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from the reformation till the death of Charles I. -XIV. The English pulpit during the civil war and the protectorate.-XV. A view of the pulpit from the accession of Charles II. to the revolution.

-XVI. The pulpit in foreign churches, and in England, from the revolution to the end of the reign of George II.-XVII. The state of preaching among English, Danish, Popish, and other missionaries abroad, particularly in the East and West Indies.-XVIII. The present state of preaching in England among Roman catholicks, episcopalians, moravians, methodists, presbyterians, independents, baptists, quakers. &c.--XIX. Justification of those in all parties, who SIMPLIFY public preaching, by reducing it to its original standard of doctrine, language, aud other properties.-XX. Survey of the whole, tending to prove the free and simple preaching of the pure word of God a publick blessing to society, and the power of God to the salvation of men. This was the plan.

In pursuing this enchanting path, I found pleasure enough to repay all the labour of collecting many materials, and poring over books and manuscripts: but I found also, that justice could not be done to that part of the subject, which I wished most of all to illustrate, without a nearer residence to the grand repository of unexplored British subjects, the Museum, and more leisure than my publick avocations in my own congregation (for I have no colleague,) would allow me to expect. I have, therefore, laid aside the plan, made use of a few extracts in these notes, torn, burnt, and given away most of the other papers, and patterns of ser

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mons, that I had collected, and never more intend to resume the subject, except this once in the following brief sketch.

The first voice, that imparted religious ideas by discourse to fallen man, was the voice of the Creator, called by the inspired historian, the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden, in the cool of the day. Whether he, who afterwards appeared so often in human shape, and at last actually put on a human body, descended into the garden, assumed a form, and conversed with our first parents on this occasion, or whether the air was so undulated by the power of God as to form articulate, audible sounds, certain it is, Adam and Eve literally heard a voice, and had the highest reason for accounting it the voice of God. The promise to the woman of a son, who should bruise the serpent's head, was emphatically and properly called THE WORD of God. It was a promise, which they had no right to expect; but, when revealed, the highest reason to embrace.

It is natural to suppose, God having once spoken to man, that mankind would retain, and repeat with punctuality what had been said, and listen after more. Accordingly, infallible records assure us, that, when men began to associate for the purpose of worshipping the Deity, Enoch prophesied.* We have a very short account of this prophet, and his doctrine: enough, however, to convince us, that he taught the principal truths of

*Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied. Jude 14.

natural and the then revealed religion; the unity of God and his natural and moral perfections-the nature of virtue, and its essential difference from vice a day of future impartial retribution. Conviction of sin was in his doctrine, and communion with God was exemplified in his conduct. He held communion with God by sacrifice, and St. Paul reasons, from his testimony that he pleased God, that he had faith in the promise of the mediator; for without faith it would have been impossible even for Enoch to have pleased God.*

From the days of Enoch to the time of Moses each patriarch worshipped God with his family, probably several assembled at new moons, and alternately instructed the whole company. Noah was a preacher of righteousness, and by him, as an instrument, Christ by his spirit preached to the disobedient souls of men, imprisoned in ignorance and vice, and continued with great long suffering to do so all the while the ark was preparing. Abraham commanded his houshold after him to keep the way of the Lord, and to do justice and judgment; and Jacob, when his house lapsed to idolatry, remonstrated against it, and exhorted them, and all that were with him, to put away strange gods, and to go up with him to Bethel, to that God, who had answered him in the day of his distress. In

* Enoch said, the Lord cometh-Enoch said, the Lord cometh with his saints—ungodly sinners speak against him, and commit ungodly deeds—Enoch said,the Lord cometh to execute judgment -the Lord cometh to convince. Jude 14, 15.—Enoch walked with God. Gen. v. 24. Héb. xi. 5, 6.

all these records of matters of fact, we perceive, short as they are, the same great leading truths, that were taught by Enoch, the general truths of natural religion, and along with them the peculiar principles of revelation. They saw a heavenly country, and were mindful of it, they had sight of a mediator, and were glad, and they had the promise of the appearance of him upon earth, which promise exercised their speculations, made a principal part of their publick informations, and they all died in the faith of its accomplishment. How charming upon a primitive mountain, beneath the shade of a venerable grove, must the voice of a Melchisideck have been, the father, the prince, and the priest of his people, now publishing to his attentive audience good tidings of salvation, peace between God and man, and then lifting up holy. hands, and calling upon the name of the Lord, the everlasting God! A few plain truths, proposed in simple style, addressed to the reason, and expounded by the feelings of mankind, enforced by nothing but fraternal argument, and example, animated by the Holy Spirit, and productive of genuine moral excellence, accompanied with sacrifices, comprised the whole system of patriarchal-religion. Such was the venerable simplicity of hoary antiquity, before statesmen stole the ordinances of religion, and hungry hirelings were paid to debase them.

The scripture, speaking in general terms, says, by Moses came the law: but, strictly speaking, the religion, that Moses taught, contained two parts,

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the one the law, that is, the religion of nature clearly explained in written precept, and terribly. enforced by threatenings and penalties; the other the gospel, a promise of a mediator, and an exhibition of him in vicarious sacrifices; the latter assisted sense, the former required faith. The whole composed a fine body of religious science; it was like twilight, light in comparison with the night of past ages, and darkness in contrast with the succeeding day of the christian œconomy.

This great man had much at heart the promulgation of his doctrine; he directed it to be inscribed on pillars, to be transcribed in books, and to be taught both in publick and private by word of mouth. Himself set the example of each, and. how he, and Aaron sermonized, we may see by several parts of his writings. The first discourse was heard with profound reverence and attention, the last was both uttered and received in raptures.

Publick preaching does not appear under this. œconomy to have been attached to the priesthood; priests were not officially preachers, and we have innumerable instances of discourses delivered in religious assemblics by men of other tribes, besides that of Levi. The Lord gave the word, and great was the company of those, that published it. Joshua was an Ephraimite; but, being full of the spirit of wisdom, he gathered the tribes to Shechem, and harangued the people of God. Solomon was a prince of the house of Judah, Amos a herdman of Tekoa, yet both were preachers, and one at least was a prophet.

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