SERMON I. BY REV. ORVILLE DEWEY, NEW bedford, MASS WORKING OUT OUR SALVATION, A PRACTICAL WORK. PHILIPPIANS ii. 12, 13.-WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION, WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING; FOR IT IS GOD WHO WORKETH IN YOU BOTH TO WILL AND TO DO OF HIS GOOD PLEASURE. THE subject of the following discourse is the agency which man has, in becoming virtuous and pious, or in obtaining his salvation. The doctrine of the divine influence, which is taught in the latter clause of the text, I do not propose now to discuss, only incidentally and as it is connected with the subject which I have chosen. For the present, I wish to fix attention on this single expression; work out your own salvation.' Language could not more emphatically describe the necessity of individual exertion in this matter. • Work out your salvation.' Something, then, is to be done to gain this blessing. Work out your own salvation.' Something is to be done by each individual being for himself. But here, perhaps, there meets us on the very threshold a misgiving;-a disposition to qualify this, if not to question it. Something-true, something is to be done; we must use the means; we must put ourselves in the way of being religious; we must wish for salvation.' Nay, says the Apostle, work out your salvation;' do it entirely; complete the work. He had none of this modern scruple about human ability. Shall I be reminded, that he teaches, in this very verse, the doctrine of the divine influence? Nay, I say again, not as depreciating human ability—not as discouraging human endeavor, does he teach it, but as enforcing his precept that we should work-for,' says he, work out your own salvation; for it is God that worketh within you. Be assiduous, be laborious, be thorough in this undertaking, especially, because God will help you. I. But let me explain a little, in the first place, what I understand by working out our own salvation; what is meant by man's agency in the matters of religion. It is not meant, certainly, that we should think to gain salvation, by our own merit; for it is the gift of the mercy of God. It is not meant, that we should use any ceremonies, or make any offerings, or believe in any doctrines, as being of themselves meritorious or efficacious to procure salvation; for Christ our passover is slain for us, and has superseded all such superficial, ceremonial reliances. Neither is it meant that we should expect to gain salvation by our unassisted endeavors; for we are weak and dependent creatures in all our efforts, and it becomes us to feel this especially in the high and difficult and solemn concerns of religion. But I do understand from the words of the text, that the salvation of the soul depends on our own efforts, in this sense at least, that he who sincerely strives for it will certainly be saved, and that he who does not strive for it will certainly be lost. I do understand from it, that final salvation, or future happiness is granted to nothing but purity of mind or holiness, which holiness can no more be obtained without our own effort, than knowledge can be obtained without our own effort; that a man might as well sit down idly, and expect to be a philosopher without exertion, as to sit down idly, and expect to be a Christian without exertion; that a supernatural influence is no more likely to help his indolence in one case, than the other; that sloth in spiritual things is just as ruinous to our inward welfare, as sloth in worldly things is ruinous to our outward welfare. I do understand from it, that no scheme of redemption, no offer of mercy, nor grace of election; no power of faith, nor promise of perseverance, nor covenanted faithfulness; no altars heaped with the slain, no blood of atonement, no costly rites, nor splendid masses, nor lofty privileges; no, nor even the superabounding mercy of the Almighty, will ever save that man who does nothing for himself. I believe that there is a feast provided, but, then, I do understand from the very nature of the figure, that no one can be benefited by it unless he partake of it; that there is a treasure of life, but then, it is a treasure to be gained and guarded; that there is a salvation, but then it is a salvation to be wrought out. II. Let us see now in the second place if this is not the manifest dictate of all that we know about religion, and of all that we are taught about it. What is religion, itself? If it were some inexplicable state of mind, we might suppose that it was to be obtained in some inexplicable manner. If it were a mystery, (i. e. if it were more a mystery than everything else; there is mystery in everything ;) then we might regard it as the product of a peculiarly mysterious power. If it were something which man could not comprehend, we might conclude that it was something which man could |