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NOTES 
 
 TWENTY-FIVE 
 
 AS RECEIVED AND TAUGHT BY 
 
 METHODISTS IN THE UNITED STATES; 
 
 THE DOCTRINES ARE CAREFULLY * CONSIDERED, AND 
 
 sarruUTED bv the testimony of the 
 
 HOLY SCRIPTURES. 
 
 B V RET. A. A. .u rn: SOX, in. D. 
 
 " For I give you good doctrine." — Solomon 
 
 "He not carried about with divers and strange doctrines."— St. Pita. 
 "That which the holy Scriptures hath not said, how can we receive it?" 
 
 St. Cyril. 
 
 CI NCI X X A T 1 
 
 Logical 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853. 
 BY A. A. J I MESON, 
 [n the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, 
 for the District of Ohio. 
 
REV. D. B. DORS EY, M. D. 
 
 MY MEDICAL rRECEPTOil, 
 
 AND TO 
 
 REV. JAMES a SANS9M AND CHAS, SL CUMMINS, ESu, 
 
 UT FAITHFUL FRIE.VDS, 
 This Book is 
 
 llcrn ttcspcctfhlln Oebicatc*, 
 
 AS A 
 
 TESTIMONIAL OF H1GIIEST REOARDS FOR THEIR MANY VIRTUES, 
 B T 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In a little over one hundred years the " Methodist So- 
 ciety," organized by Mr. Wesley, in London, in 1739, 
 has increased to the astonishing number of two million 
 ninety-three thousand nine hundred and thirty. This 
 number includes the present ministry and membership of 
 Methodism, in its several grand divisions, both in Europe 
 and America, and in the Provinces, as well as her minis- 
 try and membership in her several foreign mission stations. 
 
 In the United States this great Christian community 
 is divided as follows: — Methodist Episcopal Church 
 seven hundred and twenty-three thousand six hundred 
 and sixty-four; Methodist Protestant Church, sixty-five 
 thousand and fifty-three ; Methodist Episcopal Church 
 South, five hundred and sixteen thousand six hundred 
 and one ; making in all an aggregate Membership of thir- 
 teen hundred and five thousand, three hundred and eigh- 
 teen. With these facts before us, we may say with the 
 Psalmist, " God has prepared room for this vine, and 
 caused it to take deep root. The hills are covered witli 
 the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof are like the 
 goodly cedars. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, 
 and her branches unto the river." These words ap.ly 
 express the wonderful effects which have followed the 
 meeting of the "eight or ten persons," with Mr. Weshv, 
 in London. If we inquire for the visible bond of union 
 in this immense "Society," which has long since resolved 
 itself into a distinct and independent church organization, 
 it will not be found in her ecclesiastical polity, but in her 
 duct r it es. Every branch of this rapidly increasing com- 
 munity subscribes to, and believes in the doctrines of the 
 Twenty Five Articles of Religion. These articles were 
 extracted, by Mr. Wesley, from the Thirty -nine Articles 
 
 V 
 
VI 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 of the Church of England. These Articles were 
 first drawn up and adopted, as symbols of a Protestant 
 faith, during the reign of Edward VI, in 1552. Queen 
 Mary, in the succeeding reign, had them repealed, in 
 order to give place to the restoration of the Papacy in 
 England. Mary was succeeded by Elizabeth, whose 
 reign was distinguished by zealous efforts to restore Pro- 
 icstanism. In the beginning of her reign the present 
 Articles of the Anglican Church were again adopted, 
 being reduced from the original forty-two of Edward 
 VI, to the present thirty-nine. They were printed for 
 the first time, in 1663. This embraces an outline history 
 of all the Articles of Religion, as received by Methodists, 
 except the twenty-third article. This article was drawn 
 up in 1784, for the benefit of Methodists in the United 
 Spates, and was inserted among the other Articles of 
 Religion, in 1786. These Articles as they come to us, in 
 their abridged and amended form, mark out the Scrip- 
 tural landmarks of doctrine and duty, and show very 
 conclusively the position of the church with regard to the 
 claims of the Bible, and the extirpation of heresy. And 
 although these articles were arranged in opposition to 
 errors that existed when they were adopted, they are 
 still as relevant and important as they were then, because 
 the same errors still exist, though some of them have 
 assumed different forms and different names. This is a 
 strong reason why every member of the church, next to 
 the Holy Scriptures, should make himself thoroughly ac- 
 quainted with the Articles of Religion, of the church to 
 which lie belongs, and be able at all times to defend them 
 against the encroachments of error. 
 
 The doctrines of these Articles are from God, and 
 while we must feel greatly humbled by the repeated 
 contentions about polity and usages, and the continued 
 unwillingness, upon the part of some, to meet the claims 
 of "times and men's manners," we rejoice, that no strife 
 has arisen in our church about doctrines. These are 
 immutable because they are clearly taught in the Scrip- 
 tures , and because they are a just exposition of the 
 method of Redemption. True, these doctrines have their 
 enemies because of their supposed peculiarity, both in the 
 
 V 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 scoffs of infidelity and the sweeping charges of some pro- 
 fessed Christians. But whatever may be the designs of 
 these enemies, and whatever may be the means they are 
 fond of employing to accomplish these designs, certain it 
 is that in e\ cry fair contest they are compelled to yield. 
 
 It may be admitted, however, that the style in which 
 these Articles of Religion are written, is somewhat ob- 
 scure, and the manner in which the doctrines are pre- 
 sented in some of them, may be considered objectionable, 
 especially in this age of so great beauty in theological 
 language, and so much consecutiveness in doctrinal state- 
 ments; but against the doctrines they contain, objections 
 have never been successful. 
 
 The success with which the preaching of these doc- 
 trines has ever been attended in the up-building of Christ's 
 kingdom in all countries, proves that the Holy Spirit 
 sanctions them, and that the seal of God is upon them. 
 Other Articles might have been added, so as to make a 
 more complete theological system, and which might 
 include other important doctrines of the Scriptures, which 
 are in opposition to some modern corruptions of Bible 
 doctrines, as the denial of future and eternal punishment , 
 and the divine obligations of the Sabbath. For these 
 omissions we have but a word of explanation. The 
 doctrine of future and eternal punishment is contained by 
 necessary implication in many of the Articles, and is em- 
 braced in the system of which each Article is a part. 
 Again, the denial of the doctrine of future and eternal 
 punishment, and the divine obligation of the Sabbath, 
 was not in existence as a distinct error in England, 
 nt the time the Thirty Nine Articles were drawn up ; nor 
 indeed were these errors scarcely known in America at 
 the time the Twenty-Five Articles were adopted, as the 
 symbols of the Methodistic faith. All the framers of 
 these Articles contemplated was, to raise up a standard of 
 Scripture truth, and to send forth a protest against the 
 fatal errors and corruptions of Romanism. 
 
 And it is believed that the power of the truth does not, 
 consist in the number of its symbols, but in the abstract 
 truth itself. And if we consider the fact that these 
 Articles were not drawn up by a select council of divines, 
 
viii 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 assembled for that specific purpose, but were drawn up at 
 different times, in opposition to the destroying encroach- 
 ments of heresy, we may find a substantial reason for 
 the manner of composition, and the order of arrangement. 
 We may likewise find the reason here for the omission of 
 what might otherwise be supposed to be important Arti- 
 clesof faith But "brief" and "informal" astheArmi- 
 nian creed may seem to be, it is, nevertheless, the em- 
 bodyment of the sublime doctrines of human salvation. 
 
 That these doctrines might be more fully understood 
 by the great body of the church, the author of the fol- 
 lowing notes has long desired to see what is now presented 
 in the form of an exposition of these Articles. How far 
 he has succeeded in this humble effort to disseminate the 
 truth, and to build up the faith of the mass, for whose 
 special benefit the work has been . prepared, is left for 
 them to determine. 
 
 Nothing is more desirable for the permanency of the 
 church, and the spread of religion, than a clear under- 
 standing of the doctrines of Christianity. To be familiar 
 with the doctrines of the church, and to be able to sup- 
 port them in some good degree by pertinent quotations 
 from the Bible, is surely the duty of every church mem- 
 ber, and more especially of every young minister. 
 
 When the author entered the ministry, in 1840, he 
 knew but little about these doctrines, and felt constantly 
 embarrassed with the fact that no book could be found 
 bearing directly upon this subject. In vain did he look 
 for help, in these hours of trial, either from an exposition 
 of these Articles, or from the members of the church to 
 whom he was then attempting to minister in word and 
 doctrine. After four years of faithful reading in Wat- 
 son's Institutes of Theology, and such other Theological 
 works as time would permit him to study, still he felt that 
 something was needed for the people. For them these 
 notes have been prepared, and whatever of defect they 
 may find in them, may be overlooked when they remem- 
 ber that the duties of a pastor, and the weekly prepara- 
 tions for the pulpit, were not neglected during the whole 
 time this work was in course of preparation. But If it be 
 said; "A man of more mature age, should have written 
 
PBEFACB; 
 
 such a work," the only reply is, why did not such a man 
 do this long- since ? If it is clearly shown that such a work 
 is not needed, then the author is mistaken in his experi- 
 ence and observation, and has a good reason for not being 
 able to find a commentary on the Articles of Religion. 
 But he thinks he is not mistaken in discovering the wants 
 of his own church, and especially when these wants are 
 discovered by a sister church. A paragraph from the 
 sermon of Rev. E. P. Humphrey, D.D., delivered before 
 the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, in 
 Charleston, S. C, May 25, 1852, may show that that 
 church sees the necessity of some such work as is now 
 presented to the public. The Doctor says: "It is to be 
 remembered, also, that the Arminian scheme has yet to be 
 reduced to a systematic and logical form. Where are its 
 written formularies, pushing boldly forth to their final and 
 inevitable conclusions ; all its doctrines touching predesti- 
 nation, free will and efficacious grace ? We have its 
 brief and informal creed in some five and twenty articles ; 
 but where is its complete confession of faith, in thirty or 
 forty chap'ers? Nay, where is even its shorter cate- 
 chism? Where is its whole body of divinity, from under 
 the hand of a master, sharply defining its terms, accu- 
 rately stating its belief, laying down the conclusions 
 logically involved therein, trying these conclusions, no 
 less than their premises, by the Word of God, refuting 
 objections, and adjusting all its parts into a consistent and 
 systematical whole? It has furnished us, indeed, with 
 some detached negations and philosophical theories. We 
 have, for example, its flat denial of our doctrines of pre- 
 destination ; but lias it, to this day, met, for itself, the 
 problem of foreknowledge infinite, by a more plausible 
 solution than the celebrated sophism, that although God 
 has the capacity of foreknowing all things, he chooses to 
 foreknow only some things? We have, also, its notion of 
 the'' freedom of the will,' wherein there was supposed to 
 be the germ of a systematic Arminianism ; but this bud- 
 ding promise was long since nipped by the untimely frost 
 of Jonathan Edward's logic. It is clear that an exposi- 
 tion of this theology which shall satisfy the logical con- 
 sciousness is indispensable to its perpetuity, otherwise it 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 cannot take possession of educated and disciplined minds, 
 educated by the Word and Spirit of God, and disciplined 
 to exact analysis and argument; otherwise again, although 
 it may exert a temporary influence, it will retire beiore 
 advancing spiritual and intellectual culture. It is also 
 clear, that the first century of its existence has not pro- 
 duced that exposition. Another century may clearly 
 demonstrate that such a production is clearly impossible, 
 by showing that the logical and Scriptural element is not 
 in the Arminian system ; that the law of affinity and crys- 
 talization is wanting to its disjointed principles ; that this 
 theology, combining many precious truths and capital 
 errors, resembles a mingled mass of diamonds and frag- 
 ments of broken glass and broken pottery, which no 
 plastic skill of man or power of fire can mould into one 
 transparent, unclouded, many sided, equal sided crystal, 
 its angles all shining, and its points all burning with light 
 — a Kohinoor indeed.". 
 
 Not to make a single remark upon the unmasked ab- 
 surdities of this paragraph, nor to say a word about the 
 Doctor's real or assumed ignorance of Arminian theology ; 
 nor to assume that the following exposition of Arminian- 
 ism "shall satisfy the logical consciousness" of the 
 author of the sermon ; nor to believe with this gentleman 
 that "the logical and scriptural element is not in the 
 Arminian system ;" nor that the next hundred years will 
 blot out the whole system, however desirable this might 
 be to the enemies of the system ; yet we admire the 
 Doctor's discovery of the necessity of such a book as we 
 now present, and quote this part of his sermon as a 
 reason for its speedy issue. And it may be that the 
 logic of these Articles and notes, supported by the Scrip- 
 tures as they are, when narrowly examined, may be more 
 than a match for the Doctor's system of unconditional 
 election and reprobation. Arminianism always has been 
 sustained, even in the hands of the uneducated, and Ave 
 are not apprised, that for the last hundred years it has 
 been shorn of any of its strength, not even "by the 
 untimely frost of Jonathan Edward's logic." True, 
 during that time it passed through the crucible, but (he 
 (ire only made it shine the brighter, and now it stands up 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 fts a mighty shaft of moral demonstrations, whose sides 
 Hash with the fires of lofty and invincible truth, and 
 whose base is established upon the well known fact, that 
 "Jesus Christ, by the grace of God tasted death for 
 every man." But to leave this digression. Whatever 
 may be the fate of these notes, the author shall ever feel 
 their influence on himself, in his improved habits of study 
 and close application , and in the proper management of 
 his hours of leisure. These, by the help of God, shall 
 never be "unemployed," nor "trijlingiy employed." 
 
 But other items of the history of these notes may be 
 given under appropriate heads, as 
 
 1. Tlie Name. — When this work was commenced in 
 its present form, nothing more was intended but an expo- 
 sitory remark on each member and doctrine of the 
 Article, with as many proofs from the Scriptures as might 
 seem to be necessary. But when it was fairly under way, 
 one remark and quotation suggested another, until it, was 
 swelled beyond the original design. The name was still 
 retained, and because it is short it is now adopted as the 
 permanent outside index to the matter and design of the 
 book. 
 
 2. The Style. — An attempt has been made to avoid, 
 on the one hand, the dry argumentative style, and on the 
 other, the loose and diffuse , and to adopt such a medium 
 between these two extremes as may interest the careful as 
 well as the rapid reader. How far the effort has been 
 successful, remains to be determined by the intelligent 
 reader. 
 
 3. The Character. — It has been the author's most 
 ardent desire to be conclusive in all his arguments, and to 
 exhibit, the doctrines in their simplest form. In this he 
 thinks lie has been successful, especially in those sections 
 where the free use of the Scriptures has been indulged. 
 The sections on the Trinity, the Humanity of Christ, the 
 Union of the two natures, the Resurrection of Christ, the 
 Sacraments, the right of infants to church membership, 
 and the errors of "Romanism, are somewhat lengthy, 
 though condensed as much as possible. But it is be- 
 lieved they are clear and conclusive ; and so of most, 
 if not all the others. 
 
XII 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 It may be said that too much has been said on Roman- 
 : sm ; but we think not when Ave consider the fact, that 
 Christianity struggled with Paganism, until, by the blood 
 of her martyrs, her divine truths found their way to the 
 throne of the Roman Empire, and that there she unfortu- 
 nately assumed the form of the Papacy, and welcomed 
 to her arms Pagan Europe ; and that now, instead of a 
 pure faith, among Romanists, she has become an inflexible 
 creed of error, and a gorgeous ceremonial. Paganism, but 
 half divorced from its main errors, has been received into 
 the Romish system, and the unnatural embrace of error 
 into what little of truth there is in the Romish Church, 
 has left its corroding blotches deeply impressed even upon 
 the present age, in ceremonies, and pompous demonstra- 
 tions, which have their origin far into remote heathenism. 
 
 Romanism is as relentless in its animosities now, as 
 it was when it stamped with ignomy and death, all who 
 desired to wash it from the corruptions of Pagan error. 
 These, with the fact that many of the Articles directly 
 oppose Romish superstitions have been deemed sufficient 
 to justify all that has been said upon this dark subject. 
 
 4. Divisions. — Each Article might have been analyzed 
 and discussed in a single chapter, but for the sake of 
 clearness, ease in writing and reading, it was thought best 
 to divide it into sections with respective and appropriate 
 headings, each section including remarks on a single doc- 
 trine. The textual examination of the Article has been 
 adhered to as closely as was possible, in view of the nature 
 of the Article itself. Long chapters, such as are common 
 to Burnett on the Thirty-Nine Articles, should never be 
 pressed upon that class of mind unaccustomed to close 
 thought, and careful reading ; and especially should they 
 not be pressed upon the young. These are reasons suffi- 
 ciently impressive for the division of our book into so 
 many sections, and for the division of the sections them- 
 selves into paragraphs. 
 
 5. The materials of which it is composed. — It is im- 
 possible to tell at this time where they come from. The 
 author read all he could find, having any bearing on the 
 doctrines brought to view, and after reading, and carefully 
 digesting the particular and general scope of the Article, 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XIII 
 
 then he wrote without the use of any book but the Bible 
 and Cruden's Concordance. But when a sentence or 
 paragraph was drawn directly from any book, the regular 
 acknowledgment has always been made, definitions ex- 
 cepted of course. The work is indebted chiefly to 
 Biekersteth for the quotations from the Fathers ; and to 
 the Catechism of the Council of Trent, the Rhcimish 
 Testament, Edgar's Variations of Popery, and Ranke's 
 History of the Pope's, for what is said upon the absurd 
 dogmas of Romanism. Some sacred poetry is quoted to 
 illustrate doctrine and duty, and to break the monotony 
 of the c'osely written page. These were chiefly taken 
 from the standard hymn book. Originality of matter has 
 not been attempted, but rather originality in the arrange- 
 ment and presentation of the matter. 
 
 6. Object of the Notes. — While the author looks upon 
 the progress of Methodism with delight, and while he 
 regards it as the most efficient system for the propagation 
 of the truth among all people; and while many very 
 distinguished scholars have graced her pathway and 
 adorned her literary departments in elaborate treatises on 
 various theological and scientific subjects, he regrets that 
 so little has been written for the special edification of 
 candidates for full membership in the church. This is a 
 very interesting department of the work of the church ; 
 and" these are like infants, depending upon proper manage- 
 ment in the nursery for whatever of future usefulness or 
 greatness may adorn and beautify their lives. The six 
 months usually designated as their probationary state, 
 should be employed in studying the doctrines and polity 
 of the church, so that they may come into the church 
 with a clear and full understanding of what the church 
 is. And during this trial state, the pastor should have, 
 at least, two meetings every month with them, for instruc- 
 tion and prayer, to prepare them for an intelligent and 
 satisfactory examination before the church. A course of 
 this kind is contemplated in the organic law of the 
 church, and tends not only to intelligence in religious 
 doctrines, but to firmness and stability in the Christian 
 life. The author has tried this plan and proved it in 
 (.•very respect to be just what should be in operation 
 
XIV 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 in all our churches. He pursued this course in two 
 of his congregations, including in both over one hun- 
 dred persons on trial, some of whom promised but 
 little to the church, as is often the case ; 4rat thorough 
 instruction in doctrine laid the foundation of permanency 
 of Christian character and usefulness in the church ; and 
 he rejoices to know that all of these, except a very few, 
 are prominent and useful members of the church. 
 
 A course of training of this kind cannot fail to create a 
 habit of reading and thought, as well as a love for the 
 Bible, which will be felt in the periodical offices and book 
 depositories of the church, in the family, the community, 
 the world. 
 
 This is said to be an age of remarkable progress, and 
 so it is; civilization is extending and approaching its 
 highest summit. Literature is marching onward, offering 
 its blessings to all, and the church is causing the wilder- 
 ness and the solitary places to be glad, and is offering the 
 blessings of the gospel of reconciliation to all nations. 
 These things remind us of our duty to the young, that 
 we should by all possible means give permanency and 
 intelligence to the rising membership of the church, 
 and qualify them, as fully as we can, for piety and use- 
 fulness. 
 
 While the good is spreading and diffusing.its blessings 
 every-where, the evil is in close pursuit, sometimes in 
 advance. Romanism and infidelity, with their multitude 
 of shades and modifications, are using every effort to 
 uproot the gospel, and the church, and to supply their 
 places with the dreams of reason, and the superstitious 
 phantoms and idolatry of the dark ages. Even some 
 professed Christians are loosely attached to the old founda- 
 tion of true Protestanism, for which the Fathers of the 
 Reformation periled their lives, and upon which the 
 church has stood for ages. The Bible as it is, "homely 
 and unchaste" as its verbal garb may be, is quite suffi- 
 cient to sustain all useful Christian doctrines, and to sup- 
 port all orthodox churches, if their ambition is to do 
 good rather than to sustain the dogmas of a sinking sect. 
 These tendencies to evil should stimulate the church to a 
 thorough knowledge of the Bible, and of whatever par- 
 
PRKFAOE. 
 
 rv 
 
 iicular doctrines of the Scriptures may be set forth in her 
 Articles of Religion. 
 
 That the following notes will fully accomplish this, is 
 not the vain hope of the author, but that they will 
 greatly assist, he has no doubt. They will show at 
 least how fully the Articles are sustained by the Bible, 
 and how applicable they are to a pure morality, and to 
 the claims of the experience and true practice of our 
 holy religion. Whatever will cast light upon these sub- 
 jects cannot fail to be useful when properly applied, and 
 shoull deeply engage the attention and prayers of every 
 Christian. 
 
 When Bunyan entered upon a religious life, his fund 
 of knowledge was very limited, but by close and prayer- 
 ful application to the Bible and other books, his mind 
 expanded, and the shadows of the Almighty nourished 
 and enlarged his soul, so that his Pilgrim's Progress 
 issued upon the world, the prince of allegory, with a 
 literary polish, and a light but little inferior to those of 
 the Bible itself. Such an instance of successful self- 
 culture and pure devotion and usefulness, stands out in 
 the living poetry of holy consecration, as a balmy incen- 
 tive to all Christians to "go and do likewise." The 
 nursery, the sabbath school, the Bible class, should all 
 be so many consecrated tributaries to the great stream 
 of human intelligence and spiritual dedication to God. 
 
 The author believes that time might be profitably 
 spent in preparing a small volume on the Articles of 
 Religion, for the use of the sabbath school. A book of 
 this kind would indoctrinate our children in the leading 
 principles of Christianity, and if properly and pcrseve- 
 ringly applied to the youthful mind and heart, in connec- 
 tion with the Bible, would undoubtedly tell most favora- 
 bly on the future interests of the church. He has the 
 plan of such a book in his mind, but knows not whether 
 lie shall ever commit it to paper. But if the suggestion 
 is favorably received, he hopes some one will undertake 
 the pleasant task. 
 
 Willi no other desire than to be useful to the church 
 and its hosts of ransomed ones, the following Notes on 
 t/ic Twe-ily Five Articles of Religion, are commended 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 to the three great divisions of American Methodism; 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Protestant 
 Church, and the Methodist Episcopal Church South : 
 and may the blessings of our kind Benefactor accompany 
 the heart of the reader, and the writer, to "the house 
 that is not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." 
 Mavsville, Nov. 25, 1852. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 Article I. 
 
 There is but one God, - 21 
 
 But one Jiving God, - - - - 28 
 
 But one true God, 32 
 
 Attributes of God,— Eternity, - - - 36 
 
 " " " Spirituality, - - -10 
 
 " " " Omnipotence, - - 44 
 
 " Wisdom,, 48 
 
 " " «« Goodness, - - 52 
 
 God the Maker of all things, 57 
 
 " " Preserver of all things, - - 61 
 
 The Trinity. 65 
 
 Article II. 
 
 Divinity of Christ, - - 73 
 
 Humanity of Christ, 79 
 
 Uniou of the Two Natures, - - 84 
 
 Sufferings of the Humanity, 89 
 
 Object of the Sufferings, - - 93 
 
 Article III. 
 
 Resurrection of Christ, 99 
 
 Ascension of Christ, - - » - 104 
 
 Second Coming of Christ, - - - 108 
 
xviii 
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 Article IV. 
 The Procession of the Holy Spirit, 
 Personality of the Holy Spirit, 
 Divinity of the Holy Spirit, 
 
 Article V. 
 The Sufficiency of the Scriptures, 
 The Bible— the only Rule of Faith, 
 Divine Authority of the Bible, 
 
 Article VI. 
 Unity of the Old and New Testament, 
 Proof of this Unity, - 
 What the Old Testament Saints looked for, - 
 Laws of Moses not binding on Christians, 
 Moral law binding on Christians, - 
 
 Article VII. 
 In what it does not consist, 
 In what it does consist, 
 Some of its Effects, 
 
 Article VIII. 
 Effects of the Fall.— Man enfeebled, 
 Divine Grace. — Man Strengthened, 
 
 Article IX. 
 Man Justified for Christ's Sake, and not for 
 
 Good Works, 
 Man Justified by Faith alone, 
 
 Original Sin, — 
 
 Article X. 
 
 Of Good Works, - 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. XIX 
 
 Article XI. 
 
 Of Works of Supererogation, - * - 213 
 
 Article XII. 
 Not every sin the Blasphemy against the Holy 
 
 Ghost, - - - _ . - 222 
 
 Sin after Justification, - - 226 
 
 Article XIII. 
 What the Church is, - - - - 231 
 
 Outward Tests of a True Church, - 235 
 
 Article XIV. 
 Of Purgatory, - - - . - 240 
 
 Article XV. 
 
 Speaking in the Congregation in an unknown Tongue, 249 
 
 Article XVI. 
 Definition of a Sacrament, - 254 
 
 Five Romish Sacraments False, - - 258 
 
 Article XVII. 
 
 Baptism, — Definition, - - 267 
 
 Subjects of, - - - 271 
 
 " Not Regeneration, ... 284 
 
 Article XVIII. 
 
 Lord's Supper, — Definition, ... 289 
 
 Use of, - . - - 293 
 
 Transubstantiation, — A Romish Error, - 304 
 
 The Origin of other Errors, - 309 
 
 Article XLX. 
 Of Both kinds, - - - - 317 
 
XX TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 Article XX- 
 
 But One Sacrifice for Sin, - - -322 
 
 Romish Mass, — A Dangerous Error, - - 326 
 
 Article XXI. 
 Of the Marriage of Ministers, - 331 
 
 Article XXII. 
 Rites and Ceremonies, .... 336 
 " " " to be observed, - 341 
 
 " " " may be changed or abolished, 346 
 
 Article XXIII. 
 Of the Rulers of the United States, - - 353 
 
 Article XXIV. 
 Riches of Christians not common, - - 362 
 
 Christian Liberality, - 366 
 
 Article XXV. 
 Against Profane Swearing, - - - 371 
 
 Judicial Oaths not Sinful, - 375 
 
 Conclusion, - 381 
 
NOTES 
 
 ON THE 
 
 ARTICLES OF RELIGION. 
 
 ARTICLE I. 
 
 OF FAITH IN THE HOLT TRINITY. 
 
 "There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without 
 body or parts, of infinite power, ■wisdom, and goodness, the 
 maker and preserver of all things, visible and invisible. And 
 in unity of this Godhead, there are three persons, of one sub- 
 stance, power, and eternity ; the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
 Ghost." 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 There is but one God. 
 I. The opening terms of this Article, according to 
 their Scripture import, are terms of opposition to atheism, 
 polytheism, the false gods of the heathen, and dualism, 
 or the doctrine of two eternal and ultimate principles 
 inherent in matter, the one good and the other evil. 
 The existence of God is clearly taught in this Article ; 
 but atheism says, "there is no God." This Article 
 teaches the doctrine of but one God ; but polytheism 
 says there are many gods. This Article teaches the 
 doctrine of a "living and tine God;" but the heathen 
 oppose to this their hosts of dumb idols. This Article 
 teaches that "God is a spirit;" but pantheism makes no 
 such distinction, it teaches that God and matter are one. 
 This Article teaches that God is the "maker" of all 
 
 31 
 
22 
 
 BUT ONE GOD. 
 
 material substances, and, consequently independent of 
 matter ; but dualism teaches that God is necessarily 
 inherent in matter, as its principle of good in opposition 
 to its principle of evil, and that matter is therefore essen- 
 tial to his existence. All the terms of this Article will 
 be fully noticed hereafter. 
 
 2. " There is one God." — This is the most sublime 
 conception of the human mind. It is not only sublime, ' 
 but exceedingly awful. The idea of an infinite, eternal 
 first cause of all things is too great for the grasp of the 
 human mind ; and yet it is an idea that is every way 
 suited to our intellectual and moral wants. It infinitely 
 more than fills the mind, and at the same time it pro- 
 duces a feeling of reverence, which is felt to be a right 
 emotion. If there is no God, as "the fool hath said," 
 then there is nothing within the whole compass of 
 truth, that can compare in solemn grandeur with the 
 illusion that there is a God. But it cannot be that 
 the noblest of all human conceptions should be false. 
 The fact that man lias such a sublime conception, is some 
 proof, at least, that such a being as God does exist. The 
 philosophical proof of this great fact depends upon the 
 validity of the axiom that every effect must have a cause. 
 No process of reasoning is necessary to prove this, for 
 the axiom itself is an intuitive truth. "We see changes 
 going on all about us, and we feel them within us, and 
 we know that they do not take place without a cause. 
 So fully admitted is this fact, that it has become an ac- 
 knowledged principle in science, to which no exception 
 has ever been known. 
 
 Apply this truth to the question, Is there a cause of 
 the existence of the universe, with all its vast works and 
 sublime movements? And the universal answer is, — 
 There is a first cause. 
 
BUT ONE GOD 23 
 
 Belief in this truth is so universal among nations and 
 men, that it must ever be regarded as the great central 
 truth of both natural and revealed religion. Hence 
 we have, in what is known as the Apostles' Creed, this 
 general confession: "I believe in God the Father, Al- 
 mighty, Maker of heaven and earth." This is the 
 avowed confession of every Christian nation, as it is the 
 faith of every single believer. It lies at the foundation 
 of true religion, and gives order and dignity to every 
 form and act of religious worship. But if "there is no 
 God," there can be no such a thing as religion, and 
 men have nothing to hope for, or to fear. They can 
 propose to themselves no higher motives than the enjoy- 
 ment of the present moment ; and the passing events of 
 time are propelled either by chance, or the stern dictates 
 of indexible necessity. But so clear are the evidences of 
 a God, that it were difficult to entertain the notion of 
 such a prodigy of unreasonableness as an atheist. To 
 say with certainty "there is no God," a man must 
 assume Omnipresence and Omniscience; he must have 
 searched the highest heavens and investigated the lowest 
 depths of the earth, without seeing any evidence of his 
 existence. As this is clearly impossible, atheism must 
 be false, and the Bible must be true, when it says, " The 
 fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." The 
 most one can say is, that there is nothing he has seen ia 
 nature or revelation sufficient to indicate to his mind the 
 generally received notion of a God. In saying this he 
 assumes a stand-point very much below the ordinary 
 standard of human reason, and voluntarily applies to 
 himself the Scripture epithet which distinguishes him 
 from the rest of mankind. 
 
 3. But belief in one God cannot exist without know- 
 ledge imparted in some way, of the existence and cha- 
 
21 
 
 BUT OXK GOD. 
 
 racter of its object. It must be created and sustained by 
 rational and clear disclosures of who and what God is, 
 or it cannot exist as the basis and life power of a pure 
 religious service. Nature teaches most conclusively that 
 a Being existed somewhere anterior to the existence of 
 the world, by whose power and wisdom it was brought 
 into being, and who still lives to sustain it in that being. 
 The argument involved here was clear to the mind of St. 
 Paul, in Rom. i, 20, "For the invisible things of 
 him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, 
 being understood by the things that are made, even 
 his eternal power and Godhead." This may be regar- 
 ded, in common with tradition, as the basis of the historic 
 fact that all those nations of the earth, who have no 
 other revelation, believe there is a Supreme Being some- 
 where, and that he ought to be worshipped. But it is 
 nowhere assumed that these indications of nature are 
 sufficient to authorize an intelligent religious service, 
 though they might be expanded to the utmost extent by 
 the most enlightened philosophy. History, science, 
 reason, all condemn such a notion. It cannot be thought 
 of as a correct theory, if we consult the history of 
 heathen worship, and the claims of the purer and more 
 instructive philosophy of the Bible. Hence the necessity 
 of the revelation of the Scriptures to confirm and unfold 
 the universal testimony of nature, and to properly distin- 
 guish the relations that the creature sustains to the 
 Creator. 
 
 4. This book is in the hands of the church, in trust 
 for the benefit of the world ; and without dilating upon 
 the possibility and reasonableness of such a revelation, 
 to say nothing about its utility, it were enough to say 
 that we have it with all the necessary internal and 
 external evidences of a revelation from God. It clearly 
 
BUT ONE GOD. 
 
 25 
 
 establishes the doctrine of but one God in the outset, by 
 establishing the question of creation as the work of God. 
 It assumes the primary and essential fact that God is ; 
 and it teaches the fact that, " In the beginning God 
 created the heavens and the earth." The proof of but 
 one God is abundant, both in the Old and New Testa- 
 ment. In the Old Testament, the proof, in part, is as 
 follows: Dcut.\\, 4, " The Lord our God is one Lord." 
 Chap, xxxii, 39, "I am he, and there is no God with 
 me." 2 Sam. vii, 22, "Neither is there any God 
 beside thee." Neh. ix, 6, "Thou, even thou, art Lord 
 alone." Is. xlv, 5, "I am the Lord, and there is none 
 else, there is no God besides me." These passages 
 prove two things, — there is a God, — there is but one 
 God, and they establish the reason why both Jews and 
 Christians contend so earnestly for the worship of but 
 one God. 
 
 This doctrine was the first article in the organic law of 
 the Hebrews, and the Christian system has incorporated 
 the same great truth into the basis of its structure; 
 Christians cheerfully subscribe to the original enactment 
 as continued into the "better dispensation." In the 
 New Testament, therefore, St. John says, "This is life 
 eternal, that they might kftow thee the only true God, 
 and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." John, xvii, 3. 
 St. Paul dignifies his epistles with the same doctrine. 
 He says, in 1 Cor. viii, 6, "To us there is but one 
 God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in 
 him." St. James says, "Thou believest there is one 
 God: thou doest well." James, ii, 19. These are a 
 few of those passages that directly prove the unity of 
 God. 
 
 5. How far the doctrine may be sustained by observa- 
 tions on the unity of design in the works of creation is 
 
 2 
 
26 
 
 BUT ONE CiOD. 
 
 very uncertain. Arguments drawn from this source 
 have ever impressed the minds of thinking- men with 
 much force. If we were able to comprehend the uni- 
 verse, and to understand its vast parts in the peculiar 
 manner of their government, it is not improbable that 
 the proof would be complete. But, limited as our 
 knowledge is, amid the universal complication which 
 surrounds us, and the immense variety of the creations 
 and wonders of earth which bewilder the thought, still 
 we are able to perceive but one set of laws in accordance 
 with which all things are governed. The same effects 
 are produced uniformly, in all places and periods, by the 
 same causes. Man has but one origin, but one form, but 
 one life, but one system of distinguishing faculties, and 
 but one termination. And so of the inferior animals, 
 and vegetables. Thus it is that all things, so far as Ave 
 can see and understand them, present a single design. 
 Hence the unity of design, so far as we can perceive it, 
 is a proof of the unity of God ; and the unity of move- 
 ment in the great machinery of the universe is proof that 
 but one God executed the entire work. 
 
 6. The doctrine of the existence and unity of God 
 stands in direct opposition to polytheism ; and it is worthy 
 of remark that wherever tffe Bible has gone, with its 
 foundation doctrine of but one God, pantheons have been 
 shut up, or dedicated to a better service, polytheism 
 has been banished, and reason has been restored to 
 its proper office. But this doctrine is alike opposed to 
 dualism, or the doctrine of two eternal principles repre- 
 sented by light and darkness, or good and evil. This 
 was the philosophy of the Persians from the earliest 
 period ; though Zoroaster a distinguished reformer of 
 their theology, taught that a superior being existed, 
 from whom both the principle of good and evil were 
 
BUT ONE GOD. 
 
 27 
 
 derived. It is probable he obtained this hint of reforma- 
 tion from the captive Jews. That the Jews themselves 
 might not be penetrated witli this Persian and atheistical 
 principle, God by the mouth of Isaiah, addressed 
 Cyrus the king of Persia in these words : Is. xlv, 5, 7, 
 "I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God 
 beside me ; I guided thee, though thou hast not known 
 me, that they may know from the rising of the sun, and 
 from the west, that there is none besides me ; I am the 
 Lord, and there is none else. / form the light, and 
 create darkness; I make peace and create evil, I the 
 Lord do all these things." This single passage overturns 
 at once, the error of two eternal principles, inherent in 
 matter, and directly opposed to each other; and it 
 brings the unity of God into the clearest possible light. 
 It joins its testimony to other passages of like import, in 
 the final settlement of the great question that separates 
 the heathen and the Christian world. 
 
 7. But to whom are we indebted for this clear appre- 
 hension of the existence and unity of God ? Certainly 
 not to the philosophers of Greece and Rome, for these 
 were but little else than atheists ; nor yet to the great 
 body of the Jews, for these had but imperfect concep- 
 tions of this doctrine, as is evident from the history of 
 their frequent revolts from the worship of the true God, 
 to some of the most gross forms of idolatry. So imper- 
 fect were their apprehensions of the true God, thai 
 Moses was compelled to ask God for the name by which 
 he would be. made known to them, Ex. iii, 14, "And 
 God said unto Moses, "I AM THAT I AM." But th ( 
 subsequent history of the Jews proves them to have bcu 
 the most firm advocates of the unity of God. They di.: 
 not obtain this doctrine from their own observations, bu 
 from their inspired men ; and when we consider the i'aci 
 
28 
 
 BUT ONE LIVING GOD. 
 
 that they taught this doctrine at a time when all the 
 nations of the earth were sunken in polytheism, we must 
 not only regard them with great veneration, but rejoice 
 in the extensive and permanent triumph of this single 
 truth. It settles religion upon a firm foundation, and 
 the worshiper experiences nothing of the uncertainty and 
 anxiety which must fill the mind of a heathen worshiper, 
 who, amid the increasing perplexities of polytheism, is 
 not able to determine which of his gods to propitiate. 
 But the Christian, knowing "there is but one living and 
 true God," can assure himself of his presence and pro- 
 tection in all places, and at all times. Whatever may 
 transpire in the operation of Providence, the agency of 
 but one God is seen in it. If it is good it can be traced 
 to his mercy and goodness ; and if it is evil the sufferer 
 may turn to the one God whom he knows to be the true 
 and living God, and implore his favor. 
 
 " Ye curious minds, who roam abroad, 
 And trace creal ion's wonders o'er, 
 
 Confess the footsteps of your God ; 
 Bow down before him and adore.' ^ 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 But one living God. 
 1 . The doctrine of but one living God is eminently a 
 loctrine of the Scriptures. ' Beyond these the speculations 
 > philosophy have been confused and of atheistical ten- 
 leney. Spinoza and others, looked upon the existence 
 md motion of material bodies through such an imperfect 
 medium, that they confounded the living God with 
 matter, and declared that the universe itself is God. 
 They indeed speak of God, and of life ; but they will 
 
BIT ONE LIVING COP. 
 
 29 
 
 not admit that God is personally distinguished from 
 matter. They maintain that matter has two principle 
 attributes, infinite extension, and infinite intelligence. 
 Such false conceptions of matter cannot be expected to 
 evolve any clear notions of a God, either as to his unity, 
 life or spirituality. These views are supposed to have 
 been derived from ancient Greek philosophers, and were 
 thoroughly arranged into a system by Spinoza, and 
 published as the only correct idea of the true relation of 
 God to the universe. This system, however ridiculous it 
 may be, has been received with much favor by many 
 philosophers of modern times. In Italy, France and 
 Germany, pantheism, which is the popular and true 
 name of this system, is regarded by many as the most 
 rational conception of God and the universe. In this 
 country vigorous efforts are made, by emigrant infidels, 
 to propagate this evil ; and hence it is the duty of the 
 friends of truth to be equally and more zealous in 
 spreading the Bible. 
 
 2. The Bible presents the Supreme Being as the living 
 God, independent of matter, either as a part of himself, 
 or as contributing, in any way, to his life or moral and 
 independent freedom. The term "living" is applied to 
 God, because he has life distinct from all that exists 
 around him. But it is more particularly applied to him, 
 as fact in opposition to the lifeless and dumb gods of the 
 heathen. The life of any being is its chief excellency, 
 and nothing can be more absurd than for a living intelli- 
 gent being to worship a thing without life, and conse- 
 quently, of less excellency than himself. Our earliest, 
 as well as our more mature notions of worship, uniformly 
 imply the natural idea, that the greater should be wor- 
 shiped by the lesser. This natural idea of worship is 
 expanded by the doctrine of a living God, and ever 
 
30 
 
 BUT ONE LIVING GOD. 
 
 guarded against the degrading tendency of worshiping a 
 being less than God. 
 
 When God is called the living God, the term imports 
 that his life is not derived from another being, as is the 
 life of a creature ; but is an independent, underived life, 
 and reaches from everlasting to everlasting. It is to be 
 understood, therefore, that he infinitely excels ail other 
 beings, and that the life of every living being is derived 
 from him. This is the obvious meaning of the term in 
 the Article ; and it is the obvious meaning of all those 
 passages of Scripture in which the Supreme Being is 
 termed the living God. Thus life is set forth as the 
 eternal essence and root of all the perfections of the 
 Divine Nature, and the living God is presented as the 
 only being who is worthy of the homage and worship of 
 rational beings. 
 
 3. The doctrine of a living God is confirmed by the 
 clearest Scripture testimony. Reason, natural theology, 
 and the Bible all unite upon this question ; one confirms 
 the other, and the testimony of the sacred writings gives 
 scope and power to all other witnesses. The following 
 is the testimony of the Bible: Dcut. xxxii, 40, "I lift 
 my hand to heaven, and say, / live forever." These 
 are the words of God himself, and we dare not impeach 
 Divine veracity so far as to call them in question ; and, 
 especially, if we consider that they were delivered for 
 inaii's present and future well being. Jer. x, 10. "The 
 Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an 
 everlasting king." John, v, 26, "As the Father hath 
 i in himself, so also hath he given to the Son to have 
 life in himself." These, with many other passages of a 
 
 similar import, have but one use, and but one object. 
 
 [heir use is to draw a clear and Avide distinction between 
 the one living God, and the dumb and lifeless gods oi 
 
BUT ONE LIVING GOD. 
 
 31 
 
 the heathen. Their object is to present God to the mind 
 and affections in such a high and very enobling aspect as 
 to sever the bonds of inordinate love for perishable 
 objects, and to place the affections of the heart upon 
 the one living Author of the universe. His right to 
 tlis grows out of his nature, and the relation he sustains 
 to all rational beings. To superinduce a compliance with 
 this right, he promises the greatest possible blessings 
 to all who may serve him. And when he would give 
 his people the highest assurance of anything he promises 
 to do for them, his form of obligation is to swear by 
 himself, "As I live." He swears by himself, — by 
 his own life, — because there is nothing greater than 
 this, and because it involves his essential nature in 
 solemn pledges to his people. Men should carefully 
 consider that while God is a living spirit, they are dead 
 in sins ; and that it is their privilege, — their duty to arise 
 from their spiritual death -sleep, and receive into their 
 hearts the transforming life-power, and spirit of God. 
 
 4. But enough has been said here to establish the 
 right that the framers of this Article had to the use of 
 the term "living," when speaking of God. With the 
 Bible in their hands, the claims of the world pressing 
 upon them, polytheism, and pantheism abounding in 
 many portions of the earth, and the distinction that 
 should always exist between Christian and heathen 
 nations clearly drawn before their minds by the pure 
 "Word of Inspiration, they solemnly record in the first 
 Article of eur faith, the foundation doctrine of but one 
 God, — of but one living God. But this doctrine is not a 
 part, merely, of 'an abstract theological theory, it is 
 strictly available to every believer. It is to him the 
 highest source of enjoyment; he lives a spiritual life 
 because he serves the living God, and because the life of 
 
32 
 
 BUT ONE TRUE GOD. 
 
 God is in his heart. He rejoices in this life because it 
 makes him happy, and because it will have no termina- 
 tion. And he rejoices in this union of his own renewed 
 life with the higher life of God, and because his 
 renewed life is approximating the period and point of 
 complete conformity to the life and holiness of him who 
 has said, "As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall 
 bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." 
 Rom. xiv, 1 1 . 
 
 " Let joy and worship spend 
 The remnant of my days ; 
 
 And to my God my soul ascend, 
 In sweet perfumes of praise." 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 But one true Go J 
 I, The words of this member of our Article have 
 been happily chosen. They are words of enlarged 
 meaning; the term "one" contains the doctrine of 
 Divine unity; the term "living" distinguishes this one 
 God from the objects of pagan worship ; and the term 
 "true" . keeps up this distinction while it presents the 
 Supreme Being in direct opposition to all false gods, and 
 to all false systems of religion. All of these terms com- 
 pose a comprehensive and Scriptural definition of who 
 and what God is. He is said here to be the "true 
 God." Life is the principle and source of action, as 
 well as the chief excellency of any being; and by this 
 the God of the Christian is distinguished from all others. 
 St. Paul lays down both the terms of opposition when he 
 speaks of those who had "turned from idols to serve the 
 living and true God." 1 Thess. i, 9. Their former 
 
BUT ONE TRCE GOD. 
 
 33 
 
 gods were dead and false; but they had turned from 
 these and were serving the living and true God. 
 
 2. But why are the words living and true applied to 
 God so often in the Holy Scriptures? To answer this 
 question properly, we must notice the historic fact that 
 God's people were surrounded with idolatrous nations. 
 These nations, rude as they were, found much sympathy 
 for their idolatry among the Israelites, as is evident from 
 the sacred record of their frequent departures from the 
 true worship. The tendency, therefore, of the people of 
 God to join in the worship of false gods, together with 
 the influence that heathen nations exercised over them, 
 made it necessary to repeat the doctrine of the true God 
 often, and that, too, in connection with the grandest 
 manifestations of the Divine glory. These served to 
 impress the great truth upon the heart; and to exhibit 
 the well known fact that every system of idolatry is false 
 and degrading. To farther establish this fact, and to 
 more constantly educate the Israelitish mind in the truth 
 upon this subject, seems to have been the chief business 
 of many of the inspired writers. Hence Jeremiah says, 
 "The Lord is the true God." Jer. x, 10. Christ says, 
 in speaking of eternal life, that it consists in the know- 
 ledge of the true God. "And this is life eternal that 
 they might know thee, the only true God." John xvii, 
 3. The same fact is stated in nearly the same words in 
 1 John, v, 20. "This is the true God and eternal life." 
 These, with many other passages of equal point and 
 clearness, establish the doctrine of the one living and 
 true God, as stated in this Article ; and they show 
 the propriety of making this foundation truth the highest 
 starting point in every summary of religious belief. It 
 is, indeed, the great centre whence radiates all the other 
 doctrines of the Christian system. 
 
34 
 
 BTJT ONE TRUE GOD. 
 
 3. With proper conceptions of the Divine nature, 
 which every reflecting reader of the Bible may have, 
 there may be pure worship and true religion. The soul 
 may be elevated to the highest possible point of moral 
 purity and consequent enjoyment. 
 
 " Spirit of light, explore, 
 
 And chase our gloom away, — 
 With lustre shining more And more, 
 
 Unto the perfect day." 
 
 But we cannot overlook the fact, made so prominent in 
 all our theological investigations, that the doctrine as 
 stated in this Article, shows most clearly the necessity of 
 a revelation from God. It is folly, as the history of 
 infidelity universally proves, to say that the instructions of 
 nature are competent to all the claims of religion. " The 
 heavens," itistrue, " declare the glory of God," but these 
 unassisted by more definite revelations, have ever failed to 
 make mankind better, or to elevate the mind to themes of 
 thought worthy the contemplation of intelligent beings. 
 
 But for the influence of the Scriptures, the knowledge 
 of but one living and true God would long since have 
 been lost to the world, and mankind would have been 
 universal idolaters. This statement is made in full view 
 of the facts in the history of nations in past time, and 
 in full view of the facts growing out of a comparison of 
 heathen and Christian nations at present. The know- 
 ledge of God, as revealed in the Scriptures, is the most 
 important of all knowledge, and the most indispensable 
 to the well being of man. But however essential the 
 Scriptures are to the existence and propagation of pure re- 
 ligion, and the consequent well being of men and nations, 
 they are strongly opposed by Romanism on the one hand 
 and infidelity on the other. These seem determined tc 
 strike out of being the only efficient safe-guard to the doc- 
 
BUT OKE TRUE GOD. 35 
 
 trine and knowledge of one living and true God; and the 
 only means whereby men and nations may be saved. Ro- 
 manism, with its more than half idolatry, unchecked by 
 the spread of the unalloyed Word of God, and the 
 efforts of Protestant Christians, would soon lay aside the 
 Bible, and sink the world into a state of degradation 
 equal to the idolatrous follies of Rome in her more pagan 
 ages. Infidelity, with all its claims to intelligence, has 
 overlooked the fact in the history of nations, that the 
 Bible is ever the fountain of civilization ; and that where 
 it is not, there is still the barbarous state. 
 
 4. Much more might be said in this place, upon the 
 power of the doctrine of "but one living and true God," 
 as well as upon the influence of the Scriptures in perpetu- 
 ating this doctrine, but we deem it unnecessary and will 
 close here with two reflections: 
 
 First. — The doctrine of but one living and true 
 God, as taught in the Bible, diffuses light and order over 
 the whole system of creation. It explains the phe- 
 nomena of nature, by informing us who, and where the 
 Power is by which it was called into being. It discloses 
 the source of the beauty which so much charms us, as 
 well as the source of the happiness which is enjoyed 
 through all the ranks of animated beings. But the 
 infatuated atheist can account for nothing, all is chance 
 with him ; vice and virtue are terms without meaning, 
 and he looks for no reward beyond the circumstances of 
 the present moment. He is deeply embarrassed in com- 
 plicated difficulties all his life. Verily, "The foul hath 
 said in his heart, there is no God." Ps. xiv, 1. 
 
 Second. — The idea of one Supreme Being holds out an 
 assemblage of perfections which command our reverence. 
 It teaches us that there must be certain relations between 
 him aud men ; and that there must be duties arising 
 
3G 
 
 ETERNITY OF GOD. 
 
 from those relations which we are bound to perform ; 
 and from which we may expect increased enjoyment. It 
 te?.ches us the sublime lessons of gratitude and trust, 
 amid the blessings of life, and the decays and failures of 
 our bodily constitution. It bids us look to that state 
 of being where we shall be free from all doubt and 
 decay, and "where we shall see as we have been seen, 
 and know as we have been known." 
 
 " Thy Word is everlasting truth ; 
 
 How pure is every page ! 
 That holy Book shall guide our youth, 
 
 And will support our age." 
 
 SECTION FOURTH. 
 Attributes of God — Ete?-nity. 
 
 1 . The eternity of God is taught in this Article, ? y 
 the word "everlasting," and signifies that duration el 
 being which was in all the past, and which vrill be in )11 
 the future. The eternity of God is expressed by Da* id, 
 in these words, "even from everlasting to everlast'ng, 
 thou art God." Ps. xc, 2. 
 
 The attributes of God are the particular and distinct 
 qualities which are predicable of the Divine nature. 
 They do not differ materially from the Divine nature 
 itself, inasmuch as the nature of God is the sum of all 
 his perfections. The difference, therefore, between the 
 nature and attributes of the Supreme Being is not ob- 
 jective — that is, it does not appertain to God himself; but 
 the difference is subjective, and belongs more particularly, 
 to technical theology. The attributes of God, consi- 
 dered in the popular form of expression, arc merely 
 our notions of the peculiar distinctions which, taken 
 together, enter into the Biblical represt /itation of the 
 
ETERNITY OF GOD. 
 
 37 
 
 Divine nature. These attributes have been divided by 
 philosophers, for the sake of convenience in systematic 
 divinity, into two classes ; and are technically called 
 natural and moral attributes. By the former we are to 
 understand those qualities which belong to God in the 
 sense of infinitude, and which can belong to no other being, 
 as eternity, omnipresence and omnipotence. By the 
 latter we are to understand those qualities which belong 
 to God, and for which we find some analogy in ourselves, 
 — as justice, wisdom, benevolence. The eternity of God 
 belongs to the first named classification. 
 
 2. The word eternity is used in two senses, — the figu- 
 rative and the literal. In the former sense it denotes an 
 existence which may have had a beginning, but which 
 will have no end, as angels and men. In the latter 
 sense it denotes an existence which has neither beginning 
 nor end, and is applicable to no being but God. He is 
 11 from everlasting." "In the beginning God created 
 the heavens and the earth." Gen. i, 1. He was there- 
 fore, before the beginning of creation, and, of course, 
 before the beginning of time ; for that which we call 
 time is but the succession of duration, taking its rise in a 
 certain event which is called the "beginning." That 
 duration of being, therefore, which was before the 
 beginning must have been from eternity, unless we sup- 
 pose the measurement of time before time began, which 
 is a clear contradiction. But two terms are used in the 
 Scriptures, designating what was before the beginning of 
 creation, what is now, and what will be after the uni- 
 verse is dissolved; and what is the measure of earthly 
 duration. These terms are eternity and time. Now if 
 God fixed that beginning to time, which is the measure of 
 the duration of all created beings, then it is evident that 
 he was before time, and consequently, from everlasting. 
 
33 
 
 ETERNITY OF GOD. 
 
 But, as the idea of the eternity of God, is so wholly 
 beyond the capacity of our comprehension, and so little 
 analogous to anything with which we are familiar, it 
 seems to admit of no definite determination by reason. 
 It is, therefore, best to confine ourselves to the plain 
 statements of the Scriptures, which uniformly represent 
 God as existing without beginning or end, and as coeval 
 with all time, past, present, and to come. 
 
 3. The Scripture statement of this doctrine may be 
 condensed into a few words : God is the first cause of all 
 things, therefore, he is from everlasting. He is the 
 ultimate end of all things, therefore, he is to everlasting. 
 This condensed statement of the eternity of God, is sus- 
 tained by the clear testimony of the Bible. Dcut. xxxiii, 
 27, "The eternal God is thy refuge." Ps. xc, 2, 
 "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou 
 hadst formed the earth and the world, even from ever- 
 lasting to everlasting, thou art God." Is. xliv, 6, 
 "Thus saith the Lord the king of Israel, and his Re- 
 deemer, the Lord of hosts ; I am the first, and I am the 
 last, and besides me there is no God." Hub. i, 12. 
 "Art thou not from everlasting, 0 Lord my God, mine 
 Holy One?" 1 Tim. i, 17, "Unto thee the King eter- 
 nal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and 
 glory for ever and ever." The same doctrine that is so 
 clearly stated in the foregoing passages is described by 
 St. John, Rev. i, 8. "I am Apha and Omega, the be- 
 ginning and the ending saith the Lord, which is, and 
 which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." 
 
 While the above passages prove most clearly the 
 eternity of God, both in the past and the future, or from 
 eternity to eternity, they at the same time evolve 
 another truth which is essential, not only to the correct 
 idea, but to the fact of the eternity of God. His eternity 
 
ETERNITY OF GOD. 
 
 39 
 
 of being is not interrupted by any distinctions of time 
 succeeding one another, as moments, minutes, hours, 
 days, &.c. If the duration of God were successive, or 
 proceeded by days, months, and years, then there must 
 have been a first day, — a first month, — a first year, when 
 lie began to exist; and, by consequence, a succession* of 
 time. This is not only incompatible with the idea of 
 eternity, but contrary to the express teaching of the 
 Scriptures. 2 Pet. hi, 8, "But, beloved, be not igno- 
 rant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a 
 thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." 
 " That is : All time is as nothing before him, because in 
 the presence as in the nature of God all is eternity; 
 therefore, nothing is long, nothing is short before him." 
 Clarke's note on the above. 
 
 " A thousand ages, in their flight, 
 With thee are as a fleeting day ; 
 Past, present, future, to thy sight 
 
 At, once their various scenes display." 
 4. The eternity of God thus clearly presented by his 
 Word, and stated in this article, suggests two reflections — 
 First, Upon the punishment of the wicked. If this 
 consists only, in the eternal absence of all good, and in 
 the eternal presence of all evil, it must be punishment 
 without any mitigation. But add to this the eternal in- 
 fliction of actual conscious torment, which is the true 
 idea of eternal death, and the soul shudders while it 
 reflects, and hurriedly utters the prayer ; Have mercy, 0 
 Lord. 
 
 Second, Upon the happiness of the saints . This is the 
 eternal absence of all evil, and the eternal presence of 
 all good. Add to this the actual and eternal possession 
 and enjoyment of all that good, and we may see what 
 it is to have eternal life. In view, then, of this highest 
 
40 
 
 SPIRITUALITr OF GOD. 
 
 possible attainment, and consolation, all men, and more 
 especially Christian men. should delight in the pure spi- 
 ritual worship of Him who is "without beginning of days 
 or end of time." 
 
 Raised on devotion's lofty wings, 
 Do thou, my soul, his glories sing ; 
 And let his praise employ my tongue, 
 Till list'ning worlds shall join the song." 
 
 SECTION FIFTH. 
 
 Attributes of God — Spirituality. 
 
 1. This doctrine is negatively expressed in the Article, 
 in these words: "without body or parts." This state- 
 ment is agreeable to reason and the Scriptures ; reason 
 tells us at once, that if there be a God he cannot have a 
 body or parts composed of material substances, for this 
 would exclude him from all places occupied by other 
 material bodies. Reason tells us that the presence of 
 God is essential to the support and motion of all ma- 
 terial bodies ; but if he is a material being he cannot 
 be present with other material bodies, for it is evident 
 that two material bodies cannot occupy the same place at 
 the same time. Reason tells us, again, that God must be 
 without body or parts, for a body cannot be present in 
 more than one place at the same time ; yet God is every- 
 where present at one and the same time, and fills both 
 heaven and earth. Material bodies may be seen and felt, 
 but God is invisible. John, i, 10, "No man hath 
 seen God at any time." 1 Tim. vi, 16, "Whom no 
 man hath seen, nor can see." 
 
 But it may be objected that the Article contradicts many 
 of the descriptions of God in the Bible. It is admitted 
 that it does contradict those passages where God is de- 
 
SPTKITCALITT OF OOD 
 
 41 
 
 scribed as having a seat on a throne ; as waiting, as 
 speaking, and as having a face, eyes, hands, etc. but 
 this seeming contradiction must vanish when we consider 
 the fact that these descriptions of God are employed in 
 condescension to our feeble and imperfect conceptions of 
 what God is, as a pure Spiritual Being. 
 
 2. The statement in the Article is agreeable to the 
 Scriptures, for, therein, God is always spoken of as a 
 Spirit. In Numb, xxiii, 19, Balaam says, "God is 
 not a man, that he should lie ; neither the Son of Man, 
 that he should repent." I-n this, and other passages of a 
 similar import, there are two parts, the negative and the 
 positive. The negative part excludes from our notions 
 of God everything material, and the positive part com- 
 prises all the known properties of spirit, — as simplicity , — 
 invisibility — immortality — and, likewise the power of 
 thought, will, action. None of these attributes can be 
 predicated of matter; but they are clearly predicable of 
 spirit. By simplicity we understand a pure uncompound 
 substance or essence, apart from, and independent of, any 
 of the known properties of matter. By invisibility we 
 are to understand that which cannot be seen by our own 
 eyes. Hence, St. Paul speats in Col. i, 15, of the "in- 
 visible God," and St. John says, "no man hath seen 
 God at any time," John, i, 18. But immortality is 
 another attribute of spirit. In this it differs from matter 
 in the fact that matter is divisible, and, therefore, 
 destructible. It may be brought into the highest possi- 
 ble state of simplicity and refinement, but still, it is mat- 
 ter and may be destroyed. But not so with the spirit; 
 and hence it is, that when God is called a Spirit, it in- 
 volves the doctrine of his eternity. St. Paul, in 1 Tim. 
 i, 17, covers the whole question by calling him the, 
 "King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God." 
 
42 
 
 SPIRITUALITY OF GOD. 
 
 3. The surrounding works of nature give evidence of 
 thought, will, action, anterior to their own existence. 
 None of these qualities have ever been found in matter 
 apart from any ulterior agency ; therefore, the manifest 
 contrivance in the creation of tilings is evidence of 
 thought. The fact that material things do exist is evi- 
 dence of will that they should exist, and of action by 
 which they were brought into existence. Material bodies 
 have motion, but this is no evidence of thought, will, or 
 the power of motion in themselves. Matter is essentially 
 inactive, and if it moves at all its motion is produced by 
 some power exterior to itself. Motion is, therefore, evi- 
 dence of thought and will, and as these cannot be pro- 
 duced by matter, either in its aggregate of compound 
 parts, or in its most simple form, we must conclude that 
 there is some power beyond these, that does possess 
 thought and will, or we must adopt the absurdity that 
 matter can move and adjust itself of its own accord. 
 
 But we have shown in another section that God is the 
 living God. This great truth finds its basis in the 
 fact that God is a spirit. Life is a distinguishing attri- 
 bute of spirit, and is evidence that the Author of life 
 must be a living Being. Nothing is more absurd than to 
 suppose the production of living and intelligent beings, 
 by an inactive, unintelligent substance. Now the fact 
 that there is life in the universe, which contains various 
 orders of animated beings, is evidence that a living Being 
 created and diffused this life. And, as there cannot be 
 more life in the universe, as an effect, than there is in 
 the cause, it follows by clear inference, that the life of 
 God is greater than the aggregate of life in the universe. 
 Hence, as life is the peculiar property of spirit, God is 
 not only a spirit, but the greatest of spirits. The infinite 
 Spirit. 
 
SPIRITUALITY OF GOD. <3 
 
 4. But the negative expression of the Article, and the 
 Spirituality of God are sustained by two direct passages 
 of the Bible. The first is, Luke xxiv, 39, "Behold 
 my hands and my feet, that it is I myself ; handle me, 
 and see ; for a spirit hath not Jiesh and bones, as ye see 
 me have." The second is John iv. 24, " God is a 
 Spirit." 
 
 Tv^o conclusions very clearly follow the statement and 
 proof of the spirituality of the Divine existence : 
 
 First. — God is the object of mental contemplation, 
 and of spiritual service. We cannot see him, for he is a 
 spirit, wrapped up in the mysteries of his own eternal 
 nature. But from the midst of the "clouds and dark- 
 ness that are round about his throne," he furnishes me- 
 diums of reflection upon himself, by his works and his 
 Word. These, it is true, address the senses, and thereby 
 communicate to the mind some conception of his spiritual 
 nature, and his Divine character. After learning all we 
 can of God, in the use of the best means for enlarging 
 our conceptions of his nature, still he is an unfathomable 
 mystery, and none in the heavens can be compared to 
 him, nor can the highest created understanding compre- 
 hend his glory. Any attempt, therefore, to represent 
 him by material substances, as an image, a painting, 
 must always lead to gross conceptions of his nature. 
 This is not a mere inference from the Scripture statement 
 of the doctrine; but an explicit prohibition, Ex. xx, 
 4, 5. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven 
 image, or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens 
 above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the 
 water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thy- 
 self to them, nor serve them." This not only prohibits 
 the representation of God by images, but it prohibits all 
 forms of idolatry. The Christian system reiterates the 
 
44 
 
 OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD. 
 
 prohibition with the same force of obligation. Acts, xvii, 
 29, "We ought not to think that the Godhead is like 
 unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's 
 
 device." 
 
 Second. — This doctrine, moreover, teaches us that any 
 external or bodily service will hot be acceptable, in the 
 worship of God. Christ has settled this question beyond 
 all controversy, in John iv, 24, by stating that " God is 
 a spirit." With this fact he further states the nature of 
 pure worship ; " and they that worship him, must wor- 
 ship him in spirit and in truth." 
 
 SECTION SIXTH. 
 Attributes of God — Omnipotence. 
 1. The "Infinite Power" of God is that attribute of 
 his nature by which he can bring to pass everything 
 which is possible. It is classed with his natural attri- 
 butes, because its object is rather physical than moral 
 good. But for the Omnipotence of God his other perfec- 
 tions would not have been known; not a single world 
 would have been created ; not a single man or angel 
 would have been brought into being to contemplate his 
 glory ; not a single being would have existed but himself. 
 But worlds do exist, not indeed as mere ideas, but as facts, 
 having all the properties of matter, as visibility, form. 
 It is a fact, too, that men and angels exist as dis- 
 tinct intelligent beings. These did not create them- 
 selves, nor are they the result of progressive develop- 
 ment, having their origin in some inferior organism inde- 
 pendent of the direct creative acts of a Superior Being. 
 They have a Creator, and the very fact of their being 
 implies his power. This is one of man's earliest and 
 
OMXTPOTEN'CE OF GOD. 
 
 45 
 
 strongest conceptions ; he sees the clear manifestations of 
 power all about him , but it is seen only in what may be 
 called secondary causes. But secondary causes of power 
 are not independent ; at most, they are but sequences of 
 a power that is anterior to themselves, and may be 
 traced back to a point of observation at which every man 
 is compelled to admit a First Cause of Power. All the 
 evidences of power that we see in things around us are 
 but effects of this anterior power; and, as it is a truth 
 admitted by all philosophy, that the effect cannot be 
 greater than the cause; therefore, we infer the "infinite 
 power" of God from the demonstration of power that 
 we see all about us. 
 
 Now if we remove from this philosophical idea of 
 power, every circumstance which indicates imperfection, 
 and conceive it to be capable of producing every possi- 
 ble effect, and of accomplishing every possible purpose, 
 then we have the most complete idea of the Omnipotence 
 of God that we can form. 
 
 2. The ground of this attribute of God lies in the 
 supreme perfection of his nature; and since he is infinite 
 in all his other perfections his power must be infinite. 
 God's power is limited by nothing that is consistent with 
 the purity of his nature, and the infinitude of his other 
 perfections. This will appear more clearly when we con- 
 sider the character of God's moral attributes, and the 
 perfect harmony there is between these and his natural 
 attrilutes. God has power to do all things that are pos- 
 sible ; but he cannot do that which is a contradiction to 
 his truth and rectitude. Hence it is impossible for God 
 to lie, or contradict himself. This is not a physical but a 
 moral impossibility; "God is truth," and when his 
 power is exercised it is always in conformity with truth. 
 
 Bui God cannot work contradictions ; he cannot make 
 
46 
 
 OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD. 
 
 a thing to be and not to be at the same time he cannot 
 make a part of a thing greater than the whole ; nor can 
 he make a he the truth. The reason that God cannot do 
 these things, is not a deficiency of power, but that the 
 things in themselves are clearly impossible, and inconsis- 
 tent with the moral rectitude of the Divine nature. We 
 are to understand, then, that when we speak of "infinite 
 power," in the light of reason and the Scriptures, wo 
 speak of that by which God can do everything which he 
 wills ; and that he wills to do nothing which is inconsis- 
 tent with the other perfections of his holy nature. 
 
 3. But we may farther prove the unlimited power of 
 God by the greatness of his works. The doctrine of the 
 Bible is, that God created the Avorld, and all it contains 
 out of nothing. Now it matters not whether the thing 
 created was first produced in small particles, or whether 
 the whole was brought into being at once , for the same 
 act of power that could produce an atom, out of nothing, 
 could produce a universe. This is so totally different 
 from the effect which human power can produce, that it 
 brings out clear evidence that "infinite power" belongs 
 only to God. 
 
 But infinite power did not cease with the work of crea- 
 tion ; it still continues to "uphold all things." The 
 existence of the universe is dependent, and is prolonged 
 from moment to moment, and from age to age, by the 
 same power that brought it into being. God upholds 
 "all things by the word of his power, Heb. i, 3. 
 
 4. But the "infinite power" of God may be con- 
 sidered in its moral aspect. Here, the evidence may not 
 be so striking, because it does not address the senses, 
 and because it relates to the invisible influences exerted 
 upon the thoughts and volitions of intelligent beings. 
 But still the evidence is sufficiently strong to convince us 
 
OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD. 
 
 4' 
 
 of the power of God, blended with love and mercy, in 
 the whole work of moral government. Wicked spirits 
 whose gigantic powers burn with malignant hate against 
 all that is good, are controlled and restrained by Divine 
 power, else man would be destroyed. Man, too, has 
 great moral power which is likewise influenced by wick- 
 edness ; and, but for the restraining moral power of 
 God's government, he would soon destroy the entire hu- 
 man race. How great, then, is the power by which the 
 malignant power of devils is checked ! and how great is 
 the power by which the .enemies are made "the sons of 
 God!" 
 
 5. But the doctrine of the "infinite power" of God is 
 clearly sustained by the Scriptures. Gen, xvii, 1, "Tlie 
 Lord appealed to Abram, and said unto him, I am the 
 Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." 
 Job xxvi, 14, "Lo; these are parts of his ways, but 
 how little a portion is heard of him ! but the thunder of 
 his power who can understand?" Ps. cxv, 3, "But 
 our God is in the heaven ; he hath done whatsoever he 
 hath pleased." Jer. xxxii, 17, "Thou hast made the 
 heaven and the earth, ly thy great power, and stretched 
 out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee." These 
 passages prove most distinctly the unlimited power of 
 God, and very clearly justify the Article in the use oi 
 those terms which teach the doctrine that God is Al- 
 mighty. 
 
 This doctrine very naturally suggests two reflections : 
 First. — The doctrine of the Omnipotence of God 
 forms a very essential part of that system of revelation 
 upon which every good man's faith is founded. But for 
 this the system would be incomplete, and totally inefficient, 
 and the true believer could have no security amid the an- 
 tagonisms of life. But God is Almighty, and in liis 
 
43 
 
 WISDOM OF GOD. 
 
 power the Christian may confidently trust. Ps. exlvi, 5, 
 6, "Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his 
 help, whose hope is m the Lord his God; who made 
 heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein is ; who 
 keepeth truth forever." 
 
 We can readily see in this doctrine the security of 
 God's children; for if God be for them, who can be 
 against them? Ps. cxxi, 5, 6, "The Lord is thy 
 keeper ; the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. 
 The Sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon 
 by night." Ps. cxxv, 2, "As the mountains are 
 round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his 
 people from henceforth even forever." 
 
 Second. — But while we see so clearly, the power of 
 God in keeping his people, we may see also, the utter 
 inability of the sinner, to endure the power of God's anger. 
 What will he do when he is found at the last day without a 
 wedding garment? He will be speechless, he will be 
 driven away in his wickedness, and his punishment for 
 sin will be to him an eternal testimony that God is the 
 Almighty. 
 
 " Now, only now, against that hour 
 
 We may a place provide ; 
 Beyond the grave, beyond the powor 
 
 Of hell our spirits hide." 
 
 SECTION SEVENTH. 
 
 Attributes of God — Wiitdrm. 
 1 . The Wisdom of God is said to be a compound at- 
 tribute. To see the truth of this we have but to consider 
 the close connection of Wisdom with Omnipresence and 
 Omniscience. It is a doctrine of the Scriptures that God 
 
WISDOM OF GOD. 
 
 is present in all places at the same time. He sees all 
 things just as they are, and, therefore, perfectly under- 
 stands the nature of things, and their several relatione as 
 means and ends. This knowledge is called Wisdom ; 
 Lence Daniel says, "Blessed be the name of God, for- 
 ever and ever ; for wisdom and might are his." Dan. ii, 
 20. And St. Paul says, Rom. xi, 33, " 0 ! the depth 
 of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of 
 God!" 
 
 The Wisdom of God implies two things ; the choice of 
 the best ends, and the choice of the best wean* by which 
 those ends may be secured. Now, if we inquire what 
 the general and particular ends are, which God proposes 
 to himself in the creation and preservation of the world, 
 we have this general answer, that he might impart to all 
 his creatures that degree of perfection and happiness, of 
 which they are severally susceptible. This is surely the 
 best end, and this is surely what is intended when it is 
 said God created all things for his own glory. If God 
 proposes to himself, and to his creatures the best ends, it is 
 not only evidence of wisdom, but of benevolence ; and it 
 is the foundation of a settled confidence in God, that he 
 does, and will, employ the best means by which to bring 
 about those benevolent ends. As an all-wise Being, he 
 knows what are the best means ; and as an Omnipotent 
 Being, he is able to employ them. 
 
 2. But proofs of the wisdom of God are seen in all 
 bis works. These have always been referred to by the 
 wisest men as sure signs of Infinite Wisdom ; hence, 
 David says. Ps. civ, 24. " 0 Lord, how manifold are 
 thy works ! in ivisdom hast thou made them all ; the 
 earth is full of thy riches." David does not refer to any 
 one part of the creation as teaching the wisdom of God, 
 but to all its parts. These are innumerable, but we may 
 
WISDOM OF GOD. 
 
 be instructed by some of them, as the heavens and the 
 earth. In the heavens we see the Sun, the great central 
 luminary; the Moon, and other visible bodies, all re- 
 volving in the most perfect harmony. The Sun, by his 
 attractive power, keeps within their respective orbits all 
 the planets of the vast system; and hence, while the 
 whole mighty machine is incessantly working, there is 
 neither confusion, nor the slightest variation in the move- 
 ments of any of its parts. Look at how the earth is 
 adapted to all the ends for which it was made ; then look 
 at the countless beings that inhabit the earth, — the seas, 
 — the atmosphere, — all of them perfectly adapted to 
 their several places, and in complete unison with the 
 whole machinery of government and circumstances with 
 which they stand connected. Now all this cannot fail to 
 convince us of the Scripture fact, that the whole is the 
 work of an intelligent, and wise Being, rich in all the 
 best expedients by which to secure the best ends. 
 
 3. The Wisdom of God may be seen in the mode of 
 bringing about his purposes. The means employed often 
 seem inadequate, but the result always shows that "the 
 foolishness of God is wiser than men." Very often the 
 greatest results are produced by what would seem to us 
 inappropriate means ; and sometimes, too, the purposes 
 of God are accomplished by a train of circumstances the 
 least likely, in the estimation of human beings, to accom- 
 plish any good. Joseph was sold into servitude, but it 
 was that he might rise to the honors of a kingdom, and 
 be the instrument of protection to his father, and to his 
 brothers. A babe was born in Bethlehem, but the shed- 
 ding of his blood was to be the means of "a great salva- 
 tion" for all nations. The greatest revolution that ever 
 took place both in the political and moral woild, grew 
 out of the sacrifice of this one life for the life of the peo- 
 
WISDOM OF GOD. 61 
 
 pie This revolution was carried on by men who had no 
 claim to extraordinary talent, learning, wealth, or 
 worldly honor ; but they preached Christ as God in his 
 wisdom directed them, though their preaching was not 
 with "enticing words of men's wisdom;" and, as the 
 direct effect of this, the Christian religion is established 
 and thousands rejoice because of its power. The wis- 
 dom of God presides over and conducts the entire scheme. 
 
 4. But the Wisdom of God is infinite. Proof of this 
 is found in his works, and in his word. In his works 
 there are essential modes of being, and modes of action, 
 which human wisdom cannot comprehend. Hence, in 
 Prov. xxi, 30, Solomon says, "There is no wisdom, 
 nor understanding, nor council against the Lord." When 
 the wisdom of the angels is compared with the wisdom 
 of God, they are "charged with folly." No marvel 
 then if man in his most enlightened and highly cultiva- 
 ted state, cannot comprehend the modes of either vegeta- 
 ble or animal being. No marvel too, if the most en- 
 lightened philosopher cannot comprehend the modes oj 
 action in the motions and revolutions of the heavenly 
 bodies. Nor is it incompatible with the doctrine of Gol's 
 benevolence if we find great facts and principles in Chris- 
 tianity which we cannot understand. This proves that 
 there is greater wisdom in the Author of Christianity 
 than there is in its subjects ; and, that it is therefore the 
 more worthy of careful thought, and an unqualified re- 
 ception. But enough has been said upon the doc. rim o 
 the Divine Wisdom in this place, and it now remains 
 learn one or two practical lessons. 
 
 First. — This doctrine is eminently calculated to inspire 
 our hearts with pious feelings towards God. He is too 
 wise to err in any of his benevolent plans for the elevh 
 tion and safety of the human race. We may, therefore, 
 
52 GOODNESS OF GOD. 
 
 confide in whatever he lias promised as the result of obe 
 dience to his commandments. Hence it is that the doc- 
 trine of Infinite Wisdom affords us an unfailing source of 
 consolation and peace, amid the conflicts and sufferings 
 of the present life. 
 
 Second. — We are taught by this doctrine to be modest 
 in our remarks, and careful in our conclusions upon the 
 mysteries of infinite wisdom in the works of God ; and 
 upon, what to us, are the complications of Divine Provi- 
 dence. We should never forget, that "in wisdom hast 
 thou made them all." Since we cannot understand them 
 it were but egotism and gross presumption to condemn 
 them ; whereas, humility and wisdom would dictate, that 
 a scheme comprehending the destiny of men and things, 
 for time and eternity, is not to be fully understood by 
 finite beings, but belongs to God who is infinite in all his 
 perfections. With this great principle established in the 
 soul, we may see that, 
 
 " In all our Maker's grand designs, 
 
 Omnipotence with wisdom shines ; 
 
 His works, through all this wondrous frame 
 
 Declare the glory of his name." 
 
 SECTION EIGHTH. 
 
 Attributes of God — Goodness. 
 1. The goodness of God properly belongs to the 
 second classification of the Divine Attributes, called 
 moral. This attribute is ascribed to God in a sense in 
 which it can be ascribed to no other being; God is infi- 
 ll i cly good. This attribute belongs to God because it 
 forms an essential part of that nature which we must ascribe 
 to him as the most perfect of all beings. David says, Ps. 
 cxix, 60, " Thou art good and doest good." This passage 
 
GOODNESS OF GOD. 
 
 63 
 
 teaches first, that God is good in himself, and has, there- 
 fore, a disposition to bestow upon all his creatures the 
 good of which they are severally capable ; and second, 
 that he does bestow this good upon his creatures. God 
 is good in himself because there is no motive or object 
 equal or superior to himself to be anything else. There 
 is nothing in the nature of things, either spiritual or ma 
 terial, that can supply a single inducement for God to be 
 anything else than good. Men may see some quality of 
 goodness in their equals that they may desire to possess 
 or imitate. This may induce them to use, it may be, 
 unlawful means to attain that good; but it is evident that 
 considerations like these cannot apply to God, for all 
 good is actually in his possession, and there is therefore 
 nothing left for him to possess or desire. 
 
 2. But goodness of nature and goodness of conduct 
 are more desirable than the opposite. Now as this 
 proposition is admitted by men, it is certain that an all- 
 wise God can see it in an infinitely superior sense; 
 and that, for his own happiness, and the welfare of his 
 creatures, he will make choice of it as the essential per- 
 fection of his own perfect nature. This attribute is 
 necessary in connection with his other perfections to com- 
 plete the idea of an all-perfect Being; and to constitute 
 the ground of trust, love, and hope. Hence men may 
 look upon God as their Father, and feel the emotions of 
 gratitude rising in harmony with sentiments of deep 
 veneration and love. But while goodness is more desira- 
 ble than malevolence, ?nd while it is a disposition to 
 communicate happiness, it is, at the same time, regulated 
 by wisdom and justice. Wisdom in the choice of intel- 
 ligent beings as the subject of spiritual good ; and justice 
 in the bestowment of the greatest good upon the most 
 virtuous and holy. Thus the goodness of God is made 
 
54 
 
 GOODNESS OF GOD 
 
 a reason for the proper cultivation of the lieart, and for 
 the most vigorous efforts to attain to all the goodness of 
 character and happiness of life, of which the human 
 being is capable. 
 
 3. The works of God declare his goodness. This is 
 his own testimony, for when he finished the work of crea- 
 tion, in its several parts, he pronounced them "good," 
 "very good." The Bible justifies the belief ihat all 
 things were created for the purpose of being good and 
 happy ; and that all the sensitive beings had as much of 
 God's goodness in them, as they were severally able to 
 contain. Hence David says, Pi. xxxiii, 5, "The earth 
 is full of the goodness of the Lord." This passage 
 fully proves the common great truth, that God's works 
 prooe his goodness. 
 
 But there is a language that is more easily understood, 
 upon the doctrine of infinite goodness, than the works of 
 creation. It is the language of the Bible. This book, 
 like creation, is an effect of power, wisdom, and goodness, 
 and like its cause it is good. It so unfolds the nature of 
 God, the nature of his works, and the mysteries of his 
 providence, as to make them all harmonize in the one 
 great truth — God is infinitely good, and does good to all 
 his creatures. 
 
 4. It is true there are evils in the world ; but it is also 
 true that there is more good than evil; therefore there is 
 no evidence in this that God is not good. The fact that 
 there are remedies for the various evils extant, clearly 
 s'nows that in the midst of the evils of life God is unfold- 
 ing the great truth that he is good. But sin is in the 
 world. This is true but God did not produce it; he did 
 no:- make such a mistake as to incorporate evil into the 
 i ure and frame-work of his moral intelligences; nor 
 did he create angels or men in connection with such cir- 
 
GOODNESS OF GOD. 
 
 55 
 
 curastances as to compel either of them to transgress. 
 They voluntarily did the act,and sin followed. Such is the 
 nature of the Divine moral government, that any oppo- 
 sition to it is sin ; man did violate an express law and 
 thereby involved himself and his posterity in ruin. This 
 is shown very clearly by St. James. James i, 13, 15, 
 " Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of 
 God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither 
 tempteth he any man. But every man is tempted 
 when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 
 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin ; 
 and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death." 
 This passage clearly shows by whom, and how sin 
 was brought into the world. The evil is charged upon 
 man. 
 
 5. But God might have prevented sin. It cannot -s 
 shown that God was under any obligation to his own 
 goodness to do this. He placed man in a state of trial, 
 as afire moral agent, which was the highest good he 
 could confer upon him, and trial always supposes, at least 
 a liability to err. Now if man abused the freedom of his 
 will, and was "drawn away of his own lusts," God can- 
 not by any possibility of fair argument be charged with the 
 introduction of moral evil. St. Paul says, "By one 
 man sin entered into the world," Rom. v, 12. Though 
 man is chargeable with all this evil, God is still good, 
 and not even liable to a shadow of impeachment. That 
 the world might understand, and feel the force of this 
 doctrine more fully, God immediately instituted a re- 
 medial system by which man might be restored to his 
 favor. And, as if to exhibit all his goodness, he sent 
 his Son to die m man's behalf, that this remedial s\stem 
 might have full efficacy and poAver to bring man back to 
 himself, to behold the glory of his goodness. Ps. cvii, 1, 
 
56 GOODNESS OF GOD. 
 
 " 0, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his 
 mercy endureth forever." 
 
 6. As a farther evidence of the Divine goodness, man 
 is still in a state of trial, and is called upon to seek that 
 •which is good. Now it is a dictate of reason and the 
 Bible, that if a man is virtuous he is happy, and if he is 
 viscious he is miserable. This is likewise true in experi- 
 ence. This doctrine of reward and punishment is so 
 interwoven with our nature that we naturally look for 
 happiness as the reward of piety, and misery as the pun- 
 ishment of sin. What does this argue ? The goodness 
 of God, as well as his justice. The fact that virtue is 
 rewarded with happiness, argues that God prefers that 
 goodness of character which is the most like himself. 
 Put God punishes the wicked. This is true, and clearly 
 proves his goodness, if we consider the fact that he is the 
 moral governor of a universe of responsible beings, and 
 that his government is founded in righteousness. God is 
 infinitely good and is always doing good. Gratitude ii 
 therefore the just return that the intelligent objects of his 
 goodness should make. It is a reason why men should 
 love and serve him in all faithfulness ; and it is the reason 
 why sinners are so inexcusable when they charge his dis- 
 pensations with severity, partiality, cruelty or injustice. 
 God's goodness is the reason why good men are so happy 
 in his service, in this life, and why they expect an eternal 
 reward of felicity in heaven. 
 
 ' Before my faith's enlighten'd eyes, 
 Make all thy gracious goodness pass ; 
 
 Thy goodness is the sight I prize • 
 0 might 1 see thy smiling ; 
 
 Thy nature in my soul proclaim, 
 
 Reveal thy love, thy glorious name J 
 
GOD THE MAKER OF ALL THINGS. 
 
 57 
 
 SECTION NINTH. 
 
 Go.l the Maker of all things. 
 
 1. The power and wisdom of God are essentia] to the 
 existence of everything exterior to himself. These, like 
 all the other attributes of God, are invisible ; but we know 
 they are properties of his nature by what we see of his 
 works, and by what we are taught in the Bible. With 
 these attributes, essential to the production of every thing 
 beyond himself, God is presented to us, in this Article, 
 as the " Creator of all things visible and invisible." In 
 this it has the authority and testimony of the Bible. It 
 may be regarded as a fact, therefore, that the Scriptures 
 and this Article array themselves against the infidel phi- 
 losophy that teaches the eternity of matter, and the for- 
 tuitous union of the several parts of the universe into a 
 complete system. 
 
 2. The Scriptures constantly describe God as the 
 maker, not only of the form in which the universe now 
 stands, but of the materials of which the form is com- 
 posed. With this fundamental truth, the Bible opens. 
 Gen. i, 1, "In the beginning God created the heavens 
 and the earth." The same fact is taught throughout the 
 entire Book as one of the principle characteristics of the 
 true God. Col. i, 16, "For by him were all things 
 created, that are in heaven, and that are in the earth, 
 -visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or domi- 
 nions, or principalities or powers, all things were created 
 for him, and by him." These two passages may be re- 
 garded as a full and clear confirmation of the general 
 belief, that the eternity of matter, and the merely acci- 
 dental formation of the universe is nowhere sustained by 
 the Bible, nor by any system of sound philosophy. 
 
 3. By thajerm heavens, in the first of Genesis, we are 
 to understand as the Jews did, all that is above the earth's 
 
GOD THE MAKER OF ALL THINGS. 
 
 surface — as the atmosphere, the place occupied by the 
 =tars and other planets, and the heaven of heavens, 
 called by St. Paul in 2 Cor. xii, 2, "the third heavens." 
 This latter place was evidently created before the two 
 former, but how long, or when, we do not know. When 
 the Bible speaks of the fowls of heaven, the dews of 
 heaven, &c. they refer to the atmosphere, or the space 
 immediately above the earth. This may be called the 
 first heaven. The atmosphere, it is true, is invisible, but 
 we know it does exist, and the more we know of its 
 properties and uses, by scientific research, the more we 
 know of the power and wisdom of God. It is a medium 
 of life to vegetables, and to breathing animals ; it is the 
 medium of light, of sound, of heat and cold, of dew and 
 rain ; and it is one of the theatres upon which is displayed 
 many of the wonders and exhibitions of the power of God. 
 
 4. But in the second heaven we may see still greater 
 displays of the power and wisdom of God. Here is the 
 Sun, the noblest emblem of the Creator ; the Moon, re- 
 flecting the light of the Sun by night, in softer rays, anc> 
 beautifully emblematic of Christ ; the Stars in their end 
 less number and variety, harmoniously moving around 
 greater planets, fitly representing the saints of God 
 Here again, though we may have the aid of science, w» 
 are bewildered in the works and wonders of the Divin- 
 power and wisdom. But if we ascend into the third 
 heavens we are amid the splendors and glories of thv 
 Godhead itself. Science has made no discoveries here 
 but the Holy Ghost has ; and whatever we may know o< 
 this place we must learn from the Bible. God is th» 
 maker of all these heavens, and though human wisdon- 
 may not be competent to the full understanding of evct. 
 the least of his works, yet we dare not ascribe them to. 
 any other being. 
 
COD THE MAKER OF ALL THINOS. 
 
 50 
 
 5. Eat the earth is included in the work of creation. 
 Moses informs us that when its materials were brought 
 into being they were "without form." In the process of 
 bringing the earth out into a distinctive form, and into its 
 appropriate place, God is represented as pursuing a plan 
 of consecutive development. He separated the light from 
 the darkness; he constructed the firmament; he sepa- 
 rated the land from the waters; he created herbs and 
 trees; he created the lights of heaven; the fish of the 
 seas, and the fowls of heaven ; and he created the beasts 
 of the field. Every thing being finished and assigned to 
 its appropriate place and office, one more step and the 
 woik is finished; last of all, man is made in the "image 
 of God." Here is a being with all the marks of superior 
 dignity and beauty; a being mortal and immortal, fitted 
 for the present and the future, with an irresistable and 
 innate consciousness that he did not come into being by 
 chance, and that he did not produce himself. 
 
 These remarks are based upon the two common ideas 
 of creation, production and formation. By the first we 
 are to understand the production of something out of 
 nothing ; and by the second, the formation of things as 
 they now appear, out of pre-existing matter, or that 
 which was brought into being by the first act of creation. 
 A Ctt xvii, 24, " God made the world and all things therein." 
 
 6. But the Article speaks of invisible things. It may 
 dere refer to angels, to the human soul, or to systems of 
 worlds in some immensely distant regions of space. 
 Whatever may be intended certain it is that God is the 
 Creator, for he is infinite, and fills all space. He has 
 created what we see, and there is nothing inconsistent 
 with reason to suppose that his power and wisdom have 
 been, and are even now employed in producing other 
 worlds, and other beings, that we can know nothing of. 
 
60 GOD THE MAKER OF ALL THINGS. 
 
 But if the Article forbids speculation, and limits the 
 mind to the study of known facts, then the Bible must be 
 our guide. It speaks of angels as real beings. These 
 communicate between the heavens and the earth, yet we 
 cannot see them ; and but for their employment as minis- 
 ters of God's judgments, and as ministering spirits to the 
 saints, we might never have heard of them. These con- 
 stitute a part of the invisible creation of God. If the 
 Article includes the human soul, as it surely does, and as 
 something invisible, we can feel its truth, for we know 
 this is our rational life power. From these, as well as 
 from some other known facts of invisible existences, we 
 may see the propriety and strict truthfulness of our Arti- 
 cle when it teaches us that God is the "Maker of all 
 things visible and invisible." It directs our minds to the 
 fact that the Mosaic theory of the creation is strictly ra- 
 tional. It places God at the head of all that exists ; and 
 it regards him as giving direction to all the laws by which 
 the various parts of his works are governed. And by giv- 
 ing consistency and direction to these laws in all their ope- 
 rations, he is the only reason why things do still exist. We 
 pity, therefore, that philosophy, or that man, who will 
 limit and degrade the Divine power and wisdom to the 
 creation of the clam, the sponge, the polypus, as the pri- 
 mary producing agent of all animal and rational beings. 
 And we pity, too, that man whose philosophy gives him no 
 higher origin than the clam, and whose channel of de- 
 velopment has been through the inferior animals. 
 
 7. But the work of creation is ascribed to the three 
 persons of the Godhead, — the Father, the Son, and the 
 Holy Ghost. We must not suppose, however, that in the 
 creation the Father was the principle agent, and that the 
 Son and Holy Spirit were subordinate agents, or mere 
 instruments of power. In all the works of God, the 
 
GOD THE PRESERVER OF ALL THINGS. 01 
 
 three persons in the one essential Godhead concur, as 
 one great Creator and preserver of things both visible 
 and invisible. 
 
 " High is thy power above all night, 
 
 What e'er thy will decrees is done ; 
 
 Thy wisdom, equal to thy might. 
 
 Only to thee, O God, is kpown !" 
 
 SECTION TENTH. 
 Go I the Preserver of all Things. 
 
 1 . This part of our Article states the doctrine of the 
 Divine Providence. It teaches that God is not only the 
 maker of all things, but the "preserver of all things 
 visible and invisible." The framers of this Article in- 
 tended, no doubt, to express the whole doctrine of Provi- 
 dence, though they use but the single terra Preserver. 
 With this view of the Article, we may inquire what 
 Providence means. The term, as used in Christian the- 
 ology, is designed to express the conduct of God towards 
 his works, which he upholds by his power and regulates- 
 by his wisdom. It, therefore, signifies the constant care 
 which God exercises in the preservation and government 
 of the universe. 
 
 Though the doctrine of Divine Providence is denied by 
 many, yet a single careful reflection might convince them 
 that it is founded in the necessary connection there is be- 
 tween the Creator and the created. If there be a Maker 
 of all things there must necessarily be a Preserver of all 
 things ; for it is just as absurd to suppose that the world 
 is preserved and governed by chance, or that it has the 
 elements and power of government in itself, as to sup- 
 pose that it was brought into existence by chance. Hence 
 it is that belief in God necessarily infers a Providence. 
 
62 GOD THE PRESERVER OF ALL THINGS. 
 
 God is infinite in power and is therefore able to govern 
 all things, and to preserve them in being. He is infinite 
 in wisdom and therefore knows how to preserve and 
 govern all things. That he is willing to govern and pre- 
 serve all things follows from his goodness ; and from the 
 fact that things do still exist and move in such pei tect 
 harmony. "He careth for us," and this :are ranges 
 alike from the least to the greatest of all the things that 
 he has made. 
 
 2. But let us reflect upon the obvious fact that the 
 works of creation are no more able to sustain themselves 
 in being than they were at first to contribute to their ex- 
 istence. Matter was brought into being by the power of 
 God, and moulded into such shapes, placed in such posi- 
 tions, and adapted to such uses as Infinite Wisdom dir cted. 
 Now we argue that whatever power was necessary to 
 bring matter into being, and to adjust its several forms 
 and parts into a complete universe is equally necessary to 
 preserve that universe in being. And hence it is that we 
 derive proof of the Divine Providence from the dependent 
 state of the creation. It is necessarily contingent, and 
 exists only by the power and permission of the Creator. 
 Not a moment of its duration is without the presence of 
 God's power, and the moment this is withdrawn its vast 
 parts must separate and reel in the wildest confusion. 
 
 3. But the Bible sets forth the doctrine of Providence 
 in much clearer terms than can be exhibited by reason. 
 Here the notion of Providence is taught as involving two 
 things, preservation and government. God is expressly 
 called the preserver. Job vii, 20, "What shall I do 
 unto thee, 0 thou Preserver of men?" Neh. ix, 6, 
 And thou preservest them all." Ps. xxxvi, 6, 0 
 Lord, thou preservest man and beast." Heb. i 3, 
 " Upholding all things by the word of his power." 
 
GOD THE rilESEKVEK OF ALL THINGS. 63 
 
 From these and other similar passages we learn the 
 great truth that the purpose of God to create all 
 things was not confined to the mere act of creating 
 them, but comprised their whole future existence. 
 But it may be said that all things are preserved and 
 governed by fixed laws. This is true, but these ema- 
 nate from God, and are, at most, but the particular 
 modes in which God exerts his power. These are called 
 natural laws, but God presides over their general and 
 particular administration ; hence we have what are called 
 general and special providence. 
 
 4. The Divine providence is universal. This natu- 
 rally follows from the Scripture idea of creation. If 
 the smallest being or particle of matter was worth a be- 
 ginning it was designed to answer some end in the crea- 
 tion, and is therefore preserved. We may give some 
 Scripture evidence of this doctrine. First— In inani- 
 mate nature. Ps. cxix, 90, 91, "Thou hast established 
 the Earth and it abideth. They continue this day ac- 
 cording to their ordinances, for all are thy servants." 
 And, again, Ps. civ, 14. "He causeth grass to grow 
 for the cattle, and herb for the service of man ; that he 
 may bring forth food out of the earth." Second. — Ani- 
 mate creation. Speaking of "both small and great 
 beasts," David says, Ps. civ, 27. "These wait upon 
 thee ; that thou mayest give them their meat in due 
 season." Third. — The affairs of nations are under the 
 control and care of God. Job. xii, 23, "He increasetli 
 the nations, and destroyeth them; he enlargeth the 
 nations, and straiteneth them again." Fourth. — The 
 Divine Providence may also be recognized in fu?nilies, 
 Ps. lxviii. 6, "God setteth the solitary in families." Ps. 
 cvii, 41. "Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, 
 and maketh him families like a flock." Fifth. — The fowls 
 
C4 GOD THE PRESERVER OF ALL THINGS. 
 
 of heaven. Matt, x, 29, " Are not two sparrows sold 
 for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall to the 
 ground without your Father." Sixth. — Matt, x, 30. 
 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." 
 Time would fail us in giving specimens of the extent 
 and minuteness of Providence ; but from what has 
 already been said, we can readily see how true our 
 Article is when it recognizes God as the "preserver of 
 all things." 
 
 5. But we are reminded that there are "invisible" 
 things to which the providence of God is extended. If 
 by this angels and spirits are intended, these are inclu- 
 ded in the "all things," and are just as much the objects 
 of Divine care as material and visible bodies are. And 
 if the Article refers to other worlds, and systems of 
 worlds that may be so distant from ours that they are in- 
 visible; still the providence of God is as essential to 
 their existence and well being as it is to the visible uni- 
 verse. God is the Creator of all things visible and invisi- 
 ble, and he is the governor and preserver of them all. 
 
 I have looked over this delightful subject hastily, but 
 with sufficient precision, I trust, to make the doctrine 
 somewhat clear and impressive, and will close with two 
 remarks. 
 
 First. — The doctrine of providence leads to very ex- 
 alted ideas of God and his attributes. He is the only 
 underived being in existence, and is, therefore, the only 
 independent being. He is wise and knows how to pre- 
 serve and govern. He is infinite in power and is able to 
 preserve. He is infinite in goodness and governs and 
 sustains all things in such a way as to secure to his intel- 
 ligent creatures the greatest amount of enjoyment. 
 
 Second. — The doctrine of a constant and universal 
 providence should remind us of the various duties of 
 
THE TRINITY". 
 
 6fi 
 
 religious and social life. In religious life to be constant 
 in the discharge of every Christian duty. God is always 
 upholding and enriching us with his blessings ; he is con- 
 stantly preserving us from the thousand snares of the 
 world, the flesh, and satan, and we should always trust 
 in him for protection and look to him for his blessing. 
 
 In social life we are reminded of our duty to the poor, 
 the humble, the sad in heart. Our conduct should never 
 cause them a sigh, or a tear. We should comfort, assist, 
 and encourage them ; and never should we forget that, 
 though Lazarus was poor he is now in Abraham's bosom, 
 while the rich man is in hell. God sustains us that we 
 may sustain others ; he gives us friends that we may be 
 friends to the stranger ; and he smiles upon us that we 
 may smile upon our fellow beings. 
 
 " In every stream his bounty flows, 
 Diffusing joy and wealth ; 
 
 In every breeze his spirit blows 
 The breath of life and health." 
 
 SECTION ELEVENTH. 
 
 The Trinity. 
 
 1. This doctrine is stated in the Article in these words, 
 And in unity of this Godhead, there are three persons 
 of one substance, power, and eternity ; the Father, the 
 Son, and the Holy Ghost." The Bible is very clear in 
 the doctrine of but one God, as has been shown in Sec- 
 tion first; but as soon as we open it again, and in other 
 places, another doctrine is presented which seems to con- 
 flict with this first statement. This is technically called 
 the doctrine of the Trinity, and teaches the union of 
 three distinct Persons in one Godhead. In conformity 
 
66 
 
 THE TRINITY. 
 
 with the Scripture teaching on this doctrine, our Article 
 makes the statement that there is but one substance or 
 essence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and 
 that these three Persons in one essence partake of the 
 same nature and perfections of Supreme Divinity. No 
 one doubts the existence of one God who has carefully 
 studied the light of nature, and the Bible ; but there are 
 persons who, not only doubt but deny the doctrine of 
 three Persons in this one God. To sustain themselves 
 they necessarily deny the Divine nature of Jesus Christ, 
 as well as that of the Holy Spirit. These doctrines are 
 necessarily involved in the doctrine of the Trinity ; but 
 as they more properly belong to the Notes on Art. II, 
 and IV, nothing will be said upon them here. 
 
 2. Let us now try to ascertain whether the doctrine of 
 the Trinity is a doctrine of the Bible. If it is not it 
 should be discarded ; and if it is, it is proper that it should 
 be an Article of faith in every summary of Christian 
 belief. But before we proceed to the proof of this doc- 
 trine we must define the terms in which it is stated. 
 First.— The term Trinity. This term is not found in 
 the Bible, it is true, but it is a very appropriate term to 
 express this great doctrine. It signifies three in one, and 
 is expressive of three distinct Persons in one undivided 
 Godhead. Second. — The term Godhead signifies the 
 Divine nature. The term is found in Rom. 1, 20, "Even 
 his eternal power and Godhead ;" and in Col. ii. 9, "For 
 in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily," 
 This term more properly denotes that infinite, eternal and 
 unchangeable nature which is common to the Father, the 
 Son, and the Holy Ghost; and which cannot be said to 
 be peculiar to either. Third. — The distinction in the 
 Godhead is known by the term Person. This term is 
 intended to express, only, the distinction of Persons in 
 
THE TRIXITV. 
 
 G7 
 
 the Godhead without effecting their unity in one essence. 
 Fourth. — The term essence or substance means thai 
 which has a real being. As it is applied to the doctrine 
 before us, it means the reality of the Divine nature of God 
 and of the two other Persons that compose the Trinity. 
 
 3. In the farther statement of this doctrine we may 
 notice what is said of it in the Old Testament. It is 
 generally believed that this doctrine is purely of New 
 Testament revelation. This is true to some extent; but 
 at the same time all will agree that the Hebrews had 
 some idea, at least, of a plurality of persons in the God- 
 head, if not exactly a Trinity. What else could they 
 understand by Gen. i, 26, "And God said let us make 
 man in our image after our likeness?" Now it is not a 
 question that God is the creator, and that man was made 
 in his image ; but that other Persons are in the Godhead, 
 and were associated with the Father in the creation of man. 
 Again, it is said in Chap, xi, 7, "Let us go down and 
 there confound their language." These are certainly re- 
 markable forms of expression, when taken in connection 
 with the uniform doctrine of the Scripture that there is 
 no other God but one ; and when we consider the fact 
 that angels were never associated with God in any of 
 his acts in creation. These plural pronouns were un- 
 doubtedly intended to indicate a plurality of Persons of 
 equal power and eternity with the Father. 
 
 But this plurality of Persons seems to be reduced to 
 the number three, in the blessing of Aaron, in Numb. 
 vi, 24, 26, "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee; the 
 Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious 
 unto thee ; the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, 
 and give thee peace." The proof of the Trinity is found 
 in this passage in the repetition of the name of God 
 three times, and bee asc of its similarity to the Chris- 
 
60 
 
 THE TRINITY. 
 
 tian benediction, in 2 Cor. xiii, 14, "The grace of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the com- 
 munion of the Holy Ghost be with you all." This 
 taken in connection with that class of passages in which 
 express mention is made of the Son and Holy Spirit 
 forms very clear evidence of a Trinity taught in the Old 
 Testament. The first is in Ps. ii, 7, "Thou art my 
 Son." This was uniformly understood by the Jews to 
 refer to the Messiah ; and New Testament writers deter- 
 mine this to be the true interpretation. The second is, 
 Is. xlviii, 16, "And now the Lord God and his Spirit 
 hath sent me," and Chap, lxi, 1, "The Spirit of the 
 Lord God is upon me." Here while one Divine Person 
 is speaking, he speaks of another Divine Person whom 
 he styles the Spirit ; and of another Divine Person 
 whom he calls the Lord God. Compare this with Ps. 
 xxxiii, 6, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens 
 made ; and all the hosts of them by the breath of his 
 mouth." In both of these passages three Persons are 
 distinctly named ; in the latter express mention is made 
 of the Father, the Word, or Son of the Father; and 
 the breath of his mouth which can be no other than the 
 Holy Spirit. 
 
 From these and similar passages the Jewish commen- 
 tators agreed in saying: "There are three degrees in 
 the mystery of Elohim; and these degrees are called 
 Persons. They are all one, and cannot be separated." 
 Add to this the historic fact that the Hindoos, the Per- 
 sians, the Egyptians, the Greeks and Romans held a 
 triad in the Divine nature, and we must trace the origin 
 of this traditionary belief, chiefly, if not altogether to 
 the Jewish Scriptures. But while the above passages 
 cannot be regarded as positive proof of this doctrine of 
 the Trinity, yet when they are taken together, and in 
 
THE TRIXITV. 
 
 63 
 
 connection with others of a similar import, they cer- 
 tainly teach a plurality of Persons in the Godhead, and 
 strongly intimate that this plurality consists of but three 
 Persons. 
 
 4. As nothing positive, on this doctrine, can be drawn 
 from the Hebrew Scriptures, our fuller and final proof 
 must be found in the Christian Scriptures. Even here, 
 the doctrine of the Trinity, in all its extent and modifica- 
 tions is taught in no single passage. There are many 
 passages, it is true, that prove the existence of three dis- 
 tinct Persons ; but these, apart from all others, by no 
 means prove that these Persons are necessarily Divine, or 
 that they belong to one essence. Hence the importance 
 of those passages which prove the doctrine of Christ's 
 proper Divinity ; and of those, too, which prove the Di- 
 vinity of the Holy Spirit. If these two doctrines cannot 
 be made out, the doctrine of the Trinity cannot be sus- 
 tained by any possibility of argument or Scripture testi- 
 mony. But the Bible is very clear upon these subjects, 
 as we shall hereafter see, and we therefore proceed with 
 the greater confidence to examine the doctrine of the 
 Trinity as it is taught in the New Testament. 
 
 First. — The baptism of Jesus as narrated in Mutt, 
 Hi, 16, 17. Now if it is admitted that Jesus is a Di- 
 vine Person ; and that the Holy Spirit is a Divine 
 Person, then the doctrine of the Trinity is clearly 
 proved by this transaction. The Father, by an audible 
 voice from heaven, bears testimony to his incarnate 
 Son ; the Son, in his humanity is baptized by John ; and 
 the Holy Spirit, "like a dove," descends upon him. 
 
 Second. — The baptism of Christians is another clear 
 proof of the Trinity. The form of words appointed to 
 be used in this ordinance is as follows: Matt.xxvui, 19, 
 "Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the 
 
70 THE TRINITY. 
 
 Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Now it is well known 
 that this is a religious ordinance, in which the subject is 
 dedicated to the Object of religious service. It cannot, 
 therefore, be reconciled to the uniform teaching of the 
 Bible to suppose that God, who has said, " Thou shalt 
 worship the Lord thy God," should demand, in the 
 solemn service of Christian baptism, that worship and 
 service should be rendered to a being less than himself, 
 or less than Divine. This initiatory rite of Christianity 
 is evidently intended to teach us, that, while there is one 
 God, there are two other Persons of equal authority with 
 himself, who are severally engaged as one God in the 
 work of human salvation. If the Father, in whose 
 name we are baptized, be a Person, so must also the 
 Son and Holy Ghost be Persons, for men are baptized 
 in the name of these as well as in the name of the 
 Father. 
 
 Third. — The Apostolic benediction furnisnes another 
 proof of the Trinity of Divine Persons. This is evi- 
 dently a prayer for such blessings as none but Divine 
 Persons can communicate. But if this, or any othei 
 form of prayer be addressed to any being less than God 
 it were impiety and idolatry ; yet three Persons are 
 distinctly recognized and addressed, as possessing Di 
 vine perfections, and as able to bestow upon Christians, 
 love, grace, and holy communion. There is one other 
 text, though the genuineness of it is doubted, which 
 I will record in this place. 1 John, v, 7, "There 
 are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, 
 the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are 
 one." 
 
 5. The three Persons in the Trinity are distinguished 
 from each other by their personal properties. It is the 
 personal property of the Father to beget the Son. Ps. 
 
THE TRINITT 
 
 71 
 
 ii, 7, "Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten 
 thee." It is the personal property of the Son to be 
 eternally begotten of the Father. Johni, 14, "And we 
 beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the 
 Father." It is the personal property of the Holy Ghost 
 to proceed eternally from the Father and the Son. John 
 xv, 26, "But when the Comforter is come, whom 1 will 
 send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, 
 which proceedelh from the Father, he shall testify of me." 
 These are called personal properties to distinguish them 
 from the essential perfections of the Divine nature. Es- 
 sential perfections are common to the three Persons in the 
 Godhead ; but a personal property is something peculiar 
 to each, and which may be affirmed of one but not ot 
 the other two. Paternity is peculiar to the Father, filia- 
 tion to the Son, and procession to the Holy Spirit. 
 "Plainly, therefore, says St. Augustine, "and without 
 doubt it is to be believed that the Father, Son, and Holy 
 Ghost are one Almighty God, eternal, unchangeable; 
 and every one of these is God, and all of them but one 
 God." Now how it is that three Persons of equal power 
 and eternity are one essence we know nothing about. 
 The Bible reveals no more upon this subject than it does 
 upon the particular mode of the existence of God. The 
 Scriptures reveal the fact of a Trinity, and we are to 
 believe it without speculating beyond what is written. 
 Christ requires that all his followers should believe this 
 doctrine ; and by this requirement he places it among the 
 first and most essential doctrines of our holy religion. It 
 is such in reality because it is the doctrine that fronts the 
 world ; and because it is intimately interwoven with the 
 whole exhibition of Christian truth. "It is fit, therefore, 
 that we should acknowledge and confess one God, made 
 known as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, acknowledg- 
 
72 
 
 THE TRINITY. 
 
 ing the several subsistences of one Deity, but as God un- 
 derstanding the communion of those subsistences in the 
 same essence." Justin Martyr, Expos. Fidei 
 " Now let the Father, and the Son 
 
 And Spirit be adored 
 Whete there are works to make him known, 
 Or saints to love the Lord." 
 
ARTICLE II. 
 
 OF THE WORD, OR SON OF GOD, WHO WAS 
 
 MADE VERY MAN. 
 
 " The Son, who is the Word of the Father, the very and eternal 
 God. of one substance with the Father, took man's nature in the 
 womb of the blessed virgin ; so that two whole and perfect na- 
 tures, that is to say, the Godhead and manhood, were joined to- 
 gether in one person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, 
 ve y God and very man, who truly suffered, was crucified, dead 
 and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not 
 only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men." 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 Divinity of Christ. 
 
 1. It is stated in this Article that the person called the 
 Son of the Father, is "the very and eternal God." 
 If this can be shown to be the doctrine of the Bible, then 
 Ave shall have proved that the second Person in the 
 Trinity is a Divine Person, and so far a3 the proof may 
 go in this particular case, it will greatly assist our faith 
 in the doctrine of Three Persons of equal power and di- 
 vinity, in the one Godhead. The Scriptures constantly 
 prove that Jesus Christ is "the very and eternal God, 
 of one substance with the Father." 
 
 First. — Christ is God. John i, 1, "In the beginning 
 was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the 
 Word was God.'" This justly celebrated passage proves 
 that Christ is God in a form of testimony that cannot be 
 mistaken. " The Word was God." If the Word was 
 God, "in the beginning," he is still God, for it is impos- 
 sible for God to cease to exist. St. Paul confirms the 
 doctrine of this passage by Rom. ix, 5, "Of whom, as 
 
 4 73 
 
74 
 
 DIVINITY OF CHRIST. 
 
 concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God 
 blessed, forever. Amen." It is clearly impossible to 
 avoid the force of this passage by any form of augmen- 
 tation, and hence the confidence with which it is asserted 
 in tins Article that Christ is God. 
 
 Second. — Christ is the true God. 1 John, v, 20, 
 "This is the true God, and eternal life." But who is 
 the eternal life? The passage itself answers the ques- 
 tion. And the question is answered by Christ himself, 
 in John xiv, 6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the 
 truth and the life." In this short passage, interpreted 
 by one who well knew its true import, and application, 
 Christ is called the " true God." 
 
 Third. — Christ is equal with God. John x, 30, " I 
 and my Father are one ;" and verse 38, " The Father is in 
 me and I in him." Again, Chap, xiv, 11, "I am in the 
 Father, and the Father in me." Now if these lew pass- 
 ages prove anything, they prove that Christ is in all respects 
 equal with God the Father. 
 
 2. In farther confirmation of this doctrine, the Bible 
 ascribes such attributes to Christ as can only be ascribed 
 to God. 
 
 /First. — Eternity. This attribute can belong to no being 
 but God ; but if it can be shown that Christ is from 
 eternity, then Christ is the very and eternal God." He 
 declares that he is " the first and the last," and is styled 
 "the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity." In Is. 
 ix, 6, Christ is called the "Everlasting Father." That the 
 prophet means Christ, is evident from the first part of the 
 verse: "For unto us a child is born ;" and that he means 
 eternity proper is clear from the word " Father," for none 
 but God is " the Everlasting Father." Prov. viii, 22, 23, 
 "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, 
 before his works of old. 1 was set up from everlasting, 
 
DIVINITY OF CHRIST. 
 
 75 
 
 from the beginning, or ever the earth was." The person 
 referred to in this passage is called " Wisdom," in verse 
 12 • and St. Paul applies this name to Christ in 1 Cor. i, 
 24, " The Wisdom of God." John says, " He was 
 before me," and yet John was born six months before the 
 human nature of Christ. John certainly refers to the 
 divine nature of Christ, which is eternal. Jo'm viii. 58,. 
 " Before Abraham was, I am." Christ here calls himself 
 the Eternal one. St. Paul says, "Neither let us tempt 
 Christ as they also tempted," but this temptation of which 
 the Apostle speaks, was fourteen hundred years before 
 Christ came, and must be taken as proof of his eternity. 
 
 Second. — Immutalility is an attribute of God, and it is 
 an attribute of Christ, therefore Christ is God. Heb. i, 1 2, 
 "But thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail;" 
 Chap, xiii, 8, " But thou art the same," evidently refers 
 to the immutability of Christ. " Jesus Christ the same 
 yesterday and to-day, and forever." These words cover 
 all time past, and to come, and are but explanations of 
 the word eternity. Now in all these years and days, past 
 and to come, Christ is "the same;" therefore these 
 passages prove that Jesus Christ is immutable, and con- 
 sequently they prove that he is "the very and eternal 
 God." 
 
 T drd. — Omnipresence is an attribute predicated of Christ 
 in' Matt, xviii, 20, " Where two or three are gathered 
 together in my name, there am I in the midst of then:.' 
 Mult, xxviii, 20, "And lo ! I am with you always, even to 
 the end of the world." These two passages unquc- don 
 ably teach that Christ is omnipresent, and as this attribu e 
 can be predicated of none but God, therefore Chris! is 
 God. 
 
 Fou.th. — Omniscience is an attribute of Christ, John xxi. 
 17, "Lord thou knowest all things." To know all things 
 
76 
 
 DIVINITY OF CHRIST. 
 
 supposes the presence of Christ with all things, Col. ii, 3, 
 "In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and 
 knowledge." 
 
 Fifth, — Omnipotence is an attribute of Christ. Matt. 
 xxviii, 18. " And Jesus came and spake unto them say- 
 ing, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." 
 In Rev. i, 8, Jesus Christ is expressly called " the Al- 
 mighty." Hence the attribute called omnipotence belongs 
 to him, and therefore he is God. 
 
 From this brief sketch of testimony from the Scrip- 
 tures, it is evident that eternity, immutability, omni- 
 presence, and omniscience are attributes of Christ. These 
 are the highest perfections that the Bible ascribes to God ; 
 but we have seen that these are ascribed to Christ as 
 clearly as they are ascribed to God ; therefore the doc- 
 trine of the divinity of Chirst is clearly established, if 
 there were no other proofs. 
 
 3. But there are works ascribed to Christ which can 
 be performed by none but God, as Creation and Preserva- 
 tion, from which also, we prove the divinity of Christ. 
 
 First. — Creation. John i, 3, "All things were made by 
 him ; and without him was not any thing made that was 
 made." Col. i, 16, " For by him were all things created, 
 that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invi- 
 sible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principali- 
 ties, or powers, all things were created by him and. for 
 him." Upon these two passages might rest this whole 
 subject, for no testimony can be more pointed and direct. 
 They prove that Christ is the Creator, therefore they 
 prove that is God ; for creation is never ascribed to 
 any being but God, in any part of the whole Ccriptur* 
 record. 
 
 Second. — The Preservation of all things is asov cd t< 
 Christ. Cel. i, 17, " By him all things consist.'" foi 
 
DIVINITV OF CHRIST. 
 
 77 
 
 i, 3. " And upholding all things by the word of his 
 power." In these passages, the work of upholding all 
 things is ascribed to Christ, without any intimation that, 
 in this work, he is exercising a power delegated to him. 
 Preservation is the peculiar work of God ; but it lias been 
 shown that Christ preserves all things, therefore Christ is 
 OoJ. 
 
 4. Divine Honors are ascribed to Christ. Every reader 
 of the Bible knows that the worship of any other being 
 but the "one living and true God,' is idolatry ; and yet 
 the Scriptures testify that Christ is worshiped, and is to 
 be worshiped as God. This cannot be reconciled with the 
 fact that "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God," unless 
 Christ is " the very and eternal God." John v, 2.3, 
 "That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor 
 the Father." Phil, ii, 9, 11, "Wherefore God also hath 
 highly exalted him, and given him a name ; that at the 
 name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, 
 and things in earth, and things under the earth ; And 
 that every tongue should confess, that Jesus Christ is 
 Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Now to " honor," 
 " to bow the knee," is well known to be appropriate 
 phraseology for worship. It is clear then that the Son is 
 worshiped as God, and that, too, at the command of God 
 the Father. Therefore he is God. 
 
 5. But if we hear what Christ says of himself we will 
 see farther evidence of the divinity. " All power is given 
 to me in heaven and in earth." Now this is no vain boast, 
 if we witness the credentials with which he was furnish"^ 
 and the many direct proofs he exhibited, both of the 
 divinity of his person, and of his mission. His divinity 
 was attested at the baptism when the Holy Spirit, like a 
 dove, descended and rested upon him ; it was attested at 
 his transfiguration when the gloriec of his eternal God- 
 
78 
 
 DIVINITY OF CHRIST. 
 
 head beamed through the veil of his humanity, and when 
 the disciples saw Moses and Elias talking with him, said, 
 " It is good to be here." And it was attested, when so 
 terrible was the voice that some said "it thundered, and 
 others that an angel spake." 
 
 But look at his works. He gave -sight to the blind, 
 hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, tone and vigor 
 to the palsied limbs, the pardon of sins to the penitent ; 
 and he stilled the furious tempest with a word, and raised 
 the dead. All these miracles speak to but two single 
 points of his character, his divinity, and his be>ie>wh>u-e. 
 He pointed to his works as witnesses of the former and to 
 his mission as an evidence of the latter. For himself he. 
 could not have felt a stronger assurance of the fact thai 
 he was God, if the hierarchies of heaven had constan'h' 
 stood around him, like an ampitheatre of living p-mr-v 
 pouring forth their songs of praise and worship to a.\ih»v 
 ticate his claims to honor and worship. 
 
 "Join all the glorious names 
 
 Of wisdom, love, and power, 
 
 That ever mortals knew, 
 Or angels ever bore; 
 
 All are too mean to speak his worth, — 
 
 Too mean to set the Saviour forth.' 
 
 6. But it Jesus Christ Avere not God, the Authors of th« 
 Gospels, and the Epistles, must have adopted a very dan- 
 gerous style. The Jews, with whom Christ and his 
 Apostles constantly mingled, were strong advocates of 
 the unity of God ; and the surrounding nations were 
 idolaters. To the Jews, Christ constantly proposed him- 
 self as the very and eternal God. And the Jews clearly 
 understood him in this sense, and charged him with 
 blasphemy. Wherever Christ was preached among the 
 Gentiles, he was constantly presented as God, and that, too, 
 
HUMANITr OF CHRIST. 
 
 79 
 
 for the express purpose of destroying idolatry. The 
 believing heathen were baptised in his name, and required 
 to give hi.n divine honors. Now ail this is irreconcilable 
 it Christ is not a divine Person, — the true God. And 
 Christ himself, as well as his Apostles, must have prac- 
 ticed the greatest possible deception, and are therefore 
 unworthy of a name in the history of the world. But this 
 they did not do, as the predictions of the Old Testament 
 piophets, and the miracles of Christ clearly testify. They 
 propagated a fact interwoven with the very essence of the 
 Divine nature, and of all others, the most essential to the 
 salvation of the world. 
 
 But enough has been said in this place to show how 
 clearly this doctrine is established by the Scriptures ; and 
 to excite in the reader a disposition to investigate t- ^ 
 subject still further. And enough has been said to justify 
 the framers of this Article in the use of the language which 
 sets forth Christ as " the very and eternal God, of one 
 substance with the Father. So fully convinced of this 
 truth was St. Ingratious that he says, " I glorify Jesus 
 Christ, even God, who has endued you with wisdom." 
 
 "Jehovah, Christ, I thee adore, 
 Who gav'st my soul to be ; 
 
 Fountain of being and of power, 
 And great in majesty." 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 Humanilij of Christ. 
 1. He "took man's nature." As the first Adam, was 
 produced by the immediate agency of God the Father, so 
 Jesus, who is the second Adam, was produced by the 
 immediate agency of the Holy Ghost. Luke i, 35. "The 
 
80 
 
 HUMANITY OF CHRIST. 
 
 Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the 
 Highest shall overshadow tl ee ; therefore that holy thing 
 that shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God." 
 Now the phrase " come upon thee," and "overshadow thee," 
 means nothing more than that Mary, the mother of Jesus, 
 was miraculously qualified, by the Holy Ghost, to conceive 
 and produce a son, with all the rudiments of a perfect 
 human being. The same phraseology occurs in Acts i, 8, 
 " After that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." Here it 
 means the miraculous power by which the Apostles should, 
 everywhere, testify of Christ. Now as every miraculous 
 evetit takes place through the influence, and agency of 
 the Holy Ghost, we can have no difficulty in believing in 
 the supernatural conception of Christ, and this too, in full 
 view if all that infidels may have said to the contrary. 
 
 The first Adam was made a full and perfect man by one 
 act of Almighty power, but Christ, the second Adam, was 
 subject, in common with all other human beings, to all the 
 natural laws of human progression, in all his physical and 
 intellectual developments. Hence there was, first, the 
 conception; second, the accomplishment of full time; and 
 third, the birth. Now these are some of the physical facts 
 in the production of any human being, and in these facts 
 we have the evidence that Jesus Christ had a human body. 
 But the Scripture history is farther evidence of his hu- 
 manity, and that his body was subject to all the ordinary 
 laws of physical development. Of the truth that he was 
 born like other children, there can be no doubt, and his 
 subsequent history attests the truth of his gradual physical 
 and intellectual growth. Luke ii, 21, " And when eight 
 darjs were accomplished, for circumcising the child, his 
 name was called Je;us." The reason for this name is in 
 Matt, i, 21, "For he shall save his people from their 
 sins." Then " thirty-three days" after this, according to 
 
HUMANITY OF CHRIST. 
 
 81 
 
 the law of Moses, in Lev. xii, 4, his parents " brought him 
 to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord," Luke ii, 22. 
 Here we have over forty days of Christ's early life dis • 
 tinctly noted, in connection with the ceremonies of the 
 law. In verse 40 it is said " the child grew and waxed 
 strong in spirit, tilled with wisdom." Now these are terms 
 that can only be applied to the ordinary progress of human 
 life, and the regular growth of the body. 
 
 Nothing more is said of Jesus until he is twelve years of 
 age, verse 42. He is, at this early age, found "in the 
 temple sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing 
 them, and asking them questions," verse 46. The next 
 period of his life is noticed in connection with his baptism, 
 Luke iii, 23. Then he " began to be about thirty years of 
 age." This was the age required by the law, at which 
 the priests must arrive before they could be regularly 
 installed in their office. Now it is evident from the fore- 
 going circumstances, in the history of Jesus Christ, that 
 he was a real man, both as to body and sozil. Hence St. 
 John says, "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among 
 us, full of grace and truth." 
 
 2. Terms are uniformly used in reference to Christ that 
 must be understood as indicative of his humanity, as "this 
 won receiveth sinners." "Never man spake like this man." 
 " Come and see the man which told me all things." "A 
 man that is called Jesus made clay." " If this man were 
 net of God, he could do nothing." " Behold the man 
 whose name is the Branch." "A man of sorrows." 
 " After me cometh a man." " But this man when he had 
 offered one sacrifice." "This maw hath an unchangeable 
 priesthood." "A man approved of God." "The man 
 Christ Jesus." All these terms are used in the Scriptures 
 as referring to the human nature of Jesus Christ ; and 
 clearly prove that he was considered a man by all whr 
 
82 
 
 HUMANITY OF CHRIST. 
 
 saw, or had heard of him. And besides this they are 
 terms used by inspired men. 
 
 As a man, he hungered, thirsted, slept, shed tears, and 
 displayed human feeling,?,?, joy, sorrow, and anger. And 
 he exhibited, too, all the properties of a human soul, such 
 as knowledge and understanding. 
 
 3. Without this human nature, Christ could not have 
 made an ittonement for sin. Man transgressed the law 
 of God, and the penalty must fall upon man, even though 
 that humanity might contain in itself the fullness of the 
 Godhead. But Christ did take upon himself our sins, 
 and did make atonement for these sins, in his own body. 
 
 " He took the dying traitor's place, 
 
 And suffer'd in his stead; 
 For sinfu! man — O wondrous grace! — 
 
 For sinful man he bled." 
 
 To do this, he must be related to man, for according to 
 the law of Moses, in Leu. xxv, 25, the redeemer of any 
 forfeited estates must be a relative or kinsman. Now we 
 know that we have all sinned in Adam, and have thereby 
 forfeited all right to an " inheritance among the sanctified." 
 But Jesus presents himself as our "elder brother," " bone 
 of our bone, and flesh of our flesh," for the sole purpose 
 of " redeeming us from the curse of the law, being made 
 a curse for us." And it is said of him that "he is not 
 ashamed to call us brethren." 
 
 Whatever may be said about the humanity of Christ as 
 necessary to an atonement for sin, necessarily implies the 
 fact that he had a human soul. That he had a soul inde- 
 pendent of his divinity, and to complete his humanity, is 
 always assumed as an admitted truth. His whole history 
 proves that he had extraordinary human understanding 
 and wisdom ; but like other men, Ids talents unfolded 
 gradually. Hence St. Luke says, "Jesus increased in 
 
UNION OF THE TWO NATURES. 
 
 83 
 
 wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man." 
 But. a final proof that Christ had a human soul, is his own 
 words, Matt, xxvi, 38, " My soul is exceeding sorrow- 
 fid, even unto death." Now it will not do to say that this 
 was spoken of his divine nature, for this is not only con- 
 trary to the Scripture?, and reason, but it is clearly impos- 
 sible. This could not suffer. With these facts befo:e us, 
 we can look upon the human nature of Christ the same as 
 we can look upon the bodies of other men, with but two 
 exceptions : his miraculous and unusual conception, and 
 his sinlessness, and consequent immortality. Hence 
 Ignal'ums says, " Christ was truly of the seed of David, 
 according to the flesh, the Son of God, according to the 
 will and power of God, having been truly born of a 
 virgin." Ep. ad Smyrna. 
 
 4. The humanity of Christ was immortal. Ps. xvi, ]0, 
 " Neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption." 
 This language is applied to Christ by St. Luke, Acts ii, 27. 
 Death is the consequence of sin, but Jesus was without 
 sin, therefore he was immortal. He did not see corruption, 
 but at the appointed time demonstrated in his own person 
 the possibility of human resurrection. Hence it was 
 necessary that he should possess perfect humanity, that 
 he ii ight be " the first fruits of them that, slept." He 
 entered the tomb in his proper and perfect humanity, and 
 in that tomb he conquered death in his own dominions, 
 and "triumphed over the grave." 
 
 "Then first humanity triumphant 
 Passed the crystal ports of light, 
 And seized eternal youth." 
 
84 
 
 UNION OF TIIK TWO NATURES. 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 
 Union of the two Natures. 
 
 1 . This doctrine is expressed in the third branch of this 
 Article in the following strong language : "So that two 
 whole and perfect na'ures, that is to say, the Godhead and 
 the manhood, were joined together in one person, never 
 to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God and very 
 man." 
 
 The Scripture proof of this doctrine is so abundant, 
 both in the Old and New Testament, that we shall be able 
 to give but a few of the most prominent texts, Is. ix, 6, 
 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and 
 the Government shall be upon his shoulder ; and his name 
 shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, 
 The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." This pas- 
 sage brings before us very distinctly, the two natures of 
 Christ ; first, the humanity — the child-born, and second, the 
 Divinity — the mighty God, the everlasting Father. Now, 
 it is evident that both these persons could not be united in 
 one nature. It cannot be said that the child born is the 
 mighty God, or that the everlasting Father was born. 
 We are compelled, therefore, to admit the two natures of 
 Christ, in one of which he was a "child," and in the other, 
 the "mighty God." Heb. x, 5, "Wherefore, when he 
 cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou 
 wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared me." This 
 passage speaks of a person anterior to the body which 
 was prepared for him. This person and the body pre- 
 pared were joined together ; the person for whom the 
 body was prepared took possession of it. PhU. ii, 5-7, 
 " Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus ; 
 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to 
 be equal with God ; but made himself of no reputation, 
 
CNION OF THE TWO NATURES. 
 
 85 
 
 and took upun him the form of a servant, and was made 
 in the likeness of men." This passage speaks of a person 
 " equal with God," which cannot be true of any being- 
 short of Supreme Divinity. This person took upon him 
 another form, which form was that of a servant. Here 
 we have the " form of God," and the "form of a servant." 
 One equal with God, and the other in "the likeness of 
 men." Quotations equally clear and pointed, with the 
 above, might be given in great numbers ; but with the 
 candid reader of the Bible, and the candid confession of 
 the truth as it is in Christ, the above are sufficient. 
 
 2. These passages prove with great clearness that the 
 person of Jesus Christ is composed of two distinct, and 
 widely different natures ; the Divine, and the human. 
 Both these natures are distinctly recognised, and minutely 
 described, and yet but one person is referred to as the 
 subject of Sacred History, and the ministrations of the 
 Christian pulpit. "We are bound to admit the union of 
 these two natures in Jesus Christ if we would reconcile 
 the Bible with itself, for it is impossible that a simple 
 being should be "from everlasting," and yet born in Beth- 
 lehem ; that he should create all things in the beginning, 
 and four thousand years after be "made of a woman; that 
 he should be the Lawgiver of the Universe, and yet be 
 "made und<r the Luw ;" and that he should possess all 
 things, and yet "have no place to lay his head." Now it 
 is clear that these propositions so opposite to each other, 
 imply a corresponding difference in the nerson concerning 
 whom they are affirmed. The names, the character, the 
 actions, and the honors of God are uniformly ascribed to 
 Jesus Christ; the infirmities and sufferings of man are 
 ascribed to Jesus Christ, and yet but one person is 
 spoken of ; therefore there must have been, in him, tl e 
 union of the Divine and the human nature. These two 
 
86 
 
 UNION OF THE TWO NATURK8. 
 
 natures were complete in themselves ; Christ was perfect 
 God, and perfect man. As God, he existed prior to his 
 human nature, and did not need humanity as a means or 
 aid to his eternal being. As man, he was perfect, and might 
 have existed, as other men, without the Divine nature ; 
 but the plan of salvation demanded the union of the two 
 distinct natures, and therefore they " were joined together 
 in one person, never to he divided, whereof is one Christ, very 
 God, and very man.'''' 
 
 3. How these two natures are united, is quite another 
 question, and we can no more answer it than we can answer 
 the question, how the soul is joined to the body ; or how 
 it is, that the spirit of God dwells in believers. Certain it 
 is, that the union was perfect; the human soul of Christ 
 was conformed to the holiness of God ; the human will ot 
 Christ was in strict subordination to the Divine will, 
 Mark xiv, 36, " Not what I will, but what thou wilt." 
 
 Father, remove this bitter cup, 
 If such thy sacred will ; 
 If not content to drink it up, 
 Thy pleasure I fulfill." 
 
 But Christ's own words may shed some light upon this 
 question, " Believe me that I am in the Father, and the 
 Father in me." Now just as fully as we can comprehend 
 the meaning of these words, just so fully can we under- 
 stand the nature of the union of Christ's Divine and hu- 
 man nature. 
 
 4. When this union commenced may be a question of 
 some moment, inasmuch as some believe that it took p.lace 
 at the baptism of Christ. The general belief upon this sub- 
 ject is founded upon John i, 14, "And the Word was made 
 flesh." Now as no time is specified, beyond the time ol 
 the incarnation, when the two natures were joined together, 
 it is but just to suppose that at the time the human body 
 
UNION OF THE TWO NATURES. 
 
 87 
 
 was formed and animated, at that time the Divinity was 
 united with the humanity. Hence we infer that at the 
 same instant he was perfect God, and perfect man. 
 
 5. The perpetuity of this union is settled by St. Paul, in 
 Heb. vii, 25, ".Seeing he ever livetk to make intercession for 
 them. ' Hence the Article teaches that the two natures 
 of Christ " were joined together in one person never to be 
 divided." 
 
 6. Tlte reason of this union of two natures in Jesus 
 Christ is made very clear in the fact that he is a peifect 
 Mediator. The union of the Divinity and the manhood 
 was necessary to this holy office. That such an office is 
 necessary to the perfection and power of the plan of salva- 
 tion is taught throughout the Scriptures. John xiv, 6, 
 "No man cometh unto the Father but by me." If this 
 office is of so much value to the system of redemption, 
 the officer must be both God and man for the following 
 plain reasons ; First, that he might enter into covenant 
 with God, to mediate between him and sinners ; Second, 
 that he might give virtue and efficacy to his obedience and 
 suffering. 
 
 But it was necessary that he should be man also : First, 
 that he might be related in person to those for whom he 
 was Mediator and Redeemer. Second, that sin might be 
 atoned for in the same nature that sinned. Third, that he 
 might be capable of suffering death, for God could not 
 suffer, and it was necessary to die for sin, inasmuch as the 
 law claims that without shedding of blood there can be no 
 remission of sins. Fourth, He must be man that he might 
 be a faithful high priest, and sympathize with his people 
 in all their trials and temptations. With these qualifica- 
 tions, he is the only Mediator, and is therefore entitled to 
 the faith of the church, and the songs of the redeemed 
 for ever. Hence, St. Chrysostom says, " When thou 
 
88 UNION OF THE TWO NATURES. 
 
 liearest of Christ, do not think him God only, or man only, 
 but both together." 
 
 This union of two natures in one Christ, has ever been 
 a mysterious doctrine, St. Paul says, 1 Tim. iii, 16, "And 
 without controversy great is the mystery of godliness ; God 
 was manifest in the flesh.'* But while it is a great mys- 
 tery, it is an indispensable part of God's plan of salvation, 
 and final sacrifice for sin. It is the reason why pardon is 
 offered to men, and the reason why there is "no more sac- 
 rifice for sin." 
 
 But what practical instruction may we derive from the 
 union of the Divine and human nature in Christ? First, 
 Because of this union, God and men may meet together on 
 terms of reconciliation. But without this, God and sin- 
 ners must have remained in enmity for ever. The person 
 of Christ, as our daysman, and his relation to humanly, 
 encourages man to approach unto God without that fear of 
 being consumed, that so much shocked the Israelites, when 
 the voice of God was heard in the thunders of Sinai. Men 
 are now encouraged to come boldly to a throne of grace ; 
 to come without fear ; to come with confidence. 
 
 " Eehold the throne of grace ; 
 
 The promise calls us near ; 
 There Jesus shows a smiling face, 
 
 And waits to answer prayer/' 
 
 Second. — The union of the two natures in Christ was 
 designed, in part at least, to exhibit the transcendently 
 superior character of Christianity over every other system 
 of religion devised by human reason. In all these systems 
 there were known and felt defects that constantly embar- 
 rassed their votaries in all their attempts at the practice of 
 virtue. In these systems the effect of a pure and perfect 
 guiding example was wanting ; the gods had never re- 
 ^ealed a single rule of religious life, nor illustrated by 
 
SUFFERINGS OF THE HUMANITY. 
 
 80 
 
 their own conduct a single virtue. But Christ as the 
 founder of Christianity, and in bis own person and spot- 
 less life, illustrated all its claims of duty in a meek and 
 virtuous example. The incarnation of God in Christ, 
 therefore, was designed to lead men to a life of both piety 
 and morality, by a method admirably suited to this pur- 
 pose, and absolutely peculiar to the Christian system. It 
 first brings down the moral attributes of God to the 
 level of human capacity ; and second, it exhibits a per- 
 fect and exalted model of human excellence. The Word 
 was made flesh to lead men to affectionate piety ; and 
 the humanity of Christ was taken into God that we might 
 be influenced to aim at superhuman virtue. 
 
 Third. — The humanity of Christ, by which he holds an 
 intimate, though sinless connection with sinners whom he 
 came to redeem, is the representative of human nature in 
 heaven. There Christ " ever liveth to make intercession 
 for us," and to dispense the blessings of God's grace to 
 his children. He is in heaven to give efficacy to the gos- 
 pel on earth, and to conduct all its operations, so that the 
 souls and bodies of the saints maybe brought to where he 
 is. But chiefly are believers encouraged when they look 
 to the intercessory work of Christ in the Holy of Holies. 
 
 " He lives, to bless me with his love ; 
 He lives, to plead for me above ; 
 He lives, my hungry soul to feed; 
 He lives, to keep in time of need." 
 
 SECTION FOURTH. 
 Sufferings of the Humanity. 
 1. "Who truly suffered, was crucified, dead and 
 buried." But little need be said, in this place, of the 
 sufferings of Christ, or of the proofs of his sufferings, 
 
SUFFERINGS OF THE HUMANITY - . 
 
 inasmuch as the facts are not denied. Much is said upon 
 this painful, though glorious subject, both by ihe prophets 
 of the Old Testament, and the writers of the New Testa- 
 ment. It may be enough to say that the sufferings of 
 Christ's human nature were of two kinds, — bodily and 
 mental. The causes of his pain and sorrow were partly 
 visible, and partly invisible. The sufferings of his body 
 were produced by the malice of men, in the wicked inflic- 
 tion of blows, scourging, and the indescribable tortures of 
 the Roman crucifixion. The sufferings of his human soul 
 arose from the wrath of God poured upon him, Avhen he 
 stood in the place of man, and bore our sins in his own 
 body. 
 
 The whole period of the humanity of Christ on earth, 
 was a period of suffering, either of body or soul. Is. liii, 
 3, " He is despised and rejected of men ; a man of sor- 
 rows, and acquainted with grief." " He was despised," 
 "He was wounded," "He was bruised," "He was 
 oppressed," " He was cut off out of the land of the 
 living," are terms of expression that indicate the most 
 intense suffering. The good Bishop Pearson has said, — 
 " If hunger and thirst ; if revilings and contempt ; if sor- 
 rows and agonies ; if stripes and buffitings ; if condem- 
 nation and crucifixion be suffering, then Jesus suffered. 
 If the infirmities of our nature ; if the weight of our sins ; 
 if the malice of men; if the machinations of satan ; if 
 the hand of God could make him suffer, our Saviour suf- 
 fered." 
 
 2. But the Evangelists give a short but impressive his- 
 tory of his sufferings in Gethsemane. Here he struggled 
 in the depths of solitude, with the weight of agony which 
 we shall never realize nor comprehend. An unseen power 
 pressed his soul into deepest agony, and his gushing sor- 
 rows are but hinted at in these words of highest passion, 
 
i*7FFERIN..S OF THE HUMANITY. 91 
 
 Jail, xxvi, 33, "My soul is exceeding «orroKrul, even 
 unto <Jea:h." And while he looked to the only refuge 
 from the merciless lashes of hell, his mouth utters an 
 caintst but submissive prayer, "0, my Father, it' it be 
 po^ible, let this cup piss from me;" let it be poured out 
 upon hell where it belongs, — " nevertheless, not as I will, 
 but as thou wilt." 0 what a moving, anxious entreaty ! 
 yet what a full surrender of the whole case to God! 
 D.eply in'.cnse must have been his inward suffering that 
 wro.ig'..t so powerfully upon his body, — that could so 
 opera. e upon ihe emo.ional nature of the Son of God, chat 
 '• his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling 
 down to the ground."' 
 
 "Gethsemane can I forget ! 
 
 O there thy confl'ct see, 
 Thine agony and bloody sweat, 
 
 And not remember thee?"' 
 
 3. But he " ivas crucified." This was the most cruel 
 modi of punishment that enraged malice could invent. 
 When compared with the gibbet, the gallows, the pilory, 
 of mjre modern invention, it so far exceeds them in 
 inlamv, and torture, that the latter are, comparatively, 
 eisy and honorable modes of torture, while the former 
 exceeds description. Add to this mo L of Christ's su.lu • 
 mg, the attendant circumstances, the carrying of the cross 
 by himself, — the sinking under its weight, — the nailing c f 
 his hands and feet to the wood, — the vinegar mingled 
 with gall, — the hours of suffering, — the hours of collected 
 power and darkness, that enveloped the sufferer in its 
 awful folds, — the treading of the wine press of the wrath 
 of (rod alone; the hidings of his Father's face, and we 
 may challenge all language, — all figures of speech, to 
 commj.ii. cite an adequate idea of the suffeiings ct him 
 
92 
 
 SUFFERINGS OF THE HUMANITY. 
 
 who never committed sin. He suffered for us, that he 
 might bring us to God. 
 
 Hell howled ; and heaven that hour let fall a tear, 
 
 Heaven w^pt that man might smile ! Heaven bled, that man 
 
 ft; it;h never die !" 
 
 4. But Jesus was crucified " dead." It was not a 
 swoon occasioned by Ihe intensity of his suffering, and the 
 stupifymg drink that was given him, as some infidels 
 would teach. Christ did die, — he was veritably dead. 
 Pilate had his doubts that "he were already dead," and 
 took the necessary steps to ascertain the truth of the 
 matter; " and calling unto him the centurion, he asked 
 him whether lie had been any while dead. And when he 
 knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph." 
 Mark xv, 44, 45. 
 
 But there is a circumstance in John xix, 33, 34, which 
 confirms the statement of the veritable death of Christ. 
 " But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and 
 forthwith came thereout blood and water." Here it is said 
 the soldiers found Jesus " dead already," and though un- 
 consciously, and unintentionally, they complied with the 
 ancient prediction, "Not a bone of him shall be broken;" 
 but they pierced his side with a spear. It is probable 
 that the spear passed through the pericardium, or cover- 
 ing of the heart, into the heart itself; and that the blood 
 came from the wounded heart, while the water came from 
 the heart's covering. When the spear was withdrawn, 
 there followed "blood and water." Hence the body ot 
 Jesus was the more willingly given to Joseph of Arimathea, 
 for interment. 
 
 5. He was " buried." The four Evangelists agree in 
 all the circumstances of, and in all the facts pertaining to, 
 the burial of the crucified Christ. They all agree in 
 detailing the kind actions of Joseph of Arimathea ; and 
 
0BJ..CT OF THE SUFFERING. 93 
 
 St. John mentions Nicodemus, as also a partaker in the 
 preparations for this last act of affection to the body of 
 Jesus. In Matt, xxvii, 58-GO, it is said that Joseph " went 
 to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate com- 
 manded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had 
 taken ihe body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid 
 tt in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock ; 
 and lie rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, 
 and departed." The truth of the burial, and by conse- 
 quence, the truth of the death of Christ, was admitted by 
 the chief priests and pharisees.who, fearing that the disciples 
 ■would remove the body, " went and made the sepulchre 
 sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch." This is sub- 
 stantially the testimony of all the Evangelists, who, in their 
 artless manner, have brought together an array of circum- 
 stances which make the enemies, as well as the friends of 
 Jesus, testify to-the fact of his burial. 
 
 But our Article is fully sustained, so far, by the clear 
 testimony of the Scripture record, and we cannot withhold 
 our expression of thanksgiving to God, that he has given 
 to us, and preserved for our use, in all matters of faith 
 and Christian practice, the Holy Bible. But for this " Book 
 Divine," our minds must suffer the perpetual mildew of 
 uncertain conjecture. 
 
 " Come, then, Divine Interpreter — 
 The Scriptures to our hearts ajply." 
 
 SECTION FIFTH. 
 
 Object of the Suffrrhig. 
 1. This is stated in the Article, in these words : " To 
 .•econcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only 
 for original guilt, but also for ac'.ual sins of men." 
 
94 OBJhCT OF THE SUFFERISG. 
 
 First. — " To reconcile his Father to us." To reconcile 
 signifies to restore to favor, and neces arily supposes a 
 previous state of hostility and enmity between the parties 
 reconciled. That such a state of enmity existed between 
 God and men, on account of the transgression of God's 
 law, is everywhere the testimony of the Scriptures. And 
 hence it is said in Ps. vii, 11, " God is angry with the 
 the wicked every day." This passage is expressive of 
 God's legal relation to the offender. He is angry with the 
 wicked because they are criminals who have violated his 
 laws, and risen up against his authority. They are, there- 
 fore, regarded and treated as enemies. That man is at 
 enmity with God is so clear a case, that but a stogie pas- 
 sage will be quoted as proof of the fact. Bom. viii, 7, 
 " The carnal mind is enmity against God." Now Jesus 
 Christ came into the world to suffer and die that this 
 enmity between God and man might be destroyed ; Eph. 
 ii, 16, "And that he might reconcile both unto God in 
 one body, by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." 
 
 The true idea, therefore, of reconciliation is found in the 
 scriptural fact, that Jesus Christ, by his death on the cross, 
 satisfied the claims of the law of God, in man's stead ; 
 " Having abolished in his flesh the enmity even the law 
 of command nents." Thus he became "our peace." 
 Here the rcconciliatory act is attributed to Christ, and his 
 death on the cross, and not to man. Christ laid down his 
 life for sinners, that means might be instituted, in the use 
 of which, the enmity of man's carnal heart may be sub- 
 dued, and he brought into communion and fellowship with 
 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. To complete 
 the reconciliation man must use the means, as they are set 
 forth in the gospel, whereby the anger of God may be 
 removed. The means of pardon are the sin offering of 
 Christ, on the part of the government of God ; and peni- 
 
OBJECT OF THE SUFFERING). S5 
 
 tcnce, confession, and fa!th in the sacrifice cf Christ upon 
 the part of man. By the faithful use of these means, the 
 sinner may obtain the much to be desired end. Bum. 
 v, 1, " Being justified by faith, we have peace with God 
 through our Lord Jesus Christ." Here we see, that though 
 God is reconciled to us by the death of his Son, still there 
 is enmity in the heart of man, until he is justified by faith, 
 and though Christ has died for sinners, making it possible 
 for God to be just, and the justifier of the ungodly, yet sin- 
 nets cannot be saved unless they believe with a heart unto 
 righteousness, and follow the commandments of God. 
 
 Second. — "And to be a sacrifice not only for original 
 guilt, but also for actual sins of men." This branch of 
 our article brings before us the sacrificial offering of Christ 
 for sin. This is the great central truth of the gospel, and 
 from this truth arises every other truth that is in any way 
 connected with the work of redemption. Dr. Jtntkyn de- 
 fines this sacrificial oU'ering of Christ to be the " expedient 
 substituted in the place of the literal infliction of the 
 threatened penalty, so as to supply to the government just 
 and good grounds for dispensing favors to an offender." 
 It therefore means something that may justify the exercise 
 of clemency, mercy, and pardon, without relaxing the 
 claims of justice. God has provided the atonement of 
 Christ as the guard against the infliction of unconditional 
 condemnation upon sinners ; and in this atonement is 
 found the only means, and the only reason by which the 
 moral Government of God is supplied with just grounds 
 for dispensing pardon to the truly penitent offender. 
 
 But to shew that Christ offered himself a sacrifice for 
 sin ; and that God has accepted of that sacrifice, we have 
 but to examine the Scripture record. Heb. ix, 26, "But 
 now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put 
 away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Lorn. viii. 3, " For 
 
9G 
 
 OBJECT OF THE SUFFERING. 
 
 what the law could not do in that it was weak through 
 the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sin- 
 ful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh." 1 Peter, 
 iii, 18, "For Christ also hath once svffered for sirs, the 
 just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, 
 being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the 
 spirit." 1 John, ii, 2, "And he is the propitiation fcr 
 our sins ; and not for ours only, but for the sins of the 
 whole world." 
 
 The first great doctrine taught by the foregoing texts, 
 is the vicarious suffering of Christ; that is, he substitute! 
 his sufferings in the place of the suffering of punishment 
 that was due to the sinner. 
 
 But while it is true that the Scriptures lay much stress 
 upon the sufferings of Christ, they are far from making 
 the validity of the atonement to depend upon these ; 
 neither as to their amount or intensity. It was not the 
 mere sufferings of the sacrifice, under the law, that made 
 atonement for the sins of the people, but it was the blood 
 that was shed. Hence the Scriptures attribute our redemp- 
 tion to the blood of Christ, as well as to his sufferings. 
 " We are made nigh by the blood of Christ ;" " He hath 
 washed us from our sins in his own blood;" "We have 
 redemption through his blood;" We are redeemed "with 
 the precious blood of Christ." The redeemed do not 
 ascribe their salvation to the sufferings of Christ, but they 
 say, " Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by 
 thy blood." 
 
 "Jesus, thy blood, thy blood alone. 
 Hath power sufficient to atone ; 
 Thy blood can make us white as snow, 
 No Jewish types could cleanse us so." 
 
 It is evident the sufferings of Christ were not in amount 
 what the law demanded as the punishment of sin, for this 
 
OBJECT OF THE SUFFERING. 
 
 97 
 
 woulJ have consigned his humanity to torments for ever. 
 On the principle, then, that Christ died for all, if the va- 
 lidity of the atonement depends upon the amount of his 
 sufferings, all must be unconditionally saved, and there 
 could be no such a thing as penitence, faith and pardon, 
 inasmuch as the punishment was only changed from the 
 guilty to the innocent. The penalty due to sin is endless 
 torment in hell ; but Christ did not suffer endless tor- 
 ment in hell ; therefore he did not suffer in amount 
 M hat all the impenitent, or all the world must have suffered. 
 
 The saeririce of Christ was such as God could accept, 
 and at the same time " be just, and the justifier of him 
 that believeth in Jesus." But this does not make the sal- 
 vation of all men a necessary result of the atonement, but 
 merely a possible consequence. 
 
 The second great doctrine is the universality of design 
 in the sacrifice of Christ. That he died for the whole hu- 
 man race is a truth that is read in every line of all the 
 passages we have just quoted ; indeed, this is the doctrine 
 of the whole Bible. But while it is true that Christ by the 
 "grace of God tasted death for every man, it does not ne- 
 cessarily follow that every man will be unconditionally 
 saved. This we dare not believe, unless it is certain that 
 all men will repent and believe the gospel. But because 
 some, by their own stubborn will, derive no advantage 
 from the death of Christ, it does not follow that the atone- 
 ment of Christ does not include them, or that it is not 
 sullicient to reach their cases, if they will comply with its 
 claims. Or, in other words, it does not follow that they 
 nuiy not, if they will repent, believe, and become heirs to 
 the inheritance of eternal salvation. 
 
 But, though the atonement of Christ is as universal as 
 the human family, and is sufficient to do away all the 
 sins of men, yet it does not extend to fallen angels; and 
 
98 
 
 OBJECT OF THE SUFFERING. 
 
 hence the guarded language of our Article, iiKwhich no 
 sin is included, but the "original guilt and actual sins of 
 men." 
 
 A third doctrine taught by the sacrifice of Christ, is the 
 fact that he atoned for all sin, or, in the language of the 
 Article, "for original guilt and actual sins of men." This 
 brings before us the perfection of the atonement for all the 
 purposes of justification and eternal life. The primary act 
 of apostacy in Adam was his sin, and as he is the public 
 representative of the human race, in the estimaiion of 
 moral law, his sin is transmitted to every member of 
 his posterity, and is called "original guilt." Then there 
 are sins that men commit as moral responsible beings ; 
 these are called actual sins, or, " the transgression of the 
 law." Now the sacrifice of Christ reaches both these 
 sins, opening the way into the kingdom of God for all who 
 have never committed actual sin, and for all who have 
 sinned, but have truly repented and believed the gospel. 
 Hence it is said in the Bible, 1 John, i, 7, " The blood of 
 Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin." Hence it is that 
 man may arrive at such a state of holiness as to be fit for 
 the inheritance of the saints in heaven. 
 
 Third. — The atonement of Christ is not only perfect, 
 including all sin, and making it possible for man to be de- 
 livered from sin in this life, and, consequently from the 
 punishment of sin in the future life ; but it is permanent 
 and perfectly valid ; that is, it is the only way to the 
 Father, and needs no additional means of power and satis- 
 faction ; as penance, and human mortifications. Hence St. 
 Paul says, Heb. vii, 27, "Who teedeth not daily, as those 
 high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and 
 then for the people's ; for this he did once, when he 
 offered up himself." This passage teaches the complete- 
 ness of the one sacrifice cf Christ, and the superior nature 
 
OBJECT OF THE SUFFERING. 99 
 
 of this one offering, to all the offerings of the priests 
 under the law. 
 
 We are prepared now to see the fact that the sufferings 
 and death of Christ do effect a removal of the conse- 
 quences of sin from the sinner, if he will avail himself of 
 the benefits of that death by faith. Christ died for us is 
 li e uniform testimony of the Scriptures ; " The L<>rd hath 
 laid on him the iniquity of us all ;" "He shall bear their 
 iniquities ;" " Who himself bore our sins in his own bo ly 
 on I he tree ; " "Christ was once offered to bear the sins of 
 many ;" "It pleased the Lord to bruise him ;" are pas- 
 sages that cannot be misunderstood. This agrees with the 
 fact in Rom. viii, 3°, " God spared not his own Son, bu; 
 delivered him up for us all." Thesp passages make i in: 
 possible for us to conceive of any other way in which 
 Christ could hear the sins of mankind, "in his own body," 
 except by the penal, substitutionary character of his suffer- 
 ings and death. In this substitution of himself, he turned 
 away the wrath of God from us. 
 
 But all this does not prove that Christ paid the d<-bt 
 of human duty, but only the debt of penalty. Man ran t 
 discharge the debt of duty himself, else he cannot possess 
 the righteousness of faith. If he has not this, he will have- 
 no righteousness, for the duties that Christ paid to the 
 law, as a good man, cannot be Tansferred to the sinner. 
 The duties enjoined upon us must be discharged by our 
 selves, Christ has perfected his work; and if we would 
 enjoy the benefits of this work, we must discharge 
 every debt of duty that God has enjoined upon us 
 
 " I will improve what I receive, 
 The grace through Jesus given." 
 
ARTICLE III. 
 
 OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 
 
 ' CYm r did truly rise from the dead, and took ayait) his body, 
 .vit'i ' 1 likings appertaining to the perfection of man's nature, 
 therewith he ascended into heaven, and there sitteth until ho 
 return lo judge all men at tlie last day." 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 
 Resurrection of Christ. 
 I. There is no Article of our Religion more important 
 than this. It is the grand central doctrine of the Chris- 
 tian system, upon the truth of which Christianity either 
 stands or falls. If Christ did not rise from the grave the 
 New Testament is no more than a fable, and the world is 
 •still without hope. If Christ did rise from the dead the 
 New Testament is true, and the world may look to him 
 for salvation. It is a testimony that the atonement ot 
 Christ was accepted ; and it is a proof of our own resur- 
 rection, But " Christ did truly rise drain from the dead," 
 this we prove by the authority of the New Testament. 
 It has already been shown in Sec. Fourth, Art. II, that 
 i'hrist "was crucified, dead and buried." This was done 
 by the Roman Governor, at the instigation of the Jews, 
 and the dead body was in their hands and entirely under 
 their control. They knew that if he would rise from the 
 grave, as he had before stated, his cause would gain more 
 by this fact, than by anything he might have done during 
 his life. Hence the chief priests and scribes demanded 
 that the sepulchre where he was laid " might be made 
 sure." Pilate gave them authority to do this, and they 
 scaled the mouth of the sepulchre, and appointed a guard 
 juo 
 
RESVRKECTIOX OF CITRIST. 
 
 101 
 
 of seventy soldiers to keep, as tliey said, the disci] Ic fi i 
 Stealing the body of Jesus away by night. 
 
 2. But with all this precaution, upon the part of these 
 suspicious Jews, still the body of Jesus was missing on 
 the morning of the third day. Now there were bu wxj 
 ways in which it could be missing ; — it was taken 
 away either by the disciples or the Roman guard, or i 
 w as raised according to the Scriptures. It is well known 
 that it was impossible lor it to be taken by the disciples on 
 account of the number, the care, and the superior authority 
 of the guard ; and the guard did not take it because they 
 were the enemies of Christ, and because they would have 
 been subject to immediate death if tl ey had even suffered 
 the disciples to remove the body. But stiil the body of 
 Christ was missing on the morning of the third day, as 
 was reported by some of the guard, and as was believed 
 by the elders of Israel. The guard reported the circum- 
 stances of the resurrection, — as the descent of an angel 
 from heaven, — the rolling away of the stone from the door 
 of the sepulchre, — the great earthquake, — and the faetof 
 their own fearful experience; for they "did shake and 
 become as dead men." Upon the report of these facts 
 the elders and soldiers enter into a covenant of fraud and 
 falsehood to neutralize the fact of the resurrection, and to 
 cover up the wickedness of their own proceedings in the 
 arrest, the trial, and the crucitix.on of Christ. This whole 
 transaction goes very far to establish the doctiine of the 
 resurrection, by assuming what is clearly the fact, that 
 the enemies of Christ, at this early period, believed that 
 he had arose from the dead, as he had said lie would 
 before his crucifixion. 
 
 3. But there were other witnesses of the resurrection 
 of Christ. These had the evidence of sir/Id, for Christ 
 appeared often to them after his resurrection, and to many 
 
102 EESUI.RECTION OF CHRIST. 
 
 who had been personally acquainted with him before his 
 crucifixion. Ma/k xvi, 9, "He appeared first to Mary 
 Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils." 
 Luke, xxiv, 36, "And as they thus spake, Jesus himself 
 stood in the midst of them, and said unto them, Peace be 
 unto you." This Avas done and said to the eleven disci- 
 ples, and those who were with them. Mark, xvi, 12, 
 "After that, he appeared in another form unto two of them 
 as they walked, and went into the country." Matt, xxviii, 
 9, " And as they went to tell his disciples, behold Jesus 
 met them, saying, All hail. And they came, and held 
 him by the feet, and worshiped him." Luke, xxiv, 40, 
 "And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his 
 hands and his feet." John xx, 37, " Then saith he to 
 Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands ; 
 and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side ; 
 and be not faithless, but believing." Luke xxiv, 34, "He 
 appeared to Simon." John xx'i, 1, He appeared "to tie 
 disciples at the sea of Tiberias." Matt, xxviii, 16, To the 
 eleven disciples in a mountain in Galilee. Acts i, 3, " To 
 whom also he showed himself alive after his passion, by 
 many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and 
 speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." 
 Ch. x, 49-41. " Him (iod raised up the third day, and 
 showed him openly. Not to all the people, but unto wit- 
 nesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and 
 drink with him after he rose from the dead.' 1 Cor. xv, 
 6, " After that, he was seen of above five hundred 
 brethren at once ; of whom the greater part remain unit) 
 this present, but some are fallen asleep." 
 
 4. Now it is impossible that so many persons, who saw 
 Jesus at so many different times after his resurrection, and 
 who were so familiar with him before his death, could be so 
 deceived as to publish a falsehood. They had the evidence 
 
RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 103 
 
 of sight, the evidence of conversation, and the evidence of 
 handling him ; and what more could they have, or how 
 could they be deceived? But the truth of the whole 
 question now turns upon the character of the witnesses. 
 Their credibility cannot be doubted if we consider all the 
 circumstances under which they testified. They were in 
 danger of loosing their lives if they persisted in giving 
 the resurrection publicity. They had no possible hope of 
 worldly gain ; but on the contrary, loss of all they had, 
 and banishment from their country. But they were 
 honest men, — they were familiar with the fact about which 
 they testified, and they were disinterested. They were 
 compelled to believe what they saw and felt by the force 
 uf circumstances they did not create ; and they published 
 the fact to the world in view of death, stripes and impriso 
 ment, therefore they are to be believed, and it is therefore 
 true that Christ "did rise again from the dead." 
 
 5. The apostles published this fact in the very place 
 where Christ was tried and crucified as an impostor, and 
 among his and their own enemies ; and they published it 
 at the time it took place. So powerfully did this truth 
 take held of the people, that while Peter was publicly 
 preaching it, three thousand of the Jews were converted to 
 God, and soon after five thousand. The Jewish councd 
 were confounded, and commanded the apostles " not to 
 speak at all, nor teach in the name of Jesus." These are 
 facts in this argument that infidelity cannot resist, and 
 facts, too, that settle Christianity on an imperishable basis. 
 
 " Our Lord is risen from the dead ; 
 
 Our Jolts is gone up on high ; 
 The powers of hell are captive led, — 
 
 Dragg'd to the portals of the fcky." 
 
 6. The above shows the truth that Christ "took again 
 kis body with all things appertaining to the perfection of 
 
104 
 
 TBE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 
 
 man's nature."' His body did not see corruption, and 
 when the disciples looked upon him, they saw the identical 
 body that they had seen before the crucifixion, except the 
 nail prints in his hands and feet, and the mark of the 
 spear in his side. Hence St. Jgnatious, in A. D. 100, 
 says, " I know that he was in the flesh after the resurrec- 
 tion, and I believe that he is ; and when he came to those 
 who were with Peter, he said unto them, 'Take hold ol 
 me, feel me, and see that I am no unbodied spirit.' " 
 
 ' Siiis^ praise ! the t'>mb is void 
 Whure the Redeemer lay.'' 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 
 The Ascension <f Chr.st. 
 1. The same body of Christ that was crucified, laid in 
 the grave, and that rose from the grave, is the body 
 " where w'.th he amended in'o Heaven." The ascension of 
 Cmist was a theme of prophecy. David says in Ps. 
 Ixviii, 18, " Thou hast ascended on high." Christ fore- 
 told this event in John vi, 62, " What and if ye shall see 
 the Son of man ascend up where he was before." This 
 do;trine, like that of the resurrection, is numbered among 
 the fundamental truths of the Christian religion, and is 
 one of the essential facts upon which Cuiistianity is 
 founded. It is as capable of clear proof as any doctrine 
 of the Bible. Hence in Mark xvi. 19, we have this 
 record, " So then after the Lord had spoken to them, he 
 was received up into heaven." Luke xxiv, 51, "And it 
 came to pass, while he blessed them, lie was parted from 
 them, and carried up into heaven." Acts i, 9, "And when 
 he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was 
 taken up ; and a cloud received him out of their sight." 
 
TnE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 105 
 
 These prove enough to fully establish two things ; first, 
 that he left the earth ; and second, that he ascended into 
 heaven. 
 
 2. But this can be proved by other credible witnesses, 
 as well as by circumstances that could not have taken 
 place, if he had not ascended into heaven. The first 
 witness is Stephen in his dying hour, Acts vii, 56, " An 1 
 said, Behold, I see heaven opened, and the Son of man 
 standing on the right hand of God." St. Paid is our 
 other witness, in 1 Cor. xv, 8, "And last of all, he was 
 seeu of me also, as of one born out of due time." But 
 Christ promised to send the Holy Ghost on the apostles, 
 which be could not have done if he had not ascended 
 into heaven. He says, in John xvi, 7, ■ For if I go not 
 awav, the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I 
 depart, I will send him unto you." Now the ascension of 
 Christ into heaven is made clear by the fact that this 
 promise was fulfilled in ten days after the ascension, and 
 in fifty days after the resurrection. Acts ii, 4, " And they 
 were all filled with the Holy Ghost." But the Holy 
 Spirit was not confined to the apostles in his pouring out 
 on the day of Penticost, as a proof to them alone that 
 Christ had ascended into heaven ; for his miraculous 
 descent was the means of the conversion of about three 
 thousand souls. Verse 41. Now the argument is this, if 
 Christ had not ascended into heaven, the Comforter would 
 not have come upon the apostles, and the three thou- 
 sand would not have been converted. The descent of the 
 Holy Ghost, as Christ had promised, is therefore evidence 
 that he ascended into heaven. 
 
 3. Why the ascension of Christ Avas dclaved for forty 
 days after the resurrection, is not specified in the Bible. 
 But we may very rationally suppose that it was to give 
 repeated and clearer proofs of his resurrection. St. Luke 
 
106 
 
 THE ASCENSION OF CHRTST. 
 
 in Acts i, 3, says, " To whom also he showed himself 
 alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs, being 
 seen of them forty days." While this passage seems to 
 sustain the above remarks, it clearly suggests another rea- 
 son for the stay of forty days on earth after the resurrec- 
 tion. It is this, that he might instruct his disciples more 
 fully in "the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." 
 Now as the time was undoubtedly occupied in some great 
 work, it is not too much to suppose that Christ was open- 
 ing the Scriptures more fully to his apostles ; and that he 
 was unfolding to them the new and more spiritual develop- 
 ments of his kingdom, and preparing them for the man- 
 agement of its temporal and spiritual interests. And last 
 of all, he renewed their commission to preach the gospel 
 to all nations, and pledged himself to be present with them 
 in all their labors by this encouraging promise, "And lo, I 
 am with you." Luke xxiv, oJ, 51, "Then he led them out 
 as far as to Bethany, and lifted up his hands and blessed 
 them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he 
 was parted from them, and carried up into heaven." St. 
 Cyprian beautifully remarks upon this splendid transaction, 
 " After he had spent forty days with his disciples, he was 
 taken up into heaven, a cloud being spread about him, 
 that the human nature which he loved, which he assumed, 
 which he protected from death, he might triumphantly 
 carry to the Father." 
 
 4. The ascension of Christ was just as real as his resur- 
 rection, and the testimony concerning the one is just as 
 clear and convincing as it is concerning the other. The 
 resurrection had the testimony of circumstances and 
 sight, and the ascension had the testimony of sight and the 
 circumstances of the place where Christ ascended, and 
 the subsequent descent of the Holy Ghost. While the asto- 
 nished apostles stood gazing up into heaven, the angels who 
 
THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. 
 
 107 
 
 had published the advent and resurrection of Christ, now 
 joined in a loud song- of triumph. Ps. xlvii, " God is gone 
 up with a shout." Ps. xxiv, 7, " Lift up your heads, 0 
 ye gates ; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors ; and 
 the King of glory shall come in." Thus, amid the greet- 
 ings of angels, and the shoutings of the cherubim and 
 seiuphim, and the glorified spirits of the just made perfect, 
 lie reentered the courts of the upper sanctuary, and took 
 his seat at the light hand of God the Father. And thus, re- 
 seated upon his throne in the heaven of heavens, he 
 grasped his sceptre of universal control by his triple right 
 of creation, blood and triumph from the grave, that he 
 might establish the security of his church, and set up his 
 throne in the hearts of millions whom he redeemed with 
 nis own blood. 
 
 " Him though the highest heaven receives, 
 Still lie loves the earth he leaves ; 
 Though returning to h ; s throne, 
 Still he calls mankind his own." 
 
 6 But the Bible assigns some very important reasons 
 for the ascension of Christ. The ascension itself is a fact, 
 and like all the facts in religion, it has its particular use. 
 But to notice the reasons and uses of the ascension of 
 Christ somewhat in detail, I remark, 
 
 First. — That he might receive and bestow gifts upon 
 men. A proof of this is in Ps Ixviii, 18, "Thou hast as- 
 cended on high, thou hast led captivity captive ; thou hast 
 received gifts for men ; yea, for the rebellious also, that the 
 Lord might dwell among them." 
 
 Second. — That he might open a new way to his kingdom 
 and glory. Heb. x, 20, "A new and living way which he 
 hath consecrated for us, through the vale.' 
 
 Third. — That he might prepare a place for his children, 
 and assure them of a better inheritance. John xiv, 3, "And 
 
103 SECOND COM:NG OF CHRIST. 
 
 if I go and prepare a place for you, I w ill come again and 
 receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye mav 
 be also." This is ground of great joy to Christians in all 
 places, and under all circumstances, as it was to the 
 troubled hearts of the disciples. 
 
 Fourth.— That he might ever live to be a faithful big! 
 priest, to make intercession for his people; to take the 
 charge of their spiritual interests, and at last to bring them 
 up to behold his own kingdom and glory ; and to unite 
 them in one "general assembly and church of the first 
 born in heaven." Then will he deliver up the kingdom to 
 his Father, and reign with him and the Holy Ghost, and 
 with angels and saints, world without end. 
 
 "High on his holy seat, 
 
 He bears the righteous sway ; 
 His foes beneath his feet. 
 
 Shall sink and die away ; 
 Join all on earth, rejoice and sing 
 Glory ascribe to glory's King. 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 Second Coming of Clirist. 
 1. In Section Second we followed Christ to the right 
 band of the Father. There he will remain as our advo- 
 vocate and mediator, ''until he return to judge all men at 
 the last day." Every true Christian is looking forward to 
 this event with peculiar delight ; and every sinner looks 
 with fear and sorrow. All know that the second advent 
 is certain; but when Christ will come to judge all men, is 
 not known. Matt, xxiv, 36, " Of that day knoweth no 
 man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." 
 It is therefore but little less than presumption to attempt 
 a calculation of how long Christ will remain in heaven 
 
SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 109 
 
 before he will come "to judge all men at the last day." 
 It is sufficient for us to know from Acts i, 11, that "This 
 same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall 
 so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into 
 heaven ;" and from Chap, xvii, 31, " Because he hath 
 appointed a day, in the which he wiil judge the world in 
 righteousness by that man whom he hath ordaiued." 
 This passage not only settles the certainty of the final 
 judgment, but it establishes the uniform doctrine of the New 
 Testament, that the world will be judged by Jesus Christ. 
 
 2. It is true, however, that God the Father will be the 
 judge as to original authority, power and right ; but ac- 
 cording to the principles of government as it relates to the 
 economy of redemption, the work of judging all men at 
 the last day is transferred to the man Christ Jesus. John 
 v, 22, " For the Father judg^th no man ; but hath com- 
 mitted all judgment unto the Son. Verse 27. "And hath 
 given him authority to execute judgment also, because he 
 is the Son of man." The goodness and wisdom of God 
 in this transfer of authority and power to the Son, is seen 
 in the fact that Christ, as a man, knows from his own ex- 
 perience, the sufferings, infirmities, and temptations, to 
 which man's nature is exposed ; and can, therefore, be 
 compassionate and merciful while he is just in his judg- 
 ment. But the final judgment of this world is a part of 
 Christ's work by an original agreement with the Father, 
 in the covenant of redemption. The work of Christ, 
 therefore, cannot be completed until after the secrets of all 
 hearts have been made known, and every man judged ac- 
 cording to the deeds done in the body ; " Then cometh 
 the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to 
 God, even the Father." 1 Cor. xv. 24. 
 
 3. But the second coming of Christ will be widely dif- 
 ferent from his first coming. Then he came to be a " sin 
 
1 10 SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 
 
 offering," meek and lowly ; but when he comes again, he 
 will come "without sin unto salvation," arrayed in .-u- 
 preme glory and majesty. He will descend on his great 
 white throne, in the clouds of heaven, accompanied with 
 ten thousand of his saints. In the presence of that glorj 
 and splendor of Godhead, the sun shall wax dim, and all 
 light shall be swallowed up; the bosom of the troubled 
 air shall be filled with clouds and storm, strangely con 
 fused, while thunder clouds of fearful wrath are prepare . 
 to explode upon an astonished world. The trump of God 
 will thunder through all the prison houses of the dead ; 
 death, hell, and the sea shall deliver up their dead, and 
 those who have never died shall be changed in a moment, 
 and invested with bodies immortal. Then the face of 
 the whole earth will be re-peopled ; the whole family of 
 man with the first man at their head, shall stand fur the 
 first time, all together on the earth. Then every eye shall 
 see the Judge in the glory of his Father and of the holy 
 angels; then "his eyes shall be as a flame of fire, his 
 countenance as the sun that shineth in his strength, and 
 his voice as the sound of many waters." Then will begin 
 the wonders and horrors of the last scene, the day of 
 darkness and of terror. Then the vast multitude of hu- 
 man beings and devils will be divided into two classes, 
 the first will have risen "to the resurrection of life," 
 while the second will have risen " to the resurrection of 
 damnation." The wicked shall be separated from the just, 
 and assembled on the left hand of the Judge, as a public 
 proof of God's wrath and indignation against them. The 
 righteous shall be assembled on the right hand of the 
 throne as a public proof of their innocence. Then the 
 books shall be opened, and the dread scrutiny shall begin. 
 Nothing shall be overlooked ; " the two mites," " the cup 
 of cold water," the prison visit, the pious wish, shall be 
 
SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 
 
 Ill 
 
 taken notice of, on the one hand ; while on the other, the 
 omitted kindness, the idle word, the unchaste look, the 
 thought of evil, the deed of darkness, the stubborn unbe- 
 lief, shall all be brought into open court. Every man 
 will be judged according to the moral quality of whatever 
 he may have done, according to the strictest rules of jus- 
 tice. Then will come the senten- e ; trembling thousands 
 hark ! it is the Lord that is about to speak, and though 
 you would not listen to his voice on earth, now you must. 
 To the righteous the Judge will then say, "Come ye 
 blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for 
 you from the foundation of the world." But, turning to 
 the left hand, with the claims of inflexible justice, and the 
 frowning majesty of infinite power, he will pronounce upon 
 the wicked the awful sentence," Depart from me, ye cursed, 
 into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his 
 angels." 
 
 4. " Then cometh the end," when the Judge will en- 
 velop the earth in universal flames of fire, when the 
 heavens will roll together their awful folds like a "parch- 
 ment scroll," and when " the heave; s and the earth will 
 flee away from the face of him that sitteth on the throne.'' 
 From this scene of universal destruction and desolation, 
 the Judge will turn away, with all his saints and angels, 
 and will ascend up to the heaven of heavens, and forever 
 sit down upon his throne to receive honor and glory, world 
 without end. 
 
 " Shout, all tbe people of the sky, 
 And all the saints of the most High ; 
 Our Lord, who now his right obtains, 
 Forever and forever reigns." 
 
 5. The second coming of Christ, and the transactions of 
 the last day, will forever close up the business of this life, 
 
SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. 
 
 and the government of probationary beings. All the 
 moral tencnts of this world will be removed to a more 
 fixed and permanent state of being. All will be esta- 
 blished in their appropriate places ; some in the place of 
 reward, in the joys and glories of eternal fruition in 
 heaven ; and some in the sorrows and eternal agonies of 
 the second death. The former will enter upon scenes of 
 happiness, because they "washed their robes and made 
 them white in the blood of the Lamb;" and the latter 
 will be lost in the untold torments of the damned, because 
 they were "enemies of God by wicked works. 1 ' "Where- 
 fore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be 
 diligent, that ye may be found of him in peace, without 
 spot, and blameless." 2 Pet. iii, 14. 
 
 " Now, only now, against that hour 
 
 We may a place provide j 
 Beyond the grave, beyond the power 
 
 Of hel!, our spirits hide. 
 
 Firm in the all-destroying shock, 
 
 May view the final scene ; 
 For lo ! the everlasting rock 
 
 Is cleft to take us in." 
 
ARTICLE IV. 
 
 OF THE HOLY GHOST. 
 
 " The Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Son, is 
 of >re substance, nrijrftty and glory w it li the Father and the Son, 
 very at d eternal God.'' 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 The Procession. 
 
 1. In the fourth century, the council of Constantinople, 
 after agreeing that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, 
 agreed also, that he proceeds from the Father ; and that 
 he is in all respects equal with God. This was afterwards 
 confirmed by the council of Ephesus as the true doctrine 
 of the church. But in the ninth century, it began to 
 be discussed among the Latins whether the Holy Ghost 
 did not proceed from the Son as well as from the Father. 
 It being decided that he did, this doctrine was inserted in 
 the creed, and solemnly confirmed as a new doctrine. 
 This was regarded by the Greeks as a direct heresy, and 
 for this, as well as for some other reasons, the Greeks and 
 Latins separated, the former holding that the Holy Spirit 
 proceeds from the Father only, while the latter maintain 
 that he proceeds from the Son as well as from the Father. 
 The Article comes to us in its amended form, and affirms 
 what is generally supposed to be the doctrine of the New 
 Testament. 
 
 2. It is established beyond controversy that the Holy 
 Spirit proceeds from the Father, but as the word proces- 
 sion is not used in connection with the Son, we must look 
 
114 
 
 THE 1 ROCESSION. 
 
 to other sources of proof that the Holy Spirit proceeds 
 from the Son, than to the mere use of the term. In 
 proof of his procession from the Father, we have Christ's 
 words, in John xiv, 26, " But the comforter, which 
 is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my 
 name, he shall teach you all things." Here the Holy 
 Spirit is the subject of the Father's gift ; and in John 
 xv, 26, it is said that this same Spirit is the gift of 
 the Son. "But when the comforter is come, whom I will 
 send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, 
 which proceedeth from the Father, he will testify of me." 
 Now the only just inference is, that the Holy Spirit has 
 the same relation to the Son that he has to the Father, for 
 it is expressly affirmed that he proceeds from God, and 
 that Jesus Christ sent 1dm to be the comforter. It clearly 
 appears, therefore, that the Holy Ghost belongs equally 
 to the Father and the Son, and that both have sent him 
 into ihe world. These joint and distinctive personal acts 
 of the Father and the Son go very far to establish the 
 verity of the Article where it is so clearly stated that " the 
 Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and the Son." 
 
 3. But it will not do to say as the Greek Church does, 
 that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through, or 
 by the Son, if we consider the fact that Christ the Son " is 
 the very and eternal God." Nor will it do to say that the 
 Spirit does not proceed from the Son, because we do not 
 comprehend his mode of existence in the Son. If this be 
 an objection at all, it bears equally against the procession 
 of the Holy Spirit from the Father, for we know no more 
 about this than we do about the mode of the Divine exis- 
 tence, or the hypostatical union of the two natures in the 
 Son of God. Not to go beyond what is written on this 
 doctrine, we may sum up the whole argument in these 
 words ; as the Son is the second person in the Trinity by 
 
THE PERSONALITY OF THE HOLT GHOST. 115 
 
 eternal generation, so the Holy Ghost is the third person 
 by eternal procession from the Father and the Son, as 
 from one divine essence. 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 The Personality of the Holy Ghost. 
 1. This doctrine is not stated in so many words, in this 
 Article, but it is so clearly implied that it cannot, well be 
 unnoticed. We discuss this doctrine the more willingly be- 
 cause very erroneous opinions are held by some with 
 regard to the true character of the Holy Spirit. These 
 are of those who maintain that the Holy Ghost, o>- tlia 
 which is called by this name, is a mere quality or atlrUmtt 
 derived from God, which, when withheld, is of no avail. 
 This person of the Godhead is distinguished by the old 
 Saxon word Ghost, which signifies "spirit," and he is 
 distinguished from all other spirits by the epithet " Holy." 
 That the Holy Ghost is n real and distinct person in the 
 Godhead, may be shown in several ways. Personal 
 powers of understanding and will are ascribed to him. 
 1 Cor. ii, 10, "For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, 
 the deep things of God;'' Chap, xii, 11, "But all these 
 worketh that one and the self same Spirit, dividing to 
 every man severally as he will." As a distinct person, he 
 " searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God," and 
 thereby distinguishes the fact of his power to search and 
 understand. And in the distribution of his benefits, he 
 "divides to every man severally as he will." He is joined 
 to the other two divine persons, as the obect of worship, 
 and the source of spiritual blessings. Mall, zxviii, 19, 
 " Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the 
 Son, and of the Holy Ghost;" 2 Cor. xiii, 14, "The 
 grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and 
 
116 THE PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY GHOST. 
 
 the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all 
 Amen." Baptism is an act of Christian worship, and was 
 commanded by Christ to be ascribed to the three persons 
 in the Godhead ; and the Holy Ghost is included as one 
 of these three persons. This clearly proves his distinct 
 personality. That he is the source of spiritual blessing, 
 and therefore a distinct person, associated with the Father 
 and the Son, is clearly set forth by the Apostolic bene- 
 diction. But personal offices of an intercessor belong to 
 him, Rom. viii, 26, " Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our 
 infirmities ; for we know not what we should pray for as 
 we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intei cession for 
 us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Now, if the 
 Spirit intercedes with God, it clearly follows that he is a 
 distinct person from God the Father. But as a person he 
 may be grieved. Eph. iv, 30, "And grieve not the Holy 
 Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of re- 
 demption." Join to these personal acts and qualities, the 
 fact that he is the comforter, John xiv, 26, and that he 
 witnesses with the spirits of Christians, Rom. viii, 16, 
 and we l ave the most incontestible evidence of the per- 
 sonality of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit were a 
 mere quality or attribute of God, Christians would in- 
 dulge an absurd practice by professing faith in a mere 
 quality, and that, too, associated with almighty and infi- 
 nite beings. 
 
 2. It clearly follows from what has been said that the 
 Holy Spirit is a distinct person from the Father and the 
 Son; and that he differs from the Father in the fact that 
 he is God's messenger for conviction, sanctification, and 
 testimony to men ; and that he is the successor of the 
 Son in his mission to the Church, and the world. 
 
 "Eternal Spirit! God of truth, 
 Our contrite hearts inspire • 
 
DIVINITY OF THE HOLY GHOST. 
 
 117 
 
 Kindle a flame of heave ly love — 
 The pure celestial lire. 
 
 'Tis thine to sooth the sorrowing, 
 With guilt and tear oppressc d , 
 
 'Tis thine lo bid 'he dying live, 
 And give the weary rest.''' 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 Divinity of the Huly G/.ost. 
 1. From the strong language of the Article, "very and 
 eternal God," we necessarily look for clear proof of this 
 doctrine in the Bible. The same course of argument, 
 and the same proof texts that establish the Divinity of 
 Christ, as clearly establish the Divinity of the Holy 
 CI host. That he is a distinct Divine person may be farther 
 shown by his acts. Gen. i, 2, " The Spirit of God moved 
 upon the face of the waters. Chap, vi, 3, " My Spirit 
 shall not always strive with man." Ads x, 10, '■ Then 
 the Spirit said to Peter." John xvi, 13, "He shall 
 show you things to come." 2 Thess.u, 13, "Through 
 tanrtification of the Spirit." Now to " move," to " strive," 
 to '* speak," to "show," to "sanctify," are not only perso- 
 nal acts, but acts that cannot be predicated of the Holy 
 Ghost, unless he be a divine person. 
 
 But a person has a name, as God, the Son, but there is 
 no name given to the third person, but such as are com- 
 mon to the Fatherand the Son. Both are holy, and bo.h 
 are spirits. God is called the Father, and because Christ 
 is said to have been " begotten," therefore he is the Son. 
 God is called the Creator, as a term of work or office ; the 
 Sou is called the Redeemer, and this is a term of office ; 
 and the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter, which is the 
 term of his office. Now the fact that the Holy Spirit has 
 
118 DIVINITY OF THE HOLT GHOST. 
 
 no distinct name, as the other two persons in the Trinity 
 have, is not a sufficient argument to overcome the othet 
 fact that he is a distinct person, nor to lessen our confi- 
 dence in the doctrine of the Trinity, of the three Divine 
 persons in the one essential Godhead. 
 
 2. But the Holy Spirit is the "very and eternal God." 
 It is evident that divine titles, divine attributes, divine ac- 
 tions, divine worship are ascrihed to the Holy Ghost. 
 These are ascribed, in the Scriptures, to none but God ; 
 but if it can be shown that these are ascribed, by the 
 same Scriptures, to the Holy Ghost, then it must follow 
 that the Holy Ghost is God. 2sames of God are applied 
 to him. 2 Cor. iii, 17, "Now the Lord is that Spirit." In 
 St. Luke's account of the conduct of Ananias and Sa- 
 phira, in Acts v, 1-12, is clear evidence of the Divinity of 
 the Holy Spirit, by being directly called God. " But 
 Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to 
 lie unto the Holy Ghost ? Thou hast not lied unto men, 
 but unto God." But the attributes of God are ascribed 
 to the Holy Ghost. These are such as can only be pre- 
 dicated of a divine person, and such as are uniformly 
 ascribed to God ; as eternity. This is proved by Heb. ix, 14, 
 " Plow much more shall the blood of Christ, who through 
 che eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God." 
 Now as this is not St. Paul's usual theory of argumenta- 
 tion to prove the Divine nature of Christ, we take it that 
 he means to give us the true statement of the character 
 of the Holy Ghost. If so, then he proves the eternity of 
 the Holy Spirit, and therefore the Holy Spirit is a Divine 
 person. But more ; the Holy Ghost is said to be omni- 
 present. Ps. exxxix, 7, " Whither shall I go from thy 
 Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence ?" In the 
 following verses, David answers the foregoing questions, 
 by referring to the most extreme parts of God's dominion. 
 
DIVINITY OF THE HOLY GHOST. 
 
 119 
 
 If he were "in heaven," "in hell," in the "uttermost 
 parts of the sea;" in all these places he would find the 
 Holy Spirit. Now none but God can be present in all 
 places. But the above, and other passages prove that the 
 Holy Spirit is present everywhere, therefore the Holy 
 Spirit is the "very and eternal God." The Holy Spirit 
 13 said to be omniscient; 1 Cor. ii, 10, "The Spirit 
 searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God," and, 
 verse 11, "Even so the things of God knoweth no man. 
 but the Spirit of Ood." These two passages prove, that 
 as God knoweth all things, so the Spirit knoweth all 
 things, and is, therefore, a divine person. But the actions 
 of God are ascribed to the Holy Spirit. Job xxxiii, 4, 
 " The Spirit of God hath made me." Now it is certain 
 that the Scriptures speak of no other Creator but God ; 
 but Job :;ays the Spirit made him; and this is nowhere 
 contradicted, therefore we may clearly infer that the Holy 
 Ghost is God the Creator. When the* Scriptures assign 
 the reason why " men of old " described so very minutely 
 the events of future time, they say in 2 Pet i, 21, that, 
 " Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the 
 Holy Ghost." And whenever, and wherever the work of 
 regeneration, and sanctification is spoken of in the Scrip- 
 tures, it is uniformly asciibed to the Holy Ghost.. Now, 
 as this work can be performed by none but God, and as 
 it is always ascribed to the Holy Spirit, we must con- 
 clude one of two things ; either that the Holy Ghost is 
 the " very and eternal God ; or, that the Scriptures are 
 without meaning. 
 
 3. But divine worship is ascribed to the Holy Spirit, in 
 connection with the Father and the Son. His equality 
 and dignity are described and declared by his association 
 with the Father and the Son in the solemn services of re- 
 ligion. These are performed by his authority, as well as 
 
20 DIVINITY OF THE HOLY GHOST. 
 
 by theirs, and believers are dedicated as expressly to his 
 service, as to the service of the other persons in the 
 Trinity. An example of this is found in the solemn or- 
 dinance of baptism. In this ordinance the candidate per- 
 forms an act of worship instituted of God. In this act he 
 either implies or declaies his faith in the three persons of 
 one Godhead, to each of whom he consecrates himself for 
 life and e ernity. But the apostolic benediction is another 
 record of worship, being given to the Holy Ghost. Now if 
 prayer is made according to God's Word, in this concluding 
 ceremony of public worship, then every minister is divinely 
 authorized to say, 2 Cor. xiii, 14, " The grace of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the commu- 
 nion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all, Amen." It 
 follows, then, that we make prayer to the Holy Ghost, 
 who is declared to be " of one substance, majesty, and * 
 glory, with the Father and the Son, very and eternal 
 God." To this tne early Christians most heartily sub- 
 scribed. The following is the testimony of Basil, of Cce- 
 sarea, in Cappadocia, in A. D., 370. "Seeing what is 
 common to the Father and Son, is common also to the 
 Spirit ; seeing by the same things that God the Father 
 and the Son are characterized and described in Scrip- 
 ture, by the same things is the Holy Ghost characterized 
 and described ; it is hence gathered that the Spirit is of 
 the same deity with the Father." Basil adv. Eunum. St. 
 Augustine, in 410, says, " For so the Father is God, and 
 the Son God, and the Holy Ghost God, and altogether 
 one God ; and yet it is not in vain that in this Trinity 
 none of them is called the Word of God but the Son, 
 nor the gift of God but the Holy Ghost." Oxford Ed. 
 Vol. 1,^.249. 
 
 4. From this Divine person the Christian derives all his 
 moral good , for he is the sum of all the spiritual blessings 
 
DIVINITY OF THE HOLT GHOST. 
 
 1 2 1 
 
 introduced into this world by the mediation of Christ. He 
 regenerates the sou] ; be witnesses with the spirit of the 
 believer that he is justified and adopted into the fanrly of 
 God ; he conducts the inner spiritual life in the progress 
 of all its higher developements ; makes the Christian " all 
 glorious within ;" and will finally bring him, blood washed, 
 to the Lamb of God in the midst of the throne, where he 
 may forever. 
 
 *« Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost." 
 
 e 
 
ARTICLE V. 
 
 THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE HOLY SCRIP- 
 TURES FOR SALVATION. 
 
 " The Holy Scriptures contain all things necessary to snlvati'.r; 
 Bo that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may he pp ved thereby, 
 is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an 
 article of faith, or be thought requsite or neiessaryto salvation. 
 In the name of the Holy Scripture, we do understand those 
 cmo- ical books of the Old and New Testament, of whose au- 
 thority was never any doubt in the Church. 
 
 The Names of the Canonical Books. 
 
 Genesis, 
 
 Exodus, 
 
 Leviticus, 
 
 Numbers, 
 
 Deuteronomy, 
 
 Joshua, 
 
 Judges, 
 
 Ruth, 
 
 The First Book of Samuel, 
 The Second Book of Samuel 
 The. First Book of Kin<rs, 
 The Second Book of Kings, 
 
 The First Book of Chronicles, 
 The Second Book of Chronicles 
 The Book of Ezra, 
 The Book of Nehemiah, 
 The Book of Esther 
 The B- ok of Job, 
 The Psalms, 
 The Proverbs, 
 
 Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher, 
 Cantica, or Songs of Solomon, 
 Four Prophets the greatf r, 
 Twelve Prophets the less. 
 
 All the books of the New Testament, as they are commonly re 
 ceived, we do receive and account canonical." 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 The Sufficiency of tfo Scriptures. 
 1. This Article asserts first, that " The Holy Scriptures 
 contain all things necessary to salvation. It declares 
 what these Scriptures are, a revelation from God ; and 
 that nothing that is not either found in them, or may be 
 proved by them, is "to be required of any man " " as an 
 article of faith." By the term Scriptures, we are to un- 
 derstand all those books which are acknowledged to be of 
 J 22 
 
THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE SCRIPTURES. J 2 3 
 
 Divine authority, and which are embraced in the Y\>t of 
 this Article of Religion. Among the several great objee.s 
 of this book is the salvation of man from sin. To accom- 
 plish this, it professes to contain all the necessary infor- 
 mation, and articles of belief that man needs. All Pro- 
 testant Christians have cordially received it as it is, and 
 have tested its power in directing the so .l into the clear 
 knowledge of salvation in Christ Jesus. The authority 
 upon which Protestant Christians believe that the " Scrip- 
 tures contain all things necessary to salvation," shall now 
 be p oduced. In the preceding four Articles the founda- 
 tion of religion is laid in belief in "one living and true 
 God ;" the Divinity, Death, Resurrection and Ascension 
 of Jesus Christ, together with the Divinity of the Holy 
 Ghost, and the Christian Doctrine of the Trinity. The 
 question now is, what is the rule of the t faith? The Hdy 
 Scriptures only. In giving this answer, we do it with t! e 
 full knowledge that Romanists clai::i something more ; 
 they claim that the Catholic and pure rule of faith is, the 
 Bible, the Apocrypha, Oral and Written Tradition. But 
 as this Article is purely Protestant, and was composed for 
 the purpose of refuting this Romish error, we must find 
 its proof in what is believed to be the pure word of God, 
 as contained in King James's translation of the Bible. 
 
 2. That the Holy. Scriptures do contain all that is ne- 
 cessary for the salvation of man, appears in the one pro- 
 minent fact that there is no indication of any deficiency in 
 them in regard to whatever mankind is to believe or proc- 
 titis. When we read the Old Testament we find, it is true, 
 that something is needed and looked for ; because it every- 
 where testifies, both by its ritual and prophets, that 
 another dispensation was to follow. But when we re id 
 the New Testament, in its numerous references to the Oil. 
 the evidence is conclusive that the canon is complete, and 
 
124 THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE SCRIPTURES. 
 
 that it contains all that is necessary for faith and redemp- 
 tion Moses, who is the chief representative of the 
 Hebrew Scriptures, foretold that a prophet should rise 
 after him, and commanded the people to hear him with all 
 confidence in the purity and object of 1 is mission. But 
 when that prophet did come he gave no intimation, as 
 Moses did, that another should follow him. God has 
 "spoken by his Son in the last days," and his revelation 
 completes the rule of faith, and is consequently final. All 
 that is necessary for man to know in order to true religion, 
 is revealed in the Holy Scriptures. John xx, 31, "But 
 these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the 
 Christ, the Son of God ; and that believing ye might have 
 life through his name." 
 
 3. But to come to the question of the sufficiency of the 
 Scriptures alone for salvation, at once, we may recite some 
 plain texts that will settle the affirmation of the Article 
 beyond the possibility of doubt. Ps. xix, 7, " The law 
 of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul ; the testimony 
 of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." Now the 
 terms "law" and ''testimony" mean the same thing, the 
 Scriptures; and it is affirmed of these that they are "per- 
 fect."' The proof of this is seen in what they accomplish ; 
 they "convert the soul," they "make vise the simple." 
 These effects of the perfect " Law of the Lord " are essen- 
 tial states of the soul in order to eternal life. But neither 
 oral or written tradition are named here, or elsewhere, as 
 helps to the word of God in the production of a converted 
 soul. That the Scriptures aie sufficient for salvation, we 
 have the proof of Christ's own word ; John v, 39, 
 " Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye 
 have eternal life ; and they are they which testify of me." 
 This passage acknowledges the Jewish belief in the suffi- 
 ciency of their Scriptures for eternal life ; and it contains 
 
THE SUFFICIENCY" OF THE SCRIPTURES. 125 
 
 an unrestricted command to "Search the Scriptures," 
 The reasons for this command are, first, eternal life is offered 
 by them ; and second, they testify of Christ who is the 
 author of eternal life. Now what is eternal life but a re- 
 lease from sin and its final punishment? This is offered 
 by the Holy Scriptures through faith in Christ and hence 
 their sufficiency for salvation. But St. Paul gives still 
 clearer proof of this subject, in 2 Tim. iii, 15, " From a 
 child ; hou has! known the Holy Scriptures, which are oble 
 to make thee wise unto salvation, throu- li faith which is in 
 Christ Jesus.'" The Apostle evidently refers to the same 
 Scriptures that Christ did, in the above passage Irom 
 John, — the Jewish Sciiptures; and these it is said, are 
 able to make wise unto salvation, because they lead to 
 faith in Jesus Christ. And honorable mention is made of 
 Timothy as an example of salvation in Christ through faith 
 in these Scriptures. This is the use of the Bible, and 
 faith in Christ through it is the reason why men are saved. 
 The Scriptures, unencumbered with the traditions of men, 
 testify of Christ; and belief in this testimony, and not i:i 
 tradition, makes wise men unto salvation. But in verse 
 16, it is sad, "Ail Scripture is given by inspiration of 
 God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reprocf, for correc- 
 tion, for instruction in rigli/ecusness." Here it is affirmed 
 that the Scriptures are " profitable for doctrine/' because 
 they alone teach the principles of religion, and point 
 directly to Christ, who is the author of eternal salvation. 
 " For reproof;'' they convince m n of sin, and c >ndemn 
 their folly. " For correction ;" they restore man to moral 
 order by correcting his errors, and false views of himself, 
 and of his relations to the moral g( vernment of God. 
 " For instruction in righteousness;" they lead into rig t 
 feeling and right doing ; and this is the righteousness with 
 which the Scriptures clothe every pious ol'ower of Christ. 
 
T2G THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE SCRIPTURES. 
 
 And thus it is, " That the man of God may be made per- 
 fect, thoroughly furnished unto all goid works." Bom. 
 xv. 4, "Whatsoever things were written afore time, were 
 written for our leai ning, that we, through patience and 
 comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope." Is it not 
 strange, that if tradition is so important as Romanists 
 would have it, that it is so entirely overlooked by New 
 Testament writers ? And is it not equally strange, that 
 if the Sciipt.ires are not a sufficient and complete rule of 
 ffith and practice, without the additional fixture of tradi- 
 tion, that still men are saved by their truths, and led into 
 the full 1 berty of the sons of God ? The competency of 
 the Bible alone for tl e salvation o man, is also taught 
 by St. JYmes, James i, 21, "And receive tie ingrafted 
 word, which is able to save your souls." Not the tradi- 
 tions of men, for these "make void the law," but the 
 word of God ; for it, and it alone, "is able to save your 
 souls." This establishes most clearly the tr..th of our 
 Article 
 
 4. But the form of phraseology changes when the 
 gospel message is referred to. Hence it is said in 1 Cor. 
 xv, 2, "Ye are saved by the gospel." Now the gospel 
 is the word of God, by or through Jesus Christ. To it 
 is attributed the vork of leading men out of their sins to 
 a hearty reception of Christ Jesus. St. Paul proves this 
 in Rom. 1, 16, "For I am not ashamed of tin- gospel of 
 Christ, /or it is t/ie power of God unto salvation, unto every 
 one that believeth." From all these passages two things 
 are ea ily learned ; First, All things necessary to salva- 
 tion are clearly revealed in the Bible, and tradition is 
 never appealed to either by Christ or his Apostles, as in 
 any way useful to the sup^oit of the H >ly Writing, or to 
 their influence in converting the soul. Second, All that is 
 necessary to salvation is not only clearly and fully stated, 
 
THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE SCRIPTURES. 12? 
 
 but easy to be understood. Its language is, "Repent,"' 
 " Believe," "Pray," "Rejoice," "Hope," and to each 
 of these words it furnishes a simple definition ; and these 
 definitions furnish the light by which the truths they de- 
 fin : are made visible. 
 
 Now, if the Scriptures which existed in the time of 
 Christ and his Apostles were "able to make wise unto 
 salvation," to "convert the soul," " to save," how much 
 more are tl ey able to accomplish this work by what has 
 been added since ? Here we are able to meet any Ro- 
 manist with .in argument drawn directly from the word 
 of GoJ, that must forever upset their vain boast and con- 
 fidence in their traditions of men. Add to this the fact 
 that there is an advantage for studying and understand- 
 ing the Bible that belongs to no other book whose autl r 
 is not within the range of personal access. This can 
 never belong to tradition. The adva .tage is, that we 
 may daily and hourly consult the author of the Bible as to 
 Ls true meaning. We may pray to him according to 
 the rules of prayer laid down in his Holy Word, and he 
 will hear us, and assist us in the interpretation of diffi- 
 cult passages. We are authorized and encouraged to do 
 this by St. James, in these words, " If any man lack 
 wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men 
 liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him." 
 
 5. All that we have said in proof of the sufficiency of the 
 Scriptures for the salvation of sinners, goes upon the hypo- 
 thesis that all men who have the Bible may read it, and 
 thereby be made "wise unto salvation." This we suppose to 
 be the fact, inasmuch as we suppose the command, "search 
 the Scriptures," brings all men under obligations (o per- 
 form this duty. But Romanists oppose the private reading 
 tf the Scriptures as a sin against the church, against the 
 fullers, again -t tradition, and against the apostles. And 
 
l2£ THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE SCRIPTURES, 
 
 with an air of triumph they quote 2 Pet. i, 20, " No pro- 
 phecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation." 
 Now, although they care vety little about the Bible when 
 they talk about purgatory, the five sacraments, extreme 
 unclion, and prayer to images and saints, yet they cling 
 "with rare tenacity to passages that seem to favor their pe- 
 culiar cause. But let us see how much they gain by this 
 passage from the supposed head of the church. He says, 
 " no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpreta- 
 tion," but he says not a word about the historical, the 
 hortatory, or the didactic. He does not use the word no 
 Scripture, but "no prophecy of the Scriptures. Now, if 
 Romanists have all they contend for, they have but a 
 small portion of the Bible, while Protestants have all the 
 balance, subject to their own private intPi pretation. 
 
 But Ave are not sure that St. Peter even prohibits the 
 private interpretation of prophecy properly understood, 
 for he calls it the " more sure word," and " the light that 
 shineth in a dark place,*' and exhorts us to "take i.eed" 
 to this "more sure word of prophecy." But if St. Peter 
 prohibits the private interpretation of prophecy, not even 
 a Romanist has a right to exercise his private judgment, 
 much less to apply it to the private judgment of others. 
 Now there is no consistency in Romanists, for they attempt 
 to interpret that very portion of t'od's word which says 
 that "no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private in- 
 terpretation." One thing, however, is sure, and not very 
 private either; and that is this; many of the prophecies 
 are very distinct as to the true nature, the corrupting ten- 
 dency, and the final overthrow of Romanism, as the "man 
 of sin," and the enemy of God and pure religion. 
 
 6. That "the Scriptures contain all things necessary to 
 salvation" must be true, or they clearly contradict them- 
 selves. This no Protestant Christian, nor well informed 
 
THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE SCRIPTURES. 
 
 129 
 
 Romanist will allow. If they do not contradct themselves, 
 and if we understand the meaning of plain texts, words, 
 and the intention of God in the gift of the Bible, then it 
 is clear that the Holy Scriptures contain whatever man 
 may need, under any possible circumstance, to make him 
 wise unto salvation. For*, as Irenceus says, " The Scrip- 
 tures are indeed complete." What is here said of the 
 Bible, as to its completeness, and as to its sufficiency as a 
 guide to salvation, unassisted by the tradition of the 
 fathers, either oral or written, can be predicated of no 
 other book in the world. The Mohammedan claims very 
 much for the Koran ; and the Brahman claims as much for 
 the Shaster, while the Romanist is loud in his praises of 
 the church, tradition, the regenerating power of the Sa- 
 craments ; but altogether, and iu their greatest power, 
 they have not, and c.innot, obtain the character that is 
 justly ascribed to the Bible. The power and sufficiency 
 of this Book is from God, and is attested by Christ and 
 the Holy Ghost. 
 
 7. The Bible as it is, and its friends, have nothing to* 
 fear, though 'the powers of Infidelity and Romanism, with 
 the puny attempts of some bigoted though sinking sects 
 at a " new version," may all be its enemies. It is the 
 Book of God, completed by himself, and committed to the 
 Church for the benefit of the world, with this solemn 
 charge ; " Here stand," '-And the gates of hell shall 
 not prevail against thee." And while it serves the 
 Church as her foundation and frontier fortress, it is like- 
 wise her true prophet of hope. The chorus of all its 
 songs is of time and glory to come, and its constant ad- 
 dress to the church is, "Arise and shine." It lies before 
 us, an open volume, courting investigation, and furnishing 
 the light by which the investigation may be successfully 
 prosecuted. It commends itself to the understanding of 
 
130 THE BIBLE — THE ONLY RULE OF FAITH. 
 
 all men, by enlightening the conscience, by improving the 
 heart, by regulating society, and by leading the true be- 
 liever from " glory to glory," until his soul ascends the 
 highest mount of spiritual vision, from whose summit he 
 may behold, " with open face," the glory of God as it 
 shines in the face of Jesus Cbr.st. 
 
 " How precious is the book divine, 
 
 By inspiration given ; 
 Bright as a lamp its doctrines shine, 
 
 To guide our souls to heaven.'' 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 The Bible— the only Rule of Faith. 
 1. If " the Holy Scriptures : ' contain all that is neces- 
 sary to salvation, it follows that "whatsoever is not read 
 (herein, no>- may be proved thereby, is not to be required of 
 any man, that it should be leliived as an article of faith, or 
 be thought requisite or necessary to salvation." This part of 
 *our Article teaches, that the Bible is to be appealed to in 
 the linal settlement of all questions of faith and practice. 
 From this there can be no appeal to any other book, for 
 this is the highest authority on earth, or in the Church to 
 which men may have personal access. The Bible is, 
 therefore, the only Rule of Faith. It was so regarded by 
 the Primitive Church. St. Cyril says, " That which the 
 Holy Scripture hath not said, how can we receive it, and 
 put it into the catalogue of those things that be true." 
 This was stid in A. D. 415, and 200 years before ihis or 
 in A. D. 215, Tertullian of Carthage says, " If it be not 
 written, let him fear that woe that is appointed to those 
 that put anything to, or take anything from the word of 
 God." The woe here referred to is in Rev. xxii, 18, 19, 
 " For I testify unto tvery man that heareth the words of 
 
THE BIBLE — THE O.NLY RULE OF FAITn. 131 
 
 the prophecy of this book. If any man shall add unto 
 lhe.se tilings, God shall add unto him the plagues that are 
 written in thi* book ; and if any man shall take away 
 from the words of the prophecy of this book, God shall 
 lake away his part out of the book of life, and out of the 
 holy city, and from the things which are written in this 
 book." 
 
 2. But not in the least intimidated by this woe, the 
 Romish Church affirms that the Scriptures only are not a 
 sulhcient rule of (kith. Hence Dr. Milner says, the Ro- 
 man Catlio ic lule of faith is " Scripture and Tradi ion, 
 and these propounded and explained by the Catholic 
 Church."' But where shall we find this joint rule of 
 faith '? In about one hundred and thirty fire folio volumes, 
 "made up of the following works ; the Bulls of Popes are 
 at least eight volumes folio ; the Decretals ten volumes 
 folio ; the Acts of Councils thirty-one volumes folio ; the 
 Acts Sanctum, or Doings of the Saints, are in fifty-one 
 volumes folio ; add to these at least thirty-five volumes 
 folio of Greek and Latin Fathers, in which is to be found 
 that part of the rule called the unanimous consent ; add to 
 the e one hnndred and thirty-live volumes folio of unread 
 and unexamined materials, the unlimited mass of ur. written 
 traditions which floated from the commencement of the 
 Christian era to the present time, in oral, communication, 
 or, in other words, by mere hearsay transmission ; all 
 these cumberous additions made to the Holy Scriptures 
 constitute the Roman Catholic rule." Elliott on Rom. 
 In April, A. D. 1546, the Fourth Session of the Council 
 of Trent, decreed that tradition, both written and un- 
 written, are of equal authority with the Bible, and that 
 the person denying this shall be accursed. Now who does 
 not see, that, if this is a part of the ru'.e of faith, but few 
 can have any faith at all, and still fewer can be saved. 
 
132 THE BIBLE THE ONLY RULE OF FAITH. 
 
 It would require a life time to learn what to be- 
 lieve, from such an endless and complicated rule of 
 faith as Popery presents. Surely Romanism is a hard 
 religion in whatever light its gross absurdities may bo 
 considered. 
 
 3. The whole machinery of Romanism is artfully con- 
 structed of materials from Judaism, Paganism, and 
 corrupted Christianity. So much so that it manages 
 to keep the Bible from the people, and to satisfy them, 
 somewhat, that it does not contain the whole of God's 
 will concerning men, and is, consequently, not a iufficient 
 rule of faith. But it is no difficult matter to see why the 
 Apocrypha and tradition are so tenaciously and zealously 
 maintained as a part of the rule of faith. The Bible pro- 
 per condemns Romanism ;.s an absurd machination of 
 Satan, and as the enemy of true religion. But to make 
 a show of truth they still retain the Bible, while at the 
 same time they resort to the traditions of the Church for 
 proof of their many idolatrous customs. From these 
 sources they derive proofs of five sacraments ; the invo- 
 cation of saints, the worship of images, crosses, and 
 relics, the bodily presence of Christ in the holy eucharist, 
 purgatory, prayers for the dead, &c. But we are not 
 much surprised at these errors, for they are the legitimate 
 results of a long, & wicked, a studied and habitual departure 
 from simple truth. Like a vessel on the ocean, without sail 
 or rudder, so is that man in the world of morals who is 
 without the unerring guide of God's Word. Cut a man off 
 from the influence and controlling power of this, and there 
 is no telling what will be his absurdities, and where he 
 will end. Romanism has pursued this course for centu- 
 ries, accumulating, meanwhile, one monster of absurdity 
 after another, and what she will be before her cup of 
 iniquity is full, no uninspired man can tell. 
 
THE BIBLE THE ONLY RULE OF FAITH. 133 
 
 4. It is worthy of remark in this place, in further vin- 
 dication of the doctrine of this Article, that the Apocry- 
 phal books are in no instance referred to in either the Old 
 or New Testament, in proof of any fact, or as composing 
 any part of the rule of faith. And when tradition is re- 
 ferred to, it is always in terms of condemnation, as in Mark 
 vii, 13, " Making the word of God of none effect through 
 your tradition." Now one of two things is certain, cither 
 first, that the Bible as it is, and as it was commended to 
 the world by its divine Author, is a complete rule of faith, 
 independent of all other writings or traditions ; or second, 
 that the whole Protestant world is deceived by the high 
 pretensions of the Bible itself, and is, consequently, in the 
 utmost danger of irrecoverable ruin. If we have any cor- 
 rect notion of vice and virtue, as comparative results of 
 Romanism and Protestantism, as well as the claims of the 
 Holy Scriptures, the Protestant world is correct, the Bible 
 is a perfect rule of faith, and Romanism is in the deepest 
 and most defiling error. The Bible is manifestly suffi- 
 cient to inform us what the rule of faith is, and what the 
 faith is of which it is the rule. It is also sufficient to 
 teach us what is heresy, for heresy is nothing but a mani- 
 fest deviation from, and opposition to, the faith " once 
 delivered to the saints." 
 
 5. But, however much Prbtestants may oppose the 
 Apocrypha and tradition, as parts of the rule of faith, yet 
 they offer no reason why such books as cast light upon the 
 Bible should be rejected ; on the other hand, they en- 
 courage, by their right to read the Scriptures, by their 
 Untrammelled press, and their devotion to religious books, 
 the writing, and the free circulation of such books, pamph- 
 lets, tracts, and religious newspapers, as may tend to 
 edify the people. Meanwhile, they require no man to 
 ' believe as an article of faith," anything that is not read 
 
134 THE BIBLE TOE ONLY RULE OF FAITH. 
 
 in, nor may be proved by, the Scriptures. Nor do Pro- 
 testant Christians find any reason in the Bible why they 
 should not compose such Articles of Religion as may be 
 clearly proved by the word of God, and subscribe to these 
 as summaries of Christian doctrine, and as symbols of 
 Christian faith. 
 
 But Romanism fears all these results of the free use of 
 the Scriptures as the Christian rule of faith-, and it fVars 
 the power of an educated people, as its uniform pulicy 
 clearly shows. She is apt in addressing the senses \vi:h 
 a gorgeous ritual, and the baser passions of man's nature 
 by her indulgences ; while Protestantism, ivith her un- 
 encumbered Bible, and her simple and pure ritual, ad- 
 dresses the heart, and the higher life of the people. She 
 rejects the thousand tongued jargon of tradition, the infal- 
 libility of human judgment and human councils, and 
 teaches the Bible as the only rule of faith, with the uni- 
 form standard principle, " that whatsoever is not read 
 therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required 
 of any man, that it should be believed as an article of 
 faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation." 
 
 " This lamp through all the tedious night 
 
 Of life, shall guide our way 
 Till we behold the clearer light, 
 
 Of an eternal day." 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 Divine Authority of the Bihle 
 
 1. This last branch of our Article refers to the confi- 
 dence of the Church in the Canon of the Old and New 
 Testament, as well as to her confidence in their Divine au- 
 thority. " In the name of the Holy Scripture, we do 
 understand those Canonical books of the Old and New 
 
DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE. 
 
 1.35 
 
 Testamen', of wh~se authority was never any doubt in 
 the Church." The Canon of the Old Testament was un- 
 doubtedly prepared oy Ezra, after the return oi the Jews 
 from the Babylonish captivity. In this work he was no 
 doubt assisted by many learned Jews. The Jews all 
 agree that this canon is correct, and it was not objected to by 
 Christ nor the Primitive Church. On the other hand, we 
 have catalogues of the books of the Old Testament, from 
 men of the highest standing in the Primithe Church, as 
 Eusebius, Oriyen, Cyril, Auyimtine, and Jerome. The 
 canon of the New Testament was prepared and arranged 
 by Oriyen. who lived about one hundred years after the 
 death of St. John. His enumeration includes all the 
 books of the present canon, except the Epistles of J ames 
 and Jude. These were omitted by mistake, for in other 
 parts of Oriyen' s writing, they are referred to as genuine 
 and legitimate parts of the regular canon. Eusebius, who 
 lived about one hundred years after Oriyen, enumerated 
 every book which we now have in the canon, and no 
 others, from which we derive the belief that the canon is 
 complete. At the Council of Laodicea, in the fourth cen- 
 tury, the canon of the Old and Xew Testament was received 
 and settled just as we have it, except the book of Revela- 
 tion, which was omitted. Why this was omitted is not certain. 
 
 2. The Scriptures are called holy, because of the 
 doctrines which they teach ; and they are termed canonical, 
 because, when their number and Divine authority were 
 determined, their names were inserted in ecclesiastical 
 canons, to distinguish them from other books, which, being 
 of no authority, were kept out of sight, and therefore 
 s'yled Apocryphal. These Scriptures are from God, as I 
 shall now proceed to show. 2 Tim. iii, 16, "All Scripture 
 is given by inspiration of God." The term inspiration 
 means the supernatural influence of God's Spirit upon the 
 
136 DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE. 
 
 mind of an intelligent creature, whereby he is elevated to 
 a degree of knowledge to which he could not have at- 
 tained in a natural way. Hence we have the definition 
 of St. Peter, 2 Pet. i, 21, "For the prophecy came not 
 in old time by the will of man ; but holy men of God 
 spake as they were moved by the Holy G/iost." Xow it is 
 more than probable that the Spirit of God moved holy men 
 to speak of things of which they had no distinct know- 
 ledge, though they were speaking of them. Hence they 
 "inquired diligently," they "searched diligently," as to 
 " what manner of time the Spirit of God which was in 
 them did signify." But the Scriptures are of Divine au- 
 thority, and have come to us without any mutilation or 
 corruption. This we prove by adducing the fact that the 
 Jews and Samaritans regarded each other with feelings of 
 hatred and jealousy. When this fact is examined, it will 
 go very far to establish the genuineness of, at least, the 
 Old Testament. The hatred of these two classes of per- 
 sons towards each other, proved to be a safeguard to the 
 Jewish Scriptures, for both had the same, agreeing in all 
 material points with each other, and both these parties 
 claimed to be true people of God. The Jews watched 
 carefully the state of the Samaritan text, and the Samari- 
 tans watched with equal care, the state of the Jewish text, 
 so that neither one nor the other could alter or amend 
 without being detected. But if the Jews or Samaritans 
 would alter any part of the original text, it is but rea- 
 sonable to suppose they would fix upon those parts which 
 recorded their own sins and downfall. But this was nev.er 
 done, and : t goes very far to show the great fidelity with 
 which they preserved their sacred books, and the confi- 
 dence they had in their Divine origin. 
 
 3. During the time of Christ's stay on earth, he often 
 referred to the Scriptures, and as often reproved the Jews 
 
PXVHfl AUTHOR. TV OF THE BIBLE. 
 
 137 
 
 for their great ignorance of them ; but he never alluded 
 to the least defect in their preservation. Now it is not 
 possible for the great Author of these writings to acknow- 
 ledge a spurious or mutilated book in the place of what 
 he had inspired " holy men of God to write." The Old 
 Testament was, therefore, in a state of perfect and uncor- 
 inpted preservation in the time of Christ. Since the 
 time of Christ, the Old Testament has been in the hands 
 of Jews and Gentiles, who are as much opposed to each 
 other as were the Jews and Samaritans. These watch each 
 other with great care and jealousy, so that it were impos- 
 sible for either to make any change in the holy writings 
 without being detected and exposed. Therefore we must 
 conclude that we have the pure Old Testament Scriptures. 
 
 4. But there is just as dear evidence that we pos ess 
 the New Testament in a perfect state. Ever since the 
 beginning of the Christian era, there have been various 
 sects of Christians, all claiming to be correct in their theory 
 of religion, and each condemning all the others. These, 
 like the Jews and Samaritans, have watched each other 
 with great jealousy, lest, in the translation of any por- 
 tion of the New Testament, or in the translation of the 
 Avhole, one should get the advantage of the other. This 
 we see very plainly at the present time. This fact, to- 
 gether with the fact that Romanists watch over every 
 Protestant sect with rigid keenness, is clear evidence that 
 we have the New Testament in its original perfection, 
 Now, if we add to this the other external evidences of the 
 truth and Divine origin cf the Bible, such as the evidence 
 of miracle and the evidence of prophecy, we have an 
 array of proof that the infidel has never been able to re- 
 sist, and that continues a witness to the truth of the 
 Scriptures in every prophecy that is fulfilled. Hence 
 the Church has never doubled the authority and 
 
138 
 
 DIVINE AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE. 
 
 completeness of her sacred writings ; nor is she disposed 
 to doubt now, inasmuch as she is a daily witness to the 
 effects that are produced among men, by the circulation 
 ar.d careful reading of this book. Her confidence in its 
 power is constantly increasing. 
 
 5. But the Bible contains evidence in itself that it is the 
 production of a mind superior to the most refined and en- 
 larged human mind. It is true that most of its style is 
 simple, and that much of its imagery is drawn from the 
 simplest tilings of nature; but its thought, its precepts, 
 its morality, its conception, the effects that it produces 
 on the heart, and the hope of endless felicity that it creates 
 in the soul, all correspond to the belief that it is from God. 
 Hence every believer is a competent witness in himself to 
 prove the Divine origin of the Bible. It teaches that he 
 is a sinner against God, and the inward consciousness 
 attests the truth. It offers pardon to him on given con- 
 ditions, and when the conditions are complied with, the 
 thing promised is obtained, and the inward testimony of 
 peace witnesses the truth of the holy Record. Even the 
 infidel, if he were honest with himself, must confess that, 
 amid his efforts to get rid of the truth, a lingering doubt 
 steals over the soul, that, after all, the Bible may be true. 
 I have but touched a very few of the evidences of the Divine 
 origin of the Bible ; and in as popular a manner as I am 
 capable of, so that the reason might be arrived at which 
 induced the framers of this Article to say that, " In the 
 name of the Holy Scripture, we do understand those ca- 
 nonical books of the Old and New Testament, of whcse 
 authority was never any doubt in the Church." 
 
 " How precious is the book divine, 
 
 By inspiration given ; 
 Bright as a lamp its doctrines shinf, 
 
 To guide our souls to heaven. 
 
DIVINE AUTIIORITT OF THE BIBLE. 
 
 139 
 
 It sweetly cheers our drooping hearts, 
 
 In this dark vale of tears ; 
 And life, and light, and joy imparts, 
 
 And banishes our fears." 
 
 How important, then, tliat this Book be the chief volume 
 in all earth's families ! It contains all the necessary rules 
 of holy living, the faithful following of which will fit the 
 soul for the life that now is, and for that which is to come 
 Neitlur tradition nor philosophy can supply its place. And 
 while it is so manifest that God has taken such special care 
 of it for the benefit of the world, the w-orld should receive 
 it, and read it as the council of God unto eternal life. 
 
ARTICLE VI. 
 
 OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 " The Old Testament i« not contrary to the New ; for both in the 
 Old and New Testament, everlasting lile is offered to mankind by 
 ("hi ist, who is the only Mediator between Ood and man, being both 
 God and man. Wherelore they are not to be heard who feign that 
 the old fathers d,d look only for transitory p oinises. Although 
 the law given from God by Moses, as touching ceremon es and 
 rites, doth col bind Christians ; nor ought the civil precepts 
 thereof of necessity be received, in any commonwealth ; yet, not- 
 withstanding, no Christian whatsoever is free from the obedience 
 of the commandments commonly called moral." 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 Unity of the Old and, New Testament. 
 1. " The Old Testament is not contrary to the New." 
 We may readily see the truth of this if we consider the 
 fact, that the same great principles of religion that were 
 revealed and practiced in the several dispensations of the 
 Old Testament Church, are the same that are laid down 
 as rules of faith and Christian practice in the New Testa- 
 ment Church. The Bible is but one book ; it is the work 
 of but one author, and has but one common object ; though 
 different men, and at different times and in different places, 
 were employed in its composition. These men were under 
 the inspiration of but one Cod, who is perfect in his 
 knowledge of the past, the present, and the future, and 
 therefore cannot, in any degree, contradict himself. • It 
 follows, then, that the unity of the Old and New Testa- 
 ment, finds its strongest proof in the fact that but one 
 mind suggested and superintended the entire work of re- 
 velation. And what gives still more weight to the argu- 
 140 
 
UNITY OF THE OLD AXD NEW TESTAMENT. 141 
 
 ment is, the fact that revelations were made at distant 
 intervals, through the long period of sixteen hundred 
 years ; and to men of very diflerent habits of thought, 
 and in very different and distant places. The distant 
 locations of these inspired men, and the different periods 
 in which they lived, made it impossible for anything like 
 confederacy, or collusion, in the composition of the Scrip- 
 tures ; and yet, the differ* nt parts of these writings, com 
 municated to the world through these men, perfectly 
 agree with, and fully support each other. This is pre- 
 eminently true of the Doctrines of the Bible; and it is 
 equally true that the same essential agreement and depen- 
 dency obtains among the practical precepts of the Holy 
 Writings. 
 
 2. But to see the unity of the Scriptures more fully, 
 we may examine the religion of the patriarchs, and ascer- 
 tain whether it did not contain the rudiments and princi- 
 ples of a religion, that was more fully unfolded in subse- 
 quent ages and dispensations. The period of patriarchal 
 theology included about two thousand five hundred years, 
 reaching from Adam to Moses. The history of this period 
 is contained in the book of Genesis, and is the only au- 
 thentic source of whatever we know of the patriarchal 
 religion. Here we learn that the patriarchs believed in 
 one God, that they worshiped him as the creator and 
 preserver of all things. -They believed in the eternity, 
 the omnipotence, and the holiness of God ; and that he is 
 gracious toward them that fear him. And what are these 
 but the doctrines of every subsequent dispensation ? It 
 is true, these and other doctrines were expanded by more 
 minute and ample revelations in subsequent ages, but 
 they were still one and the same set of doctrines. 
 
 With regard to the external rites of the patriarchal re- 
 ligion, none is more prominent than that of offering to God 
 
142 UNITY OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 sacrifice for sin. This practice involved most clearly an 
 acknowledgment of sin, and a belief in the final sacrifice 
 of Christ, as a: means of pardon, and a necessary offset to 
 the curse of the fall. It involved likewise, a belief in the 
 future existence of the soul ; and that God will reward 
 the virtuous with everlasting life, and punish the vicious 
 with everlasting death. 
 
 Equally clear is the patriarchal theology with regard to 
 the moral duties between man and man. These are di- 
 rectly taught and enforced by precept and example ; par- 
 ticularly the duty of honesty, of hospitality, of the 
 marriage relation, and of the respective duties of parents 
 and children. These, with many other moral duties that 
 were then practiced, were but faintly indicated, but so far 
 as they were made known, they were confirmed, and 
 made more prominent in every subsequent dispensation. 
 
 3. Next is the dispensation of Moses. This was sub- 
 stantially the same as that given to the patriarchs. It 
 included a period of about fifteen hundred years, begin- 
 ning with Moses, and reaching down to its termination in 
 Christ. In this, as in the former dispensation, the unity 
 of God was especially taught. Deal. vi. 4, " The Lord 
 our God is one Lord." Chap, xxxiii, 27, His eternity — ■ 
 " The eternal God is thy refuge." His goodness — Ps. 
 cxix, 68, " Thou art good and doest good." His holiness — 
 1 Sam. ii, 2, " There is none holy as the Lord." These 
 and other doctrines that we have not time to name, were 
 the basis and framework of religion then as they are now. 
 
 But this was a much more eventful dispensation 
 than the preceding. It included the Exodus, the giving 
 of the law, the settlement of the Israelites in Canaan, 
 and whatever additional disclosures of the mind of God 
 t! at were made to the prophets. But in all, there waa 
 nothing that in the least disagreed with what had gone 
 
CXITV OF THE OLD AND NEW TEST •. MENT. 
 
 143 
 
 before. That dispensation was one of enforcement ; 
 A'oses and the prophets continually urged the duty oi 
 obeying God in all things, of worshiping him in spirit, 
 and of trusting in his providence. 
 
 But the expectation of a Redeemer that was cherished 
 by the patriarchs, was kept burning on the hearts of the 
 prophets, by their various and sublime visions of las 
 glory, and their clear impres?ions of his coming. They 
 looked into time to come, and as they looked, they saw 
 the "Desire of all nations," " Despised and rejected of 
 men ; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." 
 
 4. But in the morality of this dispensation, we may see 
 an exhibition of perfection and beauty, in no respect infe- 
 rior to its sublime doctrines and prophecies. It contains 
 the moral law, which is so pure, so strictly expository of 
 the whole duty of man, and so comprehensive as to be 
 without a parallel in the most refined legislative enact- 
 ments of any, or all the nations of the earth. This code 
 of morality but confirms the morality of the patri- 
 archs ; bringing that into its own enforcements, and 
 reaching into all coming time, it will constitute the 
 life-law of the morality of all succeeding ages. But, how- 
 ever excellent in itself, it looked to a period when its 
 nature would be better understood, and when its princi- 
 ples would be applied by the gospel to all the purposes of 
 a bettc- dispensation. That dispensation, with all its rites 
 and ceremonies, and with all its superior advantages over 
 preceding dispensations, was but temporary in its nature, 
 and preparatory to a more full and final dispensation, 
 which was to be made known in the gospel. This dispen- 
 sation, with all its fuller glories, has been ushered into the 
 world, and with it the New Testament Scriptures. In 
 these Scriptures we have a harmony of doctrine, and a 
 unity of precept with all other dispensations, which very 
 
144 UNITY OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 conclusively settles the truth of our Article. Justin Mur/yr 
 affirms, that the "Apostles have taught us, what themselves 
 did learn ; first, the precepts of the law, and then the 
 gospel." Then he asks, " What is the law, but the gospel 
 foreshadowed ?" Si. Chrysoxtom says, m " There is no 
 difference but of names in the two Testaments, no oppo- 
 sition or contrariety." If, in the days of the fathers, 
 such conclusive testimony should be recorded for the 
 unity of the Old and New Testament, why doubt the 
 agreement of the Holy Scriptures in a more enlightened 
 age of the Christian dispensation ? 
 
 5. But, finally, the unity of the Old and New Testa- 
 ment is proved by more than two hundred and lifty quo- 
 tations, either directly or indirectly drawn from the 
 Hebrew Scriptures, and inserted in the Christian Scriptures. 
 The doctrines and precepts of the gospel are but the doc- 
 trines and precepts of former ages and dispensations, 
 more fully stated and more highly finished. These are 
 the standards of the faith and practice of the Christian 
 Church, by solemn continuation and reenactment. In 
 them we find such a oneness of design, and such a one- 
 ness of effect, with the design and,e°ect they had in other 
 dispensations, on the faith and practice of believers, that 
 we readily, and without hesitation, believe that " The Old 
 Testament i-s not contrary to the New." 
 
 Let the harmony of the Scriptures impress upon the 
 heart, the importance of harmony among Christians, 
 though they may differ somewhat in doctrines. But 
 especially let those who subscribe to the same Ar- 
 ticles of Religion, agree among themselves. Let the 
 unity of the Scriptures ever remind us of our union with 
 Christ and his people, and that as the Bible is one, so 
 Christ and his people are one. And let us never forget 
 to " Search the Scriptures.'' 
 
I ROOF OF THE UNITY. 
 
 143 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 Proof of this Unity 
 
 1. "For both in the Old and New Testament everlasting 
 life is oft'eied to mai.k nd by Christ, who is the only Me- 
 diator between God and man, being I o:h God and man.'' 
 
 Now, if we can show that this part of our Article is 
 6u>iained by the testimony of the Bible, then it will be in 
 tetJoKS proof that the " Old Testament is not contrary 
 to the New." That salvation is effered to mankind only 
 Ly Christ, is a j rimary truth of Christian theology. It 
 is the great central truth, and the great central object of the 
 entire book of Revelation. When redemption is spoken of, i 1 
 is uniformly ascribed to the Son of God, and no other. 
 Acts x, 43, "to him give ail the prophets witness, that 
 through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive 
 remission of sins." And again in Chap, iv, 12, " Neither 
 is there salvation in any other ; for there is none other 
 name under heaven given among men, whereby we mu?t 
 be sav<vl." L. liii, 5, " He was wounded for our trans- 
 gressions, he was bruised for our iniquities ; the chastise- 
 ment of our peace was upon him ; and with his stripes 
 we are healed." Gal. iii, 13, " Christ hath redeemed us 
 from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us ! for 
 it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." 
 These Scriptures fully settle the question that the redemp- 
 tion of the soul from sin is only through Christ. The 
 only qu~*Y 3 that can arise here, is this ; was Christ the 
 only Saviour of sinners in the two former dispensations, as 
 he is in the Christian dispensation? If not, then those 
 who were saved in these former dispensations, were 
 either saved without a Mediator and Saviour, or they were 
 saved by obedience to the law. The former was not at 
 all possible, and the latter would have been contrary to the 
 genius and sririt of the law. 
 
 7 
 
146 
 
 PROOF Oh THIS UNITY. 
 
 SJ. The patriarchs had no written law, it is true ; but 
 they had very clear views of the circumstances of Media- 
 torial redemption. They apprehended the saving- charac- 
 ter and spiritual import of the first promise, in Gen. in, 15, 
 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and 
 between thy seed and her seed ; it shall bruise thy head, 
 and thou shalt bruise his heel." The proof of l' is ij 
 Heb. xi, 4, "By faith Abel offered unto God a moii ex- 
 cellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness 
 that he was righteous." Verse 5, "By faith Enoch was 
 translated that he should not see death." Now what was 
 the object of Abel's and Enoch's faith ? The entire scope 
 of the Bible teaches this common reply ; The promised 
 Christ, involved in the first intimation of redemption to 
 Adam and Eve. But what was the reference in the sacri- 
 fice of Abel ? Subsequent dispensations unfold this geae- 
 ral and only answer ; The sacrifice of Christ. The sacri- 
 fice of Abel, whether ordained at the time it was offered, or 
 before, very clearly exemplified two primary facts ; the 
 death which had been denounced against man, and the 
 death of the Redeemer ; thereby connecting in one view, 
 the two cardinal events in the history of man ; the fall 
 and the redemption. But the efficacy of faith in the pro- 
 mised Redeemer is farther seen in the case of Enoch, Gen. 
 v, 24, "And Enoch walked with God; and was not, for 
 God took him." Now to walk with God, supposes agree- 
 ment with him, which St. Paul clearly establishes in Heb. 
 xi, 5, " For before his translation, he had this testimony, 
 that he pleased God." Now the point made out by the 
 above named cases, is clearly this ; As there is salvation 
 in no other name but the name of Christ, and as Abel 
 and Enoch were saved, they must have been saved by 
 faith in Christ. 
 
 '• f y faith we know thee strong to save." 
 
PROOF OF THIS CNITT. 147 
 
 The next promise of a Redeemer and Mediator war 
 made to Abraham, in Gen. xxii, 18, "And in thy seed 
 shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." That this 
 passage applies to Christ, we prove by Matt, i, 1, where 
 Christ 's called the " Son of Abraham." Then in vers: 
 17, th». Evangelist gives a line of direct succession from 
 Abraham to Christ, involved in forty-two generations. 
 Another promise of equal force and clearness of applica- 
 tion is in Num. xxiv, 17, " There shall come a Star out of 
 Jaccb, and a Sceptre shall lise out of Israel." This pro- 
 phecy of Balaam is applied to Christ by Rev. xxii, 16, 
 " I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright 
 and nwmirg Star." 
 
 — ' 0 Day Starl'roin on high 1 
 The sun itself is but thy shade, 
 Ytt cheers both earth and sky.' 
 
 To these promises of a deliverer all the prophets re- 
 ferred, and taught that redemption is in no other. And 
 to this great deliverer the writers of the New Testament 
 constantly refer, as the subject of Old Testament promise, 
 so that ample proof of the unity of the Old and New 
 Testament is found in the fact that "everlasting life is 
 offered to mankind by Christ, who is the only Mediator 
 between God and man." 
 
 3. But Christ " is the only Mediator between God and 
 man," because God has appointed him and no other, and 
 because a self appointed mediator, or one appointed by 
 men, whether he be the Pope of Rome, or St. Peter, can 
 never be recognized by the Divine government. A me- 
 diator is one who stands between two parties who ait at 
 variance. Sir the purpose of reconciling them. Hence 
 Jesus Christ is the Mediator between God the offend. d. 
 and mankind the offenders, in order to secu-e pea<-e. 
 1 Tim. ii, 5, " For there is one God and one Mediator be- 
 
143 
 
 PROOF OF THIS UNITY. 
 
 tween Gud and men, the man Christ Jesus." This pas- 
 sage assumes the universally admitte ! fact, that a media- 
 te r was needed because of man's enmity to God ; and it 
 assumes the fact likewise, that as there is but one Gog, 
 e is need of but one Mediator. Hence the whoL 
 system of Romish mediation by priests and saints is a 
 pi rverston of the Scriptures, and a delusive and destruc- 
 tive imposture. 
 
 Jesus Christ is the only Mediator by Divine appointment, 
 and his first act, at the opening of his public militant 
 ministry was to read his credentials. Is. lxi, t, " The 
 spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord 
 hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek ; he 
 hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim 
 liberty to the captive, and the opening of the prison to 
 them that are bound." This settles the Divine authority 
 of Christ in the work of reconciliation. He is not only 
 the authorized, but the only qualified Mediator, "being 
 both God and man." For farther remarks upon the 
 Divinity, the Humanity, and the union of these two na- 
 tures in Christ, the reader is referred to Art. II, Sec. 1, 
 Sec. 2, and Sec. 3. More will not be said upon these sub- 
 jects here. Now, if everlasting life is offered to mankind 
 by Christ, it evidently follows that men are not justified 
 by the law. The proper office of the law is to bring men 
 to Christ that they may be justified by faith in him. Gal. 
 iii. 24, " Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to 
 bring men to Christ." 
 
 But proof of the unity of the Old and New Testament 
 is found among the Christian fathers. Ignatious says, 
 " There is one* God of the Old Testament, and one Media- 
 tor betwixt God and man." "All the saints, therefore, 
 were saved by him, as Christ, trusting in him and 
 expecting of him." 
 
WHAT TnE OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS LOOKED FOR. 14S 
 
 SECTION THIKD. 
 W at the OU Testummt Saints looked for. 
 1. It is assumed in this Article that without the me- 
 diation of Christ, manVind must have been lost. And U 
 states the well known scripture fact that " everlasting life 
 is offered to mankind by Christ," and that this offer ofeter- 
 nal life was made to the patriarchs and prophets, through 
 CI rist, as it is now made to Christians. Then it records 
 this general conclusion ; " They are not to be heard which 
 feign that the old fathers did look only for transi:ory 
 promises." 
 
 Those who deny the Supreme Divinity of Christ, of 
 course confine his work of redemption unto eternal life, to 
 the gospel, and assert that, in the Old Testament, neither 
 redemption from sin nor eternal life, were certainly or dis- 
 tinctly understood. Hence they interpret the promises of 
 the Old Testament, as referring exclusively to temporal 
 Hearings. Tint the patriarchs and prophets believe I in 
 a certain redemption from sin, by the mediation of Christ, 
 lias been fully shown from the Scriptures, in the preced- 
 ing section of these Notes ; and it remains to be shown in 
 this section whether they expected eternal life through 
 Christ, or whether they expected temporal bles<in»s only. 
 The mistake on this subject is probably founded in the 
 fact, that if we take the words of many of the old cove- 
 nants of God with the patriarchs and prophets, as they 
 stand in the record, they seem to import onlv temporal 
 blessings. But we must consider the additional fact, that 
 most of these were national covenants, and could onlv be 
 established in promises of public national blessings. These 
 covenants contained promises of good to the nation col- 
 lectively, if they were obedient ; and if they were diso- 
 bedient to the rules of their national covenants, they were 
 
1 50 WHAT THE OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS LOOKED FOR. 
 
 threatened with, and visited by, signal judgments. 
 These were the usuol rides of covenant stipulation. 
 
 The national history of these ancient people, proves 
 most conclusively what is here asserted. When they 
 strictly observed the stipulations of their covenants, they 
 prospered ; but when they were disobedient, as a nation, 
 or as any considerable part of a nation, they were pun- 
 ished by assaults from neighboring nations, or by direct 
 judgments from God, or they were taken into captivity. 
 
 2. But at the same time, every person might, and all 
 the good among them did, gather hope of a future state, 
 as is clearly intimated by various expressions and circum- 
 stances, throughout the Old Testament Scriptures. We 
 might safely admit this, even if there were no direct reve- 
 lations of a fu ure state. For we cannot suppose that the 
 events of this life have no refeience to another life. If we 
 can entertain such a supposition, then the whole history 
 of mankind in all ages is not only inexplicable, but con- 
 tradictory. If it is true that the " old fathers " had no 
 knowledge of a future state of joy and felicity, then we 
 must admit the absurdity, that they came upon the greai 
 platform of time to act a part which had no meaning, ane 
 which had no definite end. But such vagaries have i o 
 place in the history of the Old Testament saints ; the* 
 looked for a "better country," though many of them fell 
 under national calamities, and because of the rebellion ot 
 others. Such of them, however, as were not destroyed 
 by national judgments, and who preserved their integrity 
 in the midst of a general apostacy and ruin ; and whosf 
 virtues never yielded to prevailing iniquity, had for them- 
 selves, and gave to others, the greatest possible reason 
 for expecting future rewards beyond what could be be 
 stowed in this life. 
 
 But upon what grounds did they expect a future stat« 
 
WHAT THE OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS LOOKED FOR. .5' 
 
 of being and felicity ? Strong intimation was given to 
 them in the translation of Enoch, which took place in 
 A. M., 987, acd about fifty years after the death of 
 Adam. He " walked with God," and " God took him." 
 Now what else could the patriarchs have learned from 
 this sublime transaction, but that there is another state of 
 being ? God took Enoch, and the people saw him no 
 more on earth ; therefore, they must have believed that, 
 as he was a good man, God must have taken him to some 
 place where his virtues might be more fully rewarded. 
 They were greatly encouraged in this belief, inasmuch 
 as " Enoch walked with God " while on earth, and that, 
 "before his translation, he had this testimony that he 
 pleased God." 
 
 In the translation of Elijah, in the Jewish dispensation . 
 the same doctrine is illustrated. Both of these translations 
 were instances of great importance to the New Testament 
 saints. They showed the value of personal holiness, and 
 tended to assure mankind that the pious will surely exist 
 in a future state of reward and felicity, and that too, in 
 bodies changed from mortality to Imm'jvaL tij. 
 
 3. But let us refer to some passages that are expres- 
 sive of belief in a future state of happiness. Gtn. xlix, 
 18, " I have waited for thy salvation, 0 Lord." Ps. xvi, 
 II, " Thou wilt show me the path of life ; in thy presence 
 is fullness of joy ; at thy right hand there is pleasures for- 
 ever more." Ps. xvii, 15, "As for me, I will behold thy 
 face in righteousness, I shall be satisfied when I awake 
 with thy likeness." Ps. xlix, 15, " But God will redeem 
 my soul from the power of the grave, for he shall receive 
 me." Is. ii : , 10, " Say ye to the righteous, that it shall 
 be well with him ; for they shall eat the fruit of their 
 doings." Is. xxv. 8, " He will swallow up death in vic- 
 tory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears f'om off 
 
152 WHAT THE OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS LOOKED FOR. 
 
 all faces ;" and Job xix, 27, "z6, " For I know that my re- 
 deemer liwth, and that he shall stand at the latter day 
 upon the earth. And though after my skin worms de- 
 stroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." And 
 we might refer to the whole of the eleventh chapter of the 
 Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews, as conclusive evidence 
 that the " old fathers " looked for more than temporal 
 blessings. They looked for a " better country,'' "a house 
 not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." They 
 consistently believed that a life of virtue will surely se- 
 cure happiness in this state of being, and felicity at the 
 right hand of God. This fact was well understood by the 
 fathers. St. Augustine says, " But the Old Testament, 
 to them that rightly understand it, is a prophecy of the 
 New Testament. And therefore, in that first people, the 
 holy patriarchs and prophets, who understood what they 
 did, or what was done by them, had then the hope of 
 eternal salvation in the New Testament." 
 
 From the above quotations we learn two very instruc- 
 tive facts ; 
 
 First. The "old fathers" constantly expected the re- 
 ward of virtue and piety, in a future state of being 
 Their faith in this fundamental article of their religion, 
 controlled and modified their whole earthly character. 
 By faith they served God, and " died in faith." 
 
 Second. They looked for the resurrection of the body 
 from the grave, a., the result of the redemption and me- 
 diation of Christ. And hence it is, that " they are not to 
 be heard which feign that th> old Fathers did look only 
 for transitory promises.'" But this very instructive sub- 
 ject suggests important hints to Christians. The old 
 fathers bad but the shadow of Revelation, and yet they 
 " died in faith." Christians have the full and complete 
 record of all that is necessary for faith and practice. Yet 
 
LAWS OF MOSES > OT BIDDING ON CHRISTIANS. 15-") 
 
 it is to be feared that many of them have but litie " re- 
 spect to the recompense of reward." Let such persons 
 d-eply repent of the sin of "little faith," and let them 
 take hold upon the " great and precious promises, " that 
 their hope may reach to " that within the vail," and con- 
 stantly cherish the sublime visions of scenes that arc 
 transpiring in the " holy of holies." 
 
 "And hasten to be swallowed up 
 Of everlasting life." 
 
 SECTION FOURTH. 
 Laws of Moses not trading on Christians. 
 
 1. Of course, the heading of the section is not intended 
 to exclude the obligations of the Moral Law. It refers 
 only to the Ceremonial and Civil laws of the Jews. 
 
 First. The ceremonial law is not binding on Christians, 
 as is very plainly taught in these words of the Article ; 
 "Although the law given from God by Moses, touching- 
 ceremonies and rites, do not bind Christian men." By 
 the ceremonial law, we are to understand that part of 
 the law of Moses which related to the outward circum- 
 stances of God's worship among the Jews. This law 
 was minutely detailed, reaching into, and controlling every 
 act of worship, and plainly directing every part of the 
 ceremony. It was, in consequence of its complicated na- 
 ture, a very burdensome law, and only designed to regu- 
 late the worship of a rude people. It was a temporary 
 regulation, and intended to expire by its own limitations. 
 
 The Israelitish Church, with all its ceremonial obser- 
 vances • as preparatory to a better and more simple and 
 perfect church; and the ceremonial law was intended 
 only for beginners. This law. St. Paul says in HJ>. ix, 10, 
 
154 LAWS OF MOSES > OT BINDING ON CHRISTIANS. 
 
 " Stood only in meats ?nd drinks, and divers washings, 
 and carnal ordinancies imposed on them until the time of 
 reformation." This brings before us the fact, that most, 
 if not all of the rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic eco- 
 nomy were typical, and received their accomplishment in 
 the antitypes to which they referred. Now it were mani- 
 fest absurdity to suppose that the type should continue in 
 force after that which is typified is introduced. Hence 
 the Apostle says that these ceremonies of the law were 
 " imposed " on the Jews, " until the time of the reforma- 
 tion," or until the time of the more perfect, or gospel 
 church. 
 
 The whole institute of Moses was founded chiefly on 
 mutable relations and circumstances, which existed in the 
 condition and wants of the people at that time. It was, 
 therefore, of such a nature, that it might be repealed, 
 when it had fulfilled its purpose, without the least injury 
 to the people, or any reflection upon the immutability or 
 goodness of its Author. For reasons best known to God 
 himself, the ceremonial law was introduced to preserve a 
 marked distinction between the descendants of Abraham, 
 in the line of Isaac and Jacob, and all other nations. 
 The Hebrew nation, therefore, constituted the visible na- 
 tional church from Abraham to Christ, and was distin- 
 guished as such by the rite of circumcision. But even 
 this rite was abolished, and the wall of partition was 
 broken down, that, as St. Paul says, Eph. iii, 6, " The 
 Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, 
 and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel." 
 " Thine heritage, the Gen'iles, take. 
 And cause the world to know thy name." 
 
 2. Now that very important ends were accomplished 
 by the rigid application of the ceremonial law, during its 
 continuance, is very evident. It preserved the knowledge 
 
LAWS OF MOSES NOT BINDING ON' CHRISTIANS. 156 
 
 and worship of the true God, amid the idolatrous and de- 
 grading influences of the surrounding nations. It main- 
 tained the unity and zeal of the Hebrew Church, by 
 bringing all the male me libers, three times every year, 
 to Jerusalem, to hold the three great annual festivals, — 
 the Passover, the Pen'.icost, and the Feast of Tabernacles ; 
 and it most solemnly typified the better dispensation, 
 whose Author was so of.en represented in his work of 
 mercy and redemption, in the sacrifices of the temple. 
 To that dispensation of rites and ceremonies, Christians 
 are indebted fur the oracles of God, and for the certain 
 promise of a Redeemer and Mediator. 
 
 But if it can be shown from the Scriptures that these 
 ended with the death of Christ, then we shall have proved, 
 at once, the truth of the assertion in our Article. Gal. iii, 
 13, " Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, 
 being made a curse for us." Eph. ii, 16, " Having 
 abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of 
 commandments contained in ordinances ; for to make in 
 himself of twain one new man, so making peace. Now, 
 accoriing to these passages, Christ has freed his fol- 
 lowers from all obligation to serve the law of Moses, con- 
 tained in rites and ceremonies. And he has, conse- 
 quently, saved them from the penalites of this law. The 
 life and power of this whole argument, is the fact of the 
 universal application of the Christian system to both Jews 
 and Gentiles, in opposition to ihe Mosaic institute, which 
 applied only to the Jews. Hence St. Paul says, in Eph. 
 ii, 14, that Christ "Is our peace who hath made both one, 
 and hath broken down the middle wall of partition be- 
 tween us." Col. ii, 14, " Blotting out the hand writing 
 of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to 
 us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross." 
 These passages are full of meaning. They show the su- 
 
156 LAWS OF MOSES NOT BINDING ON CHRISTIANS. 
 
 perior value of the death of Christ ; and how he set 
 aside the economy of Moses, which consisted in typical 
 sacrifices ; and how he consecrated the Ch.istian economy 
 for the purposes of a universal salvation for both Jews 
 and Gentiles, by the one sacrifice of himself. Hence the 
 new covenant is dated from the time of Christ's death, 
 and not fro n the time he opened his public ministry. 
 
 3. The Apostles understood that there was but " one 
 Shepherd," and "one fold," in the new dispensation, and 
 hence they immediately commenced preaching one Christ, 
 and one common salvation for both Jews and Gentiles. 
 But a question soon arose, among them, as to the rite of 
 the Old Testament, which was circumcision. To settle 
 this question, a council was called at Jerusalem, in 
 A. D. 52, in which it was determined that the Gentiles 
 should not be troubled with this " yoke," which even the 
 fathers "were not able to bear," Acts, xv, 10. It was 
 determined then, that this rite should r.o longer be a test 
 of church membership, and consequently, is not binding 
 on Oi.ri tians. 
 
 But the observance of the ceremonial law in all its 
 parts, is historically impossible. The Temple of Jerusalem 
 is destroyed, and the Jews, to whom this 1 ,w was origin- 
 ally given, are dispersed in groups among all nations ; 
 and the necessary ceremoni.l appliances and obser- 
 vances, are utterly impracticable ; and it is worthy of 
 rcmaik, as a historical fact, that by the mtysterious 
 operations of Providence, the Jews, as a nation, have 
 never celebrated the feast of the Passover since the 
 death of Christ. Now if there are legal and historici»l 
 obstructions to the observance of the ceremonial law. 
 it is, of course, not binding upon the Jews, and mucl. 
 less upon the Christians. It therefore follows, as in 
 John iv, 21, that "Ye shall neither in this moun- 
 
LAWS OF MOSES NOT BINDING ON CHRISTIANS. 157 
 
 tain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father." Verse 
 23, "And that now is when the true worshipper shall 
 worship the Father in spirit, and in truth." 
 
 " Not now on Zion's height alone 
 
 The favor'd worshipper may dwell 
 Nor where, at sultry 1 oon, thy Son 
 
 Sat weary by the Patriarch's well. 
 From every place below the skies, 
 
 The grateful song, the t'ervei t prayer, 
 The incense of the heart, may rise 
 
 To heaven, and find acceptance there." 
 
 4. Second. The civil precepts of Moses are not binding 
 on Christians, or, in the words of the Article, " Nob the 
 civil precepts thereof ought of necessity to be received in 
 any commonwealth." By " civil precepts," we are to 
 understand those rules that related to the state polity of 
 the Jews, and which constituted them the highest example 
 of civilization in that primitive age. These laws wcio 
 suited to the peculiar circumstances of that people. Cut 
 as no other people or nation is under precisely simihr 
 circumstances, therefore the civil pol ty of the Jews is 
 not obligatory upon any nation, not even upon the Jews 
 themselves, at this time. The old covenant of national 
 promises, and its appendages of civil polity, is not only 
 abolished, but the observance cf the civil precepts of that 
 polity is rendered impossible, by the expulsion of the 
 Jews from Judea. Now, if that form of civil polity can- 
 not be observed by those for whom it was originally and 
 specifically designed, and is nowhere recommended by 
 the New Testament authority, it follows, as clearly as one 
 thing can follow another, that it is not binding on Chris- 
 tians. This subject may tend to direct the pious heart of 
 the believer, 
 
 First. To the dignity, the simplicity, and the universal 
 and particular practicability of Christian worship. " God 
 
158 THE MORAL LAW BINDING ON CHRISTIANS. 
 
 is a Spirit," everywhere present to hca the pi aver of 
 the penitent, and the believer's song of praise. Mutt. 
 xviii, 20, "Where two or three are gathered together in 
 my name, there am I in the midst of them." 
 
 Second. The Christian is taught by this subject, that 
 the rites and ceremonies of Christianity should be ob- 
 served with great zeal and propriety. These are ordained 
 of God as so many channels of his grace and mercy. And 
 they are the standing memorials of his goodness. 1 Cur. 
 xiv, 40, "Let all things be done decently and in order/' 
 
 " Thus will the church below 
 
 Resemble that above ; 
 Where streams of endless pleasures fl.tw, 
 
 And every heart is love." 
 
 SECTION FIFTH. 
 The Moral Law Binding (m Christians. 
 1. "No Christian whatsoever is free from the obedi- 
 ence of the commandments which are called moral." 
 During the whole time the iVosaic dispensation existed, 
 it was in full force ; and obedience to every part of it was 
 a sacred, and, to the Jew, an indispensable duty. But 
 as soon as it expired, none of its laws continued in force 
 but the moral law. This law cannot be suspended, in- 
 asmuch as it stands on the immutable relations between 
 God and his creatures, and between man and man. It is 
 faithfully incorporated into the Christian system, free from 
 all the embarrassments of the ceremonial and civil insti- 
 tutes of the Israelites. It now occupies higher ground, 
 and contains greater and clearer amplitude of meaning, 
 and is capable of a more universal application. It is now 
 illustrated by the entire scope of the gospel, and directed 
 inore particularly to the heart. The Christian is therefore 
 
TliB MORAL LAW BINDING ON CHRISTIANS. ..5° 
 
 under the influence of more light than the Jew was, and 
 at the same time is in a more elevated range of moral 
 obligation. 
 
 But what is t' e moral law ? It is that admirable and 
 comprehensive summary of moral duty contained in what 
 is called the Decalogue. This was given to the world 
 amid circumstances so sublime and peculiar, as to entitle 
 it to more than ordinary importance in the minds of moral 
 beings ; and indeed to much more than ordinary thought, 
 in comparison with other systems of law. To answer tho 
 above question in language more philosophical, it may be 
 said that the Decalogue is the original law of moral be- 
 ings, having antecedent foundation in the nature of moral 
 agents. This law is therefore obligatory in its own nature, 
 and clearly independent of legislative enactment, or any 
 other form of positive institution. It is that peculiar kind 
 of law which is incorporated into the very nature of moral 
 government and moral beings, and is, by its own immu- 
 table nature, a standing law to all nations, and for all 
 time. Independent as it now is, of all the eircums'ances 
 of the ceremonial and civil institutes of Moses, and being 
 an original part of the framework of moral beings, it is 
 not only permanent, but adapted to all the ends of moral 
 government, in all time, and among all nations. 
 
 2. That this law had direct and special application to 
 the Jews, as well as direct force of application in the seve- 
 ral distinctive forms of moral obligation, none will doubt. 
 But the question now is — Does the moral law reach into 
 tiie Christian system with the same force of obligation 
 upon the believer that it had upon the Jew ? It surely 
 does. Mr. Wesley says : "Every part of this law must 
 remain in full force upon all mankind, and in all ages ; 
 as not depending on time, or place, or any other circum- 
 stance liable to change, but on the nature of God, and the 
 
1G0 THE MOHAL LAW BINDING OX CHRISTIANS. 
 
 nature of man, and their unchangeable relation to each 
 other." Ser. xxv. This is a conclusion drawn from the 
 nature of the moral law itself, and is fully sustained by 
 the New Testament. Nearly, if not the whole of the 
 moral law, is either directly transferred into the New 
 Testament by Christ and his Apostles, or so alluded to 
 as to form the basis of their instruction. It is made the 
 condition of eternal l'fe, if properly observed, as is stated 
 in Matt, xix, 17, "But if thou wilt enter into life, keep 
 the commandments." 
 
 But to see the force of the argument in still clearer 
 light, we remark that the substance and spirit of this law 
 is summed up, by Christ himself, in Matt, xxii, 37-39, 
 "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 
 and with all thy soul, and with ail thy mind. This is tfon 
 first and great commandment. And the second is like 
 unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Fur- 
 thermore, it is said in verse 40, that "On these two com- 
 mandments hang all the law and the prophets." Il-re 
 we see most clearly, that the moral law, in its two great 
 divisions, is transferred by Christ into the gospel period, 
 as a test of Christian experience, and a rule of Christian 
 practice in all coming time. It therefore follows, that if 
 the gospel is binding upon Christians, so is the moral law, 
 for it is a part of the gospel. 
 
 3. But to see this fact more clearly, we may considei 
 the law in its several and separate parts, as it is incorpo- 
 rated into the gospel, and acknowleged as the basis of the 
 morality of the Christian system. And here we will sct^that 
 each of the commandments condemns, not merely the ex- 
 treme ciimc which they expressly prohibit, but every inferior 
 offense of the same kind, and every form of conduct leading 
 either directly or indirectly to the commission of such ofiense. 
 At the same time, they enjoin conduct just the opposite. 
 
THE MORAL LAW BINDING ON CHRISTIANS. 16' 
 
 First. The first commandment requires that God alone 
 shall be acknowledged and glorified as the true God, an. I 
 that atheism and all false gods shall be abandoned. Ia 
 full agreement with this, is 1 Cor. viii, 6, "To us there is 
 but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we 
 in him." There are many other passages of like import. 
 
 Second. The second commandment requires that no 
 image or likeness of anything, either in heaven or earth, 
 shall be made as an object of worship, and that all carnal 
 or idolatrous conceptions of God are to be discarded, 
 while the ordinances of worship, instituted by God him- 
 self, are to be kept perfectly pure. The requirements of 
 this law are acknowledged as valid, in John iv, 24, " God 
 is a Spirit, and they that worship him, must worship him 
 in spirit and in truth." 
 
 Third. The third commandment requires that God's 
 names, titles, attributes, words and works shall be used 
 in a respectful and reverend manner. And it announces 
 the fearful fact, that God will hold no man guiltless that 
 takes his name in vain. While it most positively com- 
 . /lands not to use God's name in a trilling and irreverent 
 flianner, it enjoins the observance of all outward respect 
 for the divine authority, as well as the cultivation of in- 
 ward sentiments and feelings, suited to the outward reve- 
 rence. Now, it is well known that chaste and pure lan- 
 guage is encouraged by Christ in the New Testament. 
 Matt, v, 37, "But let your communication be, yea, yea; 
 nay, nay ; for whatsoever is more than these, cometh of 
 evil." 
 
 Fourth. The fourth commandment requires that one 
 whole day in seven shall be ob.-erved by man, as a day 
 of abstinence from all secular employment. It establishes 
 the ne cessity of public worship, and of a stated and out- 
 ward profession of the truths ol religion, as well as the 
 
162 THE MORAL LAW BINDING ON CHRISTIANS. 
 
 cultivation of suitable feelings for the practice of religion. 
 And it is a remarkable fact, that this commandment re- 
 quires that the rest of the Sabbath shall include all ser- 
 vants, strangers, and beasts of burden. This proves that 
 the benevolence and care of God extends to the lowest of 
 mankind, and even to the beast. The gospel oFers no 
 n-Iease from the original obligations of the Sabbath, ex- 
 cept in cases of necessity and mercy. Mutt, xii, 1-13; 
 Luke xiii, 11-17; John v, 8-17. These passages do not 
 relax or modify the claims of the Sabbath — they only show 
 the benevolent nature of the Sabbath. 
 
 Fifth. The fifth commandment requires that the duties 
 that children owe to their parents shall be faithfully per- 
 formed, as well as all the relative duties of inferiors to 
 superiors, either in age, station in life, gift or piety. This 
 whole precept is enforced in the New Testament. Matt. 
 xr, 4, " God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and 
 mother." Eph. vi, 1-3, " Children, obey your pa- 
 rents in the Lord ; for this is right. Honor thy father 
 and mother, (which is the first commandment with 
 promise,) that it may be well with thee, and that thou 
 mayest live long on the earth." 
 
 Sixth. The sixth commandment requires that we use 
 all possible means to preserve our own lives and the lives 
 of others, whether natural, spiritual or eternal ; and it 
 forbids all malice, envy, murder, and all else that might 
 injure the soul or body of a fellow being. Malt, v, 21, 
 "Thou shalt not kill ; and whosoever shall kill, shall be 
 in danger of the judgment." 
 
 Seventh. The seventh commandment prohibits all un- 
 cleanness and adultery, in either the heart, the conversa- 
 tion, or the action. This part of the moral law is not 
 only sustained by the New Testament, but is fully ex- 
 plained, and so clearly enforced, that its true import and 
 
THE MORA! LAW BINDING ON CHRISTIANS. 1 G3 
 
 application cannot be misunderstood. Mark x, 19, " Thou 
 knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery 
 
 Eighth. The eighth commandment forbids all dis- 
 honesty, theft, robbery, extortion, and every other act that 
 might interfere with the rights of others. Maik x, 19, 
 " Do not steal." 
 
 Xinlh. The ninth commandment requires that tht ut- 
 most care be taken to maintain truth. It forbids all 
 falsehood, lying, dissimulation, flattery, or reproachful 
 language ; as well as all tale-bearing, tattling, backbit, ng, 
 or other injurious forms of expression. This precept is 
 also sustained by the gospel. Mark x, 19, " Do not bear 
 false witness." Eph. iv, 25, "Putting away lying; 
 speak every man truth with his neighbor." 
 
 Tenth. The tenth and last commandment in the Deca- 
 logue, forbids that vile root of evil in the heart — covetous- 
 ness. "Thou shalt not covet," is the imperative claim of 
 God's law, and is enforced by all the solemnity of the 
 sublime scenes connected with the giving of the law. 
 This commandment is sustained more fully, and enjoined 
 with greater minuteness, if possible, in the New Testa- 
 ment, than any of the other precepts. Our Lord says, in 
 Luke xii, 15, " Take 1 eed, and beware of covetousness." 
 Heh. xiii, 5, "Let your conversation be without covet- 
 ousness." 
 
 4. The foregoing testimony from the gospel and the 
 epistles, cannot fail to convince the reader that the moral 
 law is as binding on Christians as it was on the Jews. 
 Nor can the reader fail to see that tl>e morality of the 
 Decalogue involves the whole of true religion. It enjoins 
 love to God with the most unceasing solicitude, compre- 
 hending all the powers, both mental and moral, with 
 which man is endowed. And it enjoins love to our neigh- 
 bor as extensively and forcibly as our circumstances will 
 
164 TIIE MORAL LAW BINDING ON CHRISTIANS. 
 
 permit ; to the extent even, that we shall love them as 
 ourselves. This law is made the basis of the gospel, and 
 all gospel instruction. As it is here set forth, it impresses 
 us with the deepest conviction, that God requires not the 
 mere external observance of religion, but heartfelt piety, 
 well regulated and sanctified desires, and uniform and 
 active benevolence. It is clear, then, that the popular 
 morality of the world can constitute no man an heir of 
 eternal life. And it is also clear, that if a man loves our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, he must keep his commandments. 
 Mntt. v, 20, "For I say unto you, That except your 
 righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes 
 and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom 
 of heaven." 
 
 *' That blessed law of thine, 
 
 J«sus, to me impart ; 
 *.*h( Spirit's law of lif*> divine, 
 
 0 write it on my heart." 
 
ARTICLE VII. 
 
 ORIGINAL, OR BIRTH SIN. 
 
 " Original sin standeth not in the. following of Adam, (as thfr 
 Pelagians do vainly talk), but it is the corruption of the nature of 
 every man. that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam, 
 whereby man is \ery far gone from original righteousness, and 
 of his own nature inclined to evil, and that continually." 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 Original Sin — In whit it does not Consist 
 1. " Original sin standeth not in ti e following of Adam, 
 (as the Pelagians do vainly talk.*') The term original 
 sin, signifies that sin which was in the beginning. It is 
 applied to the aot of transgression by our first parents. 
 1 John, iii, 4, "For sin is the transgression of the law." 
 It likewise signifies that natural depravity of moral nature 
 which is common to, and inseparably connected with, 
 every man that is of the offspring of Adam. It is that 
 by which man's whole nature is defiled, and by which he 
 is " inclined to evil, and that continually." This is called 
 indwelling sin. Rom. vii, 17, "Now, then, it is no more 
 I that do it, hit sin thai dwelleth in me." 
 
 To this doctrine, exceptions have been taken in every 
 age of the Church, and by men of distinguished abilities. 
 In the fifth century, unseriplural views of this doctrine 
 were developed, in what is known in church history, by 
 *he Pelagian controversy. Pelagius was the advocate of 
 the doctrine, that if men do sin, it is by following the 
 example of Adam, and not because of any inherent cor- 
 '•up:ion of nature. His chief opponents in this contro- 
 versy, were Chrysostom, Ixadore, and Augustine, men 
 
1G6 ORIGINAL SIX IN WHAT IT DOES NOT CONSIST. 
 
 alike distinguished for their piety and learning. The 
 Pelagian error was so clearly exposed by these men, that 
 the whole Pelagian system wr.s successively condemned 
 by the Council of Carthage, in A. D. 412, and by the 
 Council of Ephesus. Finally, in A. D. 418, the Emperor 
 Ilonorius published an order, which caused the leaders of 
 this error to be expelled from Rome, and their followers 
 to be driven out of the country. These acts go very far 
 to establish the belief that Pelagianism was a fatal error. 
 But we must admit, meanwhile, that all we know of the 
 sentiments of this man and his followers, is from their 
 opponents. And it is possible they have somewhat mis- 
 represented the true sentiments of these persons, by an 
 honest and, perhaps, overreaching zeal of a heated con- 
 troversy. Perhaps our best information on this subject is 
 in Mos/ieim's Ecc. Hist., hj Murdoch, Vol i, Cent. V, p. 371 . 
 Here it is charged upon the Pelagians*, that they made 
 direct and open opposi ion to the Bible doctrine, concerning 
 the innate depravity of man ; they taught " that the parents 
 of the human race sinned only for themselves, and not for 
 their posterity ; that men are born as pure and innocent as 
 Adam was when God created him ; that men, therefore, 
 can, by their natural power, renovate themselves, ana 
 reach the highest degree of holiness." The Pelagians 
 farther taught, ; s Dr. Welsh says, " that Adam is so far 
 the author of sin, as he was the first that sinned, and by 
 his example has seduced others." Now, if we have a fair 
 statement of the doctrine objected to in this Article, we 
 have the highest possible reasons for the objection itself. 
 The reasons are as follows : 
 
 1. This doctrine is not true, because it places every 
 man in the same state of innocency and purity that Adam 
 was before the fall, and because it places every member 
 of the human family in a sort of original probation, irv- 
 
ORIGINAL SIX IN WHAT IT LOES NOT CONSIST. 167 
 
 vested with the same rights and powers of moral and 
 physical enjoyment that the first man had, previous to his 
 trahgressron. 
 
 2. This doctrine is not true, because it places Adam m 
 an isolated, or independent, rather than in a federative 
 relation to his posterity. It is therefore a fact, according 
 to this error, that the actions of Adam could affect hjm- 
 self, and no o;her. 
 
 3. This doctrine is not true, because it contradicts ex- 
 perience and observation, and because it contradicts the 
 historic facts evolved by every development of human 
 society, whether civilized or barbarous. 
 
 4. This doctrine is not true, because it denies the neces- 
 sity of any supernatural influence of grace or the Holy 
 Spirit upon man's heart, and because it teaches thai every 
 man, by his own natural powers, can renovate himself, 
 " and reach the highest degreee of holiness." 
 
 5. This doctrine is not true, because it sets aside the 
 whole system of atonement, and because it regards all the 
 ordinances of God as unnecessary in the recovery of man 
 from whatever sins he bi&y have committed, by example 
 or otherwise — either by thought, word or action. 
 
 6. This doctrine is not true, because it contradicts the 
 plain and direct doctrine of human depravity, as set forth 
 in the Holy Scriptures, and because it sets aside lire testi- 
 mony of God as a worthless fable, and the doctrine of re- 
 generation by the Holy Spirit as but the phantom of ;i 
 disordered imagination. 
 
 Now, if these six propositions are fairly deducible from 
 the Scriptures, and fairly set forth the error against which 
 this Article is directed, then it follows that Armenian* are 
 as far from Pelagian, or even semi-Pelagian errors, as 
 any other set of Christians that claim to be orthodox. 
 The Synod of Dort urged the charge of half-Pelagianism 
 
168 ORIGINAL SIN IN WHAT IT DOES NOT CONSIST. 
 
 upon the Armenians of Holland, to which they then re- 
 plied in arguments of defense that have never been an- 
 swered. They affirmed then, and Armenians do slid 
 affirm, that in the first man all men nave become corrupt, 
 and that this corruption is in " the nature of every man that 
 naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam." Ihey 
 moreover affirm, that " his condition is such, that he can- 
 not turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength 
 and good works, to faith and calling upon God." It is evi- 
 dent, therefore, as Armenians have always taught, that 
 if man does anything towards his own recovery from the 
 effects of the fall, it is by the grace of God assisting him, 
 and not by his own natural strength. They have always 
 contended for the doctrines of the atonement, as they are 
 stated in the Bible, and for the necessity of God's grace 
 "going before," to assist man in his recovery from sin, 
 and to sustain him in his whole Christian life. And they 
 have never taught that the atonement of Christ was a debt 
 that God owed to the human race. Nor have they at 
 any time believed or taught that mankind may be saved 
 by their good works. Tit. iii, 5, "Not by woiks of righ- 
 teousness which we have done, but according to his mercy 
 lie saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renew- 
 ing of the Holy Ghost." While Armenian theology is so 
 extensively published, and is such a direct antagonism to 
 Pelagian errors, and while the enemies of the Armenian 
 theology profess to be so familiar with polemic divinity, 
 it is unfair to attempt to lessen the influence of Arme- 
 nians by false statements of their doctrines, or to injure 
 their usefulness among men by falsely charging them with 
 Pelagian error. 
 
 Let the world study the Articles of Religion, in connec- 
 tion with the ScriptuiiiS, and it will at once be evident 
 that every doctrine of every Article is fully sustained and 
 
ORIGINAL SIN IX WHAT IT DOES CONSIST. I 69 
 
 proved. And it will be found, too, that no body of Chris- 
 tians takes higher grounds, or more Scriptural views of 
 the nature and extent of human depravity than the Arme- 
 nians. Rom. iii, 10—12, " As it is written, There is none 
 righteous, no, not one ; There is none that understandeth, 
 there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone 
 out of the way, they are together become unprofitable ; 
 there is none that doeth good, no, not one." Chap, v, 
 1?, "As by one man sin entered into the world, and 
 death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men, for that 
 all have sinned." 
 
 " How sad our state by nature is ; 
 
 Our sin how deep it stains : 
 And Satan binds our captive souls 
 
 Fast in his slavi>h chains." 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 
 Otig'mal Sin— In w'uit it does Consist. 
 
 I. "In the corruprion of the nature of every man, 
 that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam, so 
 that the human nature of Christ might be excluded, for 
 he is without sin." 
 
 It is here stated, that every man's nature is corrupt 
 and depraved. But by this we are not to understand 
 that sin is an original element of man's nature, either 
 morally or physically considered ; nor are we to under- 
 stand that it is anything infused into man's nature by 
 satan ; neither are we to understand that the depravity 
 of man's nature consists in the taking away from the soul 
 any of its original attributes, but that it consists in the 
 privation of the soul of the image of God, which is 
 ' righteousness and true holiness." This of itself 
 
170 ORIGINA J SIN IN WHAT IT DOES CONSIST. 
 
 is enough to infect the soul with all that is evil. The 
 depravity of man's moral nature, therefore, consists 
 in the loss of original righteousness. This loss leaves the 
 soul to an evil tendency, and in the possession of a 
 nature which is corrupt. This corrupt state is variously 
 described in the Scriptures. It is called the natural state, 
 1 Cor. ii, 14, " But the naturcl man receiveth not the 
 tilings of the Spirit of God." It is called carnal, Mam. 
 viii, 7, " Because the carnal mind is enmity against God." 
 These two passages not only describe the state, but the 
 disposition of the fallen soul." It is "enmity against 
 God ;" it "rejects the things of the Spirit, esteeming them 
 foolish." 
 
 This state is called spiritual death, Eph. ii, 1, "And 
 you hath he quickened, who were dead in tresspasses and 
 in sins ;" and in Acts viii, 23, it is called " the gall of 
 bitterness, and the bond of iniquity." And whatever else 
 may be said of man in his unrenewed state, may all be 
 summed up in the single expression ; " He is without 
 God." 
 
 2. But it is said in the Article, that " this is the nature 
 of every man." By this we are to understand that sin is 
 universal. This we will find to be true if we consider the 
 universal prevalence of death ; the universal prevalence 
 of wickedness ; and the universal necessity of the atone- 
 ment of Christ. Gen. ii, 17, " The day thou eatest 
 thereof, thou shalt surely die," was the original law given 
 to Adam. The penalty of this law was death. Adam 
 transgressed this original law, and immediately became 
 subject to physical death, and in process of time did die. 
 In the immediate transaction of the fall, he died spiritu- 
 ally ; the image of God was taken from his moral being ; 
 he was left without God. And in this act he subjected 
 himself, and all his posterity with him, to eternal dea'h. 
 
ORIGINAL SIX IN WHAT IT DOES CONSIST. 171 
 
 The historic fact that men have died from Adam to 
 the present time, and which is supported by daily «bserva- 
 tion ; and the fact that all men will die, is accounted loi 
 in the Scriptures. It is the constant language of the 
 Bible that all men are sinm rs, and it is just as dcliniuly 
 said in Rom. vi, 23, that " the uayes of s n its death." 
 There being no other reason for death, it must be ad- 
 mitted that sin is the cause of it ; and inasmuch as all 
 men have sinned, all men must die. Gen. iii, 19, " Dust 
 thou art, and unto dust thou shall return." Pa. lxxxix, 
 48, " What man is he that liveth, and shall not tee 
 death ?" Heb. ix, 27, " It is appointed unto man once to 
 die." And St. Paul includes all the terms which are of 
 a general import, and which includes the whole hu- 
 man family in thh> one general fact. Rom. v, 12, "And 
 so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." 
 This includes every nation, and every individual. Now, 
 this one fact, here stated as the penalty of sin in the indi- 
 vidual case of Adam, and as the effect of his sin that'has 
 passed upon all men, goes very far to sustain the doc- 
 trine tl.at original sin "is the corruption cf every man 
 that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam." 
 And though the atonement of Christ pioposes to restore 
 man to spiritual life, yet it does not contemplate his re- 
 lease from physical death. But it may be farther stated, 
 that the universal prevalence of wickedness moves thai 
 " the nature of every man " is corrupt. To prove this I 
 shall not travel out of the bounds of Scripture testimony 
 into the facts of history, and the reason of law. The 
 Bible is sufficient for all our purposes. It abounds 
 with proof that wickedness is universal. Gm. vi. 12, 
 " God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt ; 
 for all Jlesh had corrupted his way upon earth." J's. 
 ■iv, 1, " They are corrupt ; they have done abominable 
 
172 ORIGINAL SIN IS WHAT IT DOES CONSIST. 
 
 works; the;e is none that doetli good." Rom. iii, 23, 
 " For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of 
 God." Gul. iii, T2, " But the Scripture hath concluded all 
 under sin." But this doctrine maybe more fully staled, 
 if we consider the Universality of the atonement of 
 Cliristt, 2 Cur. v, 14, " If one died for all, thin were all 
 dead." That is, all were "dead in trespasses and in sins," 
 and Avithout the atonement of Christ, all must be lost. 
 John i, 29, " Behold the Lamb of God, which takcth 
 away the sin of the world." Chop, iii, 17, " God sent 
 not his Son into the world, to condemn the w.rld, but 
 that the world through him might be saved." 1 Tim. ii, 
 6, " Who gave himself a ransom for jIL" Heh. ii, 9, 
 " That he by the grace of God, should taste death for 
 erery man." 1 John, ii, 2, " He is the propitiation for 
 bur sins ; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of 
 the whole u'orld." These, with other passages of a similar 
 import, prove very clearly, that sin is universal ; that it 
 involves all men. Having already shown that original sin is 
 universal ; that it is the corruption of the nature of every man, 
 and consists in the loss of the image of God, in the soul ; 
 1 proceed to show as clearly as I can apprehend, the 
 doctrine', that, 
 
 3. This was all occasioned by the transgression of 
 Adam. It is the unvarying testimony of the Bible that 
 Adam w is the pub;ic and federate head of the human 
 race. Regarded by the government of God as sus- 
 taining this public and general relation, his public acts as 
 the representative of the human family, must affect those 
 whom he represented. The main and most fatal transa.- 
 tion of his public life, was his fall. He sinned against 
 God, in that he transgressed a positive law of God. 
 His act was sinful, for it is said 1 John iii, 4, that, 
 " Sin is the transgression of the law." Hence Ft. Paul 
 
ORIGINAL SIN IN WHAT IT DOES CONSIST. 173 
 
 Rom. v, 12, " By one man sin entered into the world, 
 and death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men, for 
 that all have sinned." Now, at the time of this transac- 
 tion, it is evident that none existed as acting inde- 
 pendently, and for themselves, bui Adam and his wife. 
 But it Lc the clear doctrine of the Scriptures that their 
 posterity existed in them, as their parents, and represen 
 tative head. There was neither sin nor deutk in the 
 world before the offense of Adam, but it is very evident, 
 that after this, both existed. Now, as there is no other 
 reason given either in the Bible, or in the history of our 
 being, why sin and death existed after the transgression 
 of Adam, it is but reasonable to suppose that his disobe- 
 dience was the cause of both. " Death passed upon all 
 men.'' 
 
 '• Earth felt the w ound, and nature from her seat, 
 Sighing through all her works, gave signs of woe, 
 That all was lost" 
 
 Soon after the fall, Adam propagated children. And 
 it is distinctly said in Oen. v, 3, that these were " in his 
 vim likeness, after his image." Nothing is said of their 
 being in the image and likeness of God, as was said of 
 Adam when he was created. They were depraved as 
 was their father, as their earliest history shows, which 
 confirms the fact, that they were in the " likeness and 
 image of Adam." They were sinners, and the first frui.o 
 of the fact, " that all have sinned, and come short of the 
 glory of God." 
 
 Bui- by this we are not to understand that the personal 
 act of Adam, as the federate head, and representative of 
 the human race, was personally and properly the sin of 
 his posterity. We are to understand only, that because 
 of the natural and representative union between the firsi 
 man aiid his offspring, his sin is the cause or g-ound of 
 
174 ORIGINAL SIN TN WHAT IT DOES CONSIST. 
 
 their corruption ; and that they suffer and are depraved, 
 because -the consequences of his sin have passed upon 
 them. 
 
 Now, it is not only a fact of revelation, but a fact of 
 history, that the fall of Adam changed the relation in 
 which our race stood to God. Instead of entering into 
 communion with man now, as he did with Adam before 
 his departure from the law, he regards and records them 
 as his enemies. They begin to existo^ of God, :nd, con- 
 sequently, they begin to exist in a state of moral darkness, 
 and destitute of any natural disposition to delight in God 
 or his service. On the other hand, they are prone to, and 
 it is their delight to indulge in, the ways of unrighteous- 
 ness. All this is proved by the Scriptures to be the 
 effect of the transgression of " one." By this " many 
 were made sinners." This seems to establish the fact 
 still farther, that when Adam was placed in a state of 
 trial, with the test of positive law before him, he was not on 
 trial for himself alone, but also for 1 is posterity. He fell, 
 and his relation to us, as our probationary head, consti- 
 tuted his act, in the transaction of the fall, the reason 
 why we are treated as sinners. We sinned in him, 
 though we did not personally participate in the act, as 
 free moral agents. 
 
 4. At this stage of our remarks, we find the reason 
 why death reigned from Adam to Moses, a period of about 
 twcnt\ -five hundred years, "even over them that had 
 not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression." 
 Now, as there was no written law from Adam to Moses, 
 and as sin was in the world during all that lime ; and is 
 " not imputed where there is no law," it therefore follows 
 that sin was in the world because of the sin of Adam, 
 gin was not perpetuated by the repeated violation of the 
 law that Adam transgressed, for that law must have been 
 
ORIGINAL SIN IN WHAT IT DOES CONSIST. 175 
 
 set aside, in order to give place to the covenant of grace. 
 Now, as it is a well known fact that " sin is a transgres- 
 sion of the law," and that during the whole period from 
 Adam to Moses, " sin was in the world," though there 
 was no written law to transgress ; therefore, St. Paul 
 states the fact, when he says in Rom. v, 8, " By the 
 offense of one, judgment came upon all men to con- 
 demnation," and that all the evils, both natural and 
 moral, with which mankind are degraded, are traceable to 
 the federate head of our race. His sin, like a stream of 
 moral poison, has ruined us all, and left the earth in 
 a state of moral desolation, 
 
 " Virtue and truth have left the faithless race, 
 And fraud and wrong succeeded in their place ; 
 And justice, last of the celestial train, 
 
 Spurns the earth drenched in blood, and flies to heaven again.'* 
 By the same course of reasoning, we see why it is tha. 
 sin, and " death by sin," reigns among the heathen na- 
 tions. These are in the same conditiou, as it respects 
 written law, that those were who lived from Adam to 
 Moses. Yet no one will doubt the fact, that the same 
 moral and physical defects exist among them, that ar 
 known to exist among those who have the written law 
 And no one will doubt that sin, transmitted to them in 
 some way, is the cause of their moral defection ; and 
 likewise, of the death of their bodies. This moral and 
 physical condition of the heathen, cannot be the effect of 
 their own transgression, for they have no written law, 
 and St.' Paul says, Rom. iv, 15, "Where no law is, there 
 is no transgression." 
 
 But it is said in Rom. ii, 12, "As many as have sinned 
 without law, shall be punished without law." Now, if 
 we admit the possibility of sinning without law, it will not 
 affect the argument, and for this plain reason ; to sin, 
 
l76 ORIGINAL SIN IN WHAT IT DOES CONSIST. 
 
 or to transgress, supposes not only moral accountability; 
 but a moral and physical capacity to do wrong. Personal 
 wrong is followed with personal punishment, and if there 
 is personal sin without law, as the Apostle intimates, there 
 must be personal punishment without law. Cut this 
 cannot apply to a very large portion of the human 
 family ; for it is a fact that the children both of Christian 
 and heathen parents, cannot personally transgress any law. 
 Yet they give the most incontestible evidence of depravity, 
 and it is a fact that they die. Now, all this is anterior to any 
 possibility on their part, to do that which is wrong. They, 
 therefore, cannot be punished for their personal actual 
 sins. Now, if we admit these plain facts and results of 
 sin, as taking place anterior to the physical and moral 
 possibility to act wrong, then we will readily admit the 
 general and well defined Scripture doctrine, that, "By 
 one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin ; and 
 so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." 
 All this is implied in the doctrine of original sin, as set 
 forth in the Bible ; and the doctrine itself implies that no 
 one is exempt from the depravity of moral nature, or the 
 physical consequences of sin, however different may be 
 the degrees and modifications in which it may exist. 
 
 5. From what has been said, it is very evident tl.at sin 
 and death, as universal moral and physical calamities, de- 
 pend upon the derivation of all men from oce progenitor ; 
 and that what is called in this Article, original sin, is 
 continued through the entire line of this family, by phy- 
 sical propagation, and not by merely following the example 
 of Adam. Children derive their bodies from their parents, 
 by a law of physical being, and with their bodies their 
 depraved moral beings ; and so from child to parent, in 
 the unity of the hum in race, we may trace back to when, 
 and by whom, sin was introduced into the world. 
 
ORIGINAL SIX SOME OF.ITS EFEECTS. 177 
 
 But to pass from the abstract consideration of this 
 subject, to the application of it to ourselves — to our own 
 experience, and what do we find ? This one fact is very 
 clear, we are not what God's law requires us to be ; and 
 ■what our own moral sense teaches us we ought to be, 
 and must be, in order to please God. We are convinced 
 of the depravity of our own hearts, by the preponderance 
 of our animal and evil appetites, over our reason. Wc 
 feel that we are cut loose from the righteousness and holi- 
 ness of God ; that truth is not in us ; and that whatever 
 of happiness we may have, is at best very imperfect. 
 We feel that we are floating loosely upon a sea of errors, 
 which flows directly out from the great fountain of depra- 
 vity, that is opened in our own inward nature. Our 
 minds by nature, are fixed upon no object beyond what- 
 ever may gratify our depraved appetites. And we have 
 the inwaid, the outward, and the constantly abiding evi- 
 dence, that we live out of God, and that the tendency of 
 our unchecked nature is, to deeper and deeper depravity. 
 
 " L'ird. we are vile, conceived in sin, 
 And born unholy r.nd unclean 
 Sprung from the man who'e guilty fall 
 Corrupts his race, and taints us all. 
 
 Soon as we draw our infant breath, 
 The seeds of sin grow up for death 
 Thy law demands a perfect heart. 
 But we're defiled in every part." 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 Original Sin— Some of its Effects. 
 1. These are stated in part in this Article, and more in 
 detail in the Article that follows. In this Article, we ar*> 
 taught that because of original sin, "man is very far gone 
 
178 ORIGINAL SI* SOME OF ITS EFFECTS. 
 
 from original righteousness, and of his own nature inclined 
 to evil, and that continually." But what are we to un- 
 derstand by "original righteousness?" In the sense of 
 this Article, it means the state in which Adam was cre- 
 ated, and in which the whole human family were, as they 
 stood in him their federate head and representative in the 
 divine government. Adam was created in the image of 
 God. This consisted in the natural and full enjoyment 
 of a clear reason, a free will, an unclouded understanding, 
 together with a right use of these and all the other intellec- 
 tual and moral attributes of his nature. St. Paul defines 
 this, in Eph. iv, 24, to be " righteousness and true holi- 
 ness." By the transgression of the law, this was lost to 
 Adam, and consequently to his whole posterity. For it 
 is a clear doctrine of the Bible, that mankind had the moral 
 as well as the physical consequences of the fall entailed 
 upon them. And analogy le"ads us to suppose, that Adam 
 propagated beings like himself. Now, man comes into 
 being divested of the qualities of moral character that 
 Adam had before the transgression, and is, in the language 
 of this Article, " very far gone from original righteousness." 
 
 2. But this Article does not limit the defection of human 
 nature- from God, to any particular degree or modification 
 of moral evil, when it says we are " very far gone from 
 original righteousness." It teaches the abstract fact that 
 man is separated from God, and that by this act of sepa- 
 ration, he has set up in himself a nature that is wholly 
 averse to holiness and righteousness. His moral nature 
 is so totally depraved, that there is not only " no health " 
 in him, but a constant tendency and inclination to deeper 
 corruption, and still farther estrangement from God. At 
 best he is very far gone, but he is still getting farther off, 
 by indulging the sinful propensities of his already deeply 
 corrupt nature. 
 
ORIGINAL SIN — SOME OF ITS EFFECTS. 
 
 179 
 
 But tli is Article attaches to the negative aspect of this 
 state a positive and perpetual tendency tc ewl works. 
 Man is not only very far gone from original righteousness, 
 but "of his own nature inclined* to evil, and that 
 con inually." The first :hing here stated, is the fact that 
 man is naturally inclined to evil. This is not an acquired 
 propensity of nature, superinduced by habits of evil, or 
 by evil association. There is a natural inclination to do 
 Wrong. It is a natural bias upon his nature, by the force 
 of which, he is carried forward to certain fictions which 
 are conceived in wrong, and which are in direct opposition 
 to the plain precepts of the moral government of God. 
 These actions are injurious, because they encourage the 
 corruption of the heart, by which the)' were suggested, 
 and because they tend to confirm others in their opposition 
 to righteousness. 
 
 But the truth of this doctrine may be still farther 
 proved, if we consider atten ively the case of infants. 
 
 •' Soon as we draw our infant breath, 
 
 The seeds of sin grow up for death." 
 
 We read the truth of their depravity of nature, not only 
 in these lines, but in the Scriptures. And we see the 
 humbling fact with our eyes in the illustrations of every 
 day. Ps. li, 5, "Behold I was shapen in iniquity; and 
 in sin did my mother conceive me." This passage gives 
 the origin of the nature that is inclined to evil. This 
 origin is in "iniquity" and "sin." It must, therefore, 
 be unholy. Hence mankind, as is said in Ps. lviii, 'A, 
 " Go astray as soon as they be born, spe.tking lies." And 
 Solomon says, in Ptov. xxii, 15, "Foolishness is bound 
 in the heart of a child." Now, what stronger proof of 
 the natural inclination of the heart can we ask, than the 
 foregoing proofs from the Bible? And what stronger ad- 
 ditional proof can we look for than the outward action 9 
 
ORIGINAL SIN SOME OF ITS EFFECTS. 
 
 Men go astray as soon as they are born, because the heart 
 is naturally inclined to evil, and because, as St. John says, 
 " That which is bora of the flesh is flesh.' 7 
 
 But if we consuh; that portion of the Bible that espe- 
 cially refers to children, we may farther see the truth of 
 our Article. Ex. xx, 12, "Honor thy father and thy 
 mother." Lev. xix, 3, " Ye shall fear every man his 
 mother and his father." Eph. vi, 1, "Children, obey 
 your parents in the Lord ; for this is right." This law 
 was instituted for the express purpose of controlling and 
 directing the affections of the young into proper channels, 
 and to due regard for their parents. This is apart of the 
 moral law, which is founded in the very nature of the re- 
 lations of moral beings to each other. It existed anterior 
 to the existence of millions of our race, and was embodied 
 by the Supreme Law Giver of the universe, in positive 
 legislative enactment, in view of "what was in man" — 
 his natural depravity and sinful propensities- — and in view 
 of the fact that he would even rebel against the authority 
 and honor of his father and mother. 
 
 3. That man is inclined to evil, may be proved by every 
 man's experience. Men, it is true, may not be inclined to 
 the same kind of evil ; but it is a fact that every man ex- 
 periences in himself a natural inclination to some particular 
 sin. It may be pride, anger, covetousness, falsehood, 
 malice, sensuality, or some other species of :in. It is not 
 necessary that one man should commit all possible sins to 
 prove that there is in himself a natural tendency to evil 
 in general. The fact that he commits one si , or indulges 
 another, is evidence that he is both naturally and prac- 
 tically in sin. Ecc. viii, 11, "The heart of the sons of 
 men is fully set in them to do evil." To this truth, all 
 mon must honestly submit themselves. This fact knows 
 no relief ; except in the grace of God by Christ changing 
 
ORIGINAL SIX SOME OP ITS EFFECTS. 
 
 181 
 
 the whole current of his being. Even then lie will " find 
 a law in his members warring against the spirit." What- 
 ever he may find in himself that opposes the truth of God, 
 is but the continuation of the bitter stream of sin, whose 
 fcuntain is deep in the heart, and whose current washes 
 onward, deepening and widening with every wave. 
 
 But the effects of sin, productive as they are in their 
 turn, of condemnation, injury, and deeper wickedness of 
 heart, are not confined to this life. The poisonous stream 
 reaches into eternity, and is engulphing millions of our 
 race in "the lak: that burns with fire and brimstone." 
 " Sin kills beyond the tomb." 
 
 But it is cause of thanksgiving to God, that in this life 
 its deathly poison may be destroyed by " the blood of the 
 Lamb." Beyond this life there is no remedy. A career 
 of vice, short a« it may be, or that merely neglec's "the 
 great salvation," will end in the beginning of ceaseless 
 ages of anguish and untold horror. Rom. vi, 23, "'!he 
 wages of sin is death." This final issue will not result 
 so much from original evil, as from actual sin. No one 
 will be damned and finally lost, simply because Adam 
 sinned ; yet no one can avoid this as the result of personal 
 sin, without help from the Spirit of God. 
 
 " Each must answer for himself. 
 
 And as his own peculiar work shall be 
 Done by his proper self, shall live, or die." 
 
ARTICLE VIII. 
 
 OF FREE WILL. 
 
 "The condition of man alter the fall of Adam is such, that he 
 cannot turn and pFepare himself, by his own natural strength and 
 ■works of faith, and calling upon Hod; wherefore we have no 
 power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to God, without, 
 the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we iiiay have a 
 good will, and working with us, when we have that good will." 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 Ejects of the Fall -Man Enfeebled. 
 1. The state of mankind since the fall, involves two 
 things — wickedness and weakness. The former of these 
 states has been fully explained in the Notes on the last 
 Article, as consisting in depravity of heart, and a con- 
 tinual inclination to do evii. The latter state consists in 
 utter inability to recover himself from wickedness on the 
 one hand, and weakness on the other. This Article says, 
 " He cannot turn and prepare himself by his own strength 
 and works of faith, and calling upon God ; wherefore we 
 have no power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable 
 to God." Language very similar to this, and expressing 
 the same doctrine, is contained in the Westminster Con- 
 fession of Faith. Chap, ix, Sec. hi. "Man, by his fall 
 into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to 
 any spiritual good accompanying salvation ; so as a natural 
 man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in 
 sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, 
 or to prepare himself thereunto." Neither of the above 
 Articles of Religion presupposes that any of man's i itel- 
 
 JM4 
 
EFFECTS OF THE FALL MAN ENFEEBLED. 183 
 
 lectual faculties are lost by the fall ; they are only enfee- 
 bled in common with his moral powers. They both as- 
 sume the Scripture fact, that the faculties essential to man, 
 as an intelligent and moral being have become so cor- 
 rupted and enfeebled by the fall, as to render him utterly 
 incapable of faith and right actions, without the grace of 
 God assisting him. That man has Buffered this moral 
 deterioration, and that he cannot recognize in himself 
 either natural or moral ability to serve God, is the unequi 
 vocal teaching of the Scriptures and this Article of 
 Religion. 
 
 2. If this be the true condition of man since the fall, it 
 is clear that he has no natural power to make a right 
 choice, and, consequently, is not a free agent in the full 
 sense of that term, without the assistance of grace going 
 before to make him free. He may have a free will, it is 
 true, to act in the direction of evil, to which he is natu- 
 rally inclined ; but he is so entirely lost to all good pus- 
 poses, and so completely enfeebled in all his powers, that 
 we are free to admit that, of himself, he cannot make 
 choice of that which is good. The reason of this is as- 
 signed by St. Paul, Ram. viii, 7, 8, " Because the carnal 
 mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the 
 law of God, neither indeed can be. So, then, they that 
 are in the flesh cannot please God." At this point, Arme- 
 nians and Calvinists agree. Calvin denies all power to 
 man, in his apostacy, to choose that which is good. He 
 says, " Man being surrounded on every side with the most 
 miserable necessity, should nevertheless be instructed to 
 aspire to the good of which he is destitute, and to the 
 liberty of which he is deprived." And again he says, 
 " Man has not an equally free election of good and evil." 
 Calv. Conirov. Now, if we rightly apprehend these re- 
 marks, they agree with the doctrine of our Article, as 
 
184 EFFECTS OF THE FALL MAN ENFEEBLED. 
 
 well as with the Word of God. The same doctrine was 
 believed and taught by the early Christian Fathers. St. 
 Augustine says, " As none can begin a good work without 
 the Lord, so none can perfect it without the Lord." Pelag. 
 Con., Lib. t. Irenaus says, " No man who does not par- 
 take of the blessing and assistance of the Lord, can pro- 
 cure to himself the means of salvation." Iren. Adv., 
 Lib. 4, c. 13. 
 
 3. There is this difference, however, between Arme- 
 nians and Calvinists, on the proper office of the grace of 
 God, and the proper condition of man when he receives 
 Divine grace. Calvinists believe that when God's grace 
 is given to the sinner, to the extent that he has power to 
 choose that which is right, then he is regenerated. Ar- 
 menians believe that grace may, and really does, restore 
 the power to choose the good; but that this is always 
 before regeneration. Hence it is, that regeneration may, 
 or may not, necessarily follow the gift of God's grace. 
 Now, if Calvinists are correct, all men are regenerated, for 
 Tit. ii. 11, " The grace of God that bringeth salvation, hath 
 appeared to all men." Thus the Scriptures speak of the 
 unregenerate in general terms. But they likewise speak 
 of these persons in particular. They are said to " grieve," 
 "resist," and "quench" the Holy Spirit, which they 
 could not do, if the Spirit was not imparted to them. It 
 is therefore not true, that all who are moved upon by the 
 grace of God, are regenerate. 
 
 4. With these general remarks on the condition of the 
 human will since the fall, we are more fully prepared for 
 the farther proof that man is bj nature unable to do anj 
 good thing. "He cannot turn and prepare himself, by 
 his own natural strength and works of faith, and calling 
 upon God." He has no natural power, nor will, to turn 
 from Satan unto God. He is said, in the Scriptures, to be 
 
EFFECTS OF THE FALL MAN- ENFEEBLED. 185 
 
 "in darkness." "asleep," "dead," "helpless," "naked." 
 These are but definitions of man's sinful character and 
 condition ; and they sum up, in one general description of 
 moral character, the doctrine of our Article. Man is 
 Jietyless, and utterly unaUe to render any acceptable ser- 
 vice to God, or even to choose this service, without the 
 giace of God going before to assist him. This is well ex- 
 pressed by Christ, in John xv, 5, " For without me, ye 
 can do nothing." Now, from what has already been 
 sai l, it is very evident that man's inability to serve God 
 without his assistance, is both naturul and moral. It is 
 natural, because it belongs to his constitution ; and it is 
 moral, because it relates to the soul. Still, there is no 
 necessity fi_r making this distinction, for the whole man, 
 both in his flesh and spirit, is bound in sin, and naturally 
 inclined to evil. 
 
 This is the condition of man after the fall of Adam. 
 What it was before this greatest of all calamities, is easily 
 determined. It was just the converse of what it is now. 
 He had freedom and power to do that which was in ac- 
 cordance with the will of his Divine Creator. He knew 
 no restriction to this freedom of will, except the liberty to 
 do evil. And even this liberty was checked by no phy- 
 sical or moral necessity. God prohibited the use of the 
 will in the direction of evil, by setting before Adam the 
 fearful consequence of transgression, " Thou shalt die," 
 and the consequence of fidelity, "Thou shalt live;" but 
 this placed on him no inflexible necessity to do one or the 
 other. 
 
 5. This subject, humiliating as it is, may serve to 
 show us, 
 
 First. How great an evil sin is. It has prostrated and 
 ruined the most noble powers of the soul — nay more, the 
 whole soul itself. Man was once free, but now he is a 
 
186 
 
 DIVINE GRACE MAN STRENGTHENED. 
 
 slave to sin. Once he had the unalloyed disposition and 
 the power to do the whole will of God, but now he has 
 neither. His sin has enfeebled himself; it has injured the 
 world ; it has provoked the wrath of God ; it has exposed 
 the human race to sorrow and toil in this life, and to end- 
 less anguish in the life to come. 
 
 Second. Whatever provisions have been made for the 
 recovery of the enslaved human will, are provisions of 
 free grace, mercy, and benevolence, without any claim 
 whaiever upon the part of man. These merciful provi- 
 sions are fully able, in the particular and general range 
 of their application, to restore man to the liberty of " the 
 sons of God " in this world, and to elevate him to where 
 his redeemed powers will be forever free and happy. 
 
 " Where bliss each hea:t shall fill, 
 
 And fears of parting chill, — 
 Never, — no, never." 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 Diaine Grace — Man Strengthened. 
 1. This part of the Article states with much clearness, 
 what is the obvious Scripture doctrine of man's recovery 
 from his state of inability to do that which is right. 
 Whatever we are able to choose or do, in the direction of 
 return to God, is, by " the grace of God by Christ pre« 
 venting us, that we may have a good will, and working 
 with us when we have that good will." Without this 
 we must necessarily remain without strength, and by con- 
 sequence, be lost. But this Article likewise teaches that 
 means are ordained, and now in use, for our recovery 
 from this natural and moral inability, and conse- 
 quently, from the danger of eternal loss. But what are 
 the means whereby we may be saved ? If w e rightly 
 
DIVINE GRACE — MAN STRENGTHENED. 167 
 
 understand the Scriptures, and this Article, the means of 
 redemption and mora! Strength are, Ike frte Grace of Cod, 
 and the Mediation of Christ. God's grace suggested, 
 and his mercy and wisdcm projected, the Mediatorial 
 System. Through this, man may be restored to liberty 
 of will, and spiritual enjoyment. God now gives his 
 grace freely to every man, through the Mediation of 
 Christ, and in the proper use of this grace, he may be- 
 come reconciled to God. Hence it is, that the salvation 
 of man in the development of the whole plan of redemp- 
 tion, and in the primary and ultima e effects and achieve- 
 ments of this plan, is by the free gift of Go.l's grace 
 through Christ Jesus, and not by any merit, claim, or 
 good works upon the part of man himself. 
 
 2. But let us see what the term grace properly signi- 
 fies. According to Worcester, it means, " The favor and 
 love of God towards any person — Divine favor, D i \ i ; e 
 influence." This definition will very much assist in the 
 application of the Scripture language to the doctrine >..f 
 this Article. The question now is, Has God imparted the 
 assistance of his grace and Spirit to any, or all of the 
 human family ? To this question, there is but one an- 
 swer, Tit. ii, 11, "For the grace of God that bringeth 
 salvation, hath appeared to all men." 1 Cor. xii, 7, 
 " But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every 
 man to profit withal." These two passages so ob- 
 viously make up a full answer to the question, that 
 nothing more need be said. If God has given his 
 grace to all men, then all men needed it, because of their 
 natural incompetency to choose or do that which is right. 
 All men are thereby constituted competent to choo e and 
 do the v» il | of God, if they will ; and therefore God has 
 made full provision in the dispensation of his grace, for 
 the salvation of all men. But this conclusion is not a 
 
f8b 
 
 PIVINE GRACE 
 
 : — MAN STRENGTHENED. 
 
 mere deduction from a studied proposition, It is the re- 
 vealed will of God, " Who will have all men to 
 be saved, and ctme to the knowledge of the truth." 
 1 Tim. ii, 4. In order to this, God gives to every man 
 what is called in this Article, preventing grace. This 
 word is not known in modern language, in the sense in 
 which it is used : n this place. It comes from two Latin 
 words, prce and venio. Pros means before, and venio, to 
 come, or go before. Provenio is the compound, and 
 means to come, or go before. To go before, to assist, is 
 the sense in which it is used in the Bible, and in this 
 Article. It therefore means that the grace of God, 
 through Christ, comes before the sinner has power to 
 seek it, or a disposition to ask for it. It is sent into the 
 soul to quicken it into a life of free moral action, and to 
 present to it the things of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. 
 Thus it is that man is elevated from a condition of 
 bondage in which his will is so enfeebled, that he cannot 
 choose that which is good, to the condition of a free 
 and responsible moral agent, competent to choose the 
 good, and refuse the evil. At whatever period of life 
 this grace is given to man, at that period his moral 
 freedom begins, and he is regarded by the government of 
 God, as personally responsible for all his transactions. 
 
 3. But the particular office of this free gift is, not only 
 to go before, to quicken the soul into a state of moral 
 freedom, but to enlighten it, to convince it of sin, and to 
 strengthen it in all its purposes to right actions. Before 
 the grace of God is communicated to the heart, the de- 
 praved sinner has no disposition nor power, to do a single 
 act towards his own salvation ; not even to see, or feel 
 his need of redemption. But with this life-giving power 
 going before, he has gracious ability to repent of s : n ; to 
 believe to the justification of his soul ; and to " work 
 
DIVINE GRACE MAX STREX. THENED. 
 
 189 
 
 out his salvation with fear and trembling/' And hence 
 the propriety and reason of the duties that are enjoined 
 uj on men. They aie commanded to "repent," to 
 "believe," to "pray," to " grow in grace," to " press 
 forward ;" and though it may be said that Christ " gives 
 repentance," and (hat faith is of the "operation of God," 
 yet the fact is, that grace is given to the unregener.ite, 
 that they may see and feel the need of repentance and 
 faiih, but the acts are their own ; God neither repents, 
 believes, or prays for any man. Hence the evidence that 
 man is made free, and strengthened by Divine grace, is 
 the fact that God treats him as a free moral agent. This, 
 we believe, is the true and mo^t satisfactory interpretation 
 of gracious ability and moral freedom. By this, we may 
 harmonize the whole system of salvation with the moral 
 freedom and personal responsibility of every man that 
 comes into the world ; as well as with the justice and 
 mercy of God. If a man is saved, it is because he sub- 
 mitted himself to tht> will and mercy of God, by the as- 
 sistance of Divine grace ; and if he is lost, it is because 
 he resisted the gr icious influence of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 4. This is not a question of mere theory, but of fact. 
 If it were a question of mere theory only, error would but 
 spoil its symmetry ; but as it is a questu n of fact, error 
 must be fatal to the best interests of ihe soul in time, and 
 in eternity. It being a question of fact, it is eminently a 
 practical question. It gives all the glorv to God for his 
 free grace ; and it enables man to say, it is all of grace ; 
 " it is the gift of God.'' At the same time it pre-supposes 
 tha^ some men will be lost ; but it reconciles this with the 
 goodness and mercy of God, by these facts, involved in the 
 free moral agency of man. Johnv, 40, " Ye will not come 
 unto me that ye might have life." Acts, vii, 51, "Ye do 
 dicat/8 resist the Holy Ghost." But to touch the Article 
 
190 DIVINE GRACE MAN STRENGTHENED. 
 
 finally, and more directly, " The grace of God by Christ," 
 reverses the condition of man. For weakness it gives 
 him strength ; for a will inclined only to evil, it gives him 
 a will capable of good ; for works of evil, it prompts 
 him to "works pleasant and acceptable to God ;" and for 
 hope of salvation by good works, it inclines him to look 
 for salvation by "faith and calling upon God." Eph. ii, 
 8, 'By (/race ye are saved, through faith; and that not 
 of yourselves ; it is the gift of God." Hence it is, that 
 God has emancipated the enslaved human will from the 
 bondage of the fall; and has given it the strength and 
 self determining power, in its freed condition, to choo-e the 
 good, and refuse the evil, that it may magnify the riches 
 of the grace of God in Christ Jesus. 
 
 5. It will now appear that the semi-Pelagian error, 
 " that man, before he received grace, was capable of faith 
 and holy desires," and against which this Article is 
 mainly directed, has no foundation whatever, in the word 
 of God. And it appears very clearly that the whole 
 system of salvation, from first to last, is based upon the 
 threat atonement of Chiist ; and that this, as a remedial 
 plan, is the free gift of God. But it likewise is very 
 evident, that, while God has so strengthened and fortified 
 (he soul, as to make it free in choosing or refusing eter- 
 nal life, he has impressed upon it the power of assuming 
 the most fearful responsibility. To such an extent, indeed, 
 that it may be said, man has his eternal salvation and his 
 eternal ruin in his own hand. 
 
 " 0 ! to gr?ce liow great a debtor, 
 Daily I'm constrained to be; 
 
 Let thy goodness, like a fetter, 
 Bind my wandering heart to thee 
 
 Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it — 
 Prone to leave the God I love ; 
 
 Here's my heart, 0 take and seal it ; 
 Seal it for thy courts above.'' 
 
ARTICLE IX. 
 
 OF THE JUSTIFICATION OF MAX. 
 
 " We arc accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of 
 our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith, and not for our own 
 works or deservings ; — Wherefore, that we ; re justified by faith 
 ouly, is a most wholesome doctrine, an i very fuil of coiuIoil." 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 Mm Just tied for Christ's Sake, and not fi/r Good Worls. 
 t. " We are accounted righteous before God, only for 
 the merit of our Lord Jesus Christ by faith, and not for 
 our own works." 
 
 This Article contrasts the merit of Christ with the 
 merit of good works ; and teaches that no man can be 
 accounted righteous for his good works, but only for the 
 merit of Christ. The main object of this comparison of 
 good works with the merit of Christ, is to give to each 
 its appropriate place, and to enforce the Bible doctrine of 
 Christ's merit as the only ground of man's salvation, in 
 opposition to the Romish doctrine of salvation by good 
 Works. This Article is based upon the Scipture fact, 
 that the atonement of Christ is the only reason why God 
 can " be just and the justifier of him that believeth in 
 Jesus." Rom. hi, 26. This is the free gift of God's 
 grace, and no man can be justified but " by his grace 
 through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," verse 24. 
 It clearly follows, then, that justification is, Eph. ii, 9, 
 '• Not of works, lest any man should boast." 
 
 But if it is true that man has sinned, and thereby for- 
 feited all right to the good pleasure of God ; and it' it is 
 
 lai 
 
102 MAN JUSTIFIED FOR CHRIST *S SAKE. 
 
 true that the e is rederap'ion for him only through the 
 merits of Christ, how is he to avail himself of the b°ue 
 fits of that redemption ? Certainly not by good works, 
 for then it could not be by grace. Rom. iii, ^3, " There- 
 fore we conclude that a man is justified by faith, withou 
 the deeds of the law." 
 
 2. But upon what ground is it possible for a man to be 
 justified, even by faith ? The Article answers this impor- 
 tant question in these words, " only for the merit of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ." If this be the fact, what are we 
 to understand by the merit of Christ ? It denotes the 
 value of all that Christ suffered for the salvation of man- 
 kind. 1 Pel. iii, 18, " For Christ also hath once suffered 
 for sins, the just for the unjust ; that he might bring us to 
 God." Gal. iii, 13, " Christ hath redeemed us from the 
 curse of the law, being made a curse for us." These 
 passages bring before us, not only the fact of the suffer- 
 ing and sacrifice of Christ, but also the object of the sac- 
 rifice. The object, as it is expressed in the Scriptures, 
 was to transfer the curse of the law from the guilty to the 
 innocent, or from sinners to himself. Hence he is called 
 our Ransom. He bought us off from "the curse of the 
 law, by laying down his own life for ours, and thereby 
 secured our redemption. 
 
 " Lamt) of Gud, for sinners wounded I 
 
 Sacrifice to cancel guilt ! 
 Thou the word, the Lord's Anointed 
 
 Son of man, and Son of God." 
 
 Now, if Christ has satisfied the claims of the law against 
 us, so that we may be justified by the merit of his suffer- 
 ing, then he has redeemed us from the law itself, as a 
 rule of justification. Hence it is, that a man cannot be 
 justified by obedience to the claims of the law, for these 
 claims have been already met in the obedience of Christ. 
 
man JUSTIFIED for Christ's sake. 193 
 It therefore follows, that men are justified, not by the 
 deeds of the law, but by faith. And this privilege is 
 granted to all men, for it is just as reasonable to suppose 
 that the one act of obedience by Christ, procured for all 
 mankind ihe blessings of God's grace, as to suppose that 
 the one act of disobedience committed by Adam, should 
 have brought the curse of the law upon all his posterity. 
 The one ottering of Christ has so fully satisfied the claims 
 of the law, that man is brought upon the higher ground 
 of faith ; and in place of looking to the law of works for 
 the justification of his soul, he may believe in the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and he shall be saved. This is the ground 
 of justification ordained by God himself. Every work 
 tl erefore, that man can perform, and every sacrifice that 
 be can make, is without merit. If man is righteous 
 before God, it is "only for the merit of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, by faith." 
 
 3. This view of the subject, grounded, as it is, upon 
 the testimony of God's woid, makes it impossible for a 
 man to be justified by his own " works or deservings." 
 His nature is so depraved, that he cannot even will to do 
 an act that is good ; and suiely it cannot be supposed, 
 that a righteous God will reward an evil work with justi- 
 fication from sin. But man cannot be justified by works, 
 for the reason that God has ordained that sinners shall 
 be " saved by grace through faith." Any attempt, there- 
 fore, to merit justification by works, must discredit God's 
 own plan of salvation, and thereby increase the condem- 
 n rion of unbelief. But this is not all, for if a man con- 
 fides in the merit of his good works, he never can be 
 saved ; for his works not only make void the grace of 
 God, but also render the death of Christ useless, and of 
 no effect. Gal. ii, 21, " For if righteousness come by the 
 
 law, then Christ is dead in vain." 
 » 
 
194 MAN JUSUFIED FOR CHRISl's SAKE. 
 
 But finally, justification by works is in direct contradic- 
 tion to the uniform testimony of the Scriptures, St. Paul 
 fully discusses the subject in his Epistles to the Romans, 
 and the Galatians. In both of these Epistles, he es- 
 pecially declares, that " by the deeds of the law there 
 shall be no flesh justified in the sight of God," Rom. iii. 
 20, Gal. ii, 16. To this doctrine of our Article, sustained 
 as it is by the Scriptures, we have the testimony of anti- 
 quity. St. Clement says, "We are not justified by our- 
 selves, neither by our own wisdom, or knoioledge, or piety, 
 or works that we have done in the holiness of our hearts ; but 
 by th&tfai/h by which God Almighty has justified all men 
 from the beginning." Ep. ad Cor.c. 32. And the testi- 
 mony of Polycarp is the same. He says, " Ye are saved 
 by grace, not hy icorks, but by the will of God through 
 Jesus Christ." 
 
 4. This Article assumes the Scripture doctrine, that 
 men were counted righteous in all ages of the world, 
 only for the merit of Christ by faith. It lays hold of 
 the fact that such is the efficacy of the atonement of 
 Christ and his merits, that although he offered him«elf a 
 sacrifice for sin but once, yet the influence of this one of- 
 fering for the sins of the whole world, in procuring par- 
 don for the penitent, has reached back to the fall of man, 
 and will reach forward to the end of time. The merits of 
 Christ was the ground of all the righteousness of the Pa- 
 triarchal and Mosaic believers. And although these were 
 periods of works and subordinate typical sacrifices, yet 
 the justification of sinners was, even then, not by works, 
 but by faith in Christ. Hence St. Paul refers to the cast 
 of Abraham and others, as illustrations of this fact 
 There is no record of the merit of good works in any of 
 these cases, not even in the case of Abraham. 
 
 He, it is true, was circumcised, but this was not the 
 
MAN JCSTIFIED FOR CHRIST'S SAKE. 
 
 I9S 
 
 moans of his justification. Rom. iv, 11, It was only the 
 " Seal of the righteousness of the fuith which he had, yet 
 being uncircumcised ; that he might be the father of all 
 them that believe, though they be not circumcised, that 
 Bghteousness might be imputed to them also." 
 
 This whole doctrine, as it is implied and taught in this 
 Article, represents the justification of sinners, " through 
 Ihe redemption that is in Christ Jesus," by faith, as the 
 five gift of God's grace. He provided the plan of our 
 salvation ; and he provided the sacrifice and merit of 
 Christ for us, to be appropriated to our hearts by (aith, 
 and not by works. And even the faith by which we 
 may make this appropriation of Christ's sacrifice to our- 
 selves, is, in a certain sense, the free gift of God's grace. 
 The power to believe is from God, but the act of believ- 
 ing, which is the appropriate result of this power, is our 
 own. Hence we have the testimony of St. Paul, in Eph. 
 ii, 8, 9. " For by grace ye are saved, through faith ; and 
 that not of yourselves ; it is the gift of God. >«'ot of 
 works, lest any man should boast." 
 
 " Grace first contrived the way 
 
 To save rebellious man ; 
 And all the steps that grace display 
 
 Which drew the wondrous pla:;." 
 
 So clearly is the merit of Christ the ground of pardon 
 and salvation, that "our own works or deservings "are as 
 nothing. And so clearly does this doctrine condemn the 
 doctrine of merit in good work's, that Romanism, in this, 
 as in many other of her doctrines, is proved to be anti- 
 Scriptural, and of danger >us tendency — one of " the doc- 
 trines of devils." 
 
 But finally, this doctrine of salvation by faith in Christ, 
 is most happily expressed in the post communion sennre if 
 our Church ; " Most humbly beseeching thee to grant 
 
I9fi MAN JUSTIFIED BT FAITH ALONE. 
 
 that, by th? merits and death of thy Son Jesus Christ, 
 through faith in his blood, we and thy whole church may 
 obtain remission of our sins, and all other benefits of his 
 passion." 
 
 Thee we own a perfect Saviour 
 Only source of all that's good, 
 Ev'ry grace and ev'ry favor 
 
 Comes to us through Jesus' blood 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 Man Justified by Faith alrme. 
 1 . The language of the Article on this doctrine is this : 
 " Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only, is a most 
 wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort." Two 
 things are here stated — the condition, or term of justifica- 
 tion, which is faith ; and the moral influence of the doc- 
 trine, it is "very full of comfort." 
 
 Faith alone is the term .of man's justification before 
 God. But there are two kinds of faith spoken of in the 
 Scriptures — dead faith and living faith. The first is an 
 intellectual assent to the truth of Christianity, without 
 any change of heart, or reformation of life, and is allowed 
 to be possessed by wicked men professing Christianity, 
 and by devils. The second is called living faith, and con- 
 sists first, in intellectual assent to the truth, and second, 
 in " the entire trust and reliance of an awakened and peni- 
 tent sinner in the atonement of Christ alone as the meri- 
 torious ground of pardon." The former may exist without 
 the latter, but the latter cannot exist without the former. 
 
 To state the doctrine of salvation by grace through 
 faith more clearly, we may remark, that the merit of 
 Christ in the atonement is the only ground of pardon, and 
 faith is the ordained condition, or term of pardon. The 
 
MAN JUSTIFIED BV FAITH ALONE. 
 
 \97 
 
 merit is in the atonement of Christ as the free gift of God's 
 grace, and not in faith as ilie condition of pardon. Faith 
 is but the qualifying condition to which the promises of 
 God unite the pardon of sin, so that without faith, in its 
 highest sense, there can be no justification. Still, L re- 
 mark again, the merit or value does not lie in the faith 
 that justifies, but in the atonement of Christ; and hence 
 it is, that if Christ had not merited the favor of God, no 
 promise of pardon would have bten extended to any i. an, 
 upon any condition ; and if God had not promised pardon, 
 justification could never have followed, upon any condi- 
 tion. It follows, therefore, that the connection of faith 
 and justification is of God's institution. In ordaining 
 faith as a term of justification, God has bound himself to 
 give the benefits of the atonement of Christ to every peni- 
 tent upon the right performance of the condition. 
 
 2. If the soul is justified by faith alone, as the only con- 
 dition of pardon, then it is clerr that men cannot be justi- 
 fied by works, and consequently cannot claim the remission 
 of sin by anything good that they may attempt to perform. 
 Gal. ii, 16, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the 
 works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ." And 
 as if to enforce more fully the doctrine of justification by 
 faith, in opposition to the supposed value of good \\o:ks. 
 the Apostle says: "By the works of the law shall no 
 flesh be justified." 
 
 It follows, with equal clearness, that sinners are not 
 justified by the imputation, or transfer of a righteousness 
 that is not of faith. If they are, then there must either 
 be more than one way of justification, or else justification 
 by faith alone, as it is {aught in the New Testament, is a 
 senseless doctrine. But that the penitent sinner, who 
 rightly believes, is justified by faith alone, is the uniform 
 teaching of the Scriptures. Hence the theory of the im- 
 
108 MAN JU TIFIED BT FAITH ALONE. 
 
 putation of Christ's personal moral obedience to believers, 
 involves not only a perversion of the Scripture method of 
 justification, but is fatal in its consequences. It leads the 
 penitent soul away from that thorough and deep contri- 
 tion, and full exercise of faith that must necessarily exist 
 as the condition of pardon. It moreover beclouds the 
 mind with doubt, and forbids that clearness of Christian 
 experience that is so uniformly encouraged as the privi- 
 lege of every believer. 
 
 Justification by faith alone is so clearly the doctrine of 
 the Bible, that its nature and importance can scarcely be 
 misunderstood ; yet it is greatly mystified by writers who 
 profess to fear that it endangers what are known as the 
 doctrines of grace. But so far is this doctrine from pre- 
 judicing the free grace of God, that it makes man's justi- 
 fication by faith alone, proof that remission of sin is the 
 e' v ect of free grace, and not of faith. " Therefore it is by 
 faith, that it might be through grace." Hence it is, that 
 boasting of our faith is cut off by the consideration that 
 salvation is by grace through faith, and that even the 
 faith itself by which we are justified, i« the gift of God. 
 
 3. By affirming that faith is the term, or condition of 
 justification, I mean, first, that there is no justification 
 without it. " lie that believeth not, is condemned al- 
 ready ;*' and so long as he believeth not, that condemna- 
 tion cannot be removed, but the "wrath of God abideth 
 on him." As there is no other merit whereby a con- 
 demned sinner can be saved from the guilt of sin, but the 
 merit of Jesus; so there is no other way of gaining the 
 saving efficacy of his merits, but by " faith in his name." 
 Hence we have, Arts xvi, 31, " Believe on the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Faith, therefore, 
 is the necessary and only condition of justification. 
 
 The second point carefully to be observed is this : " The 
 
MAN JUSTIFIED BT FAITH ALONE. 
 
 very moment God giveth faith (for faith is the gift of God) 
 to the ungodly that worketh not, that faith is counted to 
 him for righteousness." - Wesley. Now, if faith is taken 
 for righteousness, then is the soul justified by faith, and 
 God accepts of faith in the merits of Christ, as the righ- 
 teousness of him that believes. Rom. iv, 3, "Abraham 
 believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteous- 
 ness." Verse 5, " To him that worketh not, but bclieveth 
 on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted to 
 him for righteousness." Now, it is plainly said in the 
 above and other passages, that where righteousness is 
 imputed to a believer, he is considered the actual doer of 
 a righteous act. A man cannot have actual sin imputed 
 to him when he never committed sin, and so a man cannot 
 have the righteousness of faith imputed to him when \c 
 has not believed with a heart unto righteousness. Abra- 
 ham believed God, and his faith was counted to him for 
 righteousness. This reconciles the claims of the gospel 
 with the exercise of faith, as the only condition upon 
 which the merits of Christ are made available to the peni- 
 tent sinner. It is clear, then, that the atonement of Christ 
 is accepted in the place of the personal punishment of the 
 sinner, on condition of his faith. When faith in Christ is 
 exercised, then God for Christ's sake takes away sin by 
 pardoning the offender, and restoring him to his favor. 
 In this sense, faith cannot be called a work, nor can it be 
 r-aid to have merit, for no merit can be allowed to faith. 
 Merit is only allowed to Christ, and justifying faith is the 
 exclusive reliance or trusting in the merits of Christ for 
 salvation. Therefore it is, that by the very nature of faith 
 as the gift of God, it shuts out all assumption of merit to 
 the penitent believer, and gives all the glory of our salva- 
 tion to the grace of God. To believe, is to do that which 
 God requires of us — that v hich must be done in order to 
 
200 
 
 MAN JUSTIFIED DY FAITH ALONE. 
 
 justification ; and as faith is the gift of God, it may truly 
 be said, that sinners are saved "by grace through faith, 
 and that not of themselves." 
 
 4. Justification is synonomous with pardon, as is evi 
 dent from the many instances in which both terms art 
 used to express the same thing. But while this is true, 
 both the terms differ from the meaning of the term re- 
 generation in several particulars. Justification is a change 
 of relation to the government of God, and regeneration is 
 n change of character. In the one case, sin is pardoned ; 
 and in the other, the moral nature is washed by the re- 
 newing of the Holy Ghost. One is a work done for tha 
 the believing penitent ; the other is a work wrought in him. 
 One is a restoration to the favor of God ; the other is a 
 restoration of the image of God. With this Scriptural 
 distinction before the mind, we will readily see that justi- 
 fication must precede regeneration, both in the order of 
 time and in the order of nature. Justification is not re- 
 generation, but it must necessarily go before ; so that the 
 offender may sustain that relation to the moral govern- 
 ment, in which, only, it is possible for the inward regene- 
 rating work of the Holy Spirit to take place. 
 
 This fact very naturally leads us to remark upon the 
 moral influence of this doctrine, " It is very full of 
 comfort," 
 
 First. It will not be forgotten that justification is a 
 change of relation to the moral government of God. 
 Guilt and condemnation are the prominent facts in the 
 moral nature of every unrenewed man. Being wicked 
 and rebellious, he has no peace — he is condemned because 
 of unbelief. But as soon as faith takes hold of the merit 
 of Christ, as the only ground of recovery from the con- 
 demnation of the law, then there is peace. Rom. v, 1, 
 "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, 
 
MAX JUSTIFIED B* FAITH ALONE. 201 
 
 through our Lord Jesus Christ." This is not only a 
 doctrine of the Bible, but a fact in the experience of every 
 Christian. When the soul is justified and regenerated, it 
 is sud to be "in Christ," as the branch is in the vine. 
 Then it follows, as the earliest development of the be- 
 liever's experience and conscious reconciliation to God, 
 that "there is no condemnation." And here is the rea- 
 son — Rom. viii, 2, " For the law of the spirit of life in 
 Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and 
 death.'.' Now, if it is as true in the philosophy of spiritual 
 consciousness, as it is in the Scripture statement of the 
 effect of justification, then it follows as a consequent fact, 
 that if the soul is conscious of its state of condemnation, 
 being unpardoned, it is conscious of a state of peace in its 
 justified state. 2 Cor. v, 17, " If any man be i . Christ, 
 he is a new creature." The old man is put off, with all 
 his sins and consequent condemnation, and the new man 
 is put on. In this new man there is, first, a full and clear 
 consciousness of peace with God, with an inward spirit 
 that "rejoices in hope of the glory of God." Second, 
 Jicm. v, 3-5, "And not only so, but we glory in tribula- 
 tions also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience ; and 
 patience, experience ; and experience, hope ; and hope 
 maketh not ashamed ; because the love of God is shed 
 abroad in our hearts by the Ho'y Ghost, which is given 
 unto us." All this joy, hope and consolation, is conse- 
 quent upon having access to the pardoning grace of God 
 by faith. This whole passage is peculiarly expressive of 
 inward conscious comfort, and outward Christian deport- 
 ment and submission to the will of God. 
 
 Second. But added to all this, and as a means of the 
 fuller development of conscious justification, there is a 
 higher testimony of the new life in the soul. This testi- 
 mony is not only circumstantial and confirmatory of the 
 
202 
 
 MAN .lUSTTFrED BY FAITH ALONE. 
 
 inner witness of the soul itself, but is direct. Rom. viii, 
 16, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that 
 we are the children of God." Here we have the higher 
 evidence, that not only our own renewed feelings prove 
 that we are at peace with God, but the Hoi}' Spirit him- 
 self conveys to our souls the assurance of this delightful 
 fact. Here we have, first, the testimony of our own 
 spirits ; and, second, the testimony of the Holy Spirit. 
 Gal. iv, 6, " God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son 
 into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father." It is clear, then, 
 that the doctrine of justification by faith (done, " is a most 
 wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort." It is a 
 wholesome doctrine, because it leaves out of \ts scope all 
 doubtful experience, as the result of " little faith," and 
 because it fully contemplates the highest possible evidence 
 of pardon, and the greatest possible enjoyment of peace, 
 hope and love. Hence it is, that the justified believer is 
 not left to infer his state of peace with God, from what he 
 may have done, or from what he may suppose to be cer- 
 tain fruits of the Spirit, as " meekness, gentleness, cha- 
 rity." The evidence of the Christian state is directly 
 proved as the work of the Holy Spirit. "How this is 
 done, we cannot fully understand, any more than we can 
 understand the mcde in which he produces any other 
 effect in the mind." The fact itself is clearly asserted in 
 the Bible, and this is enough. 
 
 Third. All these facts are predicable of the doctrine 
 of justification by faith alone. They are recognized as 
 springing up in the believer's heart by a reformation in his 
 own spirit, and a renewing of his soul by the regenerating 
 influences and testimony of the Holy Spirit, and not by the 
 transfer of the righteousness of another. He knows that 
 he has " believed on the son of God," and he knotvs for 
 himself that he " has the witness in himself." He has 
 
MAN JUSTIFIED BY FAITH ALONE. 203 
 
 the "testimony that he pleases God," that is, that his 
 own former corrupt moral nature is so changed into the 
 likeness of God, that he is pleased with him in his own 
 distinct and renewed character. And this is the ground 
 of liis consolation ; this gives him peace ; this gives him 
 joy ; and this gives him a well founded hope of eternal 
 life. 
 
 Fourth. The doctrine of justification by faith alone, re- 
 conciles the Bible with itself. The uniform injunction is, 
 Acts xvi, 31, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou 
 shalt be saved." Mark xvi, 16, " He that believeth not, 
 shall be damned." In these two passages, we have a 
 clear view of the results of belief and unbelief. It is 
 therefore as clear as language can make it, ihat faith, and 
 not works, is the term, or condition of justification, but not 
 the (/round of this state. • This is the merit of Christ. 
 This doctrine reconciles the ultimate action of the govern- 
 ment of God, with his favor to all men, and with man's 
 moral free agency. The ability to believe is given to men 
 through Christ, and the use or abuse of this ability se- 
 cures a corresponding moral character, good or bad. 
 Hence it is, that belief or unbelief will form the test of 
 moral character in the final judgment of the world. It is, 
 therefore, the duty of every man to believe that he may 
 be justified here, and be a partaker of the life that never 
 ends, in heaven. " Being justified by faith, we have 
 peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 *' This is the faith we humbly seek, 
 'I lie faith in thy all-cleansing blood ; 
 
 That faith w hich doth for sinners speak, 
 O let it speak us up to God I" 
 
ARTICLE X. 
 
 OF GOOD WORKS. 
 
 *' Although good works, which are ihe fruits of f, ith, and follcw 
 after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the se- 
 verity of (iod's judgment ; yet are they pleasing and acceptable 
 to God in Christ, and spring out of a true and lively faith, inso- 
 much that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a 
 a tree is discerned by its fruit" 
 
 1. This Article was drawn up in opposition to two fatal 
 errors — that of Romanists, who hold that good work? are 
 meritorious ; and that of Antinomians and others, who 
 hold that faith alone, without any good works, is sufficient 
 for all the purposes of an effective religious life. The 
 propositions contained in this Article are these : Good 
 works " cannot put away sin, or endure the severity of 
 God's judgment;" "yet are they acceptable to God in 
 Christ." They are acceptable because of the merit of 
 Christ, and not because of any merit in themselves. They 
 " spring out of a true and lively faith." They "cannot 
 put away sins," because they cannot atone for them. The 
 atonement of Christ is the alone medium of pardon. Acts 
 iv, 12, " Neither is there salvation in any other ; for there 
 is none other name under heaven given among men, 
 whereby we must be saved." 
 
 Good works cannot endure the severity of God's 
 judgments, because they are not perfect. They are 
 pleasing to God, because he has commanded them to 
 be done; and because "by them a lively faith may be 
 as evidently known as a tree is discerned by its fruit." 
 Hence all Christians are exhorted to good works. Mall, 
 
 •J01 
 
GOOD WORKS. 
 
 205 
 
 v, 16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they 
 may see your good works, and glorify your Father 
 which is in heaven." Now, it is evident that if good 
 works glorify God, " they are pleasing and acceptable to 
 him." It is for this very purpose that men are justified. 
 Epl.. ii, 10, "For we are his workmanship, created in 
 Christ Jesus unto good works." As has been said, good 
 works are signs of inward faith, and to keep this in an 
 active state, and to exert a good influence upon each other, 
 is the duty of every Christian. Tit. hi, 8, "These things 
 I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have 
 believed in God, might be careful to maintain good works. 
 These things are good and profitable unto men." These 
 two passages show the reason why good works are plea- 
 sing to God. Those who engage in them have been 
 " created in Christ Jesus unto good works;" they " have 
 believed in God." This new creation, consequent upon 
 belief in God, admits them into the Christian covenant, 
 and hence their persons and their services are "accepted 
 to God in Christ." 
 
 2. This doctrine is well expressed in the Westminster 
 Confession of Faith, Cl/ap. xvi, Ser. 2, " These good 
 works, done in obedience to God's commands, are the 
 fruits and evidences of a true and living faith, and by them 
 believers manifest their thankfulness, strengthen their assu- 
 rance, edify their brethren, adorn the profession of the 
 gospel, stop the mouths of the adversaries, and glorify 
 God, whose workmanship they are, created in Christ 
 Jesm thereunto; that, having their fruit unto holiness, 
 they may have the end eternal life." To understand 
 this aright, we must ascertain wh.it it is that constitutes 
 the quality of a good action, and determines its real cha- 
 racter. It is certainly the new creation of the soul in 
 Christ Jesus un'o good works. This directs and sanctifies 
 
B06 
 
 GOOD WORKS. 
 
 the motives, and tliese give qualify and character to the 
 actions. Two acts may be done by different persons, and 
 may be the same, so far as the outward action itself is 
 concerned, yet one may be good and the other bad. The 
 case of the Publican and the Pharisee will illustrate thi; 
 thought. Both performed the same act — they prayed — 
 but their acts were very different in character. Tin 
 motive of the Publican was good, therefore his act was 
 good; but the motive of the Pharisee was evil, therefore 
 his act was evil. The quality of an action that is good, is 
 produced by the motive to glorify God. If the actuating 
 motive is changed, as it always is in regeneration, then 
 the same act that once had no good quality in it, is now a 
 good work, because it is done with a good motive. It 
 " springs out of a true and lively faith," and this faith is 
 established in the heart by the Holy Ghost. This is very 
 clearly expressed by the Thirteenth Article of Religion of 
 the Protestant Episcopal Church. " Woiks done before 
 the grace of Christ, and the impartation of his Spirit, are 
 not pleasant unto God, forasnr.uch as they spring not of 
 faith in Jesus Christ, neither do they make men mete to 
 receive grace, or (as the School Authors say) deserve 
 grace of congruity ; yea, rather, for they are not done as 
 God hath willed and commanded them to be done, we 
 doubt not but they have the nature of sin." In Christian 
 good works, therefore, everything depends upon the dis- 
 ] osition with which they are performed. If the heart is 
 right, and governed by the law of God, the work may be 
 called g;>ed, for, Luke vi, 45, " A good man, out of the 
 good treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is 
 good ; and an evil man, out of the evil treasure of his 
 heart, bringeth forth that which is evil ; for of the abun- 
 dance of the heart the mouth speaketh." 
 
 3 We must admit, then, that there are good works, 
 
GOOD WORKS. 207 
 
 and that they proceed from a good heart; but this admis- 
 sion does not elevate them to a condition or term of par- 
 don, for they "cannot put away sins." There is nothing 
 of an expiatory character in them ; nor can they be re- 
 garded, in any sense or degree, as a substitute for a pure 
 heart. In the case of a justified man, who alone can per- 
 firm a good work, his chief dependence is upon D*ivine 
 grace, and this dependence must always exist. John xv, 
 5, "For without me, ye can do nothing." Now, if it is 
 true that even the good man must depend upon God for 
 all the good that he is able to perform, his good works 
 cannot merit the Divine favor, or put away sin ; for de- 
 pendence and merit are so wholly incompatible, that it is 
 not conceivable how any being can merit anything by 
 doing what is his duty, and what God assists him to do. 
 But it is the duty of every good man, with the assistance 
 he has, to do all the good works he can. Ps. xxxvii, 3, 
 " Trust in the Lord, and do good." ffeb. xiii, 16, " But 
 to do good, and to communicate, forget not ; for with such 
 sacrifices God is well pleased." Hence, doing good works 
 is to be the habit of the Christian life. It is therefore, 
 neither possible nor requisite that he should be distinctly 
 conscious of the motive to right action, at all times, and in 
 every single action. The habit of doing right implies a 
 prevailing feeling of love to God, and the value of actions 
 performed under the force of this principle, as the constant 
 controling spirit of the life, is not less, but often much 
 greater. Hence it is, that actions are considered by God 
 with relation to the moral character and life of him who 
 does them. His principles and motives, with all the other 
 circumstances of the action, come into the notion of a work 
 purely good. For, unless all these be good, the action in 
 its own abstract nature may be ever so good, and it can- 
 not render the doer acceptable in the sight of God. But 
 
208 
 
 GOOD WORKS. 
 
 there are some actions good in themselves, as justice > 
 temperance, charity. These arc called good from the 
 morality and nature of the actions themselves, whatever 
 may be the real character of the doer ; but either or all of 
 these cannot be substituted for the regeneration of the heart. 
 
 4. JBut good works are " pleasing a.id acceptable to God 
 in Christ." They please God, because he has commanded 
 them, and because they " spring out of a true and lively 
 faith." To see this more clearly, we may consider some 
 of their uses. 
 
 First. They are the fruits and evidences of a lively 
 faith. Inoperative faith produces no fruit, and is called, 
 in James ii, 17, dead faith, for " if it hath not works, it is 
 dead, being alone." If this dead faith is without works, 
 then it follows, that if there is a living faith in the heart, 
 there will be good works as signs of that faith. Hence, 
 James says, " I will show thee my faith by my works." 
 Thus it is that "a lively faith may be as evidently known 
 as a tree is discerned by its fruit." It is t! erefore im- 
 possible to please God, or perform any real good work, 
 without faith. Heb. x\, 6, "But without faith, it is im- 
 possible to please him." 
 
 " Tk'ad we then for faith alone, 
 Faith which by our works is shown." 
 
 Second. By good works, Christians show their thank- 
 fulness to God for his goodness to them. Ps. cxvi, 12, 
 13, " What shall I render unto the Lord for all his bene- 
 tits toward me ? I will take the cup of salvation, and call 
 upon the name of the Lord." 
 
 Third. Good works strengthen the believer's confidence 
 in God, and his assurance of Christian love. 1 John ii, 
 5, " But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love 
 of God," and verse 3, "Hereby we do know that we know 
 him, if we keep his commandments." 
 
GOOD WOS.KS. 
 
 SOS 
 
 Fourth. Good works adorn the Christian profession, 
 and glorify God. Mall. v. 16, " Let your light so shine 
 Ixf'iv men, that they may see your good works, and 
 glorify your Father which is in Heaven." 
 
 Fifth. Good works are the fruits of holiness, and anti- 
 cipate eternal life. F/Jt. ii, 10, "For we are his work- 
 manship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which 
 God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." 
 Horn, vi, 22, " But now being made free from sin, and 
 become servants of God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, 
 and the end everlasting life." All the above passages 
 clearly establish the use of good works. 
 
 5. But such is the connection between Christian good 
 works and eternal salvation, that one depends upon the 
 oilier. It is true that salvation consists in the entire reno- 
 vation of the soul, and that this is the gift of God through 
 faith, and cannot be merited by good works. But, at the 
 same time, it is the uniform testimony of the Bible, that 
 this blessing may be forfeited by that man who omits 
 good works. These are necessary to the continuance and 
 progress of lenewing grace in the heart, and consequently 
 to the reward of eternal life. The happiness of the soul 
 consists in rewards, or proofs of the Dhine favor, as peace 
 with God, and joy in the Holy Ghost, with the promise 
 and positive assurance of the future life. But these re- 
 wards, whether bestowed in this life or in the life to come, 
 cannot be merited by good works in themselves, any moie 
 than the pardon of sin. "But faith and the good works 
 connected with it, are the conditions alone on which alone 
 these rewards are bestowed ; and the degree of reward is 
 regulated by the degree of zeal in holiness which is ex- 
 hibited." Obedience to the law of God is as essential a 
 part of true faith, as trust in God through Christ. We 
 may therefore justly say, that good works are as essential 
 
 9» 
 
210 
 
 GOOD WORKS. 
 
 to the attainment of eternal life, as a condition, as faith is, 
 though they are not to be regarded as in any degree meri- 
 torious, or in any degree as the procuring cause of this 
 I'nal blessing. Hence we have this testimony of Justin 
 Martyr: "Christ hath declared that not they only who 
 profess his religion, but they who do the works which he 
 hath commanded them, shall be saved." It is clear, then, 
 that good works are essential prerequisites to an admission 
 into heaven. And though they do not merit this ultimate 
 blessing, yet are they necessary in all who arc " heirs of 
 the grace of life ;" for as these are " made free from sin," 
 they "have their fruit unto holiness, and the end ever- 
 lasting life." Rom. vi, 22. 
 
 6. The doctrine of this Article is of very great practical 
 value to every Christian. Among other things, it teaches 
 us that there is but one method of salvation, and but one 
 set of conditions upon which this salvation may be obtained. 
 But it teaches, 
 
 First That if there is a settled desire to do that which 
 God has commanded and thereby to glorify him, there is 
 very conclusive evidence that the soul is under the influ- 
 ence and direction of the Holy Spirit. This desire to do 
 the will of God is not natural, and if it exists to any degree 
 at all, it exists as the implantation of the grace of God. 
 It is the source of Christian action, and this in its turn is 
 the evidence of the inworking of the truth as it is in Christ. 
 It is very evident, therefore, that no man who is in tie 
 carnal state can possess a disposition to do the will of God. 
 Rom. viii, 7, " Because the carnal mind is enmity against 
 God." But the disposition to do right actions is peculiar 
 to the man of God, and by this he knows that he has 
 passed into the new, or spiritual state, and can rejoice in 
 his conformity, as far as it goes, to the Divine will. This 
 is the man who can say, in truth, 
 
GOOD WORKS. 
 
 '21 1 
 
 " Lord, I believe, and rest secure 
 
 In confidence divine, 
 Thy promise stands forever sure, 
 
 And all thou art is mine." 
 
 Second. This doctrine should impress every Christian 
 with the duty of doing good to all men. It embraces the 
 apostolic advice in Gal. vi, 10, "As we have therefore 
 opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto 
 them who are of the household of faith." This duty is 
 limited by no circumstance but the absence of opportu- 
 nity. If there be no occasion for good works toward 
 others, the disposition of course will still remain in the 
 heart. If so, it follows that when the believer is not in- 
 clined to do that which is good, he has reason to suspect 
 that all is not right within. Good works are the signs of 
 that faith which purines the heart, and no good work, 
 however small, shall loose its reward. Mark ix, 41, " For 
 whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my 
 name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he 
 shall not loose his reward." But the works that God has 
 commanded us to do, tend to lead out, and to perfect the 
 faith that prompts the action. James ii, 22, " Seest thou 
 how faitlt wrought with his works, and by works was 
 faith made perfect ? Now, if good works tend to make 
 faith perfect, and if they shall be rewarded as signs of a 
 perfecting faith, with the final favor of God, then it is 'he 
 duty of all professing Christians to do that which is good 
 to all men, but more especially to those of their brethren 
 in the household of faith. 
 
 Tldrd. AVe see by the prominency given to both, how it 
 is that a man is justified by faith, and how it is that a 
 man is justified by works. St. Paul urges the doctrine of 
 justification by faith alone, but never opposes the exhibi- 
 tion of this faith by good works. St. James urges tiiu 
 
212 
 
 COOD WOilKS. 
 
 necessity of works as signs of faith, and teaches that a 
 man is justified by faith and works together. The one 
 urges the theory of justification, while the other urges 
 the theory and practice of the whole Christian life. True 
 saving faith is planted in the heart by the Spirit of God, 
 and prompts the. believer to good works as its legitimate 
 fruit, and as the testimony of its genuineness. This is 
 seen in the fact stated by St. James — "■Faith without works 
 its dead." But neither of these Apostles urge either the 
 merit of faith, or good works, as the ground of justifica- 
 tion. When properly understood, they both insist upon 
 faith as the term ol justification, and good works as the 
 evidence of this faith, and as essential to its li.e and pro- 
 gress. St. Paul urges faith as the only term of the justi- 
 fication of sinners, and St. James urges the continuation 
 of this faith, with its appropriate sign of good works, as 
 the term of the justification of believers, — their good 
 works being the sign of the faith which they have. He 
 also very forcibly illustrates the whole argument by re- 
 ferring to one single fact, that any one may comprehend. 
 " For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith 
 without works is dead." 
 
 Save us by grace, through faith alone, — ■ 
 A faitli thou must thyself impart ; 
 A faith that would by w orks be shown ; 
 A. faith that purines the heart. 
 
ARTICLE XI. 
 
 OF WORKS OF SUPEREROGATION. 
 
 Voluntary works, besides over and above God's command- 
 ments, which are called works pf supererogation, cannol be taught 
 witnuut arrogancy and impiety. For by tneiu men do declare 
 that they do not oiilv render lo Uod as much as l hey are bound lo 
 do. but that they do more lor his sake, than of bounden duty is 
 required ; whereas, Christ saith plainly. When ye have dime all 
 that is commanded of you, say. We aie unprofitable servants.*' 
 
 1. This Article is directed against an error of Ro- 
 manism. The error is expressed by the Latin words 
 super anil erogatio, which, when joined together, give the 
 word, supererogation. This compound term, signilies 
 literally, to give above what is required, and it designates 
 that overwork, or suiplus service rendered to God above 
 what he has required. It is designed to express how 
 much more, pious Romanists do for Ood, tnan he requires 
 of fci.em by anything he has revealed in his Inly Word. 
 To justify themselves in this assumption, they assert that 
 Christ suffered more than was necessary for the salvation 
 of man, and that the saints have done the same ; and 
 that this surplus merit of good works is placed at the dis- 
 posal of his holiness the Pope, to be dispensed at his will 
 for remission from purgatory by indulgencies. It is as- 
 serted in this Article that such a doctrine " cannot be 
 taught without arrogancy and impiety." Arrogancy, be- 
 cause it exalts human merit ; and impiety, because it 
 detracts from the honor of Christ, and is, therefore, essen- 
 tially wicked. To see that this is a groundless and wicked 
 error, we have but to refer lo the words of Christ, " who 
 
 2;3 
 
214 
 
 SUPEREROGATION. 
 
 saith plainly, When ye have done all that is commanded 
 of you, say, We are unprofitable servants." 
 
 2. That we may see the reason of this Article, and 
 the fact that it does not embrace more than is involved in 
 the blasphemous error against which it is directed, we 
 will let Romanists make their own statements. They 
 say, " that every human action which proceeds from free 
 will, moved not only by actual grace, but also instruc ted 
 by sanctified grace, if it merely be referred to God, is 
 worthily meritorious ; and thus, not only acts of charity, 
 but also of temperance, justice, and every virtue, are merito- 
 rious of eternal life." " These points have been settled." 
 Council of Trent, Sess. 6, Cheep. 16, Canon 32. "If 
 any one shall say, that the good works of a justified man, 
 do not truly merit an increase of grace, eternal life, and 
 the attainmi nt of eternal life itself, on condition, however, 
 that he shall die in a state of grace, and even in increase 
 of glory, let him be accursed." Dreg's Trans, of Dens' 
 Theol. When they speak of satisfaction for sin, they say, 
 "A certain temporal punishment God reserves for the 
 penitent himself to endure ;" and that " the Church be- 
 lieves and teaches, that her jurisdiction extends to this 
 satisfaction, so as to be able to remit it wholly or in part, in 
 certain circumstances, by what is called Indulgences." 
 Mdner's End of Controv. Such is the doctrine of the merit 
 of good works, as held and taught by Papists. Dr. Mo- 
 sheim states this doctrine of Romanists thus; " there ac- 
 tually is an immense treasure of merit, composed of the 
 pious deeds of the saints, which they have performed 
 beyond what was necessary for their own salvation, and 
 which were applicable to the benefit of others ; that the 
 guudian and dispenser of this precious treasure was the 
 Roman pontiff; and that of consequence he was em 
 p iwered to assign, to such as he thought proper, a portion 
 
SUPEREROGATION. 215 
 
 of this inexhaustible source of merit, suitable to their re- 
 spective guilt, and sufficient to deliver them from punish- 
 ment due to their crimes." His. Vol. 2, p. 288. 
 
 3. The abuse of this assumed power, and the extensive 
 public sale of indulgences to commit sin, was the imme- 
 diate cause of the Reformation. This powerful develop- 
 ment of truth took hold upon the roots of this immense 
 evil", and so exposed them to the sifting fires of truth, that 
 kingdoms and nations beheld in them nothing but a blas- 
 phemous scheme of fraud and covetuousness. And now, 
 the vhole Protestant world maintains that there is not the 
 slightest foundation for works of merit, or supererogation 
 in the Scriptures ; and that this error has no other foun- 
 dation than the corrupt imaginations of wicked and de- 
 signing men. Hence the doctrine is both arrogant and 
 impious, because it exalts and dignities human merit to the 
 direct and clear contradiction of the Bible ; and because 
 it takes away from the honor and power that is attached 
 to the merit of our Lord Jesus Christ. The propriety, 
 therefore, of an expression of what Protestant Christians 
 believe to be dangerous errors, and of what they believe 
 to be the truth, in an Article of faith like the one now 
 under re\ iew, must be approved by all correct thinkers. 
 
 4. This Article of Religion denies that man is able to 
 do more than is necessary for his own salvation ; and, that 
 he is able by any possibility of sanctity or faith, to merit 
 anything by his good works, or to transfer the merit of 
 any of his good works, if merit they have, to the account 
 of another. The first of these propositions is disproved 
 by Luke xvii, 10, "So likewise ye, when ye shall have 
 done all those things which are commanded you, say, We 
 are unprofitable servants ; we have done that which was 
 our duty to do." The second proposition is disproved by 
 Ps. xlix, 7, "None of them can by any means rediem 
 
216 SUPEREROGATION. 
 
 his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him." But 
 this doctrine may be further disproved by considering how 
 much is required of the Christian by the law of God. 
 The requirement is in these words, Luke x, 27, " Thou 
 shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with 
 all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy 
 mind ; and thy neighbor as thyself." Now nothing more 
 can be conceived of as within man's ability to perform, 
 than is embraced in these two commands. It therefore 
 follows, that if the law of God requires of man all that 
 he is able to perform, by the utmost possible use of the 
 mental and moral powers of his being, there is neither 
 ability nor room for works of supererogation. 
 
 All the good works that man can perform in his best 
 state, proceed from the ability that God gives him to do 
 good. His love dwells in the heart of the Christian, and 
 gives character to the motive by which only, the work 
 may be said to be good. And hence it is, that the Chris- 
 tian's motive to do good, and his good works proceed 
 from God. Phil, ii, 13, "For it is God which worketh 
 in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." 
 
 5. But if the doctrine of supererogation be true, then 
 will every man have an equal reward of happiness in the 
 life to come. Merit will be taken from the extra, and 
 added to the scantiness of the works of individuals, and 
 all will share alike in the joys of heaven. But this is 
 con'rary to the Scriptures, and cannot be true. Their 
 uniform and most reasonable testimony is, that there 
 will be differences of reward and punishment in a future 
 stite ; and that this difference shall be based upon what 
 men do in this life. When Christ shall come in the glory 
 of his Father, " Then he shall reward every man accord- 
 ing to his works," Malt, xvi, 27. Nothing is said here 
 of the urplus merit of good woiks, set to the credit of 
 
SUPEREROGATION. 
 
 Another ; but on the contrary, every man shall be per- 
 sonally rewarded for whatever he may have personally 
 done. 1 Cor. xv, 41, 42, "For one star differeth from 
 another star in "lory. So also is the resurrection of the 
 dead." This error can have no support from this pas- 
 sage, but on the contrary, a direct rebuke. Nor has it 
 ?.uy support from any other portion of the Scriptures, be- 
 er, se they uniformly prove that the reward of the most 
 useful and the most enlarged sanctified capacity, is a re- 
 ward of grace, and not of debt. This is the view of the 
 truth as it was entertained by early Christians, and as it 
 was su| ported by the Christian Fathers. How then can 
 Romanists account for the historic fact that the absurd 
 assumption of works of merit, and works of supereroga- 
 tion had no existence in either faith or practice till some 
 time in the twelfth century ? And how can they account 
 for the historic fact that the doctrine of salvation by faith 
 alone, as taught by St. Paul, was lost sight of in propor- 
 tion as the doctrine of human merit and surplus works 
 was made prominent ? 
 
 6. If the doctrine of supererogation be true, and of as 
 much value in man's present and future happiness as Ro- 
 manists contend for, it is not conceivable why the Scriptures 
 should not only be enlirely silent upon the subject, but 
 cleaily contradict and condemn the most favorable bear- 
 ing of the whole theory. If in anything the gospel should 
 be full and explicit, it should be in that which concerns 
 our peace and reconciliation with God, and the means of 
 escaping his wrath. But the Bible is full and explicit, 
 and contains all the necessary doctrine and instruction to 
 "thoroughly furnish unto all good works." It every- 
 where teaches that man is justified by faith alone, ar.d 
 not by works, for " Christ saith plainly, when ye have 
 done all thai is commanded you, fay, We are unprofitable 
 
 10 
 
SUPEREROGATION. 
 
 servants." Thus we have the testimony of the Bible, 
 not onl}' against salvation by works, but against the pos- 
 sibility of any man doing more than God requires of 
 him, or in any degree making satisfaction for the sins of 
 another. In full view of this clear Scripture principle, 
 Bissil, in his work on the Forty-eighth Psalm lays down 
 this proposition and question ; "He that cannot make 
 satisfaction or propitiate God for his own sins, how can he 
 do it for another ?'' But to carry the influence of good 
 works to the utmost possible limit, we may say with St. 
 Augustine, that, " Brethren may die for brethren, yet the 
 blood of any martyr is not poured out for the forgiveness 
 and remission of their brethren's sins." This remark is 
 founded upon the fact, uniformly contended for by Au- 
 gustine, and every other correct Biblical thinker on this 
 subject, that, " The offering of Christ once made is that 
 perfect redemption, propitiation and satisfaction for all 
 the sins of the whole world, both original and actual ; 
 and there is none other satisfaction for sin, but that 
 alone." Art. xx. 
 
 7. But with all the array of Scripture and reason that 
 may be leveled against this error, still Romanists cling to 
 it; and to make a show of argument in i's defense, they 
 torture the parable of the Ten Virgins, into what they 
 suppose to be very clear testimony. This parable might 
 be of some use to them, if all the virgins had been wise ; 
 but unfortunately for Rome, five were foolish, and these 
 were the persons that seemed to believe somewhat in 
 works of supererogation. They cried for a transfer of 
 merit that they might go in to the wedding, and have an 
 equal enjoyment with the other virgins. But these wise 
 virgins had nothing to spare ; they seem to have had no 
 knowledge of the new mode of getting into heaven. 
 They had toiled all their lives in the. old fashioned way, 
 
8CPERER03 ATION". 219 
 
 and when the cry was heard, "Lo he cometh !" they had 
 just enough, and nothing to spare. While the foolish 
 virgins were gone to get oil, " The bridegroom came ; j.nd 
 they that were ready went in with him to the marriage ; 
 and the do^r was shut." But what of the poor foolish 
 virgins who could obtain no transfer of the merit of good 
 works from others ? They came with all the horrors of 
 di-appoiniment, "Saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us. But 
 he answend and said, Verily I say unto you, I 
 know you not." Why not? They seem to have been 
 Romanists, for they demanded the surplus merit of the 
 good works of others to help them into the kingdom of 
 he.ven. They were, however, a little mistaken, for they 
 did not make the request of sister Romanists, and conse- 
 quently, they got no oil. What then ? Papists say they 
 have gone to Purgatory, and after they have suffered for 
 their sins a sufficient leEgth of time, they will have enough 
 merit of good works to purchase their souls, and then they 
 will go into heaven also. It seems then, that Romanists 
 have more chances for their lives than one. But how they 
 contrive to get so many ways of entrance into the 
 holy heavens, and pass by the only way the Bible points 
 out, is a mystery to Protestants. And how it is that 
 they can make out to do more than they can is another 
 great mystery. 
 
 n. But this doctrine is so absurd in itself, and so con- 
 trary to right reason and the Scriptures, that it scare* ly 
 demands a serious notice ; and were it not for its fatal 
 consequences in the moral perversion of the thousan Is 
 who are enslaved to the superstitious mummeries of Ro- 
 manism, and the efforts that are made by her swarm of 
 priests to propagate this, with her thousand other errors, 
 nothing would have been said upon this Article beyond a 
 mere analysis and definition. But to profit as much as 
 
220 SUPEREROGATION. 
 
 may be, by what has been said in opposition to this supe- 
 rerogation of Romanism, I remark, 
 
 First. The error opposed by tl is Article is full of false- 
 hood, and tends to evil. It is contrary to reason, to the 
 Scriptures, and to every principle of troth within the scope 
 of human intellect. Its evil moral results may be seen in 
 the fact that it tends to damp the Christian's ardor in 
 the put suit of holiness, by narcotizing his soul with the 
 fatal idea that he has already gained enough ; and if not, 
 mat the surplus merit of the goo ! works of some othe/ 
 person will be transferred to his account, and therefore 
 he need strive no longer. 
 
 Second. The doctrine, as it has been investigated and 
 condemned by the Sciiptures, has brought out some of 
 the opposing truths of God's word, and has assisted us 
 to see more clearly the great benefit of the doctrine of 
 justification by faith alone. We have seen, that although 
 the good works of believers are not meritorious, yet are 
 they acceptable to Cod in Christ, as signs of an inward 
 faith. That even this may be true, we have also learned 
 the necessity of our persons being accepted of God ; that 
 we I e justified by faith. When God accepted the offering 
 of Abel, lie testified that he had respect to his person, 
 or, that he esteemed him righteous. This but confirms 
 the whole scope of the New Testament, in its uniform 
 teaching. We find here, that no man's works or offer- 
 ings can avail with God, unless the heart is right with 
 the Divine law. The fountain must be pure in ordei 
 that it may send forth sweet water. 
 
 Even then, no man is authorized to expect any meri 
 of God's favor from any, or all of his good works 
 however pure. 
 
 Third. We learn from the proofs of error in the doc 
 trine under review, the great value of the Bible as the 
 
SUPEREROGATION. 221 
 
 only rule of faith and practice. It acknowledges no 
 power lo ordain doctrines but that of God ; no other Me- 
 diator but Jesus Christ, and no other test of righteous- 
 ness before God, but a pure heart. Wherever the Bible 
 is, and is in the common language of the people, as :l 
 always should be ; and where it is read, there is less of 
 superstition and ignorance than where it is not. And 
 wherever it has gone among Romanists, it has been the 
 means of many conversions to God. With this Book be- 
 fore us, we learn that the best of our works are not 
 accepted of God as they are ours, but only on account of 
 the merit and mediation of Christ ; for, as our persons 
 are accepted in him, so also our works are only ac- 
 ceptable to God by him. We must be " lively stones," 
 and "built up a spiritual house;" " a holy priesthood, to 
 offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus 
 Christ." 
 
 '•'We have no outward righteousness, 
 
 No merit of good works to plead ; 
 We only can be saved by grace : 
 
 Thy grace, 0 Lord, is free indeed." 
 
ARTICLE XII. 
 
 ON SIN AFTER JUSTIFICATION. 
 
 " Not every sin willingly committed after just ificai ion is the 
 sin aghiii-t the Holy Ghost, and unpardonable Wherefore, the 
 grant of repentance is not to be denied to such as fall into sin 
 after justification ; after we have received the Holy Ghost, we 
 may depart from glare given, and fall ihto sin, and, liy the grace 
 of God, rise asrain and amend our lives And therefore they ate 
 to be condemned who say they can no more sin as long as 
 they live here ; or deny the place of forgiveness to such as truly 
 repent." 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 Not Every Sin the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. 
 1. "Not every sin willingly committed after justifica- 
 tion, is the sin against the Holy Ghost." It is assumed 
 here that justified persons may sin ; that they may sin 
 willingly, and not commit the sin against the Holy Ghost. 
 To understand this aright, we must see what justification 
 is. Justification is a forensic term, and means the declar- 
 ing of a person to be righteous, according to law. In 
 theology, the term is synonymous with pardon, and 
 means the act by which God brings the sinner out of a 
 state of guilt and condemnation, into a state of pardon 
 and spiritual liberty. It is the pardon of all sin that is 
 past. This is justification. The question now is, Can the 
 believer commit sin after justification ? Antinominns say 
 they cannot, because they are regenerate, and within the 
 covenant of grace. But in opposition to this error, our 
 Article assumes that he can ; and the assumption is based 
 upon the Scripture doctrine, that the believer is liable to 
 fall into sin as long as he is in a state of trial. So Paul 
 
 222 
 
BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLT GHOST. 
 
 223 
 
 snys, in 1 Cor. ix, 27, " I keep under my body, and 
 bring it into subjection ; lest that by any means when I 
 have preached to others, I myself should be a cast away." 
 Now, the possibility of falling into sin, and of being 
 finally lost after justification, is most clearly stated in this 
 passage. The Apostle well understood, that, in this sta'.c 
 of probation there is danger of falling into sin ; and that 
 the best of Christians can stand no longer than they do 
 their duty and depend upon God. 1 Cor. x, 12, "Where- 
 fore let him that thinketh he standee]', take heed lest he 
 fall." These, with numerous other passages, prove the 
 truth of our Article, and establish the fact, that if this 
 liability to fall into sin were removed, there could be no 
 such a thing as trial, and the many exhortations to stead- 
 fastness, to faithfulness, to perseverance, would be w' .' <- 
 out meaning ; and the idea of moral freedom would be 
 but the phantom of a vague philosophy. 
 
 2. This Article denies that every sin committed after 
 justification, " is the sin against the Holy Ghost, and un- 
 pardonable." But what is the sin against the Holy 
 Ghost ? If this question be rightly answered, it may be 
 of great use to many Christians. But it is to be re- 
 gretted that the phrase "sin against the Ho-y Gliost," 
 was permitted to find a place in theological writings, for 
 it is not only unscriptural, but very indefinite, and well 
 calculated to mislead. The Scripture term is " blas- 
 phemy," as in Matt, xii, 31, 32, " But the blasphemy 
 against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." 
 " But whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it 
 shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in 
 the world to come." The oilier proof texts that properlv 
 relate to this subject, are Mark iii, 28-31), and Luke xii, 
 10. In all these passages the phrase, blasphemy against 
 the Holy Ghost, is the uniform mode of expression. 
 
224 BLASPHEMY AGAINST TUE HOLY GHOST. 
 
 The term blasphemy expresses a grade of wiel edness, 
 and a settled malignity of soul that can be predica ed of 
 no other sin, and hence it is unpardonable. But to sie 
 what this sin is, we must consult the occasion of the fore- 
 going lexis. Christ had been engaged in casting out 
 devils, and while "all the people were amazed," the 
 pharisees said, " This fellow doth not cast out devils, but 
 by Beelzebub, the prince of devils." Matt, xii, 24. Here 
 we find what constitutes blasphemy against the Holy 
 (jihost. It is neither less nor moie than ascribing the 
 miracles of Christ, which were wrought by the power ef 
 God, to the spirit of the devil. This was done by the 
 pharisees with the malicious purpose of rendering Jesus, 
 in the estimation of the people, as nothing more than a 
 magician, standing in alliance with satan. This blas- 
 phemy, therefore, was not committed against the personal 
 dignity of the Holy Ghost, as God, but ayainst those 
 Divine operations which were manifest, as the peculiar 
 work of the Koly Spirit. " The pharisees, therefore, 
 committed the sin against the Holy Ghost, not only by ob- 
 stinately denying, against their own convictions, the mi- 
 nifies which Jesus performed in proof of his Divine mis- 
 sion, and which they knew in their hearts to be performed 
 through Divine agency : but, by giving them out as im- 
 posture and the effect of an evil spirit, with which Jesus 
 stood in alliance." " This, considering the circumstances 
 in which the pharisees were, showed a high degree of 
 wickedness, and was actual blasphemy against God, — a 
 designed and deliberate blasphemy too, which they 
 were by no means disposed to repent of, or to retract." 
 
 3. Whether this blasphemy can be committed now, is 
 a question of great importance to some. The Article 
 seems to admit that it can ; but on the other hand, it is 
 contended that it cannot, inasmuc'. as the days of mira- 
 
BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLT GHOST. 
 
 225 
 
 cles arc past, and no one at present lias an equal advan- 
 tage with the pharisees for attaining to a full conviction of 
 the reality of miracles. Hence it is supposed this sin 
 cannot bo committed, because miracles are no longer per- 
 formed. " But there is still, however, one case in which 
 the same sin which was committed by the pharisees, may 
 be still committed, viz ; where one is fully convinced of 
 the historic truth of the miracles of Jesus, and that they 
 were done through Divine power, and yet, in total oppo- 
 sition to his convictions, and with the same malicious pur- 
 pose which the pharisees had, pronounces them to be 
 imposture and deception, the effect of magic or other 
 wicked arts. This would in realily be the same case with 
 that of the pharisees. For the circumstances of having 
 seen the miracles ourselves is of no special consequence, 
 and it is enough if one be convinced of their truth. 
 When the conviction of the truth of the miracle is equally 
 strong in one who has not seen them, and in one who has ; 
 the same degree of guilt would seem to be necessarily 
 involved in denying them. Such a case, indeed, will 
 seldom occur, but the possibility of it must be admitted." 
 
 Hence the framers of this Article very properly in- 
 serted, that, " not every sin willingly committed after jus- 
 tification is the sin against the Holy Ghost." This is but 
 one sin, and every other sin and blasphemy shall be for- 
 given but this. 
 
 4. But while this Article maintains that all the sins jf 
 believers may be forgiven, though willingly committed, it 
 by no means encourages sin. Nor has the 'believer any 
 right to commit sin willingly or otherwise, simply because 
 a merciful God will forgive sin when repented of. Chris- 
 tians are liable to fall into sin in every period of their 
 state of trial, but this liability to sin is not sin itself; it is 
 no reason why sin should be indulged in, nor a reason 
 
226 
 
 SIN AFTER JUSTIFICATION. 
 
 why every Christian should neglect the means of resisting 
 sin, or pray constantly to be delivered from temptation. 
 " From d irk temptation's power, 
 
 From Satan's wiles delend 
 Deliver in the evil hour, 
 And guide us to the end. 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 Sin after Justification. 
 1. "After we have received the Holy Ghost, we may 
 depart from grace given, and fall into sin, and by the 
 grace of God, rise again and amend our lives." The 
 first thing assumed in this part of the Article is, that tiue 
 believers receive the Holy Ghost. This is not a mere as- 
 sumption, but a clear doctrine of the Bible. Rom. viii, 
 15, 16, " For ye have not received the. spirit of bondage 
 again to fear ; but ye have received ike Spirit of adoption, 
 whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth 
 witness with our sp-rit, that we are the children of God." 
 1 Cor. iii. 16, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of 
 God, and that the Spirit of God dwellelh in you." Gal. 
 iv, 6, "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth 
 the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, 
 Father," and 1 John, v, 10, " He that believeth on the 
 Son of God hath the witness in himself." But the fact 
 that the Holy Spirit is in the hearts of true believers, is 
 still further made out by a notice of the fruits of the 
 Spirit, in Gal. v, 22, 23, as "love," "j«y," "peace,'' 
 " long suffering," " gentleness," " goodness," " faith," 
 " meekness," " temperance. ' With these and other si- 
 milar passages before us, we cannot doubt the propriety 
 of the language of our Article ; nor can we doubt that it 
 is the high privilege of the Christian to enjoy the comforts 
 
SIX AFTER JUSTIFICATION'. 
 
 227 
 
 and testimony of the Holy Ghost in his heart, from I be 
 period of Ids adoption into God's family on earth, until 
 his soul is admitted into the upper and better state. 
 
 2. But, "After we have received the Holy Ghdst, we 
 may depart from grace givi n, and fall into sin." These 
 words of the Article are founded, first, upon the possi- 
 bility of falling into sin ; and second, upon the dangir of 
 falling into sin, after the soul has been justified by God's 
 free grace. Upon both of these points there is a general 
 agreement among all sound Christians, and especially be- 
 tween Armenians and Calvanists. Both admit the possi- 
 bility, and by consecpier.ee, the danger of falling into sin 
 after justification. But when they advance a step farther 
 they dnide ; Armenians believing that the Christian may 
 so far fall from grace given, as to be finally lost ; \\\ ile 
 the Calvanists believe that the decree of election secures 
 to every believer the certainty of final solvation. Here is 
 their own statement of this doctrine ; " Thev whom God 
 hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called and sanc- 
 tified by his Spirit, can neither totally vor finally fall away 
 from the stale of grace; but shall certainly persevere 
 therein to the end, and be eternally saved." Conf. of 
 Faith, Chap, xvii, Sec. 1. 
 
 The opposite doctrine, that true believers may so 
 f;ir back>lide from God, as to be finally lost, is 
 founded in the following and other passages of Scripture ; 
 indeed, we believe it is irr plied in the whole fact of inde- 
 pendent moral free agency. But to the text, Ez. xviii, 
 24, " But when the righteous turneth away from his 
 righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth accord- 
 ing to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth. 
 shall he live ? All his righteousness that he hath done 
 shall not be mentioned ; in his trespass that he hath ties- 
 passed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall 
 
223 
 
 SIN AFTER JUSTIFICATION. 
 
 ho die." The doctrine of t:.is passage is in accordance 
 with the general doctrine laid down inverse 20. "The 
 soul that sinneth, it shall die." The death here spoken 
 of, cannot mean the death of the body, for it will die 
 w hether there is sin or not. Chap, xxxiii, 18, " When the 
 righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth 
 iniquity, he shall die thereby." These two passages 
 plainly teach that one who is esteemed righteous by 
 God himself, may fall from that righteousness, and perish 
 in everlasting death. John xv, 6, " If a man abide not 
 in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered ; and 
 men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are 
 burned." The persons here spoken of were in Christ as 
 brand es of the true vine, but they did not abide in him, 
 and where therefore cast forth as branches, "and they 
 are burned." 1 Cor. x, 12, " Wherefore let him that 
 thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." Hence in 
 2 Pet. i, 10, believers are exhorted to "give diligence 
 to make their calling and election sure." Now, if 
 their " calling and election " were sure already, why ex- 
 hort them to make it sure ? and if there were no dan- 
 ger of falling so far from God as to be irrecoverably lost, 
 why exhort them to diligence, that this fatal end might 
 be avoided ? This whole passage teaches the one doc- 
 trine, that believers may stand or fall, and that their stand- 
 ing depends upon their diligence in building up a true 
 Christian character, fortified with " faith," " virtue," 
 "knowledge," " temperance,'" "patience," "godliness." 
 " brotherly kindness " and " charity." Then it is 
 affirmed that "if ye do these things, ye shall never fall." 
 The foregoing involves the general principle, that salva- 
 tion, from first to last, is conditional. It must be so, if 
 this life is a state of trial, which it surely is. It then fol- 
 lows as an action of liberty, that a man, by God's grace, 
 
8!N AFTER J ISTIFICATKkV. 229 
 
 may turn from bad to good ; and if his trust is not con- 
 tinued in God, by a faithful performance of duty, he must 
 necessarily relapse into sin and consequent danger of 
 eternal ruin. 
 
 3. Hence it is, that a Christian cannot be assured that 
 lie shall not fall so as to loose heaven, if he will not do 
 hi- duty. Trial is a feature in God's government that 
 extends to all his intelligent creatures, even to the angels ; 
 Jude 6, " And the angels which kept not their first 
 estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in 
 everlasting chains, under darkness unto the judgment of 
 the great day." These fell because they " kept not their 
 first estate ;" they " left their own habitation.*' In like 
 manner our first parents fell, because they did not trust 
 in God, and faithfully observe his law. The Jews fell from 
 their holiness as a nation, " because of unbelief." Rom. 
 xi, 20. And the Christian being in the same danger of 
 falling, and having no more assurance of standing than 
 the angels, our first parents, or the Jews, had, is ex- 
 horted in Phil, ii, 12, to "Work out his own salvation 
 with fear and trembling." 1 J'et. ii, 7, " Pass the time of 
 your sojourning here in fear." Now, it is manifest that 
 Christians are exhorted to " fiar," and that the fear of 
 falling is designed to preserve them from falling. Inas- 
 much, then fore, as our success in the religious life de- 
 pends not upon any assurance of final perseverance, apart 
 from Christian duty, that we can perform, it is all impor- 
 tant that we '• give all diligence to make onr calling and 
 election sure." 
 
 4. But if we do fall into sin, we may, "by the grace of 
 God, rise again and amend our lives." This part of our 
 Article is based upon the general condiiion of pardon to 
 any penitent sinner. And the recovery of an apostate 
 Christian is accomplished by the same grace the same 
 
5*50 SIN AFTER JUSTIFICATION. 
 
 penitence, prayer and faith that are requisite to the con • 
 version of any other sinner. Hence Cyprian says, " But 
 I wonder that there are some so obstinate, as not to think 
 that repentance ought to be given to such as are fallen, or 
 suppose that pardon should be denied to penitents, when 
 it is written, ' Remember from whence thou art fallen, and 
 repent and do thy first ivories.' " Epis. ad Antonianum. 
 
 But tith. vi. 4-6, is sometimes quoted in opposition to 
 this, and the term "impossible," and the phrase, " to re 
 new them oqa ; n vnto repentance,'" are regarded as wholly 
 forbidding the possibility of returning to God. But this 
 impossibility sfiys Bishop Taylor, "concerns not those 
 that return and confees Christ, but those that willingly 
 and maliciously roject this only way of salvation, and 
 never return to it again." Taylor on the Effect of Re- 
 pentance. This interpretation is in agreement with the 
 whole tenor of the Scriptures. "And therefo"e they are 
 to be condemned who say they can no more sin so long 
 as they live here ; or deny the place of forgivftu *ss to such 
 as truly repent." The penitent and humble hoekshdei 
 may say as did penitent David. Ps. li, \°Z, *le.?to~i 
 unto me the joy of thy salvation." 
 
 " Ah ! Lord, with trembling I conf"*s. 
 A gracious soul may fall from gtace ; 
 Ti.*; salt may loose its seaR'ning powjr 
 A' d never, r?«?ver find it more. 
 
 Lest t\M my fearful case ehould be 
 Each moment knit my srul to thee 
 And lead me to the mount ah-ive 
 Through the iow vale of h>.rub!e }ove." 
 
ARTICLE XIII. 
 
 OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 "The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful 
 men, in which the pure word of God is preached, and the sacra- 
 ments duly administered according to Christ's ordinance in all 
 things that of necessity are requisite to the same." 
 
 SECTION FIRST 
 What the Church is. 
 
 1. " The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of 
 faithful men.'' The analysis of this definition of a church, 
 will show it to be sufficiently comprehensive for all useful 
 purposes. The term church, in its most enlarged sense, 
 signifies the whole number of those who agree in wor- 
 shiping God according to the doctrines of the Holy Scrip- 
 tures. The word was used by the Greeks to denote an 
 assembly of men, called together for any particular pur- 
 pose. It was applied to all assembles, without respect 
 to their precise nature, which could u»ly be determined by 
 the circumstances which brought them together. These 
 assemblies might be good or bad, or a mixture of both. 
 In a restricted sense, the term was used by the Hebrews 
 to denote all those who belonged to the Jewish nation, and 
 professed the Jewish religion. It is said that the early 
 Christians took this word from the Jews, and applied it to 
 particular societies of believers in particular places, as in 
 Acts, viii, 1, " The church which was at Jerusalem." 
 
 The term sometimes means the assemblies of religious 
 societies as in 1 Cor. xi, 18, "For first of all, when ye 
 
 231 
 
232 
 
 WHAT THE CHl'RCH IS. 
 
 come together in the church, I hear tnat there be divi- 
 sions among you." Ch. xiv, 19, "Yet in the church I 
 had rather speak five words with my understanding." 
 Verse 28, " But if there be no interpreter, let him 
 keep silence in the church." It matters not whether the 
 congregation is in a house, or in the open air, the term 
 still has its application, and means the same thing. 
 
 But the term church is used to denote all those who 
 profess the Christian religion, without respect to particular 
 places, as 1 Cor. xii, 28, " And God hath sent some into 
 the church, first, apostles," tfcc. Mutt, xvi, 18, "And 
 upon this rock will I build my church." These passages 
 distinguish the whole body of believers as the Church of 
 Christ. 
 
 The term often means the places where the people of 
 God assemble for prayer and other religious services, and 
 the congregations assembled with them. B.it in its more 
 limited and Scripture sense, it means the whole collect ve 
 body of believers, redeemed out of every nation, and 
 which are called the Church of Jesus Christ. In this 
 connection, the term occurs very often in the Sciiptuies. 
 
 2. The church is called visible to distinguish it from 
 the universal church. The term visible means that which 
 may be seen, or falls under the observation of the senses. 
 The members of the visible church may be seen ; their 
 assemblies are public ; we may be present with them, and 
 observe the celebration of their several parts of worship. 
 But when the visible church is spoken of, we are not to 
 understand that there are two churches, visible and invi- 
 sible. The visible church includes that part of the invi- 
 sible church that is still on earth. The invisible church 
 includes the whole family of God, on earth and in heaven, 
 from the beginning to the end of the world, and are 
 known to God alone. It consists only of true believers, 
 
WHAT THE CIIinCH IS. 
 
 233 
 
 and these arc, of course, not visible to us. As men, they 
 are objects of sense, but as believers, they are not. These 
 are the spouse of Christ, and as a part of his invisible 
 church, their glory is internal. Pa. x v, 13, " T* e king's 
 daughter is ajj glorious wilhin." It is called the mystical 
 body of Christ, and is united to him by spiritual bonds. 
 1 Cor. xii, 13, "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into 
 one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we 
 he bond or free ; and have been all made to drink into the 
 same spirit." On the contiary, the visible church con- 
 sists of all who by a profession of their fait)) in Christ, 
 belong externally to the visible body of believers. This 
 being true, it follows that the visible church thus com- 
 posed, may comprehend both good and bad men — those 
 who are known to God to be sincere, and those who are 
 insi; cere, or hypocrites. On this account, it is compared 
 to a floor, uj on which there is both " wheal" and " chuff ;" 
 to a field, where "tares" as well as "good seed " are 
 sown; to a ?iel, in which there are both "good" and 
 " bad" fish ; and to ngreul house, in which there are good 
 and bad materials. 
 
 It is called " the visible Church of Christ," because its 
 members publicly profess Christ's religion, and because he 
 has given himself for the church — EjJi. v, 26, 27, " That 
 he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water 
 by the word. That he might present it to himself a glo- 
 rious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such 
 thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." 
 
 3. The church is called "a conyrctjalion of fuilltfi.l 
 men." But the term congregation does not restrict the 
 term church to one single society of believers, worshiping 
 in any one particular place. The visible church is uni- 
 versal, consisting of the whole body of believers dispersed 
 through all parts of the world. Hence, it is called in the 
 10 • 
 
£34 
 
 WHAT THE CHURCH IS. 
 
 Scriptures by various names, as "a body," "the king 
 <lom of God," "the house of God." "A body" is com- 
 posed of various members, all so connected as to form one 
 body. "A kingdom "is but one, though made up of 
 many subordinate provinces and states. Vine house of 
 God" implies, lhat though made up of many parts, it is 
 but one spiritual family. Now, as it is impossible for this 
 universal society to assemble in one place for the obser- 
 vance of religious ordinances, it is necessary that particu- 
 lar churches be formed for this purpose, and which shall 
 constitute the integral parts of the one visible and univer- 
 sal Church of Christ. 
 
 The church is said to be composed of "faithful men;" 
 men who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as the 
 Saviour of sinners, and who have yielded a full assent to 
 the doctrines of the gospel, and who have joined them- 
 selves, by a profession of this faith, to the society of God's 
 people. By the term faithful, we are not to understand 
 that all the members of the visible church are full of faith, 
 in its limited sense of justifying faith. They are faithful 
 men by profession, just as the church is called holy, be- 
 cause holiness is the profession of its members. But this 
 general remark is not designed to modify the fact, that 
 there are many, very many, in the visible church who 
 are renewed by the Holy Ghost, and who constantly walk 
 with God as did Enoch. 
 
 4. Though this Article speaks of the Church of Christ, 
 it does not follow that the church had no being on earth 
 previous to the personal ministry of Christ. The Bible is 
 full of proof of its regular establishment and permanent 
 existence from the earliest periods. And as it has existed 
 in all past ages, so it is destined to exist through all com- 
 ing ages. Whatever may be the condition of earthly 
 kingdoms and nations, certain it is, that neither power noi 
 
OUTWARD TESTS OF A TRUE CHURCH. 
 
 28fi 
 
 policy can accomplish the overthrow of the Church of 
 Christ. 
 
 " Immovable by mortal power — 
 Built on eternity." 
 
 How, then, can men look upon the church, but with 
 feelings cf profound reverence ? How can they lightly 
 esteem her high and ennobling privilege?, and how can 
 they be contented to indulge merely in the outward cere- 
 monials of the church, when it is their high privilege and 
 duty to be "all glorious within ?" 
 
 'Vessels of mercy, sons of grace, 
 
 Be purged from every sinful stain 
 Be like your Lord, his word embrace 
 Nor bear his hallow'd name in vain." 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 Outward Tests of a True Church. 
 1. The first test of the true Church of Christ is, that 
 "the pure word of God is preached." By this, and not 
 by the authority and decisions of the church itself, are we 
 to judge of the purity and effectiveness of the Church of 
 Christ. Romanists maintain just the reverse of this. 
 They affirm that the authority of the Scriptures is derived 
 from the church, and that it has a right to determine what 
 is, and what is not, the pure word of God. Assuming 
 this absurdity, Romanists have not only corrupted the 
 pure word of God, but they have even maintained that, 
 of itself, it is not sufficient for salvation, and have there 
 fore joined to it the traditions of men. Not content with 
 this, thej placed the Apocryphal books on an equal stand- 
 ing with the Scriptures, at a solemn convocation of the 
 Council of Trent, in A. D. 1546. These books contain 
 many things that are erroneous, superstitious, and demo- 
 
236 
 
 OUTWARD TESTS OF A TRUE CHURCH. 
 
 ralizing ; but still Romanists presume to give them an 
 equal standing with the Bible, and boldly denounce all 
 who claim that the Bible without these is sufficient for all 
 the purposes of justification and a pious life. 
 
 But Protestant Christians claim, in opposition to all 
 this, that the Bible, without tradition and the Apocrypha, 
 is the pure word of God, and make this, together with the 
 proper administration of but tivo sacraments, the distinc- 
 tion between themselves and Papists. 
 
 2. But the pure word of God is preached in the visible 
 Church of Christ ; that is, publicly read and explained, 
 either by texts, paragraphs, or chapters. But by whom 
 is the word of God to be preached ? By such persons 
 only as God has called to this important work. The 
 office of public preaching was appointed by Christ himself, 
 as an institution to maintain and spread the gospel through 
 all nations and ages, and to complete the organization and 
 effective construction of the church itself. The Apostles 
 were set apart as preachers and founders of churches 
 wherever they went. These again set apart a perpetual 
 office of teaching, and directed the churches to receive 
 them as the called and appointed of God. To these, and 
 their successors in office forever, God has committed the 
 care and instruction of the visible church. It is their 
 chief business to preach the pure word of God to the peo- 
 ple, and to defend it from the encroachments and errors 
 of papists and infidu's. 
 
 3. The second test of the true visible Church of Christ 
 is, " (he sacraments duly administered according to Christ's 
 ordinance in all things that of iiecessity are requisite to the 
 same " There are but two saoraments in Christ's Church 
 — Baptism and the Lord's Supper. These two sacraments 
 are substantially the same with those of the Old Testa 
 mcn t — Circumcision and the Passover. In the Old Testa 
 
OL'TWARI) TESTS OF A TRUE CIU'RCH. 
 
 2:37 
 
 ment, these sacraments represented Christ as to come, a d 
 in the New Testament, the sacraments represent him as 
 already come. In both of these dispensations, the sacra- 
 ments were both siyns and seals of the righteousness of 
 faith. 
 
 A sacrament is defined to mean a sacred oatli or obli- 
 gation. The wc rd denotes tliose ordinances of religion by 
 which Christians come under obligations to serve God in 
 the experience and practice of religion, and are defined to 
 he the ''outward and visible signs of an inward and spiri- 
 tual grace given unto us, ordained by Christ himself as a 
 means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to as- 
 sure us thereof." According to this definition, Baptism 
 and the Lord's Supper are certainly sacraments, for they 
 both have the outward and visible sign of the inward and 
 spiritual grace. But Romanists add to these two, confir- 
 mation, penance, extreme unction, ordination, and marr'wye, 
 making in all, as they aftirm, seven sacraments. To this 
 high-handed assumption, they add, if possible, a worse 
 blasphemy, by perverting the Scripture formula and na- 
 ture of baptism, and by teaching the bodily presence of 
 Christ in the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper. Then 
 they pervert the express words of Christ by withholding- 
 the cup from the people. Hence the propriety and neces- 
 sity of this Article. 
 
 4. The f€ things that of necessity are requisite" to the due 
 administration of the Christian sacraments, are, for Bap- 
 tism, water applied to the subject in the name of the 
 Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; and for the 
 Lord's Supper, unleavened head and wine. These 
 are the essential matters of the sacraments of Christ's 
 Chui' h. In the Lord's Supper, the bread must be broken, 
 and the wine poured out. This is the due form of t: is 
 ordinance, with these words, " Take, eat." "Drink ye 
 
238 OUTWARD TESTS OF A TRUE CHURCH. 
 
 all of it." "Do this in remembrance of me." Now, 
 without these things, none of the Christian sacraments are, 
 or can be duly aad properly administered. 
 
 By these sacraments, and by their forms of adminis- 
 tration, the visible Church of Christ is distinguished from 
 Romanists, Pagans, Mohammedans. Jews, and Infidels. 
 By Baptism, the subject is admitted into the Christian 
 Church, whether he be an adult believer, or the infant 
 child of one or both believing parents. 
 
 "Thus we engage ourselves to thee, 
 And seal our cov'nant with the Lord." 
 
 By the Lord's Supper, the Christian believer keeps be- 
 fore him, and in perpetual memory, the death of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. xi, 26, " For as often as ye eat this 
 bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death 
 till he come." 
 
 " Thy body, broken for my sake, 
 
 My bread from heaven shall be; 
 Thy testamental cup I take, 
 And thus remember thee." 
 
 5. In the Episcopal Homily for Whitsunday, we have 
 what may very appropriately close this Article : " The 
 true Church is a universal congregation of God's faithful 
 and elect people, built upon the foundation of the Apostles 
 and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner 
 stone. And it always hath these notes or marks whereby 
 it is known ; pure and sound doctrine, the sacraments ad- 
 ministered according to Christ's holy institution, and the 
 right use of ecclesiastical discipline. This description of the 
 church is agreeable, both to the Scriptures of God, and also 
 to the doctrine of the ancient fathers." Ox. Ed., p. 413 
 
 From the foregoing, we may learn the value of church 
 purity. 
 
OUTWARD TESTS OF A TRUE CHURCH 
 
 239 
 
 First, externally. This is predicated of the church by 
 the superior excellence of its religious principles. It is 
 called holy, and its members, in all their external deport- 
 ment, should conform to the rules and regulations of a 
 holy life. This is external purity and Christian duty. 
 
 Second, internally. Internal, or moral purity, is the 
 leading and main object of the establishment of the church 
 on earth. The pure word of God preached, is the instruc- 
 tion of the Christian Church in doctrines and morals, and 
 is designed to bring its members under the influence of 
 the Divine Spirit, and, consequently, into a state of in- 
 ternal purity. "Without this, "no man shall see the 
 Lord." But, "blessed are the pure in heart, for they 
 shall see God." 
 
 "Blest are the pure in heart. 
 
 For they shall see our God 
 The secret of the Lord is theirs; 
 
 Their soul is his abode. 
 Still to the lowly soul 
 
 He doth himself impart, 
 And for his temple a: d his thron*, 
 
 Selects the pure in heart." 
 
ARTICLE XIV 
 
 OF PURGATORY. 
 
 " The Ron.ish doctrine concerning purgatory, paidon, worship 
 ins, and adoration, as •well of images as of relic>, and also invo 
 cation of saii.ts, is a fond tlnim, vainly invented, and grounded 
 upon no wanant of Scripture, but repugnant to the word of God." 
 
 1. " The Romish doctrine concevmng purgatory." This 
 doctrine has no proof in reason, the Scriptures, or the 
 history of the primitive church. It was not brought into 
 the church by the authority of God, and it is very evident 
 that the churches which were planted by the Apostles 
 knew nothing of purgatory, for the Apostles never taught 
 such a doctrine. It " is a fond thing, vainly invented, and 
 grounded upon no wanant of Scripture." It is no doubt 
 of heathen origin. It first obtained countenance in the 
 church by Podc Gregory, about the end of the sixth cen- 
 tury, and in process of time obtained a very general re- 
 ception, especially after fictitious miracles and visions be- 
 gan to govern the church. Meanwhile, the very ways to 
 purgatory were discovered ; one in Sicily, one in Pazzueto, 
 and one in Ireland. One was found out by the help of an 
 angel, and another by the devil. Gregory was quite car- 
 ried away with these illusions, and some even now arc 
 not ashamed to own them. This doctrine gradually 
 worked itself into the Romish Church during the sixth, 
 seventh and eighth centuries, but in rather a rude shape. 
 For some ages it seems not to have obtained as a matter 
 of certainty, so far was it from becoming an article of 
 faith. Still, the error existed, and continued to win the 
 
 210 
 
PURGATORT. 241 
 
 confidence of the popes, till the Council of Florence, in 
 A. D. 1439, when it was solemnly decreed to be an arti- 
 cle of faith in the Catholic Church. This decision was 
 subsequently confirmed by the Council of Trent, and is 
 embraced in the seventh article of the creed of Pope Pius 
 IV, in these words : " 1 constantly hold that there is a 
 purgatory, and that the souls there are assisted by the 
 faithful." With this brief sketch of the origin and history 
 of purgatory, its nature may be learned from Bishop 
 Burnett, in these words : " The doctrine of the Church of 
 Rome is, that every man is liable both to temporal and 
 eternal punishment for his sins; that God, upon the ac- 
 count of the death and intercession of Christ, does indeed 
 pardon as to its eternal punishment ; but the sinner is still 
 liable to temporal punishment, which he must expiate by 
 acts of penance and sorrow in this world, together with 
 Mich other sufferings as God shall think fit to lay upon 
 him ; but if he does not expiate these in this life, there is 
 a state of s'iffering and misery in the next world, where the 
 soul is to Lear the temportl punishment of its sins; which 
 may continue longer or shorter till the dar of Judgment. 
 And in order to the shortening of this, the prayers and 
 supererogations of men here on earth, or the intercession 
 of the saints in heaven, but above all things, the sacrifice 
 of the mass, are of great importance." Expos., Ait. xxii. 
 
 This doctrine of a middle t tate of suffering for sin, is 
 said to be "a fond thing, vainly invented, and founded 
 upon no warrant of Scripture, but repugnant :o the word 
 of God." 
 
 First. No passage of Scripture can be produced, that 
 in any possible interpretation proves this doctrine. 
 
 Serond. This doctrine contr; diets every passage of the 
 Bible that refers to the pardon of sin and the future state. 
 Pardon of sin can be obtained only on account of the 
 
212 
 
 PARDON. 
 
 merit of Christ, and the Scripture speaks only of two static 
 beyond the grave — heaven and hell ; happiness and 
 punishment. The state of the rich man ; nd Lazarus, 
 noticed in Luke xvi, 22, 23, is what is to be understood 
 of the righteous and the wicked in the future world. 
 Christ says, when speaking of the future state of these 
 different persons, in Matt, xxv, 46, " These shall go away 
 into everlasting punishment ; but the righteous into life 
 eternal." Neither of these passages, nor any other that 
 may be cited, give any intimation of such a place as pur- 
 gatory, either by this peculiar name, or by any other 
 name. But if we ask a Romanist to prove purgatory by 
 the Bible, Lis first passage is, 1 Pet. iii, 19, " By which 
 also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison." A 
 more irrelevant passage could not be selected, and yet this 
 is the main proof of purgatory. All this passage can 
 mean, and which is the true meaning too, is, that Christ 
 preached to the antedeluvians in the person of Noah, be- 
 fore, and while he was building the ark. It is very evi- 
 dent, therefore, that purgatory finds no support in this 
 passage. And this is its fate throughout the whole Bible. 
 
 But the doctrine of purgatory, in common with nume- 
 rous other Romish dogmas, detracts from the merit of 
 Christ. If Christ died for sinners, anrl thereby redeemed 
 them from sin and hell, then the idea of farther merito- 
 rious suffering, either by Christ himself, who has suffered 
 once for sin, or by the sinner himself, detracts from the 
 original perfection of Christ's work, and places merit in 
 the actions of the creature. No one, who is a careful 
 inquirer after truth, can fail to see that this is exactly op- 
 posite to the uniform doctrine of the Bible, and must 
 therefore be false. 
 
 2. This Article opposes the Romish doctrine ot pa> Ion. 
 Papists maintain that the church ba« *. -tu*' the 
 
IMAGES. 
 
 213 
 
 whole, or any part of tlie pains of purgatory, on certain 
 conditions. This supposed power of the church depends 
 upon two other errors for whatever of support it may hav e 
 — purgatory, and worki of supereroga'ion. Purgatory is 
 false, as has already been shown, and supererogation is 
 falsi*, as has been proved in the Notes on Art. XI; there- 
 fore the doctrine of pardon, as held by Romanists, is false. 
 It gives to man the power to pardon sin, whereas, Murk 
 ii, 7, '• Who can forgive sins but God only ?" Thus it is, 
 that the Romish doctrine concerning pardon, is clearly 
 "repugnant to the word of God." 
 
 It is true, however, that the Church of Christ has a 
 warrant in the Scriptures, and therefore a right, to put 
 notorious sinners, within her own jurisdiction, under disci- 
 pline for their sins. But this discipline is confined to this 
 world, and is designed to secure the reformation of sinners. 
 Hence, the offender may be reproved, or excluded from 
 the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper for any givep length 
 of time, or until he gives evidence of repentance and refor- 
 mation ; or he may even be excluded from all connection 
 with the church. But all this does not assume that the 
 church has power to remit his sins. This is the preroga- 
 tive of God, and none else. 
 
 3. But this Article forbids the "worshiping and adora- 
 tion, as well of images as of relics." That Romanists do 
 both, is so clear, that proof were unnecessary. Image 
 worship is expressly forbidden in Ex. xx, 4, 5, " Thou 
 shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any like- 
 ness of anything that is in the heaven above, or that is in 
 the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth ; 
 thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them." 
 Notwithstanding this plain command, the Israelites feM 
 into the very sin here forbidden, and were sorely pun- 
 ished. These very persons were told that the reason whj 
 
9U 
 
 RELICS. 
 
 God did not assume some visible shape, when he gave 
 the law fn m Sinai, was, "Lest ye corrupt yourselves, 
 and make you a graven image." Dent, iv, 16. But Ro- 
 manists, net frightened either by the force of God's law 
 against images, or by the punishment of the Israelites, 
 attempt to defend the use of images by making a difference 
 between an image and an id J ; the image being a true 
 representation of a thing, while an idol represents nothing. 
 They then assert that images may be used as aids to the 
 mind, and a* directories of the thoughts in our approaches 
 to (rod. They plead thai the early Christians used them 
 for this purpose. But this is not true, for it is a historic 
 fact that the heathen reproached the w for not using them. 
 Moreover, images were not introduced into Christian 
 churches till the fifth century. Hence the testimony of 
 Origin, A. D. 300: "We do not honor images, that as 
 much as in us lies, we might not fall into the suspicion 
 that these images were other Gods." To this we add the 
 testimony of Gregory the Great, in A. D. 490 : " To wor- 
 ship images, by all means avoid." 
 
 But this Article is alike opposed to relics as belonging 
 to that class of objects that may not be worshiped. By 
 these we may understand the remains of departed saints, 
 as their bodies, their bones, their hair, their clothes, &c. 
 To such things as these, Romanists attach great virtue, 
 and even claim that miracles have been wrought by them. 
 An example of worshiping relics is recorded in 2 Kings 
 xviii. 4. But in connection with this record, is the fact 
 that ITezckiah "brake in pieces the brazen serpent that 
 Moses had made ; for unto those days the children of 
 Israel did burn incense to it." The sin of these Israelites 
 was reproved by destroying the brazen serpent, which 
 clearly proves that such a practice was not allowed even 
 in that rude age. That Hezekiah was commended for 
 
RELIC'S. 
 
 this act, there can be no doubt, for it is said in verge 7 
 tnat " the Lord was with him ; and he prospered whither 
 soc\er he went forth." Meanwhile it is true that the Is 
 raeliles preserved Aaron's rod and a specimen of the 
 manna that fell in the wilderness, but there is no evidence 
 that they worshiped them. They were preserved as re 
 cord* of God's power and goodness. We cannot omit in 
 this place the remarkable case recorded in 2 Kinys xiii, 
 81, " And it came to pass, as they were burying a man 
 that h< hold, they spied a bard of men ; and they cast the 
 man into the sepulchre of Elisha ; and when the man was 
 let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, 
 and stood up on his feet." This was a real miracle. ( •!'- 
 fected, no doubt, by contact with the bones of the prophet, 
 but we have no record that ever these bones were wor- 
 shiped, or that pilgrimages were undertaken simply to see, 
 or to be healed by these bones. Arts xix, 11, 12, " God 
 wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul ; so that 
 from his body were taken unto the sick, handkerchiefs, or 
 aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil 
 spirits went out of them." Now here is another real 
 miracle by the clothes of St. Paul, but there is no rcco'd 
 that the people adored or worshiped them. Arts viii, 2, 
 "Devout men <arried the body of Stephen to his burial," 
 but it is not said they worshiped it, though it was the 
 body of a better man than any Romish pope that ever lived 
 Now, from all these facts, we draw this general conclu- 
 sion : If relics had been intended to be objects of ado- 
 ration, they would have been spoken of as such, and 
 would have been preserved by special Divine care. But 
 no such thing appears in any part of the Holy Record, 
 therefore it has no authority from God. Hence St. Au- 
 qustine, in A. D. 410, says: "Let us not make it any part 
 of religion to worship men that are dead." 
 
246 INVOCATION OF SAINTS. 
 
 4. Invocation of saints. This is another Romish error 
 against which this Article is directed. This doctrine may 
 be stated in these words: "The saints reigning with 
 Christ offer up their prayers for m >n, and it is good and 
 useful to invocate, or pray to them." But to prove by Ro- 
 manists themselves that they do pray to, and invoke the 
 saints, we refer to the encyclical letter of Pope Gregory 
 XVI, dated Aug. 15, 1832: "Let us raise our eyes to 
 the most blessed Virgin Mary, who alone destroys all 
 heresies, who is our greatest hope, yea, the entire ground 
 of our hope." With this letter before us, toge'her with 
 some of the written prayers of Romanists, it is folly for 
 them to deny the well known fact that they do make 
 prayer to saints. This practice is "a fond thing, vainly 
 invented," because it assumes that the saints are omni- 
 present and omniscient, which can be predicated of no 
 being but God. It is " npugnant to the word of God," 
 because, 1 Tim. ii, 5, " There is one God, and one medi- 
 ator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus ;" rnd 
 because there is no example of prayer to saints noticed in 
 the whole Bible, except the prayer of the rich man in hell, 
 and that received no answer. 
 
 From what has been said, we conclude that " The invo- 
 cation of saints is not contained in the word of God, or in 
 the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. 
 This has been expressly admitted by many Romanists. 
 There is no part of Scripture which teaches the invocation 
 of saints. There is no express command which enjoins it. 
 There is no promise that such invocation is acceptable (c 
 God or useful to men. There is no example furnished in 
 Scripture, that the saints who have departed this life have 
 been worsl iped. There is no threatening in Scripture, no 
 example of punishment threatened or executed against 
 those who refuse to worship saints." Elliot on Rom. 
 
DOT* OF PROTESTANTS. 
 
 247 
 
 Thus it /s that the objections of this Article to Romanism 
 are fully established, and thus it is that " the Romish doc- 
 trine concerning purgatory, pardon, worshiping, and ado- 
 ration, as well of images, as of relcs, and also invocation 
 of saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded 
 upon no warrant of Scripture, but rather lepugnant to the 
 word of God." 
 
 These corruptions of doctrine that are so manifestly 
 contrary to the Bible, and the consequent corrupt prac- 
 tices of the Romish people, that detract so much from the 
 pure morality of the New Testament, should induce every 
 Piotestant Christian, and every philanthropist and patriot 
 in the whole land, 
 
 First. To a more thorough study of the Holy Scriptures. 
 These, it is said by St. Paul, 2 Tun. iii, 16, 17, are " prof 
 ble for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in 
 righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly 
 furnished unto all good works." Hence it is, that any- 
 thing beyond the limits of this Book, that may be claimed 
 as a fundamental Christian doctrine, or that might tend in 
 the least to injure the faith or practice of the least of God's 
 children, should be instantly discarded. The church is 
 to be judged by the purity of her doctrines, and her doc- 
 trines are contained only in the Scriptures, and not in the 
 decrees of councils, or the traditions of men. 
 
 To be familiar with the doctrines of Christianity, and 
 thereby to avoid error in faith and practice, is the duty 
 of every man who would be an intelligent Christian. 
 This duty can only be discharged by a careful and tho- 
 rough study of the Bible. 
 
 " 'Tis like the sun, a heavenly light, 
 
 That guides us all the day ; 
 And, through the dangers of the night, 
 
 A lamp to lead our way." 
 
£48 DUTY OF PROTESTANTS. 
 
 Second. Seeing that Romanism is rapidly spreading I. cr 
 errors and superstitions — the mass, purga ory, idolatry, 
 tfcc. — it becomes the duty of eveiy professirg Christian to 
 sustain by all the Scriptural means that may be in his 
 power, the institutions of Protestant Christianity. The 
 Bible is one ; the Missionary cause is another ; and 1 y no 
 means is the cause of Sabbath Schools to be forgotten. 
 These are the great powers of the church by wl ich the 
 truth is to be propagated, and by which the rising gene- 
 rations are to be fortified against the cunning devices of 
 the "man of sin." Meanwhile the Chiistian paren*, the 
 Christian child, should never forget — Zech. iv, 6 — that it 
 is "not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith 
 the Lord of hosts," that their efforts to do good shall be 
 made successful. 
 
 Confident trust in God, the Divine Spirit in the soul, 
 the faithful performance of every Christian duty; a con- 
 tinued and lively effort to disseminate the truth, and to 
 establish a pure Christian worship, will constitute a power 
 that will soon subdue the proud nations of the earth, de- 
 molish the fictions of Romanism, and bring men and na- 
 tions to the cross of him who has said in Matt. xxv : ii, 18, 
 "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." 
 
 " Tis his the drooping soul to raise 
 
 To rescue all by sin oppress d ; 
 To clothe them with the robes of praise 
 
 And give their weary spirits rests." 
 
ARTICLE XV. 
 
 OF SPEAKING IN THE CONGREGATION IN SUCH 
 A TONGUE AS THE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND. 
 
 '• It is a thing plainly repugnant to the word of God, and the 
 custom of the Primitive Church, to have public prayers in the 
 Church, or to minister the Saciameuts in atoiiyue not understood 
 by the people " 
 
 1. This Article is based upon the obvious commor 
 sense nature of religious worship. It opposes the unna- 
 tural practice of the Romish Church in the use of a lan- 
 guage not understood by the people, as both antiscriptui al 
 and contrary to the cus om of the Primitive Church. 
 But unnatural and as unscriptural a< the practice of con- 
 ducting public worship in an unknown tongue may be, 
 still Romanists cling to it as an element of life, and boldly 
 affirm the propriety of it by quoting the acts and doings 
 of their councils, by which il was established. This Ar- 
 ticle contains two reasons why the public services of the 
 church si ould not be conducted in an unknown tongue. 
 
 First. " It is a thing plainly repugnant to the word of 
 God." All Scripture is founded upon reason, and 
 nothing more than a reason ibie practice is required of 
 churches or individuals by anything that God has written. 
 And as religious worship consists in a series of acts by 
 which we acknowledge God and his attribu'es, rejoice in 
 his goodness, and lay claim to his promises of mercy, it 
 is a dictate of obvious reason that such a language 
 should be used in the worship of God as is best under- 
 stood by the people. In such a language tl.e pconle are 
 
250 
 
 SPEAKING IN AN UNKNOWN TONGUE. 
 
 to be instructed in religion. Hence, when Ezra and Ne- 
 hemiah were instructing the Jews, Neh. viii, 8, " They 
 read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave 
 Hie sense, and caused them to imdcrcland the reading." St. 
 Paul says, in 1 Cor. xiv, 2, "He that speaketh in an un- 
 known tongue, speaketh not unto men, but unto God, for 
 no man understandeth him." Verse 11, " So likewise ye, 
 except ye utter by the -tongue words easy to be under- 
 stood, how shall it be known what is spoken ? for ye shall 
 speak unto the air." Verse ii, " If I know not the 
 meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a 
 barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto 
 me." Then follows the general direction for the edifica- 
 tion of the j eople, in verse 27, 28, " If any man speak in an 
 unknown tongue, let it be by°two, or at the most by three, 
 and that by course ; and let one interpret. But if there 
 be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the Churcii ; and 
 let him speak to himself and to God." These words of 
 the Apostle prove the common sense fact, that teaching in 
 the church in an unknown tongue is equal to no teaching. 
 If the teacher cannot use the language of the people, 
 " let him keep silence in the church." This fully justifies 
 every word of our Article, and clearly sustains the fra- 
 mers of it, in their opposition to the Romish practice of 
 speaking to the people, in the ministration of the sacra- 
 ments, in an unknown language. 
 
 Second. To conduct the services of the church in an 
 unknown tongue is contrary to "to the custom of the pri- 
 mitive church." This is the second reason assigned by 
 this Article why the common language of the people 
 should be employed in the service of the church. The 
 custom of the primitive church in respect to 'his fact, is 
 described by Origin, Head of the School at Alexandria, in 
 A. D. 202. " The Grecians pray to God in the Greek, 
 
SPEAKING IN AN UNKNOWN TONGUE. 
 
 251 
 
 the Romans in the Roman, and every one in his own 
 tongue." Other passages from Origin, as well as from 
 St. Basil, which mention every tongue's praising God ; 
 and on the spread of the gospel, every nation worshiped 
 and praised God in the language of that nation, miglr he 
 cited here ; hut they are wholly unnecessary, inasmuch as 
 the Bihle settles the question heyond all controversy. 
 
 2. Why it is that Romanists still adhere to the un- 
 meaning and unscriptural practice of praying and ad- 
 ministering- the sacraments in an unknown tongue, is 
 matter of astonishment, unless it be to support their un- 
 founded and superstitious pretensions. But the practice, 
 is stoutly contended for, and a bitter curse is pronounced 
 upon all ivho condemn it. Hear^the Covncil of Trent 
 " If any one shad say the practice of the Roman Church, 
 in uttering uith a low voice part, of the canon, and the 
 words of consecration ; or that the mass should le celebrated 
 in the veinacvlar language only; or that water is not to be 
 mixed with the wine when the sacrilic»is offered, because 
 it is contrary to Christ's institution ; let him be ac- 
 cursed.'' Here the claim is, if possible, more un- 
 reasonable ; not only shall the language be such as the 
 people cannot understand, but it shall be >poken "with 
 a low voice ;" then all who oppose this useless and un- 
 scriptural practice shall " be accursed." 
 
 • Blind unbelief is sure to err.' 
 
 3. With these, and a thousand other stupifying appli- 
 ances of Romanism that crush down the intellectual and 
 inora] freedom of millions of our race, who can doubt the 
 divine character and the redeeming elements of the Great 
 Reformation ? It developed the fact, that all the people 
 have a light to the Holy Scriptures ; and it uncovered the 
 Scripture liu'.h that all the services of God's house should 
 
252 SPEAKING IN AN UNKNOWN TOWE. 
 
 be conducted in a language known to the people. It re- 
 deemed from papal slavery and tyranny, nations and 
 states, by speaking to them in their own language, the 
 pure word o life, and by directing their minds and 
 hearts to the one sacrifice for sin, in the person of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 4. But Romanists offer many reasons why the Latin 
 language should still be continued in religious worship. 
 The authority and infallibility of the church — modern 
 tongues change so rapidly and so often — the unity and 
 catholicity of the church demand that one language be 
 used, so that any priest may officiate wherever he may go. 
 To the first of these reasons we have but to say, that the 
 authority and wisdom of the church, however pure, 
 cannot exceed the authority and wisdom of God. When 
 we look for what God lias said on this subject, we go to 
 the Bible, which teaches that the public worship of God 
 should not be conducted in an unknown tongue. But 
 Romanism says it should, and therefore Romanism contra- 
 dicts God's word. To the second we have this single an- 
 swer ; Better expend a small amount in every age, in 
 changing some words in the church service, if need be, 
 60 as to fully accomodate it to the change of language, 
 than to endanger the salvation of thousands by the con- 
 stant use of a language they know nothing about. To 
 the third we reply in a quotation from Bishop Burnett, 
 " Finally, they urge the communion of saints, in order to 
 which they think it necessary that prests, wherever they 
 go, may be able to officiate, Avhich they cannot do if every 
 nation worships God in its own language. And this was 
 indeed necessary in those ages in which the Sec of Rome 
 did, by provisions, and other inventions of the canonists, 
 dispose of the best benefices to their own creatures and 
 servants. That trade would have been sooiled, if 8 Wan- 
 
SPEAKING IN AN UNKNOWN TONGUE. 
 
 253 
 
 j^ers might not have been permitted till they had learned 
 the language of the country ; and thus, instead of taking 
 care of the people that ought to be edified by the public 
 woisbip, provision was made at their cost for such vagrant 
 priests as have been the scandals of the church in all 
 ages, and the reproaches of religion." Art. xxiv. 
 
 But quite enough has been said to establish the doctrine 
 of our Article, and to show how little foundation there is 
 in either reason or the Bible for the Romish practice of 
 using an unknown language in the services of religion. 
 And enough has been s-.id to excite in our hearts a 
 desire to praise God for ti e Bible in our own language, 
 and for the abounding privileges of Protestant Chris- 
 tianity. 
 
ARTICLE XVI. 
 
 OF THE SACRAMENTS. 
 
 *' Sacraments, ordained of Christ, ;ne not only badges fir tokens 
 of Christian men's profession ; but rather they are certain tigns 
 of grace, and Cod's ; ood will toward US, by the which he d< til 
 work invisibly in us. and dolh not only quicken, but also 
 strengthen and confiim their faith in hint. 
 
 "There are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the 
 gospel ; that is to say, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord. 
 
 ■' Those five commonh called Sacraments, that is to say, con- 
 firmation, penance, orders, n atrimony, and extreme unction, are 
 not to be accounted for sacraments of the gospel, being such as 
 have partly grown out of 1 lie corrupt follow ii g of the Apostles ; 
 and partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures, but yet 
 have not the like nature of baptism and the Lord's Supper, because 
 they have not any visible sign, or ceremony ordained of God 
 
 " The sacraments were not ordained of Christ to be gazed upon 
 or to be ca:ried about ; but that we should daily use them. And 
 in such only as worthily receive the same, they have a wholeson e 
 effect or operation ; but they that receive them unworthily . pur- 
 chase to themselves condemnation, as St. Paul saith, 1 Cur. xi, 29." 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 Definition of a Sacrament. 
 1. The Latin word Sacramentum, from which the word 
 sacrament is derived, originally signified an oath of 
 fidelity. But as it is now used, it denotes those ordi- 
 nances of religion by which Christians come under obliga- 
 tions of obedience to God ; hence they are " not only 
 badges or tokens of Christian men's profession ; but 
 rather they are certain signs of grace and God's good 
 will toward us." There are but two sacraments in the 
 Christian Church, Baptism and the Lord's Supper. 
 These have full force of obligation and dignity of charac- 
 ter, because they have Divine oriyin and express institu- 
 tion. This being true, it follows of course, that no 
 
 264 
 
DEFINITION OF A SACRAMENT. 
 
 255 
 
 ordinance ought to be observed in the church, as claiming 
 a sacramental character, but such as have been ordained 
 of God. It is his right, and Ids alone, to institute sacra- 
 ments, and to confer the blessings which are thereby- 
 represented. No rite or institution can deserve the name 
 of a sacrament, unless it be instituted of God. 
 
 2. They are " badges of Christian men's profession," 
 by which they are distinguished from Jews, Mohamme- 
 dans, Heathens and Infidels. 
 
 3. " They are certain tigns of grace and God's good will 
 toward us." They show God's good will to us by the 
 fact of their institution, as means whereby we may join 
 ourselves to him in solemn obligation to renounce sin, and 
 to be dutiful in his service. 
 
 4. They are also the means " by which he do'h work in- 
 visibly in vs, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen 
 and confirm their faith in him." Hence there is in every 
 divinely authorized sacrament two parts ; the sign, and 
 tin- thing signified. The sign is something sensible and 
 visible; as in baptism, the sign is water; and in the 
 Lord's Supper, the signs are bread and wine. The things 
 signified by these signs, are the benefits of God's grace 
 secured to us by the sacrifice and mediation of Christ. 
 
 The Christian sacraments may, therefore, be regarded 
 as signs between God and believers, implying, on the 
 part of God, the gracious tender of salvation, on condi- 
 tion of faith and obedience ; and as implying on the part 
 of believers, the free acceptance of salvation on these 
 conditions. Hence, the sacraments are both signs of 
 God's grace, and of the Christian's profession of faith in 
 God. They are so many channels of God's grace to all 
 who use them according to their true import and the di- 
 rections of their Divine Author. 
 
 To this definition I will subjoin that of the Westmin- 
 
256 
 
 DEFINITION OF A SACRAMENT. 
 
 ster Divines, " Sacraments arc holy signs and seals of 
 the covenant of grace, immediately instituted by God, to 
 represent Christ and his benefits, and to confirm our in- 
 terests in him ; as also to put a visible difference between 
 those that belong unto the church, and the rest of the 
 world ; and solemnly to engage them to the service of 
 God in Christ, according to his word." Conf. of Faith, 
 Chap, xxvii, Sec. I. This definition will apply to the two 
 sacraments named in this Article, and to no others. 
 Both of these sacraments were instituted by Christ ; 
 Baptism in these words, Mutt, xxviii, 19, " Go ye there- 
 fore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name 
 of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." 
 
 The Lord's Supper was instituted in these words, 
 1 Cor. xi, 24, 25, "And when he had given thai.ks, he 
 brake it, and said, Take, eat, this is my body which is 
 broken for you ; this do in remembrance of me. After 
 the same manner also, he took the cup, when he had 
 supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my 
 blood ; this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance 
 of me." These are the words of institution in both these 
 ordinances, and they show clearly that Christ, and no 
 other, is their Author. The matter of baptism is water, 
 and the matter of the Lord's supper is bread and wine. 
 1 he jorm of baptism is, "In the name of the Father, and 
 of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ;" and the form of 
 the.Lord's supper is, "This is my body, which is broken 
 for you." " This cup is the new testament in my blood." 
 Now, none of these essential requisites can be predicated 
 of the " five commonly called sacraments," of the Ro- 
 mish Church, " that is to say, confirmation, penance, 
 orders, matrimony, and extreme unction ;" and hence 
 these " are not to be counted sacraments of the gospel." 
 
 6. Baptism and the Lord's Supper, as Christian ordi 
 
DEFINITION OF A SACRAMENT. 
 
 257 
 
 nances, occupy the same place, and have respect to the 
 same spiritual blessings that circumcision and the pas- 
 sover hi d in the Old Testament church. Both are signa 
 of God's ]o\e and mercy to his people, and both are signs 
 of the faith of God's people in his words of promise to 
 then. Circumcision was the sign of visible membership 
 in tlie "household of faith,*' as well as the ordained 
 means of entrance into the visible church. Baptism is tlie 
 sign of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, either in the sub- 
 ject of baptism 1 imself ; or in the parents or sponsors of 
 those who are baptized in infv.ncy. It is also a sign of 
 membership in the visible church of Christ. The p s- 
 sover was a commemorative ordinance, and locked for- 
 ward to Christ ; and its annual celebration greatly 
 increased the faith and love of God*s pioplc. The Lord's 
 Supper is eminently commemorative, while it looks for- 
 ward to Christ as coming the second time " without 
 sin unto salvation." It strengthens and confirms the 
 faith of God's children, and is the means of drawing 
 them into bonds of closer and more perfect union with 
 Christ, their spiritual head, as well as with each other. 
 
 6. But while the Sacraments of ( hristianity are not lo 
 be elevated to the dignity of regenerating ordinances, they 
 are, nevertheless, to occupy the highest stand points in 
 the practical operations of the church. No one can be 
 said to be in the visible church without laptium ; and no 
 member of the visible church can innocently neglect the 
 Loids Supper. "Do this in remembrance of me," has 
 all the force of any other command of God. 
 
 "The grace vhich 1 to all bequeath 
 III this divine memorial take. 
 
 And, mindful of your Saviour's death 
 Do this, my foU'wers. for my sake 
 
 Whose dying love ha'h left behind 
 
 Eternal love for all mankind.'' 
 11 * 
 
258 
 
 TUB FIVE KOMISU SACRAMENTS FALSE. 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 Th: Five Romish Sacraments false. 
 These are, "confirmation, penance, orders, matrimony, 
 and extreme unction." We have said these are false, and 
 for the following reasons : They "are not to be counted 
 for sacraments of the gospel, being such as have grown 
 partly out of the corrupt following of the Apostles, and 
 partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures ; but yet 
 have not the like nature of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, 
 because they have not any visible sign or ceremony or- 
 dained of God/' I will now proceed to show that these 
 are false by the word of God and the testimony of the 
 Fathers. 
 
 1. Confirmation is not a sacrament. In church history 
 it is defined to be a rite whereby a person who has arrived 
 at proper years, or years of discretion, undertakes the per- 
 formance of every part of his baptismal obligation, either 
 made by himself or his sponsors, at the time of his bap- 
 tism. This rite finds its princip il support in Acts viii, 12- 
 17, but especially in verse 17, " Then laid they their hands 
 on them, and they received the Holy Ghost." In Chap. 
 xix, 6, we have this farther proof of what is called confir- 
 mation : " And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, 
 the Holy Ghost came on them." Now, it appears from 
 this narrative that this was a usual thing at that time, 
 and is recorded here as a matter-of-course transaction. 
 And this seems to have been the universal practice of the 
 primitive church. Turtullian, a presbyter of the church 
 at Carthage, in A. D. 200, says : "After this (baptism), 
 the hand is laid upon us, with invocation, and invitation of 
 the Holy Spirit." Cyptian, iSishop of Carthage, in A. D. 
 248, in speaking of the Samaritan converts, says : " That 
 having obtained the legitimate baptism of the church, then, 
 
THE FIVE ROMISH SACRAMENTS FALSE. 
 
 259 
 
 what was wanting was done by Peter and Jolin, namely, 
 that prayers being made lor them , with laying on of hand*, 
 the Holy Spirit should be invoked and poured upon them ; 
 which now also is done among us, those baptized in the 
 church being brought to the Bishops of the church." 
 Bjfa 73, See. 8. 
 
 This right is still retained by several of the Protestant 
 churches of Europe and America, but without any claim 
 to the impartation of the Holy Spirit, as was the case in 
 the days of the Apostles. Neither of the churches that 
 now practice this rite, claim for it any of the properties or 
 forms of a sacrament, ror did the primitive church fathers, 
 nor did any of the Apostles themselves. All that is 
 claimed for this rite by any Protestant church, and espe- 
 cially by those churches that regularly practice it, is 
 apostolic institution. This being the highest claim, it is 
 therefore regarded by no correct Christian church as a 
 sacrament. It does not answer to any of the essential 
 tests of a sacrament ; it was not ordained by Christ him- 
 self, and is not, therefore, a sacrament. 
 
 But in the face of all these facts, and in the entire ab- 
 sence of anything like divine institution, of mutter, or of 
 form, Romanists have elevated this simple rite to the 
 high rank and dignity of a third sacrament. To supply 
 what they assume to be defects in the original order of 
 this rite, they have appoinied a mixture ol olive oil and 
 halm, which they call c/irium : the oil to signify unity, and 
 the balm to signify the savor of a good reputation. So 
 much for the matter of this pretended sacrament. The 
 form must be supplied also. This consists in the applica- 
 tion of the chrism to the forehead of the subject with the 
 forefinger of the bishop, with these words — Latin, of 
 course — " Signo te signo tt crucis, et eonfirmo te thritn ale 
 alutis, in nomine Patris, Fi/ii, et Spirttus Sancti.'' I sign 
 
26U THE FIVE ROMISH SACRAMENTS FALSE. 
 
 thee with the sign of the cross, and confirm thee with 
 the chrism of salvation, in the name of the Father, the 
 Son, and the Holy Ghost. Then follows a priest, or 
 some other person, with some raw cotton, whose business 
 it is to cleanse the forehead from the chrism applied by 
 the Bishop. Then the subject is forever sealed an hi-ir 
 of salvation, as they are given very clearly to understand, 
 both before and after confirmation. 
 
 With these facts before us, we may readily see why it 
 is that, this Romish sacrament is rejected by this Article 
 of Religion. It is not a "sacrament of the gospel," be- 
 cause it was not ordained of Christ, and " because it lias 
 no visible sign, or ceremony ordained of God." This is 
 the fatal end of the first Ronish sacrament, when brought 
 to the test of truth, and such must be the end of the other 
 four. 
 
 2. Penance. This is rather a singular name for a sacra- 
 ment, but no more singular than the thing itself, as taught 
 and understood by Romanists. But still it is one of the 
 veritable five sacraments, and a very complicated sacrament 
 it is. This must be so in order to give it any claim to the 
 high dignity of a sacrament, or any hold upon the faith, 
 or imagination, if you please, of the faithful. lis name is 
 of course derived from the La'in word penitentia. Thus 
 you see it has at least Latin origin, and this is something 
 in its favor. But let us look at the various constituent 
 parts of this sacrament. 1. Contrition, or a hearty sorrow 
 for sin, and a lirm purpose to sin no more. 2. Attrition, 
 a sorrow for sin, but no resolution to forsake sin. 3. Con- 
 fession, which is to accuse one's self of sin, and confess 
 to the p?-iest. 4. Absolution, which is the taking away of 
 all sins by the Priest. 5. Satisfaction. This is the most 
 singular of all the ingredients in tl is sacrament. It means, 
 that after sin is all forgiven, still the penitent must do some 
 
THE FIVE ROMISH SACK \MEXTd FALSE. *° 1 
 
 more penance. This, as to time and severity, must be de- 
 cided bv the priest. But if he is a kind-hearted and mer- 
 ciful priest, lie will commute the penance, if the poor, suf- 
 fering penitent will pay him a little money. But if he 
 should happen 10 die before the money is paid, he is 
 doomed to the fires of purgatory, and there he must go. 
 Now, it is clear that this is no sacrament from the very 
 nature of the case, and from the fact that it has not the 
 least shadow of warrant as such in the Scriptures. It 
 lias neither the outward sign nor ceremony of a sacra- 
 ment, and therefore it is not a "sacrament of the gospel." 
 
 3. Orders. Papists claim that the ordination of ministers 
 is a sacrament, founded upon the institution of Christ and 
 his Apostles. Th's, too, is a complicated sacrament, from 
 the fact that it embraces no less than seven orders of 
 ministers. "The number according !o the uniform and 
 universal doctrine of the Catholic Church, is seven — Por- 
 ter, Reader, Exorcist, Acolyte, sub Deacon, Deacon, and 
 Priest." Cut. Council of Trent, p 288. It is contended 
 that ordination is a sacrament, because it was instituted 
 by Christ. Now, tha' ordination, as one of the qualifi- 
 cations of a true gospel minister, was instituted by Christ, 
 none will deny, yet we read of no outward and visible 
 sign appointed by him for this purpose. Christ ordained 
 his Apostles, and gave them authority to ordain others, 
 but neither of them used the same ceremony. Christ 
 breathed on his Apostles , but these laid their hands 071 
 those whom they ordained. Moreover, there is nothing said 
 in the whole of the New Testament that in the least jus- 
 tifies the belief that this was inten led to be observed as a 
 sacrament. It is destitute of bo'h the matter and form of 
 a sacrament, and if there were no other facts to justify 
 the opposition of our Article, this would be quite sufficient; 
 While ordination was instituted by Christ, and practi ed 
 
262 THE FIVE ROMISH SACRAMENTS FALSE. 
 
 by the Apostles, and while it is commanded as essential 
 to a valid and true succession of ministers in Christ's 
 Church, it has no more the character and necessary re- 
 quisites of a sacrament, than any other apostolic command 
 or usage ; and hence we conclude that ordination, and es- 
 pecially as it is so confounded with error in the Romish 
 Church, is not, in part nor in whole, a sacrament. 
 
 4. Matrimony. This is another Romish sacrament. Is 
 it not strange that they have such facilities for making, 
 and yet have not the true administration of even one 
 sacrament in their whole church ? But to give this pre- 
 tended sacrament some weight of character, they call it — 
 in Latin of course, because this gives it an unction that 
 the old-fashioned English cannot — "Hoc est magnum 
 sacramentum" — the great sacrament. But lest we may 
 be thought to trifle with the sacred institution of marriage, 
 we will freely admit, once for all, that it was "instituted 
 of God in the time of man's innocency," and that it "is 
 commended of St. Paul to be honorable among all men." 
 That it was intended to be the safe-guard of virtue, and 
 the guardian of the social interests of society, none will 
 deny ; but how it comes to be the great sacrament, is the 
 difficulty. It has neither matter nor form, nor is it the 
 sign of any inward grace — and how can it be a sacra- 
 ment ? The most that can be said of it is, that it is a 
 "state of life allowed in the Scriptures," which may or 
 may not be entered into without injury to persons or 
 morals. 
 
 But while Romanists claim that matrimony is a 
 sacrament, is it not strange that there is a standing 
 canon against their priests partaking of the blessings 
 of this "magnum sacramentum?" And why is it 
 that the various orders of sisterhood do not receive 
 this sacrament? 
 
THE FIVE ROMISH SACRAMENTS FALSE. 263 
 
 " Sine ■ Jesus freely did appear, 
 To K'aee a marriage feast." 
 But is there not a strange and irreconcilable contradic- 
 tion between Romanism and the Bible on this subject? 
 The boasted head of their church, St. Peter, it seems had 
 a wife, and there is no account whatever of his being 
 separated from her that he might become Bishop of Rome. 
 Matt, viii, 14, Jesus " saw i is wife's mother laid, and sick 
 of a fever." St. Paul claimed, in 1 Cor. ix, 5, to "lead 
 about a sister, a wife, as well as the other Apostles." But 
 again, 1 Tim. iii, 2, " A bishop must be the husband of 
 one wife." Now, we are not to understand this as a com- 
 mand to mairy, but we are to understand that any bishop 
 has a right to have one wife. From this, and many 
 other passages, we understand that not only bishops, but 
 other ministers of God's word, have a Scripture right to 
 marry. 
 
 But the Romish doctrine of the celibacy of the clergy 
 is one of "the doctrines of devils." 1 Tim. iv, 1-3. 
 "Now the spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter 
 times some should depart from the faith, giving heed 
 to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils, f-peakii g 
 lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with 
 a hot iron ; forbidding to marry." Now, this whole 
 passage applies to Romanism, and clearly shows, among 
 other things, that their doctrne of celibacy of the clergy, 
 is in direct opposition to the word of God, which 
 allows "all to marry, who are able with judgment to 
 give their consent." "Marriage is honorable in all." 
 Heh. xiii, 4. 
 
 5. Extreme Unction. Here is still another Romish sacra- 
 ment, and the last in the list. The reader no doubt is 
 glad of it, and so is the writer. This sacrament is admi- 
 nistered by applying oil cr other ointments to the dying 
 
264 THE FIVE ROMISH SACRAM KNTS FALSE. 
 
 man's body, or more properly to the five senses, and 
 hence it is called "extreme unction." It is very evident 
 that this is the most oily and smooth of all the other Ro- 
 mish sacraments. And to contradict the Bible as much 
 ns possible, and to outrage reason as far as they can, they 
 administer it that the sick may die, and not that they may 
 lire, or be healed. Hence they are careful not to administer 
 this smoothest of all their sacraments, until they are ce rtain 
 the person will die ; then they apply their oil, or other 
 ointments, for the forgiveness of sins. But still the poor 
 man must go into Abraham's bosom by way of purgatory, 
 and suffer in this place of final purgation until all his sins 
 are consumed. Now, one would think that where so 
 much had been done by priests and others, that a dying 
 man, and especially one of the faithful, might have per- 
 mission to go strait to heaven, if his sins were forgiven by 
 faith in Jesus Christ. But so inconsistent and absurd are 
 all the Romish attempts at creating sacraments, that they 
 are scarcely worthy of a serious notice. They are false in 
 number, and false in nature — in number, because there are 
 but two genuine sacraments, Baptism and the Lord's Sup- 
 per ; false in nature, because they have none of the Scrip- 
 ture tests of a true sacrament, and because they were not 
 instituted by Christ as sacraments, but by designing and 
 corrupt men. 
 
 6. But this Article defines the u±e and effects of the term 
 sacraments. 
 
 First. " The sacraments were not ordained of Christ to 
 be gazed upon, or be carried about, but that we should 
 only use them." Nothing is more distinctly taught in 
 the Bible, than the truth that is contained in these words. 
 The elements of the Lord's Supper — the bread and the 
 wine — when consecrated, are to be received into the com- 
 municant's mouth. " Take eat," and " drink ye all of it." 
 
THE FIVE ROMISH SACRAMENTS FALSE. 2Go 
 
 We eat the bread, and drink- the wine, 
 But think on ncbler tilings." 
 No jtlici mention is made of any other use of the conse- 
 crated elements, and therefore we conclude that they are 
 not "to be gazed upon, or be carried about." 
 
 The effect of the sacraments is stated in these words : 
 "And in such only as worthily receive the same, they 
 have a wholesome effect or operation ; but they that re- 
 ceive them unworthily, purchase to themselves condemna- 
 tion, as St. Paul saith, 1 Cor. xi, 29." Now, it is plainly 
 implied in this part of the Article, as it is in all the Scrip- 
 ture doctrine pertaining to the sacraments, that the effect 
 of the holy communion is conditional. If the person is 
 worthy, that is, if ye "do truly and earnestly repent of 
 your sins," and if ye " are in love and charity with your 
 neighbors," — if ye "intend to lead a new life, following 
 the commandments of God," and if ye have faith, then ye 
 are a worthy partaker, and then the Lord's Supper will 
 "have a wholesome effect." 
 
 This shows plainly enough that there is no intrinsic 
 virtue in the elements of the communion itself, which con- 
 fers any "wholesome effect or operation," apart from the 
 proper qualification of the commanicunt himself. Hence it 
 is, that the moral quality of the person determines the effect 
 of the Lord's Supper upon the receiver. 1 Cor. xi, 29, 
 "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth 
 and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the 
 Lord's body." To communicate intelligently, there 
 should be a faithful examination of the nature of a sacra- 
 ment, and a faithful preparation of the heart for this holy 
 service. 
 
 If the writer has said a word, or expressed a thought, 
 that will tend to assist any follower of Christ in a better 
 and more distinct understanding of his duty in approaching 
 
 13 
 
266 
 
 THE FIVE KOMISH SACRAMENTS FALSE. 
 
 the Lord's table, lie shall be more than compensated 
 his labor in preparing the Notes on this Article. 
 
 " The Father gives the Son; 
 
 The Son his flesh and blood , 
 The Spirit seals; and faith puts on 
 
 The righteousness of God " 
 
ARTICLE XVII. 
 
 OF BAPTISM. 
 
 '•' Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and mark of dif- 
 ference, whereby Christians are distinguished from others that 
 are not baptized ; but it is also a sign of regeneration, or the new 
 birth. The baptism of young children is to be retained in the 
 Church." * 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 Definition. 
 
 1. Baptism is a sacrament of the New Testament, or- 
 dained by Christ as a sign of distinction between Chris- 
 tians and Jews, and Heathens ; and designed to be con- 
 tinued in his church to the end of the world. It was in- 
 stituted in these few words, Matt, xxviii, 19, " Go ye 
 therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of 
 the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.'' The 
 matter of this ordinance is water; the form, in th'e name 
 of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : 
 and the thing signified is regeneration. If these things 
 are carefully considered, together with the Divine autho- 
 rity of the institution itself, it will be manifest that bap- 
 tism was originally appointed to be the boundary of visible 
 Christianity, and the mark of distinction between Chris- 
 tian and Heathen nations. As such, it comprehends the 
 Christian doctrines, together with a public profession of 
 faith in these doctrines. It embraces the fundamental 
 doctrine of the Trinity, as its foundation ; the expiation 
 of sin by the atonement of Christ, and the regeneration 
 of the soul by the Holy Spirit. In all these doctrinal 
 
 267 
 
263 
 
 BAPTISM DEFINITION. 
 
 aspects, baptism is of the higest importance to the 
 Christian Church ; and fitted to impress the greatest 
 truths of the gospel upon the mind in the happiest 
 m;i l) ncr. 
 
 But, while it embraces these, and all other necessary 
 Christian doctrines, it likewise embraces belief in these 
 doctrines, either by the subject of baptism himself, or 
 upon the part of parents, or others, who may present 
 their children for baptism. At the same time it embraces 
 a profession of this faith. 
 
 In this profession of faith, solemn obligations are en- 
 tered into to " renounce the devil and all his works, the 
 vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous 
 desires of the same, and the carnal desiies of the flesh." 
 While sin is renounced by this obligation, there is a de- 
 claration of belief in the doctrines of the Christian re- 
 ligioD, together with a pledge to "keep God's holy will 
 and commandments," and walk in them during the whole 
 of our life. Hence it is called a sacrament. Nothing, 
 therefore, can so distinctly draw the boundaries of the 
 Christian Church as baptism. Gal. iii, 27, ' For so 
 many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put 
 on Christ." 
 
 When the Apostles preached the gospel to all nations, 
 it was to make believers in the Christian doctrines, and to 
 baptize these believers in the use of the prescribed form 
 of Christian baptism, and thus constitute them members 
 of the visible and regularly constituted Christian Church. 
 This was their specified work, and what else did it prove 
 but their right to extend our holy Christianity among 
 boih Jews and Gentiles ? And what else did the baptism 
 of believers in the Christian doctrine signify, but a "sign 
 of profession and mark of difference," between these, and 
 the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles ? And hence it is, 
 
BAPTISM DEVINITIO\. 269 
 
 tlint circumcision and baptism are precisely o r the same 
 import. Circumcision was the sign of difference between 
 the Jews and the Heathen ; and baptism is the sign of 
 difference between the Christian, and both Jews and 
 Heathens. As the Jews constituted one outward and 
 visible church of God, by the outward sign of circumci- 
 sion, so believers in Christ and his doctrines constitute one 
 outward and visible church of God, by the distinguishing 
 sign of Christian baptism. Hence it is, that the unity of 
 the Christian Church is just as distinct and perfect as was 
 the unitv of the Jewish Church, though it is composed of 
 both believing Jews and Gentiles. Such is the scope and 
 spirit of Christianity, that it biings believers of all na- 
 tions, however distinct their habits of life, or modes of 
 thought, into one body, and into the unity of one faith. 
 Hence the superiority of Christiarity to every other 
 system of religion ; and hence, too, its adaptation to the 
 wants of all nations.- In nothing did St. Pa d rejoice 
 more, than in the power of Christianity to break down 
 all differences of faith and conduct between nations, and 
 to show that all men are equally concerned in the great 
 sacrifice of Christ on the cross. The whole thought is ex- 
 pressed in 1 Cor. xii, 13, "For by one spirit are we all 
 baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, 
 whether we be bond or free ; and have all been made to 
 drink into the same Spirit." 
 
 2. Baptism is "a sign of profession." By the term 
 sign we may understand either a mark of something that. 
 has taken place, or of something to be conferred at 
 some future time. In this Article it is used to denote 
 what has or may take place. Hence it is, that Christian 
 baptism is the sign of the outward profession of Chris- 
 tianity ; and likewise the sign of the inward and parti- 
 cular benefits of God's grace— as the forgiveness of sins ; 
 
270 
 
 BAPTISM DEFINITION. 
 
 adoption into the family of God ; or the sanctification of 
 the .soul by the Holy Spirit. 
 
 When an individual makes a profession of faith, bap- 
 tism is a sign of that profession, as well as of 
 the pledge of fidelity to the church. And if he is not 
 already regenerated, then his baptism is a sign of 
 the benefits of God's grace that may be conferred at 
 some future time. But if he is regenerated when he 
 makes his public profession of Christianity, then baptism 
 is both, and at the same time, the sign of the outward 
 profession, and of the inward benefits of God's Spirit. 
 And hence it is a " sign of regeneration, or the new 
 birth." 
 
 3. Baptism is a " mark of difference whereby Christians 
 are distinguished from others that are not baptized." To 
 understand fully the meaning of this part of the Article, 
 we must consider the fact, that in all ages, God's people 
 were distinguished from all others, .by some mark of re- 
 ligious profession. The Jew was distinguished from the 
 Gentile, by the significant mark or sign of circumcision. 
 This was the ordained token of his covenant relation to 
 God ; and by this he was brought into public church fel- 
 lowship with the people of God, and was thus distin- 
 guished from the Gentile who had no visible connection 
 with the true worshippers of God. 
 
 But the " mark of difference " is changed so as to suit 
 the more simple and spiritual nature of the gospel church ; 
 so that, in place of circumcision, as the " mark of dif- 
 ference," we have the ordained sacrament of baptism. 
 This is a " mark of difference' in itself, and it is a 
 "mark of difference in the effect that it produces. The 
 baptismal engagement involves the vouchsafement of 
 God's grace to the subject; and it involves repentance, 
 faith, and obedience, with a hearty forsaking of sin, a 
 
SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 
 
 27 1 
 
 steadfast belief in the promises of God, and a sincere 
 purpose of heart to lead a new life. 
 
 This " mark of difference" is still more clear, when we 
 consider what Christ has said both of faith and baptism, 
 in Mark xvi, 16, "He that believetb, and is baptized, 
 shall be saved, but he that believetb not, shall be 
 damned." Here faith and baptism are joined together ; 
 faith as the instrument in the great work of justification, 
 and baptism as the sign of regeneration, by God's Spirit 
 operating on the heart. 
 
 " Baptized into thy name, 
 
 Mysterious One in Three, 
 Our souls and bodies claim, 
 
 A sacrifice to thee ; 
 And let us live one faith to prove, 
 The faith -which works by humble love.'' 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 Subjects of Baptism. 
 I. " The baptism of young children is to be continued 
 in the church." But before this question is examined, it 
 may be proper to show that adult believers and penitents 
 are proper subjects of baptism. 
 
 First. Adult believers. That this ordinance is to be 
 administered to all adult persons who profess faith in 
 Christ, and who have not been baptized, is admitted by 
 all who acknowledge the Divine authority of this institu- 
 tion. But what is meant by a believe^ ? There are two 
 classes of persons entitled to this name. 1. Those who 
 consent to the truth and obligations of the Christian sys- 
 tem, but who are not penitent, and have no desire to en- 
 gage in the service of God. Such believers, of course, 
 are not justly entitled to, nor are they proper subjecis of 
 
272 
 
 SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 
 
 Christian baptism. 2. Those who not only acknowledge 
 the obligations of Christiani'v, but who heartily receive 
 and rest upon Jesus Christ alone for salvation, as offered 
 by God in the gospel. These are proper subjects of bap- 
 tism. 3. But penitent believers are proper subjects of 
 baptism. By these we intend such as believe the doc- 
 trines of Christianity, and are heartily sorry for their 
 sins, and are seeking favor and peace with God, and wish 
 to make a profession of their faith in Christ, by taking 
 upon them the obligations of Christian baptism. 
 
 For this we think there is sufficient authority in the 
 Bible. When Peter was preaching, on the day of Penti- 
 cost, as it said in Ads ii, 37, 30, the people who heard 
 him " were pricked in their hearts," and said, " Men and 
 brethren, what shall we do ? Then Peter said unto them, 
 repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of 
 Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall re- 
 ceive the Holy Ghost." Now, these persons were peni- 
 tent ; their hearts had been penetrated by the truth, and 
 they were penitently inquiring what they should do. 
 They had not yet been pardoned, and the Apostle di- 
 rected them at once, to repent and be baptized for the re- 
 mission of their sins, with the subjoined promise that they 
 should receive the Holy Ghost. This passage clearly 
 warrants the administration of baptism to penitent in- 
 quirers after salvation. But I will notice one other proof 
 of (his duty of the church. It is the case of Saul of 
 Tarsus. When Ananias came to him, he found him 
 blind, fasting and praying for three days, in a state of 
 deep penitence, and not knowing what to do. While m 
 this state of penitence, he was directed to "Arise and be 
 baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of 
 the Lord Jesus." Acts xxii, 16. Now, in both these 
 cases, the penitent seeker of pardon is recognized ; and 
 
SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 273 
 
 in both these cases the penitents were directed to be bap- 
 tized as a means and seal of their pardon. 
 
 " And thus our sense assists our faith, 
 And shows us what the gospel means " 
 
 2. YounEf Children are proper subjects of baptism. 
 To the truth of this proposition, we have the concurrent 
 testimony of the Heidleburg Catechism, and the Westmin- 
 ster Confession of Faith. In the catechism, Qucs. 74, 
 " Are infants also to be baptized ? Ans. Yes, for since 
 they, as well as the adult are included in the covenant 
 and church of God ; and since the redemption from sin 
 by the blood of Christ and the Holy Ghost, the author of 
 faith, is promised to them no less than to the adult ; 
 they must, therefore, by baptism as a sign of the cove- 
 nant, be also admitted into the Christian Church, and be 
 distinguished from the children of infidels ; as was done 
 in the Old Covenant or Testament, by circumcision, in- 
 stead of which baptism was instituted in the New 
 Covenant." 
 
 In the Westminster Cm. <f Faith, Chap, xxviii, Sec. 4, 
 " Not only those that do actually profess faith in and obe- 
 diei ice unto Christ, but also the infants of one or both be- 
 lie* mg parents are to be baptized." These two Articles 
 tal* high ground in favor "of infant baptism, but no 
 hi 5 dier than they are entitled to by the uniform practice 
 o the church in all ages. Infants were admitted into 
 the visible church, under the rigorous covenant of the 
 law, by circumcision ; and they are capable of admission 
 into the same church of God, under the covenant of 
 grace, by Christian baptism. 
 
 But to see more fully the strict propriety of the practice 
 of infant baptism, and the ground upon wlv'ch it stands, I 
 will remark. X. That the Church of Christ has been mbstan- 
 
274 
 
 SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 
 
 tially the same in all ages of the world. This cannot be 
 doubted, if we carefully consider the nature of the covenant 
 which God made with Abraham, of which circumcision was 
 the sign. It was a covenant of perpetual duration, and of 
 perpetual obligation. It is usually called the covenant of 
 grace. It is in these words, in Gen. xvii, 7, " I will estab- 
 lish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed 
 after thee, in their generations for an everlasting cove- 
 nant; to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee." 
 The token of this covenant was circumcision. Verse 11, 
 "And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin ; and 
 it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you." 
 The infant children of Abraham were admitted into this 
 covenant, and had the same token of the covenant placed 
 upon them. Verse 12, "And he that is eight days old 
 among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your 
 generations." 
 
 This covenant embraced two things, having special re- 
 ference to the spiritual state of Abraham, and his genera- 
 tions forever. 
 
 First. God promised to be their God. This implied 
 more than temporal blessings. With these, it implied 
 higher and spiritual blessings. 2 Cor. vi, 16, "As God 
 hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I 
 will be their God, and they shall be my people." The 
 expressions, " 1 will be their God," " and dwell in them," 
 are indicative of spiritual union between God and his 
 children, and are so used throughout the Scriptures. 
 
 Second. This covenant is called by St. Paul, the cove- 
 nant of promise, because God said to A.braham, in Gen. 
 xxii, 18, " In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth 
 be blessed, because thou hast heard my voice." It did 
 not, therefore, contemplate blessings to Abraham and his 
 seed only. It had a much wider scope, even blessings in 
 
SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 
 
 275 
 
 the posterity of Abraham, /or all the nations of the earth. 
 But by what part of his posterity, and how, shall all the 
 nations be blessed ? To this question we record the an- 
 swer of St. Paul, Gal. iii, 16, " He saith not, and to 
 seeds, as of many ; but as of one, And to thy seed, which 
 is Christ." Now, that Christ is of the seed of Abraham, 
 none will doubt ; and that Christ is a blessing to all na- 
 tions, none will doubt. Hence it is, that the same spiritual 
 blessings which came upon Abraham, because of his faith 
 and covenant relation to God, are dispensed to all who 
 receive Christ by faith, as did faithful Abraham. " They 
 which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham," and 
 the same are the children of Abraham," verse 7. This, 
 of itself, is quite sufficient to prove that the church has 
 ever been the same ; founded upon the one and the same 
 covenant. 
 
 But the covenant with Abraham, as is very evident, 
 looked to some future manifestation, as the fulfillment of 
 the promise. That future manifestation was Christ. It 
 is obvious, then, that Christ was the object of Abraham's 
 faith ; and that by faith in Christ he was justified. But 
 Abraham looked to Christ as to come. This is very true, 
 but it did not change the nature and influence of his 
 faith ; for it is said, he was justified by faith in the same 
 seme that believers are now justified. The only dif- 
 ference between Abraham and the Christian, is in the cir- 
 cumstances ; the one was before Christ came into the 
 world, and the other was after. Both are justified by 
 faith in the same Christ, and therefore the Church, in its 
 great sections, before and after Christ, is one and the same 
 church. There was no change in the spiritual import of 
 this covenant, not even by the giving of the law. St. 
 Paul affirms in Gal. iii, 17, " That the covenant that was 
 confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was 
 
276 
 
 SUBJECTS OF BATTISM. 
 
 four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, 
 that it should make the promise of none effect." Now, 
 Clnist did not come till nineteen hundred and eleven 
 years after this covenant of promise was made With Abra- 
 ham. In the mean time, the law was given four hundred 
 and thirty years after this covenant, and fourteen hun- 
 dred and eighty one years before the promise to Abra- 
 ham could be fulfilled. It is evident, therefore, that the 
 law given on Mount Sinai did not annul the covenant with 
 Abraham. The covenant still stands in full force ; no 
 intermediate transaction before Christ came could affect 
 it, and Christ did not set aside its spiritual purport and 
 obligations, and therefore, it still stands as an everlasting 
 covenant. 
 
 This establishes the fact, that but one covenant has 
 existed as the ba-is of the visible church in all ages. 
 The covenant of the church under the former dispensa- 
 tion, was the covenant with Abrah .m, and in its spiritual 
 and fuller import, it is the covenant of the church now. 
 This is established beyond a doubt by St. Paul, in Gal. 
 iii, 27, 28, " For as many as have been baptized into 
 Christ, have put on Christ, There is neither Jew nor 
 Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither 
 male nor female ; for ye are all one in Christ." 
 
 3. But the identity of the Jewish and Christian 
 church is made still more distinct by some New Testa- 
 ment illustrations, as the Parable of the Vineyard, in Matt. 
 xxi, 33-43. Here, the vineyard evidently represents the 
 church, with all its holy privileges, both before and afier 
 the coming of Christ. The first-named husbandmen 
 were the Jews, who were destroyed for their wicked 
 treatment of Christ, Avho came as the heir, to receive 
 fruit from the vineyard. The second-named husbandmen 
 were the believing Gentiles. To these the vineyard was 
 
SUBJECTS OF BAPHSM. 
 
 277 
 
 " let out," that they might render fruit to the owner in 
 proper season.. Two sets of husbandmen are spoken of, 
 but there is but one vineyard. This we regard as a con- 
 clusive illustration of the identity of the church. 
 
 The same truth is expressed when Christ represents 
 the church under the figure of a sheepfold, John x. 
 Here, Christ calls himself the good Shepherd, and gives 
 to the Jews, the original members of this church, this 
 distinct and conclusive information ; " And other sheep I 
 have, which are not of this fold ; them also I must bring 
 in, and they shall hear my voice ; and there shall be one 
 fold, and one Shepherd." Before the coming of Christ, 
 the Gentiles were called "aliens and strangers," but after 
 the coming of Christ, they were called into the vineyard ; 
 into the fold ; and now they are " fellow-citizens with the 
 saints and household of God." Both are reconciled unto 
 God, in "one body," and are "built on the foundation of 
 the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the 
 chief corner stone." These considerations show very 
 clearly, that, while the church has been operating under two 
 dispensations, it has been one and the same church, based 
 upon one and the same covenant. And this covenant is 
 essentially the gospel covenant. Gal. iii. 8, " The Scrip- 
 ture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen 
 through faith, preached b 'fore the gospel to Abraham." 
 And, speaking of the Jews, St. Paul further says, Heb. 
 iv. 2, "For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as 
 unto them." It follows from the foregoing that the 
 church has been the same in all ages, and differing only 
 in circumstances. The difference is chiefly in this. The 
 Jewish church was limited to the Jewish nation, and its 
 covenant was signified by Circumcision, and the Passover: 
 whereas, in the Christian church, the Gentiles were in- 
 corporated with the. Jews, ro that boih became one body, 
 
278 
 
 SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 
 
 and the same covenant that was made with Abraham, 
 was signified by Baptism, and the Lord's Supper. 
 
 It is no offset to this argument, to say that the church 
 now is not the same that it was in the days of Abraham, 
 because it is- called by another name. This change of 
 the name of the church was foretold by the prophet. It. 
 Ixii, 2, "And thou shalt be called by a new name, which 
 the mouth of the Lord shall name." This prophecy was 
 fulfilled at Antioch. Acts xi, 26, "And the disciples 
 were called Christians first at Antioch." The name is 
 appropriate because it recognizes all believers as followers 
 of Christ, of whatever nation they may be. And this of 
 itself might satisfy any one of the unity of the church in 
 both dispensations. 
 
 These remarks suggest the following conclusions. 
 First. That the covenant that God made with Abraham 
 and his posterity, was the covenant of grace that was to 
 be continued in full force through all coming time. 
 Second. That the Jewish church being constituted 
 according to the 1 ' principles and provisions of the co- 
 venant of grace, was essentially the same as the Chris- 
 tian Church. 
 
 4. This opens the way for another important proposi- 
 tion. Children were included in the covenant made with 
 Abraham, and received circumcision as the sign of that 
 covenant relation, and as this covenant has never been 
 abrogated or changed, therefore children are still included 
 in this covenant, and have a right to its Christian sign, 
 and its blessings. 
 
 Upon the first member of this proposition, there can be 
 but little, if any controversy. God said to Abraham, 
 Gen. xvii, 7, " 1 will establish my covenant between me 
 and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations, for an 
 everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and thy seed 
 
Sl-BJECTS OF BAPTISM. 
 
 279 
 
 ujtvf thee." That the infant offspring of Abraham re- 
 ceived the sign of the covenant, see verse 12, "And he 
 that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you." 
 This sign was continued in the Jewish church until John 
 the Baptist, and Christ. John was circumcised on the 
 eighth day. Luke i, 59, "And it came to pass, that on the 
 eighth day they came to circumcise the child." Christ 
 ■pas circumcised on the eighth day, Cluip. ii, 21, "And 
 when eight days were accomplished for tl e circumcising 
 of the child, his name was called Jesus.'' It is worthy 
 of remark, that in both of these cases, names were given 
 to the children ; one was called John, and the other was 
 called Jesus. 
 
 That children are still included in the covenant of 
 grace, is susceptible of clear Scripture proof ; as Acts, ii, 
 39, "For the promise is unto you and your children, and 
 to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our 
 God shall call." In this passage, the covenant relation 
 of infants is clearly recognized ; not only the children of 
 Jewish parents, but the children of as many Gentiles " as 
 the Lord our God shall call." This, too, fully accords 
 with what has been said concerning the unity of the 
 church. The " olive tree " has not been destroyed ; the 
 natural branches only are broken off, and the believing 
 Gentiles graffed in. These "partake of the root and 
 fatness of the olive tree," and of course, they have the 
 right of placing their infant children in a covenant rela- 
 tion with God, as well as with the believing Jews, or the 
 natural branches that have not been cut off. But it is 
 expressly said that children are members of the visible 
 church, in Mark x, 14, " For of such is the kingdom of 
 heaven." The phrase, " kingdom of heaven," means the 
 church of Christ, or the visible community of God's 
 people, constituted according to the principles of the gospel. 
 
283 
 
 SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 
 
 Wow, Christ assigns the fact that they belonged to the 
 "kingdom of heaven," or the church, as the reason for 
 his displeasure with his disciples for rebuking those that 
 " brought little children to him," and also for the com- 
 mand, " Suffer them to come unto me, and forbid 
 them not." 
 
 But again, Christ presented these little children as p<u- 
 terns of purity to all who might, at any time, enter into 
 this " kingdom of heaven." And this, of itself, goes to 
 show that infant children are members of the church 
 under the gospel, as they were members of the church 
 under the law. This passage teaches this common sense, 
 fact ; as little children are declared by Christ to belong to 
 the Church of God, and as baptism is the ordinance 
 of visible induction into, and the seal of its blessings, they 
 have a right to the blessings and benefits of the covenant, 
 and none should forbid the exercise of that right. 
 
 But once more ; it is nowhere said that the original 
 right of infants to membership in the church, is taken 
 away or disannulled. This, no doubt would have been 
 done, if there had been any change in the covenant. In 
 the absence, therefore, of anything against the right of 
 infants to membership in the Church of Christ, and in 
 view of the fact that Christ declared them to be in the 
 church, we here conclude, with the solemn conviction that 
 they have a right to the sign, and the blessings of the 
 covenant of grace. They should be baptized. This we 
 believe to be the will of God, and the doctrine of the 
 Holy Scriptures. 
 
 5. Infant baptism has been practiced in the church 
 fr ;m the days of the Apostles to the present time. 
 
 If so, then baptism must have taken the place of the 
 .old Jewish token of the covenant. To see the truth of 
 what is here alleged, we have but to examine the commi* 
 
SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 
 
 281 
 
 sion given to the disciples, in Matt, xxviii, 19. Here 
 baptism takes the place of circumcision, by the ex- 
 press appointment of God. The disciples were, there- 
 fore, authorized to extend the right of baptism to all 
 who believed in Christ, everywhere, aud also to their 
 children. 
 
 "Jesus, kind, inviting Lord, 
 We with joy obey thy word, 
 And in earliest infancy 
 Bring our little ones to thee." 
 
 But to see the truth of our proposition, in the light of 
 the history of the church, we must consult the testimony 
 of the early Christian Fathers. The first that we shall 
 name is Origin, who flout ished about A. D. 300. He 
 says, " Infants are baptized for the remission of sins ;" 
 and again, he says, " The church hath received the tra- 
 dition from the Apostles, that baptism ought to be ad- 
 ministered to infants." Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, 
 who was contempory with Origin, says, that " Sixty-six 
 Bishops, being convened in Carthage, in a council, having 
 the question referred to them, ' Whether infants might be 
 baptized before they icerc eight days old ;' unanimously de- 
 ciJed, that no infant is to be forbidden from the benefit of 
 baptism, although but just born." Mark this testimony of 
 s'uty-six bishops. It ought to go very far in settling the 
 question of the right of infants to baptism, and especially 
 when it was given in so short a time after the Apostles, 
 and when every practice in the church was proved by 
 Apostolic usage. Gregory Xazcanzan, who died A. D. 
 S89, testifies, in his discourse on baptism, " That infants 
 are to be baptized." In the fifth council of Carthage, 
 held A. D. 401, it is declared in canon 72, "that child- 
 ren ought to be baptized, when there is no proof nor testi- 
 mony that thej have been already baptized." And St. 
 
282 
 
 SCI3JKCTS OF BAPTISM. 
 
 Augustine, who flourished A. D. 410, says, "Infant 
 baptism the whole world practices ; it was not instituted by 
 councils, but was ever in use." Thus we see, that cer- 
 tainly for four hundred years after Christ, there was a 
 universal consent that infant baptism should be practiced. 
 No one denied their right to this ordinance. True, I~er- 
 tullian advises the delay of infant baptism, but this was 
 because of his peculiar notion of baptismal regeneration. 
 And there was one Gregory who practiced such delay in 
 the baptism of his own children; but there was no so- 
 ciety of men nor church, that entertained any doubt as to 
 the propriety of infant baptism. 
 
 Dr. Wall says, in Hist, of Inf. Bap., that for " 700 
 years after this," making in all 1100 years, there is not 
 so much as one man to be found, who either spoke for, 
 or practiced such delay, but all to the contrary ;" Terlul- 
 lian and Gregory alone excepted. He further says ; 
 "And when about the year 1130, one sect among the 
 Wuldemes declared against the baptism of infants, as in- 
 capable of salvation, the main body of their opinion was 
 in favor of it." This sect soon disappeared, and the 
 church was at peace upon this subject, " until the rising 
 of the German Antipedo baptists, or baptists, in the year 
 1522." The next society called baptists, that greatly 
 disturbed the peace and quiet of the church by their op- 
 position to the practice of infant baptism, was formed in 
 England, in 1G40. And the first that was formed on the 
 continent of America, was in 1638. This latter Society 
 was originated and organized by one Roger Williams, who 
 was once a Presbyterian. But, becoming somewhat rest- 
 less and disaffected, he called upon one Ezekiel Ilolliman, 
 a layman, and who had not been immersed himself, to 
 administer baptism <o him by immersion. Theu Mr. 
 Williams immersed Mr. Holliman, and ten others, and 
 
8CBJECTS OF BAPTISM. 283 
 
 tlius was constituted the first society of antipedo bap- 
 tists in America. Knowles Mem. of Williams. 
 
 From what we have seen of the practice of the church 
 since the days of the Apostles, as proved by the fore- 
 going testimony of the Fathers, we see why it is that, 
 " the baptism of young children is to be retained in the 
 church." It is because they are Included in the covenant 
 of grace ; because Christ, by express command, has 
 changed the sign of this covenant from circumcision to 
 baptism ; and because baptism has been administered to 
 infants in every age of the church, from the Apostles to 
 the present time. 
 
 " How large the promise, how divine, 
 
 To Aoraham and his seed " 
 
 6. If the right of infants to a part in the covenant of 
 grace has been established, and we believe it has, we can 
 easily see how strong is the obligation upon Christian 
 parents to dedicate their children to God, and the church 
 by baptism, at an early period of their life. The com- 
 mand given to Abraham to circumcise his children at 
 eight days old, was imperative. He dared not to neg- 
 lect it, but willingly and gladly set upon them the sign 
 of the covenant that God had made with him, and all his 
 posterity. He rejoiced to have his children with him in the 
 visible church of God. How, then, can Christian parents, 
 who profess to be the children of God by faith, and to be 
 enjoying the blessings and benefits of the covenant of 
 God with Abraham, refuse to submit ihi-ir children, by 
 baptism, to the same covenant benefits ? They cannot, 
 and at the same time be innocent ; nor can they neglect 
 the proper baptismal instruction of their children, without 
 endangering their own happiness, if not the morals anil 
 eternal welfare of those whom they '" should train up in 
 the way they should go." If they neglect this in order 
 
284 
 
 BAPTISM NOT REGENERATION. 
 
 to afford their children, at a more mature age, an oppor- 
 tunity of selecting the mode, they need not 'be surprised, 
 if the}* never make cln ice of ;>ny mode. Indeed, there arc 
 so many fearful demonstrations of the great evil of this 
 unscriptural neglect, that we wonder why parents have 
 not long ago repented of it, in dust and ashes. Trace to 
 its origin, the reason why more of our children are not 
 in the church with us, and it is usually found in this neg- 
 lect of infant baptism, and proper baptismal instruction. 
 
 Let all Christian parents closely follow the example of 
 faithful Abraham ; let them dedicate their children to God 
 and the church, in baptism, and not give themselves so 
 much injurious perplexity as to the particular mode ; and 
 let them not forget that God holds them responsible for 
 the manner in which they educate their children, and 
 especially for the manner in which they are taught and 
 trained ill the doctrines and practice of our holy Chris- 
 tianity. 
 
 " With flowing tears and thankful hearts, 
 
 We give them up to thee ; 
 Receive them, Lord, into thine arms 
 
 Thine may they ever he. 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 Baptism not Regeneration. 
 
 1. In this Article, baptism is said to be a " sign of re- 
 generation,'' and if a sign, it is not regeneration, for that is 
 the thing signified by the s^gn. The sign, therefore, and 
 that which is signified, are two separate and distinct 
 things. Any one of these may exist without the other. 
 
 But to all of this the Romanist objects. He says, 
 " The effect of this sacrament is the remission of oil origi- 
 nal and actual guilt, also of all punishment which is owed 
 
BAPTISM NOT REGENERATION. 285 
 
 for any guilt," and, " Whosoever shall affirm that bap- 
 tism i< indifferent, that is, not necessary to salvation, let 
 him be accursed." Counc. of Trent. " Baptism is a sacra- 
 ment instituted by Christ the Lord, in which, through 
 the external ablution of the body, with the invocation of 
 the most Holy Trinity, a person is spiritually regenerated," 
 Den's Theology. 
 
 This Romish error is held by the modern sect called 
 Campbelliles. Mr. Campbell, who is I he founder of this 
 heretical sect, says, in his debate with M'Culla, that God 
 
 appointed baptism to be to every one that believed the 
 record he has given of his Son, a formal pledge, on his 
 part, of that believer's personal acquital or pardon ; so 
 significant and so expressive, that when the baptized be- 
 liever rises out of the water, is born, of water, enters the uorld 
 a second time, he enters has innocent, as clean, as unspotted 
 as an angel. His conscience is purged from guilt, his body 
 is washed with pure water, even the washing of regene- 
 ration." The above words are not to be mistaken, and or- 
 thodox Christians are not to be blamed if they vigorously 
 oppose these errors. 
 
 The passages of Sciipture that are chiefly relied upon 
 in support of this doctrine, are, Mark xvi, 16, John iii, 5, 
 and Titus iii, 5. Mark says, "He that believeth and is 
 baptized, shall be saved ; but he that believeth not, shall 
 be damned." The first part of this passage seems to 
 suppott this doctrine, but the last part fully refutes it. 
 Belief is made the instrument of salvation, and not lap- 
 tism. He that believes shall be saved. And he that be- 
 lieves not, whether baptized or not, shall be damned. 
 Now, this could not be true, if baptism were regenera- 
 tion. Faith is the instrument of regeneration, and not 
 baptism. Hence this passage proves nothing for the ad- 
 vocates of baptismal regc neralion. John says, " except 
 
286 
 
 BAPTISM NOT REGENERATION. 
 
 a man be born of water, and of (he Holy Spirit, he can- 
 not enter into the kingdom of God." The uniform teach- 
 ing of the New Testament is, that regeneration is the pe- 
 culiar work of the Holy Spirit, and this passage teaches 
 the very same doctrine. Regeneration, by this Divine 
 agent, is the great and essential qualification for the king- 
 dom of God, and baptism, with water, is the ordained 
 sign and seal of this qualification. This passage, there- 
 fore, does not teach baptismal regeneration. 
 
 Titus contains this record ; " According to his mercy, 
 he saved us by the washing of regeneration, and the re- 
 newing of the Holy Ghost." If baptism is denoted in 
 this passage by the words, "washing of regeneration," it 
 is used as the symbol of the inward work, called " the 
 renewing of the Holy Ghost." It is clear then, that this 
 passage does not teach baptismal regeneration. 
 
 2. Baptismal regeneration is not taught in the Scrip- 
 tures. Adujts are uniformly required to believe before 
 they are baptized. " He that believtth and is baptized, 
 shall be saved." Faith in Christ, therefore, and not bap- 
 tism, is the instrument of justification; Rom. v, 1, 
 " Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with 
 God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." When the Ethio- 
 pian Eunuch desired baptism, Philip replied, " If thou be- 
 lievest with all thy heart, thou mayest." 
 
 3. The Scriptures testify that baptism is not the instru- 
 ment of regeneration. 1 Pel. iii, 31, "The like figure 
 whereunto even baptism doth now save us ; not the 
 putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of 
 a good conscience toward God." This passage seems to 
 prove "that baptism doth now save us"' yet this is not the 
 teaching of the text, for it is expressly said that we are 
 not saved by "the putting away of the filth of the flesh, 
 but the ansiver of a good conscience toward God." But 
 
BAPTISM NOT REGENERATION. 
 
 287 
 
 again, 1 Cor. i, 14-17, "I thank God that I b-iptized 
 none of you but Crispus and Gaius." " For Christ sent 
 me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel." Now, if 
 the doctrine of baptismal regeneration be true, then St. 
 Paul thanked God that none of the Corinthians were re- 
 generated, but Crispus and Gaius. Only these two in 
 all the Corinthian church were regenerated, for Pai l 
 baptized no others except " the household of Stephanus." 
 He assigns two reasons for this, 1 . " Lest any should 
 say that I baptized in mine own name," verse 15. 
 2. " For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the 
 gospel," verse 17. Now, if baptism be essential to regene- 
 ration, as some men suppose, St. Paul must ha\e cared 
 but little whether the Corinthians were regenerated or not. 
 If baptism is in fact regeneration, then St. Paul thanked 
 God that he regenerated none of the Corinthians. And 
 he must have contradicted the whole purpose of his com- 
 mission to the Gentiles, for he was sent to them, Acts 
 xxvi, 18, " To open their eyes, and turn them from dark- 
 ness to light, and from the power of satan unto God, that 
 they might receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance 
 among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." 
 But this he did not do ; he was sent to preach the gospel, 
 as the great instrument of turning the Gentiles "from the 
 power of satan unto God," and faith in Ck.isl through 
 the gospel, as the means of their sanclification. Where, 
 then, is the" doctrine of baptismal regeneration ? 
 
 4. This doctrine is contradicted by observation and ex- 
 perience, as well as by the Scriptures. Persons who 
 have been baptized by regular and pious ministers, even 
 by the Apostles, have, by their lives, proved themselves 
 to be unreg* nerate. Simon Magus, though baptized, 
 ■was " in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of 
 iniquity." St. Paul, speaking of some who had made 
 
288 BAPTISM NOT REGENERATION. 
 
 shipwreck of faith, says, "Of whom is Hymenius and Alex- 
 ander, whom I have delivered unto satan, that they may 
 learn not to blaspheme." With these might be named 
 Philetus, Phygellus, and Hermogenes, together with those 
 gross and wicked transgressors in the seven churches of 
 Asia. Every succeeding age of the church has borne ample 
 testimony to this lamentable truth. Great numbers are 
 found, even now, in every Church in Christendom, who 
 prove by their daily immoralities, though some of them 
 may have been baptized twice or thrice, that they are still 
 in their sins. 
 
 Experience, too, proves that baptism is not regenera- 
 tion, though the baptism may have been performed by the 
 submersion of the whole body. How many are there, 
 who know that they came "up out of the water " as vile 
 as before " they went down into the water ?" And what 
 a rebuke is this to the advocates of baptismal regenera- 
 tion, and to those who deny the agency of the Holy 
 Ghost in the great work of regeneration ? May not the 
 church pray that this evil and dangerous error may be 
 banished from the world, and that its advocates be truly 
 converted to God ? It is faith and the Holy Ghost that 
 justifies and sanctifies the soul, and not baptism. 
 
 " P.ut the righteousness of faith 
 
 Hath taught nie better things ; — 
 Inward turn thine eyes, — it saith, 
 
 While Christ to me it brings ;— 
 Christ is ready to impart 
 
 Life to all, for life who sigh ; 
 In thy mouth, and in thy heart 
 
 The word is ever nigh." 
 
ARTICLE XVIII. 
 
 OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 "The Supper of the Lord, is not only a sign of the love that 
 Christian's ought to have among themselves, one to another, but 
 rather is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ's death ; inso- 
 much that, to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith, receive 
 the same ; the bread which we break is a partaking of the body 
 of Christ : and likewise, the cup of blessing is a partaking of the 
 blood of Chtist. 
 
 " Transubstantiation, or the change of the substance of bread 
 ?nd wine in the Supper of the Lord, cannot be proved by holy 
 writ, but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture, over- 
 ihmweth the nature of a sacrament, and hath given occasion to 
 many superstitions. 
 
 " the body of Christ is given, taken, a- d eaten in the Supper, 
 only after a Heavenly and spiritual manner. And the means, 
 when by, the body ot Christ is received and eaten in the Supper, 
 is faith. 
 
 " The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not by Christ's ordi- 
 nance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshiped." 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 Definition. 
 
 1 This institution evidently takes the place of the 
 Passover. The parallel between them is so close, and so 
 clear, that we cannot doubt the substitution of the one for 
 the other. And besides this, there is no evidence that the 
 Passover was ever celebrated by the Apostles, or early 
 Christians, after the institution of the Lord's Sapper. 
 This, of itself, is sufficient evidence that this institution 
 fakc3 the place of the Passover, and that the one answers 
 to all the important purposes of the other. The materials 
 of this sacrament were taken from the materials of the 
 Passover. After Christ had celebrated this ancient festi- 
 
290 DEFINITION OF THE LORD'S SUFPKB. 
 
 val for the last time, with his disciples, he took of the 
 bread and wine that remained, and set them apart by 
 solemn consecration, for this new, and more simple sacra- 
 mental feast. And thus, he adapted this ordinance to the 
 more simple and spiritual operations of Christianity. 
 
 But let us notice, more particularly, some of the cir- 
 cumstances that are common to both the Passover and tbt 
 Lord's Supper. 
 
 1. The Passover was appointed of God, and so was the 
 Lord's Supper. Ex. xii. 3-28, and Matt. xxvi. 27. 2. 
 The Passover was a memorial of deliverance from tempo- 
 ral bondage ; and the Lord's Supper is a memorial of de- 
 liverance from spiritual bondage. 3. The Passover pre 
 figured the death of Christ before it took place ; and the 
 Lord's Supper represents that death now past. 4. As no 
 person could partake of (he Passover before he was cir- 
 cumcised ; so, no one should come to the Lord's Supper 
 before he has received baptism. 5. As the Passover was 
 to continue until Christ came, so, the Lord's Supper is to 
 continue until Christ come the second time, "without sin 
 unto salvation." 6. The neglect of the Passover sub- 
 jected the person to be cut off from Israel ; so, the neg- 
 lect of the Lord's Supper necessarily excludes every man 
 who indulges this sin, from -the benefits of Christ's death. 
 
 2. The Lord's Supper is known by various names, each 
 indicating some important quality, or purpose of the ordi- 
 nance itself. It is called the Eucharist ; the Lord's 
 Supper ; the Communion ; the Sacrament. The term 
 Eucharist, means the giving of thanks. Luke, xxii, 17, 
 " And he took bread and gave thanks." Matt, xxvi, 27, 
 "And he took the cup and gave thanks." It is called 
 the Lord's Supper, because he instituted it the same night 
 in which he was betrayed. 1 Cor. xi, 23-25, " The Lord 
 Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took 
 
DEFINITION OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 291 
 
 brend. And when he had given thanks, lie break it, and 
 said : Take, eat, this is nay body, which is broken for you : 
 This, do ye in remembrance of me. After the same 
 manner, also, lie took the cup, when he had supped, say- 
 ing: This cup is the New Testament in my blood; This, 
 do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me." 
 And in verse 20, it is expressly called the " Lord's Sup- 
 per." It is called the communion, 1 Cor. x, 16, " The 
 cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of 
 the blood of Christ ? The bread which we break, is it 
 not the communion of the body of Christ ?" And it is 
 called the sacrament, because he, who comes to this ordi- 
 nance in a proper manner, binds himself to God by the 
 most sacred vow, to live according to the rules of Chris- 
 tian life. 
 
 3. It is a commemorative ordinance. This is clear from 
 the very nature of the institution, as a substitute for the 
 Passover. The Passover was celebrated annually for the 
 purpose of commemorating the wonderful deliverance of 
 the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt, Ex. xii, 14—27. 
 This kept them in the remembrance, not only of the his- 
 toric fact of their deliverance, but of the mercy and love 
 of God in the vouehsafement of that deliverance. The 
 Lord's Supper is celebrated " as oft as ye do it," for the 
 much higher purpose of commemorating the redemption 
 of the world from the bondage of sin, by the one offering 
 of Jesus Christ on the cross. And those who worthily 
 receive this ordinance, keep in remembrance this great 
 fact, and by so doing, they acknowledge the vicarious, 
 and propitiatory nature of Christ's death. They show 
 forth his death, not only as an event in the history of the 
 world, but as the perfect and final sacrifice for sir-, the 
 benefits of which are to be received by faith. " This do 
 vn remembrance of me," has all the force of a command, 
 
292 DEFINIT ON OF THE LORD*S SUPPER. 
 
 while it sufficiently proves the commemorative character of 
 this ordinance. That these words do refer to the death 
 of Christ, is evident from his own words. " This is my 
 body which is broken for you." "This cup is the New 
 Testament in my blood." 
 
 4. This ordinance is designed to " show the Lord's 
 death till he come." As the Passover directed the mind 
 of the Jew to Christ as the great antitype of the Pascal 
 Lamb ; so the Lord's Supper directs the mind of the 
 Christian to the great fact that Christ will come the second 
 time, " without sin unto salvation." And hence, it is that 
 believers not only publish the doctrine of Christ's sacrificial 
 death, as often as they partake of the Lord's Supper, but 
 ihey proclaim their unwavering faith in Curist, and their 
 entire confidence that he will " descend from Heaven with 
 a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the 
 trump of God." This important purpose of the Lord's 
 Supper should never be forgotten ; for no consideration can 
 famish Christians with greater consolation than this ; nor 
 ran consolation be furnished in a more impressive mannei 
 While they are at this sacramental feast, they can expe- 
 rience their right to a better inheritance, and they can 
 exclaim, " who is he that cometh?" and they can bear 
 the answer, " It is Christ." 
 
 5. The obligations to observe this Institution are pecu- 
 liarly sacred. " Do this as oft as ye shall do it, in re- 
 membrance of me," is a command of the God-man. 
 And besides this, it connects believers, by an unbroken 
 chain of witnesses — by an unbroken chain of obligation, 
 and by the sacred ties of truth, with the disciples when 
 they were at the last pascal supper with Chiist. It con- 
 nects them with the weeping spectators who looked upon 
 the cross and the suffering Redeemer. 
 
 In this ennobling Christian ordinance, we have a living 
 
THE CSE OF TIIE LORD'S SIPPER. 293 
 
 symbol transmitting the facts of its institution, an! the 
 fact of the sacrilice of Christ, from witness to witness, 
 from the Apostles to the present time. And thus it is. 
 that while the Lord's Supper is to he observed in memory 
 of Christ, and his death, and while it i< to be observed 
 as i pledge to the church, that Christ will come and take 
 her up to himself ; it is at the same time, a standing wit- 
 ness to the truth, the necessity, and the divine origin of 
 our holy Christianity. 
 
 SECTION" SECOXD. 
 The use of Oie Lord's Supper. 
 1. The covenant that God made with Abraham, that in 
 his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed, 
 •was fully ratified by the blood of Christ being shed for 
 the sins of the whole world. The blood of Christ is, 
 therefore, called by St. Paul, in Htb. xiii, 20, " The blood 
 of the everlasting covenant." Hence, the Lord's Supper 
 is a visible sign and seal upon the part of God who made 
 the covenant with Abraham, that it was established in, 
 and ratified by the sacrifice of Christ, once offered for the 
 sins of the whole world. 
 
 1. It is a sign. As such it sho-vs. 1. The love cf God 
 to the world, John, iii, 16. " God so loved the world that 
 he gave his only begotten son, that whosev«.-r belie\eth in 
 him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." 2. 
 The love of Christ, 1 Pet. iii, 18, " For Christ has also 
 suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he raisrbt 
 bring us to God.'' 3. The nature of Christ's suffering!, 
 Phil, ii, 8, He "became obedient unto death, even the 
 death of the cross." 4. The vicarious and sarr'f -ial 
 character of that death, Pom. v. G, " Iu due time Christ 
 
*94 
 
 THE USE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 died for the ungodly," and Heb. ix, 26, "But now, once in 
 the end of the world, he hath appeared to put away sin by 
 the sacrifice of himself.*' 
 
 2. It is a seal. It is a constant assurance from God, 
 that the covenant of redemption is still in full force, find 
 that it shall continue in full force to the end of the world. 
 God keeps this sign and seal before the church, and aa 
 often as believers communicate, they receive spiritual food, 
 and an increase of living faith. 
 
 " We see the blood that seals our peace ; 
 
 Thy pard'ning meicy we receive ; 
 The bread doth vicibly express, 
 
 The strength through which our spirits live." 
 
 2. But a still farther use of this ordinance is expressed 
 in this Article. " The Supper of the Lord, is not only a 
 sign of the love that Christians ought to have among them* 
 reives, one for another, but rather is a sacrament of our 
 redemption by Christ's death ; insomuch that to such as 
 lightly, worthily, and with faith, receive the same, the 
 bread which we break, is a partaking of the body uf 
 Christ ; and likewise, the cup of blessing is a partaking of 
 the blood of Christ." 
 
 1. It is a sign of Christian love. None are invited to 
 this holy feast but such as "are in love and charity with 
 their neighbors." All others are excluded, so that dis- 
 cord may be banished from all the house of God. Chris- 
 tians are represented as a family ; and at the Lord's table 
 they profess to be of one faith, and to have the same hope 
 and assurance of immortality. Hence St. Paul says, in 
 1 Cor. x, 17, "For we being many are one bread, and 
 one body ; for we are partakers of that one bread." Love 
 must be cherished by every follower of Christ. Rom. 
 xii. 10, "Be kindly affectioned one to another, with bro- 
 therly love." Eph. v, 2, " Walk in love." 1 Tims, iv, 
 
THE USE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 295 
 
 9, " For ye yourselves are taught of God to lo\ e one 
 toother." IJeb. xiii, 1, "Let brotherly love continue." 
 1 Pel. ii, 17, "Love the brotherhood;" These and other 
 passages encourage the Christian to brotherly love ; and 
 when Christians sit down together at the Lord's table, 
 they thereby give a pledge to the world, and to each 
 other, that they are in love and fellowship one with the 
 oiher. 
 
 " Then shall the world, admiring, view 
 
 The gatlier'd flock at rest, 
 And own the Son divinely true, 
 
 The saints divinely blest." 
 
 2. It " is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ's 
 death." That is, it is a pledge upon the part of God, that 
 man is redeemed by the one offering of Christ ; and it is a 
 solemn pledge upon the part of the believer to engage in 
 all the duties and obligations of a Christian life. Persons 
 may come under engagements by performing certain sig- 
 nificant actions, as well as by words, so that the Christian, 
 in partaking of the Lord's Supper, brings himself under 
 Solemn obligations to serve God all the days of his life. In 
 this solemn act, all Christians acknowledge that they are not 
 their own, but are bought with the blood of Christ. And 
 in this sacramental act, they bind themselves to glorify 
 God in their bodies and spirits which are his. 
 
 3. How this sacrament is to be received. Three qualifi- 
 cations are named in this Article, — ".Rigidly" " Wor- 
 thily," and with "Faith." 
 
 . Rightly. This refers to the proper administration of 
 this ordinance. In order to this, there must be a regu- 
 larly ordained minister, whose duty it is to consecrate, in 
 due form, the elements of bread and wine, and thereby 
 set them apart from a common to a holy use. But by 
 this it is not pretended that anyreal change is made in 
 
£96 THE USE OF THE LOKD's SUPPER. 
 
 the substance or nature of these elements. The change 
 is only relative, so that they aie not to be looked upon as 
 common bread and wine, but as the sacred symbols of 
 Christ's body and blood. Then the minister is to take 
 and break the bread, which is to represent the breaking 
 of the body of Christ under the weight of our sins. He 
 is farther, to take the cup, and jiour out the wine, which 
 is to represent the shedding of the blood of Christ. 
 Then he is to distribute these consecrated elements to the 
 communicants, saying, " Take, eat ; this is my body which 
 was broken for you. Eat ye all of it." And when he 
 shall have given the cup, re shall say, "This is my blood 
 which was shed for you. Drink ye all of it." The autho- 
 rity for all of this is the example of Christ and the record 
 of the evangelists. 
 
 2. Worthily. This refers to the qualifications of the 
 communicant. The first that we name here is Baptism. 
 That this is an indispensable qualification, may be learned 
 from the law of the Passover. No one was admitted to 
 that ordinance before he was circumcised. Ex. xii, 43, 
 " There shall no stranger cat thereof." By stranger is 
 evidently intended one who lias not been brought into the 
 visible church by circumcision. But this is made still 
 more definite by verse 48, "For no uncircumcised person 
 shall eat thereof." But on the other hand, verse 44, 
 "Every man's servant that is bought with money, when 
 thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof." 
 This settles the question of qualification for the observance 
 of the Passover. 
 
 The same law was observed by the Apostles. Acts ii, 
 41, 42, "Then they that gladly received his word were 
 baptized ; and the same day there were added unto them 
 about three thousand souls. And they continued stead- 
 fastly in the Apostle's doctrine and fellowship, and in 
 
THE USE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 297 
 
 breaking of bread, and in prayers." The preaching of 
 Peter, on the occasion named in this chapter, produced 
 the conviction that Jesus Christ, whom the Jews had cru- 
 cified, was the Saviour of sinners. And those who " were 
 pricked in their hearts" on account of their sins, were 
 baptized " in the name of Christ for the remission of 
 sins." This act excluded all those believing Jews from 
 the fellowship of the Jewish Church ; but it immediately 
 introduced them into the fellowship of the Christian 
 Church. Here, it is said, "they continued steadfastly in 
 the Apostle's doctrine," and in all die other duties of their 
 Christian profession. Among these were Christian Church 
 fellowship, and " breaking of bread," in commemoration 
 of Christ and his death upon the cross. The Christians 
 of Corinth were addressed by St. Paul as communicants, 
 and as it is everywhere assumed that Baptism is the first 
 and indispensible qualification for the Lord's Supper, we 
 have good reason to believe that no others are qualified. 
 
 The nature of these two ordinances teaches most clearly 
 that Baptism must necessarily precede the Lord's Supper. 
 In the first, the believer avows himself a disciple of Christ, 
 and by Baptism he enters through the ordained and only 
 proper door into the visible church. The second is the 
 ordained church feast, by which believers are strengthened 
 in their faith, and by which there is a direct expression 
 of love to Christ, and a public renewal of membership in 
 the family of God on earth. And thus is exhibited the 
 natural relation there is between the one and the other ; — 
 Baptism involves an engagement to be the Lord's ; and 
 Christians, in partaking of the Lord's Supper, renew that 
 engagement. 
 
 The second qualification that we name here, respects 
 the monl character of communicants. It is universally 
 agreed, that all who are truly regenerated have the requi- 
 
2.98 THE USE OF THE LORD*S SUPPER. 
 
 site qualification for, and are entitled to, the benefits of 
 the Lord's Supper. 
 
 But there is another interesting class of persons found 
 in almost every branch of the church, that may be called 
 penitent believers. What shall the church do with these? 
 They are earnestly seeking redemption, and we hesitate 
 not to avow, that these are entitled to a place at the holy 
 communion. They are brought within the care of the 
 church by their baptism ; they are recognized as members 
 of the visible church, believing all her doctrines, and liv- 
 ing in conformity to the rules and laws of the visible 
 church, while they profess to be earnestly groaning for 
 redemption from sin, with a strong persuasion that their 
 prayers and faith will be owned and blessed in their re- 
 generaion. What, I say, is the church to do with such 
 persons ? The commanding probability that they are 
 genuine penitents, and that the Lord's Supper may be the 
 means of their regeneration, ought to be the rule in this 
 case. And besides this, there can be no difference be- 
 tween the original penitent, and the penitent backslider 
 who communes on every suitable occasion. If the one is 
 excluded, so must the other, for the one is as much a sin- 
 ner as the other. As unregenerate persons are not ex- 
 cluded from Baptism, and hearing the word of God 
 preached, neither should they be from partaking of the 
 sacrament, for one and all of these are ordained means of 
 grace, whereby we may be edified and comforted in the 
 Christian life. No church, therefore, has a right to exclude 
 from the Lord's table any who make a credible profession 
 of their faith, for God only is the judge of the heart, 
 while men can only act according to outward conduct and 
 appearances. 
 
 Meanwhile, I am fully aware that various sects of the 
 Calvinistic school object to such views as are stated in the 
 
THE USE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 299 
 
 foregoing paragraph. But why should they ? If it is 
 true, as they affirm, that regeneration precedes awaken- 
 ing, penitence, and justification, then we maintain that we 
 are still correct, for our penitents, according to that theory, 
 are regenerated. There is evidently, therefore, a want 
 of agreement between the theory and practice of Calvin- 
 ism. But if the standard consists in the experience of ''a 
 hope," as it is called, still we are correct, for all our peni- 
 tents express a hope of pardon, and of heaven itself. 
 Then again, if the standard consists in feeling oneself to be 
 a great sinner, as is often taken for a bright evidence of 
 piety, we are still correct, for all our penitent seekers feel 
 that they are great sinners. 
 
 But after all that has been said, on what seems to be 
 the difference between Calvinists and Armenians upon 
 this subject, there is at last but little difference. The dif- 
 ference consists more, perhaps, in the meaning attached 
 to 'lie words, than in the main fact, when properly un- 
 derstood. 
 
 But to examine the qualifications of communicants still 
 farther, we must examine the Scripture law upon the sub- 
 ject. The Jews were obliged to come to the feast cf the 
 Passover, free from all defilement, unless in the case of 
 burying the dead, as in Numb, ix, 6-9. They were care- 
 ful to search their houses, in the most diligent manner, 
 for the old leaven, sweeping every part most carefully. In 
 like manner, Christians are to "keep the feast, i:ot with 
 old leaven, neither the leaven of malice and wickedness ; 
 hut with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." 
 1 Cor. v. 8. They are, therefore, to "purge out the old 
 leaven," that they may be pure, and in a pro[er moral 
 state for the blessings of profitable Christian communica- 
 tion. With what great propriety, then, does our church 
 extend the following invitation ? "Ye that do truly and 
 
300 TIIE USE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 earnestly repent of your sins, and are in love and charity 
 ■with your neighbors, and intend to lead a new life, fol- 
 lowing the commandments of God, and walking from 
 henceforth in his holy ways, draw near with faith, and 
 take this holy sacrament to your comfort, and making 
 your l.umble confession to Almighty God, meekly kneeling 
 on your knees." Coming to the Lord's table with these 
 qualifications, and qualities of mind and dispositions of 
 heart, the true believer and earnest seeker of salvation, 
 may feed upon Christ to the great comfort of the soul. 
 He is drawn into closer personal union with Christ. " This 
 is my body, which is given for you," and " This cup is the 
 New Testament in my blood," are words that show how 
 intimately and closely the believer is joined to Christ, 
 when he eats the one and drinks the other, in the true 
 spirit and faith of a sacramental ordinance. Every one 
 ma}' truly say — 
 
 "We come, obedient to thy word, 
 
 To feast on heavenly lood ; 
 Our meat, the body of our Lord ; 
 
 Our drink, his precious blood." 
 
 i. But the benefits of the Lord's Supper are more 
 clearly and distinctly stated in the concluding part of this 
 Article. "The bread which we break is a partaking of 
 the body of Christ, and likewise the cup of blessing is a 
 partaking of the blood of Christ." Thus we see the adap- 
 tation of Christ to the wants of his people. He gives the 
 emblems of his broken body and shed blood as the means 
 of spiritual strength ; and his people receive these " after 
 a heavenly and spiritual manner," and are made strong. 
 Thus as eating and drinking gives strength to the body, 
 so eating and drinking the Lord's Supper, by faith in 
 Christ, gives strength to the soul. 
 
THE USE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. SOI 
 
 0 what a taste is this 
 
 Which now in Christ we know, 
 An earnest of our glorious bliss, 
 
 Our heaven begun below!" 
 
 It is obvious from the nature and ends of this holy or- 
 dinance, as well as from what has been said above, that 
 the wicked and the ungodly, who are in no sense trying 
 io serve God, are unworthy of a place at the Lord's table. 
 They may receive, it is true, the outward elements, but 
 they do not receive that which is signified by them. They 
 cannot come to this table without exposing themselves to 
 the displeasure of God, for the Bible declares plainly, that 
 " Whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of 
 the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood 
 of Christ." Such profane persons " eat and drink damna- 
 tion to themselves, not discerning the Lord's body." So 
 well was the table of the Lord defended from the approach 
 of the wicked by the Apostles, and especially by St. Paul, 
 that many of the Fathers did but little else than read the 
 apostolic epistles, as rules of preparation for this holy ser- 
 vice. Oriyin says, " Christ is the true food ; whosoever 
 eats him, shall live forever ; of whom no wicked person 
 can eat ; for if it were possible that any who continues 
 wicked should cat the Word that was made flesh, it had 
 never been written, 'Whoso eats this bread shall live for- 
 ever.' " Cam. on Malt., c. 15. 
 
 With such guards as the Scriptures throw around the 
 holy communion, and with the care that the church has 
 always taken of this ordinance, we cannot well be mista- 
 ken as to what is our duty. How carefully ought every 
 member of the church to examine himself, lest he "cru- 
 cify the Lord afresh, and put him to an open shame ;" 
 and lest, while he is in the church, he may not be pre- 
 paring (or perdition. Great care is needed at this very 
 
302 THE USE OF THE LORD'S SUPrER. 
 
 point, aDd every professed Christian should so live (hat 
 the holy sacrament may he to him life and joy in the 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 The Lord's Supper cannot be neglected by the church 
 member without great danger. Neglect of the Passover 
 subjected the ncglector to be cut off from Israel. Nztmb. 
 ix, 13, " But the man that is clean, and is not on a jour- 
 ney, and forbeareth to keep the Passover, even that soul 
 shall be cut off from among his people ; because he brought 
 not the offering of the Lord in his appointed season, that 
 man shall bear his sins." And so with that man who 
 neglects the Lord's Supper. In the very nature of his 
 neglect, he must exclude himself from the benefits of 
 Christ's passion and death. He cuts himself off from 
 God's people. Hence it is said by St. Augustine, " He 
 that does not abide in Christ, and in whom Christ do-.s not 
 abide, certainly does not spiritually eat his flesh, nor drink 
 his blood, though he may visibly and carnally presa wi'h 
 his teeth the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ." 
 
 This quotation suggests the duty of due preparation for 
 the worthy partaking of the Lord's Supper. Such prepa- 
 ration was made before the Passover, and those who 
 neglected it were cut off. This fact is slated in Ex. xii, 
 15. It is equally the duty of true believers, who expect 
 to communicate, to "keep the feast, not with old leaven, 
 neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but 
 with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." 1 
 Cor. v, 8. And verse 7, "Purge out, therefore, the old 
 leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unlea- 
 vened ; for even Christ our passoTer is crucified f> r us." 
 This duty may be more fully learned from several of the 
 apostolic Epistles. 
 
 " Let all who truly bear 
 
 The bleeding Saviour's name, 
 
THE USE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 303 
 
 Their faithful hearts with us prepare, 
 And eat the Pascal Lamb." 
 
 5. The last thing named in this Article, is the manner 
 in which the Lord's Supper is to be used. " The body 
 of Chi ist is given " by a regularly ordained minister, and 
 "taken" by the communicant himself, "and eaten," 
 "only after a heavenly and spiritual manner." "And 
 the means whereby the body of Christ is received and 
 eaten in the Supper, is faith." The communicant sees 
 Christ's death symbolized in the broken bread, and the 
 poured out wine. He is reminded by these, that Christ 
 died to atone for the sins of mankind, and while he eats 
 and drinks the outward and visible elements of the sacra- 
 ment, lie inwardly, and "after a heavenly and spiritual 
 manner," feeds upon Christ by faith, and receives Uip 
 benefits of his sacrificial death. 
 
 "A faith that doth the mountains move, 
 A faith that shows our sins forgiven, 
 
 A faith that sweetly works by love. 
 And ascertains our claims to heaven." 
 
 This faith is not in the minister, nor in any one, or all 
 of the members of the church, as acting for any individual 
 beyond themselves ; but it is in one and every worthy re- 
 ceiver of the Lord's Supper, as acting for themselves. 
 Their faith has but an individual and personal application. 
 "With all persuasion," therefore, "let us partake of it 
 as of the body and blood of Christ, for under the type of 
 bread his body is given to thee, and under the type of 
 wine his blood is given to thee ; that partaking of the body 
 and blood of Christ, thou mayest be of one body and- 
 blood with him." Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, A. D. 41 5, 
 
S04 
 
 TRANS CBSTANTIATION AN ERROR. 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 
 Transubstantiation a Romish Error. 
 1. This part of our Article affirms that " the change of 
 the substance of the bread and wine in the Supper of the 
 Lord, cannot be proved by Holy Writ, but is repugnant 
 to the plain words of Scripture, overthroweth the nature 
 of a sacrament, and hath given occasion to many super- 
 stitions." 
 
 The error here condemned consists, in the language of 
 Romanists, in the transmutation of the bread and wine in 
 the Lord's Supper, into the soul, body and divinity of 
 Jesus Christ. The whole substance of the elements is, as 
 tliis fatal absurdity teaches, changed into the true, real, 
 numerical, and integral God and man. Nothing of the 
 bread and wine remains after consecration. All, except 
 what they call the accidents, is transformed into the irue 
 Christ, in his godhead, with all his perfections; and in 
 his manhood, with all its compound parts, as soul, body, 
 bones, flesh, nerves, muscles and veins. The whole God 
 and man, therefore, is entire, as they are comprehended in 
 every crumb of the bread, and in every drop of the wine, 
 — entire in every particle of each element. And of course 
 he is without division in the countless hosts that are ex- 
 hibited throughout Romanism. The same substance may, 
 at the same time, be in many places. True, therefore, as 
 Faber says, "Transubstantiation is the greatest miracle of 
 Omnipotence." If there is such a thing, it surely is. 
 The substance of the bread and wine is transformed into 
 flesh and blood, while the color, taste, touch and smell of 
 both remain the same. These are the accidents of these 
 elements. It follows, of course, that taste and smell con- 
 tinue witho.it anything to taste or smell ; and color re- 
 mains without anything to which it belongs, and is there- 
 
TRANSUBSTANTI Al ION AX ERROR. 305 
 
 fore the external show of nothing- ; and what is usually 
 called quantity, is only the hollow show of nothing- but 
 emptiness. But still these api>caiances can be eaten, and 
 afford sustenance to the body. 
 
 But to state this wonderful doctrine in the language of 
 Romanists themselves, I will record an extract from the 
 "Catechism for the use of all the churches in France," 
 published in 1806, and sanctioned by the Archbishop of 
 Paris. . The answer to the question, "What is the sacra- 
 ment of the eucharist?" is as follows : 
 
 "The eucharist is a sacrament which contains really and 
 substantially, the body, blood, soul and divinity of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, under the forms or appearances of bread and 
 wine." That which is laid on the altar at first is bread 
 and wine, " and it continues to be bread and wine, till the 
 priest pronounces the words of consecration," then "the 
 bread is changed into the body, and the wine is changed into 
 the blood of our Lord," and " nothing of them remains, 
 except the forms." 
 
 This error is* founded, for the sake of a show of 
 Scripture proof, on the literal construction of the words, 
 " This is my body," and " this is my blood." Hence 
 Romanists virtually deny that the matter of the Lord's 
 Supper is bread and wine. These are so changed by the 
 •words of consecration, that nothing of them remains, and 
 in their place is the actual body, blood, soul, and divinity 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus it is, that they "over- 
 throw the nature of a sacrament," and, consequently, 
 have no sacrament of the Lord's Supper in their church. 
 
 2. This doctrine cannot be proved by holy writ," and 
 is, therefore, unworthy of credit. It not only cannot bo 
 proved by one single passage ; but it cannot be proved by 
 any reasonable construction of any chapter, verse, sen- 
 tence, or figure of speech in the whole word of Revela- 
 
 13* 
 
306 
 
 TRANSUBSTANTIATION AN ERROR. 
 
 tion. Iii place of being true according to the Bible, "it 
 is repugnant to the plain words of J-cripture." When 
 the Lord's Supper was instituted, it was before Christ's 
 death ; while he was yet living in the perfect and undi- 
 vided form of a man. He took bread, and said, " This \s 
 my -body." He took the cup, and said, "This is my 
 blood." Now, if Romanists are correct in their views of 
 this transaction, then the disciples eat of the body of 
 Christ before he was crucified ; while he was yet present 
 with them ; and they drank of his blood before it was 
 shed. But before Christ gave the bread to the twelve 
 Apostles, he " brake it," thus signifying his death ; and 
 before he gave them the wine, he poured it out, thus sig- 
 nifying the shedding of his blood. But after this trans- 
 action, Christ was still living in an unbroke.i and undi- 
 vided form ; therefore, the Apostles did not eat his flesh, 
 or any part of "it, nor did they drink his blood ; but only 
 the broken bread, and poured out wine, which signified 
 the broken body and shed blood of their Lord and 
 Saviour. 
 
 But if Papists will claim the literal meaning of the 
 words of our Lord, let us try them by the literal meaning 
 of Luke xxii, 20, " Likewise, also, the cup after supper, 
 saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood, 
 which is shed for you." Not that which was in the cup, 
 but the cup itself ; and this cup was not the cup, but the 
 New Testament, and this New Testament was the cup, 
 and this cup was in the blood of Christ. They deny 
 figurative language, when speaking of the bread, and they 
 must not use such language, when speaking of the wine. 
 Here is the cup, but it is not the cup, for it is the New 
 Testament. Now, how can this be, unless the cup was 
 changed from a gold or silver cup into the New Testa- 
 ment or will ? But then, this cup which was changed 
 
TRANS CBSTAXTIATION AN EHROR. 
 
 307 
 
 into the New Testament, or last will of Christ, was in his 
 blood. The cup, therefore, according to the logic of Ro- 
 manists, was in the blood, and not the blood in the cup. 
 But the text says, " in my blood which is shed for you;" 
 but Christ bad not yet shed his blood, or any part of it ; 
 therefore, we are to understand something else, than the 
 real blood of Christ. The common sense teaching of the 
 text is, that the wine which was in the cup only repre- 
 sented the blood of Christ. The language used by the 
 Saviour in this whole ceremony, was manifestly used in a 
 figurative sense, and must have been so understood by 
 the Apostles to whom it was immediately addressed. 
 Such figurative forms of language occur often in the Holy 
 Scriptures ; as, " I am the vine," " I am the way," " I 
 am the door." Now, no one will suppose, or dare to 
 teach, that Christ is literally a vine, a way, or a door. 
 But if Papists must have the literal construction of the 
 language used in the institution of the Lord's Supper, 
 they are compelled, by their own claims, to regard Christ 
 as a literal vine, a literal door, and a literal way. But, 
 to see the absurdity of this rule of interpretation, we will 
 take some other illustrations, as Gen. xli, 26, 27, " The 
 seven good kine are seven years ; and the seven good 
 ears are seven years ; the dream is one. And the seven 
 thin and ill-favored kine that came up after them are 
 seven years ; and the seven empty ears blasted with the 
 east wind shall be seven years of famine." Now, if Pa- 
 pists would be consistent with themselves, they must be- 
 lieve and confess, that seven fat cows, and "seven good 
 cars " of corn, are changed by some singular power of 
 transubstantiation, into seven years of three hundred an 1 
 sixty five days each. And tiie same rule must equally 
 apply to poor cows, and the seven empty 7 ears of corn. 
 If this be correct, then Papists have a wonderful facility 
 
308 
 
 TRANSUBSTANTIATION AN ERROR. 
 
 for making years out of cows and coin. But it is their 
 misfortune, that as soon as they come to the Bible, they 
 are confounded, and this is the reason why they hate the 
 pure word of God. The exposition of the dream of Jo- 
 seph in the above verses, is contained in verses 29 and '30, 
 "The seven good kine " "and the seven good ears," re- 
 presented " seven years of great plenty throughout all the 
 hind of Egypt." And on the other hand, the " thin ill- 
 favored kine " and " empty ears of corn," represented 
 " seven years of famine." 
 
 But again, when St. Paul speaks of the rock which 
 Moses smote in the wilderness, he says, in 1 Cor. x, 4, 
 " That rock was Christ." Now, if the interpretation of 
 Romanists is applied to this passage, it must be con- 
 founded by its own absurdity. Thus, we see, that transub- 
 stantiation "cannot be proved by holy writ." It is alike 
 contrary to reason and the senses. Reason tells us, that 
 the body cf Christ cannot be in heaven, and in thousands 
 of places on earth, at the same time ; and our senses tell us, 
 that the bread and wine are precisely the same after con- 
 secration as before. 
 
 3. Transubstantiation "overthroweth the nature of a 
 sacrament." We have seen in the Notes on another part 
 of this Article, that two things are necessary to the sac- 
 rament of the Lord's Supper ; a sign, and a thing signified 
 by that sign ; an object presented to the senses which is 
 called the matter of the sacrament, and some promised 
 blessing, which is represented and sealed by this matter or 
 sign. But transubstantiation destroys the outward and 
 visible sign, and puts the thing signified in its place. And 
 hence follows this absurdity ; the matter and sacramental 
 sign is converted into the real body and blood of Christ, 
 therefore, Christ's veritable body is the sacramental sign 
 of his body. From this obvious conclusion, it follows, 
 
TRANS INSTANTIATION ORIGIN OF OTHER ERRORS. 309 
 
 that there is no sacrament of the Lord's Supper by signs 
 and symbols, in the Romish church. And it follows stiil 
 further, that, if transubstantiaiii n is true, Christ is put to 
 death to all intents and purposes, every time the eucharist 
 is celebrated. This absurd doctrine, not only clearly 
 overthrows the nature of a sacrament, and deprives the 
 Romish people of anything like the true sacrament, but it 
 plainly contradicts the Scriptures, Heb. x, 12. Here it is 
 caid, that Christ, " after he had offered one sacrifice for 
 bins, forever sat dow n on the right hand of God." 
 
 liu: we may see the absurdity and blasphemy of this 
 ('oc'.rine, if we consiJer still further, the language of the 
 French catechism. " I' continues to be bread and uine, 
 till the pnest pronounces the words of consecration." 
 Then " the bread is (hanged into the body, and the wine 
 into the blood of our Lord." What else does this teach, 
 than a Romish priest creating out of bread and wine, the 
 body and blood of Christ ? 
 
 But it is enough to say, that this masterpiece of Romish 
 •frror was introduced, for the first time it was ever heard 
 of, in the ninth century; and that not till A. D. 1215, 
 did it become publicly known as an article of faith. 
 Then it was decreed by Romish bishops to be a doctrine 
 of the Scriptures by the third Latern Council. 
 
 SECTION FOURTH. 
 Transulisiantiation the Origin of other Errors 
 I. It "hath given occasion to many superstitions." 
 Some of these are named in the last paragraph of this 
 Article. " The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not 
 by Christ's ordinance, reserved, carried about, lifted up, or 
 uors/uped." 
 
310 TRANSUBSTANTI ATION ORIGIN OF OTHER ERRORS. 
 
 first. Reserving the consecrated elements. Conceiving 
 that the bread and wine were changed into the real body 
 and blood of Christ, Papists reserve parts of the holy 
 wafers for the purpose of giving them to the sick, or other 
 persons at. a distance, at some future time. Now, what- 
 ever may have been the practice of the primitive church, 
 when regularly ordained ministers were scarce, and when 
 Christians were very much scattered by persecution, and 
 other causes, is not the question. The true question is, 
 Is there any proof of this in the Scriptures ? There is 
 not the least shadow of proof of this custom in any part 
 of the Bible ; it is purely of modern Romish origin. If 
 there are sick persons, or others, who cannot come to the 
 place of communion, why not go to them and consecrate the 
 elements for the sacrament in their presence ? This of 
 itself would be a means of quickening their faith, and of 
 giving them a better preparation of heart for the ordi- 
 nance itself. It would, likewise, show a much closer ad- 
 herence to the example of Christ, and the presciibed 
 form of consecration. But with Papists, the example of 
 Christ counts but little, when compared with the exam- 
 ples and decrees of their infallible popes, and their infal- 
 lible councils. The origin of this error is transubstantia- 
 tion, as it is the origin of many other errors. 
 
 Second. Currying the elements about is another Romish 
 practice, which has grown out of the same common root. 
 Among Papists, the consecrated wafer — for that is the sum 
 and substance of Christ, containing his soul, blood, and 
 divinity — is carried in solemn procession to the sick. This 
 can be no part of the ceremony of the Lord's Supper, for 
 it is not taught in the Scriptures, neither has it any coun- 
 tenance in the practice of the Apostles or primitive Chris- 
 tians. It is, as its very nature indicates, purely of Ro- 
 mish origin. 
 
TRANS INSTANTIATION ORIGIN OF OTHER ERRORS. 311 
 
 Third. And for the tiffing up of tlie elements of the 
 Lord's Supper, there is not a word of authority in the 
 whole Bible. This, too, is one of the inventions of Home. 
 When the priest is supposed to have destroyed the bread 
 and the wine, by changing into the real body and blood 
 of Christ, contained in one small wafer, lie adores it as 
 God, with bended knee, and rising, he lilts it up, that it 
 may be seen and adored by the people also. This is 
 technically called the elevation of the host. This wafer is 
 nothing more than a thin piece of bread, and yet it is said 
 in the French catechism, to be "really and substantially, 
 the body, blood, soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ." 
 
 Fourth. This Article continues its cutting off process, 
 so as to restore the Lord's Supper to its original simpli- 
 city, and to the rules of its original administration. 
 Hence, it teaches us in the fourth particular, that the ele- 
 ments of the Lord's Supper were not de-signed to be wor- 
 shipped. In the Romish catechism from which I have 
 already quoted, is this question and answer : " Must we 
 worship the body and blood of Christ Jesus in the eu.harist /" 
 " Yes, undoubted It/." Then comes the reason, " for this 
 body and this blood are inseparably united to his divinity." 
 And the following is the language of the Council of 
 Trent: "There is, therefore, no room to doubt, but that 
 the faithful of Christ should adore his most holy sacrament 
 with the highest worship due to the true God, according to 
 the usage of the Catholic Church." I shudder as I 
 write, at the clear and bold idolatrous blasphemy ol the 
 above passage. The practice of worshiping the host, is 
 not occasional, as we learn from other sources, but is the 
 constant practice of the Uomish Church, as often as the 
 host is elevated, which may be every Sabbath day. 
 
 Not contented with this regular idolatry, Pope Urban 
 
312 TRANSUBSTAXTIATION ORIGIN OF OTHER ERRORS. 
 
 the Fourth, instituted a festival, in A. D . 1 264, called 
 Corpus Christi, to be observed annually in honor of the 
 holy sacrament. This festival is held on the first Thurs- 
 day after Trinity Sunday. 
 
 It owes its origin, as Papists say, to a pious nun, whose 
 name was Juliana, and who lived in Liege, in 1230. 
 She professed to have found a gap in the orb of the full 
 moon, which greatly troubled her pious soul. While she 
 was meditating on this strange phenomenon, she had a 
 revelation from heaven, which disclosed to her troubled 
 mind the fact, that the moon represented the Romish 
 Church, and the gap in its orb, the want of a festival in 
 honor of the real body of Christ in the consecrated host. 
 The same revelation requried her to begin the celebration 
 of this festival, and to announce it to the world as an es- 
 sential institution of the church. In order to confirm this 
 revelation, a notable miracle was wrought in Bolsena. 
 
 The miracle was as follows : While a priest was conse- 
 crating the host, drops of blood fell on his surplice, and 
 when he attempted to conceal them in the folds of this 
 garment, they formed bloody images of the host. This 
 bloody surplice, with the images of the host upon it, is 
 still shown as a precious relic at Civita Vecchia. 
 
 This festival being regarded as one of the greatest in 
 the Romish church* is celebrated with splendid proces- 
 sions, with flags and crosses, and lighted candles, with 
 solemn music, with a gorgeous canopy sustained by four 
 laymen, under which the priests carry a precious- box con- 
 taining the consecrated host. The people follow with 
 great solemnity, dripping to their knees on the ground 
 every time the host is laid on the numerous altars erected 
 at various places on the corners of the streets. 
 
 In Spain, this festival is a general holiday, in which 
 bull lights, dancing, and various games are common. Id 
 
TRAXSUBSTANTIATION —ORIGIN OF OTHER ER".OR8. 313 
 
 Sicily, passages from Scripture history are theatrically ex- 
 hibited in the public streets for the amusement of the 
 crowd, while the people indulge in the greatest excitement, 
 and revel in the gratification of the basest passions of 
 their nature ; and this, too, under the sanction of a 
 license from the Pope, and in connection with what they 
 call a religious festival. And this festival is observed 
 with great pomp in the large cities of Protestant America, 
 though not in connection with bull-fights and public mas- 
 querades, as in Papal countries, Otempora! 0 mates! 
 But for the shocking blasphemy of transubstantiation, the 
 festival of Corpus Christl would never have disgraced 
 human reason. 
 
 Now, in view of these, and many other proofs that 
 might be brought from their own books, and from their 
 own public teaching and practice, how can Papists, or how 
 dare they attempt to resist or deny the charge of the 
 most gross and blasphemous idolatry ? This they dare 
 not do, and, as Bishop Burnett has said, " many writers of 
 the Church of Rome have acknowledged, that if transub- 
 stantiation is not true, their worship is a strain of idolatry 
 beyond any that is practiced among the most depraved of 
 ail nations of heathens." 
 
 But they run the risk of being idolatrous from theii 
 own words, on the subject c f consecrating the bread and 
 wine lor the Lord's Supper. For due and proper tran- 
 substantiation, three principle things are necessary : " That 
 I he words of consecration be properly spoken ; that he 
 who speaks them be a lawful priest ; that the priest spe:ik 
 the words with the intehtion of making the body of Christ." 
 These three things embrace a catalogue of such inde- 
 finable contingencies, that no Papist, however faithful, 
 has power to know or determine. It is impossible to tell, 
 whether the priest is a successor of Joan, the female pope, 
 
314 TRANSUBSTANTIATIOX ORIGIN OF OTHER ERRORS. 
 
 or of Gregory the Great ; nor can he tell what the inten- 
 tion of the priest is ; w hether il is to make the real bodj, 
 blood, soul and divinity of Christ, or something else ; and 
 certainly, he cannot determine, by the use of his senses, 
 whether there is any change in the bread, or not, and 
 therefore, he is in constant danger of worshiping a thing 
 that is not God. 
 
 What disastrous consequences result from this capital 
 and damning error ! Why is it, that enlightened Papists 
 do not see their error, and flee from it, as from any other 
 evil forbidden in God's word ? And why is it, that en- 
 lightened Protestant Europe and America, are not doing- 
 much more than they are, to bring Papists to the simpli- 
 city of gospel ordinances, and to the knowledge of the 
 truth as it is in Christ? 
 
 2. From the above brief exposition of the Romish doc- 
 trine of the sacrament, and of some of the errors that 
 immediately grow out of this doctrine, it is evident that 
 the Lord's Supper is not received, or administered among 
 Papists. Their Popes and Councils have added to and 
 suhstracted from, the original words and form of adminis- 
 tering this sacrament, and so mutilated and destorted this 
 simple institution, that a common reader of the New 
 Testament, and a worshiper in a Protestant Church, 
 cannot tell, if he visits a Romish Cathedral when the 
 sacrament is being administered, What the priest is doing. 
 He sees the burning candles, the genuflections of the 
 priest and people ; he hears the muttering of words in an 
 unknown tongue, and the occasional ringing of a small 
 bell, but as to the meaning of all this, he is perfectly ig- 
 norant. And if he asks what part of worship that is, he 
 may be told it is the " sacrifice of the mass ;" and, in all 
 probability, if he asks what that is, he can get no definite 
 answer. So little are Papists accustomed to hear things 
 
TRANSUBSTANTIATION ORIGIN OF OTHER ERRORS. 315 
 
 called by their Scripture names, and so much accustomed 
 are they to the substitution of error for truth, that many of 
 them know no difference. Romanists have changed and cor- 
 rupted the simple word of God and his ordinances, and 
 then changed the worship to suit it. And in all these 
 changes ami corruptions, the effort has been to remove, as 
 far as possible from their people, all true and correct no- 
 tions of the true worship of God ; and to substitute in 
 his place, as objects of adoration, the host, images, and 
 saints. 
 
 Now, if we go to the Bible, and read all that is there 
 written concerning the Lord's Supper, we will not find 
 one word from which it can be inferred, that the Apostles 
 worshiped, or in any way gave divine honors to the con- 
 secrated bread and wine, or required others to do so. 
 They never carried them about to the sick or dying ; they 
 never carried them about on a holy day in solemn pro- 
 cession, calling upon all that passed to kneel before the 
 host, or they would be cast into prison, or into the crush- 
 ing jaws of the inquisition. Nor do we find any such 
 thing among primitive Christians, simply because they 
 knew nothing of transubstantiation. 
 
 But enough has been said to show the true Protestant, 
 and, above all, the Scripture character of our Article. 
 Meantime I have tried to defend one of the distinguishing 
 institutions of our holy religion against the blasphemous 
 attacks of Papal Rome ; and to present it in all simplicity 
 to the careful consideration of all who love the truth. If 
 any thing I have written, will in any degree enable the 
 Christian to partake of the Lord's Supper with more en- 
 lightened faith, and assist him in determining the true im- 
 port of this sacrament, my object is gained. And if any 
 thing I have written shall tend to expose the damning 
 errors of transubstantiation, and the corrupting influence 
 
31G TRANS VBSTANTIATIOX ORIGIN OF OTHER ERRORS. 
 
 of Romanism, I shall consider myself honorably enrolled 
 with the Protestant world, in " contending for the faitb 
 once delivered to the saints." 
 
 And when these failing lips grow dumb, 
 And mind and meru'ry flee, 
 When thou shalt in thy kingdom come, 
 Jesus, remember me." 
 
ARTICLE XIX. 
 
 OF BOTH KINDS. 
 
 " The cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the lay people ; 
 for, both parts of the Lord's Supper, by Christ's ordinance and 
 commandment, ought to be administered to all Christians alike." 
 
 1. The Romish error against which this Article is di- 
 rected, grows directly out of the greater error, transub- 
 stantiation. Like that, it is in direct opposition to Christ, 
 and the plain language of the Gospels and the Epistles. 
 And, though very strange, Papists admit this, but still 
 they cling to the error, and boldly affirm that the Church 
 has power to set aside even a commandment of Chiist, 
 and to establish such laws and usages, as n ay better suit 
 their evil purposes. Rome says, through the Council of 
 Constance, A. D. 1414, " Christ did institute the Sacra- 
 ment in both hinds, and the faithful in the primitive chunk 
 did receive in Loth kinds ; yet a practice being reasonably 
 brought in to avoid some dangers and scandals, they ap- 
 point the custom to continue, of consecrating in both 
 kinds, and of giving to the laity only in one kind ; since 
 Christ was entire and truly under each kind." Here it is 
 admitted, that " Christ did institute the sacrament in 
 both kinds,'' and that primitive Christians " did receive 
 in both kinds ;" yet, in the face of these well known and 
 Scripture facts, the Romish Church has decreed to give 
 " the laity only in one kind/' And, instead of laving 
 aside this admitted error as time advanced, they only be - 
 come more determined to sustain it. Hence the Council of 
 at? 
 
318 OF BOTH KINDS. 
 
 Trent, in A. D. 1562, made the following law, winch 
 again contradicts what they admit as fact; "Although, 
 from the beginning of the Christian religion, the use of 
 both kinds in the administration of ^he sacrament of the 
 eucharist has been common, yet, in process of time, that 
 custom being- widely changed, the church, for weighty 
 and just causes, approve this custom <>f communicating 
 tinder one kind only, and have made it a law, which, to con- 
 ,demn or change, without her authority, is unlawful." 
 Then follows, as a matter of course, the curse: "If any 
 man shall say, that all Christians ought, by God's com- 
 mand, for the sake of salvation, to receive the most holy 
 sacrament of the eucharist in both kinds, let him be 
 accursed." 
 
 These decrees contain some strange contradictions, 
 though put forth by a supposed infallible church, in her 
 infallible councils. The first is, that the authority of the 
 church is greater than the authority of Christ ; and, there- 
 fore, has the power to set aside the commandments of God. 
 The second is, that, though God has commanded his people 
 to receive both the bread and the wine in the Lord's 
 Supper, yet, if any man says, that he ought to obey God 
 in this respect rather than the church, " let him be 
 accursed." What is this, but the work of "the son of 
 perdition, who oppose th and exalleth himself above all 
 that is called God, or that is worshiped ; so that he, as 
 God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that 
 he is God ?" 2 Thess. ii, 3, 4. 
 
 2. As before stated, this error arose out of that prince 
 of errors, transubstantiation ; Papists teaching that the 
 bread and wine are actually changed, by the priests, into 
 the very body and blood of Christ. They therefore teach, 
 that Christ is whole and entire, i:i either t! e bread or the 
 wine, so that whichever part the communicant may re- 
 
OF BOTH KINDS. 319 
 
 ceive, he therein receives the body, blood, soul and 
 divinity of Christ. To all and every part of this pre- 
 sumptuous error and monster of iniquity, our Article 
 stands directly opposed. It affirms that " the cup of our 
 Lord is not to be denied to the lay people;" it assigns 
 this important reason : " For both the parts of the Lord's 
 Supper, by Christ's ordinance and commandment, ought 
 to be administered to all Christians alike." Hence this 
 Article assumes the Scripture doctrine, in contradiction to 
 Romanists, that the authority of Christ is superior to the 
 authority of the church. This makes the church subordi- 
 nate to Christ, and vindicates the fact thereby, that his 
 commandments are the rules of church practice, and not 
 the rules and laws ordained by herself. But let us exa- 
 mine the commandment of Christ, and see what is the 
 fact in this case. First, " Jesus took bread, and blessed 
 it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, 
 Take, eat ; this is my body." So much for the authority 
 and commandment of Christ in the bread. Second, 
 "And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to' 
 them, saying, Drink ye all of it." Matt, xxvi, 26, 27. 
 Now, Christ did not say, drink ye all the wine in the cup, 
 as is the practice of the Romish priest; but drink ye all — 
 every one that is here present, drink of it. It is for each 
 and every one of you. Then the reason for drinking of 
 the wine in the cup, is given in verse 28, " For this is my 
 blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for 
 the remission of sins." By this we are taught, how es- 
 sential the cup is to the complete communion. It points 
 to the blood of Christ as the very essence of the institu- 
 tion, and as the symbol of the blood of atonement. It 
 was necessary that each person then present, should havi. 
 a particular and personal application of the blood of atone- 
 mert, aid therefore Christ said, "Drink ye all of it." The 
 
320 
 
 OF BOTH KINDS. 
 
 same necessity for a personal application of the blood of 
 atonement still exists, in the person of every communi- 
 cant, and therefore, the command of Christ is still in 
 force, and every believer is entitled to the cup in the 
 Lord's Supper. So St. Paul believed, 1 Cor. xi, 26-28, 
 " For as oft as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye 
 do show the Lord's death till he come." * * * " But 
 let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that 
 bread, and drink of that cup." 
 
 3. Surely Romanists will not say that St. Paul and 
 other early believers were ignorant of the true import of 
 the Lord's Supper. They do not make such a charge di- 
 rectly, it is true, but they do it by very clear implication ; 
 for they say the command, "Drink ye all of it," was de- 
 livered to the Apostles only, and is not, therefore, binding 
 on the lay people. But certainly, St, Paul was not talk- 
 ing to Apostles, when he said, " Let a man examine him- 
 self, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that 
 cup." But the fallacy of this argument is seen in the 
 fact, that if none but Apostles were to receive the Lord's 
 Supper in both kinds, then there can be no Lord's Supper 
 now, for there are no Apostles to receive it. At most, 
 if the Lord's Supper still exists as an institution of 
 Christ, it is confined exclusively to ministers. Is it not 
 strange, then, that Romanists have not long ago taken the 
 whole sacrament from the people ? They could do this 
 with much more reason than they have for taking away 
 the cup. 
 
 But not only did St. Paul and other Christians of his 
 day rightly understand the command of Christ, in the 
 eucharist, but it was the practice of the whole primitive 
 Church, for several centuries, to administer the Lord's Sup- 
 per in both kinds. Hence Cyprian, Bishop of Cartilage, in 
 A. D. 284, says, " If it be not lawful to loose any one of the 
 
OF DOTH KINDS. 
 
 321 
 
 least commandments of Christ, how much move unlawful 
 it is to break so great and so weighty a one, that does so 
 very nearly relate to the sacrament of our Lord's passion, 
 and of our redemption ; or by any human institution to 
 change it into that which is quite different from the 
 Divine institution." All this leads to two general con- 
 clusions. 
 
 First. The doctrine and practice of Romanists over- 
 throw the nature of a sacrament, and therefore the Lord's 
 Supper is not administered in the Romish church ; and 
 her popes and priests have committed the grossest sacri- 
 lege in taking from the people the ordained symbol of 
 Christ's blood. 
 
 Second. The doctrine and practice of Protestant Chris- 
 tians, on the subject of the Lord's Supper, must be 
 right, for they are based upon the pure word of God. 
 Now, if they are right in heart, and feed upon Christ by 
 faith, they have nothing to fear. Let them, therefore, re- 
 joice in the truth, and continue to " Show forth the 
 Lord's death till he come again." 
 
 " Truth crushed to earth will rise again. 
 
 The eternal years of God are hers ; 
 But error, wounded, writhes*h pain, 
 
 And dies among her worshipers." 
 
ARTICLE XX. 
 
 OF THE ONE OBLATION OF CHRIST FINISHED 
 UPON THE CROSS. 
 
 " The offering of Christ once made, is that perfect redemption, 
 
 Eropitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world, 
 olh original and actual ; and there is none other satisfaction for 
 sin hut that alone. Wherefore the sacrifice of masses, in the 
 which it is commonly said, that the Priest doth offer Christ for 
 the quick and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, is a 
 blasphemous fable, and dangerous deceit.'' 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 But One Sacrifice for Sin 
 1. In Art. II, Sec. 5, the same doctrine is stated and 
 discussed, that is contained in this Article, though for a 
 very different purpose. There it is stated and defended as 
 an Article of Faith, and a doctrine of the Bible ; but here it 
 is stated in a controversial form, in opposition to the Ro- 
 mish doctrine of the mass. This Article teaches that 
 Christ made but one Offering of himself for sin ; whereas 
 Romanists affirm that he is again offered for sin every 
 time the mass is celebrated. To see that this is a dan- 
 gerous error, we have but to turn to the Scriptures. 
 These affirm most clearly that Christ was offered but 
 once for sin. Matt, xxvii, 50, "Jesus, when he had cried 
 again with a loud voice, yielded up the Ghost." The 
 true import of this passage is, thai, Christ did willingly, 
 and of himself, die for sinners ; but r.ot a word is said 
 about his giving up his life more than once. But it is said 
 in John xix, 30, "It is finished," What is finished ? The 
 redemption of the world, and no more sacrifice for sin is 
 
DTI ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 
 
 323 
 
 needed. But this doctrine is more directly established by 
 St. Paul, in Ileb. ix, 28, "So Christ was once offered to 
 bear the sins of many." Hence the Apostle concludes 
 that believers are sanctified, "Through the offering of 
 the body of Christ Jesus once for all. The same Apostle 
 is still more definite and clear in Rom. vi, 9, 10, " know- 
 ing that Christ being raised from the dead, dteth no more ; 
 death hath no more dominion over him ; For, in that he 
 died, he died unto sin once." By these passages alone, 
 taken in their proper connection, there is but one single 
 doctrine proved, that Christ died for sinners but once, and 
 there is, therefore, no more sacrifice for sin. 
 
 2. But no more sacrifice for sin is needed, because the 
 one offering of Christ is a perfect satisfaction for all sin. 
 This is the uniform doctrine of the Bible, and redemption 
 is nowhere ascribed to any other. Rom. iii, 24, "Being 
 justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that 
 is in Christ Jesus." Gal. iii, 13, " Christ hath redeemed 
 us from the curse of the law." Eph. i, 7, " In whom 
 we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of 
 sins according to the riches of his grace." From these 
 and manj 7 other passages, it is evident that Christ alone 
 has redeemed sinners. The work is ascribed to him, 
 but never to any other ; therefore Christ is the only Re- 
 deemer. 
 
 But Christ alone is the only propitiation for sin. To 
 propitiate, is to turn away the wrath of the oflended. In 
 the case before us, the wrath of God is turned away from 
 offending man by the propitiation of Christ, and no other. 
 1 John ii, 2, "And he is the propitiation for our sins." 
 Rom. iii, 25, " Whom God hath set forth to be a propitia- 
 tion through faith in his blood." Now, whatever God 
 does is right and complete. He has " set forth " his Son 
 io be "the propitiation" for the sins of mankind ; therefore 
 
324 
 
 BUT ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 
 
 the sacrifice of Christ once offered. " is that perfect re- 
 demption, propitiation and satisfaction for all the sins of 
 the whole world.' ' Eph. v, 2, " And hath given himself 
 for us an offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet smell- 
 ing savor." Christ himself announces the completeness 
 of this satisfaction, when he said, " It is finished." Lut 
 there is other proof of the satisfactory nature of the sa- 
 crifice of Christ in the fact of his Resurrection, his As- 
 cension into heaven, where "he ever liveth to make 
 intercession for us," and in the fact that the Holy Ghost 
 descended upon the church according to his own 
 promise. 
 
 But the proof is final, when we consider the fact that 
 sin is pardoned for Christ's sake. Eph. i, 7, " In whom 
 we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of 
 sins, according to the riches of his grace." 1 John ii, 12, 
 " I write unto you, little children, because your sins are 
 forghen you for his name's sake." These passages prove 
 that there is the pardon of sin, and that pardon is ex- 
 tended to the sinner because of the one sacrifice of 
 Christ, and no other. It is therefore evident, that what- 
 ever other pretended means of pardon there may be, as 
 Baptism, the Lord's Supper, Extreme Unction, or the Sa- 
 rifice of the Mass, they are all in direct opposition to the 
 word of God, and the ordained plan of salvation by 
 Christ alone. Indeed, it is said in Ads iv, 12, " Neither 
 is there salvation in any other ; for there is none o.her 
 name under heaven given among men, whereby we must 
 be saved." 
 
 3. This one offering of Christ was "for all the sins of 
 the whole world, both original and actual." First. Christ 
 died for the whole world. This is proved by those pas- 
 sages which declare that Christ died for the " whole 
 world," and for " all men." 1 John ii, 2, "And he is the 
 
BUT ONE SACRIFICE FOR SIN. 325 
 
 propiliation for our sins ; and not for ours only, but aho 
 for the sins of the whole world." John iv, 42, "And 
 know tliat this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the 
 world." Ileb. ii, 9, " That he by the grace of God should 
 taste deaUi for every man." These passages, with many 
 others that might be named here, prove that the extent 
 of the atonement of Christ was for the whole world, and 
 for every man. We can then, " Look steadfastly upon the 
 blood of Christ, and see how precious his blood is in the 
 sight of, God, because, being poured out on account of 
 our salvation, it has obtained the gift of redemption for 
 the whole world." St. Clement, in A. D. 93. Second. 
 Christ died "for both original and actual sin." By original 
 sin we mean the inherent depravity and corruption of 
 every man's nature, " whereby man is very far gone 
 fiom original righteousness, and of his own nature in- 
 clined to evil, and that continually." Actual sin "is the 
 transgression of the law," or that sin which is committed 
 after the individual has attained to the stale of indepen- 
 dent moral responsibility. This Article teaches that the 
 atonement readies both these sins. If so, then the La fan* 
 is included, as well as the adult believer. This is mani- 
 festly the will of God. 1 John i, 7, " The blood of Jesus 
 Christ his Son eleanseth us from all sin." 
 
 " Thy blood we steadfastly t>. lieve. 
 
 Shall make as thoroughly clean.'' 
 From the foregoing considerations, we see the reason 
 why the framers of this Article so directly condemn the 
 Romish Mass, as a destructive and dangerous error. De- 
 structive because it perverts the clear doctrine of the 
 Bible ; and because it so lightly estimates the atonement 
 of Christ, as to cause the ignorant to place more confi- 
 dence in the sacrifice of the mass, than in the sacrament of 
 Christ " once for all." Dangerous, because it lends to 
 
328 ROMISH MASS A DANGEROUS ERROR. 
 
 priesthuod. Not indeed in the modern, but in the original 
 and true sense of that term. Hence they affirm, that as 
 the priests under the law offered living sacrifices to God 
 for the expiation of sin, so do they, when they offer the 
 sacrifice of the mass. But let it be observed here, that 
 the priesthood and sacrifices under the law were typical. 
 They both looked to the priesthood and sacrifice of Christ, 
 and as soon as these were brought in, the types could no 
 longer remain in force. The priests and sacrifices under 
 the law, were two distinct things, but Christ combined in 
 himself both priest and sacrifice. By the final sacrifice of 
 Christ, the Old Dispensation, with its many and oft re- 
 peated sacrifices, is taken away, and a new dispensation, 
 with but one high priest and but one sacrifice, is intro- 
 duced in its place. Heb. x, 9, " He taketh away the 
 first, that he may establish the second." The reason of 
 this change is given in Chap, x, 1, "For the law having 
 a shadow, of good things to come, and not the very image 
 of the things, can never, with those sacrifices which they 
 offered year by year continually, make the comers there- 
 unto perfect." Perse* 12, "But this man, after he had 
 offered one sacrifice for sins, foiever sat down on the right 
 hand of God." Verse >4, " For by one offering he hath 
 perfected forever them that are sanctified." From these 
 few verses, and indeed from the entire Epistle to the 
 Hebrews; it is evident that the whole ritual of the old dis- 
 pensation, with its "changeable priesthood," and "the 
 blood of bulls and of goats," is set aside for the bettei 
 dispensation, with its permanent high priest, and the 
 b! >od of Jesus Christ, once shed for the sins of the 
 world. This being the fact, and there being no proof 
 that Christ or his Apostles set apart any man to the office 
 of a priest, to offer the sacrifice of the mass to atone for 
 sins, it follows as an unavoidable conclusion, that the 
 
ROMISH MASS A DANlEKOCS ERROR. 
 
 32 P 
 
 whole theory of priesthood in the Romish Church is a 
 blasphemous assumption. 
 
 3. But the iniquity of the Romish doctrine of the mass 
 is still more obvious, if we consider the pietended object 
 of this supposed sacrifice. It is a " propitiatory offering" 
 " for the living and the dead, for sins, punishments, and 
 satisfactions ;" and they add for " other necessities," but 
 they do not tell us what these are. But when they are 
 met on this -assumed ground, by the plain passage, 
 " There remaineth no more sacrifice for sin," they affirm 
 that the sacrifice of the mass by the priest, is a continua- 
 tion of the one offering of Christ. They therefore 
 assume that Christ is still suffering. But this is a plain 
 contradiction of the Scripture, for it is said in Heb. x, 1?, 
 " But this man, after he had offered one sacrifi-e for sins, 
 forever sat down on the right hand of God." Now, there 
 is just this difficulty presented by this passage : either 
 Christ suffers in the mass, or he does not suffer — if 
 he is sitting at the right hand of God. as the text says he 
 is, he does not suffer, and therefore the Romish mass is 
 no sacrifice. But the Romish mass cannot be a sacrifice 
 for sins in view of this simple fact, " without shedding of 
 blood is no remission." 
 
 4. We are now somewhat prepared to see the force of 
 the words of our Article. Romish masses are called 
 "blasphemous fables." They are fables for the simple 
 reason that there is no warrant for them in the word of 
 God ; and they are blasphemous, because they derogate 
 from the sufficiency of the one sacrifice of Christ. They 
 are "dangerous decei's," because they encourage the 
 grossest wickedness, and because they hold out a method 
 of pardon and salvation which is contrary to the word of 
 God. Masses were sold, as the result of this error, and 
 became sources of trade and wealth. " A small piece of 
 
 14* 
 
330 
 
 ROMISH MASS A DANGEROUS ERROR. 
 
 money became their price, so that a profane sort of simony 
 was set up, and the holiest of all the institutions of the 
 Christian religion was exposed to sale. Therefore we, in 
 cutting off this, and in bringing the sacrament to be, ac- 
 cording to its first institution, a communion, have fol- 
 lowed the words of our Saviour and the practice of 
 the church for the first ten centuries." Bishop Burnett. 
 
 We will now close our remarks on this Article, and on 
 the Lord's Supper, hoping that we have b Q .en able to re- 
 deem it somewhat from the corruptions of Romanism by 
 exhibiting the truth, and exposing the error. We sin- 
 cerely pray that this institution of Christ's own appoint- 
 ment may be worthily received, apart from any Romish 
 embarrassment, in commemoration of him who has said, 
 "As oft as ye do it, ye do show forth his death till he 
 come again." 
 
 " And when these failing lips grow dumb, 
 • And mind and mem'ry flee, 
 
 When thou shalt in thy kingdom come, 
 Jesus, remember me." 
 
ARTICLE XXI. 
 
 OF THE MARRIAGE OF MINISTERS. 
 
 " The ministers of Christ are not commanded by God's law to 
 either vow the estate of single life, or to abstain from marriage ; 
 therefore it is lawful for them, as for all other Christians, to marry 
 at tin ir own discretion, as they shall judge the same to seem best 
 to godliness." 
 
 1. But the Church of Rome has commanded her clergy 
 to abstain from marriage. Because of this and numerous 
 other departures from God's law, she is very properly 
 called "Anti-Christ ," — " the man of sin," — "the mother of 
 harlots /" and forbidding to marry is particularly men- 
 tioned as one of her distinguishing characteristics. 
 1 Tim. iv, 1-3, " Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that 
 in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving 
 lieed to seducing spirits and the doctrines of devils ; 
 Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared 
 with a hot iron ; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to 
 abstain from meats." But Rome has not only assumed 
 the authority of forbidding the marriage relation to her 
 clergy, but she has exalted marriage to the unscriptural 
 dignity of a Sacrament ; one of the five that she has sub- 
 joined to the only two that were ordained by Christ. To 
 this, she adds another contradiction ; she forbids her 
 priests to partake of this sacrament, while every man 
 knows that the sacraments of Christ were set apart by 
 Christ for the use of all true believers ; and that they are 
 to be continued to the end of time. This brings out two 
 facts : First, Romanism contradicts the Scriptures ; Svcond, 
 
332 
 
 OF THE MARRIAGE OF MINISTERS. 
 
 Romanism contradicts itself. This is the legitimate re- 
 sult of her theory, — "the doctrine of devils" — and of 
 her practice, — " speaking lies in hypocrisy." 
 
 2. But not only is there no commandment, text, or 
 word in the whole Bible, that forbids the marriage of 
 ministers ; but on the contrary, their right to this rela- 
 tion, in common with other men, is recognized throughout 
 the entire Book. The Bible records numerous instances 
 of the ministers of religion living in the honorable rela- 
 tions of husband and father. These relations are based 
 upon an express institution of GoJ, which, from its very 
 nature and object, was designed for universal use and 
 application. It was instituted before sin had defiled the 
 world, and must, therefore, be a holy institution, and in 
 no way injurious to ministers, or other religious men in 
 the service of God. But in view of the subsequent abuse 
 of this religious institution, various laws have been or- 
 dained to perpetuate its original purity ; and to point out, 
 more fully, the design of God in the marringe covenant, 
 and the various relations that grow directly out of it. 
 But never do the Scriptures loose sight of the fact, that 
 "it is not good that man should be alone." As God 
 ma le but one woman for Adam, he thereby plainly indi- 
 cated that every subsequent man should have but one 
 woman, and every woman but one husband. Not indeed, 
 that neither shall marry more than once, but that each 
 should have but one wife or one husband at the same 
 time. A practice opposite to this law, was first introduced 
 by Lemech, an abandoned son of Cain. Gen. iv, 19, 
 " And Lemecli took unto him two wives." Though this 
 evil was practiced in subsequent ages by many who were 
 called good men, yet it is contrary botli to the spirit and 
 intention of the institution itself, and to the law of 
 nature. 
 
of the makkia;;e of ministers. 
 
 333 
 
 3. But while there is no law to forbid the marriage of 
 ministers, "it is as lawful for tlum, as for other Chris- 
 tian men, to marry at the.r own discretion as they shall 
 judge the same to seem better unto godliness." It is 
 evident, that the priesthood, under the Old Dispensation, 
 was confim d but to one family ; and it follows, of course, 
 that the high priest was obliged to marry in order to per- 
 petuate the priesthood in his own particular family. 
 L'nder tl.e New Testament, also, the ministers of religion 
 have a right to the marriage relation, though there is no 
 orJained succession of ministers from any one Christian 
 family. This right was recognized by Christ, and was 
 not overruled by him in the selection of his first disciples. 
 Peter, though claimed by Romanists as the head of their 
 church, was evidently a married man, for it is said, Malt. 
 viii, 14, " When Jesus was come into Peter's house, he 
 saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever." When 
 Papists say that Peter had been married, but his wife 
 was d«.ad before Christ called him to the ministry ; 
 and that his " wife's mother " was keeping house for 
 him, we deny the whole assumption, and demand the 
 proof. It is also evident, that Philip the Evangelist was 
 a married man, for he " had four daughters, v.rgins, which 
 did prophecy." Acts xxi, 9. How many of the Apostles 
 were married, we cannot tell, but that some of them 
 were, and that St. Paul claimed the right to many, is 
 evident, from 1 Cor. ix, 5, " Have we not power to lead 
 about a sister, a wife, as well as other Apostles, and as 
 the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas ?" But when St. 
 Paul gives directions to other ministers of Christianity, he 
 clearly distinguishes the qualifications of married men. 
 1 Tim. iii, 2, " A Bishop must be blameless, the husband 
 of ote ti'i/e." When the same Apostle speaks of ; nothtr 
 order of ministers, in verse 12, he says, "Let the Dea- 
 
334 OF THE MARRIAGE OF MINISTERS. 
 
 cons be the husband of one wife." But it is argued from 
 1 Cor. vii, that St. Paul prohibited the marriage of minis- 
 ters. Now, the most that can be said of his remarks here, 
 is, that they were advisary, in view of the embarrassing 
 circumstances of the church at that time. But even in 
 view of these, and to avoid evil, he says, in verse 2, 
 " Let every man have his own wife." 
 
 4. From the consideration of the above facts, it is evi- 
 dent that Christian ministers have a right to many, as 
 well as other Christian men ; and that Papists have no 
 right to set aside the law of God upon this institution, 
 nor to elevate it to the dignity of a sacrament by the 
 councils of men. History and observation inform us, that 
 from the time the celibacy of the Romish clergy was es- 
 tablished by Gregory VII, A. D. 1085, to the present, 
 that popish priests have been an embodiment of profli- 
 gacy and licentiousness. They have ever been an illus- 
 tration of the iniquity and presumption, that set aside the 
 express institution of God. From what has been said, it 
 is evident, likewise, that the Protestant churches main- 
 tain the doctrine of the Bible on the subject of marriage. 
 They regard it as the nursery of virtue ; as the crystal 
 cup into which God pours his choicest blessings. And 
 they regard it as the great safeguard of peace, of hap- 
 piness, of virtue, and of the Christian religion. 
 
 5. While marriage is restricted to but one wife and one 
 husband at the same time, it is likewise restricted within 
 certain degrees of consanguinity or affinity. Lev. xviii, 
 6, " None of you shall approach to any that is near of 
 kin to him." The violation of this law is not only a dis- 
 regard for the authority of God, but for the law of 
 nature, and the laws of mind. It usually carries with it 
 its own punishment in the enfeebled or deformed body ; 
 the enfeebled intellect, idiotism, and a host of maladies 
 
OF THE MARRIAGE OF MINISTERS 
 
 335 
 
 which render life a burden. Wherever the church lias 
 had authority to impart an enlightened instruction, she 
 has always opposed marriage between near relations, 
 either by blood, or the affinity of marriage. The Leviti- 
 cal law, from which the instruction is derived, prohibits 
 marriage between relations that are within three degrees 
 of kindred. This subject ought to be closely studied, for 
 enlightened views of it are very important in order to an 
 enlightened and judicious practice. Were the writer to 
 decide according to his clearest and most extensive obser- 
 vation of the evils of marriage, within the bounds of 
 blood relation and affinity, he would adopt the old Roman 
 law, and decide that in no case should the children of 
 brothers and sisters join in marriage ; not even to the 
 fourth generation. Then would our race be freed from 
 the numerous and great evils of the marriage of near 
 relations ; and we would better observe the laws ot our 
 nature and the law of God. 
 
ARTICLE XXII. 
 
 OF THE RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE 
 CHURCH. 
 
 " It is not necessary that rites and ceremonies should in all 
 places be the same, or exactly alike ; tor they have been always 
 different, and may be changed according to the diversity of coun- 
 tries, ti" es, and men's manners, so that nothing be ordained 
 against God's word. Whosoever, through his private judgment, 
 wi lingly and purposely doth < peulv break the rites and cere- 
 monies nf the Church to which he belongs, which are ii"t repug- 
 nant to th» word of God, and are ordained and approved by Com- 
 mon authority , ought to be rebuked openly, that others may fear 
 to do the like, as one that otfendeth ag.inst the common order of 
 rliurch, and woundelh the consciences of weak brethren. 
 Every pa ticular Church may ordain, change, or abolish rites and 
 Cereinoniifl, so that all things may be done to edification." 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 
 Rites and Ceremonies. 
 1. By the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church we may 
 understand the external form and manner in which the 
 ministers of religion perform the several parts of religious 
 worship. In the Jewish Church, rites and ceremonies 
 were very numerous, and all of God's appointment ; but 
 in the Christian Church they are few and simple, and 
 chiefly appointed by the church itself. Rites and ceremo- 
 nies are essential to the right exhibition of the doctrines 
 and institutions of Christianity, though they do not consti- 
 tute an essential element of Christianity itself. Whatever 
 is essential to Christianity, is distinctly stated in the New 
 Testament, but how these are to be administered under 
 all circumstances, is left to the wisdom of the church, " so 
 that nothing be ordained against God's word." 
 
 •J3li 
 
RITES AND CEREMONIES. 337 
 
 With this common view of the doctrine of this Article, 
 we are at no loss to understand the fact, that the doctrines 
 and institutions of the Christian religion are positive and 
 unchangeable, while her rites and ceremonies are circum- 
 stantial. This is undoubtedly the spirit and meaning of 
 this Article. It is therefore of great value to the church, 
 because it gives her the power to direct her outward move- 
 ments, and because it teaches the propriety and importance 
 of the church adapting herself, in all her rites and ceremo- 
 nies, to the wants and claims of society. In doing this, it 
 recognizes God's word as the immovable standard, and 
 forbids any rite or ceremony that might in the least lessen 
 the influence of this standard upon the human heart. 
 
 This Article expresses the Protestant doctrine, that no 
 rite or ceremony originating in the church itself, is of 
 greater force of obligation than the institutions ordained 
 of God. It is therefore in direct opposition to Romanists, 
 who maintain that the authority of the church is supreme, 
 and that whatever rite or ceremony she may ordain, 
 though it may be a clear and palpable contradiction of the 
 Scriptures, is of supreme and endless obligation. This 
 Article opposes Romanists again, when they affirm that 
 rites and ceremonies must be the same in all countries, 
 without regard to circumstances. Protestants rightly 
 comprehend their duty when they affirm that the Bible is 
 the supreme and only rule of faith and practice, and 
 when they regard the rites and ceremonies of the church 
 as but ordinances of men, and the mere forms by which 
 the doctrines and institutions of religion may be applied 
 to the hearts of the people. 
 
 2. That some form of public worship and administration 
 of the Christian ordinances is necessary, none will doubt. 
 But the great difficulty to be determined, is the extent to 
 v'lich it is prudent to go in the accommodation of reli- 
 U 
 
338 
 
 RITES AND CEREMONIES. 
 
 gious rites and ceremonies to the infirmities of man's na- 
 ture. The great point is, to establish a medium in which 
 a due regard may be shown to the outwaid senses and' 
 the imagination, without, at the same time, violating the 
 dictates of reason, and counteracting the purposes of true 
 religion. Romanists have gone so far in Che number and 
 complication of their rites and ceremonies, that the sim- 
 plicity and power of the Christian religion is nearly lost 
 to their worshipers. They have so far abused human 
 weakness by the number and variety of their unmeaning 
 and ridiculous ceremonies, that scarcely any other effect is 
 produced by them than an increase of ignorance and su- 
 perstition. 
 
 To what extent a just opposition to these mummeries 
 of Romanists may have carried well meaning Protestants 
 into the opposite extreme, is a consideration of great 
 weight. They may have gone so far as to enfeeble the 
 operations of the church, and materially defeat the object 
 of both the doctrines and institutions of Christianity. 
 Both these extremes should be avoided, and such riles 
 and ceremonies should be ordained as will exhibit the 
 most clearly the true import of religion, and make the 
 strongest impression on the heart. An intelligent and 
 dignified simplicity in rites and ceremonies, is always to 
 be preferred. 
 
 3. The doctrines and institutions of religion involve 
 times, places and forms. As to times, — the Sabbath, and 
 such other days as may be appointed for worship, to- 
 gether with particular hours of these days for morning 
 and evening service. Such hours may be set apart as 
 will suit the greatest number of worshipers. With those 
 regulations properly observed, instruction may be im- 
 parted in the most extensive method. As to places, — 
 these should always be suitable, and in the most central 
 
RITES AND CEREMONIES. 
 
 339 
 
 position ; ami at whatever hour the public services com- 
 mence in these places of worship, at thai hour, and no 
 other, the people should assemble. These places of worship 
 should be solemnly set apart for the worship of God, and 
 nothing else. 
 
 But when the people are assembled in these houses of 
 WOtstiip, ihere must be forms of worship, — as prayer either 
 rend or extemporary, or both. And this should always 
 be optional with the minister. Prayer may be offered to 
 God acceptably, either in the standing or kneeling posture 
 of the body. Then there is the reading of the Holy Scrip- 
 tures, which should never be omitted, except on days 
 when one or both of the sacraments are administered. 
 Such is the value of Scripture lessons, that they cannot 
 l e innocently neglec'ed. These lessons should be as ap- 
 propriate to the particular occasion as may be, and should 
 be read, either by the minister alone, or, which is much 
 better, by the minister and people together. Then should 
 follow the solemn songs of praise and thanksgiving. 
 
 * Let the elders praise the Lord 
 
 Him let all the people praise. 
 When they meet, with one accord 
 
 In his courts o - ' holy days." 
 
 Then the ministration of God's word, or one or 
 both of the sacraments, as occasion may require. Form 
 is verv essential in all these parts of public worship, and 
 especially in the administration of the sacraments. In 
 Baptism there must be form, or it cannot be administered. 
 The natcr must be applied to the subject, whether an infant, 
 or an adult believer, in the name of the Father, the Son, 
 and the Holy Ghost, and this should be done in the most 
 solemn manner. In the Lord's Supper, the bread and 
 the wine should be so placed as to be most convenient to 
 the minister. They must be set apart by solemn conse- 
 
340 and ceremonies. 
 
 era '101. fo as to distinguish them from an ordinary meal, 
 and so us to most deeply impress the hearts of the 
 people. A written form of consecration should be in use 
 in all well-regulated churches, and this form should be 
 stiiuily and faithfully observed. Then the bread must be 
 broken, and the wine poured out, and both must be g'ven 
 to the communicants — the bread first, and then the wine. 
 
 The communicants, while receiving these symbols of 
 Christ's body and blood, may either sit or kneel, but all 
 present should conform to whatever may be the established 
 form of the church in which they communicate. Without 
 the above form, as indicated in the gospels, the Lord's 
 Supper cannot be rightly administered. 
 
 4. The essentials of these two ordinances have always 
 been the same, but some of the attendant ceremonies have 
 varied. They have sometimes been omitted entirely, or 
 very materially changed. Diversities of countries must 
 necessarily effect the mode of baptism. In cold climates, 
 sprinkling would be resorted to rather than dipping; and 
 reason would dictate that this is the most reasonable and 
 appropriate mode for any climate. 
 
 In the celebration of the Lord's Supper, the kiss of 
 peace was one of its attendant ceremonies among primitive 
 believers ; but is no longer given, being contrary to the 
 manners of the times and the customs of the country. 
 Times and countries have a! r ected the mode of public 
 worship, it being no longer necessary to assemble in caves 
 of the earth, or in close and secret places, to offer devotion 
 to God. All this shows very clearly that "it is not ne- 
 cessary that rites and ceremonies should be the same in 
 al! places." It is therefore a mark of weakness, or bigo- 
 try, to cling to a ceremony simply because it is old, or 
 because some great or good man, two or three centuries 
 past, advocated its utility. 
 
RITES AND CEREMONIES TO BE OBSERVED. 34 1 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 Riles aiul Ceremonies to be Observed — Offenders Rebuked. 
 
 I. "Whosoever, through his private judgment, willingly 
 and purposely doth openly break the rites and ceremonies 
 of the church to which he belongs, which are not repug- 
 nant to the word of God, and ordained and approved by 
 common authority, ought to be rebuked openly, that 
 others 'may fear to do the like, as one that oftendeth 
 against the common order of the church, and vvoundeth 
 the consciences of weak brethren." 
 
 Rites and ceremonies are a part of the common order 
 of the church. They are essential to the outward move- 
 ments of the church ; and because they are ordained and 
 approved by the common authority of the church, they 
 are to be observed by all its members. Reference is made 
 here, of course, to such rites and ceremonies only as are 
 in accordance with the Bible. These, with her entire 
 polity, both temporal and spiritual, together with all her 
 doctrines, are made public by the fact that the church 
 exists, and that her ministers are continually exhibiting 
 her doctiines, in the use of such forms as have been ap- 
 proved ; and, at the same time, administering her sacra- 
 ments in the use of such rites and ceremonies as may 
 have been ordained and approved by common authority. 
 Another means of publication, which comprehends the 
 instruc:ion of the people, is the fact that these forms and 
 ceremonies are repented every time the church meets for 
 public worship, or the administration of her ordinances. 
 It is presumable, therefore, that all who applv for mem- 
 bership in the church, do so with a full knowledge of her 
 doctrines and polity, — her rites and ceremonies, — and 
 with a full purpose of heart to conform to, and abide by the 
 rules and usages of the church to which he joins himself. 
 
342 RTTES AND CEREMONIES TO BE OBSERVED. 
 
 2. When an individual unites with the church, what- 
 ever may be the peculiar form of union, he enters into 
 covenant with God, which brings him into new relations 
 with him as the Head of the Church. Ke deliberately 
 promises that he will obey God's holy commandments, 
 and exhibit before the world the beauty, the symmetry, 
 and the purity of the Christian character. His new rek- 
 lion constantly says, " I have lifted up my hand unto the 
 Lord;" "I have vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob." 
 
 But he enters into a covenant with all the members of 
 the church to which he unites himself. He adopts their 
 Articles of Faith ; he assents to the discipline of the church, 
 — to her rites and ceremonies,- — to her whole economy. 
 By this act, lie promises to waive his private judgment in 
 matters of forms and ceremonies, and to confide in the 
 judgment of the body of Christians with whom he is asso- 
 ciated, and who have received him as a brother among 
 them ; provided, always, that the church, in her congrega- 
 tional or representative capacity, ordains and approves 
 nothing which is contrary to the word of God. 
 
 3. Now, if, after all this, any person shall assume the 
 attitude of resistance to the rites and ceremonies <if the 
 church tu which he belongs, and which are not repugnant 
 to the word of God, and ordained and approved by com- 
 mon authority, " he ought to be rebuked openly." Why ? 
 First. " That Others may fear to do the like." Second. 
 Because he " offendeth against the common authority of 
 the church." Third. Because he "woundeth the con- 
 sciences of weak brethren." This is the right of the 
 church, — indeed it is her duty, — that she may preserve 
 her unity and order. If every member of t ,e church 
 were left to the free exercise of his private judgment, 
 in opposition to the authority of the church, all uniformity 
 of w&rship would be destroyed ; the peace and harmony 
 
RITES AND CEREMONIES TO BE OBSERVED. 343 
 
 of the church would be broken up ; and the very existence 
 of the church, as a visible society of believers, would be 
 greatly endangered. It is therefore of the utmost impor- 
 tance that each member of the church shall avoid every 
 word or action that might injure the church as a body, or 
 any of its members. Especially are church members to 
 avoid anything that might cause divisions, as controversy, 
 and opposition to the rules and usages of the church. 1 
 Cor. i, 10, "Now, I beseech you, brethren, by the name 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, 
 and that there be no divisions among you, but that ye be 
 perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the 
 same judgment." Here St. Paul urges the unity and 
 peace of the church, and consequently its prosperity, by 
 
 First. An agreement in conversation, — "Speak the same 
 thing." We must see the propriety of this, if we look at 
 the many evils and alienations of feelings that arise from 
 private controversies, and when we consider the fact, that 
 some indulge the controversial spirit to that extent, that 
 private and social intercourse must either be cut off, or 
 endured with much suffering. To say the very least of 
 this spirit, it is impolite, and displays great egotism. It 
 is greatly injurious to the love that one Christian should 
 have for another. 
 
 Second. The unity and peace of the church is urged by 
 the duty of being of " the same mind,*' and of the " same 
 judgment;" that is, to willingly conform to the order of 
 the church, because this is ordained by authority, and 
 because it is not essential, one way or the other, to sal 
 vation. 
 
 But this duty is farther urged by two weighty conside- 
 rations. 
 
 Fust. "The consciences of weak brethren." Such 
 brethren have ever been in the church, and have ever 
 
344 RITES AND CEKEM0ME3 TO BE OBSERVED. 
 
 seemed to glory in their weakness. Sin against these is 
 sin against Christ. 1 Cor. viii, 12, "But when ye sin so 
 against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, 
 ye sin against Christ.'' 
 
 Second. " That there should be no schism in the body ; 
 but that the members should have the same care one for 
 another." Chap, xii, 25. 
 
 4. The nature of the punishment for such offenses may 
 next claim a remark. The " offender ought (o be rebuked 
 openly." The authority for this is St. Paul in 1 Tim. v, 
 20, " Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also 
 may fear." Tit. i, 13, " Rebuke them sharply, that they 
 may be sound in faith." To rebuke, signifies to reprove, 
 check, advise, to reform. This is usually done by the 
 minister, and always supposes that previous effort has been 
 made to cure the evil, and that all the preliminary measures 
 have been taken to bring the offender properly before the 
 church. The reproof must be administered in all Chris- 
 tian kindness, though the offense may be such as to de- 
 mand that the offender be rebuked "sharply." The ob- 
 ject should be to reclaim the offender, and to vindicate 
 the harmony and purity of the church. No duty requires 
 a higher exercise of the Christian graces than this ; and 
 the faithfulness with which it, as a part of the church disci- 
 pline, is performed, is one of the sure tests of a pure and 
 faithful minister. At the same time, it is the duty of 
 every member of the church to cherish Christian love 
 and kindness toward the erring. This is often a very 
 difficult, but always a very profitable duty. The ohject 
 is "to restore such an one," and he must be treated 
 with " the spirit of meekness." This is still more im- 
 portant if we consider the fact that our actions may be 
 the means of the eternal life of the erring, or of his eter- 
 nal death. 
 
RITES AND CEREMONIES TO DE OBSERVED. 315 
 
 '• Among the saints on earth, 
 
 Let, mutual love be found ; 
 Heirs of the same inheritance, 
 
 With mutual blessings crown'd. 
 Thus will the church below 
 
 Resemble that above ; 
 Where streams of bliss forever flow, 
 
 And every heart is love." 
 
 5 But the Article furthermore teaches, that whosoever 
 shall offend against the rites anJ ceremonies of the church, 
 "ought to be rebukel openly." The reason for this open 
 rebuke is, "that others may fear to Jo the like." This 
 action of the church in the case of offenders, is based upon 
 the fact that the discipline of the church, properly applied, 
 is a means of peace and p-irity, and by legitimate conse- 
 quence, a means of prosperity and enlarged influence. 
 Every church has the right to exercise this care and disci- 
 pline over its members ; and this right grows out of, and 
 is an essential counterpart of, the power and right to ad- 
 mit persons to membership in the church. The church, 
 therefore, is bound to the prudent exercise of this right, 
 in order to secure the purity, the influence, the reputation, 
 and united spiritual and outward efforts of all her mem- 
 bers, in doing the greatest amount of good ; and so that 
 they may exert the greatest possible power on those who 
 are not in her communion, that they also may come to 
 the knowledge of the truth as it is in Christ. 
 
 " Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren 
 to dwell together in unity ! It is like the precious oint- 
 ment upon the head, that ran down upjn the beard, even 
 Aaron's beard ; that went down to the skirts of his gar- 
 ments. As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that de- 
 scended upon the mountains of Zion ; for there the Lord 
 commanded the blessing, even life forever more." Ps. 
 exxxiii. 
 
341 RITES AND CEKEM0ME3 TO BE OBSERVED. 
 
 seemed to glory in their weakness. Sin against these is 
 sin against Christ. 1 Cor. viii, 12, "But when ye sin so 
 against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, 
 ye sin against Christ.'' 
 
 Second. " That there should be no schism in the body ; 
 but that the members should have the same care one for 
 another." Chap, xii, 25. 
 
 4. The nature of the punishment for such offenses may 
 next claim a remark. The " offender ought lo be rebuked 
 openly." The authority for this is St. Paul in 1 Tim. v, 
 20, " Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also 
 may fear." Tit. i, 13, " Rebuke them sharply, that they 
 may be sound in faith." To rebuke, signifies to reprove, 
 check, advise, to reform. This is usually done by the 
 minister, and always supposes that previous effort has been 
 made to cure the evil, and that all the preliminary measures 
 have been taken to bring the offender properly before the 
 church. The reproof must be administered in all Chris- 
 tian kindness, though the offense may be such as to de- 
 mand that the offender be rebuked "sharply." The ob- 
 ject should be to reclaim the offender, and to vindicate 
 the harmony and purity of the church, iso duty requires 
 a higher exercise of the Christian graces than this ; and 
 the faithfulness with which it, as a part of the church disci- 
 pline, is performed, is one of the sure tests of a pure and 
 faithful minister. At the same time, it is the duty of 
 every member of the church to cherish Christian love 
 and kindness toward the erring. This is often a very 
 difficult, but always a very profitable duty. The object 
 is "to restore such an one," and he must be treated 
 with "the spirit of meekness." This is still more im- 
 portant if we consider the fact that our actions may be 
 the means of the eternal life of the erring, or of his eter- 
 nal death. 
 
RITES AND CEREMONIES TO BE OBSERVED. 315 
 
 " Among the saints on earth, 
 
 Let mutual love be found ; 
 Heirs of the same inheritance, 
 
 With mutual blessings crown'd. 
 Thus will the church below 
 
 Resemble that above ; 
 Where streams of bliss forever flow, 
 
 Ami every heart is love." 
 
 5 But the Article furthermore teaches, that whosoever 
 shall offend against the rites anl ceremonies of the Church, 
 "ought to be rebuked openly." The reason for this open 
 rebuke is, "that others may fear to do the like." This 
 action of the church in the case of offenders, is based upon 
 the fact that the discipline of the church, properly applied, 
 is a means of peace and parity, and by legitimate conse- 
 quence, a means of prosperity and enlarged influence. 
 Every church has the right to exercise this care and disci- 
 pline over its members ; and this right grows out of, and 
 is an essential counterpart of, the power and right to ad- 
 mit persons to membership in the church. The church, 
 therefore, is bound to the prudent exercise of this right, 
 in order to secure the purity, the influence, the reputation, 
 and united spiritual and outward efforts of all her mem- 
 bers, in doing the greatest amount of good ; and so that 
 they may exert the greatest possible power on those who 
 are not in her communion, that they also may come to 
 the knowledge of the truth as it is in Christ. 
 
 " Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren 
 to dwell together in unity ! It is like the precious oint- 
 ment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even 
 Aaron's beard ; that went down to the skirts of his gar- 
 ments. As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that de- 
 scended upon the mountains of Zion ; for there the Lord 
 commanded the blessing, even life foreveimore." Ps. 
 exxxiii. 
 
346 RITES AND CEREMONIES MAY BE CHANGED. 
 
 " Sweetly may we all agree, 
 Touched with softest sympathy 
 Kindly for each other care ; 
 Every member feel its share." 
 
 SECTION THIRD. 
 
 Rites and Ceremonies may he Changed or Aholished. 
 
 1. "Ever)' particular church may ordain, change, or 
 abolish rites and ceremonies, so that all things may be 
 done to edification. 
 
 This part of the Article states the difference between 
 the power of each branch of the Christian Church, and 
 that of the Jewish Church, in matters of rites and cere- 
 monies. The Jewish ( hurch had no power to ordain or 
 change any of the ceremonies. These were all appointed 
 of God, and established by the universal consent of the 
 whole nation. They were adapted to the peculiar cir- 
 cumstances and wants of that people, and supported by a 
 law providing for their expenses. But as no such ap- 
 pointment of rite.s and ceremonies is made for the Chris- 
 tian Church ; and as Christianity is designed to operate 
 among all nations, in the propagation of her doctrines, 
 she must consult the peculiar customs of all nations, and 
 adapt herself, in her rites and ceremonies, to these cus- 
 toms, "so that all things may be done to edification." 
 This was the practice of the church in the days of the 
 Apostles, and in the ages immediately succeeding them ; 
 and this has been the practice of the church in all ages to 
 the present time. 
 
 The church has never assumed the right to change or 
 abolidi the distinguishing doctrines and institutions of 
 Christianity, These are matters of divine appointment, 
 and essential to the existence of the church. They aro 
 
RITES AND CEREMONIES MAY BE CHANGED. 347 
 
 under the exclusive control of God. But the church has 
 a right, and it is within her power, to ordain such rites 
 and ceremonies as may, in the clearest manner, convey to 
 the minds of the people proper notions of the n iture and 
 intent of the several doctrines of religion ; provided, al- 
 w:n s, that she is confined to the limitations of God's word. 
 
 Every church has an undoubted right to take care of 
 itself, and to ordain such a ritual as will give her the 
 greatest success in applying the truth to the hearts of the 
 people among whom she may be laboring. The laws of 
 God are equally binding upon all men, and at all times ; 
 but the rites and ceremonies of the church are provisions 
 made upon the present state of things in human society, 
 and upon what may appear to be the most perfect fitness 
 for the great ends of religion and religious progress. 
 
 All these forms and ceremonies may be, and ought to 
 be >o akered, if circumstances demand, as to suit the pre- 
 sent and increasing calls of the present age. The autho- 
 rity to do this grows out of the fact, that the authority of 
 the church is complete in every age, and is as great now 
 us it was in any former age. Its powers in matters of this 
 kind are confined to the present time, because the present 
 generation of men have a right to ordain rules for them- 
 selves. Hut the church has no right to ordain immovable 
 rules for other and succeeding generations, because these 
 generations have the same right to take care of themselves, 
 that other, and former generations had, and because the 
 church cannot foresee what will be the peculiar circum- 
 stances of future times and future generations. It should 
 never be a rule, therefore, among Christians, to obsti- 
 nat ly adhere to rites and ceremonies, simply because they 
 are ancient, when it is evident to every intelligent ob- 
 server, that the ends for which llicy were originally in- 
 troduced have ceased to exist. 
 
348 RITES AND CEREMONIES MAY BE CIIANGED. 
 
 2. We n ay name sonic of these unessential usages thai 
 may be changed to suit " the diversity of customs, times, 
 and men's manners." 1. The Pastoral Relation. Under 
 certain circumstances it may be proper, and entirely in ac- 
 cordance with the demands of the times, to have a 
 frequent change of this relation ; but, under other circum- 
 stances, and when the church and the communities in 
 which she is set up become perfectly organized, and 
 when the ends of a shifting ministry appear to be fully 
 accomplished, then there is great propriety in the perma- 
 nent pastoral relation. By this permanent relation be- 
 tween pastors and churches, there is a mutual benefit. 
 The pastor can be more ordeily and definite in his studies, 
 and more specific in all his pastoral operations. And the 
 church will be more firmly established, and more fully 
 edified in the entire struclure of Christianity. It were 
 folly to object to this by the plea that ministers generally 
 have not sufficient talent to edify a congregation more 
 than one or two years at a time. It is not a fact that 
 those churches who have a shifting ministry are more 
 intelligent than those other churches who have a settled 
 ministry. But the reverse is true in general. Why then, 
 shall we reflect upon the intelligence and capacity of 
 ministers so far as to say they have not the ability to sus- 
 tain themselves more than one or two years, in any one 
 congregation ? Men of studious habits, and whose in- 
 come will justify the purchase of books, may be able to 
 instruct any congregation, for any number of years. 
 And congregations thus served may be more thoroughly 
 instructed in the minutia, as well as in the main facts of 
 Christianity. But itching ears are always fond of some- 
 thing new, and the very frequent recurrence of new 
 things have great power in ' the creation of just such 
 ears. 
 
KITES AND C'EKEMONIES MAY BE CHANGED. 349 
 
 3. riie Separation of Mules and Females in the Public 
 Assemblies of Christians. The time was when this was 
 necessary to the safety of female character, and the good 
 order of religious congregations. But these rude limes, 
 and consequently these dangers, have in a great measure 
 passed away, in most of the places where the church is 
 now operating, and with them the propriety of this rule. 
 It is, therefore, a reflection upon civilization, and upon 
 Christian men's regard for female character, to enforce 
 this rule in the more highly cultivated communities. And 
 besides this, the rigid enforcement of this rule, interferes 
 for the time being with the divine right that families have 
 to associate together ; and with the divine right that 
 parents have to the constant government and oversight 
 of their children. If this rule is not productive of posi- 
 tive evil at the present time, it is productive of no 
 apparent good, and is, therefore, of no use to the present 
 age. 
 
 4. The Manner of Conducting Public Worship. 
 
 First. Of Singing. As there are no rules prescribed in 
 the word of God, beyond singing with the " spirit and with 
 the understanding," it is a matter of indifference, whether 
 the worshiper stands or sits ; but the hymn to be sung 
 should not be announced by one or t.\o lines at a time. 
 This makes it almost impossible for any congregation or 
 choir to sing with spi-it and impression. If the singer 
 consults his own ease in singing, together with the mere full 
 and distinct impression of musical sounds, he will stand. 
 
 " Alise and bless the Lord, 
 
 Te people of his choice ; 
 Arise, and bless the Lord your God, 
 
 With heart rnd Soul, ard voice." 
 
 Second. The Attitude of the Body in Prayer. No rule for 
 this is laid down in the Scriptures. Standing and kneel- 
 
350 RITES AND CEREMONIES MAT BE CHAN-ED. 
 
 ing are both recognized, and it is therefore indifferent as 
 to the posture of the body, if the hearl is right with 
 Go:l. Third. The manner of adm nisleriny the ordinances. 
 I, Bapti-m. The matter of this ordinance is water ; and 
 the form, " In the name of the Father, the Son, and 
 the Holy Ghost." Beyond these, which are esscn:ial tu 
 the right administration of this ordinance, it is indidcrenl 
 whether the candidate stands or kneels, while receiving 
 it, or whether the water is poured or sprinkled. What- 
 ever ceremonies are used with this ordinance, should, as 
 clearly as possible, indicate its covenant character and 
 spiritual import. 2. The Lord's Sup/ er. The mutter of 
 this ordinance is bread and wine. The ceremony is, to 
 break the bread, and to pour out the wine. The form is, 
 " Take, eat," " Drink ye all of it," " Do this in remem- 
 brance of me." These are essential to the proper admin- 
 istration of this ordinance, but the attitude of the body 
 is not. 
 
 The leading object of the church should be, to ad- 
 minister both these ordinances, " so that all things may 
 be done to edification." The church is competent to con- 
 struct suitable forms of public worship ; and to ordain 
 such forms of consecration, to be used in the ordinance 
 of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, as may best accord 
 with the nature and design of their institutions ; and to 
 prescribe the manner of administration, so that there may 
 be order and uniformity in her ritual, and so that the 
 greatest impression may be produced by her public 
 services. 
 
 This fact brings her under obligations to consult closely 
 her own interest and duty, and to take hold of such de- 
 velopments of time and circumstances as may justify her 
 farther progress into an elevated state. With doctiines 
 she has notl ing to do ; these are the fixed facts of Chris- 
 
RITES AND CEREMONIES MA J' BE CHANGED. 351 
 
 tianity, as established by the great Legislator of the uni- 
 verse. But her ritual is in her own hands, and she is 
 competent to ordain, change or abolish any part or parts 
 that may demand her attention. 
 
 5. In closing our remarks on this Article, we are re- 
 rn'nded of two things — 
 
 First. Whatever may be the peculiarities of fhe rites 
 and ceremonies of the church to which we belong, if 
 "ordained and approved by common authority," and 
 " are not repugnant to the word of God," are in full 
 force until they are either changed or abolished by the 
 common authority of the church. It is, therefore, the 
 duty of every church member to observe these rites and 
 ceremonies for the time being ; though a change for the 
 better, in some things, might be very desirable, in order 
 to the oreater and more permanent success of the church. 
 Any obstinate violation of the established rules and 
 usages of the church, is usually attended with evil, and 
 especially when it " woundeth the consciences of weak 
 brethren."' Let every one, therefore, avoid, as far as 
 possible, any offmce against the church, lest he bring 
 upon himself an open rebuke ; — 
 
 " Lest innocence should find a snare ; 
 And tempted viitue fail '' 
 
 Second. The authorities of the church should secure to 
 themselves enlightened and liberal views of the condition 
 and wants of the church, and of the demands of the age in 
 which the church is now living. Not, indeed, to study 
 any compromise of principle or doctrine with the world, 
 but to meet in the best manner the opening spiritual wants 
 of the world. And when any rule of the church, which 
 may have contained an unscriptural demand, or test of 
 church membership, is neglected by common consent, or 
 cannot be enforced without great injury, — greater than 
 
352 RITES AND CEREMONIES MAY BE CHANGED. 
 
 the neglect of the rule, — it were well either to modify it 01 
 remove it out of the way. 
 
 The church should always be equal to the wants of the 
 age, the times and men's manners, if not greatly in 
 advance of them ; never, never behind, for then she 
 must drag heavily. She should ever pursue a 
 liberal and enlightened, but firm policy, making no 
 compromise with formality, and never obstinately ad- 
 hering to rites and ceremonies whose utility is doubt- 
 ful, simply because they were the usages of generations 
 long since gone to the grave. 
 
 " I love thy kingdom, Lord — 
 
 The house of thine abode, — 
 The Church our blest Redeemer saved 
 
 With his own precious blood." 
 
ARTICLE XXIII. 
 
 OF THE RULERS OF THE UNITED STATES OF 
 AMERICA. 
 
 " The president, the congress, t lie general assemblies, the gover- 
 nors, and the councils of state, as the delegates of the people, are 
 ihe rulers of t lie United States of America, according to the 
 division of power made to them by the Constitution of the United 
 States, and by the Constitutions of their respective states. And 
 1 he said states are a sovereign and independent nation, and ought 
 not to be subject to any foreign jurisdiction.'" 
 
 •Note — " As far as respects civil affairs, we believe it is the 
 duty of Christians, and especially 811 Christian ministers, to be 
 Mlbject to the supreme authority of the country where they may 
 reside, and to use f 11 laudable n cans to enjoin obedience to the 
 powers that be ; and therefore, it is expected that all our preach 
 ers and people, who may be under the British, or any other 
 government, will behave themselves as peaceable and orderly 
 subjects" 
 
 1. This article did not originally belong- to those which 
 Mr. Wesley selected from the Thirty-Nine Articles of the 
 Church of England. It was drawn up in A. D. 1784, 
 and inserted in its proper place among the other Articles 
 of Religion of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
 published in the book of Discipline for the first time, In 
 A. D. 1786. 
 
 The note which is appended to this Article was drawn 
 up in A. D. 1820, for the express benefit of the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal Church in Canada, which was at that time 
 under the jurisdiction of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 in the United States. At the same time, it was designed to 
 reach the case of any of our ministers or members who 
 might be under any foreign form of government, and toen- 
 
351 the christian's duty to civil government. 
 
 join upon them the duty of being " peaceable and orderly 
 subjects.'' This note is of great value, inasmuch as it 
 gives a clear, though brief, exposition of the spirit and 
 design of the Article, bo^h as to its specific and general 
 application. Meanwhile, the Article very distinctly ac- 
 knowledges the Independence and Sovereignty of the 
 United States, the authority of her chief magistrate, to- 
 gether with the authority of ihe rulers of the several 
 states of which ti e confederacy is composed. It very 
 clearly asserts that the Uniled States of America "are 
 sovereign and independent," " and ought not to be subjec t to 
 any foreign jurisdiction." In this affirmation it is as- 
 sumed, First. That there were good and sufficient reasons 
 for the separation of the colonial states from the jurisdic- 
 tion of Gieat Briiain. To the truth of this, the Declara- 
 tion of Independence, which was adopted, July 4, 177C, 
 together with the entire history of the suffering and op- 
 pression of these colonies, bear the most ample testimony. 
 Second. This Article teaches that the Supreme power of 
 this compact of states is in the hands of the people, and 
 that ours is, therefore, a representative republic. Fi- 
 nally, this Articles presupposes that the church and state 
 are two separate and distinct organizations, though sym- 
 pathizing with, and protecting each other, in their several 
 relations and interests. While the church enjoins upon 
 the ministers and members, the duty of being "peacea- 
 ble and orderly subjects," she expects that the state will 
 protect them, and sustain them in all their church privi- 
 leges, institutions, and forms of Christian worship. Both 
 the framers of the Constitution of the United States, and 
 the framers of the Constitution and Discipline of the 
 Church, knew full well, from observation and painful ex- 
 perience in the mother country, that the church and state 
 ought not to* be connected. Yet, in the construction of 
 
TOE CHRISTIAN'S DUTY TO CIVIL GOVERNMENT. 355 
 
 e:icli, the one had respect to the protection and support of 
 the other. 
 
 2. This sympathy between the church and the state, as 
 separate and distinct associations, is the immediate and 
 natural result of the divine origin and authority of both. 
 Jt is the uniform doctrine of the Scriptures, that civil 
 government is an ordinance of God. It is manifestly his 
 will that men should live in society, and that the social 
 relations must be maintained and regulated by specific 
 laws and executive authority. The one \ery clearly sup- 
 poses the other ; for it is evident that where there is no 
 executor of law, the law must become a dead letter. 
 But men do live in society, and the social relations are 
 maintained. Their rights are secured by general and 
 specific laws, and these laws are administered by execu- 
 tive power. This power is from God, and it is not left as 
 a matter of choice, whether men shall be governed 01 
 not ; nor are they at liberty to resist the powers that be, 
 when employed to secure the legiimate ends of govern- 
 ment. Rom. xiii. 1, "The powers that be, are ordained 
 of God." Civil government is not of men, but from 
 God ; and it is his appointment that men shall be subject 
 to this government, and to those rulers, whom he, in his 
 government of nations, has placed over them. The 
 power of these rulers is the power of God delegated to 
 them, in this particular mode of its exercise. It is not 
 men, therefore, whom the Bible calls upon us to obey, but 
 God himself. We are to submit ourselves, it is true, to 
 men, " for so is the will of God ;" but in doing this, we 
 are not the servants of men, but " the servants of God.'' 
 
 The power to govern nations and states, must of neces- 
 sitv be distributed to a great many persons, and in v» ry 
 different degrees ; but to this power of God, in whomso- 
 ever vested, or in whatsoever degree, we as subjects are 
 
356 the christian's dutt to civil government. 
 to yield that measure of submission which the law re- 
 quires. This obedience is not so much due to the officer 
 as to the office ; therefore, it must be rendered by every 
 one, who would be a good citizen, without respect to any- 
 thing that may be offensive or inoffensive in the person 
 of the officer. Nero was the cruel and wicked governor 
 of the Roman Empire, yet the Apo-tles weie careful to 
 observe his laws " for the Lord's sake." And though the 
 authority of the ruler may not always be executed lor the 
 public good, and for all the best ends of government ; 
 yet our duty is still the same. 
 
 3. But to see the fuller force of the Christian's obliga- 
 tion to obey the mandates of civil government, we must 
 consult the Scriptures. These testify that government is 
 an ordinance of God ; yet it is equally true that every 
 particular modification and form of government is of 
 man. But this does not change the obligation to obey 
 the laws of the land ; for it is not the particular /w»i of 
 government, but the fact that government exists as an or- 
 dinance of God ; and the fact that government in some 
 of its forms or modifications recognizes us as its legitimate 
 subjects, that renders obedience to law a Christian duty. 
 Rom. xiii, 1-7, " Let every soul be subject unto the 
 higher powers. For there is no power but of God ; the 
 powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever, 
 therefore, resisteth the power, resisted] the ordinance 
 of God ; and they that resist shall receive to them- 
 selves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good 
 works, but to evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the 
 power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have 
 praise of the same ; For he is the minister of God to thee 
 for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid, for 
 lie beareth not the sword in vain ; for he is the minister 
 of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth 
 
THE CHRISTIAN S DLTT TO CIVIL, COVERNMENT. 357 
 
 evil. Wherefore, ye must needs be subject, not only for 
 wrath, but also for conscience' sake. Fur, for this cause 
 pay ye tribute also ; for they are God's ministers, attend- 
 ing continually upon this very thing. Render, therefore, 
 to all their dues ; tribute to whom tribute is due; custom 
 to whom custom ; fear to whom fear ; honor to whom 
 honor." 1 Tim. ii. 1-3, "I exhort therefore, that, 
 first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving 
 of thanks be made for all men ; For kings, and for all that 
 are in authority ; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable 
 life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and 
 acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour." Tit. iii. 1, 
 " Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and 
 powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good 
 work." I Pet. ii. 13-15, "Submit yourselves to every 
 ordinance of men for the Lord's sake ; whether it be to 
 the King as supreme ; or unto governors, as unto them that 
 are sent by turn for the punishment of evil doers, and foi 
 the praise of them that do well. For so it is the will of 
 God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the igno- 
 rance of foolish men." 
 
 These, with many other passages of a similar import, 
 show how clearly it is the duty of all Christians to main- 
 tain and support the civil laws and rulers of the state in 
 which fchej may live. The duty is urged for the sake of 
 God and for the sake of peace. 
 
 4. But the Bible is equally clear upon the duty of 
 Christians in the choice of their rulers. Ex. xviii, 21, 
 " Thou shalt provide out of all the people, able men, svch 
 as fear God, men of truth, haling coveluou^ncss ; and place 
 siuli men over them to be rulers." 1 Sam. xxiii, 3, 
 "He that ruleth over men must be just, riding in the feat 
 of God." Therefore political party spirit should nevei 
 run so high as to overlook these essential qualifications iu 
 
35b THE CHRISTIAN'S Dl'TV TO CIVIL GOVERNMENT. 
 
 our rulers ; nor should we complain if, after party zeal 
 has promoted wicked and weak men to high offices, the 
 curse of God should rest upon the whole nation. 
 
 There is no want of Scripture history and facts, to con- 
 firm the notion of the comparative good or evil that results 
 to a nation from the character of its ruler. The rulers of 
 Israel were either curses or blessings to the people over 
 ■whom they ruled. The example of David, Jehosophat, 
 Hezekiah and Josiah, are remarkable for the influence of 
 piety in the ruler in securing the happiness of the people, 
 and in turning the attention of their subjects to piety of heart 
 and the service of God. A nation is usually blest for 
 the sake of its pious rulers ; and that man who has not 
 the fear of God in his heart, and does not observe the 
 Scriptures and the institutions of religion, must sooner or 
 later be a curse to himself, and the people over whom he 
 presides. The history of the profligate Ahab and Jero- 
 boam, as rulers, should cause every ruler and every na- 
 tion to shrink with horror from the thought of being like 
 them, or of promoting such men to the government of 
 any nation. 
 
 5. The example of rulers should be a blessing to the 
 people, and none should be promoted to high office whose 
 example is contrary to morality and the word of God. 
 
 As a man, every ruler is bound, by the peculiar require- 
 ments of the Bible, to be an example of all the Christian 
 virtues. St. Paul calls such rulers, " The ministers of 
 God, for good unto his people." But how can they be 
 ministers of good, when they are corrupt in their hearts, 
 and profligate in their lives, disregarding even the ch-cent 
 proprieties of life? But such are often in office, and fci eir 
 power and splendor of state give dignity to whatever tbej 
 do; and however absurd or ridiculous the act may be, 
 many there are who will imitate them ; and thus thei/ ex- 
 
THE CHRISTIAN'S DUTY TO CIVIL GOVERNMENT. 350 
 
 ample spreads contagion and der.th around tliem. They 
 travel on the holy Sabbath, and thereby give occasion to 
 others to do the same ; and yet, if such men condescend, 
 as they often do, to give a heartless compliment to the 
 Bible or the Christian religion, or to visit some house of 
 religious worship on the Lord's day, their piety is heralded 
 over the whole nation. 
 
 But on he other hand, if the ruler is really a man of 
 God, and has been chosen as such by the people, his 
 example will greatly discourage vice and strengthen 
 virtue ; it will give him a charm of virtuous influence, 
 and a persuasiveness of character that will fascinate 
 the better classes of society, and commend the piety 
 of the Christian to all sections of the state or the 
 nation. Such men, and no others, should be the choice 
 of every Christian people, for no nation can stand guilt- 
 less before God, if they knowingly promote to offices of 
 trust, the viscious and profane. Piety should ever com- 
 mend itself to rulers as one of their chief qualifications, for 
 it is true that this is of much consequence. 
 
 " The act< of" pious -rulers shine 
 With rays above the rest." 
 
 G. It should ever be borne in mind, that in a govern- 
 ment like ours, the power is in the hands of the people, 
 and that, if rulers are not men of wisdom and piety, the 
 electors are the cause of the evil. All our public officers 
 are chiefly " the delegates of (lie people," as they are recog- 
 nized in this Article. If the people, by casting a majoriiy 
 of their votes, elect to office a vicious man, they thereby 
 publicly attest their preference for such a man, rather 
 than for the virtuous. And it is not a little mortifying 
 to conscientious Americans, that their own people have 
 too often promoted to the highest offices in their gift, 
 the weak, military hero of a few baUles, — the man of 
 
360 the christian's duty to civil government. 
 blood, — rather than the virtuous civilian or the profound 
 statesman. They have tco often lost sight of the fact, 
 that pious rulers are the " ministers of God for good," 
 and that the wicked and profane are "as a roaring lion 
 and a raging bear." 
 
 But it may be said that the people are often unable to 
 make the proper selection of public officers, especially if 
 the candidates are strangers. Now, this inability does not 
 lie so much in the ignorance of character, as in a fixed 
 purpose of party success, or in a want of a fixed deter- 
 mination to make choice of the virtuous, irrespective of 
 party bounds. Ignorance cannot be pleaded in the 
 case of legislators, members of Congress, or governors. 
 These are our neighbors, and it is presumable that no 
 elector is ignorant of the moral character of his fellow- 
 townsman. And with regard to the character and piety 
 of the candidate for chief magistrate, the people need 
 suffer no want of information. This might be as easily 
 determined as that he is a member of one or the other 
 party in politics. Select the best man, and thereby meet 
 the demands of Christian duty, and ail the ends of good 
 government will usually be met. 
 
 7. But whatever may be the moral character or ability 
 of our rulers, it is the duty of Christians to pray for them. 
 St. Paul says, in 1 Tim. ii, 1,2, "I exhort, therefore, that 
 first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving 
 of thanks be made for all men ; for kings, and for a!l 
 that are in authority ; that we may lead a quiet and 
 peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty." Our duty 
 is here clearly made known, and hence the Protestant 
 * Episcopal Church has the following prayer on all her 
 public occasions : "Most heartily we beseech thee, with 
 thy favor to behold and bless thy servant, The PresideU 
 oj the United States, and all others in authority ; and so re- 
 
the christian's duty to civil government. 3G1 
 
 plenish them with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that they 
 may always incline to thy will, and walk in thy way." 
 This prayer, or something like it, should be in the heart 
 and mouth of every American Christian. 
 
 " Lord, while for all mankind we pray, 
 
 Of every clime and coast ; 
 0 hear us for our native laud, 
 
 The land wc love the mosc." 
 
 This is the true and only relation that religion sustains 
 to politics, and thus it is, that religion and politics are joined 
 together. Not indeed, that religion and politics are one, 
 but that the religious element should always govern in the 
 affairs of politics ; and especially in the selection of 
 ruiers. By the right discharge of our duty as Chris- 
 tians, we may be enabled "to use all laudable means 
 to enjoin obedience to the powers that be," and to be- 
 have ourselves " as peaceable and orderly subjects." And 
 we may confidently expect God to bless and prosper our 
 nation, and to perpetuate her republican freedom to the 
 end of time. 
 
 "Here may religion <-hed her ligbt. 
 
 On days of rest and toil ; 
 And piety and virtue reign, 
 
 And bless our native soil." 
 
ARTICLE XXIV. 
 
 OF CHRISTIAN MEN'S GOODS. 
 
 " The riches and goods of Christians are not common, as touch- 
 ing the right, title, and possession of the same, as some do falsely 
 boast. Notwithstanding, every man ought, of such things a- he 
 j/ossesseth, liberally to give alms to the poor, according to his 
 ability " 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 Riches of Christians not Common. 
 1. The first paragraph of this Article condemns the no- 
 tion of a community of goods, which rose in Germany 
 soon after the Reformation, and was entertained and pro- 
 pagated by that fanatical sect called Anabaptists. These 
 persons maintained, among other things, the following 
 points of doctrine: " That the Church of Christ ought to 
 be exempt from all sin ; — thai all things ought to be common 
 among the faithful; — that all usury, tithes, and tribute 
 ought to be abolished ; — that the baptism of infants was 
 an invention of the devil; — that every Christian was in- 
 vested with a power to preach the gospel, and, conse- 
 quently, that the church stood in nc need of ministers, or 
 pastors; — and that God still continued to reveal his will 
 to chosen persons by dreams and visions." Dr. Mosheim, 
 Ec. Hist. 
 
 This sect, it is true, are not named in this Article as 
 they are in the Thirty-Eighth Article of the Protestant 
 Episcopal Church; The word "some" is supplied for the 
 word " Anabaptist," and we think with great propriety, 
 inasmuch as these have given place to certain societies of 
 
 362 
 
RICHES OF CHRISTIANS NOT COMMON. 
 
 363 
 
 half infidels, who still maintain the doctrine of a commu- 
 nity of goods. These are of so little importance, and have 
 so signally failed in all their attempts to establish their 
 communities, that they are scarcely entitled to notice. 
 
 But to show that this Article contains a correct Scrip- 
 ture principle, I remark that every Christian man has a 
 right to whatever may come into his possession according 
 to the principles of common justice, and the laws of the 
 country in which he may live. This right is r 'cognized 
 both in the Old and New Testament. Ex. xx, 15-17, 
 " Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not covet thy neigh- 
 bors house ; thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor 
 his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his 
 t%, nor anything that is thy neighbor's." Now, the gene- 
 ral precept, "thou shalt not steal," shows the right one 
 man may have in property, and the great evil of taking 
 that, property, or any part of it, without an equivalent, or 
 the consent of the owner. It is evident, therefore, that 
 stealing implies the right of ownership, vested in one or 
 more persons, and that without this right, no property 
 could be possessed, and of course there could be no such 
 thing as theft. 
 
 But stealing is a sin, and consists in taking, in a clan- 
 destine manner, that which belongs to another. Hence 
 it is, that this precept establishes the principle, that one 
 man may have a right to certain property that another 
 man has not, and therefore there is nothing here to justify 
 tits infidel notion of a community of goods. 
 
 The next precept recorded here, recognizes the personal 
 ownership of specific things, as a "house," a "wife," 
 "servants," and working animals. These, with "any- 
 thing that is thy neighbor's," are not to be coveted, be- 
 cause this leads to stealing, and because they arc not yours, 
 — they belong to your neighbor. These two passages es- 
 
3C4 RICHES OF CHRISTIANS XOT COMMON. 
 
 tablish the existence of rights to property, and these rights 
 give rise to sentiments of right and sentiments of wrong. 
 .And if the sentiment of right is virtuously cultivated, it 
 will produce strong sympathy for the rights of others, and 
 siiong opposition to any infraction of those rights. Hence 
 it is, that the right of property is a test of virtue, and a 
 means of benevolent sympathy. 
 
 2. But the Christian man's right to property is recog- 
 nize 1 with equal clearness in the New Testament. Mutt. 
 v, 42, " Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that 
 would borrow of thee, turn not thou away." This pas- 
 sage deafly implies jwssession in the person to whom it is 
 directed, and it teaches the benevolent use of those pos- 
 sessions. Why borrow a thing from another, if he has 
 no light to it? Why are we commanded to give to him 
 that asketh, if we have no better right to the thing asked 
 for than the person who asks? This passage so clearly 
 establishes the right to property, that farther comment is 
 unnecessary. 
 
 The same principle is involved in Matt, xii, 29, " Or 
 else, how can one enter into a strong man's house, and 
 spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man ? and 
 i hen he will spoil his house." Why attempt to spoil ti.e 
 " house," and the "goods," if they belong alike to the 
 strong and the weak? The same doctrine is taught in 
 John xix, 27, *' Then saith he to the disciple, Behold 
 thy mother ! And from that hour that disciple took her 
 unto his own home." First. John had a home of his own, 
 to which he had an independent right. Second. Jesus, 
 knowing and recognizing this, commended his mother to 
 the care of John, whose virtuous and benevolent heart 
 would dictate the kindest sympathy and care for the be- 
 reaved Mary. "And from that hour, that disciple took 
 her unto his own home." 
 
RICHES OF CHRISTIANS NOT COMMON. 3G5 
 
 But there are s ill other passages that contain the same 
 principle. Rom. xii, 13, "Distributing to the necessity 
 of saints ; given to hospitality."' Now, if all the saints 
 had an equal interest in properly, then no one could be in 
 necessitous circumstances, or if there was but little pro- 
 perty in common, all must have suffered, and there-fore 
 this precept mu t have been without meaning. But, the 
 precept has meaning. It was addressed to the rich, — 
 those who o>vned more than others, — so that they might 
 distribute to the poor. Clement, in A. D. 190, expresses 
 this same principle : " Let the rich contribute to the poor, 
 and the poor give thanks to God." 1 Tim. v, 8, "But if 
 any provide not for his own, and especially for those of 
 his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse 
 than an infidel." This passage inculcates the duty of in- 
 dustrv in every man in the support of his own family, and 
 it likewise makes every man individually responsible for 
 this duty. It is clear, then, that this passage does not 
 favor the doctrine of a community of goods. 
 
 3. The objections to the Christian man's right to pro- 
 perty are chiefly founded upon Acts ii, 44, 45, " And all 
 that believed were together, and had all things common ; 
 and sold their possessions and goods, and p rted them to all 
 men, as every man had need." Now, we grant that this was 
 the practice of the Christians in and about the city of Jeru- 
 salem ; but it was not intended to be of universal obliga- 
 tion, for this would make it necessary for all Christians, 
 or the whole body of believers, to be together, in or very 
 near one place, and this is clearly impossible. This prac- 
 tice was limited to the church at Jerusalem, and was occa- 
 sioned by her peculiar circumstances. This is pro\ed by 
 the prophecy of Agabus, and the practice of the Apostles. 
 
 Agabus signified " that there should be a great dearth 
 throughout the world." " Then the disciples, every man 
 
366 
 
 CHRISTIAN LIBERA LIT7. 
 
 according to his ability, determined to send help unto the 
 brethren which dwelt in Judea, which also they did." 
 Acts xi, 28-30. Now, it is evident from these circum- 
 stances, as well as from the account of Ananias and Sa- 
 phira, in Chap, v, 4, that the early Christians were under 
 no obligation to give their property to the church ; but 
 whatever they did in support of the church and the poor, 
 was voluntary. Nor is there any proof that the conduct 
 of the church at Jerusalem was followed by any o.her 
 church in the age of the Apostles, except as an example 
 of generous love triumphing over the selfish feelings of the 
 heart. From the above, it clearly follows, that "the 
 riches and goods of Christians are not common, as touch- 
 ing the right, title, and possession of the same, "as some 
 do falsely boast." 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 Christian Liberality. 
 
 1. " Notwithstanding, every man ought, of such things 
 as he possesseth, liberally to give alms to the poor, ac- 
 cording to his ability." 
 
 We apprehend no difficulty with the first part of this 
 Article, either in point of proof or in point of belief. Nor 
 is there any danger of the error here condemned obtaining 
 much popularity, especially among the rich. But little 
 argument is needed to convince men of their right to all 
 the property they can accumulate ; but there is but little 
 hope that they will readily, and to the full extent, adopt 
 the practice recommended in the second part of the Arti- 
 cle. Never, indeed, until their hearts are less set upon 
 uncertain riches, and more fully set. upon the riches of 
 eternal life, or until they confide more fully in the cer- 
 tainty and regularity of the gifts of Providence. 
 
CHRISTIAN LIBERA LITF. 
 
 367 
 
 *' Teach us, with glad, uugrudjjiug heart, 
 As thou hast blest our vaiious store, 
 
 From our abundance to impart 
 A iib'ral portion to the poor." 
 
 Let us now see how far the doctrine of Christian libe- 
 rality to the poor is sustained by the word of God. The 
 Old Testament, is full of proof that God himself took par- 
 ticular care of the poor, and that he made this the duty 
 of every member of the church. The same principle of 
 benevolent and charitable care for the destitute, is incor- 
 porated into the Christian system. But it is to be carried 
 as much higher among Christians, as the law of love is 
 elevated by the higher claims and benevolence of the 
 gospel. So high is this principle and duty elevated by 
 the New Testament, that, when Christ represents the 
 transactions of the judgment day, he records the smallest 
 act of charity toward the least of his disciples, as a bless- 
 ing of Christian kindness bestowed on himself. 
 
 This duty is inculcated in the Old Testament, Lev. xxv, 
 35, " If thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay 
 with thee ; then thou shall relieve him; yea, thovgh he he a 
 stranger, or a sojourner ; that he may live with thee.''' Deut. 
 xv, 10, 11, " Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart 
 shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him ; because 
 that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in 
 all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand 
 unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land ; 
 therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand 
 wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in the 
 land." Ps. xli, 1, " Blessed is he that considereth the 
 poor, the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble." 
 Prov. xix, 17, " He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth 
 unto the Lord ; and that which he hath given will he pay 
 him again." 
 
368 ctm.sTiAx liberality. 
 
 These are a few of the many passages in Hie Old Tes- 
 tament, that clearly enjoin the duty of liberality to the 
 poor. But, to make this duly profitable in its practical 
 application, the heart must be in the duty. " Thy heart 
 shall not be grieved." Hence it is, that this, like every 
 other religious duty, must be performed from principle, 
 and from the love of it. Then there will be present en- 
 joyment and future prosperity ; " Because that for this 
 thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, 
 and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto." 
 
 But this duty is a prominent part of the religious code 
 of the New Testament, and it is evident that the Apos- 
 toic Churches so understood it. Rom. xv, 26, "For it 
 hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a 
 certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jeru- 
 salem." The rule for the systematic performance of this 
 duty is prescribed by St. Paul, in 1 Cor. xvi, 2, "Upon 
 the first day of every week let every one of you lay by 
 liim in stoie, as God hath prospered him, that there be no 
 gatherings when I come." But the obligation to Chris- 
 tian liberality was recognized and practiced upon after the 
 days of the Apostles. Justin Martyr, in A. D. 150, says, 
 " Those Of us that have much, and are willing, according 
 to every one's pleasure, give and contribute as much as 
 themselves will ; and that which is gathered is given to 
 the President, and he helps orphans and widows with it, 
 and those that are in want by reason of sickness, or any 
 (,ther cause; and those that are in bonds, and strangers 
 that come a great way : and in brief, he takes care of all 
 that are' in necessity." The same principle exists still ; 
 and the practice of the duty will be recognized in the last 
 day. Matt, xxv, 35, 36, " For I was a hungered, a::d 
 ye gave me meat ; I was thirsty, and ye gave me 
 drink ; I was a stranger, and ye took me in ; naked, and 
 
CHUISTIAN LIBERALITY. 
 
 3G9 
 
 ye clothed me ; I was sick, and ye visited me ; I was in 
 ptisan, and ye came umo me." Not indeed that these 
 things were done to Christ in person, but they were done to 
 his suffering people ; and inasmuch as they were done to 
 these, they were done to Christ also ; for his people are one 
 with him. Hence the beauty of Christian liberality appears 
 in the fact, that the pious donor is personally rewarded in 
 this life, and shall be rewarded in that which is to come. 
 Acts xx, 35, " It is more blessed to give than to recieve." 
 
 But finally, the exercise of this principle is made the 
 test of true Christian character. 1 John iii, 17, "But 
 whoso hath this world's good, and feeth his brother have 
 need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, 
 how dwelleth the love of God in him?" 
 
 2. But while it is the obvious duty of the Christian to 
 assist the poor, " according to his ability," it is not his 
 duty to share the fruits of his honest toil with the idle, 
 the drunkard, and the luxurious libertine. This would 
 be to encourage them in their base habits, and to prevent 
 the ends and defeat the object of all good morals, and all 
 well regu'ated government. The settled policy of every 
 well ordered government is to encourage virtuous economy 
 and industry, and to discourage extravagance and idle- 
 ness. This is an obvious principle of revealed religion, 
 1 T/tess. iv, 11, 12, " And that ye study to be quiet, and 
 to do do your own business, and to work with your own 
 hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk hon- 
 estly toward them that are without, and that ye may 
 have lack of nothing." 2 T/tess. iii, 1.-12, "For even 
 when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if 
 any would not work, neither should he eat; 1'or we 
 hear that there are some which walk among you disor- 
 derly, working not at all, but are busy bodies. New 
 them that are such, we command and exhort by our 
 
370 
 
 CI1RISTUN LIBERALITY. 
 
 Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and 
 eat their own brea I." 1 Tim. v, 8, " But if any provide 
 not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, 
 he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." 
 Idleness, as you perceive, is here regarded as a source of 
 evil, a sin against God, and against society ; and the idle 
 man is a meddler in other men's business, — a common 
 news carrier, and "worse than an infidel." 
 
 3. The Christian man's benefactions are, therefore, to be 
 governed by the indications of Providence. While the 
 idle and vicious have no claims upon these gifts, according 
 to the dictates of reason and the Scriptures, yet there are 
 those who are proper objects of benevolent sympathy and 
 charitable donations, by the stern and unyielding decree 
 of Providence. Whatever charity may dictate for the 
 benefit of these — Hospitals for the sick, and Asylums for 
 the poor and infirm — are all within the spirit of the law of 
 Christian benevolence. The Christian, therefore, should 
 never forget the doctrine of this Article of Religion, sus- 
 tained as it is, by so much of the word of God. He has 
 a right, it is true, to whatever he may honestly 'accumu- 
 late of this world's goods ; but out of this right arises 
 the duty of liberal benefactions to the necessitous. All 
 we have comes from God, and we should ever be im- 
 pressed with a sense of dependence upon him ; and with 
 the fact that we are but stewards of the rich blessings of 
 a kind and beneficent Providence. 
 
 " To thee our all devoted be, 
 
 In whom we breathe, and move, and live ; 
 Truly we have received from thee, 
 
 Truly may we rejoice to give. 
 And while we thus obey thy word, 
 
 And every < all of want relieve, 
 0 1 may we find it gracious Lord 1 
 
 More blessed to give than to receive." 
 
ARTICLE XXV. 
 
 OF A CHRISTIAN WAN'S OATH. 
 
 '* As Tve confess that vain ami ra^h swearing is forbidden Chris- 
 tian men by our Lord Jesus Christ and James his Apostle ; so we 
 jndge that thw Oh Utian re 1 i ^ on doth not prohibit, but that a man 
 may swear when the magistrate requireth, in a case of faith ami 
 charity, so it be done accotdhig to the prophet's leaching, iu jus- 
 tice, judgment, and truth.' ' 
 
 SECTION FIRST. 
 Against Profane Swearing. 
 1. "As we confess that vain and rash swearing is for 
 bidden Christian men by our Lord Jesus Christ and James 
 bis Apostle," so we believe this part of the Article is in- 
 tended to prohibit the irreverent and rash use of any of 
 the names or titles of the Supreme Bring. It this.be a 
 correct view of the Article, just conceptions of it cannot 
 be too earnestly sought for, nor too highly estimated, in- 
 asmuch as it is directed against a useless, a very exten- 
 sive, and a damning sin against God's law, against God 
 himself, and against the interests and success of the 
 Christian religion among men. Profane and rash swear- 
 ing is forbidden by the word of God. Ex. xx, 7, " Thou 
 shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." 
 Now, the name of God, as used in the Scriptures, denotes 
 Ids name literally ; his titles of every kind ; his perfec- 
 tions, and every thing by which his character and bis 
 will are made known to mankind. Lev. x\x, 12, "Ye 
 shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou pro- 
 fane the name of thy God ; I am the Lord." Matt, v, 
 3 4-37, " I say unto you, swear not at all ; neither by 
 
372 PROFANE SWEARING. 
 
 heaven, for it is God's throne ; neither by earth, for it is 
 his footstool; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of 
 the great king ; neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for 
 thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let 
 your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatso- 
 ever is more than these cometh of evil." James v, 12, 
 "Above all things, my brethren, swear neither by heaven, 
 neither by earth, neither by any other oath ; but let your 
 yea be yea ; and your nay, nay ; lest ye fall into condem- 
 nation." These passages set forth in the clearest possible 
 manner, the Divine prohibition of the sinful and vain use 
 of profane language. And these prohibitions come from 
 the highest possible source, and are clothed with no less 
 than the authority of God. Let no man, therefoie, be 
 disobedient to this law. 
 
 2. The greatness of the sin of profane swearing may 
 be farther seen in the examples of punishment recorded 
 in the Scriptures. Lev. xxiv, 10-16, " The son of an 
 Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went 
 out among the Israelites ; and this son of the Israelitish 
 woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp. 
 And the Israelitish woman's son blasphemed the name of the 
 Lord, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses ; 
 and they put him in ward, that the mind of the 
 Lord might be showed them. And the Lord speak 
 unto Moses, saying. Bring forth him that hath cursed 
 without the camp, and let all that heard him lay their 
 hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone 
 him. And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, 
 saying, Whosoever curseth his God, shall bear his sin. 
 And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall 
 surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall cer- 
 tainly stone him ; as well the stranger, as he that is born 
 in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, 
 
PROFANE SWEARING. 
 
 373 
 
 shall be put to death." How clearly does the above point 
 out the conduct of many young- men ; and it may be, the 
 sons of members of the Church of Christ. They frequent 
 liquor dens, fight and swear, and banish all fear of God 
 from their heart. Think of such, and think of their 
 parents. 
 
 3. But, if we look at the recorded account of the 
 effects of profane swearing, we may still farther see its 
 evil. Jer. xxiii, 10, " Because of swearing, th'e land 
 mourneth ; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried 
 up." Bos. iv, 2, 3, " By wearing and lying and killing, 
 and stealing and committing adultery they break out, 
 and blood touchelh blood. Therefore shall the land 
 mourn, and every one that dvvelleth therein shall lan- 
 puish."' Zech. v, 3, " This is the curse that goeth forth 
 over the face of the whole earth; for every one that 
 slealeth shall be cut off as on this side, according to it ; 
 and every one that swearelh shall be cut o'V as on that 
 s'de according to it." It is evident from the foregoing 
 texts, that the franiers of this Article did well in raising 
 their voices in the symbolic records of the chuich, against 
 the sin of " vain and rash swearing ;" and well were it for 
 the church if she would raise her voice more loudly against 
 this, as against every other form of iniquity. All men 
 ought to do this, for the experience of every day informs 
 us most clearly, that profane swearers are a curse to good 
 morals — to society ; men whom the young should be ad- 
 monished to dread and avoid ; men who should be 
 branded as nuisances to any community, and as foul blots 
 upon the creation of God. But the effects of profane 
 swearing are farther seen in the fact that the 
 swearer speedily looses all proper sense of the awful 
 character of God, and the binding obligation of the truth. 
 By trifling with God's name, they scon learn to regard 
 
374 PROFANE SWEARING. 
 
 him as nothing more than one of themselves ; or, r~s an 
 object of mockery and insult, God is degraded in the esti- 
 mation of the moral sense, by the blighting mildews of 
 its own blasphemy ; and then he is insulted and intruded 
 upon by habitual falsehood and deliberate perjury. For 
 certain it is, that he who is a profane swearer, will, in 
 ordinary cases, soon swear falsely. 
 
 4. But there is another evil very closely connected with 
 this, if it is not a part of the evil itself. It is that which 
 is involved in what are called " by-words " These, I am 
 sorry to say, are but too common among Christians. 
 They are so very numerous and of so great variety, 
 that we can scarcely hope to give any distinct or general 
 specimen of them ; nor can we refer the reader to any 
 book, dictionary, or written language where he may find 
 them. They belong to that class of floating words that 
 have never obtained sufficient character or meaning 10 
 entitle them to a place in any respectable lexicon, or other 
 book. Like the profane swearer, they are out of respect- 
 able society ; they are avoided by chaste lips, and ab- 
 hored by the virtuous and well trained heart. They find 
 a welcome home, however, in the mouth of the vulgar 
 and thoughtless ; and in the vocabulary of the novice in 
 the way to the higher orders of profanity. In common 
 with other profane and useless words, they are unnatural : 
 no reason can .be assigned for their use ; they can gratify 
 no passion ; they create no enjoyment ; they procure 
 no advantage ; they promise no glory either in time or 
 eternity. They are the vile excrescences of a wicked 
 heart and a foul mouth ; a stupid, senseless, causeless 
 crime against God and against humanity. 
 
 5. As we have seen that profane swearing is forbidden 
 by the word of God, it is easy to infer our duty. 
 We should carefully avoid mentioning any of the 
 
JUDICIAL OATHS. 
 
 375 
 
 names of God on any, except solemn occasions of 
 worship, or in connection with his goodness, his 
 mercy, and his justice. And we should never speak 
 or think of God, of his Son, of the Holy Spirit, without 
 awe and reverence. We should never approach his 
 word, his house, the altar of prayer, without due prepara- 
 tion of heart, and a sense of his all-seeing presence. 
 Christians should shun all those words and forms of 
 expression, which, though not directly profane, are 
 merely a series of steps towards profaneness. Their 
 prayer to God should constantly be, " Lead us not into 
 temptation," and, " Set a watch, 0 Lord! be/ore my 
 mouth keep the door of my lips." 
 
 SECTION SECOND. 
 Jalicial Ouths not Sinful. 
 1. " So we judge that the Christian religion doth not 
 prohibit, but that a man may swear when the magistrate 
 required), in a cause of faith and charity, so it be done 
 according to the prophet's teaching, in justice, judgment, 
 and truth." This part of the Article expresses the 
 opinion of the church in all ages, and teaches what can 
 be shown to be the Scripture doctrine upon the subject of 
 judicial oaths. St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, A. D. 
 410, says, "Though it be said we shall not swear, yet I 
 do not remember it is anywhere read that we should not 
 receive or take an oath from another." Some of the 
 early Christian fathers claimed, that the word of a good 
 man should have the obligation of an oath ; hence Cyril, 
 Bishop of Alexandria, in A. D. 415, says, " Let yea and 
 nay, amongst those that have chosen to lead the best 
 lives, have the use and force of an oath, and let things be 
 
376 
 
 JUDICIAL OATHS. 
 
 so confirmed ; but if yea and nay be despised by any, let 
 oaths be at last turned or directed to that which is gixa'er 
 than us, yea and every creature, viz. : the Deity. 7 ' This 
 is the ride that should obtain among the members of 
 Christ's Church, but as it is impracticable, and not of 
 sufficient force in mixed society, it stands aside for the 
 higher obligation, which may be innocently required by 
 the magistrate in " causes of faith and charity." 
 
 2. But what is an oath ? "Among Christians an oath 
 is a solemn appeal for the truth of our assertions, the sin- 
 cerity of our promises, and the fidelity of our engage- 
 ments to the only God, the Judge of the whole earth, 
 who is everywhere present, and sees, and hears, and 
 knows whatever is said or done, or thought in any part of 
 the world." R. Wulson. It is, " A solemn action, whereby 
 we call on God to witness the truth of what we affirm." 
 Butterwortk. Judicial oaths are believed to be lawful by 
 all sects of Christians, except the Anabaptists, which 
 flourished about the time this Article was drawn up ; and 
 ihu Quakers and some others at the present time. But 
 their opinion is refuted by the word of God. The prac- 
 tice and lawfulness of oaths on certain important occasions, 
 is confirmed by numerous approved examples under the 
 Old Testament Dispensation. Gen. xxi, 23, 24, " Now 
 therefore swear unto me here by God, that thou wilt not 
 deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's 
 son ; but according to the kindness that I have done unto 
 thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou 
 hast sojourned. And Abraham said, I will swear." 
 This and other examples occurred before the giving of 
 the law, so that an oath can be no peculiarity of the Mo- 
 saic dispensation. But that dispensation did not forbid 
 the taking of an oath, for there are examples of holy men 
 swearing to each other after the giving of the law and in 
 
JUDICIAL OATHS. 
 
 377 
 
 full view of all it forbid and of all it required. 1 Sam. 
 xx, 17, "And Jonathan caused David to swear again, 
 because he loved him." Chap, xxiv, 22, "And David 
 swear unto Saul." This practice was not repealed by 
 anything that was said or done by Christ or his Apostles. 
 On the contrary, there is evidence that Christ himself 
 conformed to the judicial demands of his country, in a 
 solemn affirmation. Matt, xxvi, 63, 64, " And the high 
 priest answered and said unto him, Iadjure thee by the 
 living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, 
 the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said." 
 " I adjure," signifies to impose an oath on another, and 
 Jesus did not object to the course of the high priest in 
 bringing him under the obligations of an oath ; but an- 
 swered in the Eastern mode of affirmation, " Thou hast 
 said." Examples are found in the Epistles to justify the 
 belief that judicial oaths are lawful. Horn, i, 9, " For 
 God is my witness." Chap, ix, I, " I say the truth in 
 Christ." 2 Cor. i, 23, "I call God for a record upon 
 my soul." It must be evident, therefore, that the words 
 of Christ, in Matt, v, 34, " Swear not," do not prohibit 
 all swearing on necessary occasions. Nor do the similar 
 •words of the Apostle, James v, \9, " Swear not," prohibit 
 the lawful use of such forms of obligation as the 
 state may devise. All that is forbidden, is " vain and 
 rash swearing" on unsuitable and unnecessary occasions. 
 This whole subject must have been understood in this 
 sense by the framcrs of this Article, for they say, " that 
 a man may swear when the magistrate requireth." 
 
 3. This Article directs how Christian men should 
 swear ; " in justice, judgment and truth;" and upon what 
 causes ; " of faith and charity." Faith here'means simply 
 the business of establishing the credit of anything ; and 
 charity includes anv good and Christian motive. The di- 
 
 16 • 
 
378 
 
 JUDICIAL OATHS. 
 
 rections for judicial oaths are derived from Jer. iv, £ 
 " And thou shalt swear. The Lord liveth, in truth, in 
 judgment, and in righteousness." 
 
 First. "In truth ;" tliat is, with an entire agreement 
 between the sentiments of the mind and the words of the 
 oath, in their common obvious meaning, and as under- 
 stood by those who are competent to administer it, and 
 those who receive it. An oath must be taken without any 
 mental reservation, for it is obvious that this must defeat 
 the very object of the oath, destroy all confidence among 
 men, and involve the swearer in the sin of perjury. 
 This is allowed by Papists, and hence the care in the 
 wording of this Article, that this error may be avoided 
 and exposed. 
 
 Second. " In judgment ;" that is, so as not to swear 
 ignoranily, but deliberately, and after considering care- 
 fully the circumstances of the matter about which we are 
 to swear, so that all the facts in that particular case that 
 are within the eompass of our knowledge, may be pro- 
 perly stated. 
 
 Third. " In righteousness ;" that is, so as not to swear 
 falsely, but with a fixed and steady purpose of mind to 
 perform whatever we plfcge ourselves to do at the time' 
 of the obligation. These directions are intended to per- 
 petuate the dignity and solemnity of the oath ; and to 
 make it the means of arriving at the truth ■ " the whole 
 truth and nothing but the truths 
 
 Oaths are of two kinds ; assertory and promissory. 
 The former refers to facts past or present, and the person 
 swearing asserts these facts, according to the best of his 
 knowledge. The latter refers to certain actions in time to 
 come, which the swearer promises to perform with all 
 faithfulness, and to the best of his ability. 
 
 4. It will be seen from the foregoing examples, that 
 
JUDICIAL OATHS. 
 
 879 
 
 tlicre is no prescribed form of obligation in the New Tes- 
 tament. This was, and is still left, to the discretion of 
 the state. This is just as it should be, for it were impos- 
 sible to construct a form of oath that would apply to, and 
 involve all the facts and circumstances that the multitu- 
 dinous transactions of life might demand. Whatever the 
 form may be, it must involve an appeal to the Supreme 
 Being, for this is what constitutes the spirit and obligation 
 of an oath. It is no matter in what form this appeal is 
 made, whether by holding up the hand, kissing the Holy 
 Book, or by affirmation, for the purport of the oath is the 
 same, because the appeal is made to God. This is the 
 doctrine of the examples we have recorded, and it is a 
 command of God. Deut. x, 20, " And to him shall thou 
 cleave, and swear by his name." Swearing by any other 
 name is prohibited by Christ, in Matt, v, 34, and by St. 
 James, chap, v, 12. Swearing by the name of God, im- 
 plies a belief in his being, an acknowledgment of his Om- 
 niscience, Omnipotence and Justice ; together with nil ac- 
 knowledgment of a future state of rewards and punish- 
 ment. Hence it is said, in the Westminster Confession of 
 Faith, that, " A lawful oath is a part of religious 
 worship/' 
 
 4. It becomes Christian men, therefore, to enter upon 
 this service with the utmost care and reverence ; and with 
 a gravity of deportment and an exactness of truth, to 
 which they may conscientiously and without fear, call 
 upon God to witness. This act, simple as it is, joins the 
 soul with the awful and heart-searching transactions of 
 the last day. It involves an appeal to God, —to his jus- 
 tice in the administration of his own government, and to 
 the impartial investigations of the nature and influence of 
 words, actions and all the different aspects of moral 
 character, in the day when a universe of intelligent 
 
380 JUDICIAL OATHS. 
 
 beings shall be judged and rewarded " according to the 
 deeds done in the boJy." 
 
 " How careful then ought I to live ; 
 
 With what religious fear ; 
 Who such a strict account must give 
 
 For my behaviour here." 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 A review of the Articles of Religion, as they are ar- 
 ranged in the book of Discipline, and of the matter con- 
 tained in the foregoing Notes, suggests the following brief 
 Analysis — Doctrines — Rule of Faith — Rules of Christian 
 Practice. 
 
 From Art. I to Art. IV, is a statement of the Doctrines 
 involved in the general Doctrine of the Holy Trinity. 
 From Art. V and VI, we learn what is the Rule of Faith. 
 From Art. VII to Art. XI, are the Doctrines that refer 
 to Christians as Individuals ; and from Art. XIII to Art. 
 XXV, are the Doctrines that relate to the conduct of be- 
 lievers as members of the Christian Church. This analy- 
 sis is added to the foregoing work, for the purpose of 
 showing, in a condensed form, not only the extent of 
 ground that is covered, but the amount of matter that the 
 Articles contain. And as the foundation of true religion 
 is an intelligent belief in one God, the first Article in the 
 series announces the existence of but one Supreme Being. 
 This announcement is made upon the authority of both 
 natural and revealed religion. The fact that a being ex- 
 isted anterior to the great framework of nature, and that 
 lie still exists to superintend and direct its vast operations, 
 is alike the testimony of philosophy and the Bible. Phi- 
 losophy, in her investigations, casts floods of light upon 
 the Bible, and both together confirm the fact of a Su- 
 
582 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 prcme existence. So minute and definite are the revela- 
 tions of God in his works, that 
 
 " The meanest pin in nature's frame, 
 Marks out some letter of his name ; 
 Across the earth, around the sky. 
 There's not a spot, or deep or high 
 "Where the Creator hath not trod, 
 And left the footsteps of a God." 
 
 But the Bible affords the clearest and most direct evi- 
 dence of but one God. To this we must constantly 
 refer. Then follows the doctrine — 
 
 I. — Of the Holy Trinity. 
 
 " And in unity of this Godhead, there are Three 
 Persons, of one substance, power and eternity ; the 
 Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." A reader of 
 ecclesiastical history need not be informed of the obvious 
 necessity of this Article ; nor need we say to the wise 
 reader of the Bible, that this* Article contains a doctrine 
 of Divine revelation. Those who take this view of the 
 subject are called Trinitarians. But there are those, on 
 the other hand, who affirm that there is no distinction of 
 Persons in the Godhead ; that Christ has but one nature ; 
 that he is a created being, neither human nor Divine ; 
 and that the Hoi}' Ghost is merely an attribute or emana- 
 tion from the Father. These are called Unitarians. Of 
 these, there are three distinct subdivisions ; the Avians, 
 who regard Christ merely as an exalted Leing, and the 
 Holy Ghost as the breath or an emanation from God. 
 And the Socinians, who believe Christ to be but a man. 
 Then the Subellians, who affirm that the terms Father, Son, 
 and Holy Ghost, are merely three names for the one per- 
 son of the Father. 
 
 It is worthy of remark, however, that while the before 
 
CONCLUSION. 383 
 
 named Articles oppose Arianism in general, the A nanism 
 of the present age, is not the Arianism of the fourth nor 
 of the seventeenth century. It has been greatly modified 
 and transformed, though in its principal features it is still 
 the same. It is an old error modernized and surrounded 
 with drapery, and presented in such plausible costume, as 
 to easily lead astray the young and unreflecting mind. 
 Hence the propriety of a clear and Scriptural, and en- 
 larged exposition of the several doctrines that enter into 
 the one fundamental doctrine of the Trinity. Though 
 the foregoing Articles and appended Notes consider but 
 one main error, as the root of what may be called modern 
 Arianism, yet they are sufficiently full and explicit to meet 
 this error in all its various phases and modification. 
 And as a defense of the doctrine of the Trinity, they are 
 as well adapted to a Socinian or a Sabellian, as to an 
 ancient Arian. 
 
 In controversy with this grand heresy, the first Article 
 states the doctrine of the Divine unity, and that in this 
 unity there are Three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy 
 Ghost. Arians do not deny that the Father is a Divine 
 essence. In this they do not materially differ with Trini- 
 tarians. But they deny the Divinity of the Son, and ridi- 
 cule the idea of two distinct natures in Christ, and deny- 
 that the Scriptures ought to be interpreted on this princi- 
 ple. To meet this flat denial of what all correct thinkers 
 believe to be a clear doctrine of the Bible, we have the 
 whole of ihe second Article, embodying the Scripture 
 statement of these doctrines. And when the doctrines 
 of this Article are read in connection with the numerous 
 plain proof texts of God's Word, they establish beyond 
 the possibility of a reasonable doubt, one essential part of 
 the doctrine of the Trinity. Then when there is added to 
 this the fourth Article, with its equally clear statement of 
 
384 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 the Divinity of the Holy Spirit, fully sustained as it may 
 be also by the direct authority of Inspiration, and the 
 doctrine of the Trinity is at once confirmed. While it is 
 true, that the proof of this doctrine is spread out at great 
 length in the Bible, and especially in the New Testament, 
 and inwrought in the matter of the Apostolic Epistles, 
 yet it is incapable of illustration by anything in natuie or 
 science. It is a doctrine which addresses itself purely to 
 our faith, and we are bound, on the authority of Revela- 
 tion, to receive it as an Article of Faith, and to give it a 
 prominent place in our creed. Without this, much 
 that is written must be without meaning, and the church 
 must ever be in doubt. But with the Bible before him, 
 the minister of truth can confidently teach the sublime 
 lesson, " Defide Sacro Sanctum Trinitatum." 
 
 " Thee, holy Father, we confess, 
 
 Thee, holy Son, adore ; 
 And thee, the Holy G/wst, we bless. 
 
 And worship evermore.'' 
 
 H. — The Rule of Faith. 
 The fifth and sixth Articles affirm that the Rule of 
 Faith is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New 
 Testament. In doing this, they assert most positively, 
 that the Rule of Faith is here, and nowhere else. And 
 this is the united belief of the whole Protestant world ; 
 and for this belief there is the obvious testimony of the 
 Bible itself. But Romanists deny this, and affirm that 
 the Rnle of Faith is not confined to the Scriptures alone, but 
 it is also contained in written and oral tradition. The re- 
 sult of this error must be fatal. Already do its effects 
 appear in all Papal countries, and among all Romanists 
 
CONCLUSION. 386 
 
 wherever they are fiund. This error necessarily lessens 
 the high estimate that the Scriptures should have, and of 
 course, their claims as a Rule of Faith are disregarded. 
 It follows, then, as almost a necessary consequence, that 
 Papists have no Rule of Faith, for it is very certain that 
 the whole mass know as little about tradition as they do 
 about the Bible. Hence the universal ignorance, immo- 
 rality and idolatry of Romanists. How far this prince of 
 errors is entitled to any credit whatever, is seen only in 
 the force of mere impudent assertion, and not in any 
 proof that the Bible itself offers. Left to this, and our 
 faith is based on the confidence we may have in the simple 
 unsupported declaration of a Papist. How far this will 
 satisfy the cultivated heart, and how far it may go to 
 prove, that a huge mass of uncertain tradition is a part 
 of the Rule of Faith, is left for every intelligent reader 
 of the Bible to determine. 
 
 In the investigations of the claims of the Old and Xew 
 Testament, as the only Rule of faith, three things must 
 be determined ; and these things can never be predicated 
 of Romish tradition. 
 
 First. Are the Scriptures genuine ? that is, Were 
 they written by those whose names they bear ? 
 
 Second. Are they authentic, containing true accounts ? 
 
 Third. Are they inspired ? 
 
 The last question is answered by St. Paul, " All Scrip- 
 ture is given by inspiration of God." 2 Tim. iii. 1G. To 
 what extent the Scriptures are theopneustic, is stated in the 
 text, and very ably shown by Gaussin on the Inspiration 
 of the Bible. A full answer to the last question is an 
 answer to both the others. If the Scriptures are the 
 work of plenary inspiration, they must be both genuine and 
 authentic. The Spirit of God is too just and merciful to 
 commit a fraud on the credulity of man. Nothing but 
 
381- 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 the word of inspiration can be the Rule of that Faith 
 upon which is suspended the ultimate destiny of the im- 
 mortal soul. But no such claim for the inspiration of 
 tradition is urged, and how can it be any part of the Rule 
 of Faiih ? It cannot be urged, that because a corrupt 
 church, claiming infallibility, has merely pronounced this 
 to be a part of the Rule of Faith, that this will definitely 
 make it so. Papists may claim what they please on this 
 subject, but it will be a long time before any intelligent 
 set of Protestants will award this power to the Romish 
 Church ; and it will be a much longer time before Papists 
 will accomplish their original design in the destruction of 
 the use of the Scriptures, by the elevation of tradition 
 God alone has the right and the power to construct ana 
 publish the rules of a believer's faith ; and He has acted 
 upon this right and used this power, and now we have 
 the Old and New Testament, and these contain all that is 
 necessary for a correct faith and a correct practice. With 
 these we should be content, and make them our study by 
 day and by night. 
 
 " Still we believe, Almighty Lord, 
 
 Whose presence fills both earth and heaven, 
 
 The meaning of the written word 
 Is by thy inspiration given ; 
 
 Thou only dost thyself explain 
 
 The sacred mind of God to man.'' 
 
 III. — Doctrines that Refer to Christians as 
 Individuals. 
 
 From the seventh to the twelfth Article there is a state- 
 ment of facts and rules that grow directly out cf the 
 Rule of Faith, and that are recognized as belonging to 
 man, both in his natural and gracious state. Original sin 
 
CONCLUSION. 38") 
 
 is defined as belonging to man's nature, and is so stated 
 in the Scriptures. In this doctrine, there is direct oppo- 
 sition to that error which claims that sin consists in fol- 
 lowing the example of Adam, and not in the nature of 
 every man that comes into the world. This is an ancient 
 hereby, reaching down to the present time, and taking 
 deeper root in the sceptical mind, just in proportion to the 
 spread of other forms of infidelity. It is not claimed that 
 original depravity adds anything to the glory of human 
 character ; but inasmuch as it is a fact, deplorable indeed, 
 which pervades the whole man from the beginning of his 
 existence, and which is the root of all the sins of his 
 •whole life ; and inasmuch as the Bible and all human ex- 
 periences attest the existence of this evil, why attempt to 
 evade its force ? Pelagians of every shade of difference 
 admit the existence of evil in man's practice, and of evil 
 as it exists all over the earth ; and they admit, too, the 
 necessity of Christ's atonement as the antidote for the 
 evil, but still they cling to the error that the origin of sin 
 is simply in following a sinful example. But quite another 
 view of the subject is presented in these Articles of Reli- 
 gion. After stating that sin is in the nature of every 
 man, the effects are referred to as evidence of the fact 
 stated. So fully and entirely is man under the enfeebling 
 influence of depravity, "that he cannot turn himself by 
 his own natural strength," and that " without the grace 
 of God by Christ," he cannot even will to do that which 
 is right. Art. VIII. With this view of the subject, the 
 doctrine of natural ability falls to the ground. But, turn- 
 ing to the idea of Redemption, we ascertain where is the 
 source of man's ability to please God. St. Paul says it 
 is " Grace," and that this " is the gift of God." What- 
 ever may be man's ability in the transition from the 
 natural to the gracious state, is all of God. And when 
 
388 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 lie is justified by faith as the gift of grace, then he has in 
 himself the spirit of God prompting him to acts that are 
 pleasant and acceptable to God. Art. IX. 
 
 But while he is enabled thus to do good works, these 
 " cannot put away sins, and endure the severity of God's 
 judgments." At most, they are but fruits of a saving 
 faith, " for faith without works is dead." Art. X. 
 
 But free as man may be, and however capable of good 
 works in Christ, he is not able to do more than God has 
 required of him, for in his very best state, and with all he 
 can possibly do, he is an unprofitable servant. This is the 
 obvious doctrine of Art. XI, as it is also the doctrine of 
 (ryd's word. At this point the Romish doctrine of good 
 works receives a deadly blow, and the truth is made more 
 prominent. While Art. XII offers no encouragement to 
 sin, it at the same time alleges, that for whatever sin the 
 believer may commit, in his times of forgetfulness or temp- 
 tation, if he is truly penitent, he may ask and obtain par- 
 don. This doctrine is founded on the general scope of 
 the gospel, and upon the uniform promise of pardon to 
 all true penitents. 
 
 These doctrines embrace enough to show that the 
 Christian system proposes to impress upon every man 
 clear conceptions of his distinctiveness, and personal re- 
 sponsibi.ilies. So fully does the Christian Religion indi- 
 vidualize, that no one, who will give it any attention, can 
 fail to see a distinct recognition of himself, and that he is 
 addressed as directly as if there were no other human 
 beings but himself. While it prescribes the bitter cup of 
 penitence and self-loathing for sin, and points to the 
 straight gate, and narrow way, it never fails to speak the 
 consoling promise, " My grace is sufficient," and to ele- 
 vate the faith, and the hope of the Christian to crowns 
 of glory, reward, and immortality. 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 389 
 
 IV. — Doctrines that Refer to Christians as Members 
 of the Church of Christ. 
 These doctrines run through a series of Articles, begin- 
 ning with Art. XIII, and ending with Art. XXV. They 
 prescribe rules for the various relations of Christian 
 social life. Christians are said to compose the "congre- 
 gation of faithful men," known as the Church. And 
 without entering upon the learned question of what con- 
 stitutes the only true church, it simply speaks of the 
 church as a visihle organization in which the ■' Word of 
 God is preached, — and the sacraments duly adminis- 
 tered." Where God is worshiped as the Eternal Spiiit, 
 without the use of " i7nages," and where he alone is in- 
 voked for pardon, rather than any of the saint*, however 
 holy they may have been ; and where all the services of 
 religion are conducted in such a " tongue as the people 
 understand." 
 
 No one can fail to see the two-fold object of these Arti- 
 cles, — -first, to bring out the Scripture idea of a church, 
 and to defend its worship against the ceremonials of su- 
 perstition and idolatry ; and second, to expose the, errors 
 and p;igan mummeries of Romanism. To the true friend 
 of Protestanism, these facts are of great importance, — 
 much greater than the vexed question of determin- 
 ing, by ancient records, what is the only or true church 
 of Christ. Farther on, and there is a definition of the 
 Sacrament of Baptism. This is the appointed innitiatory 
 rite, for a proper enterance into the Christian Church. 
 It is defined to be a " sign of profession, and mark of dis- 
 tinction, whereby Christians are distinguished from those 
 that are not baptized." It is farther defined to be a " sign 
 of regeneration." And if but a sign of regeneration, it 
 therefore follows, that it is not regeneration itself. The 
 
390 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 sign of a thing is very different from the tiling signified. 
 The controversy at this point, is with tile Romish doctrine 
 of baptismal regeneration, and with the later but similar 
 heresy of Alexander Campbell. The Romish error is 
 well known, and lest the same error in Mr. Campbell's 
 hands should not be as well known, I will give his own 
 words. Speaking of the Ethiopian eunuch, he asks, 
 what made him go on his way rejoicing? His answer is 
 in these words, "he had found what thousands before 
 him had experienced, peace with God, from a conviction 
 that his sins had actually heen forgiven in the act of immer- 
 sion." Christian Baptism, p. 422. The l eader is referred 
 back to the Notes on this subject, and to Faber's sermons 
 on regeneration, for a more extensive refutation of this 
 giant error. 
 
 To advance still farther in our review, it becomes 
 necessary to remark that the adult believer, and member 
 of Christ's church, is authorized by all the terms of the 
 Covenant of Grace, to place upon his children the same 
 sign of the Covenant that was placed upon himself. And 
 the terms of the Article recognize this right in these 
 words, "The baptism of young children is to be retained 
 in the church." 
 
 But within the Scripturally defined boundaries of the 
 church, there is another ordinance, which is a sign of the 
 love, and higher life of its members ; and which is a 
 commemorative " Sacrament of their Redemption by 
 Christ's death." Again are we in contact with the end- 
 less errors of papists, and when we say that this ordinance 
 is " not to be divided," but to be administered, "in both 
 kinds," to all Christians alike, the reader will know what 
 Romish error is referred to. When this holy Sacrament 
 is properly administered, there is exhibited the clearly 
 defined fact, that " the offering of Christ, once made, is 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 391 
 
 that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for 
 the sins of the whole world, both original and actual." 
 The point of contact with error as it is implied here, is 
 the Romish doctrine of the mass which argues that Christ 
 is offered in sacrifice for sin, whenever the mass is cele- 
 brated. But Christians, as members of the church, are 
 furnished with the benefits of Religious Teachers^ And 
 not to detain the reader with remarks on the importance 
 of the office, nor the qualification- of the Christian 
 minister, I simply wish to say that the rights and privi- 
 leges of the marriage covenant, are as fully allowed to 
 them, as they are to other Christians. And why not ? 
 None but a Romanist will object, and his objections here 
 are as unscriptural as his argument for extreme unction 
 as a sacrament, or, as for his doctrine of purgatory. 
 But nothing seems to be too sacred for these unholy hands ; 
 and the more sacred the institution may be, the greater is 
 their zeal and triumph in its desecration. The holy in- 
 stitution of marriage is invaded, and denied to all who 
 call themselves ministers. But it may not be forgotten 
 that the benevolent design of the marriage covenant is 
 seen, in part, in the fact that it enlarges benevolence and 
 friendship, by joining and cementing various families in 
 close alliance ; and in the true incentives to the education, 
 protection, and morality of the rising generations. It is 
 an institution of God, and set apart for wise purposes, 
 and without any restrictions, except so far as the relation- 
 ship of blood is concerned. And certainly no one who 
 is at all familiar with the decidedly evil effects of relations 
 marrying together, will, for a moment, object to the only 
 restrictions that God has laid on the formation of the 
 marriage covenant. But none of the Scriptural objec- 
 tions to marriage are pleaded by Romanists. They 
 object to the marriage of ministers on what they supoose 
 
392 CONCLUSION. 
 
 to be even higher ground than the word of God — the 
 authority of the church. But whether ministers shall 
 marry or not, as the Bible teaches, and as the whole 
 Protestant world believes, is left entirely to their own dis- 
 cretion, and "as they shall judge the same to serve best 
 to godliness.'" 
 
 But the Christian church must, of necessity, have cer- 
 tain rites and ceremonies. Some form must be adopted 
 for the conduct of public worship, and for the order of 
 each worshiping congregation. Whether these forms 
 shall be simple or complicated, is not the question here ; 
 but rather is the question of the right, and competency 
 of the church to ordain and adapt her rites and ceremo- 
 nies to "the diversity of countries, times, and men's 
 manners," provided always, " that nothing be ordained 
 against God's word." But when these are ordained 
 by the common authority of the church, they demand 
 that the conduct of Christians shall be in accordance with 
 these claims. 
 
 Surrounding the church, and protecting her right to 
 ■worship God in the use of whatever forms she may 
 ordain ; and protecting the persons and civil rights of 
 ] er members, is the civil government of the country. 
 This is an ordinance of God, and claims, in return, the 
 personal support, and the prayers of every Christian. 
 In the exercise of the rights of citizenship, the Christian 
 is bound to contribute his influence in the selection of 
 civil rulers, whose character and administration shall be a 
 virtuous ornament to the nation, and whose example shall 
 best comport with the claims of God's word. In a 
 government like ours, where every man is a sovereign in 
 1 imself, and free to cast his vote for whom he pleases, 
 the follower of Christ should be careful, lest political 
 partizan feeling shall be. consulted rather than his duty to 
 
CO.VCLl/SION 
 
 393 
 
 Gud and the country. No Christian man is consul ing 
 the best means to promote the glory of God, who will 
 support a political party and vote for a wicked man. 
 
 But we recognize among the numerous other civil 
 rights of Christians, their right to hold property. But 
 with this right there is involved a very important Chris- 
 tian duty. The duty is inculcated in every part of God's 
 word, and is expressed in the Article, in few words. 
 Every Christian man " ought, of such tilings as he pos- 
 sessed), liberally to give alms to the poor, according to 
 his ability." The proper objects of charity are more 
 fully described in the Notes than they can be here. To 
 theai please refer. The last, but by no means the least 
 of the rules that relate to Christians as members of the 
 church are the rule of a Christian man's oath, and the 
 prohibition of unnecessary and rash swearing. The rules 
 of an oath, " in a cause of faith and charity," are laid 
 down by the Prophet as consisting of " Justice, Judg- 
 ment, and Truth." 
 
 Here ends our review of that system of truth that is 
 so clearly taught in God's Word, and is so universally 
 believed. While it may differ in some unimportant 
 respects with other creeds, it maintains in common with 
 them, the fundamental Articles of a pure Protestant 
 faith. It is so obviously the doctrine of the Bible, that it 
 is incorporated into the ministrations of almost every 
 Christian pulpit in the Protestant world. Within the 
 limits of Methodism, 49,000 ministers are constantly 
 publishing these doctrines in thirty-two different lan- 
 guages, to about 8,000,000 of adherents. But the fact 
 may not be forgotten, that too many of the discussions 
 of the present age are about forms and developments. 
 Not that these are unimportant, in their appropriate 
 places, but because they are secondary to the internal and 
 
394 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 more spiritual doctrines of Christianity. These are the 
 basis of all true piety. The true remedy for the many 
 evils that threaten to injure, if not destroy, both the 
 church and the civil institutions of the country, is to be 
 found in the clear understanding, and practical applica- 
 tion of the vital doctrines of our religion. If these pass 
 out of the public mind, all deep inwrought experimental 
 godliness will soon be lost in the wild frenzies of fanati- 
 cism on the one hand, and the cold and heartless formali- 
 ties of Romanism on the other. If we inquire for the 
 cause of the thousand evils which exist both in the church 
 and the state, we may find that it lies deeper than most 
 of us imagine. So practical is the present age, that first 
 principles are almost forgotten, in our efforts to be like 
 the age in which we live. This is our great error, and 
 we should be alarmed lest its growing influence shall 
 destroy the main source of our hopes. We must have 
 more of that intelligent, deep experimental piety which 
 always results from intimate, and prayerful commu- 
 nion with Christian doctrine. These are based on no 
 human or vain speculations, but on the plain and obvious 
 teachings of God's Revelations of himself and his govern- 
 ment. These demand several things intelligently carried 
 out, namely, Theory, Feeling, Practice. And to be suc- 
 cessful in meeting these demands, there must be study, 
 close and critical, — Prayer, fervent and faithful, and 
 Watchfulness over all our actions, lest the adversary shall 
 destroy us by the way ; and lest the infidel's distorted 
 dreams of reason, and the superstitious and pagan mum- 
 meries of the " Mother of Harlots." shall so far overcast 
 the Christian canopy with clouds and vapor, that the Son 
 of Righteousness shall be forever concealed, and the 
 world fall into the dismal vortex of universal scepticism, 
 or the worse bondage and confusion of a universal Popery, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Abraham — Justified by Faith alone, - - -194 
 
 Children in the Covenant with, - 274 
 
 Sign of the Covenant with, - - 279 
 
 Against Profane Swearing, - - - - 371 
 
 A Good Heart the Source of Good Works, - - 2u5 
 
 Anabaptists, 288 
 
 Opinions of concerning Property, - 362 
 
 Antinomians, Opinions of concerning Good Works, 2l>4 
 
 Apocrypha, no part of Scripture, - - - - 135 
 Raised to Equality with the Bible by 
 
 Papists, 235 
 
 Armenians not Pelagians, - - - - - 168 
 
 Charge of the Synod of Dort against, 167 
 
 And Calvanists, How they Agree, - 183 
 
 How they Disagree, 184 
 
 Attributes of God, — Eternity, 36 
 
 Spirituality, ... 40 
 
 Omnipotence, 44 
 
 Wisdom, - - - - 48 
 
 Goodness, 52 
 
 Ascribed to Christ, - - 74 
 
 to the Holy Spirit, - 118 
 
 Atonement of Christ Permanent, ... 98 
 In place of Personal Punishment, 199 
 
 Universal in its Design, - 97 
 
 Atheism False, 23 
 
 Can Account for Nothing, - - - 35 
 
 Authority of the Bible not derived from the Church, 235 
 
 Augustine, — Testimony of on Man's Fall, - - 1 84 
 
 On ihe Old and New Testament Saints, 152 
 
 On Judicial Oaths, - - - - 375 
 
 On Works of Supererogation, - 218 
 
 39i 1 
 
S96 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Baptism, Definition of, - 267 
 
 A Sign of Profession, - - - 269 
 
 A Mark of Difference, - 27C 
 
 Subjects of — Adult Believers, - - 271 
 
 The Penitent, ... 272 
 
 Children, 273 
 
 Testimony of Origin, - - - - 281 
 
 of Cyprian, - - - 281 
 
 of Sixty-Six Bishops, - - 281 
 
 of Gregory JNazeanzan, - 28' 
 
 of the Fifth Council of Carthage, 281 
 
 of Augustine, - - - 282 
 
 of Tertullian, - - - 282 
 of Wall's History of Infant 
 
 Baptism, - 282 
 
 of Children a Duty, - 283 
 
 Not Regeneration, - - - - - 284 
 
 Romish View of, 285 
 
 Campbellitish View of, - - - - 285 
 
 Matter and Form of, - 350 
 
 Circumstances may Affect the Mode of, 34 J 
 
 Baptists, Origin of in England, - 282 
 
 of in America, - - - 282 
 
 Basil's View of the Deity of the Holy Spirit, - - 1 2U 
 
 of Works of Supererogation, - - 21!? 
 
 Belief in God Universal, 23 
 
 Nature and the Bible the Source of, 24 
 
 Believers may Fall into Sin, - 26"2 
 
 may Recover from Sin, - 229 
 
 may be Lost, 229 
 
 Bible — Authority of not Derived from the Church, 235 
 
 The only Rule of Faith, - - - - 1 SjO 
 
 Romanists deny this, 1 3 1 
 
 Divine Authority of - - - 134 
 
 Came by Inspiration, - - - - 135 
 
 Bones of Elisha not Worshiped, ... 245 
 
 Brazen Serpent Destroyed, ----- 24 
 
 Catechism, Romish, Quotation from, - - 311 
 
 Christ, Divinity of, 73 
 
 Attributes of God ascribed to, - - 74 
 
 Works of God ascribed to, ... 7(j 
 
INDEX. 
 
 S97 
 
 Christ, Divine Honors ascribed to, - - - 77 
 Bore witness to his own Divinity, - -78 
 
 Humanity of, A Miracle of the Holy Ghost, 79 
 
 Subject to Physical Laws, • 80 
 
 Necessary, ... 82 
 
 Implies a Soul, 82 
 
 Immortal, ... 83 
 
 Union of the Two Natures of, - • - 84 
 
 Scripture Proof, 84 
 
 A Mystery, - 86 
 
 When United, 86 
 Reason of the 
 
 Union, • 87 
 
 Sufferings of the Humanity of, • - - 89 
 Scripture Proof of, 9 1 
 
 Was truly Dead, 92 
 
 Was Buried, 92 
 
 Object of the Sufferings of, • - • 93 
 
 Resurrection of, — Doctrine Stated, • - 100 
 
 Proofs of the Fact, ■ 101 
 
 Witnesses not Deceived, - 102 
 Published where it took 
 
 place. • • - 103 
 
 Ascension of, • • - - • - 104 
 
 Scripture Proof of. • - 105 
 
 Witnesses of, - - - 105 
 
 Why delayed Forty Days, 105 
 
 Was a Real Transaction, - 106 
 
 •Reasons for the, - - 107 
 One Offering of for Sin, - • - -323 
 
 Second Coming of, - • • • 108 
 
 Object of this, - • 10T 
 
 Circumstances of the, 1 10 
 
 Will end all things, • 111 
 
 Merit Allowed to, - • - 198 
 
 Chrysostom on the Unity of the Scriptures, • - 144 
 
 Christians — Riches of not common, - - • 362 
 
 Their Right to Property, . - • 364 
 
 Objections answered, - • - 365 
 
 Church— What it is, 231 
 
 Why called Visible, ... 232 
 
398 
 
 I N D E X . 
 
 Church — Not Restricted to a Single Society, - - 233 
 
 Existed before Christ, - - - 23 1 
 
 Tests of a True, 235 
 
 "Why called Holy, .... 239 
 
 Speaking in the, in an Unknown Tongue, 249 
 
 The same in all Ages, - - - 273, 21 6 
 
 Name of changed, .... ^ 78 
 
 Gentiles United to, 279 
 
 Has the Right of Discipline, - - 345 
 
 Has the Power to Change Rites, - - 3 46 
 
 Should Meet the Wants of the Age, - 352 
 
 Clement, Opinion of on Justification, - - 194 
 
 of on the Riches of Christians, - 365 
 
 of on the Sacrifice of Christ, - 325 
 
 Connection between Good Works and Salvation, - 209 
 
 Council of Constance on the Lord's Supper, - 317 
 
 Trent " " - - 318 
 
 Decrees of, - - - - 318 
 
 Confirmation, not a Sacrament, ... - 253 
 
 Testimony of Tertullian, - - 258 
 
 of Cyprian, - - - 25« 
 Right Practiced in Protestant Churches, 269 
 
 Corpus Christi, Feast of 312 
 
 Condemnation, — The Soul Conscious of, - - 201 
 
 Creation Ascribed to Three Persons, - - 6'J 
 
 Order of, 57, 59 
 
 Cannot sustain itself, ... (jg 
 
 Covenant with Abraham, Sign of, - 279 
 
 Cyprian, Opinion of, on the Lord's Supper, - 320 
 
 Cyril, Opinion of, on the Judicial Oath, - - 375 
 
 Death not set aside by the Atonement, - - 170 
 
 The Effect of Sin, J 7 1 
 
 Universal, - - - - - - 171 
 
 Dead — Christ was Truly, 92 
 
 Definition of a Sacrament, ... - 254 
 
 of Original Sin, - - - - - 165 
 
 of Baptism, 267 
 
 of the Lord's Supper, .... 289 
 
 Divine Grace, — Man Strengthened, - - - 186 
 
 The Source of Moral Ability, - 188 
 
 Given to all Men, - - - 188 
 
] N I) F. X . 
 
 399 
 
 Divine Grace, — Particular Offices of, - - - 183 
 
 Divine Authority of the Bible, - - - - KM 
 
 Honors Given to Christ, - - - 77 
 
 Worship (riven to the Holy Spirit, - - 119 
 
 Divinity of Christ, 73 
 
 of the Holy Spirit, - - - - 117 
 
 Doctrine of Imputation Considered, ... |07 
 
 of Original Sin, - - - - 166 
 
 Duty of Christians in the Choice of Civil Rulers, - 357 
 
 to their Civil Rulers, - 360 
 
 Dream of Joseph Considered, - 307 
 
 Effects of the Fall,— Man enfeebled, - - - 182 
 
 Involves Two Things, - 182 
 
 Scripture Proof of, - - 183 
 Testimonv of Augustine, Irenceus, 1 !'4 
 
 Elliott on Romanism, — Quotation from, - - 131 
 
 Elijah, Translation of, - - - - - 151 
 
 Elisha, Bones of not Worshiped, ... 245 
 
 Eternity of God, — The Term used in Two Senses, 37 
 
 Scripture Proof of the Doctrine, 38 
 
 Evil, Man naturally Inclined to, - - - 179 
 
 Scripture Proof of, 180 
 
 Faith, No Man Justified without, - - - - 197 
 
 The Term of Justification, ... 198 
 
 Not Meritorious, 197 
 
 Of Two Kinds, 196 
 
 Abraham's Considered, - - - - 194 
 
 The Gift of God, 195 
 
 Fall, Effects of,— Man Enslaved to Sin, - - 182 
 
 Final Judgment, 11' 9 
 
 Results of, - - - - - 1 1 1 
 
 God, Attributes of,— Eternity, - 36 
 
 Spirituality, 40 
 
 Omnipotence, - 44 
 
 Wisdom, 48 
 
 Goodness, - 62 
 
 The Creator of all things, .... 57 
 
 Preserver of all things, - - - 61 
 But one Living and True, - 21-36 
 
 Goodness of God, — Proof of in the Bible, - 52 
 
 in His Works, - - 54 
 
400 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Goodness, not inconsistent with the Existence of Sin, 54 
 
 Grace, — The Source of Moral Ability, - - 186 
 
 Definition of the Term, - - - 187 
 
 Given to all Men, - - - - 187 
 
 Particular Offices of, - - - ] 88 
 
 Heathen, Transmission of Sin among the, - - 176 
 
 Heaven, First, Second, Third, - - - 57, 58 
 
 Holy Spirit, Divinity of the, - - - - 117 
 
 Procession of the, - - - 113 
 
 Personality of the, - - - - ] 1 5 
 
 Sin against, — What it is, - - 222 
 
 Unpardonable, - - 223 
 
 Holy, — The Church why called, 239 
 
 Holland, Arminians of, 168 
 
 Irenaeus. Opinion of on the Office of Grace, - 184 
 
 Images, Worship of by Romanists, - 244 
 
 Image of God, — The loss of by Sin, - - - 169 
 
 Imputation considered, - - • - - 197 
 
 Inspiration, Meaning of, - - - - - 135 
 
 Infidel Philosophy Refuted, 60 
 
 Ignatius, on the Unity of the Bible, - 148 
 
 James and Paul Reconciled, - - - - 212 
 
 Jews, Religion of, - - - - - - 141 
 
 Judicial Oaths not sinful, ----- 375 
 
 Definition of, - - - - 376 
 
 Rules of the, - - - - 377 
 
 Examples of taking the, - - 377 
 
 Of Two Kinds, - - - - 378 
 
 No form of in the Bible, - - 378 
 
 Justification by Faith alone, - - • - 196 
 
 Synonymous with Pardon, 200 
 
 A Change of Relation to God, 200 
 
 By Works Impossible, - - 1 93 
 
 Judgment,— The Final," 108 
 
 Results of the, - - - 1 1 1 
 
 Justyn Martyr, Opinion of on the Trinity,- - 71 
 
 Joseph, Dream of Considered, - - - - 307 
 
 Knowledge, — The Foundation of Belief, - 24 
 
 Of God the most Valuable, - - 34 
 
 Law of Moses not obligatory on Christians, - 153 
 
 Intended to be Temporary - - 154 
 
INDEX. 
 
 401 
 
 Law of Moses, Civil Precepts of not Binding, - 157 
 
 Moral, Binding on Christians, ... 158 
 Foundation in the Relation of Moral 
 
 Beings, - - - - - 158 
 Parts of Considered, - - 160-163 
 
 Liberality, Christian, ... . 366 
 
 A Duty to the Poor, - - 367 
 
 Not to the Profligate, - 369 • 
 
 Governed by Circumstances, 370 
 
 Living God, But One, 28 
 
 Life of God not Derived, 29 
 
 of Every Living Being derived from God, - 2.9 
 
 Lord's Supper, Definition of, .... 289 
 
 Different Names of, - • - 290 
 
 Matter and Form of, - - - 298 
 
 Commemmorative, - - - 291 
 
 Shows Christ's Death till He come, £92 
 
 Obligations to Observe the, - 292 
 A Sign, - - ... -293 
 
 A Seal, 294 
 
 A Sacrament of Redemption, - - 295 
 
 How to be Received, - - - 295 
 
 Qualifications for, - 296 
 
 Penitents may Receive the, - 298 
 
 Benefits of the, - - - - 300 
 
 Not to be Neglected, 302 
 
 To be received by Faith, - - 303 
 
 Romish View of, - - - 317 
 
 Admission of Error, - - 317 
 
 Error opposed, - - 319 
 
 Not Administered by Romanists, - 314 
 
 Not to be Carried about, - - 310 
 
 Form of, 288 
 
 Opinion of Cyril on the, - - 272 
 Man, God the Creator of, — Infidel Philosophy Refuted, 60 
 
 Inclined to Evil, 179 
 
 How Justified by Faith and Works, - - 21 1 
 
 Justified for Christ's Sake. - - - 1 92 
 
 By Faith alone, - - - - 196 
 
 Cannot do more than is Commanded, - 215 
 
 Make Satisfaction for Others, - - 217 
 i7* 
 
402 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Man has no Natural Power to Save Himself, - 1 83 
 
 Not Free without Divine Grace, - - - 183 
 
 Free before the Fall, - - - - 185 
 
 Mass, A Dangerous Error, ----- 326 
 
 Not a Sacritice of Christ, ... 327 
 
 Romish Object of, 329 
 
 Marriage, not a Sacrament, - - - - 262 
 
 Restricted to Certain Degrees, - - 334 
 
 An Institution of God, ... 262 
 
 Merit.— Not in Faith, 197 
 
 Works of taught by Papists, -■ - - ♦ 214 
 
 in the Twefth Century, - 217 
 
 Mediator, — Christ the only, - - - - 147 
 
 Ministers, Marriage of, - ... - - 331 
 
 Have a Right to Marry, - - - 333 
 
 Scripture Examples of their Marrying - 333 
 
 Moses, Laws of not Obligatory on Christians, - 153 
 
 Moral Law Obligatory on all Men, - - - 153 
 Founded in the Relation of Moral Beings. 153 
 
 The Parts of Considered, - - 160 -163 
 
 Names of God applied to Christ, ... 74 
 the Holy Spirit, • -118 
 
 of the Books of the Scriptures, • - 12^ 
 
 Natures, Union of Two in Christ, 84 
 
 Nature Teaches a God, ----- 04 
 
 Not Sufficient for a Pure Religion, • • 24 
 
 Oaths, Judicial not Sinful, - • - 375 
 
 of Two kinds, • • - - 378 
 
 Old Testament not contrary to the New, - - 145 
 
 Saints looked for a Future State, • 150 
 
 the Resurrection. 1 52 
 
 Omnipotence of God, Definition of, - - - 44 
 
 the Cause of all things, - 44 
 
 Ground of this Attribute, - 45 
 
 Proved by His Works, - . 46 
 
 by the Bible, • 47 
 
 Original Sin, In what it does not consist, • • 165 
 
 Definition of, - • • 165 
 
 Pelagian Notion of, - - - - 165 
 
 In what it does consist, - - - 169 
 
 Some of its Effects, • - - - 177 
 
INDEX. 
 
 433 
 
 Origin, Testimony of concerning Purgatory, • 244 
 
 Infant Baptism, - 281 
 
 Image Worship, 244 
 
 Paul and James Reconciled, • - - -212 
 
 Patriarchs, Religion of, - - - - - 142 
 
 Passover appointed of God, ... - - 29b* 
 
 Pantheism, ------- 2^ 
 
 Romish View of. 203 
 
 Peace, — The Soul conscious of, - - - 216 
 
 Result of Justification, - • - 216 
 
 Penance, Romish Parts of, - - - - 2( 0 
 
 Not a Sacrament, - - - - - 261 
 
 Pelagians, Their View of original Sin, - - 166 
 
 Expelled from Rome, - - - - 166 
 
 Errors of Refuted, • - - - lt>7 
 Philosophy, Infidel Refuted, . ... 60 
 
 Polytheism Refuted, 26 
 
 Providence, Doctrine of Considered, - - 61-65 
 
 Probation of Man a Proof of God's Goodness, - 56 
 
 Priests, Romish forbidden to Marry, - - 221 
 
 Priesthood, Romish Claims for a True, - • • 327 
 
 Profane Swearing Prohibited, - - - • 371 
 
 Examples of Punishment for, - 572 
 
 Injurious Effects of, - - 373 
 
 "By-Words," an Imitation of, - 374 
 
 Prayer, Position of the Body in, indifferent, - 349 
 
 Public Worship, Some form of, necessary, • - 337 
 
 Purgatory, No Proofs of in the Bible, - - 241 
 
 Supposed Ways to, - - - - 240 
 
 Quotation from Elliott on Romanism, • • 131 
 
 Religion of the Patriarchs and Jews, - - - 142 
 
 The Foundation of, - - - - 23 
 Relics not to be Worshipped, .... 244 
 
 Reasons for the Union of Two Natures in Christ, 87 
 
 Reward, — All cannot have an Equal, - - - 216 
 
 Regeneration not by Baptism, - - - - 284 
 
 Reformation, The cause of, - - - - - 215 
 
 Opposed to Romish Indulgences, - 215 
 
 Resurrection of Christ, — The fact stated, - - 100 
 Means Used to Prevent the, 101 
 
 Proofs of the, - - 101 
 
404 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Resurrection of Christ, Witnesses not Deceived, - 102 
 
 Published in Jerusalem, - 103 
 
 Rites and Ceremonies, Definition of, - - - 336 
 
 What they include, - 338 
 
 Made Public, - - - 311 
 
 • To be Observed, - • 342 
 
 • May be Changed, - - 346 
 
 In force till Changed, - 351 
 
 Romish Church, No Sacraments in the, . - 3u9 
 
 Mass, A Dangerous Error, - - - 3i6 
 
 Claims for a True Priesthood False, - 327 
 
 Scheme Artfully Constructed, - - - 132 
 
 Views of Good Works, - - - 201 
 
 Rule of Faith, Scriptures the only, - - - 130 
 
 Rulers, Civil, 354 
 
 To be Obeyed, - - r - 356 
 
 Duty of Christians in the choice of, 357 
 
 Example of a Blessing or a Curse, - 358 
 
 Scripture Qualifications of, - - 358 
 Power to Choose Belongs to the People, 359 
 
 Christians Should Pray for, - - 360 
 
 Salvation, Grace the Soured of, - - - 190 
 
 Connection between Good Works and, - 209 
 
 Saints — Old Testament, What they Looked for, 1 50 
 
 Sacraments, Definition of, 254 
 
 Badges of Christian Profession, • 255 
 
 Signs of Grace, .... 256' 
 In Place of Circumcision and the 
 
 Passover, ..... 256 
 
 Signs of Faith, .... 257 
 
 Five Romish False, .... 258 
 
 Use and Effects of a True, - - 265 
 
 No Virtue in the Elements of, - - 265 
 
 Scriptures, — Sufficiency of, • - - 122 
 
 Names of the Books of, - - - 122 
 
 Proof of their Sufficiency, - - 124 
 
 All men may Read the, - - - 127 
 
 Not Contradictory, • 1 28 
 
 Testimony of Irenseus, - - - 129 
 
 Superior to Tradition, Koran, Shaster, 129 
 
 The only Rule of Faith, - 130 
 
INDEX. 
 
 40r- 
 
 Scriptures, Divine Authority of, - - - - 134 
 Serpent, Brazen Destroyed, - 214 
 
 Sin — Original, — Definition of, - - - - 165 
 In what it. consists, ... 169 
 
 Deatli a consequence of, - - 1? 
 Changed Man's Relation to God, 174 
 
 Some ot its Effects, - - - 177 
 In the Nature of Every Man, - 170 
 Continued by Physical Propagation, 173 
 But One Sacrifice for, 322 
 Testimony of the Bible,^ 323 
 of Clement, 325 
 
 A Moral and Physical Calamity, - - 176 
 
 Believers may fall into, .... 226 
 
 may Recover from, • - - 220 
 Who introduced it, • • - - - 55 
 
 Spirit, Witness of the, 202 
 
 Speaking in an Unknown Tongue Prohibited, - 249 
 Practiced by 
 
 Papists, - - 249 
 Contrary to the 
 
 Bible," - 250 
 
 Spinoza, Error of Refuted, 29 
 
 Spirituality of God, How Stated in the Article, - 40 
 
 Scripture Proof of the, - - 41 
 Spirit Holy, — Procession of the, - - - 113 
 
 View of by the Greeks and Latins, - 113 
 Scripture Statement of the 
 
 Doctrine, - - - - 114 
 
 Personality of the, - - - 1J'5 
 Not an Attribute of God, - - 115 
 
 Divinity of — Scripture Proof, - - 117 
 Names of God Applied to the, - 118 
 
 Divine Worship given to the, - - " 19 
 Bisal's View of the, - - - 120 
 
 States, United, Sovereignty of, - - - - 302 
 Sufferings of Christ, Object of the - 93 
 
 A Sacrifice for Sin, - - 95 
 Scripture Account of,- - 90 
 
 Supererogation, Works of — Definition, - . 213 
 
 A Romish Error, - 213 
 
406 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Supererogation, Works of— How expressed by 
 
 Papists, - - 214 
 Moslieim's Statement 
 
 of, .-- 214 
 Opinion of Bisal and 
 
 Augustine, - - 218 
 
 Error Refuted, - 220 
 
 Swearing, Profane, 371 
 
 Injurious Effects of, - - 373 
 
 Examples of Punishment for, - 373 
 
 When Lawful, .... 375 
 
 Tests of a True Church, 235 
 
 Pure Word of God 
 
 Preached, - - 235 
 Sacraments duly adminis- 
 tered, - - - - 326 
 Testament Old, not contrary to the New, - - 145 
 Testimony of Ignatius, - • - - - 140 
 Augustine,- - - - - 152 
 Things, all, God the Creator of - 57-60 
 Trinity, a Doctrine of the Bible, ... G5 
 Not clearly taught in the Old Testament, - 67 
 Jewish Notion of, ... G8 
 Clearly taught in the New Testament, - 69 
 
 Proofs of, 69 
 
 Transubstantiation, Romish Definition of, - - 304 
 
 Cannot be Proved, - 305 
 Overthrows the nature of a 
 
 Sacrament, - 308 
 Destroys the Sign of a 
 
 Sacrament, - - • 308 
 
 The Origin of other Errors, - 309 
 
 Unity of God, 21-28 
 
 Proved by the Unity of Design in 
 
 Nature, - - - - 254 
 
 Opposed to Polytheism, 26 
 
 to Dualism, 26 
 
 Zoroaster, Views of on the, - 26 
 
 Taught by the Prophets, - - 27 
 
 Unity of the Old and New Testament, - - 1 40 
 
 Proof of, - 145 
 
I X D E X . 
 
 407 
 
 Unity of the Old and New Testament, Testimony of 
 
 Justyn, - 144 
 Testimony of 
 
 Chrysostom, 144 
 
 Unction, Extreme, administered to the Dying only, 264 
 
 Not a Sacrament, - - 264 
 
 United States, — A New Article, - 353 
 
 Independence of Acknowledged, 354 
 
 Rulers of to be Obeyed, - - 356 
 
 Union of Two Natures in Christ, 84 
 
 Virgin Mary, Romish Worship of, ... 246 
 
 Wall's History of Infant Baptism, - 202 
 
 Watson, Quotation from, on the Oath, ... 376 
 
 Wisdom of God, A Compound Attribute, - - 48 
 
 Proofs of in Creation, 49 
 
 in Executing His Plans, 50 
 
 Infinite, - - - - 51 
 
 Witnesses of the Spirit, 202 
 
 Woiks, Good— Man not Justified by, - - 192 
 
 The Source of, - . - - - 206 
 
 Pleasing to God, 208 
 
 The Fruits of Faith, - - - 208 
 
 Signs of Gratitude, - - 208 
 
 A Christian Duty, - - - 211 
 
 Works of Supererogation — The Term, - - 213 
 
 A Romish Error - - 213 
 How expressed by Papists, 2 1 4 
 
 Mosheim's Statement of, 214 
 
 Worship, Public — Some form necessary to, - 336 
 
 Westminster Confession of Faith, — Quotation from, 182 
 
 Wesley, Quotation from, on Justification, - - 199 
 
 Zoroaster, — Opinions of, - - - - 26 
 
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