Gambar halaman
PDF
ePub

methods of the Divine government could allow sin and death to spread over the whole human race through the disobedience of one, much more may we be assured that it cannot be incompatible with the dispensations of the merciful Father of the human race to permit a coextensive system of reconciliation to be communicated to mankind through the imputed righteousness of one.

CHAPTER XIX.

Of the Divinity of Christ.

THE doctrine of the divinity of our blessed Saviour appears naturally, even were the express affirmatory declarations of Scripture out of the question, to grow out of that of his satisfactory atonement for the sins of mankind. Without presuming to speculate largely upon the internal probability of these transcendental problems, we may, perhaps, with all humility, venture to observe thus much; that granting the reality of that expiatory sacrifice, there would seem to be something less inconsistent with our first natural impressions, in the idea of the Deity, himself submitting, from a principle of mercy, to pay a penalty for the sins of mankind in his own person, than in that of his subjecting one of his own innocent creatures to punishment for the sake of other creatures confessedly guilty. It also seems difficult to imagine that the expiation afforded by any finite being could be so extensive in its effects as that of Christ is stated by revelation to be. Arguments, indeed, of this description ill become the spirit of diffidence with which it behoves creatures like ourselves to approach to the contemplation of the writings of infinity. They are, therefore, adduced in this place solely and merely for the purpose, not of throwing light upon what is con

fessedly inexplicable, but of meeting the conflicting assertions of those, who, building their arguments upon the presumed conclusions of their own intellect, have assailed the doctrine of Christ's divinity as too palpably improbable to be admitted by rational beings under the guarantee of any external testimony whatever. Our wish is only to balance assumption against assumption, and to repel the self-complacent opinion of the followers of Socinus, that, however the letter of Scripture may be against them, its spirit and sound reason are for them. Within these limits, and on this defensive principle exclusively, can these high topics afford matter for justifiable discussion. The real appeal of every mind, duly sensible of its own weakness, must, after all, be to what it finds expressly written; and we have no hesitation in asserting, that we do find the doctrine now alluded to stated in holy writ, with a decision and clearness of expression, which, if we admit the authenticity of the various passages in which it occurs, is at once decisive of the fact in question.

CHAPTER XX.

Of Sanctification by the Holy Spirit.

WHEN Scripture inculcates the necessity of the sanctification of the human soul, by the strengthening aid of the Holy Spirit, it adds another harmonizing and consistent truth to the great and concurrent doctrine of Christ's atonement. It has already been observed, that, although our Redeemer came to reconcile God to man by annulling the penalties otherwise consequent upon the inevitable infirmities of our nature, it were to derive a blasphemous conclusion from that doctrine, were we to assert that its practical effect could possibly be that of relaxing prospectively

the obligations of morality, or of rendering sin less offensive to the Divine nature than it had previously been. On the contrary, nothing, as we have shown, could more completely demonstrate the imperative duty imposed upon us of pursuing all attainable holiness by every possible means, than the tremendous cost which revelation teaches us has already been incurred in consequence of man's past disobedience, Rightly considered, then, the satisfaction afforded to the inflexible principle of moral retribution, by the expiatory merits of Christ, is one solemn obligation the more to a course of undeviating obedience. But if the corruption of the human heart continues after the promulgation of the Gospel covenant precisely what it was before that important epoch, the subse quent history of mankind would probably be little more than that of a repetition of the same follies and crimes which have already spread such extensive devastation over the works of the Creator. The same causes would naturally produce the same effects; and, therefore, whatever might be believed of the future destination of man in another life, as a consequence of the disarming of the Divine justice, his moral character in this world would seem to derive little apparent benefit from the institution of a purer code of morality than that which he has already so auda, ciously violated. Now the provision which Scripture assures us has through the medium of the Gospel dispensation, been made for us in this point, namely, with reference to the actual improvement of our spiritual nature in this world, appears exactly calcu lated to meet this difficulty, The nearer any practical rule of life approaches toward the standard of per fection, the greater will, of course, be the degree of moral exertion and self-possession necessary for the accomplishment of the task which it imposes. The provisions made for us by revelation here again are remarkable for their admirable adaption to the wants of our nature. In the Old Testament, and in the books

of the Levitical law more especially, we find little allusion to any other mode of justification than that of ritual observances; and with regard to the sanctification of the soul, in like manner the natural strength of the human heart seems to be not unfrequently appealed to, as possessing, within itself, the means of obedience. In proportion, indeed, as the Jewish Scriptures draw towards their close, the principles which they inculcate gradually assume, in all respects, a more evangelical character. Other and better expiations than those prescribed by Moses begin to be anticipated, and the accompanying Christian doctrine, of the assistance afforded to the active powers of man by the Divine grace, to be more prominently asserted. The full and complete developement of this latter doctrine, however, like the former one of the atonement of Christ, is reserved for the Gospel dispensation to inculcate. When, accordingly, we turn from the Old to the New Testament, we there find the almost entire moral helplessness of our nature laid down, from first to last as a fundamental maxim. The reward of our obedience, and the means of our obedience, are both described as the unbought gift of God. These are the two concurrent truths upon which the whole structure of Christianity is built. The very best actions of which we are capable have all of them a taint of sin, and, therefore, in all we do, we stand in need of an atonement to make our imperfect actions acceptable with our Maker:-the thoughts of our hearts are far gone from righteousness, and accordingly we cannot elevate them to spiritual things, we cannot apprehend nor love the new duties we are called upon to perform, but through the co-operating Divine assistance. It is thus that the ruling principle of the Gospel is the direct reverse of that which formed the basis of heathen, and in great measure of Jewish virtue. The highest notions of moral excellence entertained by the philosophers of Greece and Rome were those of human nature pondering with

haughty self-complacence upon its own comparative refinement, and looking proudly down upon the herd of common beings still immersed in the follies and vices of ignorance. The virtue of the good man of the Old Testament is not, indeed, of this offensively proud character, yet even there we occasionally meet with an assumption of merit by individuals, which, however accordant with the then acknowledged standard of excellence, forms an unseemly contrast with the meek principles of the religion of Christ. Of this latter dispensation, unmixed humility is the great, it may almost be said to be the only, rule of conduct. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Such were the words with which our Redeemer opened his commission, and to the same purport was his final parting valediction. It is manifest, then, that any claim advanced by human beings on the score of actual desert to the approbation of the Deity and the joys of heaven are at complete variance with the Christian system. The area of duty which is committed to the superintendence of each of us by the sublime code of evangelical morals is confessedly larger than our scanty powers can occupy. In this state of original helplessness, accordingly, one resource only remains open to us: to throw ourselves, with all our infirmities, upon the Divine help. To supplicate our Maker that he will, in his mercy, enable us to do that which from our own natural powers we are unable to perform. This is what the dictates of plain reason would tell us is the proper course to be pursued; it is also what the Gospel expressly urges us to do, whilst, at the same time, it assures us, that they who ask for the aid of God's strengthening Spirit shall never ask in vain. It is thus, that in the spiritual world revealed to us by the Gospel, precisely as in the natural world, the further and the closer we examine, the more palpably we find God to be all in all. Our first glance at the works of the creation presents to us the idea of a series of

« SebelumnyaLanjutkan »