
 
 Jerusalem was built on two mountains, and was fortified : 
 on every side, with three walls of great strength ; except on | 
 one side, which was deemed inaccessible, where it was \ 
 defended by only one wall. On these walls were one I 
 hundred and thirty-four towers — besides which, in different ] 
 parts of the city, were towers and forts of extraordinary j 
 strength and magnificence ; some of which were said to be 
 of such exquisite workmanship, as to have the appearance i 
 of being hewn out of a single block of marble. ' 
 
 The richness, grandeur, and beauty of the temple, ren- 
 dered it an object of admiration to the world. Its strength 
 corresponded to its magnificence and splendour. It is | 
 described as being four furlongs in circuit, one hundred i 
 cubits high, and being built on a mountain ; its foundations ■ 
 ■were three hundred cubits deep. In these foundations I 
 were stones more than sixty feet long, and in the super- ' 
 structure there were blocks of the whitest marble, sixty- ' 
 eight feet long, seven feet thick, and nine broad. IIow 
 astonishing then must it have been to the disciples of our | 
 Lord, to be told, that not one stone of this ponderous | 
 edifice should be left upon another, that should not be 
 thrown down ! j 
 
 As our Lord was about entering the city, a few days ; 
 before his crucifixion — " When He was come near, He 
 beheld tlie city and wept over it, saying : If thou hadst 
 known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which 
 belong unto thy peace ! but now they are hid from thine 1 
 eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine | 
 enemies shall cast a trench about tln>e, and com|)ass thee I 
 round, and keep thee in on every siiie ; and lay thee even j 
 with the ground, and thy children within thee ; and they J 
 
THB SCRIPTURES. 143 
 
 shall not leave in thee one stone upon another : because 
 thou knewest not the time of thy visitation." Luke xix. 
 41, &c. 
 
 After this, while in the temple, teaching the people, the 
 high priests and elders, scribes and pharisees, &c. succes- 
 sively came unto Him, with artful and insidious questions, 
 that they might, if possible, " entangle Him in his talk :" 
 to whom, with his accustomed dignity and wisdom, He re- 
 turned such answers as carried conviction to their hearts, 
 and at once silenced and astonished them. Having, with 
 the most exquisite keenness of reproof, exposed the hypo- 
 crisy and wickedness of the scribes and pharisees. He pro- 
 ceeded to denounce against Jerusalem, the heavy venge- 
 ance that had for ages been accumulating in the vials of 
 Divine displeasure ; expressly declaring, that it should be 
 poured upon that generation : and adding that pathetic 
 apostrophe to this devoted city : " O Jerusalem ! Jeru- 
 salem ! thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them 
 that are sent unto thee ! how often would I have gathered 
 thy children together, as a hen gatliereth her chickens 
 under her wings, and ye would not ! Behold ! your house 
 is left unto you desolate." 
 
 Soon after this. He went out of the temple, and as He 
 departed, his disciples drew his attention to the wonderful 
 magnitude and splendour of the edifice : how it was 
 "adorned with goodly stones and gifts." In reply He 
 said : " Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here 
 one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.". 
 
 The prophecy extended to the signs which should pre- 
 cede this awful event ; all which was completely verified, 
 in the wars, and earthquakes, and famines, and pestilence, 
 and fearful signs and wonders, which marked the approach- 
 ing overthrow of the city, the temple, and the nation of the 
 Jews. The calamities of that time fully verified his decla- 
 rations, when He said : " There shall be great tribulation^ 
 
144 THE SCRIPTURES. 
 
 such as was not since the beginning of the world, no, nor 
 ever shall be." Matt. xxiv. 21. 
 
 The city was besieged by the Romans suddenly, and at 
 the feast of the passover, when it was thronged with Jews 
 from all quarters. They Avere divided into three factions 
 among themselves, who involved the whole city in one 
 continued scene of rapine, murder, and confusion. With 
 the most demoniac fury, they burned their stores of provi- 
 sions ; the dead were left unburied in their streets and 
 houses ; famine and pestilence were soon added to their 
 calamities, and were not less destructive than the sword. 
 
 Josephus estimates the number of those who perished in 
 the siege at one million one hundred thousand ! to which 
 may be added the immense numbers of those who perished 
 in other places — by the sword of their enemies, by famine, 
 by pestilence, and by one anothers' hands. 
 
 The streets and alleys were obstructed Avith dead ; vast 
 numbers were piled up under the walls ; and the channels 
 literally streamed with blood. 
 
 Titus, in a council of war, had determined to save the 
 temple ; but it was burnt, notwithstanding his utmost en- 
 deavours to save it. The scene at that moment, as described 
 by the historian, is of a deeply affecting nature. 
 
 When the temple became completely enveloped in 
 flames, from the extent of the conflagration, it impressed 
 the distant spectator with an idea, that the whole city was 
 on fire. The tumult and disorder Avhich ensued on this 
 cyent, says Josephus, it is inipossible to describe. The 
 shouts of the Roman legions, the outcries of the Jews, and 
 the lamentations of those who were pent up between the 
 enemy and the flames, mingled in awful cojifusion. Those 
 on the hill, and (hose in the cily, seemed mutually to re- 
 turn the groans of each other : while the lamentations from 
 the city were re-echoed from the mountains, and even from 
 beyond .lordan. 
 
THE SCRIPTURES. 145 
 
 In the mean time, the flames which enveloped the temple 
 Avere so violent and impetuous, that the lofty hill on which 
 it stood appeared, even from its deep foundations, as one 
 large fire. The blood of the vanquished flowed in pro- 
 fusion. The ground could not be seen for the dead bodies, 
 over which the Romans trampled in pursuit of those who . 
 were yet alive - while the roar of the flames, the clash- 
 ing of arms, the groans of the dying, and the shrieks of 
 despair, augmented the tremendous horrors of a scene, to 
 which the pages of history can furnish no parallel. 
 
 Thus " the vial of Divine wrath was poured out upon 
 this devoted city ; and Jerusalem, once a praise in all the 
 earth, and the subject of a thousand prophecies, deprived 
 of the staff" of life, wrapped in flames, and bleeding on every 
 side, sunk into utter ruin and desolation." 
 
 Nor was the desolation confined to the city : " The rich 
 territory of Judea was converted into a desolate waste. 
 Every where, ruin and desolation presented themselves to 
 the solitary traveller : and a melancholy and death-like 
 silence reigned over the whole region." 
 
 Titus having given orders for the city to be razed to its 
 foundations, it was so effectually done by the soldiers, that 
 they not only threw down the buildings, but even dug up 
 their foundations. The temple, though constructed of 
 such enormous stones, was so completely demolished, that 
 it is said, the Romans absolutely ploughed up its founda- 
 tions with a ploughshare. 
 
 Such was the improbability of these events, when they 
 were foretold by our Lord, that Titus himself, after he had 
 taken the city, with its various fortifications, was astonished 
 at his success, and exclaimed ; " Had not God Himself 
 aided our operations, and driven the Jews from their 
 fortresses, it would have been absolutely impossible to 
 have taken them ; for what could men or engines do 
 against such towers as these ? " 
 
 4 L 
 
14<$ THE SCRIFTURES. | 
 
 ] 
 
 The testimony of the evangelists and apostles, to the life i 
 and doctrines of our blessed Lord, is of more weight than 
 simply the testimony of so many eye >\itnesses. That the 
 
 writings of the New Testament are ascribed to their real j 
 
 authors ; and that they have been held in the highest | 
 
 estimation from the time they were written, through the I 
 ages which immediately follo'^ed, is proved by a regular 
 scries of writers, from those times down to a period not 
 
 remote from our own. j 
 
 But this is not the only circumstance to be noticed, when ! 
 speaking of the character of the writers of the New Testa- j 
 mcnt. There is unquestionable evidence that the early j 
 Christians did, by adopting and publishing the doctrines 
 of the Gospel, as contained in these m ritings,cxi)ose them- 
 selves to much persecution, and even to death itself. They ' 
 knew in the beginning, that this would be the case ; for , 
 the crucifixion of their Lord was of itself a sufficient { 
 evidence of what they were to encounter. So sensible l 
 were they of these things, that one of them declared : " If ; 
 in this life only we have hope, we are of all men most i 
 miserable." " For I think," said he, "that God hath set I 
 forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death ; ^ 
 for we are made a spectacle unto the world, to angels, and ^ 
 to men. Even unto this present hour, we both hunger and | 
 thirst, and are naked, and are butfetted, and have no certain I 
 dwelling place ; and labour, Avorking with our own hands. I 
 Being reviled, we bless ; being persecuted, we suffer it ; 
 being defamed, we entreat : we are made as the filth of the I 
 earth, and the offscouring of all things unto this day." 
 1 Cor. iv. 9, 11—13. Yet they dechirod they. had "not \ 
 followed cunningly devised fables, when they made known ■ 
 the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." With ; 
 this evidence, and supported by an invisible Power, they ^ 
 rose superior to all the afflictions they had to endure ; for 
 such was their languajro ; "Who shall separate us from 
 
THE SCRIPTURES. 147 
 
 the love of Christ ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or per- 
 secution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ! As 
 it is written, for Thy sake we are killed all the day long, 
 we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all 
 these things we are more than conquerors, through Him 
 that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor 
 life — nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers — nor things 
 present, nor things to come — nor height, nor depth, nor 
 any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the 
 love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. 
 viii. 35 to the end. 
 
 Now what, it may be asked, could induce men to speak 
 as they spoke, and suffer what they endured ? Nothing 
 of a sordid nature ; nothing but the most unshaken belief 
 of the truth of what they published to the world, by 
 preaching and by av riling. 
 
 It is acknowledged on all hands, that no system of 
 morality ever published to the world, can compare with 
 that of the Gospel. Is it then even probable that men 
 would become impostors to promulgate virtue — to promote 
 the happiness of man : and that at the sacrifice of ease, of 
 liberty, and life ? Such an event would indeed be a 
 phenomenon, a mystery on which those the least disposed 
 to scepticism might well doubt. It is truly one of the 
 most improbable conjectures that could be formed ; and 
 certainly could add no credit to any cause in support 
 of which it might be advanced. 
 
 If the apostles and evangelists did believe in the rela- 
 tion of facts which they gave, their testimony cannot be 
 considered of doubtful authority. They had ample oppor- 
 tunity to be thoroughly acquainted Avilh those facts ; and 
 the situation in which they were placed, rendered it ( I 
 would say) impossible that they should be mistaken. 
 
 The discrepances which are discoverable in the writings 
 of the evangelists, are no argument against the authenticity 
 4 ' L g 
 
148 THE SCRIPTURES. \ 
 
 of those accounts. The seeming disagreement arises from i 
 the shortness of the respective narratives, together with our ; 
 imperfect knowledge of the manners, and even modes of j 
 expression, which belonged to those times. 
 
 On the contrary, that very discrepancy, allowing the « 
 disagreement in its utmost latitude, is an argument of the | 
 authenticity of those Scriptures. For it proves conclusive- i 
 ly that there was, in compiling those histories, no combina- i 
 tion to impose a fraud on the world. And we cannot for a 
 moment suppose that a fraud was intended to be committed, : 
 without being led at once to the conclusion, that a combi- 
 nation would have been tlie very first step, to give that 
 fraud consistency/ and plausibility. 
 
 These writings, however, carry with them the internal ; 
 evidences of truth and honest simplicity ; and we cannot j 
 attribute to them one single improper motive, one single 1 
 falsehood, without resorting to hypotheses of the most ' 
 improbable kind. 
 
 It may lujt be improper here, to make some remarks 
 on the authenlicitij of the Scriptures ; and to draw the j 
 necessary distinctions hcivieen genuineness andauthenticitt/. 
 " A genuine book," says Bishop Watson, " is that which is 
 written by the person whose name it bears, as the author of 
 it." Dr Johnson detines oitthenticitj/ to be " genuineness, j 
 authority." Authenticity, therefore, embraces not only ' 
 genuineness, but also the /r?//// of what is related, and the 
 authority on which it rests. The word does not simply I 
 mean that what is written is true, and ascribed to its real ! 
 author ; for in this sense, it would be equally applicable j 
 to works of the most frivolous descriplion. It has also, and 1 
 in an especial manner, reference to tluw/w///or/7//, as well i 
 as trulhj of the book or writing to which it is applied. 
 
 When we consider the necessity there is, and has been, 
 for some acknowledged authority, to whicli lo bring the 
 conllicling opinions of men — when we remember the extra- 
 
THE SCIIIPTURES. 149 
 
 ordinary manifestations of power, which attended the first 
 promulgation of the Scriptures, and the miraculous man- 
 ner in which they have been preserved — as well as tlie 
 truth of the different portions of history, of prophecy, and 
 of doctrine they contain ; we must be sensible that Divine 
 interposition has not been so evidently displayed, in rela- 
 tion to any other writing whatever. And therefore we 
 must acknowledge, their authenticit?/ stands on more 
 elevated ground than that of any other writing in the 
 world. 
 
 The miracles recorded in them, rest on the strongest 
 grounds that could exist in the nature of things. To deny 
 that miracles could be performed, is not properly a deis- 
 tical, but an atheistical sentiment. For he that believes in 
 a God who created, and still upholds the universe, by his 
 power and providence — who originally established the 
 laws by which all nature is governed — must also admit that 
 He can impede or suspend the operation of those laws, or 
 turn the course of events which are going on under them. 
 Thus it is evident that the possibility of miracles cannot 
 be denied, without, at the same time, denying the being or 
 the providence of God. 
 
 The possibiliti/ of miracles being admitted, and the 
 evidence of their having taken place, being the strongest 
 that could possibly be produced, it devolves on the infidel 
 to admit their truth, or produce counter evidence of supe- 
 rior weight ; which it is impossible he should do. 
 
 Thus the Scriptures, as an historical or external evidence 
 of revealed religion, have stood, and will stand, all (he 
 combined forces of infidelity. They have stood for ages 
 — believed and vindicated by the greatest and best of men. 
 
 The young and inexperienced may rest assured, that it 
 is more by ridicule, profane jests, and unfounded asser- 
 tions, than by reason or evidence, that the infidel endea- 
 vours to invalidate or discredit the truths of the Gospel. 
 4 L 3 
 
150 THE SCRIPTURES. 
 
 But, over and above all this, the Christiaii system, as 
 represented in the Scriptures of TriHh, carries with it the 
 evidence of its Divine origin. The excellence of its moral 
 precepts — the pure, sublime, and rational devotion it em- 
 braces — and the clear views it gives of the relation between 
 the creatures and the Creator — may be said to be without a 
 parallel in the world ; and are every way worthy of its 
 Divine Author. But the best and most conclusive evidence 
 in its favour, is to be found in the experience of those, 
 who come under the blessed influence of those principles 
 to which the Scriptures bear testimony. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION, AND THE INFLUENCES 
 OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 
 
 Man, merely by his natural faculties, never could have 
 acquired a knowledge of God, or of the means of obtain- 
 ing his approbation. And consequently there was a neces- 
 sity for a Revelation, both of his will and his attributes. 
 This Revelation was aft'orded in the very beginning of 
 time, and became more and more clear, till the full 
 introduction of that Dispensation, which is spoken of as 
 marking " the last days ;" and consequently in which 
 there is to be no change. 
 
 It is unnecessary to enumerate particular examples of 
 Immediate Revelation in the patriarchal ages, and during 
 the Legal Dispens-ation ; or to show that, on the introduction 
 of the Gospel Dispensation, Divine Revelation was more 
 remarkably afforded than under the Law : for all the 
 various denominations professing the Christian religion, 
 will readily accede to this position. It will also be granted, 
 I apjjrehend, that the Influence which regulated the lives 
 of the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, was of the same 
 Spirit which opened to their minds a knowledge of future 
 events. 
 
 I take it therefore for granted, that Immediate Rcvehation, 
 and the perceptible influences of the Holy Spirit, were 
 enjoyed from the earliest periods of human society, to the 
 introduction of the Gospel Dispensation ; and that, at this 
 important era, it was more eminently experienced than at 
 4 L 4 
 
152 OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 
 
 any previous time. The first inquiry tlicu uill be, whether 
 this favour is conlinued to the Church, or not. 
 
 The Society of Friends believe that it is ; and they think 
 they are supported in this belief by the testimony of Scrip- 
 ture, as well as by individual experience. 
 
 In order therefore to decide, whether Immediate Revela- 
 tion v<a^ only arfrcMm5/«wce which attended the introduction 
 of the Gospel Dispensation, or was really an essential part 
 of that Dispensation itself, wc shall examine, first, a few of 
 the prophecies which related to it, and then some of the 
 testimonies which are to be found of their fulfilment. 
 Isaiah, who has been called the evangelical prophet, from 
 his clear prophecies relating to the Messiah and the nature 
 of his kingxlom, says : " For I will pour water upon him 
 that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground : I will 
 pour ray Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine 
 offspring." ch. xliv. 3. In speaking of the coming and 
 sufferings of Christ, he says : " So shall He sjirinkle many 
 nations ; the kings shall shut their mouths at Him : for that 
 which had not been told them shall they see ; and that 
 which they had not heard shall they consider." ib. Hi. 15. 
 And after that clear prediction of the sufferings and death 
 of Christ, and the accession of the gentiles which should 
 follow, he says : " And all thy children shall be taught of 
 the Lord ; and great shall be the peace of thy children." 
 ib. liv. 13. And in connexion with the same prophecy, he 
 says : "Incline your ear,and come unto Me ; hear, and your 
 soul shall live : and I will make an Everlasting Covenant 
 with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold ! I have 
 given Him for a Witness to the people, a Leader and Com- 
 mander to tlu; people." ib. Iv. 3, 4. " For thus saith the 
 high and lolty One, that inhabiteth eternity, whose Name 
 is Holy : I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also 
 that is of a contrite and humble spirit ; to revive the spirit 
 of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." 
 
OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 153 
 
 ib. Ivii. 15. "As for Me, this is my Covenant with them, 
 saith the Lord ; my Spirit that is upon thee, and my words 
 which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy 
 mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the 
 mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth 
 and for ever." ib. lix. 21. " Thy sun shall no more go 
 down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself : for the 
 Lord shall be thine Everlasting Light, and thy God thy 
 glory." ib. Ix. 19, 20. " Behold \ the days come, saith the 
 Lord, that I will make a New Covenant with the house of 
 Israel, and with the house of Judah : not according to the 
 Covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day that I 
 took them by the hand, to bring them out of the land of 
 Egypt :" — " But this shall be the Covenant that I will make 
 with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord ; 
 I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in 
 their hearts ; and will be their God, and they shall be my 
 people. And they shall teach no more every mhn his 
 neighbour, and every man his brother, saying : Know the 
 Lord ; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them 
 unto the greatest of them." Jcr. xxxi. 31-34. This is 
 called an Everlasting Covenant, ib. xxxii. 40. E%ek. xvi. 
 GO, and xxxvii. 26. Ileb. xiii. 20. 
 
 The prophet Ezekiel also, in speaking of tlie blessings of 
 Christ's kingdom, says : "A new heart also will I give you ; 
 and a new Spirit will I put within you :" — " And I will 
 put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my 
 statutes ; and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." 
 Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27. 
 
 "And it shall come to pass afterwards, [or, as the apostle 
 Peter expressed it, 'in the last dai/s,''] that I will pour out 
 my Spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and your daughters 
 shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and 
 your young men shall see visions : and also upon the ser- 
 
154 OJ- IMMi:i>IATJ; UEVLi.ATlON. 
 
 vanls and upon the handinaids, in those days, uill I pour 
 out my Spirit." Joel ii. i?8, 29. 
 
 If these prophecies apply to the Gospel Dispensation, 
 which I apprehend will not be called in question, they 
 certainly apply to this Dispensation as its permanent 
 characteristics, and not as mere circumstances attending 
 its introduction. 
 
 The testimony of our Lord Himself, and of the apostles 
 and evangelists, very fully corroborates and conflrms the 
 prophecies that went before ; and still maintains the same 
 doctrine, of the permanent nature of this trait in the 
 character of the New Dispensation, and of the necessity 
 that it should be so. » 
 
 Both the prophets and apostles represented the Legal 
 Dispensation as inferior to that of the Gospel in divers re- 
 spects, and, in a particular manner, in the greater effusion 
 of the Holy Spirit, and consequently a more eminent de- 
 gree of Immediate Revelation. For the old Covenant Avas 
 to give way to one " more excellent, and established upon 
 better promises;" Ileh. viii. 6; in which the access to God 
 should be more easy, the revelation of his will be immediate, 
 and this glorirus privilege be placed Avithin the reach of 
 ^^alW^ ^'from the Itast to the greatest. ^^ 
 
 When our Lord had ri.sen from the dead, and was giving 
 his disciples that general commission lor publishing his 
 doctrines. He said : "All power is given unto Me in heaven 
 and in earth :" — "and lo, I am with you alway, even unto 
 the end of tlie world." Matt, xxviii. 18, 20. These decla- 
 rations of our Lord, were not confined in their application 
 to those who were then i)resent ; but we may adopt the lan- 
 guage of the apostle, tlial '' Whatsoever was written afore- 
 time, was written lor our k'arning ; that we, through 
 patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope." 
 Jiom. XV. 4. And therefore, as firmly as we believe in the 
 power of our Lord and Saviour, so firmly wc may be as- 
 
OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 155 
 
 sured, on the same authority, of his presence with his ser- 
 vants through all ages. 
 
 Previous to his crucifixion, and in order to prepare thera 
 for that event, and for a clear understanding of tlic nature 
 of the Dispensation which He introduced, He impressed on 
 their minds, in a remarkable manner, this very doctrine 
 which we hold, of the Holy Spirit : its sensible influences 
 on the mind, and its revealing operations : " And I will 
 pray the Father, and He shall give you another Com- 
 forter, that He may abide with you for ever." Here is 
 clearly set forth the permanence of this favour to the true 
 believers. It was not to be a transient thing, afforded for a 
 limited period, but to abide with his disciples for ever. He 
 proceeds : — " Even the Spirit of Truth ; whom the world 
 cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth 
 Him : but ye know Him : for He dwelleth with you, and 
 shall be in you." John xiv. 16, 17. And in the 25th and 
 26th verses of the same chapter. He adds : " These thino-s 
 have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But 
 the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father 
 will send in my Name, He shall teach you all things, and 
 bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have 
 said unto you." And again, in the next chapter. He says : 
 " As the branch cannot bear fruit except it abide in the 
 vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the 
 Vine; ye are the branches : he that abideth in Me, and I in 
 him, the same bringeth forth much fruit ; for without Me 
 ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me," he is cast 
 forth as a branch, and is withered." ver. 4, 6. That the 
 Holy Spirit was received by the primitive believers, ac- 
 cording to these promises, will not be called in question 
 by any denomination of Christians. Nor was it conferred 
 in only a few cases, or at a particular period. It fell on 
 Cornelius and his household. It was received by the con- 
 verts of Samaria. Acts viii. 15. The same favour was 
 
156 or IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 
 
 enjoyed by the churches throiie:hout Jndca, Galatia,- and 
 Samaria. Acts ix. 31. Thus also at Antioch, and the re- 
 gion round about, " the disciples were tilled ^\ itli joy, and 
 with the Holy Ghost." Acts xiii. 52. 
 
 We arc not, however, without examples of a contrary 
 nature, which also deserve to be noticed. The eloquent 
 Apollos, in his first visit to Ephesus, was instructed only in 
 John's baptism ; and though he was fervent in spirit, yet 
 he did not fully preach the doctrines of the Gospel ; so 
 that Aquila and Priscilla found it necessary to instruct hiin 
 more perfectly. And that the most important defect in his 
 doctrine related to immediate Divine influence, appears 
 from tlie next chapter ; for it is recorded there, that Paul, 
 having passed through the upper coasts, came to Ephesus, 
 (where Apollos had just been preaching, before he was 
 more perfectly instructed,) and found certain disciples ; of 
 ■whom he inquired, if they had received the Holy Ghost 
 since they believed. But they had not so much as heard 
 whether there was one or not. iBut during his stay, and 
 religious exercises with them, the Holy Spirit was com- 
 municated to them : and it was very evident that they were 
 not fully introduced into the Church, until they had re- 
 ceived it. Acts xviii. and xix. Though Simon Magus 
 had received the tenets of the Christian religion, and been 
 so far initiated into the society of the primitive believers, 
 as to be baptized in water ; yet, not having received tlie 
 Holy Sj)irit, it was found that he had neither part nor lot 
 in the matter." ylcts viii. 21. 
 
 The doctrines of the New Testament confirm these 
 historical evidences, in establishiig the inliuences of the 
 Holy Spirit as a permanent rliararter of the Gospel Dis- 
 pensation. 
 
 But lest it might be objected, that, as miracles and the 
 gift of tongues have ceased, the gif( of the Holy Spirit has 
 
OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 157 
 
 ceased also ; a few remarks may be made to obviate such 
 an objection. 
 
 The apostle enumerates various operations of the same 
 Spirit : " For to one is given, by the Spirit, the word of 
 wisdom ; to another the word of knowledge, by the same 
 Spirit; to another faith, by the same Spirit ; to another the 
 gift of healing, by the same Spirit ; to another the working 
 of miracles ; to another prophecy ; to another discerning of 
 spirits ; to another divers kinds of tongues ; to another the 
 interpretation of tongues : but all these worketh that one 
 and the self same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as 
 He will." 1 Cor. xii. 8-11. From the whole tenour of this 
 chapter, as well as from the nature of things, it is evident, 
 that individuals might possess some of these gifts without 
 possessing all. For, says the apostle : "Are all prophets ? 
 Are all teachers ? Are all workers of miracles ? Have all 
 the gifts of healing ? Do all speak with tongues ?" u.29, 30. 
 Therefore the absence of any of these gifts,* cannot be con- 
 sidered an evidence of the absence of that Spirit from 
 which they all proceeded. It should further be observed, 
 that "faith," "the word of wisdom, the word of know- 
 ledge," and "teaching," are all ascribed to the same Spirit, 
 thai enabled them to work miracles. Is faith now ceased 
 in the Church ? Is there no longer a word of wisdom, of 
 knowledge, or of true teaching, to be found among the 
 followers of Jesus Christ ? And if these have not ceased, 
 then the Holy Spirit has not ceased to be conferred ; for 
 the apostle attributes them to the same Spirit. 
 
 " The love of God," said the apostle, " is shed abroad in 
 our hearts, by the Holy Ghost, which is given us." Rom. 
 V. 5. If thelove of God was shed abroad in their hearts 
 by the Holy Spirit, by what means is it to be shed abroad 
 in our hearts ? or are Christians now to be totally destitute 
 of that love ? 
 
 That the indwelling of the Spirit in man, is a permanent 
 
158 OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 
 
 doctrine of the Gospel, is further manifested by the foUow- 
 in«r ]):issaircs : "For to be carnally minded is death ; but to 
 be spiritually minded, is life and peace." — " But ye are 
 not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of 
 God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of 
 Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ be in you, the body 
 is dead, because of sin ; but the Spirit is life, because of 
 righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up 
 Jesus from the tlead, dwell in yon ; He that raised up 
 Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies, 
 by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." — "For as many as are 
 led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." Kom. 
 viii. 6, &c. " Christ in you the hope of glory." 1 Cor. i. 
 27. "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the 
 spirit of a man which is in Him? even so the things of 
 God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we 
 have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit 
 which is of God: that we might know the things which 
 are freely given to us of God." ib. ii. 12. " Know ye not, 
 that ye are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God 
 dwelleth in you." ib. iii. 16. "No man can say that Jesus 
 is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." ib. xii. 3. " But the 
 natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, 
 for they are foolishness unto him ; neither can he know 
 them, because they are spiritually discerned : but he that 
 is spiritual judged! all things." ib. xi\. 15. In the 2nd 
 Epistle to the Corinthians, chap. iii. ver. 8, he calls the 
 Gospel Dispensation, " the ministration of the Spirit." 
 "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." 2 Cor. 
 iii. 17. — "For God, who commanded the light to shine out 
 of darkness, hath shincd in our hearts, to give the light of 
 the knowledge ollhe glory of God, in the face of .lesus 
 Christ." ib. iv. (i. " For ye are the Temple of the Living 
 God ; as God hath said : 1 will dwell in them, and walk in 
 them ; and 1 will be their God, and {hey shall be my 
 
OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 
 
 159 
 
 people." ib. vi. 16. " Know ye not your own selves, how 
 that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates ? " 
 ih. xiii. 5. " That the blessing of Abraham might come on 
 the gentiles through Jesus Christ ; that we might receive 
 the promise of the Spirit, through faith." Gal. iii. 14. 
 " And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit 
 of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." ib. iv. 6. 
 " In whom you are also builded together for an habitation 
 of God, through the Spirit." ^^A. ii. 22. " For this cause 
 I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 of whom the whole family in lieaven and earth is named, 
 that He would grant you, according to the riches of his 
 glory, to be strengthened with might, biy his Spirit, in the 
 inner man : that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." 
 ib. iii. 14, &c. " There is one body and one Spirit, even 
 as ye are called in one hope of your calling ; one Lord, 
 one faith, one baptism ; one God and Father of all, who is 
 above all, and through all, and in ijou all.^'' ib. iv. 4, &c. 
 " But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the 
 Light ; for whatsoever doth make manifest is Light." i7>. V. 13. 
 " Christ in you the hope of glory." Col. i. 27. " He therefore 
 that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also 
 given unto us his Holy Spirit." 1 Thes. iv. 8. "Whereof 
 the Holy Ghost also is witness to us ; for after that He had 
 said before. This is the Covenant that I will make with 
 them, after those days, saith the Lord ; I will put my laws 
 into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them." 
 Htb. X. 15, 16. " If we love one another, God dwelleth in 
 us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that 
 we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us 
 of his Spirit." 1 John iv. 12, 13. " And hereby we know 
 that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given 
 us." ib. iii. 24. " And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, 
 because the Spirit is Truth." ih. v. 6. 
 
160 OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 
 
 I iniijlit add the testimony of writers eminent for their 
 piety, in a regular series, from the days of the apostles 
 down to the present time. A few, however, will be suffi- 
 cient. 
 
 Justin Martyr, who lived about the year 123, says : 
 "God hath built to Himself a natural temple in the 
 consciences of men, as the place wherein He would be 
 worshiped : and it is there men ought to look for his 
 appearance, and reverence oj^worsliip Him." 
 
 Clemens of Alexandria, who lived about the year 190, 
 bears testimony to the continuance of " Divine Inspiration." 
 *' There is a difTcreiice," says he, "betwixt that which any 
 one saith of the Truth, and that which the Truth itself, 
 interpreting itself, saith." 
 
 And Tertullian, v,lio was contemporary Avith Clemens, 
 acknowledges " the holy guidance of the universal Light 
 in the conscience." 
 
 Jerom says : " The Law is spiritual, and we have need 
 of a Revelation to understand it." 
 
 Origen, who lived in the beginning of the third century, 
 speaks of " An immutable Law ; which, Avith the know- 
 ledge of good and evil, is engraven upon the heart, and 
 grafted into the soul of man." 
 
 Gregory the Great, on the words, " He shall teach you 
 all things," says : " Unless the same Spirit sit upon the 
 heart of the hearer, in vain is the discourse of the doctor," 
 [or teacher.] " For unless He that teacheth be zcithin, the 
 tongue of the doctor that is without, laboureth in vain." 
 
 Lactantius, in the beginning of the fourth century, 
 besides many other rpmarks of the same kiml, said, that 
 "as nuMi receive [Christ] into Iheir hearts, He buiidcth a 
 Divine ami immortal teniplc in them." 
 
 Atlianasius, a few years after the last writer, says to the 
 gentiles : "The way whereby to attain to the knowledge 
 of God, is within us. Which is proved from Mojscs ; who 
 
OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 161 
 
 saith : * The word of God is within thy heart ;' — and from this 
 saying of Christ : the faith and 'kingdom of God is within 
 you.' If then the kingdom of God is within us, just so 
 are we able to understand the Avord, or voice of the Father." 
 
 Chrysostom, in the latter part of the fourth century, 
 says : " Wherefore let none blame the Light they are not 
 saved, but their own rebellion, who refuse to be saved by 
 it." And this he calls, " A Teacher or Instructor, dwelling 
 in man's nature." 
 
 Augustine, who was contemporary with Chrysostom, 
 says : " It is the inward Master that teacheth ; it is Christ 
 that teacheth ; where this inspiration and unction is 
 wanted, it is in vain that words from without are beaten 
 in." " For He that created us, and redeemed us, and 
 called us by faith, and dwelleth in . us by his Spirit, 
 unless He speaketh unto you inwardly, it is needless for 
 us to cry out." And in his discourse on John, he remarks : 
 " God is properly King of minds or souls ; because when 
 He is received in, he governeth by his Divine power and 
 Spirit in the heart ; therefore his kingdom is not after the 
 marmer of this world, but uithin.''' 
 
 Luther, in his book to the nobility of Germany, says : 
 " This is certain, that no man can make himself a doctor 
 of the Holy Scriptures; but the Holy Spirit alone." And 
 again, in the Magnificat, he says : "No man can rightly 
 understand God, or the word of God, unless he itmnedi- 
 atelj/ receive it from the Holy Spirit ; neither can any 
 receive it from the Holy Spirit, except he find it by, expe- 
 rience in himself; and in this experience the Holy Ghost 
 teaches, as in his proper school : out of which school 
 nothing is taught but mere talk." 
 
 Melancthon, in his Annotations upon John 6th, expresses 
 
 the following sentiment : " Who hear only an outward 
 
 voice, hear the creature ; but God is a Spirit, and is 
 
 neither discerned, nor known, nor heard, but by the 
 
 4 M 
 
\6f OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 
 
 Spirit ; and therefore to hear the voice of God, to see God, j 
 is to know and hear the Spirit." "By the Spirit alone ] 
 God is known and perceived." \ 
 
 Tlie writings of Thomas a'Kempis abound witli senti- | 
 ments of the kind. " He is that Divine Principle which \ 
 speaketh in our hearts ; and without which there can be ' 
 neither just apprehension, nor rectitude of judojment." . 
 Book l,c. 3, § 2. "The more a man is devoted to internal 
 exercises, and advanced in singleness and simplicity of ; 
 heart, the more sublime ancl diffusive will be his know- 
 ledge : which he does not acquire by labour or study, but j 
 receives from Divine illumination." ih. § 4. "'The king- 
 dom of God is within you,' saith our blessed Redeemer. ] 
 Abandon therefore the cares and pleasures of this wicked 
 world, and turn to the Lord with all thy heart; and thy - 
 soul shall find rest. If thou withdrawest thy attention i 
 from outward things, and kcepest it fixed upon what ^ 
 passeth within thee, thou wilt soon perceive the 'coming 
 of the kingdom of God ;' for the kingdom of God is that i 
 peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, which cannot be re- 
 ceived by carnal and worldly men " Book 2, c. 1, § 1. , 
 " I will hear what the Lord my God will say nithin we." 
 Book, 3, c. 1. Discip. 1. 
 
 Thus we have seen, from a copious selection of Scrip- ' 
 ture evidences, that Liimediate Divine Revelation is a | 
 permanent part of the Christian Dispensation ; and this | 
 doctrine is confirmed by tlie fathers, and by the reformers ! 
 and pious individuals of various denominations, in after I 
 ages. j 
 
 And as it was afforded to the patriarchs, prophets, and 
 apostles, and witnessed to by the fathers, and by men J 
 eminent for l)iety, down to the present day ; so it will be , 
 an illustration of (he tloclrines of the apostles, to present ; 
 some testimonies from those, who, in different ages, were 
 destitute of the Scriptures. It will be a collateral evidence, I 
 
OF IMMEDIATE REVELATIOiV. 163 
 
 that through all ages there has been a necessity for imme- 
 diate revelation, and the influences of the Holy Spirit : and 
 that these have been afforded, agreeably to the testimony 
 of the apostle Peter, when he declared: "Of a truth I per- 
 ceive that God is no respecter of persons ;" and of Paul, 
 when, speaking of the gentiles, he bore testimony, that 
 " God left not Himself without witness" among them; and 
 further proved that, though they were destitute of the 
 outward Law, they nevertheless had the works of the' Law 
 written in their hearts. 
 
 Pythagoras calls this Divine Principle, the "Great Light 
 and Salt of ages." Anaxagoras called it, " The Divine 
 Mind." Socrates called it, "A o<od Spirit." Timeus 
 styled it, an " Unbegotten Principle, and Author of all 
 Light." Hieron, Pythagoras, Epictetus, and Seneca, say 
 it is " God in man, or God within." Plato calls it, the 
 " Eternal, Ineffable, and Perfect Prmciple of Truth ; the 
 Light and Spirit of God." Plotin calls it, " The Root of 
 the Soul ; the' Divine Principle in man." Philo, " The 
 Divine Power — The Infallible, Immortal Law, in the minds 
 of men." And Plutarch denominates it, " The Law and 
 Living Rule of the mind. The Interior Guide of the soul, 
 and Everlasting Foundation of virtue." 
 
 Of the operation of this Divine Principle in the mind, 
 Plato gives this striking testimony : "The Light and Spirit 
 of God are as wings to the soul, or as that w hich raises up 
 the soul into a sensible communion with God, above the 
 world, which the mind of man is prone to slug or bemire 
 itself withal." Cleanthes, a stoic philosopher, considered 
 that men should be governed " by that Divine, Infinite, 
 and Eternal Nature, which is God, universally diffused or 
 sown through the whole race of man, as the most sure and 
 infallible Guide and Rule." " To live," said he, "accord- 
 ing to this knowledge and direction, is strictly to live 
 according to virtue ; not doing any thing that is forbidden. 
 4 M 2 
 
164" OF IMMEDIATE IIEVELATION. 
 
 The virlue and happiness of man depend upon the close 
 correspondence of his mind with the Divine will of Hira 
 who governeth the universe." — " The knowledge of God 
 is imprinted on the minds of men." I 
 
 The testimony of Plutarch deserves to be transmitted to , 
 posterity : " It is a law, not written in tables or books, but 1 
 dwelling in the mind always, as a living Rule, which never ' 
 permits the soul to be destitute of an interior Guide." 
 " To debase this ancient faith of mankintl, and natural i 
 belief, which is planted in all reasonable souls, is to over- ■ 
 throw the strong and everlasting foundation of virtue." ^ 
 
 And Seneca bore this noble testimony, among many 
 others, to this principle : " That Virtue has sent her light \ 
 before into the minds of all ; for even they \\\-a\ folloio her 
 not, see her." ' 
 
 If not only the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, were 
 divinely inspired, but even those denominated heathen 
 were sensible of a Divine Principle in man, illuminating 
 their understandings, and " raising the soul up into a sen- 
 sible communion with God ;" how can we suppose that i 
 that dispensation, which Avas to be marked by the pouring 
 out of the Divine Spirit, should be destitute of this very j 
 influence to which even the pious heathen bore such noble ; 
 testimony ! \ 
 
 By the poll) ing out of the Spirit, mentioned in the pro- | 
 phecy which described the Gospel Dispensation, we must 
 understand a more copious ell'usion of the Holy Spirit, 
 than had been communicated before. 
 
 In that interesting conversation of our Lord with his 
 disciples, before He sufl'ered, which has already been 
 quoted, He was jjleased to show the near relation and 
 intimate union which should subsist between Himself and 
 Jus true followers ; and that this near and intimate union, 
 in a spiritual relation, woulil not be destroyed by his out- 
 ward presence being taken from them, but rather increased. 
 
or IMMEDlAtE REVELATION. 165 
 
 If the Holy Ghost is to abide with the true believers 
 forever — to /e«c^"them — bring to remembrance the pre- 
 cepts of Christ — and show them things to come — is it pos- 
 sible that this can be, without immediate revelation ? If the 
 near relation in which we stand to Christ, is represented by 
 the vine and branches — if v. e are to derive our whole life 
 and activity from Him, can it be without our drawing 
 Divine intelligence from Him, or experiencing his qualify- 
 ing, renovating influence ? 
 
 And why should it be thought more extraordinary for 
 Him to hold communion with us^ than for us to hold com- 
 munion with Him ? Pursuing the simile of the Vine, as 
 used by our Lord, the branches may return a portion of sap 
 to the vine, but in no case, without first receiving it from the 
 vine. Thus also in our addresses to God,Vhether in sup- 
 plication or in humble acknowledgment, the language must 
 be the language of his own Divine Spirit in our hearts ; 
 for " we know not what we should pray for as we ought, 
 but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us;" Rom. 
 viii. 26 — enabling us to make " intercession" " according 
 to the will of God." x. 27. And this, in some sort, may be 
 compared to the return of the sap from the branches to the 
 vine. But his communion with us may, on the other hand, 
 be compared to the flow of the sap from the vine to the 
 branches ; for as it is the more copious, and the^)\s/ move- 
 ment of life, so it is that on which all their life, growth, 
 fruit, and circulation of living virtue, depend. Our Father 
 who is in heaven knows what we stand in need of before 
 we ask Him ; Matt. vi. 8. and therefore has no need that 
 we should tell Hira our wants; but we do, not know, either 
 what will be acceptable to Him, or beneficial to our- 
 selves, without intelligence and instruction from Him. 
 Thus, in a qualified sense, even our prayers are not neces- 
 sary as spreading our wants before Him, but as impressing 
 4 M 3 
 
166 OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION'. 
 
 them on ourselves, and directing our licarts to Him -Nvho 
 has made them known to us, and is uillinu- to relieve us. 
 
 Under the old covenant Dispensation, the hii^hest degree 
 of Immediate Revelation was to the prophets. But the 
 New Covenant was described as eminently sujjerior to the 
 old, in the superior effusion of the spirit of prophecy : 
 " I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh ;" Joel ii. 28. — 
 and sons and daughters, servants and handmaids, should 
 prophesy. 
 
 If Immediate Revelation and the influence of the Holy 
 Spirit have ceased, then is the Gospel Dispensation inferior 
 to that of 'the Law. They not only had the written law, 
 but they also had the opportunity of inquiring at the 
 Oracle, on particular occasions, wliich the general law and 
 testimony could not reach ; and thus a knowledge of the 
 Divine will could be obtained. In addition to this, pro- 
 phets were enabled and commissioned to speak in the Name 
 of the Most High. But if Immediate Revelation has 
 ceased, then we have oidy a written law and testimony 
 — we have not access to the Oracle — no priests or prophets 
 can inquire of the Lord for us. But then the promises 
 cannot be fulfilled — the Spirit cannot be poured out upon 
 all — sons and daughters cannot be qualified to prophesy — 
 the Comforter cannot have come — ajul the followers of 
 Christ are not similar to the branches of the vine. But 
 these are consequences which we dare not admit ; and we 
 must admit them, unless we admit the continuance of 
 Divine Revelation. 
 
 And as we advance from a state of nature to a slate of 
 grace, which is but an assimihition to the Divine nature, 
 the revelation becomes more clear, and the influences of 
 the Holy Spirit more constant and more predominating. 
 
 As tlu^ Gos])el Dispensation is more exalted, more spiri- 
 tual than the Law, so the Divine, immediate revelations and 
 influences arc more clear and permanent under theCiospel, 
 
OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION'. 167 
 
 than under the former dispensations. Instead of present- 
 ing ourselves at the temple of Jerusalem, Avilh sacrifices 
 and burnt-offerings, and inquiring through the medium of 
 a priest of the tribe of Levi, we may ourselves become 
 temples of the living God — witness acceptable offerings 
 prepared on the altar of our hearts — Jesus Christ himself 
 being our High Priest ; by whom we have access to God, 
 and receive the intelligence of his will. 
 
 Another foundation can no man lay than is laid. The 
 relation between God and his devoted children remains 
 the same that it was, when the Church appeared as a 
 morning without clouds. 
 
 And as it was then, so it is now ; no man can know the 
 Father, but by the Revelation of the Son ; nor can any 
 come unto the Father but by Him. Well, therefore, might 
 the apostle say : "If any man have not the Spirit of 
 Christ, he is none of His." 
 
 Even those professors who deny Immediate Revelation 
 to be continued in the Church, still directly or indirectly 
 acknowledge the influences of the Holy Spirit. And yet, 
 if these influences relate to duties or to doctrines, whatever 
 is thus made manifest is revealed. If they briAg conviction 
 for sin — this is a rtvelcdion / according to the declaration 
 of our Lord : " He shall convince the world of sin :" — if 
 consolation in the lively hope of the Gospel, this also is 
 a revelation, agreeably to the language of the apostle : 
 " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered 
 inio the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared 
 for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them 
 unto us by his Spirit." 1 Cor. ii. 9, 10. So that those 
 secret influences, by A>hich we become assured of the love 
 of God, and our hopes in Him, are, according to the 
 doctrine of the apostle, immediate Divine revelations. 
 
 I may here observe, that, seeing all classes of Christians 
 admit that Immediate Divine Revelation was a peculiar 
 4 M 4 
 
158 or IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 
 
 trait in the character of the primitive Church— and that 
 this, cmbracin«r the influences of the Holy Spirit, was the 
 very life of Christianity, it appears extraordinary to me, 
 that it should be supposed these had ceased in the true 
 Church! To me.it is quite as extraordinary as the ideas 
 which obtained admission into the Church of Galatia, and 
 drew that reproof of the apostle :— " O foolish Galatians ! 
 who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey the 
 truth*?" " Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made 
 perfect by the flesh?" Gal. iii. 1, 3. 
 
 But as it was in the outward coming of our Lord and 
 Saviour, so it is in his inward and spiritual appearance. 
 
 The Jews were in expectation of his coming. Not only 
 the time of his advent, but the manner in which He should 
 come, had been set forth by the prophets. But their views 
 being outward, they fancied to themselves a Messiah with 
 outward pomp and power, taking the throne of David, and 
 raising the nation of the Jews to the very summit of out- 
 ward glory : and thus they overlooked Him when He did 
 come. His appearance was so simple, so humble, so dif- 
 ferent from tlie king they desired might come, that they 
 denied, rejected, and finally crucified Him. 
 
 And thus it is with many in the preserft day. They 
 believe that Immediate Revelation is something so high — 
 so exclusively conferred on the prophets and apostles, and 
 necessarily accompanied with the knowledge of future 
 events, and the power of working miracles — they cannot 
 persuade themselves that either they or any others know 
 any thing of it in this age of the world ; while, at the same 
 time, they overlook the lively operations of this very Spirit 
 in their heart, convincing them of sin, inclining thenj to a 
 life of holiness — " teaching them that, denying unirodliness 
 and the world's lusts, they should live soberly, righteously, 
 and godly in this present world." 
 
 This very something that secretly disquiets the mind in 
 
OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. ' 169 
 
 the midst of earthly enjoyments, and prompts it to arise in 
 living aspirations to the Father of Mercies, setting- before 
 us the terrors of the Lord for sin, and the unspeakable ex- 
 cellence of an inheritance among them that are sanctified, 
 is the Spirit of Jesus Christ : its dictates in our hearts are 
 Immediate Divine Revelation. 
 
 And though this Principle in us is thus simple and low 
 in its appearance, yet it is the Power of God to salvation 
 to them that believe, producing effects no less miraculous, 
 than restoring the lame, the dumb, the deaf, and the blind. 
 Nay, these very things are accomplished in us. The dead 
 are raised, feven those who are dead in trespasses and sin ; 
 the blind see, the deaf hear, the dumb speak, and the 
 Gospel is preached to the poor. 
 
 No one, it is presum-cd, will deny the following declara- 
 tions : " Behold ! I stand at the door and knock ; if any 
 man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to 
 him, and sup with him, and he with Me." Rev. iii. 20. 
 " My sheep hear my voice." John x. 27. And where the 
 voice of Christ is thus heard, there is immediate revelation; 
 although it may be in those tender, secret influences, which 
 are too often overlooked and forgotten ; but on which our 
 eternal salvation must depend. For it is on condition of 
 our listening to the voice of Christ, when He knocks at the 
 door of our hearts, by these secret influences ; and not 
 only hearing Him, but giving Him admission to come in 
 and rule preeminently there — that we can ever experience 
 that near and intimate relation to take place between Him 
 and the soul, which is represented by his supping with us, 
 and we with Him. 
 
 And let it be remembered that when we hear his voice^ 
 we have immediate revelation ; for his " words, they are 
 spirit, and they are life." John vi. Q3. 
 
 Our Lord, on the occasion already referred to, when 
 speaking of the Comforter, told his disciples : "And when 
 
170 OK IMMEDIATF, REVKLATIO.N. 
 
 He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will reprove the world 
 of sin," &c. ih. xvi. 8. And who is there that has not felt 
 the reproofs of instrnction, and the conviction that some 
 thinj^s were offensive to God ? And if the temptation has 
 prevaih'd, has there not been a sense of condemnation im- 
 pressed upon the mind — a feeling of that judgment, by 
 which the prince of this world is judged ? We may also 
 appeal to the consciences of all men, if they have not, at 
 times, felt the love of God to draw their hearts in gratitude 
 to Him — if they have not seen the vanity, the mutability, 
 and insignificance of earthly enjoyments; while the superior 
 excellence of an inheritance eternal in the heavens, has 
 been, in some measure, presented to their view ? Has not 
 every individual that is capable of religious reflection, felt 
 lliat sentiment engraven on his heart : " Verily, there is a 
 reward for the righteous ; verily, He is a God that judgeth 
 in the earth ?" Ps. Iviii. 11. These secret convictions, 
 these awful warnings against sin, and desires after happi- 
 ness and acceptance with God, are the teachings of that 
 Grace which brings salvation. They are the Spirit of 
 God " working in us, to will and to do, of his own good 
 pleasure." 
 
 However small its appearance may be, as it is Divine, so 
 it has OmtiipoUnce in it. It is not only quick to discern 
 the thoughts and intents of the heart, but it is powerful to 
 separate between the precious .ind the vile, as we submit 
 to its operations ; setting us free from the law of sin and 
 death. 
 
 And as Ihere is, on the one hand, encouragement io re- 
 ceive and suhmil to ilie influences of the Holy Spirit, in its 
 least and most Imnible appearances, even though it m.iy be 
 as low ami huml)lc as the babi: in th • manger — to trust in it 
 as the Power of (iod to salvalioii ; so there is an awful 
 resj)onNil)ility on us ; for it is in this a|)pearaiieeof ^'Christ 
 in us the hope of glory," that we may crucify to ourselves 
 
OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 171 
 
 afresh the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. 
 Hcb. vi. 6. 
 
 As it is very possible to err in every point of doctrine, so 
 it is possible in this. Seeing this is the only principle and 
 ground of all saving knowledge in Divine things, it is not 
 strange that the grand enemy of man's happiness should 
 exert his delusive power, to deceive those who profess to 
 believe in Divine Revelation and the Influence of the Holy 
 Spirit. For as they rely on this to guide in their important 
 duties, and finally to lead them to eternal salvation ; if they 
 can be brought to follow a false principle, and to believe 
 in it as the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the enemy places them 
 at once in the most dangerous situation, and the most dif- 
 ficult to be made sensible of their danger. And thus it is 
 that " Satan is transformed into an angel of light." It will 
 not follow, because this Divine Principle may be neg- 
 lected, and a seducing spirit be followed in its stead, that 
 therefore the whole doctrine ought to be exploded. And 
 yet many, very many, have become followers of the stran- 
 ger, instead of the True Shepherd. 
 
 No individual, whatever his capacity or outward cir- 
 cumstances may be, if he humbly, sincerely, and carefully 
 attends to the teachings of the Witness for God in his soul, 
 can possibly be brought under this delusion. If he keeps 
 near his Divine Guide, listens attentively to his monitions, 
 and suffers the feelings of gratitude and love to God to 
 spread their influence over ins heart, he cannot become the 
 deluded follower of the transformer. But if any should be- 
 come inattentive to the Divine Guide, instead of keeping 
 near to Him, enjoying the sustenance, comfort, and pro- 
 tection which He alone can give, they wander from his 
 presence, and perhaps let that separation continue long : 
 then it is that they are exposed to dangers on every side. 
 The ejiemy is ever near at hand ; nor is he more to be 
 dreaded as a roaring lion than in the character of the shep- 
 
172 OF IMMEDIATE REVELATIO?r. 
 
 herd, by which the dread of danger is most effectually ; 
 removed. But let it be remembered, that the danger all . 
 arises from one common jjrinciple ; and it never can 
 operate but in a state of separation from the presence of the 
 preserving Power. Neither the power nor stratagem of the i 
 enemy can possibly prevail against those who, in humility I 
 and watchfulness, cast their care on the Captain of our \ 
 salvation. 
 
 It would be both a vain and presumptuous attempt, to 
 describe those feelings which constitute the true evidence 
 of Divine Influence; since nothing but that Influence itself 
 can give the capacity to decide between Christ and anti- 
 Christ. But in general it may be remarked, that this In- ' 
 fluence leads into great 'watchfulness and humility. All 
 confidence in ourselves, or in our own attainments, will be ' 
 brought down. And as we are brought to feel our own 
 weakness and unworthiness, we shall be brought more : 
 feelingly and fervently to desire the interposition of an 
 Almighty Friend and Redeemer. As the evidences of his ' 
 regard are felt, we shall experience the operations of that ; 
 ''faith which works by love, to the purifying of the heart." 
 And if we love God, we shall also love our fellow crea- i 
 tures. This love, like the Source from which it proceeds, ' 
 embraces the whole rational creation ; but in an especial i 
 manner the household of failh. Like the apostle formerly, 
 we desire to give oft'ence neither to Jew nor gentile, nor i 
 to the Church of Christ. Far from separating us from the 
 common walks and duties of life, it enables us to pass 
 through the former, and fulfll the latter, with more pro- \ 
 priefy. It gives to the ties of nature and society — such as 
 husbands and wives, parents and children, brethren and ^ 
 friends — a strength and sweetness that were not found in ' 
 them before. Where the jiarlies united in the bonds of ■ 
 natural aflection, are nmlnal partakers of these bonds of 
 Ciospel fellowship, there is an ample tuWilment of the 
 
OF IMMEDIATE REVKLATIOX. 173 
 
 promise of the hundred fold in this life. But even if one 
 party alone should come under the government of this 
 superior Principle, the prevalence of that Principle does 
 not dissolve the common ties of natural affection ; but in- 
 creases them, sanctifies them — and, while it draws the veil 
 of charity over the faults and failings of the friend or com- 
 panion, prompts the powerful desire for their redemption ; 
 and thus it holds out the invitation : "Come! taste and 
 see that the Lord is good." 
 
 The life of our blessed Lord exhibited an uninterrupted 
 course of the purest morality ; and never can his Spirit 
 sanction immorality in any. Thus, in the various relations 
 of life, the Divine Lifluence, by regulating the affections, 
 and giving ability to discharge our several duties with pro- 
 priety, not only produces a course of true and rational 
 morality, but abundantly heightens our enjoyments in this 
 life. 
 
 The votaries of pleasure, or, in more general terms, those 
 who have not thoroughly submitted to the cross of Christ, 
 are prone to the opinion, that this cross would be the death 
 of their enjoyments. But if it were, it would afford others 
 more pure, more exquisite, and more permanent in their 
 stead. But the idea is wrong in itself. The objects of 
 revealed religion are, the glory of God and the happiness 
 of mankind. The requisitions of Infinite Goodness are 
 neither cruel nor unnecessary. We are called upon to 
 give up nothing essential to happiness — nothing essential 
 to the true dignity of man. The restrictions of the Gospel 
 point to those principles, passions, and feelings, which are 
 inimical to happiness, both present and eternal — which 
 disturb the order and harmony of our own bosoms and of 
 the world — and render us incapable of enjoying the har- 
 mony of heaven, either in anticipation here, or in endless 
 fruition hereafter. 
 
 These are the broad outlines of religion. It separates us 
 
174 OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 
 
 from the erreat causes of moral evil ; and thus cuts off the ; 
 sources of unhappiness. By properly balancing, correct- j 
 ina:, and governing our passions, feelings, and expectations, j 
 it enable^ us to extract from the material world, whatever " 
 good it is capable of affording : securing us, at the same I 
 time, from the stings of disappointment, and the dissatis- 
 faction of satiety. Nor is this all: casting our care on ! 
 our He-jvenly Father, and looking to a future state for the i 
 full fruition of happiness, we secure to ourselves a place of I 
 refuge from all the storms of adversity, and feel not the full , 
 bitterness of a separation from earthly enjoyments. 
 
 But mark- the contrast. The carnal mind clings with 
 eagerness to objects, transient in their duration, or inimical 
 to happiness in their nature. Examine the whole scope of 
 human affairs, from the most innocent amusements, to the ; 
 darkest shades of depravity and sin. Consider for a mo- 
 ment what would be the consequences, if the restraints of j 
 religion were removed, and all the passions of the human 
 heart were let loose without control ! From this state of j 
 depravity and wretchedness the restraints of religion with- ' 
 hold tliec ; and not only from this miserable condition here ] 
 on earth, but from that dreadful abyss of horror, of which i 
 it would form but an imperfect prelude. But let us draw 
 a more moderate picture. Suppose thyself engrossed by 
 those objects and pursuits called innocent, deriving from \ 
 them all the enjoyments they are capable of producing, 1 
 without once looking beyond them. How poor, how pre- ' 
 carious would be thy pleasures, for they could not deserve ' 
 the name of happiness ! How liable would they be to be ■ 
 blasted by every breeze ! And how awful would thj/ situa- 
 tion be, when summoned to leave them for ever, without 
 one ray to light thy prospects to a happy eternity ! 
 
 " How stiockiiif; must (h> Mimmons bo, O death ! \ 
 
 To him that is at caw; in liis pohscsbions !" Blair. , \ 
 
, OF IMMEDIATE BEVELATION. 175 
 
 Religion therefore, through the influences of the Holy 
 Spirit, saves us from the miseries of sin, and the conse- 
 quences of ungoverned passions, both in time and eternity. 
 It leaves us in the full enjoyment of the real comforis of 
 life, rendered a thousand times sweeter than they can be 
 under the influence of corrupt inclinations. It serves as a 
 sanctuary, to which we can resort when every earthly 
 comfort fails ; and opens to our prospects, and to our 
 spirits, when separated from these tenements of clay, a 
 glorious immortality. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 OF DIVINE WORSHIP. 
 
 The svihject of social or public Worship, justly claims 
 the attention of all religious clenominations. Bat the vary- 
 ing opinions and practices which prevail among the 
 dift'erent societies that profess Christianity, as well as the 
 importance of the subject itself, might serve as an admoni- 
 tion to us, to approacii it with unbiassed minds. 
 
 Though worship or devotion is the most solemn, the 
 most awful, and the most sublime exercise, in which the 
 mind of man can be engaged ; yet, in itself, it is simple. 
 How awful it must be, for frail and erring creatures to 
 present themselves to the notice of that Omniscient Being, 
 before whom the secrets of all hearts are unveiled ! Well 
 might the prophet, under a sense of the Divine Majesty, 
 exclaim : " Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and 
 bow myself before the high God ? Shall I come before Him 
 with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old ? Will the 
 Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten 
 thousands of rivers of oil ?" J\Iic. vi. 6, 7. 
 
 And yet, how animating — what an unspeakable fitvour 
 it is, for the soul to be permitted to approach the Throne 
 of Grace, and pour forth its wants, its sorrows and desires, 
 before a Heavenly Father ; feeling that his own Divine 
 Inlluence gives access to Him, and forms the language of 
 the prayer, the humble acknowledgment, or triumphant 
 prais(? ! And yet this solemn and sublime exercise is 
 simple. It requires neither wealth nor learning, nor 
 
or WORSHIP. 177 
 
 extraordinary natural abilities, to perform it. It is within 
 the reach of the simple, the illiterate, and the poor. It 
 can bcj performed in solitude, as well as in the crowd. — 
 The splendour of temples and the pomp of attendance, 
 can add nothing to recommend it to the notice of Almighty 
 God. 
 
 There is not a duty we owe, or a privilege we enjoy, 
 more necessary or more simple than Divine worship. 
 But as the act itself can neither be performed nor compre- 
 hended, without the quickening, illuminating influence of 
 the Spirit of Christ ; so there is no religious duty^ in which 
 the wisdom of man has been more busy, or made greater 
 innovations. 
 
 Let us for a moment look round over the various nations 
 denominated heathen, of ancient and modern times, an.d 
 reflect on the wild, and even shocking modes, by which 
 they have attempted to conciliate the Divine favour ! 
 Turning our attention from those whose opportunities 
 have been comparatively limited, we shall still find that 
 human invention has been busy, where Revelation alone 
 should have dictated ; and, to please the creature, has been 
 made an object, in the very acts which should have been 
 addressed only to the Creator. 
 
 Under tlie Legal Dispensation there was much external 
 ceremony in their devotional exercises ; which not only 
 typified that spiritual Avofship which was afterwards to be 
 more fully introduced, but was also calculated to make a 
 deep impression on the minds of those who engaged in 
 them. Their worship was to be performed in a magnificent 
 temple. The luchness and grandeur of its stru. ture, the 
 purity of its materials, the constant attendance of the 
 priests, the solemnity of the sacrifices — all these were 
 calculated strongly to impress the mind with a sense of the 
 Divine Majesty. In assembling at Jerusalem, the wor- 
 shipers were necessarily witjidrawn from their occupation;^ 
 4 N 
 
178 'OK WORSHIP. ' 
 
 and the cares of life. Neitlicr the ordinary pursuits of j 
 domestic concerns, nor even tlie defence of their country, 
 was to interrupt or divert their minds from these solemn 
 assemblies : — thus realizing the declaration, that " he that : 
 Cometh to God, must believe that He «, and that He is a 
 rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." 
 
 The sacrifices which were offered, were to be " without 
 blemish." Nothing that was sick or blind, or that died of , 
 itself, was to be presented as an offering to the Divine | 
 Majesty. In all this there was deep instruction. The 
 whole subject was clothed with a dignity and solemnity 
 peculiar to itself. Reverence, adoration, and confidence | 
 in God, were inculcated in all (hat pertained to that -, 
 typical Dispensation. And the greatest sincerity in the 
 worshiper, and purity and perfection in the offerings, 
 were requisites not to be dispensed with. 
 
 But all this form and outward glory, were only shadows | 
 of good things to come. It was not the external rituals of j 
 the law, with all tlie pomp and splendour of the temple, \ 
 that drew the regard of God to those who worshiped ' 
 there. Neither thousands of rams, nor ten thousands of 
 rivers of oil, were regarded in comparison of an humble '■ 
 heart. But these forms and ceremonies, and this outward ; 
 glory, were dispensed in condescension to their weakness ; * 
 and designed not only to point to the Messiah, but also to | 
 teach them of the Divine Majestt, and the abstraction and J 
 solemnity which their approaches to Him required. 
 
 When our Lord was inquired of by the woman of ' 
 Samaria, John iv. 24, respecting worship, He informed 
 her, that "God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him, ; 
 must worshij) Him in spirit and in truth." Worship was i 
 not confined either to the mountain of Samaria, nor yvt \ 
 to Jerusalem ; but to be performed in spirit and in truth, 
 without regard to local situation or outward circumstaiues. 
 
 The apostle bore testimony, that "God that made the 
 
OF VVOUSHIP. 179 
 
 world and all things therein, seeing 'that He is Lord of 
 heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with 
 hands, neither is worshiped with men's hands, as though 
 He needed any thing." Jets xvii. 24, 25. And therefore 
 the worship retained under the Gospel, was of a pure and 
 spiritual nature. Hence we believe, that our approaches 
 to Him can only be in spirit, and that as a door of access 
 is opened for us by Him who has the "key of David." 
 But without a preparation of heart, no ceremonies can be 
 acceptable. 
 
 " When ye come to appearbefore Me, who hath required 
 this at your hands, to tread ray courts ? Bring no more 
 vain oblations ; incense is an abomination unto Me ; the 
 new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot 
 away with ; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting." Jsa. 
 i. 12, 13. If the Jews could not recommend themselves 
 to his notice merely by outward forms and ceremonies, 
 even during the continuance of that typical Dispensation, 
 much less can we, since those ceremonies have been 
 abrogated by the coming of Jesus Christ. We cannot 
 consistently come before Him with a set form of words, 
 prepared beforehand and commttted to memory", because 
 we kp.ow not what to pray for as we ought ; and still less 
 can we clothe these addresses in music, as if God would 
 be pleased . with tones and instruments of musifc, as the 
 volatile and fashionable part of mankind ; or as if the most 
 solemn acts of devotion were to be converted into oppor- 
 tunities of amusement and creaturely gratification. When 
 we plan our devotions tp please our own ears, does not an 
 important query arise, whether we serve ourselves and one 
 another — or God, in these exercises ? 
 
 This subject opens a field of serious inquiry, into which 
 
 every religious denomination — nay, every individual, 
 
 should impartially enter. I feel a solicitude that all may 
 
 examine the subject for themselves : let nothing detain 
 
 4 N 2 
 
180 OF \fORSHIl'. 
 
 them in the outward court, which will be trodden down of 
 the gentiles — but, animated by the promises, and aided 
 by the Influence of our Lord and Saviour, lot tlfera " come 
 boldly to the Throne of Grace," into a holy union and 
 communion with God. 
 
 When some tbrmerly were urging our Lord to go to the 
 Feast of Tabernacles, He said unto them : " My time is not 
 yet come : but your time is alway ready." John vii. 6. , 
 And his disciples can often adopt a similar language, 
 feeling their utter incapacity, of themselves, for any good 
 word or work ; and that they know not what to pray for ! 
 as they ought, without the helping Lifluenco of the Spirit i 
 of Truth : and therefore they cannot presume to set about ; 
 this solemn engagement, without the necessary qualification. "^ 
 For if "no man can call Jesus Lord, but by the Holy 
 Ghost,*' how can an}' act of devotion be performed without 
 this Influence ? Neither prayer, praise, nor thanksgiving, ! 
 can be acceptable, unless it arise from a sensible feeling in : 
 our hearts; which is produced only by the operation of 
 Grace there. This brings us into a sense of our own 
 condition, and gives access to the Father of Mercies. ] 
 Worshij) performed without these qualifications, must be j 
 will-Zi'ors/iip, and as unacce])table as those outward pre- , 
 tences of the Jews, while their hearts were far from God. • 
 
 We therefore believe it right, when we as.-emble for the 
 purpose of Divine worship, to sit down in reverent silence; 
 endeavouring to abstract our minds from all things but the 
 One (ireat Object of adoration : and in this humble, 
 wailing state of mind, to ronuiin in silence, unless we 
 should be favoured with the qualification and command 
 for vocal language, in preaching, prayer, or praise. 
 
 God is a Spirit, and can l)e approached only by spirit. 
 Hence vocal souiul is not necessary to convey to Him the 
 desires, which his own Divine Influence has raised in our 
 hearts. Language is only necessary to convey sentiments 
 
OF WORSHIP. 181 
 
 from man to man. Our Father, who seeth in secret, and 
 who knows what we need before we ask Him, and who 
 enables us, by the help of his own Divine Influence, to 
 make intercession according to his will — sees, hears, and 
 knows what thus passes in the secret of the heart, without 
 the intfervention of words. 
 
 When a number of individuals thus sit down, in solemn 
 silence, waiting upon God — their minds being abstracted 
 from all inferior objects, and their spirits engaged in ex- 
 ercise for the arising of the Word of Life, a spiritual com- 
 munion is felt, and they are mutually helpful to each 
 other. The heavenly virtue and solemnity is felt to flow 
 as from vessel to vessel. For when a meeting is thus 
 gathered in the Name and Power of Christy He is often 
 pleased to appear among them in great glory, revealed to 
 that perception and quickened understanding, which is 
 the effect of his own Divine work in their hearts. All this 
 may be effected, though there may not have been a word 
 spoken in the meeting. 
 
 • There is, in silent worship, something 'so beautiful, so 
 sublime, so consistent with the relation in which we stand 
 to God, that it appears strange there should exist a single 
 doubt of its propriety. 
 
 Besides the impossibility of our approaching the Supreme 
 Being, without his helping Influence, and the unreasonable- 
 ness of our supposing this Influence to be at our command, 
 we may be " all with one accord, in one place," under the 
 Influence of the "One Spirit," and each spreading his own 
 peculiar condition, his wants, his sorrows, doubts, or 
 humble acknowledgments, before his Almighty Friend, 
 without confusion, without interruption to each other, but 
 with a sensible increase of solemnity over all. 
 X This worship depends not on priest or minister, Jesus 
 Christ being Himself the High Priest, and Minister of the ^ 
 4 N 3 
 
182 o* woRsuii'. 
 
 true labernaclcj which God hath pitched, and not man. 
 And here let it be remembered, that >vhen \\c engage in 
 acts of worship, or what may be called active devotion, 
 without feeling the true qualification for it, but merely as 
 a duty, and make use of a form of words prepared before- 
 hand—our animal passions may be excited by the very 
 exercises thus entered into; and, in the fervour of our zeal, 
 we may not be able to distinguish the sparks of our own 
 kindling, from the influences of Grace : " for Satan him- 
 self is transformed into an angel of light." 2 Cor. xi. 14. 
 But when we settle down into true stillness, and experience 
 our own wills and activity brought thoroughly down, and 
 "every thought to the obedience of Christ" — then indeed 
 the transformations of the enemy cannot deceive ; but the 
 language of the apostle is realized : " We know Him, and 
 the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his 
 sufferings ; being made conformable to his death." 
 
 This silent worship has oflen been a cause of wonder, 
 and remains to be considered, by many, an unmeaning and 
 absurd practice. Bbt if we admit that worship requires a 
 peculiar qualification, and that it is impossible to enter into 
 acts of devotion without this qualification, it will follow, 
 that when assembled for this solemn j)urpose, if the qualifi- 
 cation is not possessed by those thus assembled, they mu^t 
 either humbly wait upon God for it, or be chargeable with 
 will-worship, if they presume 1o go on without it. If those 
 assembled should thus wait, a silent meeting would be the 
 consequence. And who can suppose this inconsistent with 
 the nature of the object in view ? Can it be supposed that 
 men, collected from the ordinary and perplexing business 
 and cares of life, or perhai)s from the giddy rounds of plea- 
 sure, or even from the deep shades of depravity aifd guilt, 
 should be at once prepared to enter into this most solemn 
 cngngcment, without any introversion of mind, A\itliout 
 collecting their wandering thoughts, and, in the language 
 
OF WORSHIP. J83 
 
 of the apostle, " feeling after God?" And bow can this 
 be more consistently done than in solemn silence ? 
 
 Thus, from the very nature of the subject, silence appears 
 to be generally, if not always, necessary, as a preparation 
 to worship. But we also believe, for the reasons already 
 suggested, that worship ma// be performed in silence. It 
 being an intercourse between God and the soul, and that 
 intercourse being necessarily in spirit, it may take place - 
 without the medium of words. That feeling desire, that 
 secret aspiration of the soul, which is known only by Him 
 to whom it is directed, is an act of devotion, more accept-^ 
 able than any form of words that could be uttered, if 
 unaccompanied with the same devotional feelings. 
 
 We read "there was silence in heaven." But we cannot 
 suppose that devotion was suspended. Indeed there is a 
 devotion which language cannot reach ; when not only 
 the activity of the creature is completely brought into 
 quiet, but when the Divine Majesty is so revealed — his 
 wisdom, goodness, power, and glory — that every faculty 
 of the soul is held in awful, silent adoration ! 
 
 Hence we consider silence not only proper, as pre- 
 paratory to worship, but congenial with the most sublime 
 worship to which we can attain. 
 
 We are aware that individuals may sit down in silent 
 meetings without being benefited by it. They may suffer 
 their minds to be occupied with improper objects ; or they 
 may sink down into a state of dulness and insensibility, 
 totally incompatible with the important objects for which 
 they profess to assemble. But these are not the necessary 
 consequences of silent waiting. Indeed they never are the 
 consequences of it, but of an unprepared and lukewarm 
 mind. The promise remains true io the present day, and 
 will to all succeeding ages : " They that wait upon the 
 Lord shall renew their strength." Isa. xl. 31. The com- 
 4 N 4 
 
184 OF WORSHIP. 
 
 mand is addressed to us, as forcibly as it was to the ancient j 
 Jews : " Be still ! and know that I am God." — " Keep | 
 silence before Me, O islands ! and let the people renew \ 
 their strength." ; 
 
 " Without Me," said our Lord, " ye can do nothing." 
 Happy are they who know their own spirits brought into 
 subjection, and an humble dependence on Him— not ] 
 daring to " kindle a fire or compass themselves about with ' 
 sparks," but humbly wait on God, for a qualification to 
 worship Him in spirit and in truth. ] 
 
 Tliough ])ublic and private devotion depend on the 
 Influences of the same Spirit, and have therefore been con- ' 
 sidcrcd in connexion, in the preceding part of this chapter, 
 yet there is a distinction to be drawn ; though the per- '\ 
 formance of the one cannot destroy the occasion for the j 
 other. On the contrary, they reciprocally promote each I 
 other. For he that is properly engaged in secret religious | 
 exercises from day to day, will thereby be better qualified 
 for the performance of public worship : and, on the other 
 hand, the right performance of social worship will greatly . 
 contribute to dispose the mind to hold on its way, in those 
 secret desires after communion with God, to which the 
 apostle alluded, when he admonished the believers to , 
 " pray without ceasing." 
 
 Thr pul)lic assembling of Christians, to wait npon and \ 
 worship God, not only places them in a situation to be \ 
 helpful to each other, by the communication of their . 
 feelings, under Divine influence, in preaching and vocal | 
 prayer, as well as by a secret communion of spirit ; but it | 
 is also a reasonable acknowleilgment of the goodness of j 
 God, and of our dependence upon Him for every thing we j 
 yet hope for, as well as of our gratitude for the blessings • 
 already conferred upon us. Well therefore did the apostle 
 admonish the believers : " Let us consider one another, to ^ 
 
OF WORSHIP. 185 
 
 provoke unto love and to good works : not forsaking the 
 assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some 
 is." Heb. X. 24, 25. And again : " I beseech you there- 
 fore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present 
 your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, 
 which is your reasonable service." Rom. xii. 1. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 OF THE .MINISTRY 
 
 Wc bclirve, -witli tlie apostles, that " no man takcth this 
 honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was 
 Aaron :" Jltb. v. 4. and that this call is not dependent 
 on any human acquirements. We also believe the com- 
 mand of our blessed Lord to his disciples, is of lasting 
 obligation : " Freely ye have received, freely give." Matt. 
 X. 8. 
 
 These are the leading principles of our belief concerning 
 the Ministry. 
 
 But in order to understand this subject, we must advert 
 a little more particularly to the call and qualification of a 
 Gospel minister, and then bring into view the maintenance 
 which is warranted on (jospel princi])l(>s. 
 
 The call of a minister, as already observed, must be of 
 God. No man can enter into this dignitied work, merely 
 from his Killing or runniug. He cannot preach the Gospel 
 unless he be sent. And if Christ send not, of course he is 
 not a messenger or minister of Christ. 
 
 Ifence no man can choose for himself or his son the work 
 of the ministry, as he would a trade, by which to obtain 
 emolument or repulali;)n. The ministers of the Gospel, to 
 the present day, nuist be called by the same authority, and 
 clothed with the same Influence, that the apostles had, 
 though it may not be in the same ilegree. Tliei/, by virtue 
 of their call and qualilication, were messengers and ambas- 
 
THE MINISTRY. 187 
 
 sadors of Jesus Christ. Who then can assume these high 
 titles, without having received a message to deliver, or a 
 commission to fulfil fr^m Christ ? Without these, the very 
 essentials are wanting. 
 
 And what is a minister oftJfe Gospel? Does not the very 
 term itself assert the doctrine we have advanced ? The 
 Gospel is not a system of abstract truths or propositions ; — 
 it "is the power of God to salvation." And he that re- 
 ceives a dispensation of it to preach to others, actually does 
 minister it, to those whose hearts are prepared to receive it. 
 Thus, according to another metaphor, of the Holy Scrip- 
 tures, he becomes a vessel, through which this precious 
 treasure passes, to the objects of redeeming love. But he 
 that lias not received such a dispensation of the Gospel to 
 preach to. others, cannot possibly be a Minister of the 
 Gospel ; because he has not the Gospel to communicate. 
 On the contrary, he " has neither part nor lot in the 
 matter." He may be a minister of certain tenets or opinions 
 — he may be a minister of the commandments and traditions 
 of men, if he has indeed received these. But without the 
 Power of God, making him a minister of the Spirit arid not 
 of the letter, his preaching never can be of Divine authority, 
 nor in "the demonstration of the Spirit and power." 
 
 It deserves to be noticed, that, in the records Avhich have 
 been left us of the first religious meetings of the primitive 
 believers, it is particularly mentioned, when any of the 
 apostles were engaged to speak in their religious as- 
 semblies, that they were " filled with the Holy Ghost." 
 The manner in which it is expressed, is quite remarkable 
 — "Then Peter," or James, or Avhoever it might be, '■^ being 
 filled zoit/i the Holij Ghost'''' — stood up, &c. clearly imply- 
 ing, that without this imm.ediate qualification, even the 
 apostles did not enter on these important duties. 
 
 Our Lord, in giving instruction to his ministers, whom 
 He sent out while He was on earth, gave them to under- 
 
188 THE MINISTRY. 
 
 stand, that they were to preach nothing but what they had 
 heard from Ilim : " What I tell you in darkness, that 
 speak ye in li£^ht ; and what ye hear in the ear, that preach 
 ye upon the liouse tops." And even when brought before 
 kings and governors for the testimony they bore. He 
 charo-ed them to take no thought how or what they should 
 speak : for it should be given them in that same hour what 
 thoA should speak ; for it was not Ihey that spoke, but the 
 Spirit of their Father that spoke in them. Mali. x. 27, and 
 ver. 18-20. The instructions to the prophet enjoined the 
 same thing : " Thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and 
 warn them from Me." Ezek. xxxiii. 7. And " other 
 foundation," saith the apostle, " can no man lay, than that 
 is laid," 1 Cor. iii. 11. and on which the prophets and 
 apostles were built. Ephes. ii. 20. This living ministry 
 wholly from Divine Inspiration, was evideidy introduced 
 and established as the ministry of Jesus Christ : and we 
 cannot suppose, that it ever was designed to be essentially 
 or radically changed in its nature. We cannot, like the 
 Galatians in another case, {Gal. iii. 3,) suppose that Gos- 
 pel minislry was begun in the Spirit, and afterwards to be 
 continued by the natural or acquired abilities of man. For 
 the object is the same, through all ages : being to open the 
 eyes of mankind, and "turn them from darkness to light,- 
 and from the power of Satan to God ;" Ads xxvi. 18 ; and 
 to edify the body of Christ. And no man, by his natural 
 or acquired al)ilities, ever was or ever \\'\\\ be capable of 
 this ; as the apostle bore testimony : " Not that we are 
 sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves ; 
 but our sufficiency is of God : who also hath made us able 
 ministers of the New Testament ; not of the Itttir, but of 
 the Spirit; for the letter killetli, but the Spirit giveth life." 
 2 Cor. iii. 5, 6. 
 
 Thus the ministry was constituted in the beginning, 
 under the highest authority ; and we are bound to believe 
 
THE MINISTRY. 189 
 
 that it is still of the same nature, and must be conducted 
 on the same principles. In vain may we look in the Scrip- 
 tures of Truth, for a Divine sanction of a ministry, entered 
 into in the will of man, and exercised without Immediate 
 Divine Revelation. 
 
 The qualification for the ministry is called a gift. It is 
 the testimony of the apostles in a great number of places. 
 Paul expresses himself in the following manner : " Though 
 I have the gift of prophecy." 1 Cor. xiii. 2. "I was made 
 a minister, according to the gift of the Grace of God, given 
 unto me, by the effectual working of his power." Eph. iii. 
 7. To Timothy he says : " Neglect not the gift that is in 
 thee." 1 Tim. iv. 14. In his epistle to the Romans, he 
 says : " Having then gifts differing according to the grace 
 that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy ac- 
 cording to the proportion of faith ; or ministry, let us wait 
 on our ministering ; or he thatteacheth, on teaching ; or he 
 that exhorteth, on exhortation." Rom. xii. 6, 7. To the 
 Corinthians he says : " Now there are diversities oi gifts, 
 but the same Spirit ; and there are differences of administra- 
 tions, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of 
 operations, but it is the same God, which worketh all in 
 all." " For to one is given by the Spirit, the word of wis- 
 dom ; to another the word of knowledge, bj/ the same 
 Spirit ; to another faith, by the same Spirit ; to another 
 the gifts of healing, by the same Spirit ; to another the 
 working of miracles ; to another prophecy ; to another 
 discerning of spirits ; to another divers kinds of tongues ; to 
 another the interpretation of tongues : but all these worketh 
 that one and se/f same Spirit, dividing to every man seve- 
 rally as He will." 1 Cor. xii. 4-11. 
 
 The apostle Peter says : " As every man hath received the 
 gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good 
 stewards of the manifold Grace of God." 1 Peter iv. 10. 
 From all these passages, and many more that might be 
 
190 THC MIMSTUY. 
 
 selected, but which I omit for the sake of brevity, it is very 
 clear that the qualifiralinii for the ministry is the pure gifl 
 of God ; which gift is i)estowe(l upon every man severally 
 as He will. There are diversities of srifts^ and diflerences 
 of administrations, and diversities of operations ; but it is 
 the same Spirit— the same God, that worketh all in all. 
 A Divine In/luencc and power callins: and preparing them, 
 and directing them in the exercise' of their gifts, is the im- 
 portant ol)ject here brought into view. Thus we know the 
 ministry was at first constituted and exercised. And we 
 may boldly assert, that nothing can deserve the name of 
 Gospel Ministry, which has not God for its author, and his 
 Immediate Influence for its director. ' 
 
 Man indeed may deliver elegant orations, by the strength 
 of his natural or acquired abilities ; and this he may do, 
 either extemporaneously, or prepared beforehand, and 
 committed to memory. They may be couched in the 
 language of Christ, and of his true ministers in different 
 ages. They may produce much creaturely zeal, both in 
 the speakers and hearers, and powerfully move the natural 
 passions ; and yet produce no real conversion to God, nor 
 advancement of his cause. While the true ministry, 
 though it may not be with excellency of speech, but in 
 weakness and fear, and in much trembling, may yet be in 
 the demonstration of the Spirit and Power, reaching the 
 consciences of the aiulience, und answering to the Witness 
 of (jiod there. 
 
 The call being of God, aiul the qualification by the 
 cftectual working of his power, it follows that human 
 authority, the will of man, or human acq,uirements, cannot 
 constitute a (jJospel Ministry. In the primitive Church, the 
 apostles were mostly illiterate nuMi, and t)f Mhat are con- 
 siden'd nu'an occupations, such as fishernuMi, &c. I^'or 
 (iod made choice of the weak, the foolish and despised 
 tilings of this worlil, to confouml ihe wistlom of the wise 
 
THE MINISTUY. 191 
 
 and bring to nought the underslanding of the prudent — 
 that no Jlesh might glory in his presence. And this rer 
 mains to be the case down to the present day : He " will not 
 give his glory to another, nor his praise to graven images." 
 Jsa. xlii. 8. To those who run and are not sent, the query 
 still forcibly applies : " Who hath required tliis at your 
 hands ? " Isa. i. 12. 
 
 The great apostle of the gentiles was not made a minister 
 by man, nor in the will of man ; but necessity was laid upon 
 him, and he felt that woe was to him, if he preached not 
 the gospel — a Dispensation of which had been committed 
 to him. He also acknowledged : " By the Grace of God I 
 am what I am," And all true ministers, as such, should be 
 able to adopt the same language. 
 
 That natural and acquired abilities are not excluded 
 from the work of the ministry;, will be readily granted ; 
 and that when they are sanctified and brought under the 
 qualifying power of Grace, thay may eminently promote 
 the honour of God, and the good of mankind. What is 
 insisted on is, that education is not essential to the qualifi- 
 cations of a. gospel minister : and that no man can put him- 
 self into the ministry without the immediate call and 
 influence of the Holy Spirit. None of the prophets ever 
 became such without this immediate call ; and all the 
 apostles and true ministers in the Church of Christ, were 
 so called and qualified. Even those who had been the 
 companions of Christ in the flesh, who saw his miracles, 
 heard his precepts, and were empowered to work miracles 
 themselves, were commanded to " tarry at Jerusalem, till 
 they were endued with Power from on high ; " clearly 
 proving that nothing but Power from on high, renewedly 
 furnished, can enable men to preach the Gospel. And 
 how can it be otherwise ? since the Gospel, as already 
 observed, is the Power of God to salvation ; even that 
 
\9i THE MINISTRY. 
 
 same Power by which all things were made, that were 
 made. 
 
 Unto the wicked the language remains to be : " What 
 hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou 
 shouldst take my Covenant in thy mouth ? seeing thou 
 hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee." 
 Ps. 1. 16, 17. It is only as the Grace of God is received, 
 and its purifying operations submitted to, that the in- 
 dividual becomes prepared for this high and holy calling. 
 With this also agrees the command of our Lord to Peter : 
 " When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren." 
 X,uke xxii. 32. And finajly, after his resurrection, when 
 He was about giving Peter that charge to feed his sheep, 
 and lambs, how closely did He press the inquiry : " Lovest 
 thou me ? " Nor was the important commission given till 
 Peter could appeal to Him : " Yea, Lord ! Thou knowest 
 that I love Thee." — " Lord ! Thou knowest all things ; 
 Thou knowest that I love Thee." And this must all true 
 ministers be able to say, in humility and sincerity, through 
 the influence of the love of (iod sanctifying the heart ; to 
 which must be superadded, the special call to the important 
 work. To the man who has not experienced this renova- 
 tion, the whole subject is wrapped in impenetrable mystery. 
 The veil being on his own understanding, he cannot pos- 
 sibly be able to explain to others, the mysteries of the 
 kingdom of heaven ; much less can he deliver the messages 
 of God to his children. 
 
 When the excellences of the Gospel Dispensation were 
 seen ill prophetic vision, the work of the ministry was parti- 
 cularly brought into view : "And it shall come to pass inthe 
 last days," saith CJod, "I will jxjur out of my Spirit upon all 
 flesh : and your sons and your (laughters shall prophesy, aiul 
 your young men shall see visions, aiul your olil men shall 
 dream dreams. And on my servants and on my handnuiidens, 
 
THE MINISTRY. 193 
 
 will I pour out iu those days, of my Spirit ; aud they shall 
 prophesy." Acts ii. 17, 18. 
 
 If it should here be objected, that though the gift of 
 prophecy was received under the Law, and also iu the 
 days of the apostles, yet this gift has now ceased in the 
 Church, 
 
 I may reply, that this is contrary to the view which was 
 clearly presented in the foregoing passage of Scripture. 
 The prophet Avas not merely representing the manner in 
 which the New Covenant Dispensation would be intro- 
 duced, but he was describing the very nature of the 
 Dispensation itself, and its prominent and permanent 
 characteristics. 
 
 The apostle encouraged the believers to desire the best 
 gifts, but rather that they might prophesy. And what he 
 thus wrote, " was written for our instruction," as well as 
 for the instruction of those to whom it was immediately 
 addressed. But it may be further remarked, that pro- 
 phesying, in tile Scripture acceptation, is not confined to 
 the foretelling of future events. The apostle applies it to 
 " speaking unto men [from Divine Influence] to edifica- 
 tion, and exhortation, and comfort." 1 Cor. xiv. 3. And it 
 is declared in the book of Revelations, (hat " the testimony 
 of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Rtv. xix. 10. 
 
 The apostle Peter gave this impressive charge : " If 
 any man speak, let him speak as the Oracles of God ; if 
 any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which 
 God giveth : that God in all things may be glorified, 
 through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter iv. 11. The prophecy of 
 Joel, and the testimony of the same apostle, clearly 
 attribute prophesying to the pouring out of the Spirit. 
 From all which it follows, that if it is still necessary in the 
 Church, to speak to men to edification, to exhortation, and 
 comfort — if the testimony of Jesus is still necessary to be 
 maintained among his disciples, then the spirit of prophecy 
 4 o 
 
194 THE MINISTRY. 
 
 does Still exist ; and the exercise of the ministry is to be, 
 as it originally was, from Immediate Divine Influence. 
 
 The admonitions of the apostles, in relation to the 
 ministry, must be applicable to us, unless Ave would break 
 in upon the whole body of Scripture doctrine and precept. 
 And if these precepts are applicable to us at all, it must be 
 in the same sense in which they were applicable to those 
 to whom they were immediately addressed. And the 
 •whole course of precepts relating to the ministry, did 
 recognize the necessity of a Divine call and qualification, 
 through the immediate operation of the Holy Spirit : for 
 such was the ministry of that day. Therefore, if such was 
 the meaning which the inspired writers of the New Testa- 
 ment intended to convey to the ministers and believers 
 then — such is their true meaning — and we must receive 
 them in the same sense, or we have nothing to do with 
 them at all. This will necessarily lead us to the admission 
 of the principle I have laid down, or we must give up the 
 whole body of Scripture doctrine and precept. 
 
 The prophecy of Joel, as quoted by the apostle Peter, 
 deserves to be more particularly brought into view : "And 
 it shall come to pass in the lost days, saith God, I will 
 pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and 
 your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall 
 sec visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. And 
 on my servants and on my handmaidens, I A\ill pour out 
 in those days, of my Spirit ; and they shall prophesy." 
 Acts ii. 17, IS. 
 
 The first thing to be noticed in this prophecy is the 
 time in which it was to be fulfilled ; that is, in the last 
 days. If it did take ])lace in the days of the apostle, as 
 Peter bore testimony that it did, and does not continue 
 to the present time, it would not be in the last ilai/s. 
 But this would deny the truth of the prophecy in the 
 very outset. 
 
THE MINISTRY. 195 
 
 In the next place, y\e may observe that the promise of 
 the effusion of the Holy Spirit was to sons and daughters 
 — servants and handmaidens. This portion of Scripture 
 briiigs into view the question, whether females are ever 
 called to the ministry or not. To say that they are not, 
 would at once be calling in question the authorities just 
 quoted. The promise of the Spirit, and the qualification 
 to prophesy, is as positive to the daughters and hand- 
 maidens, as to the sons and servants. And the apostle 
 bore as ample testimony to its fulfilment in the one case 
 as in the other. He knew that females had prophesied 
 under the former dispensation, such as Miriam, and Debo- 
 rah, and Huldah. The prophetess Anna bore testimony 
 to the coming of the Messiah, as well as did the good old 
 Simeon. Nor can the prophecy of Elizabeth, the mother 
 of John the Baptist, be considered less remarkable than 
 any which preceded it. It was a woman to whom that 
 clear exposition of worship was given at Jacob's well. 
 And she was actively engaged to invite others to " come 
 and see a man that told me all that ever I did. Is not this 
 the Christ ? " And so effectually did she preach Christ, 
 that many believed from her testimony, and sought Him 
 for themselves. It was a woman that first announced the 
 glorious tidings of the resurrection of our blessed Lord. 
 And let it be remembered, that these glad tidings were 
 preached to the apostles themselves, who at that time were 
 sunk into despair. They were then scattered as sheep 
 without a shepherd ; and all their prospects were involved 
 in gloom. How animating then, was the message which 
 the Divine Master sent by a woman : " Go to my brethren, 
 and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your 
 Father, and to my God and your God." John xx. 17. 
 Priscilla, as well as Aquila, instructed the eloquent Apollos 
 more perfectly in the nature of the Gospel Dispensation. 
 And numerous cases are mentioned in the New Testa- 
 
196 THE MINISTRV. 
 
 ment, of prophetesses^ .uul " women who laboured in llie 
 Gospel." 
 
 But several passages in the writinc:s of tlie apostle Paul, 
 have been construed into objections to women's preachinir; 
 such, for instance, as the following : " Let your women 
 keep silence in the Churches, for it is not permitted unto 
 them to speak ; but the?/ are eommunded to be under 
 obedience, as also saith the Law. And if they will learn 
 any thing, let them ask their husbands at home : for it is a 
 shame for women to speak in the Church." 1 Cor. xiv. 34, 
 Sb. But the speaking alluded to, was very clearly a 
 troublesome asking of questions which could be answered 
 better at home, than in their religious meetings. 
 
 That the asking of q nest ions had become troublesome, 
 is obvious from the following considerations. When the 
 Gospel was first preached, it excited astonishment in the 
 minds of a large number of those who heard it. It was 
 " to the Jews a stumbling-bhek, and to the Greeks foolish- 
 ness.'' And even to the sober and sincere inqnirers, it 
 presented mysteries in which they desired to be more 
 perfectly instructed. Hence it became common for doc- 
 trinal questions to be asked. And this practice, in time, 
 by being abused, led into an impertinent, inquisitive 
 disposition respecting unimportant things. Hence, the 
 apostle cautioned Timothy not to "give heed to fables and 
 endless genealogies, which minister questions rather than 
 edifying." 1 Tim. i. 4. And in the same epistle, he fur- 
 ther cautions him "against some who were " j)r()nd, knowing 
 nothing, but doting about qucstiotis and strifes of words, 
 whereof cometh envy, strife, railing, evil surmising, per- 
 verse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of 
 the Truth." 1 Tim. vi. 4, 5. And in 2 Tim. ii. '23, he 
 charges him : " But foolish and unlearned questions avoiil, 
 knowing that they do gench-r stiife." He gives the same 
 caution to Titus, iii. 9. From all which it is clear that the 
 
THE MINISTllY. i^ 
 
 askinc: of questions had become troublesome in their reli- 
 gious meetings ; and as lie makes so direct an allusion to 
 such inquiries or " questions," in the text under considera- 
 tion, ("let them ask their husbands at home, for it is a 
 shame," &c.) it is at least a fair inference that he designed 
 to put a stop to this ; but had no allusion to the exercise of 
 a gift of the ininistrj^ Indeed, we cannot suppose that the 
 apostle would attempt to prove the impropriety of their 
 taking a part in the ministry, by reminding them that they 
 might ask questions of their husbands at home. What 
 imaginable relation could this bear to the case in hand ? 
 What question could a pious female ask at home of her 
 husband, that would relieve her mind from the burden of 
 a message she had received to deliver to the Church — to 
 relieve her from the exercise of a gift in the ministry ? 
 Thus it is evident, as the prohibition of the apostle, in the 
 passage above cited, related to asking of questions, and 
 such as could properly be answered by their husbands at 
 home — it had no relation to the exercise of a gift in the 
 ministry. 
 
 Their usurpation of authority over the man, as prohi- 
 bited by the apostle, related, I should suppose, to their 
 domestic concerns ; for preaching the Gospel is not usurp- 
 ing authority, and has nothing to do with it. Our Lord, 
 on a certain occasion, reminded his disciples : " Ye know 
 that the princes of the gentiles exercise dominion over 
 them, and they that are great exercise authoritj/ upon 
 them. But it shall not be so among you :" " but whosoever 
 will be chief among you, let him be your servant." Matt. 
 XX. 25-27. 
 
 But what puts the question beyond all doubt, as to the 
 sentiments of the apostle, is, that he actually gave directions 
 how the women should behave while in the exercise of the 
 ministry ; he uses the w ords " prayeth " and " prophesieth," 
 1 Cor. xi. 5. which he certainly would not have done, had 
 4 o 3 
 
198 THE MINISTRY. 
 
 it been prohibited. He not only gave such directions, but 
 he mentions with peculiar rcfrard, certain women that hud 
 laboured with him in the Gospel. Phil. iv. 3. And Philip 
 the Evangelist " had four daughters, virgins, which did 
 prophesy." Acts xxi. 9. 
 
 Seeing that females were admitted to the high office of 
 'prophecy under the Legal Dispensation, and that in the 
 promise of the more general eflusion of this gift, the 
 daughters and handmaidens were equally included with 
 the other sex — that they actually were among the tirst 
 messengers of the Gospel — and, finally, that they " did 
 prophesy" and " labour in the Gospel," after the churches 
 were formed and settled ; and received particular instruc- 
 tions how to conduct themselves in the church, in the 
 exercise of this gift ; it is strange that the privilege should 
 ever have been called in question. We are informed on 
 the authority of Divine Revelation, that male and female 
 are one in Christ Jesus — that, in the relation in which they 
 both stand to Him, the distinction is as completely broken 
 down, as between Jew and gentile — bond and free. Thus, 
 Revelation has made known the important truth — and 
 reason will bear testimony to the same thing. The mind 
 of the female is susceptible of all those sensibilities, affec- 
 tions, and improvements, which constitute the Christian 
 character. In a state of renovation, we must admit it has 
 equal access to the Fountain of light and life. And if 
 we reflect on the natural faculties which are brought into 
 requisition for preaching the Gospel, we shall readily 
 perceive that females are not destitute of these. Indeed 
 experience has j)roved, that many have possessed 
 these qualifications in an eminent d(-gree. The range of 
 thought, the facility of communicating their ideas in 
 appropriate language, the sympathy with suffering hu- 
 manity — a deep and lively sense of gratitude to God, and 
 of the beauty of holiness — a zeal for the honour of God, 
 
THE MINISTRY. 199 
 
 and the happiness of his rational creatures ; all these are 
 found among the female part of the human family, at least 
 as frequently and as eminently as among the men. But 
 the essential qualification for the ministry is a special call. 
 It is a special gift, distributed to every one severally,' 
 according to the Divine will. And there must be a 
 preparation of heart for this ; for it cannot dwell with 
 impurity. There is no communion between light and 
 darkness — Christ and Belial. So that the individual on 
 whom this gift is conferred, must attain, in a good degree, 
 to purity of mind. And here again, no objection can be 
 made against the female character, when brought into 
 comparison with the other sex. 
 
 Thus, neither in reason nor in nature, can there be found 
 sufficient grounds for excluding them from the ministry. 
 It rests entirely on the Divine Head of the Church-^ 
 whether He confers upon them this gift or not. It is his 
 prerogative to send by whom He will send ; and we have 
 no right to interfere with his government, or arrogate to 
 ourselves what belongs exclusively to Him. 
 
 The Society of Friends allow no salaries for the support 
 of their ministers, believing it right that they should 
 minister to their own necessities. The ministry never was 
 designed for a trade : for the true ministers do not take the 
 oversight of the Church for filthy lucre, but of a ready 
 mind. 1 Pet. v. 2. The prospect of gain never can direct 
 their views or labours to any particular place ; for if money 
 is the call, they cannot have the authority of Christ. And 
 yet we do not suppose that all those ministers are actuated 
 by these motives, who, according to the rules of the 
 Society to which they belong, are provided with a main- 
 tenance. 
 
 But the Society of Friends never have put their ministers 
 on a worse footing than the poor among them. We feel 
 ourselves bound to administer to their necessities, as well 
 4 o4 
 
SOO THE MINISTBV. 
 
 as to the necessities of others in like r irnim-^^tances. We 
 know that those who saw the servants of Christ sick, or 
 hungry, or in need of clolliing, or in prison, and did not 
 administer to them, had this as a heavy charge against 
 them, in the day of final retribution. ( FuU Mall, xxv.) 
 We also know that the gentile converts administered to 
 the poor saints at Jerusalem ; the apostle very forcibly 
 arguing, that if the gentiles had partaken of their spirituals, 
 it was not unreasonable that the,/ should partake of their 
 temporals. And the Pliilippians sent once and again, to 
 relieve the necessities of the apostle Paul. Phil. iv. Ac- 
 cordingly, if our ministers need pecuniary aid, we afibrd 
 it, and consider ourselves bound to do so, as well as to re- 
 lieve the necessities of the poor who are not in this station. 
 When ministers leave their homes, their domestic enjoy- 
 ments and occupations, to spread the glad tidings of the 
 Gospel, without any motives of a sordid nature, there are 
 strong obligations on those whom they visit, to sympathize 
 with them in their various trials, and to relieve their 
 necessities. 
 
 But all this, though it proves that true ministers of the 
 Gospel, are entitled to hospitality where they go in the 
 exercise of the ministry, and that they ought to have their 
 necessities supplied, if they are not able to support them- 
 selves, does not at all militate against the belief, that the 
 Gospel never can be made an article of bargain and sale, 
 like merchandise in the market, or like a man's professional 
 skill. Feeling, like the apostle, necessity laid upon them, 
 they dare not let j)ecuniary considerations, in the smallest 
 degree, influence their minds. They dare not measure 
 their gifts by money, or set a monied value on their 
 services, or receive hire, or claim any thing from their 
 hearers as a matter of r/g///, or withhold their labours if 
 p<Tuniary advantages are not offered ; for woe is to them, 
 if they preach not the Gospel. They must go where their 
 
THK MlNiSTR\. 201 
 
 Lord and Master jmay be pleased to send them, lookin«- to 
 11 im, and to Him only, for their reward. 
 
 Not a trace can be found in the New Testament, to show 
 that the ministers of the Gospel ever directed their travels 
 where they could get the most money, or that they ever 
 made a monied contract for preoching, or even that they 
 were ever influenced in any of their movements, by such 
 considerations. 
 
 The practice of the Society of Friends corresponds with 
 these views. Their ministers are not considered at liberty 
 to travel or appoint niictiiigs, without being first approved 
 as ministers, and acknowledged as such, by the Society in 
 its official capacity. And win n they are concerned to 
 travel in the ministry, they are to lay their prospects, as to 
 each particular visit, before their own Monthly Meeting. 
 And if the proposed visit extend beyond the limits of the 
 Yearly Meeting to which they belong, the concurrence of 
 the Quarterly Meeting is required. The meeting which 
 sets them at liberty to travel, takes care that they are pro- 
 vided with suitable company : and if their circumstances 
 render it necessary, they are also provided with means, by 
 which they can keep themselves from being chargeable, 
 when among those who are not of their own profession. 
 
 Thus, while there is a careful guard on one hand, to 
 avoid every thing that could operate, in itself, as an 
 inducement of a pecuniary nature, we are careful that our 
 ministers who are in limited circumstances should not, 
 from that cause, be prevented from the full exercise of 
 their gifts. 
 
 As nothing tends so powerfully to lay waste the Church, 
 as a corrupt and unsound ministry ; so the adversary has 
 always been busy to insinuate himself into this department 
 of the Church. If he can, by any means, draw men into 
 that office who have neither part nor lot in the matter — if 
 they are destitute of the life and Spirit of Christ in them- 
 
sod THE MINISTRY. 
 
 selves, no matter how eloquent they may be, or however 
 they may store their minds with the language of those who 
 have been Divinely inspired ; their popularity and seem- 
 ini; holiness only the more powerfully tend to divert the 
 minds of their hearers, from the pure Principle of Life in 
 themselves. 
 
 Not only are those who arc never called or prepared to 
 enter into the ministry, thus intruded into the office ; but 
 the enemy is not lacking, in his attempts to " draw down," 
 if possible, tlie very " stars of heaven." 
 
 When, therefore, an individual believes himself called to 
 the ministry, great care should be taken at the setting out. 
 It is necessary that he should not only have experienced 
 the love of God in its tendering impressions, but in those 
 more powerful operations which are designed to consume 
 " the dross, the tin, and even the reprobate silver." 
 
 As these purifying dispensations go on, and communion 
 and peace with God are enjoyed, He Avill be pleased to 
 carry on the preparation of those, whom He designs to 
 make "ministers of the Spirit and not of the letter." 
 
 The apprehension of being called to this work, will be 
 presented with great weight and awfulness, and when the 
 mind is most under the Divine Influence. Nor will this 
 be attended with the exaltation of the creature, but, on the 
 contrary, with deep humility and self abasement. 
 
 These preparatory exercises, if properly endured, will 
 work that reduction of the natural will, which is necessary, 
 in order to enable the individual, not only to distinguish 
 the Divine luMucnce from every other impression, but also 
 to speak from that Influence, without any mixture of other 
 springs of action. During these exercises, various con- 
 flicts, doubts, and fears, may be expected to arise in the 
 mind ; but if they serve to bring it into greater humility, 
 and more coustant and entire dependence on God, it will 
 
THE MINISTRY. 203 
 
 be found that even these afflictive dispensations have been 
 both in wisdom and in fatherly regard. There are many 
 who can acknowledge, thai "tribulation worketh patience, 
 and patience experience, and experience hope — and hope 
 maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed 
 abroad in the heart." Rom. v. 4. It is on the operations 
 of Divine Power, in every stage of preparation and of 
 service, that we must rely, agreeably to the testimony of 
 Scripture : " The preparation of the heart, and the answer 
 of the tongue, are of the Lord." 
 
 But while there should not be, in such persons, a 
 dependence on secondary resources, or a looking out for 
 instrumental help, there should be an openness to receive 
 the counsel and admonition of their friends ; for he who 
 sets himself beyond the reach of Christian caution and 
 instruction, cannot be upon safe ground. 
 
 They must feel that their natural and acquired abilities 
 cannot enable them to fill the important station ; and, in 
 Christian humility, they will be ready to adopt the lan- 
 guage : " Who is sufficient for these things." 
 
 It is thus through weakness and fear, that the Head of 
 the Church is pleased to lead his true ministers, that 
 they may put no confidence in the flesh or in themselves, 
 but in Him alone, whose " strength is made perfect in 
 weakness." 
 
 Not always knowing what is best for us, we may desire 
 to have, in the beginning, more extensive views and pros- 
 pects of what is to be delivered, than is consistent with 
 Divine wisdom. " I have many things to say unto you," 
 said our Lord, "but ye cannot bear them now" — and this 
 may be as applicable to the messages of the Gospel, as to 
 any other revelation. Those extensive prospects that may 
 be desired by the creature, may be far beyond its capacity 
 to bear ; and hence, in the tender dealings of a gracious 
 Father, they are withheld. He who would have his minis- 
 
204 THE MINISTRV. 
 
 ters to hear the word at His mouth, ami warn or instruct 
 the peoi)le from lliii — >vho >vould lead his servants into 
 deep dependence on Him alone, and not on themselves, 
 will when it is Lest to be so, communicate the message to 
 ])e delivered, sentence by sentence ; tliat they may walk by 
 faith, and not l>y sij^dit. It is of the first importance, that 
 we should distinguish between the workings of our own 
 spirits, and the Influence of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. It 
 is instructive to rememljer, that the Divine intelligence was 
 uttered to the prophet, in " a still small voice ; " and thus it 
 continues to the present day. When the will, the wisdom, 
 and all the passions of man, are brouglit into silence, — in 
 this state of quiet waiting, the mind is in the best situation 
 to be brought so under the government of the Divine In- 
 fluence, as to " speak as of the ability which God giveth." 
 
 Satan is spoken of in the Scriptures, as being transformed 
 into an angel of ligl>t. And we have no reason to believe 
 that he is not as busy and as artful in his transformations, 
 as ever he was, in any age of the world. Thus lie has 
 oltcn promoted the kingdom of darkness, by an apparent 
 zeal for religion. And thousands have encompassed them- 
 selves with sparks, and warmed themselves with the fire 
 of their own kindling ; and in the end have realized the 
 sentence, that they should lie down in sorrow. Neither 
 the busy workings of the creaturely ^vill, nor the reasoning 
 faculty of the human mind, can ever bring forth any thing 
 as ministry, that will benefit the speaker or the hearers. 
 That ])assage in Matthew, vii. ^i^, seems to have reference 
 to this view of the subject : " Many will say to Me, in that 
 day, Lord ! Lord ! have we not prophesied in thy Name, 
 and in thy Name have cast out devils, and in thy Name 
 done many wonderfid works !— and then will I profess unto 
 them : 1 never kiu-w you !" 
 
 Fair, specious prosjjecls may be presented to the mind ; 
 wide fulds of doctrine, in which there may be large scope 
 
THE MINISTRY. 205 
 
 for the display of eloquence ; and yet all this may have no 
 application to the state of the meeting, and no authority 
 from the Head of theCliurch. 
 
 " My sheep ," said Christ, "hear my voice, and they 
 follow Me, and the voice ofa stranger they will not follow." 
 The attentive mind will be able to discover the difference; 
 but nothing short of the Divine Influence itself, can be the 
 true evidence. 
 
 It is well known to those who have been led into this 
 experience, that much perturbation of mind may very 
 easily arise on these awful occasions : and that such may, 
 at times, be ready to sink under the conflict of feelings that 
 takes place. Some of these feelings may be regarded as 
 resembling the earthquake, the whirlwind, and the tire. 
 Great and distressing conflicts may take place, as prepara- 
 tory to the call and command to move. But this is not the 
 only kind of conflict to be noticed. — All those emotions 
 which arise from a fear of the assembly, or of any indivi- 
 duals in it, ought to be overcome ; fur the " fear of man 
 bringeth a snare,"" and will unfit the minister. When a 
 true prospect presents to the mind, it will generally, if not 
 always, be with calmness : and it is of importance that 
 that calmness should not be disturbed. But it will be 
 disturbed, if place is given to any other feelings, reflec- 
 tions, or reasonings, instead of simple attention to the pure 
 gift, and the admonition of the apostle : " Be instant in 
 season." Thus moving on, with undivided attention to 
 the openings of the Word of Life, and the faith and ability 
 afl'orded — the minister will be enabled to arise with the 
 arising of Divine Power. 
 
 But if any should suppose that their own natural abilities 
 or acquirements are sufficient for this important work — or 
 if they should suppose, that, from their past experience, 
 they are able to preach the Gospel, without the immediate 
 aid and Influence of the Spirit of Christ, " they yet know 
 
206 THE Ml.VISTRV. I 
 
 nothing as they onc^ht to know," and will be found in the 1 
 corrupt and false ministry. 
 
 The more we advance in experience, the more deeply ; 
 shall wc be impressed with a sense of our dependence ' 
 upon God, through Jesus Christ, and that " without Him j 
 we can do nothing." No man can be released from this 
 dependence, without ceasinor, at the same time, to be a ! 
 servant of Christ. 
 
 There is, however, a strong propensity in the creature, \ 
 to assert its own independence. It is painful and humili- 
 ating to the naturally proud mind of man, to be in this , 
 dependent state — to be made a spectacle to angels and to 
 men, and to be accounted a fool for Christ's sake ; and, ; 
 after many times of favour and enlargement in the ministry, 
 to sink down into nothingness of self. But this is the 
 beaten path, which the apostles themselves, and all true 
 ministers, down to the present day, have trodden. " 
 
 Let then the admonition be observed by all : " Trust in 
 the Lord w ith all thiiu' heart, and lean not unto thine own ! 
 understanding." Prov. iii. 5. 
 
 1 
 
 Vocal supplication may be considered as belonging to j 
 the ministry. In this exercise, the minister becomes the 1 
 mouth of the assembly. And if addresses to the Throne of , 
 Grace which are unfelt, must necessarily be unavoilhig; 
 how clear must he the necessity, in this case, of speaking 
 only under the Lilluence of the Ei\jnal Spirit ! To address * 
 Almighty God, on behalf of an assembly, expressing (heir | 
 wants and their feelings, cannot be done without the Spirit 
 of Jesus Christ, through whom alone there is access, and i 
 by A>honi alone we can have that feeling sense of the states j 
 of otlu'rs, which is necessary in this most solemn exercise. ' 
 
 Our Lord, while personally on <'arth, adverted puticu- ] 
 larly to the subject of prayer. The zealous professors of 
 that day, were in the practice of making longprai/ers. | 
 
THE MINISTRY. 207 
 
 But our Lord admonished his disciples, to be not as the 
 hypocrites, who used vain repetitions, aud thought they 
 should be heard for their much speaking. The specimen 
 of prayer which He gave them (it was a specimen, for He 
 said : '•^ After this manner pray ye") was remarkable for its 
 fulness and conciseness. How comprehensive, and yet 
 how short and simple ! 
 
 It is a fact, to which experience, as well as Scripture, 
 will bear testimony, that those who are favoured with the 
 nearest access to the Throne of Grace, to whom the 
 Divine Majesty becomes most clearly revealed, Avill feel 
 the most awfulness, reverence, and self abasement, in these 
 approaches. And in this reverential aAve, there will be no 
 place for light or redundant expressions. The language 
 will be full, solemn, and concise. And while it will com- 
 port with the dignity and solemnity of the occasion, it will 
 contain nothing for the sake of mere ornament. 
 
 He knows what we have need of before we ask, and 
 therefore cannot need repetitions or explanations. Nor is 
 it consistent with the nature of this solemn engagement, to 
 be intermixed with exhortations to the people. 
 
 In looking back to the ministers of the Gospel in the 
 primitive Church, in the exercise of their gifts, both in 
 preaching and in supplication, we shall find, in them, an 
 encouraging and instructive example. There is no instance 
 of their delivering premeditated or written orations, either 
 as sermons or prayers. They came not with excellency of 
 speech or human wisdom, declaring the great Truths of the 
 Gospel ; but they spoke as the Spirit gave them utterance, 
 a reaching power and energy attending their ministry. 
 And this same power is graciously permitted to attend the 
 true ministers of the Gospel to the present day. Nor is it 
 exclusively confined to the ministers, whom it enables to 
 speak with the demonstration of the Spirit, and power ; 
 
208 THE MINISTRY. 
 
 but it is the crown ami iflory of the Cliiirch in aliases. 
 And 1 am well assured that i4 would be more abundantly 
 aflorded to the professors of the Christian name, if it were 
 'nwTc believed in ami soitgitt after — if they would "believe 
 in the Lii^ht and walk in it." Many, very many pious 
 minds, who now, with weary steps, tread the dull r6unds 
 of devotional exercises, planned by the wisdom, and per- 
 formed in the will of man — who, leaninjj^ on these exercises, 
 iind not that comfort to which, at times, they ardently 
 aspire — by lookinj^ \o tlu; Spirit and Power of Christ, re- 
 vealed in the heart, would indeed find " the place" they 
 are in to be " shaken." And as they are brought to experi- 
 ence, in the language of another portion of Scripture, >' the 
 removal of those things that are shaken," they would find 
 "those things which cannot be shaken to remain." Ileb. 
 xii. '2.1. " Jesus Christ, i he same yesterday, to-day, and for 
 ever," has promisetl a spiritual communion with those that 
 love Him. John xiv. 23. But in order to experience 
 these blessings there must be faith in his spiritual appear- 
 ance. Were this faith m^re prevalent among the pro- 
 fe.-sors of his Name, He would more abundantly reveal the 
 ojieralions oi his Power, and pour into their minds the 
 comlorls which (low from the inexhaustible Fountainof his 
 love. In our religious meetings, we shall not, at once, 
 enter on the solemn acts of devotion, without feeling his 
 inlluence to prepare our minds, to approach Him ^ith 
 acceptable olierings, that our " prayer might be set lorth as 
 incense before Him, and the lifting up of our hands as the 
 evening sacrifice." But till thi^ cjualification is experi- 
 enced, the most rational exercise, on thes(> occasions, is, 
 reverently to nail upon Him. In this nailing, state of 
 mind. He is often pleased to clothe us >\ith hnnii/ilt/^ under 
 a sense of our weakness and entire depenilence on Him for 
 all our comforts, and for the springing up, in the heart, of 
 that animating Inlluence, \n hereby a qualification is expe- 
 
THE MINISTRY. 209 
 
 rienced for the various acts and exercises, which are re- 
 quired in the Church of Christ. 
 
 It is only in a deep sense of humility and dependence 
 upon God, animated by a lively impression of his good- 
 ness, that we can be prepared to bow, and cast down every 
 crown before Him. And it is the immediate operation of 
 his Power alone, that can enable us truly to speak in his 
 Name, or to offer up to Him the tribute of reverent adora- 
 tion and praise. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 15 A P T I S M . 
 
 The Scriptures afibrd clear evidence that the Law was 
 designed as a schoolmaster to lead to Christ ; and that 
 " the divers washings and carnal ordinances" which it 
 imposed, were 1o continue only till the time of reformation, 
 or the introduction of the New Covenant Dispensation. 
 
 It also appears that John's ministry belonged to the 
 typical and shadowy dispensation, designed to " prepare 
 the'way of the Lord" — to bear testimony that the time of 
 his coming was at hand — to typify the purifying opera- 
 tions of his Power, and finally to apply his testimony to 
 the person of Jesus of Nazareth : for all these things 
 were eft'ected by that messenger and his ministration. As 
 multitudes flocked to his preaching and baptism, he 
 directed their attention to Christ ; representing himself as 
 his \nimh\c forerimticry whose baptism was to decrease as 
 a thing of course, and contra-distinguishing it from the 
 baptism of Christ : " I indeed baptize you with water 
 unto repentance ; but He that cometh after rae is mightier 
 than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear : He shall 
 bapl'neyou with the Holi/ Ghost and with Jire.'' This 
 clear and point<'(l testimony Avas owned by our Lord, at 
 his conjing, with the shnu- kind of assent that He gave to 
 the Law, by submitting to the rituals which accomjjanied 
 it. 
 
 " Think not," said our Lord, "tliat I am come to destroy 
 the Law or the prophets ; I am not come to destroy, but to 
 
OF BAPTISM. 211 
 
 fulfil." Matt. V. 17. And, in fulfilling, He ended that 
 typical Dispensation, in his own, wJiich was of a pure and 
 spiritual nature. 
 
 There was a peculiar proprieiy in this; for these typical 
 rites and ceremonies being of Divijie appointment, their 
 force or oblig-ation lasted till the New Covenant Dispen- 
 sation was completely introduced; which did not take 
 place until the Great Sacrifice was completed. Here their 
 obligation ended, but they were continued, in condescen- 
 sion, a considerable time after their obligation had ceased. 
 
 It is very remarkable, that the peculiar rite * which 
 was considered the seal of the " former Covenant," was 
 abrogated by the introduction of tlie New Dispensation. 
 Under the Law, this rite was not to be dispensed with ; 
 but, on the contrary, its disuse was no less than a derelic- 
 tion of the Covenant itself, with the promises and blessings 
 annexed to it. But when it had accomplished its office, 
 when the Antitype had come, under the New Dispensation, 
 the apostle assured some who wished still to retain the 
 ceremony, that if they conformed to the Law in this respect, 
 "Christ should profit them nothing." Gal. v. 2. Not 
 that one ceremony had been instituted for another. For 
 thisj which was an outward rite, and made a seal of an 
 outward Covenant, pointed to an inward change of heart, 
 as the seal of a spiritual Covenant. And here were pro- 
 bably the grounds of the strong prohibition of the retention 
 of this ceremony, as it would be a relinquishment of the 
 Spiritual Dispensation to which it pointed ; or a denial of 
 the coming of the Antitype. 
 
 That this ceremony had a direct allusion to a change of 
 heart, was understood even under the Law : as may be 
 seen by reference to Deut. x. xvi. and xxx. 6. and Jer. iv. 
 4. and many other passages of Scripture. 
 
 Thus the whole body of ceremonies under the Law, was 
 
 * Circumcision. 
 
 4 p 2 
 
2]2 or iJAi'TiSM. 
 
 designed to represent the coming of Christ and his 
 Spiritual Dispensation. Many of them were practised 
 after the ascension of our Lord, not of necessilj/, but of 
 condescension. Even that seal of the old Covenant, which 
 was ultimately so positively prohibited, was allowed for a 
 time by the apostle Paul, as well as others. In condescen- 
 sion to the weakness of the human mind, which cannot 
 bear sudden transitions, but must be gradually enlightened 
 and enlarged, these things were permitted or suffered for 
 a time ; but, in the language of John, they were to decrease^ 
 and finally to disappear. 
 
 All that has been said of the ceremonies of the Law, in 
 general, will apply to the ministration of John ; for he was 
 under the Law, as well as the prophets that had preceded 
 him. " He was the voice of one crying in the Wilderness : 
 Prepare ye the way of the Lord !" His whole office was 
 but preparatory to the coming of our Lord in the flesh ; 
 and he was to " decrease," as the Dispensation of the 
 Gospel advanced to a complete establishment : thus giving 
 place gradually, not ceasing entirely at once. 
 
 As John approached nearer to the Gospel Dispensation 
 in point of lime, than any other prophet, so his testimony 
 was more direct and pointed. 
 
 And as our Lord acknowledged the testimony of the 
 Fjaw, and applied it to Himself, so He also acknowledged 
 the testimony of John, than whom a greater prophet had 
 not appeared. And as He came to fulfd the LaAV, so He 
 ahoJ'u//il/(d the ministration of .John. It nuiy be particu- 
 larly remarked, that, in speaking of the Law, He said, He 
 "• came not to destroy, but io fulfd it." And this fulfilling 
 evidently was, by introducing the spiritual realities to 
 which it pointed, to end the types and shadows, with all 
 the " washings and carnal ordinances, imposed till the 
 time of reformalion." — And, as He used the word ''fulfil," 
 as applied to the La:o and the prophets, so He used it as 
 
OF BAPTISM. 213 
 
 applied to John and his baptism : " Sutler it to be so now, 
 for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness." Matt. 
 iii. 13. 
 
 The Jews were in expectation of the promised Messiah : 
 however erroneous their ideas might have been respecting 
 his character, still He was much desired. They had lost 
 their power and preeminence among the nations of the 
 earth. They had been conquered and made tributary, 
 by one nation after another, till their yoke had become 
 grievous. They were informed by the ancient prophets, 
 that a messenger would be sent before the Messiah, in the 
 spirit and power of Elias. When John commenced his 
 ministry, there was something singular and striking in his 
 appearance. The prophecy represented him as the voice 
 of one crying in the Wilderness, saying : " Prepare ye the 
 way of the Lord ; make straight in the desert a high w ay 
 for our God !" Isaiah xl. 3. He commenced his ministry 
 in the JVilderness of Judea. His food, his clothing, his 
 doctrine, and his baptism, were all calculated to impress 
 the minds of those w ho resorted to him, w ith the idea that 
 the important event was then at hand. His testimony on 
 this head was clear : and though his reproofs were severe, 
 his message was gladly received. For we read in the 
 evangelist : " Then went out unto him Jerusalem and 
 all Judea, and the region round about Jordan, and were 
 baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins." Matt. 
 iii. 5, 6. Submission to his baptism, I consider, was 
 intended by those who did it, as an acknowledgment to 
 his testimony. This testimony, however, was not complete 
 till he had applied it personally to our Lord -Jesus Christ. 
 Thus it was that John fulfilled his commission, and 
 accomplished the very end for which he was sent, " to 
 prepare the way of the Lord." When therefore our Lord 
 commenced His ministry, it was seen fit, in infinite wisdom, 
 that He should own the testimony of John. This opened 
 4 p 3 
 
214 OF BAPTISM. 
 
 u door of easy access to discipleship with Him. And those 
 who had submitted to the baptism of John, were thus in- 
 troduced to the very threshold of profession with Christ, 
 before they were aware of it : and, by this means, many of 
 the strontr prejudices that would have operated unfavour- 
 ably on them, were removed. But there is another con- 
 sideration, of some importance to a correct understanding 
 of the subject. As the Law was represented as a school- 
 master t3 lead to Christ, Gal. iii. 24. so John and his 
 ministry were designed to prepare the way of the Lord. 
 Matt. iii. 3, and Isa. xl. 3. The object was the same, 
 though the mode of expression was different. Li point ^f 
 authority too, they may be placed on tlie same ground, for 
 ^oth were of Divine appointment. And as no abrogation 
 of types and shadows took place till the crucifixion of 
 Christ, so the observance of John's baptism, in common 
 with the other rituals of that Dispensation, was to be ex- 
 pected to continue till that important period. The obliga- 
 tions of the ceremonial law rested on the disciples of 
 Jesus Christ, while He was personally with them, as fully 
 as on the pious Jews, before his visible appearance. And 
 our Lord not only observed the Law Himself, but en- 
 couraged the observance of it in others. The last supper 
 which He took with his disciples, was in conformity tdthe 
 ceremonial law — and He directed one whom He had 
 healed, to " show himself to the priest, and offer the gifts" 
 prescribed by the Law. Indeed it is generally admitted 
 that the Law was fully in force, in all its parts, till our Lord 
 exclaimed : " It is finished !" And as the Dispensation 
 previous to this event, completely and fully em])raced the 
 baptism of John, it is not strange that this baptism was 
 observed, with the other ceremonies of the time then pre- 
 sent. To these causes we may ascribe the sanction which 
 our Lord gave to his disciples, in using John's baptisnu 
 There was Divine wisdom, as well as condescension in it. 
 
OF BAPTISM. 215 
 
 And further ; it served to show the harmony that existed 
 in all the Divine Dispensations. But our Lord, as if to 
 guard against wrong conclusions, that might be formed 
 from these proceedings, never used this baptism Himself. 
 And in using the word now^ when He applied to John to 
 be baptized. He limited the use of it to that Dispensation. 
 
 The reasons for the use of water baptism among the 
 disciples, were not permanent. They applied only to that 
 particular time, w^lien the influence of John and his 
 ministry was necessary to the introduction of Christianity 
 among that people. It was also peculiarly to the Jews ; 
 for they, and not the gentiles, were the subjects of John's 
 baptism. 
 
 When, therefore the New Dispensation was come — so 
 far as this baptism was a type and shadow of the spiritual 
 baptism of Christ, it stood just on the same ground with 
 the types and shadows of the Law — that is, the substance 
 remained, the types and shadows ceased and passed 
 away — at that same period too, it had done its office, in 
 preparing the way of the Lord, and facilitating the ijitro- 
 duction of the New Dispensation. It only then remained 
 for the strong attachment which had been formed to it, and 
 by which, in part, it effected its office — to wear away. 
 This required time, during which, in condescension, it was 
 borne with, as were many of the abrogated ceremonies of 
 the Law. And this was the fulfilment of the prophecy of 
 John himself : " He must increase, but I must decrease." 
 John iii. 30. For the decrease of attachment to this, as 
 well as the other relicks of the typical Dispensation, was 
 only to be expected through the increasing influence of 
 the pure, living principle of Divine Life in the soul. 
 
 And thus it was in the primitive Church. It is evident 
 
 that the apostles themselves were more or less under the 
 
 influence of their education, and the attachments they had 
 
 formed to institutions while they w ere in force. So power- 
 
 4 p 4 
 
216 OF BAPTISM. 
 
 fill was this prejudice, that Peter needed a vision to induce 
 him to go to Cornelius. It was at that very time, that he 
 queried : " Can any forbid water, that these should not be 
 baptized ? " He spoke liesitatingly, and not as he did 
 •when preaching the doctrines of the Gospel. He was, 
 long after this, entangled with the ceremonies of the Law, 
 so that t^aul withstood him to the face. But this misunder- 
 standing did not relate to the great fundamental doctrines 
 of the Gospel ; and it only depended on the force with 
 which the mind retained its hold on things originally of 
 Divine appointment, but which, in the change of dispensa- 
 tions, had become unessential, and even an incumbrance 
 and hindrance. 
 
 The apostles, however, gradually rose above these things. 
 First, they saw beyond the contracted views of their edu- 
 cation, and embraced the gentiles, as well as the Jews, in 
 the effusions of Gospel love. The question of circumcision 
 soon claimed their attention, and that rite was adjudged to 
 have ceased in point of obligation. Nor Avas baptism 
 entirely passed over unnoticed. The apostle Paul, finding 
 the attachmenls to this ceremony not giving way so fast as 
 they sliould have done, let them know it was no part of his 
 mission, and thanked God tliat he had baptized only a few 
 individuals — which appears to have been done a consider- 
 able time before the period at wliich he wrote. The 
 apostle Peter also found it necessary to enforce, on the 
 minds of those to whom he wrote, that saving baptism was — 
 "not the putting away of the fdth of the flesh, but the 
 answer of a good conscience towards God, by the resurrec- 
 tion of Jesus Christ." I Pet. iii. 21. 
 
 The Transfignrution of our Lord on the mount, Avas a 
 striking illustration of the several dispensations, their ob- 
 jects and duration. It is recorded by the evangelists in 
 the following words : " And after six days, Jesus taketh 
 Peter, and James, and John his brother, aud bringeth them 
 
OF BAPT18M. 217 
 
 uj) into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured 
 before them ; and his face did shine as the sun, and his 
 raiment was white as the light. And, behold ! there ap- 
 peared unto them Moses and Elias, talking with Him. 
 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus : Lord, it is good 
 for us to be here : if Thou wilt, let us make here three 
 tabernacles, one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for 
 Elias." ("For he wist not what to say.") 3Iaik in.. 6. 
 " While he yet spake, behold ! a bright cloud overshadowed 
 them : and, behold ! a voice out of the cloud which said : 
 This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear 
 ye Him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on 
 their faces, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and 
 touched, them, and said : Arise, and be not afraid. And 
 when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man save 
 Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain 
 Jesus charged them saying : Tell the vision to no man, until 
 the Son of Man be risen again from the dead." 3Iatt. 
 xvii. 5 — 10. The concluding charge had allusion to the 
 completion of the vision, when Jesus, or his Spiritual 
 Dispensation, was to be left alone ; and not till that time 
 was it seasonable to impress its mystical application. 
 
 As He assumed that Divine glory, as seen in his trans- 
 figuration, Moses and Elias were seen talking with Him : 
 for to Him, thus glorified, they pointed and bore testimony. 
 And as they still appeared, that active disciple, though a 
 little bewildered in his ideas, wished to continue that state 
 of things, and perpetuate it by building three tabernacles, 
 one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elias. But while 
 he yet spake, the error was corrected — for " a bright cloud 
 overshadowed them, and a voice said : This is my beloved 
 Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him. And 
 when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, 
 save Jesus onlij.'''' Moses and Elias were gone. They 
 had done their office, and Jesus alone remained. Moses and 
 
218 OF IJAJ'TISM. 
 
 Elias, who represented the Law and the baptism of John, 
 bad done their oflicc, when the Son of Man was risen again 
 from the dead— and Ihey passed away. How vain would 
 it then be, to attempt to go back 1o a state in which God 
 was not all, and build tabernacles for those that must 
 disappear ! 
 
 And thus it is with many pious minds since that day. 
 They wish to tabernacle with Jesus— but they want also the 
 company of Moses, and John the Baptist. They see that 
 these have been honoured willi the presence of the Master 
 in o-reat glory, and that access to Hiiii has been obtained 
 through them ; but that instructive voice remains to be 
 heard : " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well 
 pleased. Hear ye Him''' And He is to remain alone. 
 
 Here Moses and Elias Jippcared together, talking with 
 Jesus ; which was verified in the continuance of the Law, 
 and the introduction of John's ministration, and both in 
 their full force at the same time, after our Lord made his 
 appearance. And as Moses (or Ihe Law) disappeared, so 
 did Jolin (or water baptism) — and Jesus and his Spiritual 
 Dispensation remain alone. 
 
 That others as well as Peter should be unwilling to let 
 Moses and Elias go, is not strange. The strong attach- 
 ment that had been formed for the Law and the baptism of 
 .lolin, while they were in force, was not to be shaken off 
 immediately, by those whose zeal was ardent. Hence, 
 many of the rituals of that Dispensation were still practised 
 by the disciples, and even the apostles themselves, after the 
 ascension of our Lord. Nor were they without strong pre- 
 judi(-es also, as already observed. — There was much dis- 
 puting in the council of the apostles and elders, before 
 they could come to the conclusion that circumcision and 
 the other rituals of t \\v Law were not necessary. But as the 
 Power, Life, and Light of Christ, became fully introduced, 
 not only did the types and shadows of the Law, which 
 
OF BAPTISM. 219 
 
 pointed to Him, cease, but those prejudices also gave way 
 "before the brightness of His coming." First the intima- 
 tion of those things was mild. The apostles and elders at 
 Jerusalem sent to the brethren in distant parts, this gentle 
 intimation of their views : " It seemed good to the Holy 
 Ghost and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than 
 these necessary things." Acts xv. 28. And in the enume- 
 ration of particulars, they included no part of the ceremo- 
 nial law, except abstinence from meats offered to idols, 
 from things strangled, and from blood. The question im- 
 mediately brought before them, is not mentioned in this 
 address to the churches ; which shows clearly that they 
 designed to apply this instruction and decision, to the 
 ceremonial law generally. 
 
 After this the apostles began to speak more pointedly 
 on the subject. Paul brings into view the weakness of the 
 Law ; and not only that the divers washings (of which 
 John's baptism was one) and carnal ordinances could not 
 effect that important change, which constituted the new 
 creature ; but that they were imposed only till the time of 
 reformation, or full introduction of the Gospel Dispensa- 
 tion. Heb. vii. 19, and ix. 9, 10. He also informed the 
 believers, that as there was but " one Lord, and one faith," 
 so there was but "one baptism." Eph. iv. 5. And John 
 clearly acknowledged that his was not the baptism of 
 Christ." Matt. iii. 11. 
 
 The apostle Peter, as already observed, took occasion, 
 in speaking of saving baptism, to let the believers know, 
 that it was " not the putting away of the filth of the flesh." 
 
 But the apostle Paul went further, in relation to cere- 
 monies. When he found the professors of Christianity not 
 easily weaned from these things, he told them in strong 
 terms, that if they observed these, Christ would profit them 
 nothing — and he thanked God that he had baptized only a 
 small number, whom he mentioned : thus giving them to 
 
2S0 «^ UAFTIS.M. 
 
 understand, that their attachment to this ceremony was not 
 chargeable to him. Vide Gal. v. 2. 
 
 Not only did he thus represent forms and ceremonies in 
 their own littleness and insignificancy, but he inculcated 
 those important truths that were of indispensable neces- 
 sity. 
 
 TJiose who ever experience Christ brought into dominion 
 over all in them, must be brought into a likeness of his 
 death. We cannot be made partakers of his resurrection, 
 without first partaking also of his death. " For if," said 
 the apostle, "we have been planted together in the like- 
 ness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his re- 
 surrection." Rom. vi. 5. " That I may know Him, and the 
 Power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufler- 
 ings, being made conformable to his death." PhiL iii. 10. 
 
 When the mother of Zebedee's children requested of our 
 Lord, that her sons might sit, one on his right hand, and 
 the other on his left, in his kingdom, He inquired if they 
 were able to drink of the cup that He should drink of, and 
 be baj)tized with the //«/3//s//< thn' He was baptized with, 
 jlffl/^ XX. 21. And as the period of his crucifixion drew 
 near, He said : " I have a baptism to be baptized with, and 
 how am I straitened till it be accomplished !" Widely dif- 
 ferent was this ba})tism from immersion in water, or sprink- 
 ling. And thus also it is found by his true followers. 
 Conformable to this, is the language of the apostle : " Know 
 ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus 
 Christ, were baptized /w/o his death ? Therefore we are 
 buried xoith Him, by baptism, into death.""^ Rom. vi. 3. 
 He does not say into zcater, which is not t'ven implied iu 
 the text. And to the Galatians, chap. iii. 27, he says : 
 "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ, have 
 put on Christ." And this is very clearly to be distinguish- 
 ed from water baptism. In the administration of the latter, 
 all 'that can be positively stated is, that they are baptized 
 
OF BAPTISM. 221 
 
 into the water, and have put on a name of religion. Not 
 so of the baptism of Christ — that which He Himself was 
 baptized with. All who experience it, are baptized into 
 Christ — and put on his Divine nature, " that, like as He 
 was raised up from the dead, by the glory of the Father, 
 even so they also may walk in newness of life." Rom. 
 vi. 4. 
 
 The commission given by our Lord to his disciples, 
 after his resurrection, has been considered as the authority 
 for water baptism : " Go ye therefore and teach all nations, 
 baptizing them in [or into] the Name of the Father, and of 
 the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; teaching them to observe 
 all things whatsoever I have commanded you." To this 
 charge He annexed the promise of his presence j " Lo ! I 
 am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." 
 
 Here it is specially to be noticed, that water is not men- 
 tioned in the text. And I consider it assuming too much, 
 to introduce into it what our Lord Himself did not. In 
 the next place, baptizing being the present participle, refers 
 to the same time with teaching. They are thus brought to 
 occupy the same space of time, as a simultaneous act : 
 Teach., baptizing. This was completely fulfilled, as Peter 
 bore testimony : " As I began to speak, the Holy Ghost 
 fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered 
 I the word of the Lord, how that He said : John indeed 
 baptized with water ; but ye shall be baptized with the 
 H01.Y Ghost." Here then was a case, in the household of 
 Cornelius, of a baptism of the Holy Ghost — and in the ful- 
 filment of the commission of our Lord : Teach — baptizing. 
 In regard to this important commission, it has been re- 
 marked by some writers, that the common translation has 
 given countenance to a mistake of no ordinary magnitude : 
 " In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
 Holy Ghost :" — that the original is not in, but into the 
 Name, which is frequently put for the Power. 
 
22^ OF BAi'TISM. 
 
 I shall not insist on this criticism ; as either of these pre- 
 positions will support our doctrine. For the preposition 
 into is not absolutely necessarj to convey the idea, even of 
 immersion in the clement, into which the subject is bap- 
 tized. For we read in Matthew iii. 5, that the hearers of 
 John " were baptized of hiui in Jordan." And the aj)ostle 
 Paul used them both in the same sense we contend for : " If 
 any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." 2 Cor. v. 17. 
 " As many as have been baptized into Christ, have i)ut 
 on Christ." Gal. iii. 27. So that whether we take in or 
 into, there will be no forced construction, in applying 
 either to the Name, used fiirurativcly for the Power, Jn- 
 jluence, or Divine Nature. Thus : " Let them that love thy 
 Name, be joyful in Thee." Ps. v. 11. " The Name of the 
 God of Jacob defend thee." ib, xx. 1. "The Name of the 
 Lord is a stronir tower ; the righteous runneth into it and is 
 safe." Prov. xviii. 10. "By what power or by what name 
 have ye done this ?" Acts iv. 17. This question was put to 
 Peter and John respecting the miracle of healing the im- 
 potent man. In reply, " Peter, being tilled with the Holy 
 Ghost," let them know that it was "by the Name of Jesus 
 Christ of Nazareth" — " even by Jlim doth this man stand 
 here before you whole." And in their united supplication, 
 they said : "And now. Lord," — "grant unto thy servants, 
 that with all boldness they may speak thy word ; bi/ 
 stretching forth thij hand to heal ; and that sig^s and 
 wonders may l)e done by the Name of thy holy child Jesus. 
 And when tlu-y had prayed, the place was shaken where 
 they were assembled together , and they were all tilled 
 with the Holy (ijiost : and they spake the word ofGod with 
 boldness." ib. iv. 29,30. " In His Name shall the gentiles 
 trust." Matt. xii. 21. " Many believed in His Name,'' 
 [that is, in' his Divinity.] John ii. 23. " That believing, 
 ye might have life? through His Natnc.'' ib. xx. 31. "But 
 ye are washed, but yc are sanctified, but ye are justified, in 
 
OK BAPTISM. ' 2^3 
 
 and by (he .Spirit of our 
 God." 1 Cor. V. 11. 
 
 It will not be denied that the expressions, " In His 
 Name," are sometimes used to signify, under His author Hit/. 
 
 This, however, is not less a figurative mode of expression 
 than the other ; and I believe it is not more frequently used 
 in the Scriptures. That the apostles had this authority 
 will readily be granted. But what is that to those, who 
 have not been endued with the Power ? — will that warrant 
 any one who pleases, to use that Sacred Name ? The seven 
 sons of Sceva made such an experiment. Thei/ took the 
 Name in a very literal sense ; but they wofully found that 
 they were destitute of the Power and Influence, with 
 which the apostles were endued. 
 
 How then can it be supposed that dipping into water, or 
 sprinkling, can be fulfilling the commission, to teach, bap- 
 tizing in, or into, the Name ? The question is involved in 
 difficulty, which cannot possibly be removed. It is no 
 support to the doctrine to argue, that allowing water bap- 
 tism is making the commission easily practicable for men. 
 It militates directly against it. For the disciples them- 
 selves were not qualified for this work, after all their ex- 
 perience, without the aid and presence of Him who has 
 "all power in heaven and on earth." They were specially 
 commanded to tarry at Jerusalem, till they were endued 
 with Power from on high. They did so — and thus endued, 
 they taught, baptizing "aw^o" "the Power of an Endless 
 Life." And this remains to be the commission down to the 
 present day. They are to teach, baptizing into that Divine 
 Power— and they are also to tarry till they are themselves 
 endued with Power from on high. Then, and not till then, 
 are they clothed with a baptizing ministry. And the pro- 
 mise remains to be fulfilled ;— for the Divine Presence still 
 goes along with all his true ministers. 
 
 It will not be pretended that all are baptized with the 
 
i?i?l * OF BAPTISM. 
 
 Holy Ciliost, that submit to the ceremony of water bap- 
 tism ; for some had submitted to it formerly, who had not 
 so much as heard that there was a Holy Ghost. Ads xix. 
 2. From the manner in which' the extent of John's minis- 
 try and baptism is mentioned by the evangelist, it would 
 seem to have been generally received among the Jews. 
 For he says : " Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all 
 Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were 
 baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins." Matt. 
 iii. 5. But the history docs not warrant the belief, that 
 the ministry of Christ, and his spiritual baptism, were as 
 extensively received by the same subjects. And it is very 
 certain, that some have received the baptism of the Holy 
 Ghost, who had not received that of water. Such was the 
 case of Cornelius ; and such has been the case with thou- 
 sands since that day, w ho never have received the ceremony 
 of water baptism. 
 
 No one can deny that the commission of the great apos- 
 tle of the gentiles, was as full as that of any of the apostles. 
 For he says he was " not a whit behind the very chiefest 
 apostles." And yet, when speaking with reference to 
 water baptism, he expressly declared he was not sent to 
 baptize, but to preach the Gospel ; and thanked God that 
 he had baptized only such and such, whom he named. To 
 suppose that he preached, and some other persons bap- 
 tized, would be but begging the question : Tor the Scrip- 
 tures do not warrant the assertion. Not only is it without 
 support from Scripture, but it would contradict his own 
 assertion, that he was "not a whit behind the chiefest apos- 
 tles." Neither would it fulfil the commission ; for teaching 
 and baptizing are so intimately connected, both as to time 
 and operation, that they are not to be separated, so as to 
 bc.assigned to dilleri-nt persons. Allowing this latitutle of 
 construction, the apostle Paul could not teach, baptizing ; 
 he only taught — and so but half fullilled the commission — 
 
OF BAPTISM. .gSd 
 
 and then unaccountably thanked Cod that it had been so ! 
 These suppositions lead to conclusions, which will not 
 readilj be admitted by the pious Christian, of whatever 
 denomination he may be. 
 
 " He that believes and is baptised, sliall be saved." 
 Tliis is a very positive, unequivocal declaration. Here 
 the case is not left doubtful ; but to believe and be baptised 
 is saving. And yet, we must admit that the very worst of 
 men may, like " the devils, believe ; " and none can deny 
 that they may be baptised with water : for we read " that 
 the devils believe and tremble ; " James ii. 19. and Simon 
 Magus was baptized in water. Acts viii. 13. Therefore 
 the baptism here meant could not be that of water, or " a 
 putting away of the filth of the flesh ; but the answer of a 
 good conscience towards God, by the resurrection of Jesus 
 Christ." 1 PetA{\.2\. 
 
 The baptism of water was a metaphor : and as it was,' 
 in its first institution, connected with the call to repentance, 
 so it represented the first tendering impressions of Divine 
 Grace ; softening the obdurate heart into contrition, and at 
 the same time, cleansing it from a portion of its pollutions. 
 
 Bat as these first operations are represented metaphori- 
 cally as effected by water; so the further purification of the 
 soul is represented as being through the operation o^Jire. 
 But in the Christian experience, the first is no more by 
 material xoater, than the last is by material Jire. " The 
 washing of water " is " by the word." Eph. v. 26. And 
 this is as purely a spiritual operation, as that of " the re- 
 finer's fire," by which " the dross, the tin, and the repro- 
 bate silver are consumed." 
 
 The types and shadows of the Legal Dispensation were 
 not abrogated, to be succeeded by other shadows, equally 
 outward and figurative with the first. They Avere not 
 shadows of shadows— but pointed to the Living and 
 Eternal Substance. 
 
 4 Q 
 
W(j , Ol' liAPTIBM. 
 
 'Hie apostle bore testimony : "We have not received the 
 spirit of bondage, again lo fear ; but we have received the 
 spirit of adoption, Avliereby we cry, Abba, Father ! the 
 Spirit itself bearing witness with our spirits that we are 
 the children of God." Rom. viii. 15. " Ye were sealed 
 with that Holy Spirit of promise." Eph.i.l^. "And 
 grieve not tlie Holy Spirit of God, wherewith ye were 
 sealed to the day of redemption." Eph. iv. 30. Thus, it 
 is by the Holy Spirit that we are sealed under the Gospel 
 — and not by water. 
 
 The Society of Friends, therefore, believe that the bap- 
 tism of John was a type^ that has long since done its office 
 and ceased in the Church of Christ. That it was used for 
 a time, and on particular occasions in the primitive Church, 
 will be readily granted : but this is no more than may be 
 said of some other ceremonies of the law. Long after the 
 ascension of our Lord, there were many thousands of the 
 believers who were zealous frfr the Law, Acts xxi. 20. and 
 could not see that they were entering into a Dispensation 
 purely spiritual, in which the substance of things being 
 enjoyed, those types and shadows ceased. And this weak- 
 ness was yielded to by the apostles; for, on the occasion 
 alluded to in Acts, xxi. 25. the great council of elders and 
 James, recommended the apostle Paul to join with four 
 men that had a vow, and were about purifying themselves 
 according lo the Law, and shave their heads ; that all might 
 know that he walked orderly, and kept the Law. 
 
 There was the same reason to account for the continu- 
 ance of water baptism. There were those who held the 
 ministry and baptism of John in high estimation, firmly 
 believing them to have been of Go<l, as they really were, 
 as well as the Law. To such attachments to things once 
 necessary, although it migiit be in weakness, as not pro- 
 perly distinguishing the right time when they were to 
 cease, there has always Iwen great tenderness and con- 
 
OF BAPTISM. 227 
 
 descension in the Church of Christ. And we freely agree, 
 that this tenderness is still extended to those who sincerely 
 believe in the necessity of these outward ceremonies, 
 though about eighteen hundred years have passed over, 
 since Jesus Christ put au end to types and shadows, 
 "blotting out the hand writing of ordinances, that was 
 against us, which was contrary to us — and took it out of 
 the way, nailing it to his cross." 
 
 And seeing this strong attachment, in pious minds, after 
 the lapse of so many ages, we can form some idea of the 
 effects of the same thing, when the causes were all recent, 
 and the nature of the Gospel Dispensation had hardly been 
 cleary unfolded. 
 
 We see that the apostles and elders were as nursing 
 fathers in the Church, not willing that any should stumble, 
 or be wounded or offended ; regarding above all things, 
 the sinceritf/ with which the new converts were actuated. 
 Thus Paul declared he would rather eat no meat, than 
 offend a weak brother. We find him also conforming to 
 rituals that were perfectly unessential, merely in condes- 
 cension to the same weakness. 
 
 But though this weakness was, and still remains to be, 
 regarded with tenderness ; yet it deserves to be seriously 
 considered, that weakness is not a situation to be desired, 
 or continued in. 
 
 The apostle admonished the Galatians, to " Stand fast 
 therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us 
 free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." 
 And he testified, that if one of the rituals of the Law, which 
 he mentioned, was observed, they were debtors to the 
 whole Law. Let it be a serious consideration, in contend- 
 ing for the continuance of types and shadows, which have 
 had their fulfilment in Christ, how far such individuals are 
 entangling themselves with the yoke of bondage, and 
 becoming debtors to the whole ceremonial institutions of 
 4 Q 2 
 
228 OF 1JAPTI9M. 
 
 the former Dispensation, and even detractinfic from tlic ex- 
 cellencies of the New Dispensation which was introduced 
 by Jesus Christ. 
 
 The baptism of the Holy Ghost, or Christ's spiritual 
 baptism, is still continued to the true believers ; for the 
 apostle Paul declared : " There is one Lord, one Faith, and 
 one Baptism." And the apostle Peter, in speaking of 
 saving baptism, says : "Which is not the putting away of 
 the fdth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience 
 towards God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." These 
 testimonies, were there no others in the Scriptures, are suf- 
 ficient to prove that it is no elementary operation : and 
 that it is of a lasting, unchangeable nature. The ministers 
 whom* Christ sends, are still enabled to teach, baptizing ; 
 and when that baptism is experienced, there is no doubt 
 remaining of its sufficiency. The substance is enjoyed ; 
 and we dare not turn from it, to embrace shadozcs. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 OF THE SUPPER. 
 
 When our Lord first spoke to his disciples, of their 
 eating his flesh and drinking his blood, it was heard with 
 astonishment, and the exclamations : " How can this man 
 give us his flesh to eat ?" — " This is a hard saying, who 
 can hear it !" John vi. 52, 60. Their views were then 
 outward ; and they construed his words Uterallj/^ when 
 their meaning was altogether mystical. This has been 
 the case, in relation to the flesh and blood of Christ, from 
 the day that He first mentioned them down to the present 
 period. 
 
 Thus some, taking the words of our Lord in the most 
 literal signification : " This is my body," &c. and " This 
 is my blood of the New Testament," &c. and '? This do 
 in remembrance of Me," have supposed that they were 
 authorized to repeat this ceremony, and that the bread- 
 and wine became the very flesh and blood of Christ. 
 Others, revolting at these gross conceptions, have variously 
 modified their opinions, until they have brought it down 
 to " an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual 
 grace." And even thus modified, it is contended for, as a 
 standing ordinance in the Church of Christ. 
 
 That we may examine how far this idea is supported by 
 the text, I will transcribe the several relations that are 
 given of that transaction, by the four evangelists. 
 
 Matthew says : " And as they were eating, Jesus took 
 bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the dis- 
 ciples, and said : Take, eat : this is my body. And He 
 4 Q 3 
 
230 THE SUPPER. 
 
 took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, say- 
 ing : Drink ye all of it. For this is ray blood of the New 
 Testament, which is shed for many, for the remission of 
 sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of 
 this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new 
 with you, in my Father's kingdom." 
 
 Mark's account is almost exactly in the words of Mat- 
 thew. 
 
 Luke says : " And He took bread, and gave thanks, and 
 brake it, and gave unto them, saying : This is my body, 
 which is given for you : this do in remembrance of Me. 
 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying : This cup is 
 the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you." 
 
 John passes over the supper, and proceeds to another 
 transaction, thus : " Now before the Feast of the Passover, 
 when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that He should 
 depart out of this w orld unto the Father, having loved his 
 own which were in the world, He loved them unto the 
 end. And supper being ended, (the devil having now put 
 into the heart of Judas Iscariol, Simon's son, to betray 
 Him,) Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things 
 into liis haiuls, and that he was come from God, and went 
 to God ; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his gar- 
 ments, and took a towel, and girded Himself ; after that. 
 He poureth water into a bason, and began to wash his 
 disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel where- 
 with He was girded. Then comcth He to Simon Peter ; 
 and Peter saith unto Him : Lord, dost Thou wash my feet ! 
 Jesus answered and said unto him : What 1 do thou knowest 
 not now ; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto 
 Him : Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered 
 him : If I wash Hue not, thou hast no part with Me. Simon 
 Pelcr saith unto Him : Lord, not my feet only, but also 
 my liands and my head. Jesus saith unto him : He that 
 is washed, needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean 
 
THE SUPPER. 231 
 
 every whit ; and je arc clean, but not nil : for he knew 
 who should betray Him : therefore said He, Ye are not 
 all clean. So after He had washed their feet, and had 
 taken his garments, and was set down again. He said 
 unto them : Know ye what I have done to you ? Ye call 
 Me Master, and Lord : and ye say well ; for so I am. If 
 I then, your Lord and Master, have waslied your feet, 
 ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have 
 given you an example, that ye should do as I have done 
 to you." 
 
 Of the four evangelists, who have recorded the Passover 
 that Jesus eat with his disciples, immediately before He 
 suffered, only one says any thing like its being repeated. 
 Can we suppose that, if it was designed for so important an 
 institution, as is believed by some, it would have been 
 thus slightly passed over ? Would the institution have 
 been entirely omitted by three out of the four evangelists, 
 and by the fourth just mentioned in the simple expression : 
 " This do in remembrance of Me." 
 
 A question naturally arises, whether the breaking of 
 bread for the common support of nature, and taking the 
 cup with the giving of thanks, is not the thing that is to 
 be done in remembrance of Christ. And whether, as often 
 as this is done — as often as we sit doAvn to our ordinary 
 meals, under a reverent sense. of the goodness of God 
 through Jesus Christ, there is not a memorial of his body 
 that was broken, and his blood that was shed for us ; 
 agreeably to the words of the apostle : " As often as ye do 
 this, ye do show forth the Lord's death till He come." 
 
 When partaking of the blessings of a bountiful Provi- 
 dence, for the nourishment and growth of our natural 
 bodies, does it not bring to mind the need there is, for 
 the preservation of the Divine Life in us, of the bread 
 which comes down from heaven, for the support of the 
 inner man ? And as this bread is obtained through the 
 4 q4 
 
232 THE SUPPF.R. 
 
 coming and suffering of /esus Christ, whose precious 
 blood was shed for us, it is calculated to make impressions 
 of an humbling nature. It is Christ alone, internally en- 
 joyed, tfiat can nourish the soul up unto Eternal Life; and 
 hence that mysterious expression of our Lord : " Except 
 ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye 
 have no life in you ; for my flesh is meat indeed, and my 
 blood is drink indeed." This, however repugnant in a 
 literal point of view, is one of those precious truths, which 
 the pious soul well understands, and often recurs to, in its 
 progress heaven-ward. 
 
 Matthew, Mark, and Luke, all give the circumstances of 
 the breaking of bread, taking the cup, and giving of thanks. 
 But tliis was no more than appears to have been our Lord's 
 uniform practice. When He ate. He took the bread, and 
 looking up to heaven, gave thanks, and brake it, and gave 
 to his disciples. This is so often recorded, that we may 
 fairly conclude it was his constant practice. 
 
 At this last supper that He was to take with his disci- 
 ples, in order to inculcate the great truths of Redemption, 
 and the benefits derived from his sufferings and death, 
 then soon to take place. He associated that sacrifice of 
 Himself on the cross, with the idea of the nourishment of 
 their bodies. And the calls for food being of a nature so 
 often to occur, and so absolute in their demands, were 
 calculated to fix deeply in their minds the necessity of that 
 spiritual bread, which they received through Him, who 
 was about to lay down his life, ami shed his precious blood 
 for them. Thus far the three evangelists concur ; the 
 third adds : " This do in remembrance of Me," which does 
 not materially change the view of the subject. The fourth 
 had his attention directed to another circumstance, wliidi 
 the others h:id not mentioned, the washing of the disciples' 
 feet. And here let the two arcounts of the evangelists, 
 Luke and John, be compared, and candidlv decide, which 
 
THE SUPPER. 233 
 
 lias most the appearance of a permanent institution, the 
 supper, or the washing of feet ? I hesitate not to say, 
 that the latter has abundantly more of such an appear- 
 ance than the former. And yet, by the general consent of 
 Christians, it is laid aside, or, rather, not regarded as a 
 standing ordinance. 
 
 I am not endeavouring to detect discrepances among the 
 evangelists, but only to show, that, though four have 
 written on the occasion, so little is to be discovered in the 
 records they have left, like an institution of an ordinance. 
 And this may be regarded as an evidence, that it was not 
 so intended. 
 
 That such a ceremony did take place in the Christian 
 Church in early times, is no more than happened in rela- 
 tion to many practices and observances, which are now 
 generally considered to have ceased, in point of obligation 
 — even though they were enjoined by the Church. Such 
 were those relicks of the ceremonial law, which were en- 
 joined in the epistle of the apostles and elders at Jerusalem 
 — though they introduced it by saying, it seemed good to 
 the Holy Ghost and to them. And such was the w ashing 
 of feet ; the practice of which, to some extent, grew out of 
 the example of our Lord, as recorded by the evangelist. 
 John xiii. Such also was the anointing of the sick with 
 oil, as enjoined by the apostle. James v. 14. And we 
 might mention, their having all things in common — in very 
 close connexion with which, was the practice of " breaking 
 bread from house to house." Acts ii. 46. 
 
 We therefore believe that we may safely decline the 
 use of this ceremony, as not essential in itself. That the 
 consecrated bread and wine are not the actual flesh and 
 blood of Christ, is agreed by all Protestants. And if it be 
 admitted as an outward and visible sign of an inward 
 and spiritual grace, it must be perfectly useless if that 
 spiritual grace be wanting : and if it be present, and 
 
834 THE SUPi'Ell. 
 
 the body and blood of Christ be really enjoyed in spirit, 
 that outward and visible sign must be of small conse- 
 quence, and would be lost in the Fulness of the Eternal 
 Substance. 
 
 On (he othrr liand, there is real danger, that a depend- 
 ence on an empty shadow may divert the mind of the 
 pious Christian, from perseveringly seeking the Substance. 
 Hence the admonition of the apostle : " Wherefore, if ye 
 be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, 
 as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 
 (touch not ; taste not ; handle not ; which all are to perish 
 with the using,) after the commandments and doctrines of 
 men ?" Col. ii. i^O-22. 
 
 The idea of establishing certain particular days, at long 
 intervals, for enjoying communion with God, I apprehend 
 is calculated to produce effects prejudicial to the Christian 
 traveller. That communion which is the life of the true 
 Christian, should be more frequent. " Behold ! I stand at 
 the door and knock ; if any man hear my voice, and open 
 the door, I will come in to Him, and sup with him, and he 
 with Me." Rex. iii. ^. That this is properly the Lord's 
 Supper, is clear from the plain language of the text. And 
 that it is not dependent on any ceremonies whatever, is 
 equally evident. That this intercourse and sustenance 
 should be daily sought after, is inculcated by our Lord, in 
 that prayer which He taught his disciples : " Give us day 
 by day our daily bread." Luke xi. 3. Here is no putting 
 off to sacramtnl dai/ ;* (so called ;) the soul, in the mciin 
 time, languishing for the Avant of that Bread, which alone 
 can nourish it up (<> Eternal Life. 
 
 We, therefore, believing (hat the body autl blood of 
 Jesus Christ, and communion with God through Him, are 
 only to be experienced in a spirKual sense, and that the 
 
 The wrmi mackamknt is of Romnn origin, and vi.<nilied % military oaHi. 
 
I* THE SUPPER. 233 
 
 outward ceremony is one of those things which perish with 
 the using, think ourselves fully warranted in declining the 
 use of the shadow, and pressing after the pure and spiritual 
 Substance ; which is the one thing needful. . 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 OF DAYS AND TIMES. 
 
 The Society of Friends believe, that the " holy days," 
 " the new moons," and " sabbath-days," observed under 
 the Law, were " shadows of things to come ; but the body 
 is of Christ." Col. ii. 16, 17. And as shadows, they ceased 
 with the sliadowy Dispensation, of which they formed 
 a part. 
 
 The apostle, speaking of Christ, and the blessed opera- 
 lions of his Power under the Gospel Dispensation, brings 
 into view the abrogation of the types and shadows of the 
 Law, by the coming of the spiritual realities to wliich they 
 pointed, in the following striking language : "Blotting out 
 the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us, which 
 was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to 
 his cross ; and having spoiled principalities and powers, 
 lie made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in 
 it. Let no man tiicrefore judge you in meat, or in drink, 
 or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the 
 sal)hath-(hiys ; which are a shadow of things to come ; but 
 the body is of Christ." 
 
 " Wherefore, if ye he dead ^ilh (Mirist from the rudi- 
 ments of the world, why, as though living in the Avorld,are 
 ye subject to ordinances, (touch not ; taste not ; handle 
 not ; which all are to jjcrish with the using,) after the com- 
 maudnu-iits and doctrines of men ?" Col. ii. 14-17, i^O. 
 
 " If ye then be risen with Cinisl, seek those things 
 
OF DAYS AND TIME8. 237 
 
 which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of 
 God." ih. iii. 1. 
 
 An improper veneration of days, and other shadows of 
 the Legal Dispensation, appears to have been a snare, into 
 Avhich professing Christians were very early betrayed. 
 Indeed, where there is a large proportion of zeal, there is 
 peculiar danger of its being directed to wrong objects. 
 Not only did the Colossians give cause to the apostle, to 
 check their superstitious observance of days and times, but 
 the Galatians appear to have been not less entangled in 
 these things than the Colossians. The great and dangerous 
 error, into which they had been led by the observance of 
 these things, was an apprehension that they were justified 
 by the works of the Law ; and this remains to be the danger 
 to the present day. There were various stages, before 
 the observance of days assumed this dangerous character. 
 There were those among the Romans wlio esteemed one 
 day above another, and others esteemed every day alike : 
 " He that regarded the day, regarded iit to the Lord : and 
 he that regarded not the day, to the Lord he did not regard 
 it." jRom.xiv. 5, 6. In these cases, on account of the 
 religious sincerity with which each was actuated, and the 
 limits to which the observances were confined, the apostle 
 did not censure either. But with the Galatians, and some 
 other churches, the case was diiferent ; and the apostle was 
 brought strongly to reprehend their defection from the 
 spirituality of the New Dispensation. " O foolish Gala- 
 tians ! " was his language, "who hath bewitched you, that 
 ye should not obey the Truth ? " " Received ye the Spirit 
 by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of Faith ? " "Are 
 ye so foolish ? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye made 
 perfect by the flesh ? " Gal. iii. 1-3. " But now, after ye 
 have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn 
 ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye 
 desire again to be in bondage ! Ye observe daysy and 
 
258 OF DATS AND TIMES. 
 
 months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I 
 have bestowed upon you labour in vain." ib. iv. 9, 10. 
 
 Tlius it appears, that even in the days of the apostles, 
 there were those among professing Christians, whose vene- 
 ration for (lays and times had diverted their attention from 
 (he true objects they were originally set apart to typify. 
 And thus, by a zealous observance of types, after their 
 office had ceased, they were entangling themselves with 
 the yoke of bondage, and endangering their total ruin as 
 to the life of Christianity. 
 
 The state to which the outward sabbath pointed, was so 
 difl'erent from that in which the Galatians rested in its 
 observance, that the solicitude of the apostle was very 
 powerfully excited on the occasion. It pointed to a state, 
 in which the activity of the creature was brought into 
 quiet ; — a state, in which the soul, after accomplishing that 
 portion of labour assigned it, conies to know a ceasing 
 from its " own works, as God did from his." This exposi- 
 tion is clearly given by the apostle, to the Hebrews, in the 
 3rd and 4</< chapters. To the Hebrews this exposition was 
 peculiarly proper, because to them the outward sabbath 
 had been given : and when the antitype had come, or that 
 Dispensation in which it was to be more particularly expe- 
 rienced, it was the Divine will that its mystical application 
 should be explained — "There is then," said the apostle, 
 "a rest to the peojile of God." And again : "He that 
 hath entered into his rest, hath ceased from his own works, 
 as (iod did from his." Am\ 1h' admonishes the Hebrew 
 iH^lievers to en(<'r into that rest. Leaving those things 
 that were behind, am<mg which was this shadow of good 
 things to come, they were to enter into that pure and spiri- 
 tual rest, which was the very thing to whi< h the outward 
 figure pointed. And to go back to an observance of the 
 o\Uward form, seemed to Im- an indication that the reality 
 hud not come ; aad wry naturally tende<I to cause it to bo 
 
OF DAY'S A«D TIMES. 239 
 
 lost sight of. Thus, as a Jewish rite, its obligation ceased, 
 and its observance became dangerous. According to the 
 reasoning of the apostle, to insist on the observance of one 
 particular of the ceremonial law, is to become a debtor to 
 tlie whole Law, and of course virtually to deny the coming 
 of Christ ; for as these figures pointed to Him and his 
 Spiritual Dispensation, and were to continue only till his 
 coming, to insist on their continuance is to deny that He 
 had come. 
 
 And as it is evident that the Sabbath was a shadow of 
 something to come, for the apostle expressly declares it 
 was, the reasoning which he applies to other shadows will 
 apply to that also. 
 
 I know that the observance of the Sabbath is considered, 
 by some, to be a part of the Moral Law ; and of course to 
 be of perpetual obligation. But the apostle, both to the 
 Galatians and to the Hebrews, gives it another character ; 
 for he clearly makes it a shadow, and of course to cease 
 when other shadows ceased. Heb. iv. 4, 10, IL 
 
 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, 
 or in respect of an holy day^ or of the new moons, or of the 
 Sabbath days ; which are a shadow of things to come ; but 
 the body is of Christ." Col. ii. 16, 17. This single passage 
 alone is sufficient to establish the position, that the parti- 
 culars enumerated were parts of the ceremonial Law, and 
 not of perpetual obligation. 
 
 All that has been said on this subject, is intended to 
 apply to the Jewish Sabbath, or an observance of a portion 
 of the ancient ceremonial Law, on principles not warranted 
 under the Gospel Dispensation. 
 
 And here the Society of Friends have always stopped. 
 As a society, we have never objected to a day of rest — of re- 
 laxation from the business and cares of life, for the purpose 
 of religious improvement. We know that the spirit of the 
 world is apt to acquire an undue ascendency over our 
 
240 OF DAYS AND TIME^. 
 
 cifl'ections ; and Were the ordinary business of life to engage 
 our attention, in an uninterruptetl train of occupation, tlie '' 
 consequences Would be extremely prejudicial to religious 
 improvement and enjoyment. And as the mind requires 
 abstraction, so the body requires relaxation : wc require it 
 for ourselves— we should observe it for those who have to 
 perform the menial and laborious services for us ; it is due 
 also to the brute creation under our control. A day of 
 rest, when, by common consent, the business of the world j 
 is suspended, is peculiarly favourable to the important J 
 object of social worship-without which, religious society 
 would lack one of those connecting bonds, by \Nj)ich it is i 
 held together. 
 
 For these, and other reasons which might be^assigned, j 
 we freely concur in setting apart the first day of the week, ^ 
 as- a day of rest and relaxation, to be devoted to public I 
 worship and religious improvement ; without a supersti- i 
 tious veneration of one day above another, or supposing ' 
 there is any inherent holiness in it. , 
 
 I shall conclude by extracting from the writings of our | 
 Friends, at different periods, a statement of what the Society i 
 has believed and practised, in relation to this subject. ! 
 
 " We, not seeing any ground in Scripture for it, cannot 
 be so superstitious as to believe, that either the Jewish j 
 Sabbath now continues, or that the first day of the week is 
 the antitype thereof, or the true Christian Sabbath, which, ] 
 with Calvin, we believe to have a more spiritual sense ; and \ 
 therefore we know no moral obligation by the fourth com- 
 mand, or elsewhere, to keep the first day of the week, more j 
 than any other, nor any inherent holiness in it. Bui, first, ' 
 forasmuch as it is most necessary, that there be some time ' 
 set apart for the saints to meet together to wait upon God ; 
 and, secondly, it is fit at some times that they be freed from 
 their outward affairs ; and, thirdlj/, reason and equity doth ; 
 allow, that servants and beasts have some tinu' allowed 
 
OF *AYS AND TIMES. 241 
 
 them, to be eased from their continual labour ; and, fourth- 
 Ij/, it appears that the apostles and primitive Christians did 
 use tlie first day of the week for these purposes ; we find 
 ourselves sufficiently moved, from these causes, to do so also, 
 without superstitiously straining the Scriptures for another 
 reason : which, that it is not there to be found, many Pro- 
 testants, yea, Calvin himself, upon tlie fourth command, 
 hath abundantly evinced. And though we therefore meet, 
 and abstaiu from working on this da?/, yet doth not that 
 hinder us from having meetings also for worship, at other 
 times." (Bardai/'s Apol. Prop. 11, § 4.) 
 
 " We, however, consider the setting apart of one day in 
 seven, for cessation from business, and for religious ser- 
 vices, no more than a reasonable duty ; and we encourage 
 the observance of it among our members. It has been our 
 practice from the commencement of our religious Society ; 
 and although we do not consider the first, or any day of 
 the week, as possessing a superior degree of holiness ; yet 
 we believe considerable advantages to religion and virtue 
 arise, not only from a proper dedication and employment 
 of it, but even from the imperfect observance; with which 
 it is, on the whole, regarded." (Tuke's Principles, p. 132.) 
 
 " But, as I have before observed, I am satisfied there 
 is no particular holiness attached to one day more than 
 another; yet if we were to lay aside the practice of setting 
 apart one day in seven, no doubt the cause of religion 
 would suffer by it. The Society therefore, although they 
 do not believe that one day has any sacred pieference to 
 another, have never departed from the practice of other 
 professors, in regard to the first day of the week." (Ker- 
 se2/'s Treatise, p. 62.) 
 
 " In turning our attention to the state of the Society, as 
 it has been now laid before us, the proper employment of 
 the first day of the week, the day more particularly set 
 4 R 
 
249 OF DATS AND TIMES. 
 
 apart for public worship, is a subject that has claimed our 
 serious attention. It is no small privilege to be living in 
 a country, where much regard is paid to this duty ; and it 
 highly becomes us to be careful that our example, in this 
 respect, be consistent with the profession we make to the 
 world. We desire that heads of tamilies, and our younger 
 friends also, may closely examine, whether they arc sufl&- 
 ciently solicitous to improve that portion of this day, which 
 is not allotted to the great duty of meeting with their 
 friends for the purpose of Divine worship. To those who 
 are awakened to a due sense of the eternal interests of the 
 soul— and O that this were the case with all !— we believe, 
 that these intervals have often proved times of much reli- 
 gious benefit. Many have derived great increase of 
 strength, both at these and other times, from retiring to 
 wait upon the Lord ; from reading the Holy Scriptures 
 with minds turned to their Divine Author, in desire that 
 He would bless them to their comfort and edification ; and 
 from perusing the pious lives and experiences of those who 
 have gone before them. But we avoid prescribing any 
 precise line of conduct, believing that, if the attention be 
 sincerely turned unto the Heavenly Shepherd, his pre- 
 serving help and guidance will not be withheld.*^ (London 
 Epistle, 1817.) 
 
 The following extract of a Letter of Advice, from a 
 meeting of the representatives of the Society, held in 
 London, in the year 1751, will explain our reasons for 
 giving the months and days of the week their proper, 
 numerical names, instead of those by which they arc 
 commonly called. 
 
 " A brief account of the origin of the names of some 
 months of the f/ear, and of afl the days of the week, now 
 customaril?/ and commonly used. 
 
OF DAYS AND TIMES. 243 
 
 " I. January was so called from Janus, an ancient king 
 of Italy, whom heathenish superstition had deified ; to 
 whom a temple was built, and this month dedicated. 
 
 II. February was so called from Februa, a word denot- 
 ing purgation by sacrifices ; it being usual, in this month, 
 for the priests of the heathen god Pan, to offer sacrifices, 
 and perform certain rites ; conducing, as was supposed, to 
 the cleansing or purgation of the people. 
 
 III. March was so denominated from Mars, feigned to 
 be the god of war, whom Romulus, founder of the Roman 
 empire, pretended to be his father. 
 
 IV. April is generally supposed to derive its name from 
 the Greek appellation of Venus, an imaginary goddess, 
 worshiped also by the Romans. 
 
 V. May is said to have been so called from Maia, the 
 motliler of Mercury, another of their pretended ethnic 
 deities, to whom, in this month, they paid their devotions. 
 
 VI. June is said to take its name from Juno, one of the 
 supposed goddesses of the heathen. 
 
 VII. July, so called from Julius Casar, one of the 
 Roman emperors, who gave his own name to this month, 
 which before was called Quintilis, or the Fifth. 
 
 VIII. August, so named in honour of Augustus Caesar, 
 another of the Roman emperors. This month was before 
 called Sextilis, or the Sixth.* 
 
 The other four months, namely, September, October, 
 November, and December, still retain their numerical 
 Latin names : which, according to the late regulation of 
 the calendar, will, for the future, be improperly applied. 
 However, from the continued use of them hitherto, as well 
 as from the practice of the Jews before the Babylonish 
 captivity,+ it seemeth highly probable, that the method of 
 distinguishing the months by their numerical order only, 
 
 Macrob. Saturn, lib. I. cap. 12. t See the Scriptures to the time of Ezra. 
 
 4 R 2 
 
244 OF DATS AND TIMES. 
 
 was tlic most ancient, as it is the most plain, simple, and ; 
 rational. 
 
 As tlie idolatrous Romans thus gave names to several of 1 
 the months, in honour of their pretended deities; so, the i 
 like idolatry prevailing among our Saxon ancestors, in- ' 
 duced them to call the days of the week by the name of 
 the idol, Avhich, on that day, they peculiarly worshiped. 
 Hence i 
 
 The First day of the week was by them called Sunday, J 
 from their customary adoration of the Sun upon that day. j 
 The Seco«rf day of the week they called Monday, from I 
 their usual custom of worshiping the Moon on that day. 
 
 The Third day of the week they named Tuesday, in i 
 honour of one of their idols, called Tuisco. ' 
 
 The Fourth day of the week was called Wednesday, , 
 from the appellation of Woden, another of their idols. 
 
 The Fifth day of the week was called Thursday, from 
 the name of an idol called Thor, to whom they paid their i 
 devotions upon that day. 
 
 The Sixth day of (he week was termed Friday, from the ; 
 name of Friga, an imaginary goddess by them worshiped. 
 
 The Seventh day tliey styled Saturday, as is supposed i 
 from Saturn, or Seatcr, by them then worshiped.* j 
 
 In the ages of popish superstition, not only the use of 
 such heathenish names and customs was indulged, but also j 
 other unsouiul and unscripUiral practices in religion, were j 
 invented and introduced. For, when the profession of the j 
 Christian religion became national, multitudes of the hea- ' 
 then priests, whose interest lay in the performance of rites, ; 
 ceremonies, and sacrifices, embraced prevailing Christi- j 
 anity with selfish views ; and laboured early, with too much j 
 success, to find enij)l()ymen( for themselves, by imposing ] 
 on the people a new set of ceremonies and sacrifices, bear- j 
 ing some resemblance to those, which, in their fornur state | 
 
 * Sec Vcrsd'gnn and Shcriniiliaai. ' 
 
OF DAYS AND TIMES. 245 
 
 of heathenism, they had been accustomed to. From this 
 corrupt source sprang the popish sacrifice of the mass, the 
 celebration of which, at particular times, and on particular 
 occasions, gave rise to the vulgar names of Michaelmas, 
 Martinmas, Christmas, and the like. 
 
 Seeing, therefore, that these appellations and names of 
 days, months, and times, are of an idolatrous or supersti- 
 tious original, contrary to the Divine command, the prac- 
 tice of good and holy men in former ages, and repugnant 
 to the Christian testimony borne by our faithful friends 
 and predecessors in the Truth, for the sake of which they 
 patiently endured many revilings ; let neither the reproach 
 of singularity, nor the specious reasonings of such as would 
 evade the cross of Christ, turn you aside from the sim- 
 plicity of the Gospel ; nor discourage you from keeping to 
 the language of Truth, in denominating the months and 
 days according to the plain a ci scriptural way of expres- 
 sion : thereby following the example of our worthy elders, 
 and coming up in a noble and honourable testimony against 
 these, and allt)ther remains of idolatry and superstition." 
 
 " From the Meeting for Sufferings in London, 
 
 the sixth day of the seventh month. 1751." 
 
 R 3 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 OF SALUTATIONS AND RECREATIONS. 
 
 From the first rise of the Society to the present time, 
 one unirorm sentiment has prevailed in relation to Saluta- 
 tions and Recreations. About the commencement of the 
 Christian Era, pride and presumption seem to have attained 
 their very summit at Rome, then the mistress of the Avorld, 
 and the pattern of what the ^vorld denominated fashionable, 
 elegant, or great. Sunk, too, in the depth of pagan dark- 
 ness, they did not hesitate to ascribe Divine honours to 
 those individuals -who attained to the pinnacle of power — 
 inferior orders imitated the example, and followed behind, 
 as near as they Could venture to approach the highest 
 characters. Only a few centuries passed over the Christian 
 Church, before Constanline adopted the profession of Chris- 
 tianity, when, of course, the profession became fashionable 
 among the higher orders of society. As many embraced 
 it for the sake of fashion, as well as for other motives even 
 worse, so fashion pervaded the manners of professed 
 Christians. 
 
 The injunction of the apostle was now but little regarded : 
 " Be not conformed to this world ; but be ye transformed 
 by the renewing of your minds." On the contrary, that 
 great empire, with all its gramleur, power, and policy, now 
 asked admission into the visible Church — which, cheated 
 by the smiles of power, stooped to the low degradation 
 of admitting the applicant. A degradation indeed it was : 
 for she ceased to be " the Bride, the Lamb's wife." She 
 
OF SALUTATIONS AND IlECREATlONS. 247 
 
 ceased to appear in that transcendent glory, described as, 
 " fair as trie moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army 
 with banners." Cant. vi. 10. And instead of this glory — 
 she took on herself the paltry trappings of an earthly 
 empire, and added to these the pollutions of pagan super- 
 stition. 
 
 Extravagant honours, from being paid to emperors and 
 other usurpers of power, by the prevalence of pride, 
 became grateful to every inferior rank, and were freely 
 bestowed on all. 
 
 Hence the fashionable appellation of yoii^ to a single 
 person ; it being thought, by minds inflated with pride, to 
 be too little to be regarded as a single individual — the idea 
 of plurality must be conveyed. 
 
 Bowing, which had been practised in earlier times, was 
 still recognized, and had the uncovering of the head, 
 another act of worship, connected with it. 
 
 From these corrupt sources, proceeded those salutations, 
 which make up the complimental intercourse of fashion- 
 able life. 
 
 And as they originated in pride, and other depraved 
 passions of the human heart, so the Society of Friends 
 believe they have a powerful tendency to become, reci- 
 procally, both causes and efl'ects ; and have consequently 
 laid them aside. 
 
 They believe there is no propriety in bowing the 
 body, and uncovering the head, to any created beings ; for 
 worship belongs to God only. But if we are told, that in 
 fashionable life, these actions have no such intention, we 
 reply, that if they have become unmeaning, men of correct 
 feelings ought neither to offer nor receive them. If they 
 are intended only to express civility and ordinary respect, 
 we say, that these can be expressed in a more appropriate 
 manner, than by degrading the outward acts of Divine 
 worship, down to a mere expression of common civility, or 
 4 R 4 
 
248 OF SALUTATIONS 
 
 even nothing at all. Every thing which relates to Divine 
 worship, or that homage we pay to the Almighty, should 
 be carefully guarded from being introduced into the 
 familiar intercourse between man and man ; lest, by the 
 association of ideas, our worship itself become adulterated 
 and offensive. 
 
 We believe that under the Gospel, we are bound to speak 
 every man truth to his neighbour. The expressions, 
 mister, or master, and your most obedient, &c. your hum- 
 ble servant, &c. being in the common application untrue, 
 we decline to use. The love and charity which the Gospel 
 inspires, are above all complimental expressions, and need 
 neither flattery nor falsehood to set them off to advantage. 
 However the censorious may charge the Society with 
 singularity, and with attaching unreal consequence to little 
 things, the history of early times aflbrds abundant evidence 
 that these compliments were not understood, at that day, 
 as empty sounds. Often have men of high standing, and 
 even some of an opposite class, been so enraged at not 
 receiving these pitiful compliments, as to set no bounds (o 
 their resentment. Even the simple expression oi thou, lo 
 one person, was considered an indignity not to be borne : 
 and many a man of fair and elevated characler, has had his 
 blood shed in profusion, for no higher offence thaa the use 
 of this simple and correct language. 
 
 The plain language, as we term il, or tiieuseofthe 
 singular pronouns to a single person, has much to recom- 
 mend it. In the first place, it is consonant to truth : for the 
 plural pronoun does express a pluralily of persons to whom 
 it relates : hence we consider it a departure from truth., to 
 address a single individual with a word thatconveys an idea 
 of more than one. We consider the plain language, too, as 
 the language of (he greatest and best of men that have ever 
 liv«(l, to oiii anotlu r and to (lod. And we think this 
 authority ought to possess great weight. The rules of the 
 
AND RECREATIONS. 249 
 
 language contribute something to the same ejQfcct. It must 
 be admitted, that the beauty and precision of the language 
 are greatly injured by the promiscuous use of the plural 
 pronouns. 
 
 But we shall be told that we do not use the pronouns 
 grammatically. I admit the truth of the charge, and admit 
 also that it is a great defect in our language. But this is 
 a colloquial liberty taken — improperly so, I confess ; yet 
 it is not universal among the Society. So far as this gram- 
 matical error prevails, it destroys the beauty and dignity 
 of our language, but it does not affect the principle. It 
 does not touch the argument that rests on the truth of the 
 expression, nor does it destroy the precision of the lan- 
 guage. The idea it conveys is still in the singular number. 
 
 It is not the false flattering attempt, to magnify one indi- 
 vidual into a great many. The primary grounds for this 
 deviation from the plural language, remain the same. I 
 candidly acknowledge, however, that we ought to use the 
 singular pronouns gramatically. 
 
 Those vain Amusements which have been denominated 
 Recjeations, we consider beneath the dignity of the Chris- 
 tian character ; and they frequently prove the inlet to 
 much vice and corruption. 
 
 H. Tuke, in his " Principles of Religion," chap. 9, says : 
 " There are three rules relating to amusements, by which 
 our conduct should be regulated. 
 
 1. — To avoid all those which tend needlessly to oppress 
 and injure any part of the animal creation. Of this class 
 are cock-fighting and horse-racing : also hunting, &c. when 
 engaged in for diversion and pleasure. 
 
 2. — To abstain from such as are connected with a spirit 
 of hazardous enterprise ; by Avhich the property and 
 temporal happiness of individuals and families, are often 
 made to depend on the most precarious circumstances ; and 
 
230 OF SALUTATIONS 
 
 the pain of one frequently entails misery on many. Of 
 this class are all games in which property is staked. 
 
 3. — To avoid such as expose us to unnecessary tempta- 
 tions, with respect to our virtue ; or which dissipate the 
 mind, so us to render a return to civil and religious duties 
 ungrateful. Of this kind, stage entertainments are pecu- 
 liarly to be avoided, w ith various other places of public 
 amusement, which have a tendency to corrupt the heart, 
 or to alienate it from the love and fear of God." 
 
 The two first species of Amusements, mentioned in the 
 first description, are so generally acknowledged by the 
 diilerent religious societies, to be immoral, and even re- 
 proachful, that it seems unnecessary to say much, to prove 
 their inconsistency with the Christian character. 
 
 The practice of /m«/?w^, ho^\ever, does not appear to 
 have excited so much attention, or drawn forth such a con- 
 current sentiment against it. 
 
 So far as this practice is pursued for amusement, it cannot 
 bear the test of cool examiuation. Thebrute creation, how- 
 ever we may be elevated above them, have their rights^ as 
 well as we. He who created us, and endued us with exalted 
 faculties and capacities for superior enjoyments, created 
 them also, and gave them the capacities of enjoyment, 
 which they possess. And though He has given us power 
 over them, that our wants might be supplied, and our hap- 
 piness promoted. He never could have designed that they 
 should be sacrificed to our depraved passions. 
 
 There certainly is something very revolting to our best 
 feelings, to think of deriving amusement and gratitication, 
 from the agonies and death of animated beings. And 
 though this idea may be disclaimed, yet it is extremely 
 ditlicult to divest the amusement of hunting, of this 
 character. 
 
 There are many circunistajiccs connected with it, which 
 
AXD RECREATIONS. 251 
 
 have a powerful and fascinating effect on the youthful 
 mind ! but cruelty — and a violation of the rights of the 
 animal creation, are inseparably connected with it. 
 
 " Wc clearly ^rank the practice of hunting and shooting 
 for diversion, with vain sports ; and we believe the awaken- 
 ed mind may see, that even the leisure of those whom 
 Providence hath permitted to have a competence of worldly 
 goods, is but ill filled up with these amusements. There- 
 fore, being not only accountable for our substance, but also 
 for our time, let our leisure be employed in serving our 
 neighbour, and not in distressing the creatures of God for 
 our amusement." * (London Book of Extracts, p. 25.) 
 
 The demoralizing effects of gaming are so generally 
 admitted by the various denominations of Christians, that 
 it will not be necessary io say much in proof of its perni- 
 cious tendency. 
 
 The beginnings of vice are often clothed with specious 
 pretences : and imaginary barriers are set up against un- 
 restrained indulgence ; but these very restrictions, which 
 the adventurers in dissipation propose to themselves, 
 increase the danger. For, by this delusive idea, they are 
 armed against the dread of consequences, until the taste for 
 
 * Craelty io the brute creation, though not in connexion with motives of 
 amusement, is clearly incompatible with Christian feelings. Several cases have 
 recently occurred in the United States, in which cruelty to brutes has been 
 adjudged to be violations of the civil law. It must be ever revolting to the 
 benevolent mind, to see animals which are employed in our service, and con- 
 tribute to our comfort and advantage, made the victims of passion, of avarice, 
 or of wanton cruelty. 
 
 " A man of kindness to his beast is kind ; 
 But brutal actions show a brutal mind. 
 Remember, He who made thee, made the brute ; 
 Who gave thee speech and reason, formed him mute : 
 He can't complain ; but God's omniscient eye 
 Beholds thy cruelty ; — He "hears his cry. 
 He was designed thy servant and thy drudge ; 
 But KNOW, that HIS Creator is thy Judge" 
 
252 OF SALUTATIONS 
 
 such indulgences becomes not only confirmed, but too 
 powerful for their resolutions : and thus they become the 
 victims of an ungovernable infatuation. 
 
 How many of those miserable beings who crowd our 
 penitentiaries, and furnish the awful spectacles of public 
 executions, date the commencement of their wicked and 
 unhappy career, at the period when they first sat down as 
 partners at the gaming table ! 
 
 The pernicious consequences of gaming, have been fre- 
 quently described in the strongest terms, and illustrated by 
 the most striking examples. 
 
 " Seldom, however, have they been presented on so large 
 a scale, as in a late account of the fate of a great body of 
 gamesters at Hamburgh, which an intelligent spectator 
 has published in a German gazette, as the result of his 
 attentive examination, during a period of two years. Of 
 six huiulred individuals, who were in the habit of frequent- 
 ing gaming houses, he states that nearly one half not only 
 lost considerable sums, but were finally stripped of all 
 means of subsistence, and ended their days by self-murder. 
 Ofthe rest not less than a hundred finished their career 
 by becoming swindlers or robbers on the highway. The 
 remnant of this unfortunate group perished, some by 
 apoplexy, but the greater part by chagrin and despair." 
 
 " The amusements of Dancing and Music, we think also 
 come within this class. . It may be alleged, that these might 
 be practised in such a manner, as not to accord with the 
 description given. Our Society, however, thinks it right 
 to abstain from those amusements ; both because of their 
 frequent connexion with places and circumstances which 
 are highly objectionable ; and because we conceive they 
 can scarcely be entered into, without an improper employ- 
 ment of that time, which W(« are required not to waste, but 
 to pass in fear, and to redeem." Tuhe's Principles^ pp. 
 151, 15i>. 
 
AND RECREATIONS. 253 
 
 " John ThirlwcU, in a pamphlet reprobating some of the 
 favourite dramas of the London theatres, says : ' They are 
 calculated to corrupt the morals, and instil the most dan- 
 gerous and criminal maxims. Did we wish to root up 
 every religious and moral principle of the heart ; did we 
 wish our children to become familiar with crime — to blunt 
 and deaden those delicate sensibilities which shrink at the 
 touch of vice ; did we wish to harden them to scenes of 
 blasphemy, cruelty, and revenge ; we would invite them to 
 the sight of the most popular plays which are now per- 
 formed on our stage ; we would send them for instruction 
 to those schools, where, by the most subtile and malicious 
 contrivance, vice is decked out in the air of virtue, and 
 the deluded youth is seduced to the road of rnin, while he 
 believes that he indulges in the noblest feelings of his 
 nature ; where the casual act of generosity is applauded, 
 whilst obvious and commanded duties are trampled on ; 
 and a fit of charity is made the sponge of every sin, and 
 the substitute of every virtue.' " — Burder^s Lecture. 
 
 When we consider the shortness and uncertainty of 
 time, and the momentous concerns of eternity, to which 
 we are rapidly approaching, Ave shall reasonably conclude, 
 that we have ample employment for the little time we 
 have. 
 
 The idea that religion is all gloomy and melancholy in 
 its features and feelings, is intimately connected with the 
 thirst for amusement and recreation. Hence, while the 
 latter are desired with increasing avidity, the former is 
 shunned as something incompatible with happiness in this 
 life. And even some who believe in the necessity of re- 
 ligion, consider that the fashionable amusements and re- 
 creations of the world, are still necessary to give sprightli- 
 ness and variety to religious enjoyments. These ideas 
 have been extremely prejudicial to the real happiness and 
 
254 OF SALUTATIONS 
 
 religious improvement of mankind. Although it has been 
 expressly declared, that we " cannot serve two masters," 
 thousands are i)ursuing a course of reasoning and practice, 
 as if the thing were slill practicable. But the result still 
 proves the declaration of our Lord— they "cleave to the 
 one, and despise the other." 
 
 It is true that religion casts a shade over the vanities of 
 the world, and exhibits vice in all its disgusting deformity. 
 It represents this life, with all its enjoyments, as transitory 
 and precarious. It does more. — It shows the insignificance 
 of pride, and humbles the mind under a sense of its own 
 weakness and unworthiness, and the awful responsibility 
 in which it is placed. But this is only a small portion of 
 the views it unfolds. The renovated mind " is introduced 
 into a field of observation, which, like its Divine Author, is 
 altogether unlimited." The wisdom, power, and goodness 
 of God, aftbrd an inexhaustible theme of contemplation ; 
 the work of Redemption, an unfailing source of the finest 
 feelings of gratitude : the past, the present, and the future, 
 unite in filling up the full measure of happiness, that 
 constitutes a foretaste- of the joys of heaven. While the 
 Power and Presence of the Mighty God, the Everlasting 
 Father, are felt and enjoyed, " the past will bring to their 
 gladdened remembrance, the mercies and deliverances of 
 the Lord ; and the future will open to them the prospect, 
 and satisfy them with the assurance, of being His for ever." 
 (London Epistle.) 
 
 Well might the King of Israel, wlio knew the extent of 
 sensual enjoyments, prefer to be a door-keeper in the house 
 of his God, rather than to dwell in the tents of wickedness 
 —concluding that a day in his courts was better than a 
 thonsanil, employed in the fading or sinful pleasures of 
 time. Those good works which proceed I'rom this source, 
 may also be mentioned, as affording a pure and dignified 
 enjoyment. To relieve the distresses of our fellow rrea- 
 
AND RECREATIONS. 255 
 
 tures by acts of benevolence, and to fill up our various 
 duties in life with propriety, will, without creating an im- 
 proper dependence on works, secure to the mind a source 
 of recollections, in comparison with which, the fashionable 
 amusements of the world sink into insignificance. 
 
 Such is the Christian experience. Such his sublime en- 
 joyment. He is preserved in that evenness of temper, which 
 renders his ordinary duties and avocations pleasing. It 
 gives the ties of nature and of friendship their due strength, 
 and sweetens all its domestic enjoyments. Preserved from 
 the torment of unreal wants, by a proper estimate of things 
 — and from fearful anticipations of the future, by an 
 humble trust in the protecting care of a beneficent Pro- 
 vidence — he can enjoy the present good, and cheerfully 
 anticipate the future. Even his afllictions are sweetened 
 by resignation, and the confidence that all things will 
 work together for good. Where then are the hours that 
 are to hang heavily on the minds of true Christians ! 
 Where that melancholy that must be dispelled by mixing 
 in the follies and vices of the thoughtless or the licentious ? 
 It is all delusion. The Recreations of the Christian are 
 of a different kind. They are found in the subjugation 
 of those passions and propensities, that bind the soul 
 to earth — and in the renewed prevalence of the Divine 
 Influence. 
 
 The Reading of Novels is subject to many of the objec- 
 tions which are advanced against the exhibitions of the 
 theatre ; and perhaps to some which do not apply to the 
 latter amusements. Very many of them have a highly 
 immoral tendency. And this objection is increased by the 
 consideration of the specious and fascinating covering, 
 with which that tendency is concealed. By this means, 
 the young, the ardent, and those who possess a large por- 
 tion of sensibility, drink deep of the moral poison, while 
 
256 OP SALUTATIONS 
 
 they perhaps think they are only indulging the laudable, 
 and even amiable feelings, with which they are endued. 
 
 Love is a prevailing theme with novel writers, and is 
 equally so with novel readers. In heightening the inci- 
 dents of the story, in order to produce that excitement of 
 the passions witliout which the novel would be considered 
 insipid, it frequently happens, that the most important 
 principles of morality, and rules of social order, are re- 
 presented as cruel abridgements of human happiness ; and 
 too often the abhorrence of vice is lost in the sympathy 
 excited for the vicious. 
 
 Those who have indulged largely in this kind of read- 
 ing, well know they have been enslaved by it. They know 
 that, after having feasted on the high seasoned tales of 
 fancy, they have very little relish for 'the plain, simple 
 doctrines of Christianity, or even the sober duties of life. 
 They know that the passions are inflamed, and the re- 
 straints of religion rendered more irksome, and the enjoy- 
 ments of practical piety become less desired. Even 
 parental tenderness and care, arc represented as intrusions 
 of cruelty and power. 
 
 Were we to consider the subject with reference to 
 economy alone, there would be sufficient grounds to 
 abandon this species of reading. The term ecowow^ will 
 apply to time and feeling, as well as to the expense that is 
 thus wasted. There is no individual that acquires a strong 
 relish for novels, Avho does not sufl'er it to occupy time 
 that is demanded l)y important concerns. And as to feel- 
 ings, even in those cases in which the principles of morality 
 are not concerned, where the passions excited arc con- 
 sidered of the aujiable kind, I consider there is a very 
 improper waste of such feelings. Those feelings, so far as 
 they are valuable, were given us for practical purposes, to 
 be directed to real objects, and not expended on objects 
 which have no existence l)ut in ijnagination. We may be 
 
AND RECREATIONS. 257 
 
 as prodigal oif" symipathy as of money, direct it to quite as 
 improper objects, and render ourselves as destitute of the 
 one as of the other, when real objects are presented to us. 
 Thus it has been observed, that the sentimental novel- 
 reader would rise with tears from the perusal of her 
 favourite tale, and spurn the beggar from her door. 
 
 Considering our duties as rational and accountable crea- 
 tures — the important purposes which we have to ac- 
 complish, during the short period of human life ; it is a 
 deeply interesting inquiry, how our time should be applied. 
 When we contemplate the feelings which arise in the 
 moments of levity and forgetfulness of God — that they are 
 inevitably succeeded by conflict and suftering, how can we 
 coolly place ourselves within the sphere of their influence ? 
 It is one of the very solemn reflections, suggested by Divine 
 Revelation, " that for every idle word we shall be brought 
 into judgment." The amusements of the vain, and the 
 gratifications of the licentious, though fleeting in them- 
 selves, are yet to arise in judgment, Avhen every one 
 must give an account, to the Author of his existence, of 
 the application of the time and talents with which he has 
 been entrusted. 
 
 " Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, 
 what manner of persons ought ye to be, in all holy con- 
 versation and godliness ; looking for, and hasting unto, 
 the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens, being 
 on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with 
 fervent heat ! " "Nevertheless," said the same apostle, " we, 
 according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new 
 earth, wherein dwclleth righteousness. Wherefore, be- 
 loved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that 
 ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and 
 blameless." 2 Pet. iii. 11, &c. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 OF OATHS. 
 
 The Gospel Dispensation, we think, superseded the use 
 of oaths. The clear and unequivocal precepts of our Lord, 
 we believe, are bitidinj^ upon Christians : " Ye have heard 
 that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not 
 forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine 
 oaths. But I say unto you, swear not at all : neither 
 by heaven, for it is God's throne ; nor by the earth, for it is 
 His footstool ; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the 
 great king : neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because 
 thou canst not make one hair white or black : but let your 
 communication be, yea, yea ; nay, nay ; for whatsoever is 
 more than these comcth of evil." Matt. v. 33 — 37. 
 
 The apostle James adverts to the same thing, in the im- 
 pressive language : " But above all things, my brethren, 
 swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither 
 by ani/ other oath : but let your yea be yea, and your nay, 
 nay : lesi ye fall into condemnation." James v. 12. It is 
 strange indeed that precepts so positive and clear, should 
 be construed away to mean any thing that professors please. 
 
 The construction, by which it is attempted to destroy 
 the obligation of these precepts, is too bold and too weak 
 to be admitted. It is too bold, because, by such a license, 
 the whole body of Christian tloctrine might be subjected 
 to the most palpable innovation. What would become of 
 the morality of mankind, if such latitude were taken in 
 explaining the moral law ? It is weak, because it supposes 
 that our Lord and liis apostles did not intend to prohibit 
 
OP OATHS. 25^ 
 
 legal oaths, but only the use of profane language ; when 
 legal oaths were the very subject on which tlie command 
 was given. The oaths of the Law (which were judicial) 
 were distinctly brought into view, as practised under the 
 former Dispensation, but prohibited under the Gospel. 
 The prohibition is complete. It not only c-numerates 
 certain kinds of oaths, but it says . " Swear not at all." 
 Now I would ask those who contend for the practice, if he 
 that swears before a justice of the peace, can be said to 
 " swear not at all ? " It must either be said, that a judicial 
 oath is not an oath, or that it violates the command of 
 Jesus Christ. Our Lord goes on further to say, that 
 " Whatsoever is more than these [yea and nay] cometh of 
 evil." Again, we are brought to the point, that an oath is 
 no more than yea or nay — or thiii it cometh of evil. We 
 cannot hesitate on this question, that it is more than a 
 simple affirmative or negative ; of course we must acknow- 
 ledge that it comes of evil, and ought to be laid aside ; or 
 we must positively contradict our Lord and Saviour. 
 
 The admonition of the apostle James is equally hard to 
 reconcile to the practice of taking oatht;. " Above all 
 things.) my brethren, swear not,'' And after enumerating 
 several kinds of oaths, he adds, " neither by an// other 
 oath.'' Here it will devolve on the advocates for oaths to 
 prove, in the first place, that he that swears before a civil 
 officer, swears not ; or, in the next place, that it is neither 
 by any of the oaths enumerated by the apostle, " nor by 
 any other oath." Nor ought we to pass lightly over the 
 manner in which the apostle closes his admonition. For, 
 after excluding exerij kind of oath, he adds, " lest ye fall 
 into condemnation." Here condemnation stands as the 
 inevitable consequence of a violation of this precept, in its 
 most unlimited acceptation. 
 
 We all admit the authority of the Scriptures ; and a great 
 majority of those who contend for oaths profess to believe, 
 4 s 2 
 
260 OF OATHS. 
 
 that they arc the only rale of faith and practice. And yet 
 the most clear, positive, and explicit passages, are made to 
 give way to comtruclions of a very untenable description ! 
 But it is said that Jesus Christ took an oath, when 
 brought before the chief priest, previous to his crucifixion. 
 This objection is founded on the words of the chief 
 priest : " I adjure Thee by ^the Living God, that Thou 
 tell us whether," &c. Whatever of an oath was in these 
 expressions, is chargeable to the priest, and not to Jesus 
 Christ. Our Lord had no agency in it whatever. Nor 
 does it appear that the answer Avhich He gave afterwards, 
 had any reference to the manner of the charge. He gave 
 the answers which He pleased, according to his inscrutable 
 wisdom, and not under the coercion of the authority of the 
 priest, or his adjuration ; for it does not appear that He 
 pursued any dilfereut course, fjom that wliich He would 
 have pursued without it. 
 
 If an oath can be imposed entirely at the will of the 
 officer, and without the consent or agency of him that 
 swears, it differs very widely from the common under- 
 standing of mankind. And, as it would not be in the 
 power of any man to refuse to swear, so neither could it 
 possibly bind, as a moral obligation. LTpon this ground 
 also, as the early members of this Society were never 
 backward in acknowledging their fidelity to the govern- 
 ments under which they lived, the civil authorities always 
 had it in their power, to convert these declarations into 
 oaths of allegiance. 
 
 But this would not be acknowledged by any ; and yet it 
 must follow, if it be considered that the charge of the chief 
 priest constituted an oath, on the part of our Saviour. 
 
 The various forms of expression, used by the apostle 
 Paul, and insisted on by sonu', as equivalent to swearing, 
 are not oaths, nor are they so considered in any legal 
 proceedings. 
 
OF OATHS. 261 
 
 It may also be observed, that the primitive Christians, 
 for the first three hundred years, considered it unlawful to 
 swear. For the testimonies in support of tliis assertion, the 
 reader may consult Barclay's Apology, ;;/?. 554, 5 ; and 
 W. Penn's Works, vol. 2, p. 3Q3. 
 
 The primitive Christians were not alone in their ideas 
 of oaths. It is well known^ that many of the most pious 
 heathen had a clear view of some of the principles of the 
 Gospel. Among these is the subject of oaths. Vide Bar- 
 ciaj/'s ApoL p. 553, 554. 
 
 An important objection was formerly made to the abro- 
 gation of oaths, on account of the security which they 
 were supposed to afford to the community. It was even 
 imagined that justice could not be administered, '; nor 
 government itself be supported, without oaths. And this 
 sentiment was avowed, botli from the pulpit and the seat 
 of justice. This fact aifords strong evidence of the power 
 of prejudice, and the weakness of human reasoning, when 
 founded on expediency, as opposed to the precepts of Jesus 
 Christ. But such was the infatuation of mankind not two 
 centuries ago, that, from reasoning like this, they reconciled 
 themselves to punish, as malefactors, men, and even 
 females, who, feeling a reverent regard for the precepts of 
 our Lord, could not swear ; depriving them of their pro- 
 perty, their liberty, and even of their lives, (indirectly,) 
 while those who could swear and forswear, were suffered 
 not only to roam at large, but prey on the best interests of 
 society ! 
 
 This delusion is now over, in part. Enlightened and 
 liberal minded men, of different denominations, do not now 
 suppose that oaths are essentially necessary to the support 
 of civil government ; and the laws themselves admit * affir- 
 
 * This remark applies in its full extent to the laws of the United States, if 
 not to other parts of America ; but the British Government docs not admit of 
 the aflSrmation in ai7 cases. E.v g. Edit. 
 
 4 S 3 
 
S6i OF OATHS. 
 
 mations instead of oaths. Wc might therefore suppose 
 that the practice would be abandoned ; as all dread of 
 consequeuces is removed, and it is found that a simple 
 affirmation answers all the purposes that ever could rea- 
 sonably be expected from oaths. And indeed, considering 
 the light Avliich has been cast on the subject — that not one 
 solitary advantage can result from the judicial use of oaths 
 instead of atlirmations, but, on the contrary, much evil, 
 independent of the violation of a positive precept of Jesus 
 Christ — it is not less strange that they should now be sanc- 
 tioned by an enligiitened and religious people, than that 
 they should lir.ve been considered, in a less enlightened 
 age, of absolute necessity in civil society. 
 
 The imposition of an oath carries with it the strong 
 presumption, that the individual is not to be believed 
 without it. This idea has an extensively demoralizing 
 effect, on those who are placed within the sphere of its 
 influence. It opens a wide door to the disgusting vice of 
 Ij/hig. When men become reconciled to the idea, that an 
 oath is necessary to the truth, it is a kindred feeling to 
 reconcile them to falsehood, in their ordinary communica- 
 tions. Nor is this the only immoral tendency of requiring 
 oaths, to ensure the truth. It holds out a temptation to 
 swearing in conversation. Reconciled, in the first place, 
 to speak lalsehood, unless under the coercion of an oath, 
 and, in the next place, to attest the truth by swearing, a 
 
 convcr- 
 
 disposition is produced, in some men, to give their 
 sation the appearance of truth, by intersj)ersing it with 
 profane oaths. When their feelings are thus depraved, 
 there is very little dependence on (heir veracity, either 
 with or wi(h()ut oaths; and the formality of a book, and the 
 aid of a civil oHicer, would ;uid but little to the obligation. 
 It is not intended to convey the idea, (hat these eflVcts 
 are uniformly produced. But (hat this sjiccies of im- 
 morality does prevail to a melancholy extenr, will hardly 
 
OF OATHS. 263 
 
 be denied ; and that the public sanction of oaths may be 
 numbered among the causes of this vice, I think, is equally 
 evident. Still it is readily admitted, that there are many 
 "who occasionally take judicial oaths, without supposing 
 that they are violating a precept of Jesus Christ, and with- 
 out falling into the practice of using profane language. 
 But even these would do well seriously to investigate the 
 subject : and I am persuaded that those solemn impres- 
 sions which they sometimes feel, in contemplation of the 
 subject — before — at the time — or after the taking of an 
 oath, would result in a clear conviction of the impropriety 
 of the practice. . 
 
 I will draw to a conclusion, with a summary view of the 
 subject. 
 
 However the practice of swearing might have been 
 sanctioned in "times of ignorance" and "hardness of 
 heart," it was positively prohibited under the Gospel. 
 The primitive Christians, for three hundred years after 
 Christ, maintained the doctrine of the unlawfulness of oaths; 
 and even pious heathen entertained the same principle. It 
 is now conclusively proved, that oaths are not necessary 
 for the purposes of civil government, inasmuch as no evil 
 has ever resulted from admitting an affirmation instead of 
 an oath — and there are strong grounds for believing, that 
 the frequent recurrence of judicial oaths, has a powerful 
 influence in producing falsehood and profaneness. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The Society of Friends believe, that War is altogether 
 inconsistent Avith the spirit and precepts of the Gospel. 
 
 We believe that the Almighty, in the creation of the 
 world, and in placing man on earth, dignified with the 
 Divine Image, never designed that he should be the enemy 
 of his species, or that discord and violence should mark 
 his conduct. On the contrary, he was certainly designed 
 to pursue that line of conduct which would secure his own 
 happiness, and correspond to the attributes of his Creator. 
 His defection from original purity and excellence, proved 
 an inlet to those depraved and violent passions, without 
 which wars would never have had a beginning on earth. 
 Thus the apostle James queried : " Whence come wars 
 and fightings among you ? come they not from hence, 
 even of your lusts, that war in your members ?" And no 
 man who has reflected on the subject, can dissent from the 
 apostle. In the original order of human actions and 
 human feelings, there certainly was harmonjj — nothing 
 like the features, or even the seeds of War. 
 
 Soon after the fall of our first parents from this happy 
 state, in which they were no doubt designed to continue, 
 violerjce and bloodshed made their appearance. 
 
 We therefore believe that Ciod, in the formation of all 
 things, (hsigned that man shouUl live in j)eace and 
 harmony : that wars and violence Mere the efl'ects of 
 
OF WAR. 265 
 
 that diabolical spirit, which gained admission into the 
 human heart, through sin ; and which the Gospel was 
 designed to eradicate. 
 
 If we believe that wars would never have taken place, 
 had man retained his original innocence and command 
 over his passions — if they are the fruits of that malevolent 
 spirit, wliich gained admission in the fall — and further, if 
 we believe that the object of Christ's coming, was to 
 destroy the works of the devil, and to bring in everlasting 
 righteousness — we must believe, that, where the Gospel is 
 brought into its just preeminence, all wars must cease. 
 
 The example of pious persons under the Legal Dispen- 
 sation, has been considered as evidence, that war is not 
 inconsistent with the Gospel. 
 
 But to this objection it may be replied, that the practices 
 under the Law, do not necessarily establish the same things 
 under the Gospel. The morality of the Law was certainly 
 inferior to that required under the Gospel. It would be 
 injurious to the Character of our Lord, and of the Dispen- 
 sation which He introduced, to say that He made no 
 discoveries of truth, or pointed his followers to no state, 
 in our relations to God and one another, superior to what 
 had been attained before his coming. 
 
 The construction of the human mind requires it to be 
 gradually informed and expanded. And as, in the fall, it 
 was sunk into a low and servile state, so it pleased Divine 
 Goodness to prepare a means for its restoration, by the 
 coming of Jesus Christ into the world ; who not only 
 became a Propitiation for us, but brought to light those 
 important truths, which had remained obscured for ages 
 and generations, through the weakness and darkness which 
 pervaded the human mind. But in order to prepare man- 
 kind for this exalted discovery of Truth, He made use of 
 several Dispensations, each successively rising above that 
 which preceded it. First, He revealed his own Divine 
 
266 OF WAR. 
 
 attributes : among these, his sovereignty and power were 
 conspicuously displayed. His goodness to his creatures 
 was also^strongly impressed*; — next, the dependence of 
 man on his bounty, mercy, and protecting providence ; — 
 the utter helplessness of frail and finite creatures, when 
 left to themselves, or when going counter to the will of 
 the Almighty ;— and their perfect security when they cast 
 their care on Him. Gratitude to so beneficent a Creator, 
 arose next ; — then justice — and love to our fellow crea- 
 tures. These were like the rudim^ts, or first principles 
 of religion, and were summed up in those two comprehen- 
 sive precepts : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
 all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 
 mind." — " And thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." 
 Matt. xxii. 37, 39 ; Deut. vi. 5 ; Lev. xix. 18. And on 
 these hung all the Law and the prophets. 
 
 But it remained for Jesus Christ to teach and apply 
 these first principles, as never man taught. It remained 
 for Him, to instruct and to lead man to a more exalted 
 morality than had been known before ; and, at the same 
 time, into a more intimate uuion with God, through the 
 means of a more copious efl'usion of his own Divine In- 
 fluence. 
 
 These things being admitted, Avhich cannot be denied, 
 it will follow that we arc not warranted in going back 
 from the excellencies of the Gospel, to the practices which 
 prevailed under the Law. 
 
 As Jesus Christ condescended to take our nature upon 
 Himself, and walk among men ; that He might the more 
 cilectually reveal Ihe mysteries of heaven, and raise man 
 to that state which he enjoyed before the introduction of 
 sin into the world ; and thus, in the language of the apostle, 
 destroy the works of the devil ; we are bound to leave 
 "those things which are beliiiul," and "press toward the 
 mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ 
 Jesus." Phil. iii. 13, 14. 
 
or WAR. 267 
 
 Thus reason, as well as Revelation, will support the 
 opinion, that the Gospel proposes a more excellcht state 
 for man, in his relations both to God and to his fellow 
 creatures, than had been revealed or attained under the 
 former Dispensation. 
 
 We are also supported by reason, as well as the evidence 
 of Scripture, in believing that the Gospel was designed 
 to restore man to his original moral rectitude, and stamp 
 on him, once more, the Divine Image. If this was not the 
 case, then the promised Redeemer was not clothed with 
 sufficient powers ; — the remedy provided for man's resto- 
 ration was not sufficient for the purpose. 
 
 But it is probable no one will be willing to urge the 
 argument to these consequences ; but, on the contrary, 
 admit those truths which cannot be denied, without thus 
 running into the most palpable inconsistency. 
 
 The controversy being thus fairly stated, the arguments 
 drawn from a darker age will be found of no force. And 
 indeed, all those subtile divisions and subdivisions of the 
 subject, which have been devised to widen the discussion 
 into the field of speculation and sophistry, will be, in a 
 great measure, struck off at once; and the question brought 
 into very narrow limits. 
 
 It is resolved into a few simple questions. Is War 
 compatible with the original condition of man ? Or would 
 it have taken place if man had never fallen ? Does the 
 Gospel offer complete restoration to fallen man ? 
 
 On this view of the subject, the answers cannot be 
 doubtful. If, then, war could not have arisen, had man 
 retained his original condition ; and if the Gospel offers 
 complete restoration, as to moral rectitude ; then wars are 
 incompatible with the Gospel. 
 
 But, that it may not appear that we shrink from meeting 
 any arguments which can be advanced in support of this 
 sanguinary practice, I will further examine the Law and 
 the prophets on this subject. 
 
'>68 or WAR. 
 
 It must be recollected, that the morality of the Gospel, 
 in all its purity, was not rigidly enjoined under the Law— 
 for this reason, which is also given on the highest autho- 
 rity : " Because of the hardness of their hearts ;" or 
 because they were not prepared to comprehend or practise 
 it. Tims the law in relation to marriages, and the per- 
 mission, from time to time, given to wage wars, were 
 special acts of condescension to the Aveakness of mankind 
 — and in both of which cases it might be said, in the 
 lano-uage of our Lord : " It was not so in the beginning ;" 
 but peace and harmony were as essentially the ordtr in 
 which the human family were designed to continue, as 
 connubial attachment and fidelity. 
 
 All that can be inferred, in these and some other cases 
 permitted under the Law, is, that they were so permitted, 
 merely in condescension to human weakness. The history 
 of those times evidently proves, that there was a check 
 held over the nation of the Jews, in relation to war ; as 
 it was their duty to inquire of the Lord, when about to 
 undertake any militar?/ enterprise. Their neglect of this 
 precaution, was not unfrequently the cause of humiliating 
 defeats. 
 
 And what, it may be asked, can be argued from the 
 practices thus permitted ? They prove not the laAvfulness 
 wozr, of things permitted then ; but that the Sovereign 
 Ruler of the universe was pleased to bear with his crea- 
 ture nmn, while in a state of great weakness and hardness 
 of heart, in which he became involved by the entrance 
 " of sin into the world," and a consequent iall from tliat 
 dignity of character, in which he was originally created ; 
 that the remedy provided for his restoration was wisely 
 permitted to be gradual / and that He also condescended 
 to regulate and direct^ to good purpose, those evils which 
 the state of mankind coulil not bear to be nt once eradi- 
 cated. 
 
" The Law," said the apostle, " was a schoolmaster to 
 lead to Christ." It took him in a state of ignorance. It 
 inculcated the first principles of moral and religious 
 obligation. It led him, by a gradual progress, towards 
 that enlargement of views, and clear understanding of his 
 duty to God and man, which the Gospel gave. And as 
 those who were under the Law, were represented as 
 *^' children" under a schoolmaster, we may be allowed to 
 continue tlie allusion, and inquire — Who would undertake 
 to establish the most refined principles of philosophy, 
 from the opinions of a child, just instructed in the first 
 rudiments of knowledge ? Though under a course of 
 instruction, they were not fully instructed ; and the veil 
 remained long on their understandings. 
 
 We must therefore pass from the practices of those who 
 were under the Law, and look to Him who brought " life 
 and immortality to light by the Gospel." 
 
 The pious Christian sees, with humble admiration, the 
 works of an overruling Providence. He sees that the 
 purposes of men are often changed and defeated — and 
 even when they are permitted to carry the evil into effect, 
 that evil is overruled — and good rises in its place. And 
 here he will make a discrimination, that is often passed 
 over unseen. He makes the distribution of good and evil, 
 to their proper causes or fountains ; and rests satisfied that 
 it cannot be necessary to " do evil that good may come." 
 When the Gospel has spread with accelerated progress, 
 under the rage of persecution, he does not consider the 
 persecution necessary to the spreading of the Gospel. 
 When nations have wasted one another and themselves 
 with wars, and those wars have finally subsided, and 
 blessings are permitted to come upon them — he attributes 
 these blessings, not to the follies or the crimes of men, 
 but to the goodness of our great and forbearing Creator, 
 who still condescends to dispense his favours, at times, 
 unsought for and unmerited. 
 
270 OF WAR. 
 
 Thus also, though causes and secondary causes are still 
 discovered to have had their agency in producing human 
 calamity, yet the Christian cannot relinquish the belief, 
 that those causes arc under the control of Him, whose 
 power is over all. We still believe that He chastises 
 nations and individuals ; and He selects the instruments 
 according to his own pleasure. Famine, pestilence, and 
 war, have been acknowledged from earliest antiquity, to 
 be among these. Nor have the attributes of God been 
 denied by any, on the abstract question of his sovereignty 
 and providence. In those public calamities which we 
 ascribe to Him, as just judgments on nations, through the 
 instrumentality of earthquakes, famine, or disease, many 
 innocent, and even righteous persons, are sometimes in- 
 volved. But looking to another state of existence as the 
 great object of our creation, we can readily believe, that 
 these were "taken away from the evil to come." And 
 thus the mercy of God remains established through all : 
 nor can his immutability be called in question, any more 
 than his mercy ; if we believe that, through all preceding 
 Dispensations, He was preparing mankind by the gradual 
 developement of truth, for the reception of the Gospel. 
 
 The prophecies of Isaiah not only denominate the 
 promised Messiah, the Prince of Peace, but his government 
 is thus remarkably described : '• But with righteousness 
 shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity, ybr the 
 meek of the earth : and He shall smite the earth with the 
 rod of his mouth ; and with the breath of his lips shall He 
 slay the wicked." Jsa. xi. 4. Here the protecting Provi- 
 dence of God, as exercised over his dependent servants, 
 and particularly yy?- tfie meek, is brought into vicAV. 
 
 The prophet goes on to describe the eftects of the 
 prevalence of His kingdom : " The wolf also shall dwell 
 with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down wi(h the 
 kid : and tlie calf, and the young lion, and the fatling 
 
OF WAR. 271 
 
 together, and a little child shall lead them. And the cow 
 and the bear shall feed ; their young ones shall lie down 
 together : and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And 
 the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp ; and 
 the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' 
 den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy 
 mountain." Isa. xi. 6 — 9. 
 
 " And He shall judge among the nations, and shall 
 rebuke many people ; and they shall beat their swords into 
 ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks : nation 
 shall not lift up sword against nation.^ neither shall they 
 learn war any more. O house of Jacob ! come ye, and let 
 us Avalk in the Light of the Lord ! " Isa. ii. 4, 5. 
 
 If we apply the forepart of this prophecy to the feelings 
 of men, we shall find a remarkable testimony to the re- 
 generating, renovating power of the Gospel, as described 
 by the prophet. The principle of violence and cruelty — 
 the spirit of war, as exemplified in the lion, the leopard, 
 the bear, and the deadly serpent, was to be changed — the 
 disposition to do wrong was to be eradicated — the lion to 
 eat straw as the ox — and a little child (emblem of inno- 
 cence) to lead them. 
 
 But these striking metaphors have a more extensive 
 application. They clearly apply to the present state of the 
 world, and not exclusively to a period in which evil shall 
 cease in the earth. They apply to a mixed state of society. 
 The lamb and the wolf io dwell together— the leopard and 
 the kid — the calf and the young lion — the cow and the bear 
 — the unconscious, incautious child and the asp — what more 
 clearly could represent the mixed state of society, than these 
 metaphors ? That the wolf, the leopard, the lion, the bear, 
 and the serpent, represent, in part, the wicked, among 
 whom the righteous are dispersed, is further evident from 
 the subsequent prophecy — "And He shall judge among the 
 nations, and rebuke many people." Did the preceding 
 
272 Of WAR. 
 
 part of the prophecy relate entirely to a state of things, in 
 whieli there was no mixture of moral evil, there would 
 liavc been no rebuke But this latter verse brings into 
 view the overruling providence, and protecting care, of 
 the Great Ruler of the Universe. It shows that there is a 
 Power that can restrain the wrath of man, and that this 
 Power will be exercised on behalf of those, who have 
 neither disposition nor capacity to repel force by force, or 
 meet violence, cruelty, and deep, insidious guile and 
 malignity, in their own way. 
 
 The views given by this prophecy are peculiarly cal- 
 culated to silence the objections which are made to the 
 principles of peace, from the supposed insuperable diffi- 
 culties opposed to it by the present state of society. In 
 tiie review of this portion of Scripture, we may well in- 
 quire with the apostle, whether these things were intended 
 to be literally taken ? " Doth God take care for oxen ? Or 
 sailli He it altogether for our sakes ? For our sakes no doubt 
 this is written." 1 Cor. ix. 9, 10. Scattered and inter- 
 mixed, as the servants of Christ are, among those who may 
 be compared to lions, wolves, and serpents — how con- 
 soling it is to be assured, that there is a Power which can 
 overrule and bind down every thing that would hurt or 
 destroy — and preserve the innocent and unresisting in 
 safety ! — and not only that the one can be overruled, and 
 tlie other preserved, but that " the little child" shall lead, 
 even the violent and ferocious, into practices of innocence 
 and peace ! 
 
 And this is confirmed by other Scripture authorities, and 
 by the experience of the disciples of Christ. " When a 
 man's ways please the Lord, Tie makcth even liis enemies 
 to be at peace with him." Prov. xvi. 7. Various are the 
 passages, in the Holy Scriptures, which emphatically 
 declare the power ami protecting care of the Almighty, 
 over his dependent children. That " the very hair*i of 
 
OF wAii. 273 
 
 their heads are numbered," Luhe xii. 7. and that " He 
 keeps them as the apple of his eye ; " Deut. xxxii. 10. 
 and " no weapon formed against them shall prosper." 
 "This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord ; and 
 their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord." Jsa. liv. 17. 
 
 These promises — these impressive views of the pro- 
 tecting providence of the Almighty, should surely silence 
 our fears, and induce us to trust in Him ; and the more 
 especially, as they have been realized through all ages. 
 But our own preservation is by no means the only object 
 to be regarded. Our faithfulness may have a powerful in- 
 iluence on those around us — even on the depraved. They 
 may not only be disarmed of the disposition to hurt or 
 destroy — but, seeing the excellence of the Christian cha- 
 racter, and feeling the power of meekness, they may yield 
 to the leadings of that Principle, which is comj:)ared by the 
 prophet to a little child. 
 
 Where then are the "strong reasons" for beina: driven 
 from the* practice of virtue, by the depravity of others ? 
 If we leave the Divine Master, to whom can m e go for pro- 
 tection ? Who, like Him, has all power in heaven and in 
 earth ? Where is the peace of the wicked ; and Avhat is the 
 protection on which they rely ? 
 
 The Christian is called, in figurative language, " the Salt 
 of the earth," and " the Light of the world." Let us then, 
 for the sake of our own safety and salvation, for the honour 
 of God, and the diffusion ©flight in the world — even among 
 those who are in a state of darkness and depravity— endea- 
 vour, through the aid of his Grace, to maintain the dignity, 
 the excellence, and the practicability of the precepts of 
 Jesus Christ. They are adapted to the help and guidance 
 of such creatures as we are. And we should press forward 
 "toward the mark for the prize" they present to our view ; 
 and thus rise above the depravity of hunia i nature, as 
 existing in the present state of society ; rather than warp, 
 4 T 
 
^74 OF WAR. 1 
 
 adulterato, and bring down the Gospel system, to suit and 
 sanction the depravity of man. j 
 
 In this prophecy also, the Divine Power and Providence i 
 arc set forth in the tirst place ; and then the peaceable ! 
 nature of, Christ's kingdom is described, in a manner j 
 so clear as not to be easily misunderstood. Indeed the | 
 practice of war, and even the learning of war, were to 
 cease, in proportion to the prevalence of tlie kingdom of i 
 the Messiah, or as the mountain of the Lord's house be- I 
 came exalted above the hills. 
 
 In addition to these clear prophecies, the case of David 1 
 may be brought into view. He was a man of remarkable j 
 piety — at least that piety which was consistent with the ] 
 morality of the Law, a few cases of criminality excepted ; j 
 and for these he experienced deep repentance and for- j 
 giveness. He made large preparations for a temple to the | 
 Lord — ^but was forbidden to build, on the ground that he 
 had been a man of war, and shed much blood. This was a .^ 
 decided evidence, that war was not consistent with that 
 righteousness which was to be revealed. Solomon, who ' 
 Avas permitted to build the temple, was a man of peace ; 
 and the nation, while employed in rearing that edifice, j 
 though an outward work, was preserved in a state of 
 peace. j 
 
 It is further remarkable, that a general peace over the ! 
 earth preceded the birth of our Lord, and continued for 
 twelve years, during which time the temple of Janus * at ^ 
 Rome was shut. Thus, thougli wars I'lad prevailed through ' 
 the lapse of ages which preceded tlie coming of Christ — 
 though the Ahnighty had directed the scourge where to 
 fall and to what extent, on his enemies, or those whose 
 crimes had rendered them obnoxious to his just judgments; 
 yet the prophet, speaking of the Gospel Dispensation, 
 
 * The temple of Jnnu^ w.is kfpf o\h'\\ during \¥iir, and shut only in .i timi.' (if 
 univcrxnl peace. 
 
OF WAR. 275 
 
 says : " The work of righteousness shall be peace ; and the 
 effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever." 
 Isa. xxxii. 17. 
 
 When the birth of our Lord was announced by angels, 
 it was in language designed to describe the effects to be 
 derived from his coming : " Glory to God in the highest, 
 and on earth peace, good will towards men." Luke ii. 14. 
 His coming was the effect of the love of God ; hence, love 
 became the distinguishing mark of his disciples. If then 
 we look back to the -prophets, who described the nature 
 of his kingdom — to the circumstances whicli preceded, and 
 those which attended his birth, as well as to his precepts 
 and example — we shall see strong evidences that his com- 
 ing was to eradicate those evil passions from the human 
 heart, without which wars could not arise ; and not only to 
 put away all wrath, malice, strife, and evil surmising, but 
 to imbue the mind with the seeds of meekness, charity, and 
 love. And this became the characteristic badge of dis- 
 cipleship. 
 
 "Let this mind be in you," said the apostle, " which was 
 in Christ." This also corresponds with the precepts of 
 our Lord. For, as He exemplified in his own life, the 
 meek, non-resisting, forgiving spirit — so He enjoined it on 
 his followers. 
 
 His precepts, in relation to this subject, have a direct 
 allusion to the practices under the Law : " Ye have heard 
 that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a 
 tooth" — simple retaliation ; " but I say unto you, that ye 
 resist not evil." — "Ye have heardthatit hathbeensaid, Thou 
 shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy ; but I say 
 unto you, Love your enemies ; bless them that curse you ; do 
 good to them that hate you ; and pray for them that despitc- 
 fully use you and persecute you, that ye may be the 
 children of your Father which is in heaveji." Matt. v. 
 43 — 45. Was our Lord amusing his audience with ima- 
 4 T 2 
 
276 OF wAii. 
 
 i 
 ginary excellencies ? was He enjoining impossibilities i 
 
 Far from it ! He exemplified his precepts in his own con- ' 
 duct. Even when expiring on the cross, He interceded 
 for his enemies : " Father ! forgive them, for they know not 
 what they do." Luke xxiii. 34. ■ 
 
 There is another incident recorded by the Evangelist, \ 
 that deserves to be particularly noticed. It will be recol- | 
 Icctcd, that when He sent his disciples out, without scrip | 
 or purse — destitute of outward dependence for sustenance | 
 or safety — He reminded them, that He sent them out as \ 
 sheep among Avolves. As the time of his crucifixion drew ! 
 near, He recalled this event to their remembrance ; and 
 inquired of them, if they lacked any thing, Avhen thus sent | 
 out, destitute of every thing, but the presence of his Spirit, .1 
 and the protection of Providence. And they could now 
 acknowledge that they lacked nothing. But here, in his ] 
 tender care for them. He did not permit the lesson of in- 
 struction to close ; He called on them to provide themselves 
 with all the outward resourscs within their reach — money, 
 clothing, and weapons of defence. Little could they do in 
 this way. Of weapons they found tzco swords. This, 
 though totally useless on the policy of the world, was 
 enough for the purpose intended — to impress, in a strik- 
 ing manner, the lesson He designed to convey. The little 
 band of disciples were thus provided, when the Jews, led 
 on by Judas the traitor, laid hands on their Divine Master. 
 At this trying moment, Peter, bold in his nature, and 
 prompt to do Avhat man could do — drew his sword for the 
 defence of himself, his dearest friends, and his Lord and 
 Master. "Put up again thy sword into its place," was the 
 Divine command— "for all they that take tlie sword shall 
 perish with the sword." Matt. xxvi. d'2. 
 
 Thus, in his Divine wisdom and condescension, lie was 
 pleased to place them in a situation, the most sensibly to 
 feel the extent of his precepts, in relation to non-resistance. 
 
OF WAll. 277 
 
 He also reminded them of the power He could command. 
 Nor was it necessary that legions of angels should be 
 summoned to his aid : though it was then his intention 
 to submit — though every thing in his appearance was 
 simple, humble, meek, and non-resisting, his enemies 
 " went backward, and fell to the ground." 
 
 But passing on with the narrative — " His disciples for- 
 sook Him and fled ! " What a striking contrast do these 
 events form, with those to which their attention had so 
 lately been called ! When sent without means, not even 
 staves to lean upon, even the devils were subject to the 
 Power with which they were clothed. But now, with 
 all the resources and means of defence they had been 
 able to provide, '' they were scattered as sheep without a 
 shepherd ! " 
 
 On a review of this portion of Scripture, we are forcibly 
 impressed with the conviction, that our Lord, in directing 
 SAVords to be provided for that particular occasion, did not 
 intend that they should be used as weapons of offence or 
 defence ; but to afford an opportunity to prohibit the use 
 of them for ever. His query to Peter : " Thinkest thou 
 that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He shall pre- 
 sently give Me more than twelve legions of angels ? " &c. 
 clearly proves that He never looked to his disciples for 
 protection ; and that He wanted not the sword for that pur- 
 pose. But He goes further to show its unlawfulness, and 
 the injury that they who use it inflict on themselves,- by 
 saying : " For all they that take the sword, shall perish 
 with the sword : " and connecting the two circumstances 
 together as He did. He brought them to see, and, what is 
 more, io feel, the difference there is between depending on 
 Him alone, and any reliance we can place on ourselves, 
 and the resources Avithin our reach. 
 
 But why should we go into a more minute detail of 
 evidence, to prove that Jesus Christ, boih in his precepts 
 4 t3 
 
278 or WAR. 
 
 and example, led his disciples from the spirit and practice 
 of war ? 
 
 No two things can form a more striking contrast, than 
 His character, and that of a military man. If then, our 
 Lord had nothing of the spirit of Avar about Him, and if 
 we arc bound to imitate his example; then Avar is totally 
 incompatible Avith the Christian character. 
 
 It is not necessary to dAvell on arguments in support of 
 the first proposition. The Avhole history of his life stands 
 in evidence of it. The second is proved by many pointed 
 Scripture testimonies : for, "If any man have not the Spirit 
 of Christ, he is none of his." 
 
 But Avhat renders the subject clear beyond all doubt, is, 
 that the primitive Christians believed in the unlaAvfubiess 
 of war, during tAvo centuries. 
 
 And while it is known, that they Avere subject to every 
 ordinance of man for conscience' sake, either actively or 
 passively — actively Avhen they could Avith a good con- 
 science, and passively and meekly when human requisitions 
 came in conflict with the law Avritten in the heart — when 
 we consider that Christianity makes us Avhat we should 
 be, in all our social relations, it cannot be supposed that 
 the primitive believers refused to bear arms, merely from a 
 refractory disposition. No ! they knew too well the duties 
 we owe to each other, to do this. It was the principle 
 on which they stood. Hence that impressive reply, that 
 was made by a youth who was ordered to enrol him- 
 self : " I am a Christian ; and therefore I cannot light." 
 There are many i)ointed cases allorded^y ecclesiastical 
 history, to establish this fact— that the Christians did Jiot 
 bear arms, during Ihr first two centuries after the Christian 
 era. 
 
 The writers of those times believed, that the prophecy 
 of Isaiah, that men should beat their swords into plough- 
 
OF WAR. 279 
 
 shares, and their spears into pruning hooks, was then in 
 the act of completion. 
 
 Ireneeus, who wrote about the year 180, says that this 
 famous prophecy had been completed in his time : " for 
 Christians," says he, "have changed their swords and lances 
 into instruments of peace, and they know not how to fight." 
 
 Justin Martyr, who lived about the same time, bears a 
 testimony equally clear and conclusive, in these words : 
 " That the prophecy is fulfilled, you have good reason to 
 believe : for we, who in times past killed one another, do* 
 not now fight with our enemies." And the word which is 
 used in the original, does not mean private contest, as 
 between man and man, but war ; and the word enemies, 
 does not apply to individual adversaries, but to enemies of 
 the state. 
 
 A number of other evidences might be produced to 
 prove the position here laid down ; but two that I shall 
 notice, will render any others unnecessary. 
 
 Within about 40 years after the crucifixion of our Lord, 
 the city of Jerusalem, and the whole nation of the Jews, 
 were broken up in a manner that has no parallel in history. 
 At that time the number of the Jews who had embraced 
 Christianity was very considerable. About ten years 
 before this, it was, that Paul attended the meeting of elders, 
 &c. at Jerusalem, when they said unto him : " Thou seest, 
 brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which 
 believe." Acts xxi. 20. We may fairly conclude that the 
 number had increased in the course of time, which had 
 elapsed between this period and that at which Jerusalem 
 was besieged by the Romans. But, however numerous they 
 might be, it appears that they took no part in the wars of 
 that eventful period. Relying on Divine protection, and 
 guided by Divine Revelation, they left the city of Jeru- 
 salem, and all the land of Judea, and resorted to a village 
 beyond Jordan, called Pella. And here they were so 
 4 T 4 
 
280 OF WAR. 
 
 eflfectually preserved, that it docs not appear that one single 
 Christian perished. 
 
 This is a striking evidence of their taking no part in war 
 
 and of the protecting Providence that was extended over 
 
 them in those cahunities. The Jews, it may be remem- 
 bered, argued : " If we let this man alone, all men will 
 believe on Him; and the Romans will come and take away 
 both our place and nation." How dreadfully was this 
 apprehension realized in the course of their own policy ; 
 while they who " believed in Him," and adhered to his 
 precepts of non-resistance, were safe amidst the most 
 shocking convulsions of nations, that ever marked the 
 history of the world. Vide Eusebius's Ecclesiastical 
 Hislorj/y Book 3, chap. 5 — 9. 
 
 About the close of the period, in which the Christians 
 did not bear arms, Celsus, who wiote against them, laid 
 every charge against them that he supposed could operate 
 to their liisadvantage. Origen wrote a reply, to deny what 
 was false, and explain what was misrepresented. Among 
 the charges brought forward by Celsus against the Chris- 
 tians, he said, " that they refused to bear arms, even in 
 cases of necessity : " and objected, that, if the rest of the 
 empire were of their opinion, it would soon be overrun by 
 the barbarians. Origen admitted the facts, as stated by 
 Celsus, and vindicated the practice of the early Christians, 
 on the principle of the unlawfulness of war. When it is 
 remembered that this charge is brought forward by an 
 enemy of the Christians, and acknowledged by the very 
 man who undcrlook their vindication — when it is further 
 recollected how easily the charge might have been repelled 
 if it had been unfounded, there cannot remain a doubt of 
 the sufficiency of this evidence. 
 
 The names of Tatian, Clemens of Alexandria, Tertullian, 
 Cyprian, T.actantius, Arcliclaus, Ambrose, Cluysostom, and 
 Cyril, may be added, as allording evidence to the point in 
 
OF WAK. 281 
 
 question. Ecclesiastical history also affords a number of 
 instances of individual suffering, even to death itself, 
 purely for a refusal to bear arms. 
 
 We will not venture to call in question the uniform 
 practice of the Christian Church, when that practice could 
 not be influenced, in any degree, by a bias in favour of the 
 former Dispensation. It was at once at variance with the 
 maxims and policy that prevailed, both among the Jews 
 and otlier nations ; yet such was the clear understanding 
 which the believers oi that day had of the precepts of our 
 Lord, that the practice of the Church was uniform, in this 
 respect, for two centuries at least. 
 
 An argument is frequently advanced against the prin- 
 ciple we hold in relation to war, from what is called the- 
 law of 7iature. It is a common propensity in animated 
 beings, whether rational or not, to defend themselves from 
 aggression ; and hence it has been supposed, that this 
 propensity must have the sanction of the Deity Himself. 
 
 The whole argument is more specious than solid ; and, 
 like the other arguments in favour of war, cannot bear the 
 test of impartial examination. 
 
 Are the propensities of nature — those which actuate 
 alike the brute creation and the most depraved of the 
 human race — to be regarded as the clear indications of the 
 Divine will ? If so, what passions so gross, what practice so 
 vile, that may not be justified by the very same argument? 
 To follow nature, and all its impulses — to imitate the brute 
 creation, would be made consistent with reason and reli- 
 gion ! This would be, at once, to banish morality and 
 religion from the earth. ■ 
 
 That some animals are provided with weapons of de- 
 fence, adds nothing to the force of the objection. Are not 
 the far greater part of these provided with weapons of 
 offence, as well as defence ? Do not a large portion of such 
 animals subsist by violence and depredation ? So that, if 
 
282 "^" ^''^^• 
 
 the arffument is admitted at all, it ^vill go to justify not 
 only ollcnsivc wars, but even robberj/, piracy, and every 
 species of plunder, violence, and outrage, between man 
 and man. 
 
 The argument itself is not only untenable, but it stands 
 opposed to the whole Christian system. It is a resort, not 
 to the precepts of Jesus Christ— not to his example, or the 
 exami)le of his immediate followers— but to nature— to an 
 impulse or passion that influences the brute creation, 
 particularly the most ferocious species. And where it is 
 discoverable in the human race, it is most clearly dis- 
 played in those, who are the least under the influence of 
 Christian feelings. 
 
 The Gospel was designed to raise man above the violent, 
 as well as the low and grovelling propensities of nature ; 
 and this I consider one of its noblest cluiracters. 
 
 Thus, if we appeal to reason, to Revelation, or to history, 
 still the result is the same — War is incompatible with the 
 Gospel. The prophets declared it would be ; and the Chris- 
 tians bore testimony, both in word and conduct, that it was. 
 
 And why should the wise of this world be stumbled at 
 this — except on this important ground, that the wisdom of 
 this world is foolishness with God ? Man never was de- 
 signed to live without God in the world. Who would be 
 willing to say that he could sustain himself without his 
 Divine Providence ! And if his Providence is admitted — 
 we must admit also that Jle can preserve us, without leav- 
 ing us to the alternative of disobeying his commands, to 
 preserve our rights or our existence. Indeed, it is madness 
 to expect preservation on this ground. 
 
 The alarming idea, that on the principle of non- 
 resistance, we should be exposed to the encroachments of 
 ambition and other depraved passions, is built entirely on 
 a disbelief of the JVoviilcme of our Divine Parent ; — a 
 disbelief equally at variance with reason and Revelation. 
 
OF WAR. 283 
 
 It is opposed also to the undisputed evidence of history. 
 But thousands of instances could be cited, in which reli- 
 ance was placed in vain on the policy of war. Consult the 
 annals of war — and how many have been its victims ! Our 
 understandings would be lost in the numbers. The settle- 
 ment of Pennsylvania is a pleasing specimen of the effect 
 of Christian principles, as contrasted with the policy of 
 war. There is another specimen of greater antiquity, and, 
 I will add, of more weight, because it was nearer to primi- 
 tive times. It is the case of the destruction of Jerusalem. 
 The Jews depended on themselves ; and what became of 
 them and their city ? They exhibited a scene of destruction 
 and carnage, never before exceeded. At that very junc- 
 ture, the Christians, without mixing in the war spirit, or 
 the dictates of human wisdom, simply cast themselves on 
 God for protection — and they found it. Led by that Arm 
 which is still found to be around and underneath the true 
 Christian, they were directed to a place of safety ; — while 
 their infatuated countrymen, both their place and nation, 
 were sv/ept with the besom of destruction. Look back at 
 the history of the Church, through all ages — and what is 
 more remarkable and obvious, than the unfailing Providence 
 of God ? Has He not, in all ages, been their bow and battle- 
 axe, their sun and shield ? Has He not proved that his 
 Name is a strong tower, into which the righteous may run, 
 and find safety ? Has He ever left them so destitute, as to 
 drive them from an observance of his Law, to obtain a better 
 protection to themselves, than He would afford them ? 
 No, never ! the righteous have never been forsaken, nor 
 warranted in making flesh their arm, or putting their trust 
 in man. Even during that Dispensation, under which wars 
 were sometimes permitted, the most conclusive evidence 
 was given, that this was not necessary as a means of pre- 
 servation. How often were the most signal victories 
 obtained by the most unlikely means ! How often were the 
 
284 oi WAU. 
 
 Israclitos delivered from their enemies, by special interpo- 
 sitions of Providence, when all outward succour and 
 resources failed ! And why shoidd we call in question, 
 either the Power or the Providence of God ! 
 
 In that memorable appearance of our Lord to his 
 disciples after his resurrection. He made use of these 
 expressions : " All power is given unto Me, in heaven and 
 in earth." And airaiii : " Lo ! I am with you alway, even 
 unto the end of the Avorld." Who then that believes in 
 these gracious declarations, can suppose that we dare not 
 comply with the precepts of our Lord, or imitate his 
 example, for fear of the consequences ? Or are we, after 
 all the light that has been afforded, to suppose that we 
 are better acquainted with the human heart than He is — 
 that the system He has laid down for the regulation of our 
 conduct, is not adapted to the condition of mankind ; and 
 therefore Ave are at liberty, and able, to devise another 
 scheme of preservation, in which we can have more 
 dependence upon ourselves, and less upon Jlim ! This 
 indeed is the very summit of folly. Who would be 
 willing to be cut otf from the protecting care of Almighty 
 God! And who can expect the blessings of his Provi- 
 dence, but in obedience to his requisitions ! 
 
 Thus, if we look back to past ages, we shall be 
 irresistibly led to the conclusion, that, in the original order 
 of things, as first constituted by the Divine Author, there 
 was nothing in the human character that was congenial with 
 war :— that this alliittive scourge was the etlect of those 
 passions and motives Avhich spring up in the depraved 
 jiature, and which the spirit of the Gospel was designed to 
 eradicate, and which it does eradicate in all those who 
 thoroughly submit to its operations :— that mankind, being 
 sunk into a slate far, very far, below their original puritv 
 and dignity, were not capable of coming u]), at once, into 
 
OF WAR. 285 
 
 the full practice and enjoyment of the excellencies of the 
 Gospel. Hence the personal appearance of our Lord, the 
 discoveries of the mysteries of his kingdom, and the 
 requisitions which necessarily accompanied that discovery, 
 were deferred until, by an easy gradation of Dispensations, 
 their minds were prepared for the important event. And 
 here it may be remarked, thai every discovery of truth 
 carries with it a proportionate obligation on the life and 
 conduct of him to whom the revelation is made. Hence 
 the gradual developement of Truth through early ages, 
 because mankind were not prepared to come under the 
 requisitions or obligations that would necessarily have 
 followed ; nor indeed were they prepared for that enlarge- 
 ment of views itself. In all this we discover the wisdom 
 and condescending goodness of God, to deal with mankind 
 according to their weakness and capacity. 
 
 Continuing the retrospective view, we find a course of 
 instruction was instituted, through the medium of the Law 
 and the prophets, and many striking events that were 
 calculated to make a strong impression. In this course of 
 instruction were to be noticed particularly, the clear, 
 impressive evidences of Divine Power and Providence — 
 .the incapacity of man to command the smallest blessing by 
 his own unassisted efforts — the omnipotence of the Divine 
 Being, and his interposition in human affairs, both to 
 protect his dependant servants, and to overrule the 
 schemes and malevolent designs of those who were disposed 
 to disregard his Divine will. It also pleased Him, who 
 thus instituted this school of instruction, to give mankind, 
 through the medium of prophecy, some clear views of the 
 Dispensation that was ultimately to be introduced. 
 
 The New Covenant Dispensation was introduced by the 
 Son of God, in a personal appearance on earth ; who 
 explained it by precept, and illustrated it by example. 
 That Dispensation was designed to restore man to a state 
 
286 OF WAR. 
 
 of acceptance, by brinijing him into a participation of the 
 Divine nature. This constitutes the new creature, in 
 which old things are done away, and all things become 
 new ; new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth 
 righteousness. Here all the corrupt -and malevolent 
 j)assions are subjugated, and the Spirit of .Jesus Christ 
 becomes the Ruling Principle in us. The feelings and 
 temper thus produced, being a preparation for, and a 
 foretaste of heaven. 
 
 In the precepts and example of our Lord, no trace of 
 the war spirit or policy could be found. On the contrary, 
 the practice of forbearance, non-resistance, and forgiveness 
 of injuries, was enforced in the most explicit manner ; and 
 every feeling that could possibly lead to violence between 
 man and man, was as clearly prohibited. It was the 
 design of our Divine Lawgiver, to lay the axe to the root 
 of the corrupt tree ; and this was in no case more obvious 
 than in relation to war : every feeling that could lead to 
 strife, discord, or violence, being interdicted. If these are 
 eradicated, the fruit cannot be produced. 
 
 When we contemplate the example of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, forming a perfect contrast to the war character, 
 and remember that this was designed as a pattern for our 
 conduct — when we consider his precepts, and reflect that 
 these are of perpetual obligation ; and further luring to 
 mind, that his followers took no part in wars for more than 
 two huiulred years after his personal appearance on earth, 
 can we entertain a doubt of the incompatibility of war with 
 the duties of a Christian ? Can wc draw any other con- 
 clusion, than that, in adopting the spirit and practice of 
 ?t?flr, we must act with siich inconsistency with the precepts 
 and example of Jesus Christ, and the example of his 
 followers, as amounts to a dereliction of Christianity itself! 
 Wc cannot be actuated by the Spirit that was in Christ, nor 
 walk by the rules which He laid down, nor maintain anv 
 
OF WAu. 287 
 
 thing like the character of his followers, during the purity 
 of the Church. If these positions be true, (and even the 
 advocates for war will be bound to admit that they are,) 
 will it not follow, as an undeniable conclusion, that no man 
 can maintain two characters so totally diiferent from each 
 other, at the same time ? " Ye cannot serve two masters." — 
 *' Doth a fountain send forth, at the same place, sweet 
 water and bitter ? " 
 
 "By their fruits ye shall know them," said our Lord ; 
 and the rule remains good to the present day. 
 
 Who can be at a loss, in fixing the character of the work 
 of death and desolation ? Can we hesitate a moment, in 
 ascribing it to the influence of him who was a murderer 
 from the beginning ? " The works of your father ye will 
 do," said our Lord to the Pharisees. And from whose 
 works can be the destruction of human happiness, and the 
 devastation of the works of God ? 
 
 However the feelings of charity may prompt us to draw 
 a veil over the infirmities and deformities of human nature, 
 the cause of humanity and religion, has too long and too 
 deeply suffered by War, to permit any part of its character 
 to be concealed, through motives of delicacy or tenderness 
 towards those who are in this practice. 
 
 It cannot escape the notice of those who reflect on the 
 subject, that the appendages of military parade, the hilarity 
 and various gratifications associated with such parade, 
 and the emoluments and the applause that are frequently 
 obtained by war, are so many causes actively operating to 
 keep alive the war spirit, and of course actually pro- 
 ducing war. Those who contend that war is unavoidable 
 in the present state of society, and therefore take an active 
 part in thus keeping alive the war spirit, are chargeable 
 with perpetuating that insuperable obstacle to the estab- 
 lishment of peace on earth. If war is an evil, as all 
 rational men must confess, how can any reconcile to them- 
 
<^v} OF WAIl. 
 
 solves the idea of perpetuating that evil. So great is the 
 inagiiilucle of the evils ; so horrible the scenes inseparably 
 coinu-ctcil with >var, that, independent of all arguments 
 dra\vn from the impiety of the practice, we should think 
 that men could hardly feel so little repugnance at pro- 
 ducing those calamities, as they do. The prospect 
 presented by the world around us, seems too fully to 
 justify the reflections of the poet' Cowper : 
 
 "There is no (lesh hi man's obdurate lieart; 
 It does not feel for man. The natural bond 
 Of brotherhood is severed as the flax, 
 That falls asunder at the touch of fire." 
 
 Indeed, when we consider the enormous mass of misery 
 and of guilt that has been produced by war, it becomes 
 an inquiry of no ordinary consequence, how far we are 
 individually chargeable with that guilt. 
 
 But, after all the calamity and guilt which have thus 
 deformed the human character, we may ask the question, 
 AVhat has been obtained ? Not safety— not happiness — 
 not liberty — not virtue ! Look round over the nations of 
 the earth, both ancient and modern, ami say, where is 
 that people who, placing their dependence on the sword, 
 remained half a century without being involved in calami- 
 ties of the most afflictive nature — the sacrifice of immense 
 treasure, and of human life and happiness ? No nation 
 upon earth has ever attained to safety by the war j)olicy. 
 Danger, though sometimes concealed, was still lurking 
 near. When the alarm of war, or thy spirit of retaliation, 
 spreads over a nation, ask then if they are happy. Ask 
 the soldier, torn from the bosom of his family. — ask the 
 disconsolate wife and children left behind, who listen to 
 every passing wind, as bi-iiing the nu'ssnges of death — 
 if they are happy. Ask the widow and the orphan, after 
 the contest is over— ask the veteran, who has inrl his 
 
OF VfAH. 289 
 
 brother in the field of battle, and seen him mix in the 
 mangled mass of mortality. Happiness is a stran<]^er to 
 these conditions. Of all abridgements of natural rights, 
 none is so great as that produced by IFar. Military 
 government is perfectly despotic. 
 
 Ask the conqueror, who has risen to the summit of his 
 ambition — who has rode triumphant over slaughtered 
 thousands, wrapped cities in flames, and hurled empires 
 into ruins — ask him if he is happy ; ask him what he has 
 gained by conquest. Let the characters of the greatest 
 heroes of ancient or modern times be consulted. What 
 was Alexander the Great ? He carried his arms and his 
 conquests wherever he thought there was an object worth 
 liis notice ; and Avept because he covdd not find another 
 world to conquer. He was tossed by every tempest of 
 passion ; and died in the midst of his days, and his end 
 was among- fools ! What was Pompey ? One of the 
 greatest generals that ever directed the Roman legions. 
 He rose to power and fame by the success of battles, and 
 sunk by the very means of his former aggrandizement — 
 became a fugitive from the sword — was assassinated by 
 those on whom he had thrown himself for safety — and 
 finally, his body, left unburied on the sands, was burned 
 by an old fisherman on a pile of rubbish. And what 
 better was Caesar, who overthrew him ?— He became a 
 great man, (if power could make him great,) at the expense 
 of millions of human lives. He rioted a while in the sun- 
 shine of prosperity, if prosperity it might be called, and 
 died by the hands of his friends. 
 
 And thus we might trace the pages of history.— Descend- 
 ing from age to age, we find neither happiness nor safety 
 obtained by the sword. 
 
 Nor are there less striking instances in modern, than in 
 ancient times. And through all, we shall find those bold 
 adventurers, who feared not God nor regarded man, 
 4 u 
 
200 Ol*^ \?AR. 
 
 though nations had trembled at their displeasure, were 
 as much the victims of their own madness, as the humblest 
 soldier that perished in their battles. "Action and re- 
 action," says a modern writer, " are equal in the moral, as 
 in the natural world." * And when we injure a fellow 
 creature, we invariably injure ourselves. This is one of 
 the laws decreed by the Great Ruler of the Universe, and 
 which we can no more annul, than we can suspend the 
 succession of day and night, or stop the planets in their 
 courses. Whoever, therefore, is an enemy to man, is, in 
 the same proportion, an enemy to himself. Nor are these 
 injuries of a temporal nature : for the feelings of strife 
 and ill will cannot consist with love to God. We cannot 
 be the disciples of Christ, without charity and love to one 
 another. We cannot love God, while our feelings towards 
 each other arc those which lead to violence. So that 
 whatever excites those passions which dissolve the bonds 
 of fellowship, and separate man from man, does, at the 
 same time, separate man from his Maker ; and thus involve 
 not only present, but eternal consequences. 
 
 But if we leave the interposition of a Providence out of 
 the question, and consider war as proceeding entirely on its 
 own principles, the justice of a cause is no criterion by 
 which to judge of the result of a battle. The contest then 
 of two nations, is at once resolved into the question of 
 respective powers. It is not, who is right ? but, who is 
 strongest ? But this has nothing to do with the original 
 question. How monstrously absurd is it then, to appeal 
 to the sword in questions of right and wrong ! The result 
 is undi^rstood to depend on A\]iich possesses the most 
 power, or tinf most skill in the work of destruction. To 
 decide which — wealth, lives, and liappiness, are squandered 
 with a demoniac prodigality ! If power and right are 
 inseparably connected, why not let the parties count their 
 
 • Thomas Clarkion. 
 
OF WAR. 291 
 
 men and resources, and let the aggregate upon paper attest 
 the justice of their respective claims ? If this idea is pre- 
 posterous, if the principle on which the decision is to rest 
 is obviously absurd, as totally unconnected with the merits 
 of the case in dispute, the same may be said of every 
 principle and contingency, w hich can be assumed in the 
 case of war. The advocates for war have no right to claim 
 the intervention of an overruling Providence, controlling 
 the natural operation of physical causes, in cases of war ; 
 since they deny the agency of that Providence in the 
 preservation of peace, and the protection of those who 
 endeavour to serve Him. 
 
 On those who direct the measures of governments, and 
 put in operation the dreadful machines which manufacture 
 guilt and misery on the large scale, an aw ful responsibility 
 must rest. They are called upon by reason and religion — 
 by the sympathies of our nature, and the laws of God — to 
 make a solemn pause. The Christian, however humble 
 may be the sphere in which he is placed, is entrusted with 
 an important charge : — " Ye are the light of the world." 
 The Light afforded is not designed for your direction 
 alone, but to dispel the darkness which involves those 
 around you. Should you extinguish or conceal this, 
 through motives of ease or interest, how will you be able 
 to answer for the consequences ! Or what w ill you do in 
 the day of solemn investigation, if the blood of slaughtered 
 thousands — the guilt and agonies of millions, should rise 
 in judgment against you ? And let the ministers of the 
 Gospel take heed to the ministry they have received. Let 
 those who name the Name of Christ, and - profess to be 
 ambassadors for Him, consider what was the sentence 
 (Gal. i. 8, 9.) pronounced on those who preached any 
 other gospel, than that which was preached by Christ and 
 his apostles ; which was the Gospel of Peace and Salvation. 
 
 v2 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE CONCLUSION. 
 
 On looking over the foregoing pages, it Avill not be 
 dilVunlt to discover, that many striking arguments Avliich 
 had been already advanced in suj)port of particular doc- 
 trines, are omitted. It has not been intended to say all 
 that has been said by others, nor all that might be said. 
 The mind sincerely disposed to come to the knowledge of 
 the Truth, will rarely, if ever, require the whole body of 
 evidence which might be produced. 
 
 The object of all arguments — of all the labours of instru- 
 ments, should be, to bring mankind to that Divine Prin- 
 ciple which was promised — " to lead us into all Truth." 
 When men are thus brought to an acquaintance with this 
 Divine Intelligence, they can adopt the language that was 
 used to the woman of Samaria : " Now we believe, not 
 because of thy saying ; for we have heard Him ourselves, 
 and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of 
 the Avorld." John iv. 42. Hence, the messengers of the 
 Gospel have nothing to claim to themselves ; and their 
 only rejoicing is in the prevalence of that Power, which 
 will be exalted over all. 
 
 I am aware that nothing can be written to meet the 
 views of all. \m\ consequently, objections from some 
 quart«'r or other arc to he expected, against whatever may 
 appear on dodrinal snhjeds. But though I anticipate 
 this result— (hough, in the present state of the world, it is 
 next to an impossibility to be otherwise— yet I have felt, 
 
THE CONCLUSION. 293 
 
 and still feel, an earnest desire to cut off all occasion of 
 offence. I entreat the forbearance of those who, at first 
 view, may not see the propriety of the course I have 
 taken, or of the doctrines I have vindicated. All the 
 advantages of that patient and candid examination of the 
 subject, will be their own. 
 
 Should any have remarked that I have not made the 
 Trinity and the Atonement subjects of distinct articles, 
 and be dissatisfied with the supposed omission ; I would 
 observe, that a belief in God and his Divine Attributes, is 
 evident throughout the whole work, and did not appear 
 to me to require a particular article ; seeing also that this 
 first principle of religion is universally believed. The 
 Divinity of Jesus Christ, together with his appearance in 
 the flesh — and the benefits which all men haxe derived 
 from what He did outzcardly, and may derive from what 
 He does inwardly, is fully acknowledged in an article 
 devoted to that purpose ; and also in several other articles, 
 which are nominally on other subjects. The Holy Spirit, 
 and its presence and operation in the hearts of men, ac- 
 cording to the precious promises of our blessed Lord, are 
 acknowledged in the article on Immediate Revelation, and 
 in divers other parts of the work. I have therefore chosen 
 to follow the example of the Holy Scriptures, or the holy 
 men who were inspired to write them, in leaving the 
 subject on this general ground, rather than to imitate those 
 speculative theologists, who, attempting to explain the 
 Divine Nature and its mode of subsistence, have involved 
 themselves in endless difficulties. 
 
 In relation to the Atonement, I have been governed by 
 similar feelings. Having stated our belief, that Jesus 
 Christ, by his coming, and what He did and suffered, has 
 placed all men in a capacity to be saved ; and that, by 
 his Spirit and Power in our hearts, He is offering us 
 4 y .5 
 
294 THE CONCLUSION. 
 
 complete Jlcdcmption and Salvation ; I have considered it 
 improper to pry into the secret counsels of Ahnighty God 
 —and i)retcnd to tell \\\\y, and how, He prepared the 
 liieans of Hedcniplion which He appointed. 
 
 These reasons I liope will satisfy the candid, inquiring 
 mind, that does not desire to push its inquiries beyond 
 what God is pleased to reveal. 
 
 I cheerfully subscribe to the belief, that true piety and 
 acceptance with God, are not confined to any name or 
 profession of religion ; and it Avould be very far from my 
 intention, to wound the feelings of any of those pious 
 Christians, who arc to be found under different denomi- 
 nations. I wish however, to invite their attention, im- 
 partially, to the doctrines on which we differ. 
 
 Wc, as intelligent and accountable beings, are placed 
 here in a state of probation for a few fleeting days. The 
 great object is, to please God, and obtain an inheritance 
 among them that are sanctified. We are therefore bound 
 io examine ourselves, and the principles by which we are 
 governed ; for we shall all, and individually, be judged 
 according to our works, and the means of improvement 
 bestowed njjon us. 
 
 But, after all, if the zealous of other denominations 
 should still believe, that they derive comfort and advantage 
 from the use of certain ceremonies, which we have believed 
 it right to avoid ; as these ceremonies are regarded, by 
 those wlio use tliem, as instrianental means, and not as the 
 onli/ media, througli which the various operations of 
 Grace are experienced ; it is reasonable to hope they will 
 conclude, that these operations are not less efficacious, 
 when carried on by the immediate power "of an Endless 
 Life," than by any feelings or affections which can be ex- 
 cited by instrumental means. The apostle says : "The U)ve 
 of (Jod was shed abroad in their hearts, by the Holy Ghost 
 
TM« CONCLUSION. J95 
 
 which was given them." And if this love is brought into 
 its just preeminence in. us, it can be no objection that it is 
 by the immediate operation of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 There are some practices, however, among the professors 
 of Christianity, which we decline, that do not come under 
 the character of ceremonies. Such, for instance, are the 
 practices of War and Slavery. And if those whose educa- 
 tion has reconciled them to these things, before their judg- 
 ments were sufficiently matured to draw correct conclusions, 
 should not find their own minds prepared to abandon them 
 —will they not be so charitable, or ratlicr so candid, as to 
 agree that our principle and practice, in relation to these 
 subjects, are not without foundation ? 
 
 The Society of which I am a member, has strong claims 
 on my solicitude. " When it pleased Almighty God to 
 open the understandings of our forefathers, and call them 
 to be a separate people," He permitted their faith to be 
 proved by persecution, and by many sore trials. Yet his 
 Arm of power was underneath and round about them ; and 
 no weapon formed against them could prosper. To them 
 was fulfilled the promise, that " all things should work 
 together for good ;" for the very means which were taken 
 to crush them, being overruled by Him who has all power, 
 not only contributed to bind this persecuted little band 
 together, furnishing occasions for the exercise of the most 
 tender sympathy and brotherly afiection, but even became 
 subservient to the spreading of the Gospel. But now, the 
 storm of persecution is over. The profession involves, 
 comparatively, very little sacrifice. But still we have to 
 contend with the same unwearied enemy ; and the warning 
 given to Peter, seems to be applicable in the present day : 
 " Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as 
 wheat." Lithe xxii. 31. In the time of suffering and 
 distress, there was much to arrest the mind in its pursuit 
 4 u 4 
 
296 THE CONCLUSION. 
 
 of pt'risliahlr objects, and drive it to seek for refuge in that 
 Strong Tower into which " the righteous run and find 
 safety." But in the sunshine of prosperity, when every 
 thing is smiling around us, there is peculiar danger of 
 being lulled into a state of security, and of being separated 
 from that preserving Power, by which alone we can stand 
 against the secret wiles or open assaults of the enemy. 
 The relief from persecution, and the outward prosperity 
 we now enjoy, are among the favours of our Heavenly 
 Father. If, in the possession of these multiplied blessings, 
 our hearts should become alienated from Him who gave 
 them — if we should worship and serve the creature more 
 than the Creator, the consequences must be of an awful 
 nature. By the deceitful objects around us, we may be 
 drawn from that state of watchfulness, which our Lord 
 enjoined upon "«//," and thus lose that deep and humbling 
 sense of our dependence upon Him, and that feeling of His 
 love, which constitute the safety and the enjoyment of the 
 true Christian. Thus separated from the only source of 
 preservation, we becoipe exposed to dangers on every 
 hand. Let us therefore keep close to first principles, and 
 build on that Foundation, on which the prophets, apostles, 
 and our Avorthy predecessors were established, and against 
 which every storm, through past ages, has beaten in vain. 
 The testimony of the apostle Avill remain true througli all 
 succeeding generations : " God is Light, and in Him is no 
 darkness at all." And " if we walk in the Light, as He is 
 in the Light, we have fellowship oiu- with another, and the 
 blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 
 IJofiri i. 5,7. Thus nlay we stand in this fellowship, "as 
 a building compact together." But it is only as Ave walk 
 in the Light, that the fellowship of the Gospel can be 
 known. And those who walk not in this Light, Avill 
 become ol)noxious to that sentence : "I will divide them 
 in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel !" Geji. xlix. 7. 
 
THE CONCLUSIO:*. 297 
 
 For those who have received a dispensation of the 
 Gospel to preach to others, I feel an earnest desire, that 
 they keep under that humbling influence which Avill pre- 
 serve them in humility, as well as in dedication to the cause 
 of truth and righteousness in the earth, " Without Me," 
 said our blessed Lord, "ye can do nothing;" and the more 
 we are brought into an experimental knowledge of the 
 Gospel of Jesus Christ, which the apostle declares to be 
 '• the Power of God to salvation," the more we shall be 
 sensible of our own weakness, and of the necessity of a 
 constant dependence upon that Power. 
 
 The admonitions of the apostle ^au\ to Timothy and 
 Titus, two ministers of the Gospel, are very emphatic. To 
 the former, he says : " This charge I commit unto thee, son 
 Timothy, that thou mightest war a good warfare, holdino- 
 faith and a good conscience, which some having put away, 
 concerning faith have made shipwreck." 1 Tim. i. 18, 19. 
 "Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine ; continue 
 in them ; for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and 
 them that hear thee." ib. iv. 16. And again, in his second 
 epistle, he charges him : " Hold fast the form of sound 
 words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love, 
 which is in Christ Jesus." 2 Tim. i. 13. "But foolish and 
 unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender 
 strifes." ib. ii. 23. "But continue thou in the things which 
 thou hast learned, and hast been assured of, knowing of 
 whom thou hast learned them." ib. iii. 14. And finally, in 
 the last chapter of the second epistle, under the immediate 
 sense of his own departure being near at hand, he addressed 
 this solemn language to him : " I charge thee therefore, 
 before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge 
 the quick and the dead at his appearing, and his kingdom ; 
 preach the word ; be instant in season, out of season ; -re- 
 prove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-sufFeVing and doctrine. 
 For the time will come, when they will not endure sound 
 
296 THB C0«CLU«105. 
 
 doctrine ; but after their own lusts shall they heap unto 
 themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they shall 
 turn away their ears from the Truth, and shall be turned 
 unto fables. But watch thou in all things ; endure afflic- 
 tions ; do the work of an evangelist ; make full proof of thy 
 ministry." 
 
 Very similar are tlie charges which he gave to Titus ; 
 admonishing him to " speak the I'liags that became sound 
 doctrine." And these several charges apply to all who 
 enter into the same sacred office. As we have fully ac- 
 knowledged the obligation of the apostolical injunction to 
 rest upon us — "If any man speak, let him speak as the 
 Oracles of God ; if any man minister, let him do it as of 
 the ability which God giveth," 1 Fet. iv. 11. — it would be, 
 in any of us, a high offence, to attempt to minister from 
 any other source or authority, than the pure spring of the 
 Gospel. This would indeed be " preaching for doctrines 
 the commandments of men." And as a ministry merely 
 unauthorized must be censurable, and especially so in us, 
 how much more awful must it be to leave the pure Source 
 of Divine Intelligence and the doctrines of the apostles, 
 and launch out into questions and speculative opinions, 
 when the evidence remains as clear as ever it was, " that 
 they do gender strifes /" 
 
 " What," said the apostle, " if some did not believe ? Shall 
 their unbelief make the ftiith of God without effect ? God 
 forbid !" Rom. iii. 3, 4. And whatever trials may be per- 
 mitted to attend the Church, we may remember that "the 
 foundation of God standeth sure ; having this seal, The 
 Lord knoweth tlu'in that are his." 2 Tim. ii. 10. Ami the 
 language of the Diviiu^ Master is peculiarly animating to 
 his humble followers : "Fear not, little (lock, it is your 
 Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." 
 
 The youth of this Society possess many privileges. To 
 you of this class it may be said : '' Other men have 
 
THE CONCLUSlOJf. 299 
 
 laboured, and you have entered into their labours." Our 
 predecessors, some of whom were very young in years, not 
 only laboured, but deeply suffered, for those principles 
 which distinguish the Society of which you are members. 
 They suffered the scorn of their intimate associates, and 
 the frowns of those whose sentiments they highly esteemed. 
 Their property, their liberty, and even their lives, they 
 freely gave up, rather than lose that peace of mind which 
 is found in obedience to manifested duty, or suffer those 
 testimonies to fall to the ground, which they believed had 
 been committed to them. These very testimonies have 
 now devolved upon you to maintain. Your corrupt pas- 
 sions are the greatest sacrifices called for at your hands. 
 Faithfulness to your profession is no reproach to you. 
 You are not called upon to breathe the damp and pesti- 
 lential air of dark and filtliy dungeons ; nor to encounter 
 the rage of an infuriated mob ; nor to be exposed at the 
 whipping post or the cart's tail, as many of our prede- 
 cessors were, while their sufferings drew tears from the 
 eyes of strangers.* If the invincible arm of Divine Power 
 sustained them, and so filled their hearts with consolation 
 as to enable them to sing songs of thanksgiving, even in 
 the midst of their tortures ; would not the same Arm of 
 Power sustain you, and enable you also to commemorate 
 his praise on the banks of deliverance ? If thej/ were 
 bound to " hold fast the profession of their faith," even 
 through such severe sufferings ; what will become of you, 
 if you turn aside from the very same profession, w ithout 
 object or advantage ! 
 
 * In adverting to those times of persecution, arising from a mistaken zeal 
 for religion, we may find much cause for thankfulness, in the difl'usion of light 
 which has taken place on the subject. The rights of conscience are not only 
 recognized, and in a good degree secured, by the institutions of civil society, 
 but there is, among the dififerent denominations, a feeling of charity towards 
 others. Where this charity is cultivated, and suffered to rise into its just pre- 
 eminence, all animosity and bitterness are removed ; and thus the very ground 
 of persecution will cease to exist. 
 
300 THE CO.NCLLSION. 
 
 There- is a species of levily — and even of denying Christ 
 before men, a«!:ainst ^vhich it is imi)ortant that the yonthful 
 mind should he guarded. The visitations of Divine love 
 have not been permitted to attend your minds, to be trifled 
 with or rejected. Youth is the season of improvement — 
 not of vanity and frivolous amusements. You see how 
 many <'nd their days in the bloom of youth : and if such 
 take no serious thought of religion, where will be their 
 preparation for the Avorld to come ! And even among those 
 who attain to old age, how many do we see become har- 
 dened in guilt and depravity, who nevertheless were 
 favoured, in their youth, with humbling and tendering 
 impressions ! So that the language remains to be appli- 
 cable : " To-day, to-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden 
 not your hearts." You are "called to glory and to virtue;" 
 and if you neglect so great salvation, with all the privileges 
 you enjoy — surely great will be your condemnation. But 
 suffer the word of exhortation. Be Avilling to give up 
 "the jileasures of sin, which are but for a season," if they 
 deserve to be called pleasures at all. Submit to the ten- 
 dering impressions of the love of God on your minds. 
 Cherish those feelings Avhich that love w ill inspire : wait in 
 silent introversion of mind, for the renewal of these impres- 
 sions : and you w ill find 3 ourselves in a course of prepara- 
 tion for heaven, and be admitted to a foretaste of its joys. 
 And in the fulfilment of the promises of Jesus Christ : " If 
 a man love Me, he will keep my words; and my Father 
 will love him, and We will come unto him, and make our 
 abode with him, John xiv. 23. you will find " strength in 
 Aveakness, riches in poverty, and a present help in every 
 needful time." 
 
 To those in the meridian of life, who hold no ])articular 
 station in Society— wish well to the cause, ami perhaps 
 apprelu'nd themselves discharged from those active duties, 
 
THL CONCLUglO.V. 301 
 
 which the support of the doctrines and testimonies of the 
 Society demand — I would make a few observations. 
 
 The apostle Paul compared the individual believers to 
 the dift'erent members of the human body. Though their 
 offices were various, yet all were useful, and a certain 
 dependence and mutual feeling prevailed through all. 
 " Whether one member suffer," said he, " all the members 
 suffer witli it; or one member be honoured, all the members 
 rejoice with it." Thus, friends, however humble or ob- 
 scure your stations may be, you arc to contribute either to 
 the suffering or the rejoicing of the living members of that 
 body, to which you belong. Your lukewarmness and 
 indifference to the great objects of religious regard, cannot 
 fail to increase the weakness of the Society, and those 
 painful exercises which arise in consequence of that weak- 
 ness. And, on the contrary, your close attention to what 
 passes in your own minds, and the secret exercises into 
 wliich you would be led, like the prayers and alms-deeds 
 of Cornelius, would rise as a memorial before Him who 
 sees in secret. And thus you might not only know an 
 increase of religious experience and religious enjoyment, 
 but also contribute to the prevalence of that Power, which 
 is the crown of our most solemn assemblies. 
 
 But, by settling down into a belief, that there is nothing 
 for you to do, you will deprive yourselves of that im- 
 provement, usefulness in Society, and peace of mind, which 
 would otherwise be your portion. It is not always from 
 among the most wise, according to the wisdom of this 
 world, nor from those who possess the brightest natural 
 talents, that Religion has found its ablest advocates, or 
 Christianity its brightest ornaments. Suffer therefore your 
 minds to be aroused from that state of ease, into which you 
 may have fallen— not to an unqualified activity in the 
 Church, but to an entire submission to the renovating power 
 of Truth. You will find that a remembrance of God, and 
 
30a '"•^ C0NCLU810X. 
 
 a submission to the refi^ulatin^, sanctifying operations of his 
 Spirit, will not interrupt tlic right order of your domestic 
 concerns. But through the seasoning virtue and illuminat- 
 ing nature of that Influence, which would regulate your 
 feelings and direct your conduct, you would take your 
 j)orti()n of that character, which our Lord gave of his 
 disciples, when He called them "the salt of the earth," and 
 "the light of the world." 
 
 What if your opportunities of improvement may have 
 been limited — or your capacities, in your own estimation, 
 be small — or your natural energies already begun to de- 
 cline ? you have souls to be saved or lost — you have no 
 continuing city here ; and are bound, by the most solemn 
 obligations, to prepare for the final change; "and so much 
 the more, as ye see the day approaching." In that very 
 preparation for the world to come, from which no age or 
 condition in life can exempt you — you will experience a 
 preparation for the various duties that devolve upon you, 
 in civil or religious society. 
 
 Whatever may be our name as to religious profession — 
 whatever onr stations in the militant Church, the closing 
 address of the apostle, on a very interesting occasion, may 
 be suitably applied: "I comnuMul you to God, and to the 
 Word of his Gnice, which is able to build you up, and 
 to give you an inheritance among all them which are 
 sanctified." 
 
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