תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

4. Yet, if we may credit historians, there are countries, even now, where he works as openly as aforetime. But why in savage and barbarous countries only? Why not in Italy, France, or England.' For a very plain reason: He knows his men; and he knows what he has to do with each. To Laplanders, he appears barefaced; because he is to fix them in superstition and gross idolatry. But with you he is pursuing a different point. He is to make you idolize yourselves; to make you wiser in your own eyes than God himself, than all the Oracles of God. Now in order to this he must not appear in his own shape: that would frustrate his design. No: he uses all his art, to make you deny his being, till he has you safe in his own place.

5. He reigns, therefore, although in a different way, yet as absolute in one land as in the other. He has the gay Italian infidel in his teeth, as sure as the wild Tartar. But he is fast asleep in the mouth of the lion, who is too wise to wake him out of sleep. So he only plays with him for the present; and, when he pleases, swallows him up!

The god of this world holds his English worshippers full as fast as those in Lapland. But it is not his business to affright them, lest they should fly to the God of heaven. The Prince of darkness, therefore, does not appear, while he rules over these his willing subjects. The conqueror holds his captives so much the safer, because they imagine themselves at liberty. Thus the "strong one armed keepeth his house, and his goods are in peace:" neither the Deist nor nominal Christian suspects he is there; so he and they are perfectly at peace with each other.

6. All this while he works with energy in them. He blinds the eyes of their understanding, so that the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ cannot shine upon them. He chains their souls down to earth and hell, with the chains of their own vile affections. He binds them down to the earth, by love of the world, love of money, of pleasure, of praise. And by pride, envy, anger, hate, revenge, he causes their souls to draw nigh unto hell; acting the more secure and uncontrolled, because they know not that he acts at all.

7. But how easily may we know the cause from its effects! These are sometimes gross and palpable. So they were in the most refined of the heathen nations. Go no farther than the admired, the virtuous Romans; and you will find these, when at the height of their learning and glory, "filled with all

unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, despiteful, proud, boasters, disobedient to parents, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful."

8. The strongest parts of this description are confirmed by one, whom some may think a more unexceptionable witness. I mean, their brother-heathen, Dion Cassius; who observes, that before Cæsar's return from Gaul, not only gluttony and lewdness of every kind were open and barefaced; not only falsehood, injustice, and unmercifulness abounded, in public courts, as well as private families; but the most outrageous robberies, rapine, and murders, were so frequent in all parts of Rome, that few men went out of doors without making their Wills, as not knowing if they should return alive!

9. As gross and palpable are the works of the Devil, among many (if not all) the modern heathens. The natural religion of the Creeks, Cherokees, Chicasaws, and all other Indians, bordering on our southern settlements, (not of a few single men, but of entire nations,) is, to torture all their prisoners from morning till night, till at length they roast them to death; and, upon the slightest undesigned provocation, to come behind and shoot any of their own countrymen! Yea, it is a common thing among them, for the son, if he thinks his father lives too long, to knock out his brains; and for a mother, if she is tired of her children, to fasten stones about their necks, and throw three or four of them into the river, one after another!

10. It were to be wished, that none but heathens had practised such gross, palpable works of the Devil. But we dare not say so. Even in cruelty and bloodshed, how little have the Christians come behind them! And not the Spaniards or Portuguese alone, butchering thousands in South America: Not the Dutch only in the East Indies, or the French in North America, following the Spaniards step by step: Our own countrymen too, have wantoned in blood, and exterminated whole nations; plainly proving thereby, what spirit it is, that dwells and works in the children of disobedience.

11. These monsters might almost make us overlook the works of the Devil that are wrought in our own country. But, alas! we cannot open our eyes even here, without seeing them on every side. Is it a small proof of his power, that common swearers, drunkards, whoremongers, adulterers, thieves, robbers, sodomites, murderers, are still found in

every part of our land? How triumphant does the prince of this world reign in all these children of disobedience!

12. He less openly, but no less effectually, works in dissemblers, tale-bearers, liars, slanderers; in oppressors and extortioners; in the perjured, the seller of his friend, his honour, his conscience, his country. And yet these may talk of religion, or conscience still; of honour, virtue, and public spirit! But they can no more deceive Satan than they can God. He likewise knows those that are his and a great multitude they are, out of every nation and people, of whom he has full possession at this day.

13. If you consider this, you cannot but sec in what sense men may now also cast out devils: Yea, and every Minister of Christ does cast them out, if his Lord's work prosper in his hand.

By the power of God attending his word, he brings these sinners to repentance; an entire inward as well as outward change, from all evil to all good. And this is, in a sound sense, to cast out devils, out of the souls wherein they had hitherto dwelt. The strong one can no longer keep his house. A stronger than he is come upon him, and hath cast him out, and taken possession for himself, and made it an habitation of God through his Spirit. Here then the energy of Satan ends, and the Son of God destroys the works of the Devil." The understanding of the sinner is now enlightened, and his heart sweetly drawn to God. His desires are refined, his affections purified; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, he grows in grace till he is not only holy in heart, but in all manner of conversation.

14. All this is indeed the work of God. It is God alone who can cast out Satan. But he is generally pleased to do this by man, as an instrument in his hand; who is then said to cast out Devils in his name, by his power and authority. And he sends whom he will send upon this great work; but usually such as man would never have thought of: for "his ways are not as our ways, neither his thoughts as our thoughts." Accordingly he chooses the weak to confound the mighty; the foolish to confound the wise; for this plain reason, That he may secure the glory to himself; that "no flesh may glory in his sight."

II. 1. But shall we not forbid one who thus "casteth out Devils," if "he followeth not us?" This it seems was both the judgment and practice of the Apostle, till he referred the case to his Master. "We forbad him," saith he, "because VOL. I. No. 11.

21

"He

he followeth not us; which he supposed to be a very sufficient reason. What we may understand by this expression, followeth not us," is the next point to be considered.

The lowest circumstance we can understand thereby, is,―He has no outward connection with us. We do not labour in conjunction with each other. He is not our fellow-helper in the Gospel. And indeed whensoever our Lord is pleased to send many labourers into his harvest, they cannot all act in subordination to, or connection with, cach other. Nay, they cannot all have personal acquaintance with, nor be so much as known to, one another. Many there will necessarily be in different parts of the harvest, so far from having any mutual intercourse, that they will be as absolute strangers to each other, as if they had lived in different ages. And concerning any of these whom we know not, we may doubtless say, "He followeth not us."

2. A second meaning of this expression may be,--He is not of our party. It has long been matter of melancholy consideration, to all who pray for the peace of Jerusalem, that so many several parties are still subsisting among those who are all styled Christians. This has been particularly observable in our own countrymen, who have been continually dividing from each other, upon points of no moment, and many times such as religion had no concern in. The most trifling circumstances have given rise to different parties, which have continued for many generations; and each of these would be ready to object to one who was on the other side, "He followeth not us."

3. That expression may mean, thirdly,-He differs from us in our religions opinions. There was a time when all Christians were of one mind, as well as of one heart; such great grace was upon them all, when they were first filled with the Holy Ghost! But how short a space did this blessing continue! How soon was that unanimity lost; and difference of opinion sprang up again, even in the Church of Christ ;-and that not in nominal but in real Christians; nay, in the very chief of them, the Apostles themselves! Nor does it appear, that the difference which then began was ever entirely removed. We do not find, that even those pillars in the temple of God, so long as they remained upon carth, were ever brought to think alike, to be of one mind, particularly with regard to the Ceremonial Law. It is therefore no way surprising, that infinite varieties of opinion should now be found in the Christian Church. A very probable consequence of this is, that whenever we see any

casting out devils," he will be one that, in this sense, "followeth not us; "-that is not of our opinion. It is scarce to be imagined he will be of our mind in all points, even of religion. He may very probably think in a different manner from us, even on several subjects of importance; such as the nature and use of the Moral Law, the eternal decrees of God, the sufficiency and efficacy of his grace, and the perseverance of his children.

4. He may differ from us, fourthly, not only in opinion, but likewise in some point of practice. He may not approve of that manner of worshipping God, which is practised in our congregation; and may judge that to be more profitable for his soul, which took its rise from Calvin, or Martin Luther.. He may have many objections to that Liturgy, which we approve of beyond all others; many doubts concerning that form of Church-government, which we esteem both Apostolical and Scriptural. Perhaps he may go farther from us yet: he may, from a principle of conscience, refrain from several of those, which we believe to be the ordinances of Christ. Or, if we both agree that they are ordained of God, there may still remain a difference between us, either as to the manner of administering those ordinances, or the persons to whom they should be administered. Now the unavoidable consequence of any of these differences will be, that he who thus differs from us, must separate himself, with regard to those points, from our society. In this respect, therefore, "he followeth not us:" he is not (as we phrase it)" of our Church."

5. But in a far stronger sense," he followeth not us," who is not only of a different Church, but of such a Church as we account to be in many respects anti-scriptural and anti-christian; a Church which we believe to be utterly false and erroneous in her doctrines, as well as very dangerously wrong in her practice; guilty of gross superstition as well as idolatry. A Church that has added many articles to the faith which was once delivered to the saints; that has dropped one whole commandment of God, and made void several of the rest by her traditions; and that, pretending the highest veneration for, and strictest conformity to, the ancient Church, has nevertheless brought in numberless innovations, without any warrant either from antiquity or Scripture. Now most certainly "he followeth not us, who stands at so great a distance from us.

6. And yet there may be a still wider difference than this. He who differs from us in judgment or practice, may possibly

« הקודםהמשך »