and of the name in baptifm, we proceed next to the vow itself, which is thus expreffed My godfathers did promife "three things in my name: 1ft, That I "should renounce the devil, and all his "works, the pomps and vanities of this " wicked world, and all the finful lufts of "the flesh. 2dly, That I fhould believe "all the articles of the chriftian faith; and "3dly, That I fhould keep God's holy " will, and commandments, and walk in "the fame all the days of my life.” First then, we promife to "renounce "the devil, and all his works, the pomps " and vanities of this wicked world, and "all the finful lufts of the flesh." "The "devil, the world, and the flesh," is a comprehenfive mode of expreffing every fpecies of fin, however diftinguifhed; and from whatever fource derived: all which we not only engage to renounce as far as we are able; but alfo to take pains in tracing the labyrinths of our own hearts; and in removing the gloffes of felf-deceit. Without this, all renunciation of fin is pre tence. till he hath informed himself whether it be properly authorized; or, in other words, till he believe in the jurifdiction that enacted it.-If our faith in Chrift doth not lead us to obey him; it is what the fcriptures call a dead faith, in oppofition to a faving one. To this infeparable connection between faith and obedience, St. Paul's doctrine may be objected, where he seems to lay the whole ftrefs on faith, in oppofition to works *.-But it is plain, that St. Paul's argument requires him to mean by faith, the whole fyftem of the chriftian religion (which is indeed the meaning of the word in many other parts of fcripture); and by works, which he fets in oppofition to it, the moral law. So that in fact, the apoftle's argument relates not to the prefent queftion; but tends only to establish the fuperiority of chriftianity. The moral law, argues the apoftle, which claimed on the righteoufnefs of works, makes no provifion for the deficiencies of man. Chriftianity alone, by opening a door of mercy, gave him hopes of that falvation, which the other could not pretend to give. Upon renouncing fin, believing the articles of the chriftian faith, and keeping God's holy commandments, as far as finful man can keep them, we are intitled by promife to all the privileges of the gospel. We" become members of Chrift, children of God, and inheritors of the kingdom of heaven." We are redeemed through the merits of Chrift; pardoned through the mercies of God; and rewarded with a bleffed immortality. Being thus injoined to renounce our grofs, habitual fins, and those bad inclinations, which lead us into them; we are required next to "believe all the articles "of the chriftian faith." This is a natural progreffion. When we are thoroughly convinced of the malignity of fin, we in courfe wish to avoid the ill confequences of it; and are prepared to give a fair" hearing to the evidence of religion. There is a clofe connection between vice and infidelity. They mutually fupport each other. The fame connection fubfifts be. tween a well-difpofed mind, and the truths of religion: and faith perhaps is not fo involuntary an act, as many of our modern philofophers would perfuade us. After "believing the articles of the "chriftian faith," we are laftly injoined to "keep God's holy will and command"ments." Here too is the fame natural progreffion. As the renunciation of fin prepares the way for faith, fo does faith, lead directly to obedience. They seem related to each other, as the mean and the end. "The end of the commandment," faith the apostle, " is charity, out of a pure "heart, and good confcience, and faith, "unfeigned." Faith (which is the act of believing upon rational evidence) is the great fountain, from which all chriftian virtues fpring. No man will obey a law, This account of our baptifmál vow concludes with a queftion, leading us to acknowledge the neceffity of obferving this vow; and to declare our belief, that our only hope of keeping it refts upon the affiftance of God. Gilpin § 153. On the Creed-the Belief of God. The creed begins with a profeffion of our belief in "God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” The being of a God is one of those truths, which fcarce require proof. A proof feems rather an injury, as it fuppofes doubt. However, as young minds, though not fceptical, are uninformed, it may not be improper to felect out of the variety of arguments, which evince this great truth, two or three of the most fimple. See Rom, iii. 28. and indeed great part of the epistle. The The existence of a Deity, we prove, from the light of nature. For his attributes, at least in any perfection, we must Jook into fcripture. A few plain and fimple arguments drawn from the creation of the world the prefervation of it-and the general confent of mankind, ftrike us with more conviction, than all the fubtilties of metaphyfica! deduction. We prove the being of a God first from the creation of the world. The world must have been produced either by defign, or by chance. No other mode of origin can be fuppofed. Let us fee then with which of thefe characters it is impreffed. The characteristic of the works of defign, is a relation of parts, in order to produce an end-The characteristic of the works of chance is just the reverfe. When we fee ftones, anfwering each other, laid in the form of a regular building, we immediately fay, they were put together by defign: but when we fee them thrown about in a diforderly heap, we fay as confidently, they have been thrown fo by chance. Now, in the world, and all its appendages, there is plainly this appearance of deign. One part relates to another; and the whole together produces an end. The fun, for inftance, is connected with the earth, by warming it into a proper heat, for the production of its fruits; and furnishing it with rain and dew. The earth again is connected with all the vegetables which it produces, by providing them with proper foils, and juices for their nourishment. Thefe again are connected with animals, by supplying them with food. And the whole together produces the great end of fuftaining the lives of innumerable creatures. Nor is defign fhewn only in the grand fabric of the world, and all its relative appendages: it is equally fhewn in every part. It is feen in every animal, adapted in all its peculiarities to its proper mode of life. It is feen in every vegetable, furnished with parts exactly fuited to its fituation. In the leaft, as well as in the greatest of nature's productions, it is every where apparent. The little creeper upon the wall, extending its tenacious fibres, draws nourishment from the crannies of the flones; and flourishes where no other plant could live. If then the world, and every part of it, are thus marked with the characters of defign, there can be no difficulty in acknowledging the author of fuch defignof fuch amazing contrivance and variety, to be a being of infinite wifdom and power. We call a man ingenious, who makes even a common globe, with all the parts of the earth delineated upon it. What fhall we fay then of the author of the great original itfelf, in all its grandeur, and furnished with all its various inhabitants? The argument drawn from the prefervation of the world, is indeed rather the laft argument advanced a ftep farther. If chance could be fuppofed to produce a regular form, yet it is certainly beyond the highest degree of credulity, to fuppofe, it could continue this regularity for any time. But we find it has been continued: we find, that near 6000 years have made no change in the order and harmony of the world. The fun's action upon the earth hath ever been regular. The production of trees, plants, and herbs, hath ever been uniform. Every feed produces now the fame fruit it ever did. Every fpecies of animal life is ftill the fame. Could chance continue this regular ar rangement? Could any thing continue it, but the hand of an omnipotent God! Laftly, we fee this great truth, the being of a God, witneffed by the general confent of mankind. This general confent must arife either from tradition, or it must be the refult of men's own reasoning. Upon either fuppofition, it is an argument equally ftrong. If the firft fuppofition be allowed, it will be difficult to align any fource of this tradition, but God himself. If the fecond, it can scarce be supposed that all mankind, in different parts of the world, fhould agree in the belief of a thing, which never existed. For though doubts have arifen concerning this general belief, yet it is now pretty well afcertained, from the accounts of travellers, that no nation hath yet been difcovered, among whom fome traces of religious worship have not been found. Be it fo, fays the objector; yet fill we find fingle perfons, even in civilized countries, and fome of them men of enlarged capacities, who have not only had their doubts on this fubject; but have proclaimed aloud their disbelief of a divine being. We answer, that it is more than probable, no man's infidelity on this head was ever thoroughly fettled. Bad men, rather endeavour to convince themfelves, than are really convinced.-But even on a tuppofition, that a few fuch perfons could be found, what is their teftimony against fo great a majority, as the rest of mankind? The light of the fun is univerfally acknowledged, though it happens, that, now and then, a man may be born blind. But fince, it feems, there are difficulties in fuppofing a divine creator, and preferver of the world, what fyftem of things does the atheist fuppofe attended with fewer? He fees the world produced before him. He fees it hath been created; and is preferved. Some account of this matter muil be given. If ours difplease him; let us have his. The experiment hath been tried. We have had many atheistical creeds: none of which hath food the test of being handed down with any degree of credit into future times. The atheift's great argument indeed against a Deity, is levelled at the apparent injustice of his government. It was an objection of ancient date; and might have had its weight in heathen times: but it is one of the bleffings, which attends chriftianity, that it fatisfics all our doubts on this head; and gives us a rational and eafy folution of this poignant objection. What if we obferve an inaccurate diftribution of the things of this world? What if virtue be depreffed, and vice triumphant? It is nothing, fays the voice of religion, to him, who believes this life to be an inconfiderable part of his being; à point only in the expanfe of eternity: who believes he is fent into this world, merely to prepare himself for a better. This world, he knows, is intended neither for reward, nor punishment. Happinefs unquestionably attends virtue even here, and mifery, vice: but it is not the happinefs of a fplendid ftation, but of a peaceful mind; nor is it the mifery of low circumftances, but of a guilty confcience. The things of this world are not, in their own nature, connected either with happinefs or mifery. Attended fometimes by one, and fometimes by the other, they are merely the means of trial. One man is tempted with riches, and another with poverty; but God intends neither an elevated, nor a depreffed fituation as the ultimate completion of his will. Befides, if worldly profperity even was the indication of God's favour, yet good men may have failings and imprudencies · Thus then we fee the being of a God is the univerfal creed of nature. But though nature could inveftigate the fimple truth, the could not preferve it from error. Nature merely takes her notions from what the fees, and what the hears, and hath ever moulded her gods in the likeness of things in heaven, and things on earth. Hence every part of the creation, animate and inanimate, hath, by turns, been an object of worship. And even the moft refined nations, we know, had grofs conceptions on this head. The wifelt of them indeed, by obferving the wonders of creation, could clothe the Deity with wifdom and power: but they could go no farther. The virtues of their heroes afforded them the highest ideas of perfection: and with thefe they arrayed their gods; mixing alfo with their virtues, fuch vices, as are found in the characters of the best of men. For just notions of the Deity, we must have recourfe then to revelation alone. Revelation removes all thefe abfurdities. It difpels the clouds of ignorance; and unveils the divine majelty, as far as it can be the object of human contemplation. The lax notions of libertinifm, on one hand, which make the Deity an inobfervant governor; and the gloomy ideas of fuper ition, on the other, which fuppofe him to be a dark malignant being, are equally expofed. Here we are informed of the omnifcience and omniprefence of God. Here we learn, that his wifdom and power are equalled by his goodness; and that his mercy is over all his works. In short, we learn from revelation, that we are in the hands of a being, whofe knowledge we cannot evade, and whofe power we cannot refift; who is merciful and good to all his creatures; and will be ever ready to affift and reward thofe, who endeavour to conform themfelves to his will: but whofe justice, at the fame time, accompanying his mercy, will punish the bold and carelefs finner in proportion to his guilt. Gilpin. creed proceeds with a profeffion of our belief" in Jefus Chrift, his fon, our Lord." A perfon celebrated as Jefus Chrift was, we may fuppofe, would naturally find a place in the profane hiftory of his times. It may not be amifs, therefore, to introduce the evidence we are about to collect, with the teftimony of fome of the more eminent of the heathen writers, who have mentioned him. They will at leaft inform us, that fuch a perfon lived at the time we affert; and that he was the author of a new religion. I fhall quote only Suetonius, Tacitus, and Pliny. Suetonius*, tells us, that "the emperor Claudius drove all the Jews from Rome, who, at the inftigation of one Chrift, were continually making disturbances." Tacitus +, fpeaking of the perfecution of chriftians, tells us," that the author of that name was Chrift, who was put to death by Pontius Pilate, in the reign of Tiberius." Pliny's teftimony is more large. It is contained in a letter, written to the emperor Trajan, defiring his inftructions with regard to chriftians. He blames their obstinacy in refusing to facrifice to the Roman deities-but from their own confeffion can draw nothing, but that they affemble, on a certain day, before fun-rife -that they pay divine honours to Chrift as a God that they bind themselves by a facrament not to steal, nor to commit adultery, nor to deceive-and that, after the performance of these rites, they join in one common meal. Nay, he examined, he fays, two of them by torture: yet ftill he finds nothing obnoxious in their behaviour, except their abfurd fuperftitions. He thinks, however, the matter fhould be inquired into: for christianity had brought religion into great difufe. The markets were crowded with victims; and scarce a purchaser came near them. These writers afford us fufficient teftimony, that Jefus Chrift lived at the time we affert; and that he was the author of a new religion. They had opportunities of being well informed; could have no intereft in falfifying; were no converts to the new fect; but talk of Chrift, only as they would of any fingular perfon, whom they had occafion to mention. Their teftimony therefore is beyond cavil. Let us now proceed a step farther, and examine the fcripture evidence of Chrift, * In vita Claud Cæf. which proves not only his exiftence; but that he is our Lord, or the Meffiah-and not only that he was the author of a new religion; but that this religion is true. Upon examining the grand fcripture evidence on this head, we find the greatest ftrefs laid upon miracles and prophecies: both of which are direct appeals to God, by a claim to fupernatural power. And though both thefe modes of evidence are calculated as well for us who live in remoter times, as for those who lived in the earliest; yet the evidence from miracles feems more particularly addreffed to them; as that from prophecy is to us. They were the eye-witneffes of the miracles of the gofpel, of which we have only the evidence at fecond-hand. Whereas prophecy is a mode of evidence, which increases through every age. The early chriftians had it in part; but to us this amazing web is ftill more unfolded; and more of its wonderful texture difplayed.Let us examine each in its order. Among the eye-witneffes of the gospel miracles, were many learned men, as well as unlearned. The former had oppor tunity and abilities to examine the works before them; to trace out fraud, if any fuch were latent; and did unquestionably receive them with all that circumfpection which was due to fuch wonderful exhibitions, before they embraced the christian faith: while the moft ignorant fpectator was a competent judge of matter of fact; and many of our Saviour's miracles were fuch as could not poffibly, from the nature of the facts themselves, be coloured with fraud. It had a ftrange found to the prejudices of mankind, that a crucified malefactor was the Saviour of the world; and we cannot fuppofe, that any man, much lefs that a multitude of men, would embrace fuch a belief without clear conviction: efpecially as no worldly advantage lay on the fide of this belief; and the convert even renounced the world, and embraced a life of perfecution.-Let us confider the fingle miracle of Chrift's refurrection. Jefus had frequently mentioned it before his death; and the thing was fo far in general credited, that the fepulchre was fealed, and an armed guard appointed to watch it. We may well fuppofe, therefore, that his favourers would naturally, upon this occafion, reafon thus: "Jefus + Lib. 15. + Lib. 10. hath hath now put his pretenfions upon a fair iffue. He hath told us, he will arife from the dead on the third day:-here then let us fufpend our judgment, and wait the refult. Three days will determine whether he be an impoftor, or the real Meffiah." -It is very natural to fuppofe, that the favourers of Jefus would reason, after his death, in a manner like this: and it is beyond credibility, that any of them would have continued his difciples, had they found him falfifying in this point. But we know they did continue his difciples after this. We know also, that many profelytes, convinced by this very event, embraced the chriftian religion.-We have all the reason in the world therefore to be lieve, that they were fully fatisfied. His miracles were to them a fufficient proof of his pretenfions. All candid men would have acquiefced, as they did; and in their belief we have a very strong foundation for our own. Again, with regard to prophecy, we obferve, that the writers of the Old Teftament feem, in various parts, to characterize fome extraordinary perfon, who was in procefs of time to make his appearance in the world. The marks are peculiar, and can neither be mistaken nor mifapplied. "He was to be born of a virgin-he was to turn the hearts of the difobedient to the wifdom of the juft-though dignified with the characters of a prince, he was to be a man of forrows, and acquainted with grief-though defcribed to be without fin, he was to be numbered with tranfgreffors --his hands and his feet were to be pierced he was to be made an offering for fin-and was never to see corruption.' -Thefe prophecies were published many hundred years before the birth of Chrift; and had been all along in the hands, not only of the Jews, but of all men of letters. The Old Testament had been early tranflated into the Greek language; and received into the politeft libraries of thofe times. his people, a man of forrows, and acquainted with grief. Here we fee the Lord of righteoufnefs numbered with tranfgreffors-we fee his hands and his feet pierced-we fee him made an offering for fin-and we fee realized that extraordinary idea of death without corruption. With thefe ideas, let us open the New Teftament, and it is obvious that no picture can be more like its original, than these prophecies of Chrift in one Teftament, are to his hiftory in the other. Here we fee that extraordinary virgin-birth unravelled. -Here we fee a life fpent in turning the hearts of the difobedient to the wifdom of the juft-Here we find the prince of It were an eafy matter to carry this comparison through a more minute detail of circumftances: but I mean only to trace the outlines of this great refemblance. To compleat the picture would be a copious work. Befides these predictions, which related immediately to the life and death of Chrift; there were many others, which deferve notice. Among thefe the two great leading prophecies were thofe of the calling of the Gentiles, and of the difperfion of the Jews. The calling of the Gentiles was one of the earliest prophecies of the Old Teftament. The Jews were distinguished in appearance, as the favourite people of God; and they were fufficiently elated upon that diftinction. But if they had attended clofely to their prophets, they might have discovered, that all the prophecies, which defcribed the happy state of the church, had evidently a more distant profpect, than to them. Those early promises, in particular, which were repeated to the patriarchs, were not merely confined to their pofterity; but included "all the nations of the earth*."-And when the later prophets, as the great event approached, poke a plainer, and a more intelligible language, the whole nation might have understood, as Simeon, and fome of the wifeft and most intelligible of them did understand, that "a light was sprung up to lighten the Gentiles." The prophecy of the difperfion of the Jewish nation is alfo very antient, being attributed by Mofes to the patriarch Jacob. "The fceptre fhall not depart from Judah, until Shiloh come." Whatever may be the precife meaning of the word fceptre' in the original; and though it may not perhaps properly fignify that idea of regal power, which it conveys to our ears; yet it certainly means fome badge of authority, that implies a formed and fettled government. And as to the word Shiloh,' all commentators, jewish as well as christian, explain it to mean the Meffiah-The See Gen. xii. 3. Xviii. 18. Xxxii. 18. xxvi. 4. fenfe |