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fubmiffive.-Such now is the true filial difpofition. Such a temper and fuch a behaviour fhould we fhow towards God, if we would act in character as his children.

These then are the two special relations, which, as creatures, we ftand in to God. And not to act towards him in the manner before mentioned, is to fhow that we are ignorant of, or have not yet duly confidered our obligations to him as his fubjects and his children; or that we are as yet ignorant both of God and ourselves.— Thus we fee how directly the knowledge of ourselves leads us to the knowledge of God. So true is the obfervation of a late pious and very worthy divine, that "He "that is a ftranger to himself, is a stranσε ger to God, and to every thing that may "denominate him wife and happy *.”

But (2.) in order to know ourselves, there is another important relation we should often think of, and that is, That in which we ftand to Jefus Chrift our redeemer.

The former was common to us as men : this is peculiar to us as Chriftians; and opens to us a new scene of duties and obligations,

* See Mr. Faxter's dedicatory epiftle, prefixed to his treatife on The Benefits of Sf-Acquaintance.

ligations, which a man can never forget, that does not grofsly forget himself; for as Chriftians, we are the difciples, the followers, and the fervants of Chrift redeemed by him.

And 1. As the difciples of Chrift, we are to learn of him to take our religious fentiments only from his gofpel, in oppofition to all the authoritative dictates of men, who are weak and fallible as ourselves: Call no man mafter on earth. Whilst some affect to diftinguish themselves by partynames, as the Corinthians formerly did, (for which the apostle blames them,) one faying, I am of Paul; another, I am of Apollos; another, I am of Cephas, 1 Cor. i. 12. let us remember that we are the difciples of Chrift, and in this fense make mention of his name only. It is really injurious to it, to feek to diftinguifh ourselves by any other. There is more carnality in fuch party-diftinctions, denominations, and attachments, than many good fouls are aware of; though not more than the apostle Paul (who was unwillingly placed at the head of one himself) hath apprifed them of, 1 Cor. iii. 4.-We are of Chrift: our concern is, to honour that fuperior denomination, by living up to it; and to adhere inflexibly to his gofpel, as the only

rule

rule of our faith, the guide of our life, and the foundation of our hope; whatever contempt or abuse we may suffer either from the profane or bigotted part of mankind for fo doing.-2. As Chriftians, we are followers of Chrift; and therefore bound to imitate him, and copy after that most excellent pattern he hath fet us, "who hath left us an example that we "fhould follow his fteps," i Pet. ii. 21. To fee that the fame holy temper be in us which was in him; and to discover it in the fame manner he did, and upon like occafions. To this he calls us, Mat. xi. 29. And no man is any further a Christian, than as he is a follower of Chrift; aiming at a more perfect conformity to that moft perfect example which he hath fet us of universal goodness.-3. As Chriftians, we are the fervants of Christ; and the various duties which fervants owe to their masters in any degree, thofej we owe to him in the highest degree; who expects we should behave ourselves in his fervice with that fidelity and zeal, and steady regard to his honour and intereft at all times, which we are bound to by virtue of this relation, and which his unmerited and unlimited goodness and love lay us under infinite obligations to.-Laftly,

We

We are moreover his redeemed fervants and as fuch, are under the strongest motives to love and truft him.

This deferves to be more particularly confidered, because it opens to us another view of the human nature, in which we fhould often furvey ourselves, if we desire to know ourselves; and that is as depraved or degenerate beings. The inward contest we fo fenfibly feel, at fome feafons efpecially, between a good and a bad principle, (called in fcripture-language the flesh and the fpirit,) of which fome of the wifeft heathens feemed not to be ignorant*; this, I fay, is demonstration that some way or other the human nature has contracted an ill bias, (and how that came about the facred fcriptures have fufficiently informed us,) and that it is not what it was when it came originally out of the hands of its maker; fo that the words which St. Paul fpake with reference to the Jews in particular, are justly applicable to the state of mankind in general, "There is none righ"teous, no not one ;—they are all gone

Λυγρη γαρ συνοπαδος, ερις βλάπτεσα λέληθεν Σύμφυτος.

"out

Pythag. Aur. Carm.

A fatal inbred ftrife does lurk within,

The caufe of all this mifery and fin.

"out of the way, they are together be<< come unprofitable, there is none that "doth good, no not one *."

This is a very mortifying thought; but an undeniable truth, and one of the first principles of that science we are treating of; and very neceffary to be attended to, if we would be fenfible of the duty and obligations we owe to Chrift as the great Redeemer; in which character he appears for the relief and recovery of mankind under this their univerfal depravity.

The two miferable effects of the human apoftacy are, 1. That perverse difpofitions grow up in our minds from early infancy, that foon fettle into vicious habits, which render us weak, and unwilling to obey the dictates of confcience and reafon, and is commonly called the dominion of fin. And, 2. At the same time we are subject to the difpleasure of God, and the penalty of his law; which is commonly called the con demnation of fin. Now in both thefe refpects did Chrift, "the Lamb of God, "come to take away the fin of the world;" that is, to take away the reigning power of it by the operation of his grace; and the condemning power of it by the atone

*Rom. iii. 10, 12.

ment

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