it which the alteration of human circumstances had required, and perpetuate the knowledge of the whole to the end of time. That the ultimate defign of chriftianity is re-eftablishing the love of God, the love of men, the love of virtue, is obviously plain from the whole New Teftament: particularly, from our Saviour's fermon on the mount; from his anfwer to the question, which is the great commandment in the law*: from St. James's declaration, what is pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father: from St. Paul's discourse to the Athenians: from his obfervation, that love is the end of the commandment: from his explicit affertion, that the grace of God appeared for this purpose, to teach all men, that, denying ungodliness and worldly lufts, they should live foberly, righteously, and godly, in this prefent world, looking for the glorious hopes of a better. And the re-establishment, which the gospel hath made in this respect, is perfect. It requires fuch love of God, as will incline us effectually to imitate, as well as honour him; fuch love of men, as extends to the whole world, and feeks both the temporal and the fpiritual good of all; fuch love of virtue, as is free from oftentation, from aufterity, from felf-opinion. It lays us under a neceffity of remembering, that we are frail, that we are finners; and therefore moft firmly bound to humility in our own hearts, mildnefs towards others, penitence in the fight of God. To thofe who are in any degree thus difpofed, it not only repeats the obfcurer, yet inftructive and comfortable, intimations, of pardon, grace, and reward; which the patriarchal ages enjoyed, as a light shining faintly in a dark place; and which after-times loft, and wandered on in the thickest night: but it vifits men like the day Spring from on high, close followed by the fun of righteoufuefs beaming forth to cheer our hearts, and guide our feet into the way of peace. Infiead of the fhadows and figures of the Mofaic law, which veiled, and, in a great measure, concealed, what they exhibited; it prefents us with the undisguised truth and very fubftance fets before our eyes that great atonement to the justice of heaven, which other victims were appointed to pre fignifyi § Tit. ii. 11, 12. 13. ¶ Luke i. 78, 79. fignify; and opens the whole treasure of divine bounty; free forgiveness, kind affiftance, eternal happiness, to the worst of finners, on the equitable, the advantageous terms of ingenuous forrow, thankful faith, and univerfal, though ftill imperfect, obedience. Come every one that thirfteth, come to the waters of life, and buy without money and without price*. Inftead of a heavy yake of ceremonial reftraints, and rigorous obfervances unexplained, neceffary for the immature and injudicious age of the Jewish difpenfation; God hath confidered chriftians as grown up to a manly capacity of rational fervice, and fuller knowledge of his counfels. He hath therefore communicated to us a much greater number of doctrinal truths, all fitted to inftruct our worship, and inflame our gratitude : but hath reduced our ritual performances to two both of them clear and important in their meaning; eafy and affecting in their ufe, and fully guarded against being efteemed beyond their use: first, baptifm, which most aptly fignifies our engagements to preferve ourselves from the defilement of fin, and God's promife to look on us as free from the guilt of it; then the holy Eucharift; which, with equal propriety, exprefles our Saviour's giving his body to be broken, and his blood to be shed, for the fake of man; and our being nourished, and ftrengthened, and united, to him for ever, by imbibing and digesting his doctrine, and receiving into our fouls, by faith, the beneficial influences of his death. Thus then the new commandment, delivered by our bleffed Lord, is an authentic republication, both of the primitive religion of man before the fall, and of the additional inftructions given him after it; with fuch improvements of these last, as make up, together with the former, a complete inftitution of piety, fitted to answer all our neceflities to the world's end." To prevent or detect any corruptions or mistakes in fo important a fyftem of doctrine, the bleffed Author of it hath provided, that we should have the very words, in which he delivered it, recorded in the gofpels; and his true meaning confirmed, and further explained, in the writings of his immediate difciples: which ineftimable treasure providence hath watched over through every age: and, by its afliftance, the ald • Ifa. lv. r. SER. LXI. old commandment hath once in these latter days been rescued from dangerous perverfions, and happily restored to its origi nal purity. But befides, he hath made yet another provision for securing, not only the genuine belief, but the faithful practice of it. As man is a focial creature, and capable of receiving at least as much benefit from uniting in religion, as in other things: fo he hath formed his followers into a fpiritual fociety, or church; to celebrate the worship of God more folemnly, ard bear a public teftimony to his truths; to exhort, and provoke one another to love and good works"; to reflore in the fpirit of meekness them that are overtaken in faults†, but put away from among them the grossly and obftinately wicked; that, if pol fible, the reverence of fo awful a cenfure may bring them to recollect themselves and repent; or, fuppofing it fails, that yet the innocence of the reft, and the honour of the chriftian name, may be preferved. And that all this may be performed in a due manner, he hath inftituted a regular fubordination and fucceffion of paflors and teachers, for the perfecting of the faints, for the edifying of the body of Chrift §. An appointment evidently fuitable, both to the nature of a being, which fo greatly wants inftruction and admonition, as man; and to the nature of a religion, that will fo very well bear to be fhewn in a full light. However defectively, therefore, or wrongly, this inftitution may be adminiftered through our faults; or how much foever it may be despised, or obftructed, through yours; yet, in itfelf, it is vifibly of excellent ufe; and, which is remarkable, peculiar to the religion delivered in fcripture. For, in the Gentile world, through many centuries, we have no one inftance of any public teaching, much less any moral difcipline, attending their worship. And indeed when Julian attempted to fet up preachers of heathenifm, in oppofition to thofe of christianity, it was immediately foretold him, and the event verified the prediction, that what had proved to effectual to eftablish truth, would only ferve to expofe and ruin error. Such then being the nature of our holy religion, and fuch the methods taken to preferve it from corruption, and make it Heb. x. 24, 25. 1 Cor. v. 13. + Gal. vi. r. it a perpetual inftrument of present and eternal happiness to mankind; whoever fincerely honours God, loves his fellowcreatures, or wishes well to his own foul, must fee and feel himself deeply concerned to embrace and respect the gospel of Chrift; which God cannot have revealed for such noble purpofes, and left any one at liberty to flight a fingle part of it. But then we must remember, that neither profeffing nor admiring it, will ferve for any thing but our condemnation; unless we receive it unto an honest and good heart*, and bring forth the fruits of it in pious and virtuous lives. Little children, let no man deceive you be that doth righteousness, is righteous: be that committeth fin, is of the devil. For this purpofe the Son of God was manifefted, that he might destroy the works of the devil; and hereby we know that we know him, if we keep bis commandments. Mark iv. 25. Luke viii. 15. ↑ John iii. 7, 8. + 1 John ii. 3. VOL. II. Hh SER. SERMON LXII. THE TENDENCY OF THE SPIRIT OF THE GOSPEL, AND ITS MISERABLE PERVERSION BY HUMAN DEPRAVITY. MATTH. X. 34. Think not that I am come to fend peace on earth; I came not to fend peace, but a sword. THAT thefe words of our bleffed Saviour exprefs, not the defign of his appearing in the world, but the effect it would have very contrary to his defign, through the wickednefs of men, both his life and doctrine fufficiently fhew: and, indeed, all forts of men have acknowledged. For though too many Christians have acted as if they understood him to defire what he only foretels, and thought it their duty to make his words good: yet none of them, I think, have ever profeffed to underftand him fo. And infidels themselves have done him the justice of allowing, that he meant to establish good-will and virtue among men. But then his religion, they fay, hath fo miferably failed of anfwering his purpofe, hath produced fuch dreadful evils, and been of fo exceeding small benefit, that they cannot imagine a wife and good being, as God is, would ever take fuch very extraordinary methods as the gospel afferts, to introduce and establish it. And though few, it may be hoped, will think it reasonable to carry the matter thus far: yet many may be tempted by fuch confident affirmations, if not to doubt of the truth of chriftianity, yet to have lefs delight in it, lefs thankfulness and zeal for it, than they would otherwife have. We shall do well, therefore, to enquire, both how far the facts alledged in this objection are true, and whether the conclufion drawn from them is juft. That confiderable evils have taken their rife from our Saviour's doctrine, must be owned. He himfelf, we fee, declares they ! |