lost and undone sinners by nature as well as practice; men who in extremity were relieved by a divine light and aid, who found themselves comforted and refreshed with divine peace, purely through faith, by the righteousness and salvation of Jesus Christ; men who knew emphatically why they called him Saviour, and enjoyed even in this life a real communion with him in their souls, who derived from his kindness, by the force of a mysterious, but powerful union, strength against sin, and all sorts of evil; who lived in him spiritually, followed his example, indeed, in real holiness, had their conversation in heaven, and directed their ambition, in contempt of all that the world calls great, to an heavenly kingdom, contented here to be despised as fools and madmen, yet living according to every maxim of true wisdom; returning good for evil, prayers for curses, and beneficence for persecution; the real friends of mankind, new creatures indeed, and, finally, as distinct in spirit and taste from the rest of the world, as light is from darkness. These are the CHRISTIANS; the history of these is the history of the church. Malignant opposers of the Scriptures miss their mark altogether, when they censure Christianity, because of the wickedness of vast numbers who are called Christians; for, strictly speaking, they are infidels as well as themselves; and so long as men despise the essential principles of Scripture, they ought to be so esteemed, whatever they please to call themselves. "Did we accustom ourselves to view the church in this, which is its true light, we should not complain of the difficulty of finding out whom, or what we are to believe, amidst the endless distractions of controversy. We have only to turn away our eyes from the many scenes of mock Christianity, and steadily survey that which is genuine. For there have ever been those who have held, and felt and practised, as has been described. Setting aside also some lesser differences of opinion, which they may have had among themselves, the views of the fall, and of human depravity, of justification by Jesus Christ, and redemption through his blood, of a life of entire dependence on him, and of those fruits of holiness which result from it, are simple, uniform, clear, intelligible; the most so of any thing in the world, when the mind is rightly disposed to receive the truth, and submit to it in all its energy. "This is then the way to judge of Christianity. The fulfilment of the Scriptures, and the divine origin of the religion itself, would hence be shewn in a light unanswerably strong. "The acts of the apostles form a very precious beginning of this history, and have in this view been judiciously illustrated in a late publication by an able and pious divine of the church of England.* He has not prosecuted the history beyond the first century; and I confess the task, as we advance downward to the times of the Reformation, grows more arduous. It might however be done; and historical proofs are not wanting from age to age of the true church of .... • Newton's Ecclesiastical History." Christ, shining as a light in the midst of a dark world. The scene shifts indeed from place to place. The Spirit of God is grieved from time to time; candlesticks are removed, and still the light, which is here extinguished, rises there, and burns with triumphant glory. In vain shall we seek to confine it within the pale of certain denominations. The grace of God will not be thus fettered, and we ought to separate it in our ideas from all externals and circumstantials whatever. For ages, even amidst the corruptions of Popery, some souls were partakers of its influence. But when the church was seemingly near a total extinction, it was revived with wonderful power at the reformation. Even the Jansenists in France, though Papists by name, were possessed of the same holy flame, which animated the breasts of pious Protestants, at the very time that the church of England, a Protestant church by constitution, had relapsed into a contempt of the gospel. In our own times a glorious change has in her taken place; evangelical principles have been revived; they are spreading at this day with vigour and effect. May the land in general feel their force! And as the church has ever been thus preserved, so particular instances of very extraordinary exertions of the grace of God have appeared from age to age, as it were to call up the attention of a slumbering world. too "III. There is a method not uncommonly made use of to evade the force of this whole argumentation, which as it meets us in full opposition, though No. 11. Vol. II. Q ૧૨ with a specious appearance of friendship, it will behove us to expose in its true light. What has been advanced concerning the doctrines of Christianity, their influence, their necessity, their importance, has its truth, and must be owned by every Christian. But then why such extreme censoriousness, why such contracted bigotry? The generality of the clergy and laity do at bottom hold the same things as those which you so vehemently insist on; only they are more moderate in their manner, and more wary in their use of these truths. They make some concessions to the world in things not very material, for the sake of doing good in things of greater consequence. It is not the doctrine, but the intemperate manner of applying it, which exposes those who call themselves evangelical, to censure and illwill; and particularly their want of charity can never be vindicated, in supposing none to be right but those who use exactly the same language as themselves. "The sophistry of this charge deserves to be distinctly considered. And to prevent mistakes, it must be confessed, that if the persons described under the last article, as members of the real church of Christ, had nothing to shew for the vindication of their peculiar principles and practice but an affected discrimination from others in point of phraseology; if, in short, verbal distinctions were all they had to boast of, their conduct would be indeed indefensible. It would not only be uncharitable and bigoted, but also weak and unmanly. For what more unworthy of rational creatures, than to raise disputes among themselves on mere terms, when their ideas are the same! "But this is far from being the case in the present instance ; and every candid observer, who has thought with any clearness or precision on these subjects, must see that the difference is in ideas, not in words, and is extremely momentous, even more so than language can describe. "That the religion briefly described in the last article, and peculiarly distinguished by holding out the doctrines of Justification and Regeneration, is essentially distinct from that of those who deny the Godhead and atonement of Jesus Christ, and the personality and influence of the Holy Ghost, will be at Once allowed. "Many, however, do yet hold the doctrines of the Trinity and the atonement of Jesus Christ in a general manner, though they seem to make little use of them in practice, and do evidently lay the great stress for their hope of heaven on the performance of moral duties, and yet at the same time treat with perfect contempt all ideas of conversion or regeneration; not perhaps denying the thing itself, yet ridiculing all pretensions of any person to the experience of them in our days. If this be a true account of the state of many of the Clergy and Laity in this kingdom, one sees at first sight why they object to the manner of setting forth these things. They have no idea of any personal use and application of them to the heart and conscience. And how then do they differ essentially from those who deny them altogether? For what is all the doctrine in the world abstracted from its use? "Granting, however, that there are many things in which good men may safely differ, and ought to shew a spirit of mutual forbearance and moderation, certainly the doctrine of justification is not one of those subjects. If any question can be conceived to be even of infinite importance, it is this-How shall man be accepted with his Maker? We trifle only with God and our souls, while we content ourselves with a loose and general idea of Christ's atonement, and bring it to no one determinate point of utility whatever. For the question is this:-Ought I to trust entirely in Jesus Christ, and to renounce my own righteousness entirely, in order for salvation, or is it unsafe and dangerous so to do; and ought my hope of heaven to be founded partly on the merit of Christ, and partly on my own?-This is the clear state of the question as it lies between the two parties before us on the subject of justification. And is this a nominal distinction? Is it of no consequence whether man be thoroughly humbled, or allowed to glory in something of his own? whether God and the Lamb are to have all the honour of his salvation, or not? There is an essential difference of opinion here, and the difference produces a most material distinction in the whole of practical religion. The very ends and motives of duty which each party propose to themselves are widely opposite. The love of God is the grand motive of the one system, selfrighteousness of the other. But surely to every real Christian, 1 66 whatever doubts he may have, (and he has many on religious subjects) it is no matter of doubt at all whether he be a fallen creature, dead altogether in sin by nature. It is no matter of hesitation whether he is to seek acceptance with God by the blood of Jesus Christ, or by the works of the law. It is not a problematical subject with him, Whether he must be born again, if ever he enter into the kingdom of God; whether this new birth, with all its fruits and consequences, be wrought by the will of man, or by the Spirit of God alone; whether his good works ought of necessity to be prin cipled by the love of God or not. But enough has been said to shew that there is a real differrence of opinion here; and those who content themselves with the forms of orthodoxy above described, may be convinced of it by the opposition which they feel in their own breasts to that view of things which I have been espousing. Let them search, however, the Scriptures with honest minds, and at least cease from saying that they mean the same things as those which they oppose. For if indeed this be the case, why do they shew such aversion to these principles? why dislike to have them set forth in the plainest manner? why are they more cordial, and feel their own spirits to be more in unison with Socinians, sceptics, and with any sort of persons, than those whom they deem enthusiasts? why such ridicule and contempt of the new birth? why is the preaching of their system, if it be a system at all, of no weight, no influence? Is it not incredible that, if in deed their doctrine was the same, no instances of any conversion should ever happen among them? Is it not still more incredible, that they should deride the very idea of conversion itself? Why are they so fearful of the cross of Christ? why so conformable to the taste and spirit of the world? How happens it, that the people in general who attend their ministry, are so ignorant of the first principles of Christianity? I remember Mr. Howard told me, that he never, in all his life, heard of the new birth from any pulpit, till he heard it at Ferriby; and I apprehend that many might justly make a similar remark. It were much to be wished, that the truth was clearly seen in this point; because while men fancy the common, beaten, broad, fashionable road, which exposes them to no inconveniences, will lead to the same end as the nar row and difficult road, they will never leave the one for the sake of the other. "IV. If the doctrines of justi, fication and regeneration be then real scripture doctrines, and enter into the principles of a work of divine grace on the heart ;— if they prove their divine origin by their own light and native energy; if they have never failed, in every age of the church, to be attended with undeniable seals of their divinity, in the conversion and holy lives of some; if these alone constitute the church, and if every other sort of principles be diametrically opposite, what remains but that we betake ourselves to the study of the sacred oracles, and see what is the religion there enforced? On a fair examination we shall find, that the principles which in this kingdom have been spreading for about forty years, and have been stigmatized with the opprobrious terms of weakness and enthusiasm, are in reality the religion of the apostles and primitive Christians. And a little candid examination will convince any reasonable man, that they are no other than those which the Reformers in Germany and England professed, and on which the Church of England is founded. The decline has been so deep with us, and scepticism, profaneness, and an illegitimate and unscriptural charity have been propagated in so general a manner, that the revival of these principles subjects men to the censure of introducing some strange sectarian ideas, though they contain nothing new, notting particular, nothing different from the creed of the wisest and most intelligent Christians of all ages, nor from the genuine doctrine of the church. Much pains has been taken to suppress them; persecution has been tried, but the spirit of the times, and the lenity of government have ever rendered it ineffectual. The most indecent publications, on the plan of wit and raillery, have been attempted; nor has the more reasonable mode of argument been neglected. Yet these principles live and flourish; and every lover of truth will rejoice to find, that many of the established clergy are opening their eyes more and more, and entering into the spirit of the New Testament with increasing ardour. The hand of God also has evidently been with them. Mr. Howard's case, tho' somewhat singular in circumstances, is by no means so in substance. "Men are turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God." Multitudes are reformed, and lead holy lives, wherever these principles prevail. I frankly avow that the recommendation of these principles was the design of this publication. Let it only be allowed, that there is such a thing as a divinely revealed religion, that the knowledge and power of it are of infinite importance, and then if any one will still fastidiously refuse these principles an hearing, let him ask himself, where, and among what sort of persons he can expect to find the real Christian religion? If he is not quite buried in profaneness and pride, he will scarce look for it among Arians and Socinians. What! is the Spirit of God with those who degrade the essential dignity of the Saviour, or despise the operations of the Holy Ghost, or explain away the only hope of a sinner the atonement of the Son of God? Will he look for the Christian religion among the common professors of orthodoxy? This will, in our days, comprehend a very large part; about forty years ago, it comprehended almost the whole of the established clergy. But what signature of divine life can be traced among them? Is there not an evident want of zeal with respect to religion? not to say among many a want of any plan or system of ideas at all? Is there the least spiritual good apparent among them? Do any in hearing discourses from the pulpit, ever obtain, or expect to obtain any benefit? Can a single instance be produced, in the course of twenty or thirty years, of a sin |
