תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

SERM.coming the dignity of the human nature. II. And where the fpirit of the Lord is, there

[ocr errors]

is liberty, an enlargement of heart, and confidence becoming the fons of God. The different conditions of the fervants of God by the law and the gofpel, is reprefented, Gal. iv. by the difference between the ftate of a child who is an heir under age, and that of one who has obtained the plenary poffeffion and free enjoyment of his inheritance. Now, I fay, that the heir as long as he is a child differeth nothing from a fervant or bondman, tho' he be Lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father; even fo, we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fulness of the time was come, God fent forth his fon, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of fons; and because ye are fons, God hath fent forth the Spirit of his fon into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

And, laftly, the gospel is a law of liberty, as it fets us free from the power and authority of men in matters of religion and conscience. The Jews were in a fervile state,

4

not

not only by a multiplicity of external rites SE RM. which were of undoubted obligation, be- II. caufe God had appointed them; but their teachers fuperadded to this yoke many ceremonies merely of their own invention, and impofed them on the people. This they carried fo far that our Saviour himself inveighed against them with great severity, declaring that they tranfgreffed the commandment of God, and made it of no effect by their traditions; and to this purpofe he applies the words of the prophet Ifaiah, Matt. xv. 8. This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; but in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. The bleffed author of christianity has taken care to guard against such an invafion of his prerogative and the rights of his dif ciples, by establishing it as a perpetual law, that no one who is called by his name, and is his profeffed follower, fhall at any time claim a legislative authority in his church, Matt. xxiii. 8. Be not ye called Rabbi, for one is your mafter even Chrift, and all ye are brethren; and call no man your father upon the earth, for one is your father which is in heaven. Neither be ye called mafter, for one

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

SERM.is your master, even Chrift. Do not aspire

II.

to fuch a domination over one another as
the Jewish mafters and heads of schools do,
who arrogate a precedency and jurisdiction
even in religious things; but it fhall not be
fo with you my difciples; the firm bond of
your union, and foundation of your mutual
good offices to each other, is your ftrict ad-
herence to God your father, and your head
and Saviour Chrift Jefus. It would indeed
be an intolerable bondage to have conscience
in fubjection to frail and fallible men, but it
is the high privilege of Chrift's fervants,
that they acknowledge no other lord but
himself, and have an unalienable right to
fearch the records of his will, every one for
himself, as being only accountable to him.
I come in the
Second place, to confider the apostle's di-
'di-
rection to chriftians, that they fhould con-
ftantly endeavour to form their whole con-
duct by a respect to the future judgment,
which will be difpenfed according to the
gofpel, to the law of liberty, fo fpeak ye, and
So do, as they who shall be judged by the
law of liberty. It ought never to be ima-
gined that the liberty, wherewith Chrift hath
made us free, was intended to weaken the
obligations of our duty, or take away the
binding

as

T

binding force of the divine precepts which SER M. are indifpenfable. He came not to deftroy the II. law, but to fulfil it; and fo far from diminishing the strength of that motive which is taken from the future judgment, on the contrary, it is established by the gospel, which declares, that God now commandeth all men every where to repent, because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness. This, therefore, at leaft, is a neceffary caution infinuated in the text against the abuse of chriftian liberty, if it imported an immunity from the righteous judgment of God: inftead of that, the gofpel has explained the nature of this judgment more fully, and afferted it more clearly, declared the impartial equity and the univerfality of it, with all the circumftances which can concur to render it awful to men, and induce them by the expectation of it to the practice of religion and virtue. The light of nature itself, and that work of his law which God has written in our hearts, directs us to look for a diftribution of rewards and punishments hereafter, fince the adminiftration of providence, here, does not fhew fuch a difference between the conditions of good and bad men, as we cannot reafonably doubt but the wife and righteous ruler

D 4.

SERM. ruler of the world will finally make; and

II.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

our accufing and excufing thoughts are the prefages of that fentence which the great lawgiver will pass upon us according to our works. But the gospel has afcertained this matter more particularly and expreffly to all who believe its divine authority, as is evident from numberlefs paffages in the Evangelifts. And we fee that St. Paul, Rom. ii. 14-17, having mentioned the rational arguments taken from thofe natural notices God has given of their duty to all men, adds in the 15th ver. this pofitive exprets declaration, explaining the manner of the judgment. In the day when God fball judge the fecrets of men, by Jesus Christ, according to my gofpel. Not meaning that the gofpel shall be the rule of proceeding with all men in the great day of their final accounts, which it cannot be, particularly with respect to the Gentiles, who never heard of christianity, and of whom he is there particularly speaking; but that the gospel has fix'd it as an important article of our belief, that God will judge every one of mankind by Jefus Chrift according to the law they were un der.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

And, this certainly is a very strong argument for the practice of our duty in every od particular

« הקודםהמשך »